Hathersage Craft Fair April 2014

Earlier this month I attended the first of my local craft fairs.  They are all in villages very close to where I live and as they usually have a lot of tourists and day trippers I am hoping they will be a success, more on that later!

This was held in Hathersage Church Hall and had a good mixture of stalls including driftwood, baking and handmade leather bags.   

As this was a Spring Fair I made some Daffodil Brooches as well as bring along my Fabric Easter Eggs.  I am especially pleased with my new white tree which I used to display my Easter Eggs.  

I also had my Vintage Embroidered Cushions and Drawstring Bags as well as some vintage style bunting and paper chain kits.  Unfortunately it was very quiet so only sold a few small items, I blame the weather which turned wet at the last minute and the Grand National!

New Year, New Ideas

Although I enjoy the festive season I do look forward to the lull after Hogmanay.  It’s good to get back to normal as well as take stock.   This year I have taken the time to think about what I would like make in 2014 rather than leave it to the haphazard approach of last year. 

One thing I wanted to do better was having items for special occasions so being a compulsive list maker I put together a calendar of special days, holidays, seasons etc.  I then worked out when I would need to have items ready to go in my shop. 

I already had a few new ideas of things I wanted to make so I matched them to my calendar.  I then used my scrap book for inspiration and came up with some further ideas to fill the gaps. 

Now I have a list of great projects for the first half of 2014 as well as a calendar of when I need to have things ready to go into my shop.

While I was in an organising mood I thought I would also do  a stocktake of my fabrics and trimmings and needless to say I found lots of things I’d forgotten about!   But it did give me further inspiration and allowed me to plan what I would use for each of my makes as well as identify anything I would need to get.   So in theory no more rushing around at the last minute when I find I have got the wrong colour of ribbon.

My first project, Valentines Day Hearts has gone well, I had everything I needed and they were completed on time and are now for sale in my Folksy shop. 

I don’t know if I will keep this up but for now I have no excuse for missing the boat when it comes to special occasions!

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

From a personal point of view I have always felt that Christmas should start around 2 weeks before the 25^th December.  I hate seeing mince pies for sale in October and avoid looking at Christmas Decorations until I have to admit defeat in early December.  Where other children wanted to open their presents before the big day I was horrified at the thought and although I am now grown up I would never peak, shake or rip the wrapping paper!

 However as a seller I have learnt that I have to embrace the festive season a lot earlier.  Last year I was a bit late in getting my Christmas Stockings online so this year I had to be more organised. 

Some sellers have had their Christmas ranges up for sale since October but I opted for a mid-November launch to tie in with CRAFTfest, a online craft fair.  This has hopefully given enough time for sales but is not too early for the magic to run out!

So having launched my new range of Mini Christmas Stockings at CRAFTfest they are now available from my Folksy shop. 

This year I found a great range of new retro fabrics as well as some of my favourite fabrics from last year. 

I have also included some individual gingham designs for those who like to be more traditional.

Although I hope I have good sales this year lets hope there are a few left so I can use them to decorate my own home!

Autumn or Not

Coming from the north of Scotland and always being a wishful thinker I have classified September as part of the summer.   When others have donned their duffel coats and furry boots I have continued to go coatless and sockless for as long as possible.

I have often been rewarded with good weather and this year was no exception with a trip to Perthshire that demanded that coats and brollies were left in the car! 

However on returning to Derbyshire I was met with rain and mist and autumn seemed to have sneaked up on me.  And my poor garden was looking rather brown and sorry for its self. 

However one bright spot was my favourite clematis which was still flowering its socks off.  It’s colour is so intense, a lovely iridescent purple which never fails come sun or rain, unfortunately photos do not do it justice.  

So this inspired me in my next make.  I was already looking for something small and low cost for my next craft fair as well as something that would appeal to adults and youngsters so why not have a go at making flower brooches?

I wanted something that had the long petals of the clematis but was not too fussy.  I also liked the idea of crochet but still being a beginner I had to keep it simple.  So after a bit of trial and error I came up with a design that combined gingham petals and a crocheted and gingham button centre, stitched with embroidery thread.   

I have now made quite a few and the crochet continues to vary on each one, which I hope gives them charm as well as making each one unique, roll on the next Craft Fair!

My First Craft Fair

I attended my first Craft Fair as a seller last Thursday and it was a great success!  Yes I made a modest profit after expenses but the main enjoyment was meeting the public and other sellers. 

It was a Craft and Gift Fair and held in an old wooden Scout Hut which was rather charming.  It had a good mix of sellers ranging from wildlife photography, vintage jewellery to knitting plus a very nice cake stall (at last someone that does proper Tiffin)!

I was given a corner with two tables which threw me a little as I had planned my layout on only having one; thank goodness I had taken along plenty of tablecloths with me.  Luckily I had plenty of time to rethink my display so it all worked out in the end.  I was also given a chair (which was comfy thank goodness) and had a nice little corner at the end of my table that allowed me to sit and do my crochet during the quiet times.

The Fair was in held in Bakewell a beautiful historic town in Derbyshire that is on the tourist trail.  So a lot of the people that attended were holidaymakers (with children) who had not planned to come along and nor were they looking for anything specific.  Luckily I had lower price items such as my Hedgehog Pin Cushions which proved popular to browsers, adult and children alike.  This highlighted that if I am going to attend further fairs in the future I need to have a wider range of lower priced items, some being attractive to children.   

I also got a lot of positive feedback, as people remembered their grandmother’s embroidered tablecloths and thought it lovely that someone was doing something with them rather than leaving them in a cupboard.   This gave me the opportunity to explain how I had got started and although they often did not buy anything they did take away leaflets and business cards and will hopefully pass these on to friends and family.   

However........

It was hard work and the preparation for such an event must not be underestimated and although I thought I was organised everything took twice as long as expected.   For example I normally only print out labels etc as and when I make an online sale but suddenly I had to do this for 30 or so items plus I needed additional material such as price tickets and carrier bags.

Also you have to have a thick skin!  Some people stood talking about my stall as if I was not there and a couple of times when someone was admiring my stall their friend said they thought my items were too expensive or they had seen something better!

Still I would highly recommend it but you need to be prepared so I have added a check list to My Pages which will hopefully be of help to any Craft Fair novices like me!  

Everyone Needs a Drawstring Bag

Finally I have completed my first collection of drawstring bags.  My excuses have been the weather, being distracted by the need to rescue my garden my doing lots of watering and trying to avoid any ironing!

It has been lovely sitting outside under a parasol doing the hand sewing but the conservatory, where my work table and sewing machine are set up has been peaking at 48 degrees!  Sewing when you are "glowing" is not a great idea!!

However this cooler patch has allowed me to get them finished and I am very pleased with the results.  They come in a range of colours and sizes and I have used vintage embroidered table runners, tray cloths or seat backs to make them, with the usual trademark gingham.  I also managed to source some lovely matching gingham ribbon to use as the drawstrings.  

 So why do you need a drawstring bag?  I have come up with the following list and no doubt you will have lots of other suggestions:

• Prettier than plastic bags when packing shoes or other items you want to keep separate
• Great for laundry, especially in a spare room hanging behind the door
• Smaller ones are good for jewellery, especially if you have a lot of large necklaces
• Haircare bits and bobs can be kept together, I use one for my straighteners and brushes when going away (But please make sure they have fully cooled down)
• Ideal for storing fabric scraps that are too small or odd shaped to fold
• Will keep unmentionables away from prying eyes in the bathroom

My bags are now on sale at my Folksy shop please take a look!

My First Drawstring Bag - I Love It!

I have a very old apple tree in my garden however it still manages to produce a few apples each year, good to eat but even better in pies.  However my favourite bit is the blossom, I love the pinky shades it produces every year.

So when I found this lovely bit of embroidery in one of my favourite Highland antique shops I had to have it.  It was a small tray cloth with stylised flowers on each corner but what caught my eye was the colours, lovely shades of pinks. It was not sewn on the usual linen but instead a soft cotton so not really suitable for a cushion.  So I thought I would have a go at a drawstring bag.  

I had already looked at a number of patterns but none were quite what I wanted so it I had a go at producing something to my own design.  I wanted a cuff at the top so I got a bit of a frill when the bag was closed plus a neat finish around the top of the bag on the inside. 

The final version is very pretty but it took some time as I had to rework the top so this ones a keeper!  






Having now been through the process I have worked out how to do it, giving me the finish I want but taking less time.  Now to hunt through my fabric stash and look for some suitable embroidery and fabrics so I can make some more.  So watch this space for news on my new range of drawstring bags which I hope to add to my collection in the next few weeks!  

Love My Work Table

My new sewing machine is going well.  It's slower than a full size one and I wouldn't want to make curtains on it but for the short lengths of stitching that I do most of the time it's ideal.  It has a large foot but being clear plastic its easy to see what you are doing, great for when you need to stop stitching at corners etc.  Also the spool is drop in and has a clear cover so you don't get caught out when the thread runs out!

My other great buy is a cake stand from http://www.dotcomgiftshop.com.  I was looking for something to store my reels of ribbon and this has proved to be ideal.  

So having set up my worktable in the conservatory I have a great place to work with a lovely view of my garden.  That is what I call inspiration!

What do you call a group of hedgehogs?

I was wondering what the collective noun was for hedgehogs so looked it up on a few websites.   The official term seems to be "Array" however a couple of sites also suggested a "Prickle"!

So here is my "Array of Hedgehogs": pin/brooch cushions made from some lovely vintage Laura Ashley remnants. The back is made from contrasting gingham and has a woven label. 

After the cutting, sewing and stuffing I add ric-rac trim, gingham button eyes with contrasting embroidery thread and black pom-pom noses.  Just waiting for some orange gingham buttons to finish, then they will be added to my shop.

UK Handmade Summer Showcase

One of my favourite cushions is being featured on the UK Handmade Summer Showcase.  

This is a great site for anyone who is a maker, it has interesting articles as well as a forum where you can post your your makes.  

The showcase allows makers to be featured and will be promoted by UK Handmade so fingers crossed I get some new followers and may be some sales.

http://ukhandmade.co.uk/showcase/summer

  

Gingham Glory - The Start

This is my first attempt at a blog!  

I have always loved vintage items spending many hours in jumble sales when I was young moving onto charity shops as I started to get more pocket money. Although a lot of my collections have moved on I have always kept my linen, some of which came from my grandmother.

 I have also enjoyed sewing and in the past made a lot of clothes and home furnishings. However as work commitments increased over the years collecting and sewing took a back seat.

Now I have the time and having been inspired by programmes such as Kirstie's Handmade Britain and magazines such as Making I looked at what I could do that was different.  So Gingham Glory was born. http://folksy.com/shops/lal179

The first range for my shop was Linda's Linens, hand made cushions from rescued vintage embroidered table linen with contrasting gingham backs. 

My love of fabric also extends to vintage and retro patterns which I have used to produce 1960s and 1970s inspired cushions. 

Another of my favourites is my hedgehog pincushions, they can be used by sewers or look equally cute on the dressing table with brooches.

I had forgotten how much pleasure sewing gave me and double so now as it gives me a good excuse to go out hunting for old table linen, retro fabrics and lovely trimmings. 

I am aiming to give updates via this blog on my new makes and places and things that inspire me.  And if the weather improves you might get to see some of my garden!