Lets Talk Sizes!

The question I get asked the most is about the size of my baskets. 
Now the measurements are always included in the description of every basket in my shop and it looks something like this;
APPROX DIMENSIONS:
H 8 X W 9 X D 6 INCHES (20 X 22 X15CM)
And I try to include at least one photo that shows the basket that is for sale with an everyday object, usually lego duplo, which is the larger style lego for younger children because I hope that it is a toy that is pretty universal, something that most of us can recognise and are familiar with. But occasionally I forget to add a picture like this and it is on my to do list to put this right!

Saying that..... the measurements, which are approximate as each basket is completely handmade so measurements vary very slightly we are talking a millimetre here and there, are included for each basket. The height of the basket, the width and the depth. But I still get many messages questioning the sizes, especially emails with comments like 'I'm struggling to visualize the size of your baskets', which is no problem, I see them everyday but customers don't, so I thought I would try to show you in better detail with lots of photos the size.

Now..... these measurements relate to my Standard Small Baskets.... the reason I emphasize this is coming very soon are some wider baskets of a similar height, but more about them later in another post! So in this post we are talking about my popular, normal, standard small storage basket, like the ones in the photo above and of course the ones in the photos below! RIGHT lets go...................

These two photos show you the height.....which is approximate 8 inches. For those that work in metric I apologise. When it comes to fabric I tend to work in inches, mainly because when I first became interested in sewing most of the fabric I bought was from the US and therefore measurements were in inches, cuts of fabric ranged from a fat quarter to a yard also I blame my quilting ruler, which is shown in the photos as it only measures in inches!
So as you can see the height of these baskets is 8 inches which is approx 20 cm. 

Next the width of the basket when it is folded flat which is approximately 11.5inches - 28cm and in the photo below you can see the rough depth of the baskets at the bottom is 4inches - 10cm. Now you maybe wondering why these two measurements are different to the ones I state in my shop which are width 9in and depth 6in and that is because these measurements relate to when the basket is standing up and is therefore open.

Below are some photos that show the rough size of the basket at the top when standing. Being made of fabric the baskets can be slightly manipulated. I like to place the baskets over the narrow end of my ironing board and iron on top of the sewn seam sides as this gives the baskets more of a 'boxy' shape.

I haven't over stretched the baskets in these photos and as you can see the sizes vary from 7.5 inches to 8.5in - 19cm to 22cm. Now I hope all these photos help give you an idea, especially a visual idea on the size of my standard small baskets. And if that isn't enough photos, here are a few more showing the baskets pictured with a few toys! Wooden cars, lego CP30 and lego bricks, a wooden stacking toy and various lego duplo animals and figure, and a Norsu Elephant Piggy Bank. Both the baskets shown in the photos can be found here Elephant Basket and here Deer Basket. Hope this helps!

 

Shop Update - Two - New Baby Gift Sets

Earlier this year I added a some new baby bib and burp cloth sets to my range. Made with 100% cotton fabric on the front and backed with my favourite bamboo/cotton silky soft towelling on the back, these sets are not only practical, but extremely soft and cosy for the baby to wear. Two snap fasteners make the bibs adjustable and suitable from baby to toddler, and the burp cloths are designed to be flung over the shoulder to protect your clothing whilst winding your baby, and they also come in very handy as general baby cloths.

Sold as sets, one bib and one matching burp cloth, they make great baby shower gifts and lovely presents for new parents. They can be found here, though the 'Peeking birds in gold' has proved so popular it is already unfortunately sold out.

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. 

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!

New Baby Bandana Dribble Bibs

Say hello to my new collection of bandana style bibs. 

As soon as I saw this gorgeous flannel I knew that it would make for the softest of bibs. And this style of bib is not only perfect for a dribbling baby they are also very suited to a teething toddler!  Made with a layer of 100% cotton flannel, three of which also have the wonderful look of herringbone wool weave, and backed with a layer of organic cotton fleece these bibs are soft to the touch making them extremely comfortable to wear. And made with only cotton fabrics no polyester in sight you can be confident that you are putting only the kindest natural fabrics next to your babies delicate skin. In lovely Autumnal colours they can be found here in my shop.

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! 

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!

Window Shopping for Fabric

fabric by acraftyhen on Polyvore

September Blue Gold Bud
thevillagehaberdashery.co.uk

The Shape of Spring Line up Petal Pink
fabricrehab.co.uk

Bye bye birdie
misformake.co.uk

Siamese Cats Pink
fabricrehab.co.uk

I buy fabric for lots of different reasons. Often for work, sometimes for a project for myself and family, and just recently I have been buying for dressmaking, something that I am very keen to get started on though haven't quite found the time yet! And sometimes I buy fabric because I just can't resist it! Sometimes I have no idea what I am going to do with the fabric but have an overwhelming sense of needing to have the desired fabric in my stash! And that is probably the reason why my fabric stash never seems to go down!  As well as buying too much fabric I also like to have a good browse on line at all the latest fabrics and there are many good fabric collections around at the moment. So I thought I would show you a few of my favourites. And each one nicely fits into one of my categories of reasons to buy fabric! 
September Blue I can imagine making my daughter something out of it,
Bye bye bird is a lightweight fabric making it perfect for dressmaking,
Siamese Cats is something a little different and would probably be one to sit in my stash for awhile waiting for that perfect project and
The shape of Spring - Line up is a fabric that I can imagine incorporating into my work.
Talking of work, 'A Crafty Hen' is currently closed while a take some time to play with my children, rest my poorly back and also to catch up with some custom orders, but I do hope to be back open very soon.  

A Trending Item

I received an email from Etsy last week telling me that my 'Black and White Storage Basket' is a 'trending' item on etsy. I wasn't sure what it meant at first! But basically my little storage basket is receiving so much traffic and 'likes' {1559 as I type} that it is one of the most popular items on etsy at the moment! And when I think that there are over 100 million active shops on etsy and over 25 million items listed I can't quite believe how popular my basket is proving! Not only is it getting a record number of views it is also being included in many treasuries like the one above. It all feels a little overwhelming, I am one person working from home, sewing, in between bringing up 3 small people, to think that I have created something that has proved so popular is amazing! And I feel very humbled by it all. It really goes to prove that etsy is an incredible market place connecting people from all over the world.

New Storage Baskets

New Storage Baskets are all now listed in my shop and you can find them here.