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!