Editing my fabric collection

Is there any more soothing an activity than rooting through the fabric collection on a Sunday afternoon? This vintage geometric print is bang on trend but I'm working on a smaller scale project and the sizing is all wrong. Its time will come, I'm sure.

I've decided to reinstate the sale in my Etsy shop as it was doing so well. There'll be 40% off across the entire shop until the end of January, when some unsold items will disappear for good, and the new ones I've been working on will take their place.

I'm also attempting to do a post a day this year but I'm sure once I'm back in work on Tuesday, this might start to get a bit unsustainable. We'll see.

Unfinished business

Nothing quite focuses the mind like knowing you're back at your day job in 12 weeks, and your MSc dissertation is due just after Christmas. In the meantime, I have a ton of unfinished projects around the house, some for home, some for Girl Industries and I really need to pull my finger out and get them finished. One of the projects I've been working on for a while is a rag rug for Amelia's room.

In true upcycling style, it uses worn out t-shirts from all of the family that we really couldn't have given to the charity shop or popped into the Salvation Army hopper at the supermarket. I've just about finished chopping up all the t-shirts, and the next steps are:

Check there are no more t-shirts to use up.
Chop up all remaining useable t-shirts.
Decide on size of rug and cut rug canvas to size.
Use spare canvas offcuts for a bit of a practice.
Go at it on the main canvas.

I'm not knitting as much these days as I find most of my crafting time is in the evening and is often interrupted. Amelia is pretty good at going to bed and falling asleep, but occasionally is woken by the light-ish nights, noises outdoors (curse you, ice cream vans), or a runny nose, or the threat of teeth coming through. So it have to work on something that is easy to put down and even easier to put away. As she gets more mobile, the putting away aspect is going to become even more important, wish me luck! I'll try and keep you updated on the rug as it develops, but if it's anything like the still unfinished but in constant use curtain I made for our front door, you could be waiting a while!

Lucky dip

I'm such a sucker for tombolas, lucky bags and surprises. So how could I resist when the proprietor of Hannah Zakari was having a clearout of her fabric stash, prior to the exciting launch of her new bricks and mortar shop in Edinburgh?

After placing an order yesterday, I was delighted to see a little red van pull up outside the house this lunchtime with a big old parcel just for me!

And here is a selection of the delights inside:

I've been itching to get back behind my sewing machine for a while, but I have a feeling it needs a service and a new needle before I let it loose on such lovely fabric. If you'd like to score a similar (but entirely different) addition to your own fabric (and notions!) stash, hit up HZ's ebay shop, where you can pick from entire bolts of designer fabric, alongside the mystery bags. To visit the new shop in person, keep your eyes on the website for launch details.

Photo via SBJM

And speaking of good times in Edinburgh this summer, why not do your bit to improve cross-pond relations and help two Brooklyn-based comedians on their way to do almost daily free shows at Whistle Binkies during the festival? I'm hoping to get along to catch a show and say hi, as long as I'm not busy having a baby while they're on, I can manage the stairs and remember if any embarrassments from my student antics preclude me from entering WBs. Last time they were here, Leah and Katie were named "Biggest Revelation" by The Guardian, became addicted to haggis and deep fried mars bars, and even got SUED! Help them make all their dreams come true, and more, by pledging as little as $5 to help them on their way.

As a side note, I'm really impressed with Kickstarter.com as a model for creative types to fund their endeavours - have a look at the main page for an explanation of how it works. It's kind of a justgiving site for the arts rather than charitable organisations. I wonder if Wired UK or one of our Dragons might be interested in a British outpost of the same type of site...

So what am I working on?

I've been really tired after work lately and everything seems a little bit in limbo with our impending (or not, who knows?) house move. It still doesn't feel like it's particularly real, we haven't had any formal confirmation in writing that it's definitely going ahead, the house we have supposedly bought is all still being advertised online, and our solicitor is on holiday. We haven't been told it's all fallen through or anything, but it all seems a bit odd. Having said that, I think that could be that I'm leaving all the legal communication to my husband because I sorted out all the finance communication, and I'm finding not being in charge of absolutely everything just a little bit frustrating.

So I haven't been creating as much for the shop as I have done lately, but instead I've been doing what some of us highly effective people would call 'sharpening the saw'. I've taken part in a pincushion challenge, to reinvigorate my inventive streak. The recipient from this swap is still to receive her package, so I can't post any photos yet, but I will soon!

I was inspired to unearth the sewing machine again and put together a little birthday gift for my soon-to-be-2-years-old niece. I was going to make her a new bedding set to go with her new big girl bed, but then I decided to make her a present she would actually appreciate playing with - a colouring kit! There are little notches on the front of the bag for easy access to single crayons, and larger pockets on the back for other all important supplies. Then the colouring books go inside the bag itself simples! I used a tutorial from a sewing book that was meant for a paintbrush roll to get the gist of how to do the outside. When I say 'used', I mean, looked at with my eyes for a minute and worked it out. And the bag itself was something I learned at my sewing class last year, using a boutique paper bag as a template to make it a little more child sized. While my machine doesn't really understand what tension is, and my sewing skills aren't that great, I'm sure it will go down really well with the birthday girl. Love this red hippo fabric from the Ikea remnants bin!

I've also been catching up on a lot of things I've been meaning to do. Like take advantage of the Etsy Moo offer, order up lots of lovely supplies, keep up to date with everyone's blogs, and enter lots of competitions to win more lovely supplies. Twitter is great for hearing about the best giveaways first. And I've been spending way too much time on Twitter! If you're thinking about investing in a pack of Moo cards, my top tip is to line up your own additional text on the reverse of the card so it's higher up than the Moo advertising they put on the front - one of the stages handily shows your front and back view side by side. That way, when they arrive, you have the option of doing the snippy-snip over the Moo information. Simples!

I'm kind of obsessed with house motifs and I'm thinking of a bit of house-shaped embroidering next - especially after reading over on Craft about handstitched wedding invites... maybe an embroidered change of address card is on its way...

In the meantime, I'm still enjoying this beautiful wedding present every time I look at it

Squirrels and rabbits and deer! Oh my!

I'm powering through my to-do list today, so thought I'd take some time out to show you something I've been working on just for fun.

Close.

Closer.

Closest.

I'm in a gift guide!

Etsy have included me in their discount weekends gift guide. To receive your 20% off anything in my shop (that isn't made of paper), just use the magic words 'weekend deals' in your notes to seller when you check out. Special offer runs to Monday morning, so don't delay!

Holiday plans

I can’t wait to check out all the crafty goings on I have planned for my hols this year. Since visiting the handmade community in Gatlinburg, TN, a couple of summers ago, crafting, thrifting and shopping have become a permanent feature on my road trip to-do lists.

This year I’m planning to stock up on buttons in Vancouver, to shop ‘til I drop at the famous Saturday Market in Portland, OR, and to find lots of new and unknown-to-me goodies in Seattle.

In light of this, I’m planning a big destashing in my shop over on Etsy. I have upcycled fabric bundles, new fabric packs, button packs and ribbons aplenty. Although I'm not entirely sure when I'll find some spare time to photograph and describe them. I'll just leave you with the thought that when they are done, they'll be perfect for making small embellished pouches, patchwork cushions, new and unusual plushies, or even just a bit of mixed media art.

Check back here probably at the start of October to find out when they'll be up on sale. I'd love to help you get a head start on all your holiday crafting (I know, I know but Winifred Robinson mentioned Christmas Shopping on Radio 4 on Wednesday lunchtime, you can't blame me!)

The craft factory

My flat looks like a bombsite, but I'm on top of everything I need to do for the fabulous Made in the Shade indie market tomorrow.

Just about all of my craft mafia colleagues from here in Glasgow are lined up with stalls, there's a choir booked and absolutely no Cliff Richard on the jukebox - hurrah!

Hope to see you there!

p.s. serious moment: apologies to anyone I may have neglected in the last week or two while I've been getting my stuff together for these markets. Except for the dust bunnies in my flat, your days are numbered....

Taking up the gauntlet

Yesterday was a very inspirational day! I came up with a couple of new product ideas, which will help me get rid of my fabric mountain. Recently I was given a pair of curtains, second hand, which I can't use as curtains because I tried that once, and my cats climbed them.

I had been toying with ideas of what to do with them for a little while, and in response to a call for recycled Christmas decorations on the etsy forums yesterday, I got myself into action and quickly sewed up a prototype to pop into my shop as a taster of things to come. Of course I started at 5.30 when I got home from work, and didn't finish until 7, by which time the light had gone, but I managed to take a shot outside which kind of works, and here it is:

I've put this one into my shop at a prototype price of $3. Next time I won't be so rushed, so future ornaments will be retailing at $4.

I'm delighted to share the following items which popped up on the same thread - handmade and reused by sosorosey, misscourageous and eastcoastkitsch.

Too much fabric

So you might be thinking ‘who has a supply of lovely notebooks just sitting there ready to go?’. If you aren’t thinking this, then, like me, you’re a hoarder. My craft stashery is getting out of hand and my one bedroom flat is being taken over! I’m due to move to a bigger house on the outskirts of Glasgow next September, and I feel like I have a house-full of stuff already.

In light of this, my challenge for the next 365 days is to use up all the craft materials I have, and try my darndest not to accumulate any more.

Day 1 is a bit of a cheat, I have packed up my fabric collection to go into temporary storage at my friend’s house. Bye bye for now, lovely material.