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.  

Saturday 12 July 2014

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.

Friday 27 June 2014

Window Shopping






I've been having to sit down and rest over the last few days due to problems I'm having with my back, but the sitting down and resting doesn't come naturally too me, especially as every where I look there is house work to be doing and piles of sewing to be finished. Even sitting at my sewing machine has become uncomfortable and I can only do it for short periods of time. What it has meant though is that I have done quite a lot of browsing online! It's so easy to loose yourself and time when looking on sites like Pinterset and Etsy! I've been busy searching for art work for my boys bedroom. We decorated it over a year ago now when my boys who share a room moved into bunk beds. We wanted to create an inspiring space for them to play and study but we haven't quite got there yet and their walls are still quite bare. My sons are no younger little, they are at the stage when they consider themselves to be quite grown up but at 8 very nearly 9 and 6 they are far from being big! And the artwork needs to appeal to both which can prove difficult! So far these are my favourites on Etsy!. 

See more of my Etsy favourites here.

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!

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!


Wednesday 14 May 2014

My Daughter's Daily Ritual




I pass these beautiful bright flowers six times a day Monday to Friday. And most of the time I'm too busy rushing the kids to school, hurrying back home to start work, rushing again mid way through the day not wanting to be late for nursery pick up and so on so forth, to take much notice of these blooms. But it is the return journey from nursery in the afternoon when it is just my daughter and I that I suddenly become aware of them and there bright and cheerful colour. And its all because it's become part of my daughters daily ritual to stop and pick just one, maybe two on her way home from nursery. She stops selects the individual flower she wants (any more than two would be too greedy, because as she so rightly says 'we must leave them for other people to enjoy') and then she's off riding down the road on her balance bike. The 'selected' flower is then placed in a small glass vase to take pride of place on our kitchen table! It's such a lovely ritual and one that I'm grateful for as it makes me stop and look and admire their beauty however brief the moment lasts!  

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...