Hem and Helm

05/24/2026

05/23/2026

05/22/2026

If you buy one of these bags I will literally fight a bear.....

https://hemandhelm.etsy.com/listing/4509430540

05/07/2026

We’ll be out at the Bernardo Winery Spring Arts & Craft Fair all weekend and it honestly might be one of the better “keep everyone entertained without spending a fortune” plays in town.
Free parking. Free admission. Food. Wine. Local artists. Enough handmade goods to convince yourself you’re “just browsing” before somehow leaving with salsa, candles, earrings, and a wooden sign that says Gather. Humanity remains deeply predictable.
There are 120+ vendors and it’s a pretty easy place to wander around for a few hours without feeling packed shoulder-to-shoulder. Good mix of families, date-day people, and folks pretending they’re only there for the wine slushies.
Hem & Helm will be there too with a bunch of our handmade/upcycled bags and whatever level of supervision I’m operating under by then.
Saturday & Sunday
10am-5pm
Bernardo Winery
If you’re trying to pick one local event this weekend, this one’s a pretty safe bet.

05/06/2026

One kid outgrows a stack of soccer jerseys.
The Salty Seamstress looks at them and sees “limited edition travel gear with emotional damage and snack crumbs sewn into the seams.” Humanity is strange.
This set came from a follower’s collection of old jerseys that had too many memories to donate and too much history to leave in a drawer. So now they get a second season as dopp kits, stash pouches, and wristlets built to keep traveling.
Goals fade.
Kids grow.
Parents spend weekends yelling “MARK YOUR MAN” from folding chairs.
But the jerseys? They can still make the roster.
Custom memory bags are quietly becoming one of our favorite things to make around here. Especially when they come with stories attached. ⚽️🧵
MemoryBag UpcycledFashion

04/28/2026

https://hemandhelm.etsy.com/listing/4467836813

A completely reasonable mix of war poppies, salvaged sea bags… and poor decision making.
We took materials that have already seen some things
and turned them into bags that are ready to see worse.
Dopp kits. Strap cases. Keychains.
Built tough enough for travel, daily abuse, and whatever you tell yourself is “just a quick trip.”
Poppies that age like they have secrets.
Brass hardware that gets better looking the more you mess with it.
Sea bag pieces that guarantee no two are the same… because apparently we don’t believe in easy.

These bags will: ✔ hold your gear
✔ survive your lifestyle
✔ silently judge your packing choices

These bags will NOT: ✘ organize your life
✘ make you a better person
✘ stop you from buying more bags you don’t need

Am I supposed to be posting this? Probably not.
Am I going to anyway? Obviously.

Shop the Brass Garden Collection before supervision returns and I get my posting privileges revoked.

handmadegoods

04/26/2026

The Salty Seamstress has deployed… to a conference.
Which means I am officially unsupervised.
No sewing will be happening this week (for the safety of everyone involved… mostly the fabric).
But I can still ship orders like a responsible adult… or at least someone who knows where the tape gun lives.

BONUS: We’ve got a sale section loaded with $5 and $10 bags

https://www.etsy.com/shop/HemandHelm?section_id=54619061&order=date_desc&utm_source=boe&utm_medium=android&utm_campaign=PoYG8ILDTISlSr4xZzqzJw&utm_content=Sale%20Bags!

They all ship together, so go ahead and build yourself a little bundle like the financially responsible adult you pretend to be.

Orders are still going out… probably with slightly more questionable packing decisions and a lot more pre-workout involved.

Send help. Or orders. Preferably orders.

shippingdept sewingbreak navylife

04/25/2026

Weekend plans?
Yeah… same as last weekend. And the one before that.
Down below deck, cutting, stacking, stitching…
turning scraps into something worth showing off.
No sunlight.
No fresh air.
Just vibes, thread, and a mild addiction to “one more bag.”
The Pouchie fleet is growing… and they’re about ready to deploy.
⚓️ Built by hand
⚓️ Made from the good scraps
⚓️ Slightly unhinged, just like us
handmadegoods upcycledstyle craftchaos sewingaddict smallbusinesslife belowdeck makersmovement saltyvibes

https://hemandhelm.etsy.com

04/21/2026

Slide into something a little more functional.

Handmade gear, repurposed materials, and just enough edge to make it interesting.

Follow along on Instagram… it only gets better from here.

https://www.instagram.com/hem_and_helm/

04/21/2026

Not all wear is created equal.

These marks?

They weren't designed.

They weren't printed.

They weren't faked in a studio under soft lighting and a branding meeting.

They were earned.

Every piece of material in these rolls started its life at sea. Carried, dragged, stacked, stenciled, forgotten, found again. Salt, sun, time, and a whole lot of stories baked into every inch.

We don't clean that out. We don't cover it up. We build around it.

Because perfect is easy. Authentic is rare.

Working on something new behind the scenes... Not quite ready to talk about it yet.

But if you know, you know.

https://hemandhelm.etsy.com/listing/4467836813