For $50 per person, Megan Avery will provide everything you need to create a custom handbag, from fabric, instructions, and sewing machines to wine and appetizers in her Hoboken studio (201-876-1198; maverydesigns.com). You choose between three bag styles, then decide on fabric, trim, and extras like pockets or zippers. At the end of the two-hour party, each attendee goes home with a completed bag.

“It makes a great bridal shower or bachelorette party,” says Avery, “or a way to bond with members of the wedding party.”

And for those who can’t make it to the studio, the bags are also available through the website or at handbag parties at your own location, a sort of Tupperware party for the handbag-obsessed. Attendees make their choices at the party, and then receive their bags three weeks later. Avery, who has been sewing since she was 10 years old, had always loved making handbags as gifts for friends. When she suddenly found herself downsized from the dot-com world in 1998, she decided to turn her hobby into a business, and M Avery Designs was born. From simple evening clutches to hip laptop bags, each of Avery’s funky, custom bags is handmade.

Avery credits much of her inspiration to her customers. “I’m constantly talking to them...and they are more than happy to give me pointers on how to make the bags better, or what the next bag should be.”
The ever-expanding line includes a yoga bag and a laptop bag. “As far as bags that sell, it’s about functionality as well as style,” she says. “The laptop bags are really popular—everyone is tired of basic black.”

Her line also includes evening and bridal bags. “The Heather is my most popular bridal design,” Avery says. “It’s great because it’s reversible, so you can have simple satin outside for the wedding day, and something funky to reflect the personality of each attendant on the inside, so they can use it later.”

Finally, something the bridal party really will use again.