the patchwork dress

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.

new cards

eco card pack - eastern beach house $9/£4.50 plus p&p

Pack of 4 cards/envelopes made from second use magazine images - with an indian/morrocan beach house theme - pastel pinks and turquoise, kalfi icecream, rattan

eco card pack - silver/black textiles & textures $9/£4.50 plus p&p

Pack of 4 cards/envelopes made from second use magazine images - - fabric and cushions in silver/black/taupe colourways - plus old barns, a horse and some dogs! I really like this pack.

all can be bought here!

selling my wares

Here's how it is in my head...

...a turquoise chequered cloth flaps in the breeze on a table in my porch. A Bon Maman glass jam jar, (you know the type with the red and white checked lid)... a handwritten note...If Not In - Please Leave Money for Cards in Jam Jar.

This is how I would like to sell my cards to you.

Instead I spent the last hour loading pictures to the Etsy shop. I can't sell my things there in UK pounds. I wonder if people get put off by the fact you need to have a username, although as N says, you need to do this on most sites anyway. I'm not sure it's working for me. I don't mean to be negative - it's a great idea, it really is! I'm just not sure I've found the right way to present these.

'Lady Writer - Eco Card Pack' £4.50/$9.00 **SOLD, THANK YOU**

I looked at the Typepad/Paypal widget last night and decided it's no good for selling one-off items. The technological processes to crop, load, paste and embed data is so convoluted that it is hardly worth the price of the card pack to do it. It may work for multiple items... Plus I'm not that keen on the 'look' of it.

'English Crafternoon Tea - Eco Card Pack' £4.50/$9.00 **SOLD, THANK YOU**

This has become a labour of love. The cards take a long time to make. I love doing them, and theme-ing them into packs. I'm not sure how long I will be able to sell them at this price - unless I can find a better way of selling on this site. I may even have to reconsider the price.

I did wonder about just posting them up here and you could email me if you wanted a pack, and I can send out a Paypal email for payment. Would that work? Does anyone wish to comment on how they'd feel about that?

I think they call that market research.

I think I'm becoming averse to commerce.

If I'm not in, just leave a note under a pebble in the comments section... and oh yes, if you would like to buy some cards meanwhile - please use the shop.

If you are a UK customer and would like to pay by Paypal request in UK sterling, the card packs are £4.50 each and postage is 70p. You can reserve the cards by using the shopcart, and leave your details - I'll email the request.

Thanks.

ps these cards below are for 'glampers' among you... and I have to say my most favourite set of envelopes yet. (Note to self under pebble - must get life)

'Colourful Camping - Eco Card Pack' £4.50/$9.00 **SOLD, THANK YOU**

recycled Valentines (!?)

...some Valentine's recycled style cards now at Entrading

...finished and photo'ed last night after dark, so not the best photos...

....these photos just showing some of my favourites before I got fedup with the lighting thing!

I enjoyed looking for images, although because the style of my cards are large photos with no words, I had to be a bit tangential with the images - hopefully they work ok, and could also be used aside from 14 Feb.

...for the sweetness in your life!

a spring wedding

In december I finished off these wedding invites for a local bride who contacted me through Jane as I mentioned yesterday.

She was looking for a natural, not overly styled theme for her wedding this April, and liked the idea and ethos of the recycled cards I'd been making. I began collecting together images that would suit the feel of the mood board she showed me.

...some cards

...and corresponding envelopes

...more cards

...and their envelopes

...my favourite here was the card with the doocot.

I also supplied some kraft brown recycled envelopes in case she chose not to write the addresses on the envelopes, and made the heart envelope seals using the offcuts backed onto adhesive sticker labels and punched with a decorative paperpunch.

I think they are pretty and just a bit alternative to conventional announcements - and each one is unique and different! I really enjoyed doing these and would be open to more design commissions for clients who want something unique and one-off to suit their occasion or business. I like the idea of combining and alternating graphics with a handmade style.

settling in

I feel as if I had a bit of a blogbreak over Advent - and really needed it, (moving is more stressful than you think, especially when trying to heat an old vacated house during a coldsnap, both coming down with colds, and Christmas errands too!! - but all evening off now, thank goodness!) so looking forward to building up a head of steam for the new year...

meanwhile, things I love and have been doing about the new house:

...the bird feeding station (or back garden) has been so busy, I just love it. Blackbirds, chaffinches, sparrows, blue and coal tits, and robins. You can just see the robin on the wall in the exact middle of this shot, looking right at the camera ("my best side"). He's such a ham,I love the way they seem to stop and pose, and look at you as if to say... "ah yes, the foot up on the frosty treestump pose - one of my best Christmas 1979". He's like an old theatrical who's been "doing the Christmas card game for years, lovey", and each pose is reminiscent of a vintage scene.

However, while drinking my coffee the other morning, I had to exclaim outloud when I saw 4 robins!! I'd noticed 2 who seemed to tolerate each other, then 3, but 4 was just too much for this poor robin - having his limelight stolen, his robin-ness wasn't putting up with that! What? Robin? You mean there are others? You're not the solo star of all the Christmas cards?

...putting up birdsnests...just in case.

...learning to light and keep a fire! Better than any tv. I love it when the flames lick through little portholes in the logs. I keep thinking of spanish galleons and the Armada for some reason, as the logs, all lit up inside, can look like one of those tudor galleons with stratas of cannon fire, portholes and windows.

The other day I noticed a little offshoot of wood, glowing from within. It seemed to have a smile and two little eyes. As I watched it, the smile lit up, then the eyes - then they would go out, relight etc. Then the eyes would alternately wink, on and off. "You're a little fire toad" I thought - "a funny little ugly toad in the fire - a little fire dragon..." and then I realised I may have seen my first fire salamander!" (or maybe I've been spending too much time alone!...)

...also finishing off (frenetically) the last of an order of Christmas cards and gift labels for Entrading before Christmas. The paradox being that I haven't actually had time or energy to make my own Christmas cards yet - they will be going out soon as more of a change of address/season's greetings combo!

country moo-ves

This last week has been preoccupied both with moving, but also adjusting to new circumstances, a new environment, new routines and outlook...

I did manage at one point to climb up onto the highpoint behind the house and take this photograph - looking down Loch Lomond. It is amazing, and so much more peaceful than life in town. - but basic things like keeping warm in an old stone house, running a woodburning stove, driving to the shops - all these things are new to us, and have to be learned and accommodated into new patterns. I notice whenever I go somewhere new that it takes a while to adjust - that you have to 'think' what you are doing, rather than the automatic pilot of familiarity - and all this takes time and a lot of energy!

I managed another short walk today just around the village. Flocks of wintering geese were landing in the fields, and it was a real joy to see and hear them. I was just contemplating how quiet the lane was trafficwise, when a car drew up and a woman advised me to 'keep into the side, there's a bull coming'. I stepped in to a passing place and watched the farmer usher the trotting bull along the lane.

I then contemplated, slightly more quickly, that wearing an orange scarf to be cosy, may not have been a good idea on this occasion. The bull seemed to agree, and at the last minute looked like he was about to veer towards me. I hopped quickly over the gate into the field, and the ginger bull ran past. Another lady pulled up and asked if I was 'ok?' I was actually very happy, as I felt as if I'd had a mini adventure.

As a friend later asked me - "..was it a dark bull or a ginger one? - because the ginger ones, they're the meanest..."

These are some more Christmas style recycled magazine cards made for Entrading just before we moved.

Images show the card fronts and the corresponding envelopes. I'm noticing that I've photographed a few batches this way - including a recent order for Bridal invites which I'll post about shortly - almost like a 9 patch quilt block.

blogarhythms

I've been very aware that over the last few days the patchwork dress was one of those annoying blogs that hasn't changed, even when checking in daily...I kept seeing those tags in my mind's eye, so will wean you off gently with some more photos taken on the same table!! I expect there is a system where you can get notification that someone has updated their blog (is that RSS?), but somehow I feel this is a slippery slope, so until then, I am content to do the daily rounds.

The 'crafternoon tea' on Sunday was a great idea organised by Cheryl to raise funds for Breast Cancer Awareness... I'd expected a little gathering in a living room, but we each had a 'pitch' throughout the house like a proper craft fair. I immediately got a bit nervous about how to arrange my 'stall', as still getting the judging when to stop making/start presenting timing right.

...these were a fun little extra made to supplement the cards. Tealights made from secondhand china cups! Each has a tealight candle sitting in some (optional) lavender & rose herbs - so as the candle melts in its tray it will heat up the lavender. The bigger cup/saucer is a Wee Willie Winkie type affair - you hold the saucer as you would an old candlestick, and the cup has been super-glued to it's base.

I loved the autumnal pattern on the cup/saucer, and although it was a minor sacrilege to glue and decommission it's teacup status, this was outweighed by it's second life and reuse as a tealight. I often see lovely bits of china, but know I'll never use them as a teacup, so this gives an excuse for a new purpose.
The labels were made using a photo of the lit tealight to show the warmth & prettiness missed when they're unlit. (I've still got some small ones and the autumn cup left)

I picked up the Christmas mitt stamp a couple of weeks ago at Craftology and could see it in red as an emblem for 'handmade Christmas'. On Saturday I popped into 'Hobby Heaven' in Helensburgh for a red stamp pad, and saw the alphabet kit 50% in the sale.. had a lot of fun stamping up these pricetags and labelling some handmade items. It reminded me of college days when i shared a flat with a graphic student and they still set type by hand. There was one computer they could use once a week to print out their text, and then it had to be cut by hand to space and arrange and be photocopied into an original. I can see how computers revolutionised typeset graphics!

These 'winter' cards were something I tried out at the sale, and proved very popular with only one pack left at the end. I've created them as a set of 4 cards of different designs but matching theme... the labels show the 4 designs. In two themes...

...frosty flowers (hoar-frosted hydrangeas and leaves)...

...and snowy trees...

These trees were so heavy with snow, I thought they looked like a Japanese block print. I may still do more with these photos, or wondering if it is worth putting some packs in to the shop.