What Did I Make With It?

In a previous post, I was debating what I should make from my lovely piece of vintage 'Marakesh' fabric by Flair - should it be a bag or cushions? Well, as you can see, I made both!

The simple, sling bag is lined with a toning plain green fabric. It has a long strap (so it can be worn comfortably across the body) and a couple of handy internal pockets. It fastens with a magnetic clasp and can hold quite a lot - it's about 40 cm wide and 30 cm high (about 16 x 12 inches). It's a real head-turner!

The cushion covers have plain black fabric on the back, and a neat zip closure. They measure about 42 cm/17" square and are shown with 45 cm/18" cushion inners. They'd look great in a retro style room - they're very 70s! - and would really add a pop of colour to a plain sofa.

I even had some fabric left over...so I'm planning another bag. A different design this time, but just as eye-catching!

Making Memories 4

I didn't think I'd ever find a copy of this pattern online! Early 70's again - I made the zipped jacket in a sky blue wool suiting, with a purple/blue wool plaid fabric on the yoke and collar (and maybe the cuffs & waistband too). I don't think I bothered with the hotpants!

I used the pattern again later, making another jacket in mustard wool suiting, this time with a matching flared mini-skirt. It was for work, my first job in the City. I remember wearing it for my interview, travelling up on the train, and feeling very grown-up.

Next Sewing Project

So this is my next project, but I really can't decide whether this fabulous vintage fabric should be a boho-style shoulder bag or a couple of cushions! I can actually visualise it as either, but only have a limited amount, so I doubt there'll be enough for both.

Anyone have a preference?

It's always a dilemma cutting into a lovely piece of fabric, I don't want to get it wrong. I'm edging towards the bag, because it would be more interesting to make, but I know this fabric would make a gorgeous pair of cushions for someone. I could try to squeeze both from it - maybe use a plain fabric for the cushion backs....

I'll sit and look at it for a day or two...my mind will eventually settle on something!

Felt-Making 1

I finally got back to felt-making again today, after a break of several months....and my back and shoulders are not too happy about it! I only made a couple of pieces - need to break myself in gently - and they're now drying off before being pressed, steamed and decorated.

I used three different British breed wools today - Exmoor Hornfleece, Dark Grey Suffolk and Black Welsh Mountain. The Exmoor fleece came from a small farm in Cornwall, picked up while on holiday, but it's a devil to felt! The other two came from Fibrecrafts and are much easier to work with.

I wanted to have another go at 3D work, so I made a small felted vessel that I intend to decorate once it's completely dry. If it turns out ok, I'll have a go at something bigger or more ambitious. I also made a sheet of felt, which will eventually become a book cover. I'm a flat-felter usually, preferring to make sheets of felt to use as 'fabric', but it's good to try something different.

They don't look very exciting at the moment...they're a work-in-progress, so let's see how they turn out!

I've got a few other British breed fleeces in my collection, and I plan to create a selection of items to show the variety we have here - they're all undyed, natural colours, so they'll look very different to my usual brightly coloured pieces. Hopefully, they'll appeal to someone!

Contemporary Textiles Fair 2018

The Contemporary Textiles Fair at Landmark Arts Centre features some of the best contemporary textiles designers & makers in the UK, with over 70 stands in a great venue near Teddington Lock. There are no suppliers, no other craft disciplines - it is purely textiles, but what a variety of textiles there was! I was so impressed by the breadth of work on display and the diversity of materials, techniques and ideas used by the talented creatives there.

There were so many fantastic stands, but I wanted to highlight a few that stood out for me. Like most art forms, it's very personal and subjective. I narrowed them down to six:


Freyelli Textiles - "a collection of original painted and freehand machine embroidered textile art, and beautiful homeware" by Ellie Hipkin, a fellow Sussex-based artist. Ellie's work captures life on the Sussex coast beautifully, with all the colours of the sea and sky, while the clever use of freehand machine embroidery adds the detail of coastal plants and objects.





Karen Rao, Felt Artist - another Brighton-based artist, Karen "hand felts animal inspired headwear, clip-on ears and other fun and primitive felted accessories." I've seen Karen's work before, at events we've both exhibited at, and I just love it! Her felt-making skills are amazing, and the designs are totally mad and unique, but actually very wearable.













Tessa Jane - "a Fine Art Textile Artist, who loves to explore colour and surface". I was completely blown away by her work. Best described in the artist's own words: "My work is conceptual and focuses on that moment as you catch a glimpse of something fantastic; light on water; filtering through trees or the luminosity of an object. When you catch your breath because you have seen something (or someone) at their most glorious. Yet it is functional and like that of William Morris has a use." Beautiful and useful.









Sara Harris (jelliclebuttons) -  "Sara's work derives from a love of the quirky, oddball and otherwise unusual." This sums up her pieces perfectly! I fell in love with her soft sculpures, which are eccentric and so full of character, as well as being incredibly cleverly made. Her textile art pieces are also a joy - small treasure troves of found and pieced objects, fabrics and oddments. Wonderful.












Emily Sladen - Emily's work is "influenced by the wild and rugged environment of her island home." Based in the Scilly Isles, her work beautifully displays the colours and textures of the coastal area, and has a soft, delicate, harmonious quality that would work well in a contemporary setting. The lampshades are especially gorgeous...and very tempting!











Caroline Hyde-Brown - "A beautiful and atmospheric collection of embroidered landscapes using a variety of materials including felt, natural dyes & thread." Caroline's work has a wonderful depth to it, and is a clever combination of paint, stitch and natural materials.






The Contemporary Textiles Fair is well worth a visit for anyone with an interest in textile art and design.

Is it a good fair to exhibit at? It's hard to judge based on this weekend alone, as the weather hasn't been kind, and probably did affect the number of visitors to the fair. It didn't seem very crowded yesterday, and Saturdays are usually the busiest days, so I would guess most exhibitors didn't sell well. Exhibiting isn't just about sales, I know, but most fairs are a big investment - in time and money - for artists, so sales do help enormously!

If most visitors are, like me, going along to view other artists' work, or the venue, rather than as a potential buyer, then it might not be the best venue to exhibit at for selling. Having said that, there are no supply sellers there, so it might not attract other makers as much as some other shows. It felt more like a gallery show, with more textile art than I expected to see. That could attract buyers.

Organisers need to draw in potential buyers, and lots of them, for a fair to be successful long-term and to attract and retain high quality exhibitors year after year. Are there enough textile art buyers to sustain it, especially in challenging times for retail generally? I don't know, but I hope so, as it's a great event and I want to go back again next year!

Making Memories 3

Back to the beginning of the '70s again with this one - this was a Butterick pattern (#3035).

I made the maxi dress in a lovely blue and white check cotton. The frills on the shoulders and around the armholes were cut as small spirals, which were then straightened out to form the frills, but without any gathering - very clever! I remember I had to bind the edges of each frill with blue bias-binding first, which wasn't easy, but did look very neat.

The dress had a seam under the bust, and princess seams in the skirt to give a fitted & flared shape. It had a long back zip, and square neckline, back and front. It was lovely to wear, and I wish I still had it....not that I could still fit into it - it was probably a size 10/12, which would have been much smaller than the 10/12 you get now.

A word on pattern sizes - even now, I think, they still use pretty much the same measurements as they did back then. I was mostly a size 12 - which fitted a 34-inch bust - but nearer a size 10 on the waist and hips. A size 10 waist was about 25 inches. Today, I can buy size 12 clothes that fit a 38-inch bust - that would have been a pattern size 16. So, if you're using patterns, especially vintage patterns, be sure to check the measurements very carefully before making them up, as you may need to use a bigger size than you think!

New 'Kimono' Fabrics

I've recently added a couple of new fabrics to my range of 'Kimono' A5 planner covers (suitable for the Hobonichi Cousin planner, or similar).

The first one is a very pretty floral print on a bluebell blue background - it's lovely for Spring, with pink, yellow and white flowers scattered across it. The lining and trim are in a blue geometric print and the cover is finished, as usual, with gold satin ribbon around the middle and gold satin ribbon page-markers.

The other new fabric is a lovely print featuring geisha, temples, mount Fuji and other traditional motifs on a grey background with lots of sakura (cherry blossom) flowers in pink, red and white. This cover is lined and trimmed with a pretty pink cotton with red and white flowers. Gold ribbons finish it perfectly.

These two new designs are available now in my Etsy shop. I have one of each in stock, but can take orders for more if they're sold.

You can see the whole range of A5 planner covers that are currently in-stock here:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ChristineShephardUK?ref=seller-platform-mcnav&section_id=21175265

And A6 covers, to fit the Hobonichi Techo Original planner, can be found here:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ChristineShephardUK?ref=seller-platform-mcnav&section_id=15862550

A Brief Taste Of Spring

I finally ventured into the garden today, encouraged by the Spring sunshine and mild weather to tidy up a bit before the next bout of cold weather, due to hit us at the weekend. I was accompanied throughout by a very cute, chirpy robin - who declined to be photographed - hopping from tree to fence and following me around quite happily.

My garden always looks a mess after the winter months - littered with pine needles and cones from the monster tree in the corner that I can't get rid of, they cling to everything and get into all the corners and are a nightmare to collect up. The grass is long but too wet to cut, so the cones are hidden, just waiting for the lawnmower to find them and spit them out in bits. One of the local cats seems to prefer using the grass as a toilet, instead of the dirt, so I have to tread carefully to avoid the little piles of poo, as well as copious amounts of bird droppings from the aforementioned tree! It's not a pleasant prospect getting it back into shape at this time of year, but it does always look better for it.

Today was just the initial tidy-up, the main work will have to wait until it dries out a bit - the grass is actually water-logged in places, it's been that wet recently, and at least one shrub has succumbed to the cold weather (or maybe I killed it off!). Now that I've started, I actually can't wait to get going on it properly, so let's hope the weather warms up again soon.

Wednesday Walk

It was a bright, breezy walk along the seafront today. The sea was a bit choppy, and not too many people about, but much milder than of late. I'm trying to walk more often again, now the days are getting longer, so Wednesday Walks might be a good way to ensure I get at least one decent walk each week. I also need to break in my walking boots again before my walking holiday next month to Northern Cyprus - or rather, to harden my feet after the winter months!

The only problem with all that walking and fresh air is that it gives me an appetite...for all the bad foods! Today I succumbed to a packet of liquorice allsorts and some ginger biscuits.......

Monday Morning, MOT and Making

It's dull and wet here today, with a pretty miserable day forecast weather-wise. It's also the day my car has to face another MOT.......so I can't go far, and probably won't want to anyway! A perfect day to listen to the radio and get on with some making and photo-editing.

Today's making list includes indigo-dyed planner covers, and I'm thinking of doing some passport covers to use up some of the smaller pieces of fabric, and maybe a few more needlecases & pincushions. I won't get them all done today, but I like to have a few ideas in place.

It's a shame it's too wet to get out into the garden, it's in desperate need of a tidy up after the winter, but there are some signs of spring - the daffs are out, the camellia has been flowering for a while now, and birds are hopping around looking for worms - all good signs!

Bad news on the MOT...it failed! New headlight units needed (not a surprise, they're very cloudy and I was warned about them last year); number plate light not working (that's ok); anti-roll bar link, something to do with the suspension (no idea really!); and advised to have 3 new tyres fitted, as they're quite worn. Well, that's a bit more than I'd hoped, but it's an old car and not unexpected. Hopefully, it will keep it on the road for a while longer and - as the man at the garage said - it's cheaper than replacing it!

Back to the 'making' then, and hopefully a few sales to help pay for the car.

Making Memories 2

Here's another one from my pattern archive, this time from the 1980s (note the big shoulders!). I don't recall the exact year I made it, but I do remember very clearly wearing this outfit to work, it was a real favourite.

I made the slim skirt in a black crepe fabric, fully lined. It was mid-calf, like the one on the left. The long sleeved top was in a golden-yellow and black houndstooth check fabric, a soft brushed cotton or cotton blend, with black buttons. The top has a fitted band around the waist, with the upper blouson part and lower peplum both pleated into it, and slanted pockets in the peplum. With my black heels, it really looked the business.

Of course, being the 80s, I accessorised it with a chunky necklace, huge clip-on earrings, and big hair!

Taking Product Photos

One of the most challenging aspects of selling online - for me anyway - is getting the photos right. I'm fairly comfortable with camera settings and composition and I've taken hundreds of photos of views, sunsets and people...but I still struggle with product photography.

There's no doubt a good photo can really help to sell a product, and a bad photo can definitely put buyers off. So it makes sense to take a bit of time and effort to get the best photos you can when selling online.

An expensive camera is not essential - you can get perfectly good photos with a small compact camera or even a phone camera, but you'll probably need to edit them with Photoshop or other photo-editing software to get great photos.

I'd say my product photos are generally ok, but I'm never truly happy with them and, like most people, I'm continually trying to improve them. I currently use a compact Lumix camera for most of my photos, and I prefer to take shots against a plain white background. I find this gives a cleaner look, and allows me to get more accurate colours.

I use a couple of large sheets of white mountboard - one on the floor and one behind the object - and position them to catch as much daylight as possible without any direct sunlight hitting them. For me, that means in front of my living room windows, on a bright but slightly overcast day. Direct sun means deep shadows, which I want to avoid, so I wait until the sun goes behind a cloud, or move away from the windows slightly.

If you're not comfortable using your camera's manual settings, leave it on 'auto' mode, but turn off the flash. I never use flash for my photos, as it drains out the colours and creates an unnatural look. It's much better to add brightness later if you need to.

I take lots of photos, from different angles, to capture all the details of the product. I don't use a tripod, as I find that too restricting, but I'm careful to keep the camera as steady as possible, and I take my time setting up the shots. I can use this simple set-up for most of my products, with the exception of my silk scarves and some of my larger bags.

I love the idea of using 'lifestyle' shots to show a product in use, but it's not really an option for me. My house doesn't even vaguely resemble something out of Ideal Home magazine, and I don't have many blank, white walls, interesting corners or bare wooden floors to give me that trendy, chic showhome look. Nor do I have space to set up a permanent 'studio' just for photography - although that would be nice. (Maybe if I cleared the garage.........?)

Some products, such as bags and scarves, look great photographed on a 'live' model, but I don't have one of those available either, so I have to be a bit less ambitious and settle for a dressmaker's dummy, a chair or a handy hook instead! Sometimes you just have to get a bit creative.

Anyway, once all the photos have been taken, I load them onto my laptop for editing. I have a very old version of Photoshop Elements that does pretty much everything I need it to do and not much more, which is fine. So, I crop, I straighten if necessary, I lighten the shadows and brighten it a bit, add a bit of contrast, get rid of any colour cast, check the colours look reasonably accurate, and save the edited copy. Then I reduce the size to 1000 pixels width for faster uploading. And that's it. Repeat for about 10-15 photos per item, and you can imagine how long the whole process takes when photographing a batch of products.

I'm off now to take some photos!

Craft Fairs in March/April 2018

I made a decision not to do any craft fairs this year, to take a break and concentrate on making and selling online.

I'll still be visiting a few though, to check them out as possible venues for the future and to review them on here. I'll be reviewing them as both a potential seller and customer, looking at the venue, facilities, number of stands, customer numbers and demographic, quality and diversity of crafts, whether goods are handmade or not, and the general atmosphere of the event.

The first one I plan to visit is the Contemporary Textiles Fair at Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington. It starts on Friday 16th March, open in the evening from 6-8.30pm, and 10-5 Saturday & Sunday 17th/18th March.

"The Contemporary Textiles Fair 2018 brings you over 70 stands featuring the best contemporary textiles in the UK. This annual event is almost unique in its focus on textile artists and makers, unencumbered by suppliers and other craft disciplines. Our exhibitors show and sell a vast range of contemporary textiles, from needle-felted wool portraiture, to silk-knitted garments, stitched mixed media canvases, to geometric weaving."

 I've thought about selling at this event for the past couple of years, but wasn't sure whether it would work for me or not, so it will be interesting to see what it's like.



Other events in March/April that I've sold at previously, and might do again, are the Lancing College Craft Show on Saturday & Sunday 7th/8th April and the Farmers & Makers' Fair at Architectural Plants, near Pulborough, on Saturday 31st March.

Both of these are 'handmade-only' events, so there shouldn't be anything bought-in or mass-produced, and sellers/goods are carefully curated and checked by the organisers when booking.

I've sold at Lancing College for a few years, mainly at the October Craft Shows, and really enjoy it there. It's well-organised, friendly and usually quite busy. It's certainly one that I'd consider doing again.

Architectural Plants started their Farmers & Makers' Fairs last year, with the first one in September 2017. I had a stand there and did very well. It was busy, with a good visitor demographic, and had obviously been well-advertised. They followed up with a Christmas Fair in December, which I didn't go to, and they have three more fairs planned for 2018. I hope to visit at least one of them to see how they're doing now, and whether they're still as well-attended as the first one.

Making Memories 1

Patterns are something I have far too many of - both sewing and knitting patterns.

For many years I made my own clothes and built up a huge collection of sewing patterns - from 1970s Style and Simplicity ones, to 1980s and 1990s Butterick and Vogue Designer ones (I was able to afford them back then!). I made hundreds of dresses, jackets, skirts, blouses, trousers and tops...even a few coats and bridesmaid's dresses. I did get rid of a box of patterns when I moved house - older ones, in smaller sizes that I knew I'd never use again - but I always regretted not keeping the envelopes, or at least photos of the envelopes, so I could recall the many outfits I made.

I also gave away most of the clothes I made over the years - I had far too many in my wardrobe - and often wonder what became of them. I kept a few items, special ones, but most have long gone. Every now and then I see a vintage pattern for sale online that I used to have, so I take a copy of the image and save it in a special file. I still have a few scraps of fabrics that I used as well, so I'm keeping small pieces - I plan to start a scrapbook, with the patterns and fabric scraps, to remind me of all the clothes I made over the years. I've also unearthed a few photos of me wearing items I made, although there aren't many, so I'll include those too.

This is one of the earliest dresses I remember sewing. I made the maxi version to wear to my cousin's wedding in 1970 - it was in a deep royal blue and white and I loved it! I can still recall tacking the massive frills onto the bottom of the dress the night before the wedding, with my Mum's help. We always left it a bit late to make our outfits, but always managed to complete them just in time! I also remember the blue platform shoes with chunky heels I wore with it...so stylish!

I Love Vintage

One of my other loves is vintage - fabrics, patterns, linens, brooches, books and anything a bit quirky!

I have a massive collection of old linens, lace and doilies, sewing patterns, knitting patterns and yarns stashed up in the loft, and I really, really, need to clear them out and either do something with them or let them go!

I do have some items listed in my Etsy Vintage shop (see link on the right), but there is so much more, it's scary!

My huge collection of vintage brooches is being steadily sold off - some are very hard to part with, as they're so gorgeous - but a girl can only wear so many sparkly brooches, so I'll keep a small collection and reluctantly part with the rest. Here are a few examples currently for sale:

Aren't they stunning? They really brighten up an outfit, especially during the duller months. Great on a jacket or coat, to fasten a shawl or scarf, or to add interest to a hat or bag. Perfect for weddings too, to add a bit of bling to a simple outfit.

The brooches won't clear much space, but it's a start. Tackling the mountain of linens etc is a much bigger challenge. I've used some smaller pieces on my lacy book covers, and made a few cushion covers, but I really need some bigger projects to use them on. I'm thinking patchwork quilts maybe....or long table runners for vintage-style weddings...or more cushions...

2018 - New Year, New Blog

Welcome back to my blog - it's had a bit of a makeover, with a new name and new colour scheme to celebrate my first post after a gap of four years!

March 2018 has certainly come in like a lion...so let's hope it goes out like a lamb! I could certainly do with some warmth and sunshine after the icy weather of the past week. We got off quite lightly here on the south coast, compared to other parts of the country, with just a thin covering of snow and some icy rain....but, oh, those winds, they were bitingly cold!!

Now the days are getting a bit longer and lighter, I'm feeling more like sewing again. My Etsy shop is pretty slow at this time of year, but I'll be adding more of the 'Kimono' planner covers that have been selling well, and a few more of the 'Indigo' covers, which have also proved to be quite popular.
The new 'Indigo' fabric is lovely - it's cotton but feels more like linen, with a looser weave. The designs are reproductions of traditional Japanese cloth designs, using indigo dyes, and they really are quite special.

The covers come in A6 and A5 sizes, to fit Hobonichi-type planners, or you can buy them with a standard page-a-day diary.

I also have a limited number of 'Batik' planner covers - trimmed with gold, glittery, organza ribbon - in various colours. These are fabrics I picked up at a show last year, and they're gorgeous, but I only bought a FQ of each, so can't repeat them. These are all A5 ones...

...but there are also a few A6 covers without the organza ribbon, such as this one.

I'll be making some more felt very soon. I still have a box full of yummy wool tops and silk fibres that are crying out to be felted, and felt-making is guaranteed to warm me up on a chilly day. It's a bit hard on my dodgy shoulders, so I have to limit the hours I spend rolling it, but it's well worth the effort to create such lovely, tactile fabric.

So, that's my week planned. Have a good one!