Klum House is a one-stop bag making shop and school in Portland, Oregon. Our women-owned and powered company offers bag making kits, patterns, tools, supplies, and workshops to help makers like you create heavy-duty bags on a home sewing machine. You can do it! We believe in you.
empowerment through hands-on-skill building.
overcoming creative doubts and fears.
making noise and making messes.
the value of handmade goods and skilled craft(wo)manship.
strong coffee, dark chocolate, and cute dogs.
seam rips, crooked rivets, bandaids, and curse words.
breaking the rules and defying expectations.
using the right tool for the right job.
building the world we want to exist.
rolling up our sleeves and getting to work.
We believe in you.
Time and time again. we've witnessed the transformation that takes place when a maker is brave enough to show up and try something new. As teachers there is no greater joy than watching someone light up when they discover what they're capable of creating.
Whether it's learning to sew, using a new tool, or working with leather and hardware for the first time, building skills is the foundation for any bag maker's practice. At Klum House, we've created a robust and approachable support system to guide you at every step.
Klum House founder Ellie Lum has over twenty years of professional bag making experience. With roots in industrial sewing and small batch manufacturing, Ellie's super power is teaching makers to achieve professional-quality results on a home sewing machine - and have a hell of a lot of fun while doing it. She's passionate about empowering folks through sharing her craft.
We humans have been making bags for many thousands of years. A bag is a container to gather and hold the things that are important to you as you move about the world. Klum House bags are stylish and functional—classic designs built to stand the test of time.
We provide makers with a comprehensive, customizable, and fully-supported bag making experience. Our kits contain everything you need, so all you have to do is make! Made from premium waxed canvas and leather, your bag will look and feel seriously luxe.
Welcome to Klum House HQ, a dreamy workshop space in north Portland where every tool has a place and the fridge is always stocked with cold bubbly water. This is where we design bags, write patterns, teach workshops, film online classes, and pack up all of your orders. The real magic happens at your sewing machine, but this is where it all begins.
Why make a bag when you could buy one? Choosing slow fashion over fast fashion, redefining your relationship to production and consumption, learning, through embodied experience, the value of labor and skilled craft(wo)manship—these are radical acts.
When you make something from start to finish with your own two hands, you can't help but emerge transformed. You learn to embrace imperfection, dismantle limiting beliefs, and develop a sense of your own efficacy. You are powerful! Make more beautiful things.
