about us
   
   

Hello – I’m Karen Arthur,
Smart Tart, dotty bag lady – whatever I am called I know I absolutely LOVE making bags and hope everyone has as much fun using them as I do making them!

Karen enjoying the stock
 
   
 

I studied Fine art (Printmaking) at Art schools in Wiltshire, Australia and finally Falmouth here in Cornwall, where my work was always very decorative, using loads of colour and pattern. The bold, vibrant and totally unique textile accessories I make for my own label Smart Tart! follow on from this work and are the result of my lifelong love affair with vintage textiles, unusual buttons and above all colour. I have been sewing since I was four years old and compulsively making all sorts of things from fabrics and fibres - I don’t know a single textile artist who is not obsessed by their work, so I reckon I am in excellent company.
     
 
     
     
 
The decision to concentrate full time on my textile work came in March 1998, and in the Summer of 2000 I opened a spacious - but very full! - new workshop at my converted barn home in St Just, where my work is on display. My bags used to go all over the country to be sold through various galleries, and I went to San Francisco with the British Crafts Council, but in Summer 2001 I became so busy with people ordering direct that I made the nerve racking but successful decision to only supply from my workshop. It has made my experience much more lively and enjoyable as I now get to meet almost all of my customers.
     
 

The "Glad Bag" range is the most popular one yet. These "portable pieces of art" display a unique frivolity and sense of fun, as well as being meticulously hand made, washable and tough. They are made from vintage cotton and silk velvets, lined with other old fabrics and fastened with amazing buttons hand made by St Just potter, Mo O’Brien. Feltmaking has become another passion which has led to even more outrageous yet very practical bags, a great outlet for my off the wall sense of humour.

   
Pottery bag ladies by Shirley Foote
 

Smart Tart has been growing steadily as the bags reach more and more parts of the world and new clusters of enthusiastic bag ladies are created. Now helped out by expert sewer Katy Sjostedt-Hughes from Pendeen (see gallery page for Katy’s paintings), lots more bags are created but strangely enough no extra spare time!!!

     
 
   
     
 

I am happy to discuss an order in your favourite colours, If you want to discover more, ring for a chat or come to St Just- visitors are welcome to visit the workshop in St Just.

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All copyright, design rights and other intellectual property rights in our designs and products (and in the images, text and design of this website) are and will remain the property of Smart Tart. Any infringement of these rights will be pursued vigorously.

Smart Tart
Blackbird Barn, Bank Square, St. Just, Cornwall
TR19 7HJ, UK.

phone: *44 (0)1736 787091
email: