About

I'm Jill designer and maker behind JMB Design. I've been designing and sewing up handbags since 2006. I started this business in a small apartment in Toronto, Canada and it's since grown into a much larger business & studio in WA State where I now reside. Each bag is designed and constructed in my home studio on Bainbridge Island, WA. My handbags are made from eco friendly materials that have been made from recycled plastic bottles, cactus, and pineapple skins! Most of my materials are purchased as ends of lines or remnants that I source from local textile/rummage sales, as well as ends of yardage from larger manufacturers and designers. I also work with vintage textiles as well as my own hand drawn prints that I transform digitally into textile designs.

The Twyla Tote - Designed for a fellow maker!

 John Met Who? A question we get often! John Met Betty is named after my grandparents John & Betty Thompson, they shared a flair for style, a storybook romance and love for the PNW. My grandparents met and married in Vancouver BC and had their first date riding bikes in Stanley Park. Growing up in Ontario, Canada, I often heard stories about the west coast and would flip through the picture books lining my grandparents coffee tables and bookshelves. I feel it was serendipitous that my husband and I ended up moving here 10 years ago. With my family history in the PNW and a love equal to what my grandparents had for this magical place, I felt it was fitting to name my company after them.