Where Am I Going To Put All This Fabric?

OK, I admit it, I'm officially addicted to buying fabric. I can't walk past a charity shop or boot sale without having a good hunt for some rare remnants or old curtains that could be upcycled into cushions or bags. The trouble is I'm collecting it faster than I'm using it, which means I'm gradually drowning under an ever-growing pile of fabric. Even worse, sometimes I can't even bring myself to use it, because it's so gorgeous I just want to keep it and look at it! There's no hope for me, I'm past help.

I've decided to be strong now and STOP BUYING IT!!! I wonder how long that will last.........

Is it May Already?

Wow, where is the year going? (I must be getting old as I remember this is something that all old people say every year!) But seriously, it's May already and it still feels like Spring is only just kicking into action, so it's hard to believe four months have passed by while I've been huddled up in my winter woollies and stitching away in my little sewing room.

I haven't exactly been hibernating, but I do feel that it's now time to come out of my 'burrow' and start enjoying the Spring sunshine and hopefully a bit of warmth.

I've done a few craft fairs in the past couple of months, with varying degrees of success, but am really looking forward to my next two fairs over the weekend of 11th/12th May, both of which are new to me. The first one is in Midhurst, at the Grange Leisure Centre (Saturday 11th May), and the next day I'm at Denbies Wine Estate in Dorking (Sunday 12th May). Both are a bit further afield than my usual fairs, so it'll be interesting to see how well my work is received 'up-country'.

What have I been making lately? Well, after feedback from buyers, I designed a new cross-body bag and made it up in four different versions, one of which I kept for myself (actually, it was the prototype, so that's my excuse!). Two were in lovely faux-suede fabrics, which work really well. Here are a few photos for you...

A Flurry of Craft Fairs

It's that time of year when all the craft fairs are being set up and I have to decide which ones to do, not just for the next few months but right through until December! I've already done two fairs - one at Haskins, Roundstone in February and one last Saturday at Felpham - so I'm warming up and getting into the swing of them.

The Haskins fair was over four days (a bit of a marathon) and was very quiet initially but it got better towards the end and I covered my costs with a bit to spare. The Felpham one last weekend was also quieter than expected, but again I covered my costs and had a profitable day. I also met some great new sellers and picked up news of other fairs and events to follow up.

I have two more fairs booked at Felpham in April and May, and I've just added the Assembly Rooms, Chichester to my calendar, in June, September, October and November. I'm taking part in the Worthing Open Houses event this year too, which takes place over three weekends in June/July. The Arts in the Courtyard fairs are on in June, July and August, and I've booked a space at Crafts at Lancing College for the last weekend of October. It's all getting very busy!

I've added all the above plus a few more to the events calendar on the right, so keep an eye on it and maybe I'll get to meet you at one of the events.

Wedding Bags Unveiled!

As promised here is a photo of my first two wedding bag designs - one is an elegant ivory silk and lace bridal bag, the other is a pretty little satin and lace dolly bag, perfect for brides or bridesmaids. Both are now available from my CiesseTextiles shop on Folksy and also as custom orders if you'd like them in different colours or fabrics.

I'd love to hear what you think of them.

Little Wedding Bags

'Tis the wedding season soon, so perfect timing for my next project - little wedding bags. I have a few designs in mind and will be putting together some samples over the next week or so. These little bags will be just right for brides or bridesmaids to keep their little essentials in and will be the perfect finishing touch for that big day. Keep watching for the grand unveiling (sorry, no pun intended!).

New Textile Journal Covers

Towards the end of last year I made a few textile journal/notebook covers, the same size as my photo notebook covers, but using various textile pieces such as felt and vintage linen, all embellished with buttons, beads and other beautiful bits. I sold one at a craft fair a few days later and the remaining two soon afterwards on Folksy - both to the same customer! As they were so popular, I decided to make a few more. I now have six of these little beauties in my shops (on Etsy or Folksy), all very different, each one unique and perfect to give as a keepsake gift - perhaps for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day. They'd also make great gifts for a bride-to-be (use it as a wedding planner), a bridesmaid, or for a special friend. You could even treat yourself to one! The cover can be re-used on another journal, a diary or address book - it fits a standard A6 book - so it can be kept forever.

Here they all are, on sale now at just £25 - remember, there's only one of each design available, so don't delay!

Here's to an exciting New Year!

It's been a long time since my last post (can't believe it was back in November!) but let me start by wishing you all a very happy New Year and may all your hopes and dreams move closer to reality in 2013. I hope you all enjoyed the festive season in whatever way you chose to celebrate it - mine was the traditional family way, spending time with family and friends, eating and drinking a little too much (!) and generally relaxing.

But now....it's time to look forward, get 2013 under way and make some changes. There's a blank calendar to fill up and lots of work to get done.

January

It's time to shift some of the things I no longer need/want/use, so there'll be plenty of listing on Etsy and E-bay this month. I've already added lots of vintage linen & lace to my Etsy shop and that will be swiftly followed by more of the same as well as some of my vintage bags, clothes and accessories that are taking up valuable loft space.

Vintage linen & lace traycloth or mat

One of a pair of matching lace mats

 I also need to re-assess my stock of handmade bags etc on Folksy and decide what to focus on going forward. I've added up all my sales over the past 18 months and worked out which products are the best-sellers (phone cases) and which bring in the most cash (bags), so these are the things I'll be making more of and some of the not-so-successful will fall by the wayside. It's a steep learning curve and there's no easy way of knowing what will/won't be successful, so they're not wasted, they'll just be put down to experience and offered at knock-down prices at the next craft fair!

Best sellers - hand-painted silk handbags (from £25)

Best sellers - phone & gadget cases (from £10)

Finally...photography. I've been so busy with the textiles that this has taken a bit of a back seat lately, but I did sell a large canvas print of one of my photos just before Christmas, so that was an unexpected bonus. I've recently made some notebook covers by printing some of my images onto canvas and sewing it up into covers. I sold the first one at a craft fair and have made several more, which are now on sale on Folksy and through Traders in Littlehampton - they also stock some of my photo prints and canvasses.

'Seagulls' notebook cover (with A6 notebook) £15

'Cuba Collage' notebook cover (with A6 notebook) £15

So that's where I'm at now and I'll be planning the rest of the year very soon. There are already craft fairs and art fairs booked, an exhibition planned and lots of new ideas to put into action. I'm going to do a monthly blog update - with maybe a few smaller blogs in between - and will add events as and when they are confirmed. Happy 2013!