the patchwork dress

i've done it!

It's only taken several hours (!)... but I have posted some stock up into my folksy shop, so it looks a bit better... ooh - you can actually wander around!  Still a few bits to add, but it should get easier from now on... shouldn't it?

I will also keep my etsy shop going and see how things go.  Plan to have my photocards up in both in the near future.

Have a great weekend!

invercottage fair

What a lovely day out we all had on Saturday.  I don't know if I can do it much more justice than Isobel already has, so here are some of the pictures - more here.  The weather was fantastic and the location felt as if it were made for us. 

our 'shop'.  You can just see the terrace there behind the 2 trees where you can sit out and drink coffee or have lunch.

literally me turning round from the picture before -  this was the view with a little pebble beach just below the grass there.  The old castle Lachlan is out on the peninsula and there is a short coastal walk round to it.

the room... there were people there - honestly - it was that magic trick that whenever a camera appeared, everyone would disappear!

my stall - with 'clutterbuckets'

close up of the cards etc

Isobel's Bella Bheag stall 

detail of Suzanne's fieldy tweed

Lynne's My Baboo knitting kits and teacosies - you can just see the bears peeking out - very cute!

Some new friends - j'emmajo.  Emmajo and I got talking when she recognised one of my photos as the yarn stand from the Unicorn tapestries at Stirling Castle.  Turns out she wove the first one!  It's a small world.

Had to include this - my favourite picture of Lynne and Isobel demonstrating how one should carry a' clutterbucket'  Victoria Beckham stylee!

i'm at folksy... and a giveaway!

As well as making my eco-cards, I have been playing! - making lots and lots of tags!  Some are for next weekend, and I also thought I would try out a little shop at folksy.com, the british version of etsy, which also works internationally.

It's a lot easier dealing in £'s, as it does my head in a bit, dealing with etsy and the dollar thing.  I think etsy do have plans to introduce other currencies in the future, but in the meantime I may try out folksy and see how I get on.

these two packs are available to buy at £2.40 plus postage for 6 tags - all handmade by upcycling magazine images onto recycled card, and themed into batches.  They're so pretty, they could get used on a brown paper or newspaper package tied up with twine or string... or could just hang around the place - above a workdesk or off a twig tree!

I love making them anyway... as you can see!

this one never made the packet - straight onto the wall!

china teacups....

red and blue checks...

vintage summer...

cutting table/potting shed...

I've not had a giveaway for a while, so if you leave a comment before friday 10 july, I'll pick 2 names to receive some tags - the rest will go on sale in the folksy shop.

going to be busy...

...for a while, anyway.

Check out the Invercottage website - it's a lovely location, have been there a few times.  

Be lovely to see you if you can make it.

For me and Suzanne it will be like old times revisited, as we met on a job down this way in 1997!, and had many escapes to Invercottage for dinner! (...funny, they don't mention that on their website!)

(Poster designed by me... what do you think?)

sticking & stitching

At last I have some new cards and have restocked my etsy shop!  If you are not already familiar with my cards, they are made by 'upcycling' my favourite magazine images into cards and matching envelopes using recycled card for the interior.  The images are non-toxic glued & wrap right round the back of the card, and the envelopes fold round and seal with a sticker - so no glue on them!

I take a long time choosing the images, matching them to their envelopes, getting them really flat, and then finding 4 that go together before they pop in their (now) biodegradable wrapper!  I'm going to add a little detail of a twine tie and small label, for those people who'd like to give them as a handmade gift.

More to come... I feel gift tag making session coming on - watch this space!

In the background there you can just see one of my latest finds from the charity shop...

...this lovely green linen with lilacs embroidered all over - it was a bargain for £3.99 - how could you compare the price with the work that has gone into it?

I have also been doing some sewing with one of the sashiko kits -

it does feel a bit of a cheat, rather like doing dot-to-dot which I used to love as a child.  

It's quite therapeutic just following the stitch marks, and lets me practice and regulate my stitch length. The kit comes doublesided so you are stitching 2 layers together which is quite a nice quality.  I think the pattern would have been quite a complicated one to draw out for a beginner - so actually it is quite a good idea despite my slight guilt.

Now I have to decide whether to do the infill patterns in another colour, or do the whole in turquoise. Hmm.

On the stitchery front I found this book in the Oxfam bookshop on Byres Road.  They have a good used craft section, a whole shelf - even two - filled with embroidery books.  I thought some of the patterns in here were quite cute and bought it for my mum - perhaps with the hope that she might do some of the decorations in there for me! : )

Such as this family of sparrows - who in real life have taken over the garden as a favourite food-stop!

santa stop here

Hello! This was my eco-wrapping table at the craft fair on Saturday.  Secondhand ribbon, rolls of sheet music, eco cards and tags, and of course the photocards in the foreground there.  As usual I have been a bit ambitious about what I can get done in time, and am already overdue for a Christmas lunch!  So thought I would post up some of my remaining eco-tags, as I thought that's the sort of last minute thing you might like.  

Each pack has 6 tags, made from magazine paper and recycled card.  The ties are reclaimed crochet cotton (very nice) and they are packaged in biodegradable cellophane bags!  They look great with plain brown paper and a coloured ribbon, or layer with your own patterned paper by colour scheme.

I'm only really going to be able to post these out now in the UK.  So if you would like some, either leave a comment with your choice (your email address comes up privately to me) or email me at thepatchworkdress@gmail.com - and I will send you a Paypal email so that you can pay online... or send me a cheque.

The pictures show 2 packs side by side, and I will put the names beneath.   Please quote the name of the pack you would like.    (Also let me know if you would like any of the cards featured in the Etsy shop)

The cost in UK including postage is £2.50 per pack.

'sparkly shoes' & 'snowmen, snowballs and a robin!'

'baubles, glass & candlelight' & 'carols by candlelight'

'a regal feast' (bit King Wencleslas, I thought) & 'silver leaves'

'gorgeous gifts' & 'holiday pink & green'

'baubles, beads & leaves' & 'winter white & gold'

'christmas hearts' & 'a rustic christmas'

'cosy christmas cottage' (I'd like one of those!) & 'fireside stockings'

'hollyberry,mistletoe & twigs'  & 'holly & gingham'

I will get any orders out in the next available post - so should be good until the end of the week to receive before Chrimbo.

Judging by my 'stats' I've had a lot of advent readers who are all out there, perhaps planning a big eco wrapfest - so if you feel like delurking and saying hello - it's Christmas - I won't spam you! Promise! It would be really lovely to hear from you!  Have a nice day whatever you are doing. x

A creative country life

A year ago I wrote on a piece of paper that I wanted to get my creativity out in ways that others could receive it, get serious about my writing and into some sort of form, and be supported financially as I did this.  This is the week where I realised how much of that had come to fruition - what with the writing course, pretty much non-stop freelance work - and now the opportunity to sell some of my cards at the Country Living fair on its first time in Scotland - thanks to Jane of Snapdragon.

There are my cards in their little Ikea boxes on the beautiful and inspiring Snapdragon stall - which really is a centre piece of the whole fair.  Earlier this year Jane asked me to a demo of Christmas wrapping at her stall during the show.  I wasn't quite sure what form this would be in, so decided to make it something I felt everyone may be able to accomplish in some way - using recycled, reclaimed, or charity shop materials in a new way that could look just as good (if not better) than spending lots of money on new (and often un-environmental) wrapping.  There are so many beautiful things lying around that could have second lives in a creative and one-off form.

The feedback from the demo that I've been doing has been fantastic, and I'm so pleased that others feel inspired to go and try alternatives to make their gifts more special and unique - and sustainable!

At the other end of things, I've been dashing back to make more recycled cards to put on the stall - although I have had time to go and look round too.

The fair is very high quality, with lots of individual craftspeople as well as more mainstream companies.  You can read more over  at Jane's blog, but I pretty much agree with her that the whole feel of the show is very positive and inspiring.

For those who may be interested to see more, my friends and mum included (who were told to keep away from the stall, lest they put me off!) I will show a present a day from the demo, starting on 1st december as the beginning of advent.  The paper above came from a roll of retro wallpaper picked up for 79p in Oxfam - but more later to come...

A big thank you to Jane and Sally for promoting my cards and involving me in their show - here they are working hard before it even opened, as they have done in the months leading up.  I feel very green to the whole experience of this size of fair - playing catch up on myself as I make cards in the evening to top up the next day!  I'm still not sure of myself as a 'business' but at the moment am content being a maker when there is supply and demand.  Thanks to Sally and other good friends who leave bundles of magazines on my doorstep etc, just as my supplies for the recycled cards are waning- it feels like a very organic and rewarding process, that I am really only making from what is available and not taking any more than that.

If you are coming along this weekend - I hope you have fun and enjoy yourself - there are lots of inspiring people, gifts and ideas.  One of my favourites so far has to be Nutscene - all those balls of coloured twine, and the most ingenious display yet - a garden broom with balls of twine all stacked up the handle.

...oh, and by the way - get those pens and paper out and write down those intentions (Thursday new moon/new beginnings - imagine you are planting seeds) - mine have been answered in ways I could not have imagined - but do be prepared for growth!

(as I write this I thought the heating was creaking away, but realise there are bluetits tapping at the window behind me!)

Christmas staff fair

Here's my little stall inside BBC Scotland's Pacific Quay building.  Just after this photo my camera batteries died so it looks rather selfishly like I'm the only person there, and believe me there were other stalls all around - and on the mezzanine level below - which would have made a really good shot from above...wish I'd moved that puffa jacket out the way before I took this!

It seemed to go well, and I think everyone enjoyed it.  It was nice to get more feedback about my cards from a different audience.  I sat next to Lynne from My Baboo so it was nice to have a proper chat and get acquainted.  Suzanne was busy working in the studios here, but also had her wares on show, so that was nice.

Anyway, thought I'd better get this posted before it becomes old news...as today at the Country Living Fair - more on that to come, meanwhile I'm in for a night off and maybe a small glass of vino!

winter craft fairs

I had a bit of a return to crafting last weekend with the first in a series of winter and Christmas craft fairs.  Last week saw me burning the candle both ends yet again - making cards etc when I came in from work, so in a funny way I didn't mind that the fair was a bit quiet.  It gave me time to reconnect with some people and also means I have a reasonably healthy supply of stock for the next market... as this week is my last at work - I want to be able to rest (and blog!) in the evenings.

The recycled cards are making a re-appearance.  I have single Christmas ones, and a few packs of 4 notecard/envelopes.  I have also been making lots of gift-tags from all the small pictures in magazines that are too small to do much with.  I have then been indulging in my extremely therapeutic habit of theming them into groups of 6 - by colour or story (and then giving them a name!!).

 

My other exciting news is that I will be doing a very small demo of Christmas wrapping at the Snapdragon stall at the Country Living Christmas Fair - thanks to Jane Lindsey, who has offered to take some of the Patchworkdress wares on her stall.  I'm hoping to show an informal way of wrapping presents using alternative ideas which are more sustainable and personal.  So if you want to say hello, please do.  I'm not at all nervous...yet! (don't confuse me with Jane Means who is a professional 'wrapper' and will show you how to do it properly!).

I hope to have some of my recycled cards, recycled gift-tags, some newer music gift-tags & my new winter photocards available.

Meanwhile I hope to make some more bits and pieces and ideas I have storing up in time for the Christmas fair in Killearn in December.  It's a matter of work/craft balance at the moment - and I am desperately keen to keep it enjoyable and manageable - keeping the sustainable element of using the materials I have to hand, and ordered - and not going overboard or getting too stressed out!  

I also hope to get some of the cards into my shop or onto this site if anyone is interested - let me know.

There may be a wee glass of sherry after all this!

Tuesday 18 November - BBC Staff Christmas Craft Fair, "the Street", BBC Pacific Quay, Glasgow

Thursday 20 - Sunday 23 November - Country Living Fair, SECC, Glasgow.  - I will be selling my cards on the stall of Snapdragon, and also doing 2 short demos everyday in wrapping presents! (first demo 12.30pm)  Themes will be sustainability, reusing things creatively & personalising gift giving.

Saturday 13 December - Wee Green Christmas Fair, Killearn Church Hall (10am-1.30pm) - this should be a buzzing affair with lots of stallholders and homemade craft gifts.

* Wee Green Fairs will also feature Snapdragon, Suzanne's Fieldy tweed range, Rebecca and her glassware - so lovely things & lovely people!!

fair spring fair

Yesterday was the wee green fair at Killearn. I went for a sort of spring-like Easter theme on my table. I haven't quite got the right hang of displaying my wares - I really don't like cardstands, and I feel if I put them stacked in boxes you can't really see the individual cards. But I'm working on it.

You wouldn't think I once had a stint as a store designer!, "height" being the mantra of getting it all nicely stacked up and full looking.

I dressed up a couple of old egg boxes with some chocolate eggs, and they made quite fun stands. I did a few more of those photo notebooks, and although popular on the blog, I didn't sell any to the Killearnites - so plenty left if you'd like one!

It was a nice fair. I wouldn't say it's the most I've ever made financially, but certainly not the worst (Suzanne, Portobello? where I didn't even make the table fee!). There were lots of stalls selling lovely cakes, bread and eggs - and for a small village it was a good standard of stall and a reasonable turnout. By 10 o'clock in the morning I'd demolished a cream meringue.

Here's Jane with her lovely wares (against the village hall colour scheme!). That's the edge of my stall in the background with the pink rose, and although Suzanne couldn't make the fair to trade, she was there in spirit with her old curtains covering the table in blue check. Now I don't feel so bad about driving around for weeks with them in the back of my car!

It felt very sociable, and it was lovely when friends Susan, Pat and Suzanne all dropped in. There were a few connections, so it became more of a social than financial do. N's measure of a 'good' fair is to ask "did you sell anything to people who weren't your friends?" Er...yes, I did. Anyway I now have a bowl of Easter bunnies to wade through.

Spring is definitely in the air today, we sat out in the garden at lunch, and for the first time in 8 years...

...I was able to hang some washing out. I ran in the house to get my camera with this pink against the sky!

Going back to some full-time work tomorrow and have another course assessment due on Friday, so posts may be a bit short next week, so I may do a bit of a photoblog to document my happenings for a while, while my words are busy elsewhere.