Showing posts with label fabric. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fabric. Show all posts

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!

Wednesday 30 July 2014

Window Shopping for Fabric

fabric


September Blue Gold Bud
thevillagehaberdashery.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.  

Tuesday 17 June 2014

Rainbow of Baby Burp Cloths


Summer has arrived and it feels great to get the shop back open and to start filling the shelves with gorgeous fresh and bright new stock! It reminds me of the feeling you get when you fling the windows open and let the fresh air and the breeze flow in! Over the next few days I will be adding quite a few new items including 4 new storage baskets, but the first of the new stock in store now are these lovely fresh and bright baby burp cloths. Take them out with you in a changing bag to protect your summer outfit when winding and feeding your little one. They are such useful things and so much prettier than your average muslin!










I have grouped the burp cloths into sets of three, which I had fun doing and hope that I have arranged them in sets that complement each other. Though if they are three fabrics that you would prefer together in a set then just let me know. I could quite happily play with these fabrics all day long! I even adore their names! Names like 'Sprinkled in Noon' and 'Summer Grove in Night'! These cloths are made using high quality 100% cotton fabric and backed with very soft, super absorbent bamboo/cotton towelling. They are machine washable so they are perfect for everyday use and being in a set of three means you can always have one to hand. They are listed here in my shop
Right I better go as I am off to help at my sons sports day event at their school. Apparently I am helping with the space hopper race! 
Thank goodness they no longer do a mum's race!

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.

Wednesday 2 April 2014

New Storage Baskets






Introducing my new range of storage baskets. I feel very much like I have gone full circle with these baskets as portable toy storage containers were one of the first things I started selling when I opened my first shop online. I'm not really sure why I stopped making them as they were always very popular, but somehow and somewhere down the line baby bibs took over! But now they are back! The collection ranges from baskets to match the most popular of my baby gift sets for use as storage in a baby's nursery or child's bedroom to baskets like the Glitter Gold' one and the 'Black and White Monochrome' that would not only fit into a stylish modern nursery but would also not look out of place on a dressing table, in a hall filled with post and keys to your living one. Made using a selection of cotton and linen fabrics all the baskets have a white lining and a natural linen base. They are available now to buy from my shop.

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!

Friday 17 January 2014

Colour to Inspire...........

I've found myself pinning a lot of images this last week that are grey and brown. 
Influenced highly one thinks by the grey skies of January, but all the images have a hint of a muted yellow or gold, 
which helps remind me that the sunshine is on its way, I just need to be a bit patient!

Image credit Millie Marotta

Image credit Bonnie Christine - Sweet as Honey - Fly by in Night

Image credit textile designer Bec Duff

Image credit print by Eloise Renouf





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.

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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!

Friday 18 October 2013

New Organic Baby Bibs







I am busy editing photos of new organic baby bibs that I will be listing in my shops over the weekend. These are some of my favourite images of my bibs. It seems a shame to crop them, but square photos work best on sites like Etsy, so that's my job for tonight!

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...