Showing posts with label On my Sewing Table. Show all posts
Showing posts with label On my Sewing Table. Show all posts

Friday 6 November 2015

Shop Update - Larger Style Baskets



Last year the thing that I got asked the most was 'Could I please make my storage baskets in a larger size!'. So I took all the sizes that people had suggested and came up with a basket that is based on the average size that people were wanting. And my 'larger' basket was born. I wanted the basket to have enough structure that it can stand up on its own even when empty, so no slouching, but still be flexible that it can be folded away when not in use. I have used heavier weight cotton, which helps with the structure of the baskets, apart from the Black Triangles which is made in a quilting cotton so has an extra stabiliser sewn in, to give it the structure it needs. They have a nice boxy feel to them.


They all have a natural linen/cotton base and come fully lined in a white cotton canvas. Now for the technical details! 
They are, measurements are approximate but as accurate as I can give, 29cm/11.4 inches tall, and are 40cm/15.75 inches wide across the top when folded flat, which makes them roughly 30cm/12 inches wide when open and boxed out, which gives the basket a rough depth at the base of 24cm/9.4 inches. I have found it quite difficult to show the size of these baskets. I have included photos that show the baskets alongside a child's rabbit night light which is 15cm/6 inches tall to help give an idea of scale, and I also got my little helpers to hold them to show the two size of baskets alongside one another. The larger is being held by my 7 year old whilst my 5 year old daughter is holding the smaller basket. It's high on my to do list to get some photos taken of these baskets being used to show how much you can fit into them! If you look at the photo above taken in my boys bedroom, that shows three baskets on a top shelf with a shelf underneath full of their toys, you may spot a lego figure or two, which should give you an idea of how much lego can be stored away in one of these baskets! 

 
I am pleased to say that this larger basket has proved popular, so much so that unfortunately, unless I can source more of the grey arrow fabric, I only have a couple left in stock. I was also pleased to see that a French Scandinavian Design blog called Scandinave featured my baskets in a list of 10 Scandinavian Decoration finds on Etsy
So if you are looking for handy storage that looks good that is modern and stylish you can find these baskets as well as others here

Wednesday 4 November 2015

Long Time......



 Sorry! 
I can't really believe that its been nearly 9 months since I last wrote a post. That's terrible!
For those of you that follow me on other social media sites, you will know that I haven't faded away, in fact quite the opposite! I have found myself so busy with work, that its been very difficult to keep everything going and to get the balance right. You will also have seen if you follow me on Instagram or on Facebook, that I have been busy adding lots of new items over the last few months which I am excited to share with you. So over the next few days I am hoping to bring you up-to-date with all that has been going on at A Crafty Hen!

Sunday 16 November 2014

Saying Goodbye is Never Easy!






I was working away the other day cutting fabric for orders when it suddenly dawned on me that the bib and burp cloth set in 'clouds in gold' that I was busy cutting out was to be the last. I had a moment of panic and quickly raided my fabric stash hoping desperately to find some more of the fabric unfortunately to no avail. I then had a quick scour of the internet trying to find some for sale, again no, which didn't surprise me, this collection is now out of print. So that is it, no more of this gorgeous organic fabric. I am annoyed at myself for my lack of planning and that I didn't buy a lot more of it. But it can be very difficult at times to judge the fabrics that will be popular and sell well. I am also annoyed as I was hoping to make myself a cushion out of it and had thought I had put some away in my private stash but some where along the lines I must have used that as well. So I feel quite sad to say that I have just one 'Storage Basket' left made from this fabric and I have managed to sneak in one lonely 'Baby Bib' out of it and that's it, no more passing clouds in gold! Thankfully a new collection is coming out this Spring which includes some more clouds in different colours so all is not lost and I still have gift sets and storage baskets available in Blue Passing Clouds in my shop. As for me I have learnt an important lesson here always buy more fabric! 

Friday 3 October 2014

More Storage Baskets in New Designs






I just can not stop making these storage baskets. I enjoy the whole process from selecting the fabric to sewing them to seeing the finished baskets all lined up on a shelf! So its no wonder that I have made a few more! I have added another five baskets in new fabrics to my Etsy shop. The very popular Black Triangle basket is now also available in grey, also in grey is a lovely basket featuring small crosses. Then there is a mint with small white triangles and the odd glittery gold triangle, and 'Crystal Arrowhead' which is what the fabric is called and I rather like the name! There will be only a few of these two baskets available as the fabric comes from a limited addition collection and I have noticed that it has already sold out in many stores. And finally I have got round to listing a deer basket which coordinates with a bib and burp cloth set that is also in my shop. This organic fabric featuring deer in a mix of gorgeous muted colours is one of my all time favourite fabrics and I am hoping to have blankets available in this print very soon. And for those that ask me on a daily basis for larger baskets well, I am working on those at the moment so hope to get a few in my shop in the next couple of weeks! 
Right you can see all of the baskets pictured above and more here!
Happy weekend!

Sunday 1 June 2014

A Little Shop Update

My Etsy shop is closed at the moment just for a couple of days while I 'regroup'. It's the last day of the kids school break and I always try very hard to juggle entertaining them whilst still working and fulfilling orders but for some reason however hard I tried it just didn't seem possible this week! So I eventually closed up shop. 
I am up to date with all orders but have decided to remain shut whilst I settle the children back into their school/nursery routines and also to try and get some of the new items I've been working on for what feels like weeks finally finished and listed in my shop. 
I'm very excited with my new work and fabrics and can't wait to show you. 
In the meantime here is a little taster of whats to come!


Friday 25 April 2014

A Huge Fabric Leap!



Possibly the most exciting parcel ever arrived this week. 
A box full of fabric. A box containing full bolts of fabric. A box full of fabric just for me!
Not only is this the largest amount of fabric I have ever bought but this is also the biggest commitment I have made so far to 'A Crafty Hen'. Usually I purchase one or two meters of fabric, make for example a baby gift set, if the item does well then I will order more of the fabric, and this method works ok most of the time. But sometimes an item can be a 'slow burner'!! It may not fly of the shelves for example, but slowly and surely after say advertising the product it may start to sell well, but this is when I often encounter problems! I go to reorder the fabric and find that it is sold out or the fabric shop has reordered it and then there is a delay, or worse still that it is no longer being printed! However much I like working with lots of different prints in small quantities, it is a lot more time consuming and really is not the most efficient way to work or to sustain a business. It takes time and effort to get traffic to your shop, to an item you have made so it makes sense once the the traffic is there to keep it coming! So I made the decision in the New Year to take more control of my fabric stock and the most sensible way to go about this was to choose a few 'key' fabrics that I can create a collection from and order these fabrics in bulk, making stock taking a whole lot easier!



And so there it was in the box! Five full bolts of organic fabric. 
Grey elephants has long been a favorite of mine which is luckily shared by many of you. The deer never stays around for very long, so I've not had the chance to play around with the fabric, and the multi coloured elephants is also a favorite. The grey spots, well that's a staple fabric! But maybe it is bolt number 5, that excites me the most, as this is organic cotton fleece. I've been searching and searching in the UK for cotton fleece and have not had any success. I use to make baby dribble bibs and the occasional baby blanket and started by backing them with fleece, which is the most common fabric to find a dribble bib backed with. But I was never that keen on the fact that the fleece was polyester. Yes sure it absorbs and wicks away moisture and dries very very quickly, but to me, and this is only my opinion, a baby's delicate skin should have the kindest and most gentlest fabrics placed next to it and for me polyester doesn't cut it. But organic cotton oh yes! And it doesn't disappoint!  It is very very soft and cosy making it not only perfect for dribble bandana style bibs but also for backing blankets. So watch this space, as they say! I am going to continue working with lots of different prints. I can't help myself! But these three key prints, the two elephants and the deer fabric will soon be available in bibs, dribble bibs, burp cloths, storage baskets and blankets and no doubt a few more items will slip in along the way, which I know will please many of you who get in contact with me asking for more of a range for your baby and nursery in these delightful fabrics.

Friday 21 March 2014

On my Sewing Table.... Spring Makes




There are definite signs of Spring popping up everywhere, and its amazing how these glimpses of life give you renewed energy. Its like coming out of hibernation and where as in the house its making me want to spring clean and have a clear out, in my studio area I've been busy working, hoarding away new items, like a squirrel hoards its nuts, waiting for some light to come into the house so I can photograph these items. And yesterday finally the sunshine arrived, though it wasn't easy. I chased the sunshine from room to room, desperately trying to photograph my new stuff. My shop is looking rather bare at the moment and I can't wait to renew it. To organise it, to freshen it up. Unfortunately the sunshine disappeared rather too quickly so I didn't manage to get everything done. And quite a few of the photos I've taken I have had to rather heavily edit so I am hoping that the weather man has the forecast right and that we are in for a sunny dry spell.


I wrote the above on the 6th of March, and in fact the weather man did predict the weather correctly and we did have a lovely couple of weeks with real Spring like weather. We had sunshine and even felt some warmth! But unfortunately minutes after writing the above my laptop shut itself down and died on me!! And so that was that. 
What it did mean was without the distractions that the online community has to offer (!) I did get quite a bit of sewing done, and the sunshine did mean that I got to take quite a few photos. Though without being able to upload the photos I couldn't check the quality and I am disappointed with quite a few of them as I've unfortunately taken them on too high an exposure setting. Anyway working with the ones I've got and now that I have a new laptop, I am hoping to get my new items listed by the start of next week and hopefully then my shop will be filled with some lovely rays of Spring sunshine!

Friday 7 February 2014

On my Sewing Table




This week I've been busy working on custom orders. I've had a lot of interest from people asking me to make baby burp cloths to sell separately from the bibs, which I'm very happy to do and are hoping to place some for sale in my shop next week. Though I can't quite decide whether to sell them in pairs, in bundles of threes or as single burp cloths! Decisions decisions! I've also been busy sewing some patchwork bibs for an order. I love making this style of bib as I get to delve into my fabric stash and have great fun playing around with prints and colours. These three lucky bibs are heading of to Hong Kong but more will be popping up in my shop soon!

Thursday 9 January 2014

Plotting!




The New Year is good for plotting.
I think the start of a new year has that affect on you. I'm not talking making resolutions that you struggle to keep, but the making of plans, ideas and dreams. 
I'm feeling the need to organise and de-clutter. I'm feeling the urge to get on top of those little jobs that never get done and finish the ones that are half started. 
And I'm really feeling the need to get making and sewing all the ideas that have been occupying my thoughts for the last few months.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Monday 9 December 2013

On my Sewing Table - New Baby Bibs








I have added a few new baby bibs to my shop, they can be found here. I am not sure now why I thought adding new stock at Christmas would be a good idea, especially as the light levels are so low at the moment which makes taking decent photos of items that bit more difficult! I have had an amazing busy few weeks, which I am so grateful for but it does mean that my shop is looking a little bare! I am now unable to replace gift sets as they sell out, so if there is something you like now could be the time to buy it!

Tuesday 19 November 2013

On My Sewing Table...............




It's been a busy few weeks and it doesn't look like it's going to let up, well not just yet anyway! I finally finished two custom baby blankets. 
One using my favourite deer fabric mixed with lots of grey and mustard prints. I was so happy with it and could have quite happily kept it! 
And in my excitement and hurry to get it sent out to its new owner completely forgot to photograph it finished along with the other blanket! 
Yes I could kick myself!! It's also been a busy time for baby gift sets, there are a few new ones in my shop and also lots of favourites in stock!

Sunday 13 October 2013

On my sewing table.......





This week it's all been about catching up with orders, including an order to a stockist. It's nice to occasionally batch sew. It gives you a chance to build up a rhythm, all the cutting can be done, then the sewing up of the bib fronts, then attaching the towelling, etc. It gives you a chance to build up a bit of speed as it cuts out the stopping and starting. It is also very satisfying when you end up with a pile of bibs at the end of the production line! 
This pile of bibs have gone off to Inside Out a lovely shop who are now stocking a great range of goodies from smaller handmade businesses like myself along side items from Cath Kidston and Orla Kiely in their stores in Tavistock, Exeter and Dartmoor. 
I always find though after concentrating on sewing one item that I am desperate to let my creative juices flow! So expect lots of new gift sets to start appearing in my shop next week!

Saturday 7 September 2013

On my Sewing Table.............





A customer order has been easing me back into sewing this week. 
I love the baby gift sets that she has chosen. The colours sit so happily together.  

I'm hoping by this time next week I'll have my shops back open as the school and preschool routine returns. It's going to be hard to settle back into the routine though as I enjoy having the kids around and I miss then so much when they go back to school, but I am looking forward to getting my mornings back at my sewing machine. 

I've already been pulling out fabrics that I want to start sewing with.
My head is so full of new ideas. Such a perfect way to keep myself occupied!

Sale Time

The countdown to Christmas is here, there really is not long to go now! To celebrate I am having a flash sale in my etsy shop . 10% off...