Published: March 14, 2008 04:32 pm         

Rock purses are a blast from the past

BROWNSBURG, Ind. — Susan Bachelle carries her Moody Blues around on her shoulders.

But that’s not because she’s feeling down. It’s because she makes purses out of old record albums; and the Moody Blues are her “ultimate favorite.”

Bachelle was surfing on eBay a year ago when she discovered a way to combine her creative talents and her favorite bands by creating purses out of record, CD, and DVD covers. Since then, Bags by Bachelle has grown to about five orders a week and 400 stockpiled albums in Bachelle’s home.

“Now I’m a collector,” Bachelle said. “I visit garage sales, Goodwill, and thrift stores. The Goodwill in Avon is getting to know me well.”

There are a range of products, including mini purses made of older and recent CDs. The side of the purse even snaps open so the CD itself can be slipped in and out: a unique alternative to the iPod, allowing one to carry their favorite music around with them everywhere they go. She’s also beginning to branch out to use 45s.

Larger purses and tote bags are made with laminated record album covers, ranging from Elvis to Johnny Winter to David Bowie. The Madonna purses especially “just rock,” she says.

These covers can also be made to create clocks. Bachelle laminates the cover, drills a hole in the middle, and attaches a clock device she purchases at a craft store. One of her popular clocks is the cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine” and guitar picks mark the twelfth, third, sixth, and ninth hours.

“You have people pulling out their past,” Bachelle said. “They see me carrying my purse and immediately start a conversation about how they remember that band and this concert. You can put the past on the wall, you can carry it on your arm. It brings back fun memories.”

With Bachelle’s outgoing, bubbly personality, that’s just what she loves. A full-time registered nurse at Hendricks Regional Health, she says she has made many friends all over the state through her craft shows, her website, and even just walking around carrying her own purse.

Business doesn’t stop at bags, though. Bachelle also makes coaster sets out of the centers of the records themselves and the album’s inside sleeves. She also hopes to begin making wine tote bags soon.

Having grown up in Pittsboro, Bachelle has always been somewhat creative and admits she tried many other avenues that didn’t quite work. Just out of college, she and her friends tried macramé, pottery, and designed sweatshirts, but those didn’t quite “float her boat.” But she’s always loved getting her creative juices going; in fact, she repaints the walls in her house at least twice a year.

“When you have that craftiness in you, you just want to create things,” Bachelle said. “To me, it’s somewhat easy. And I love the recycling aspect to it. I’m still kind of small potatoes. But I’d love to do it more often.”

For more information, visit Bachelle’s website at www.bachellebags.com.





Jamie Hergott writes for the Hendricks County Flyer in Avon, Ind.