7 October 2010

I shouldn't tease!!

OK, here's what I'm aiming for.  Remember these?

Well I decided it was about time to do something about them!!!  Here are the first experiments.  I thought it was going to be easy!!!  Cough, cough, splutter, splutter.  

I thought I could just use the Flurry Snowflake, a few 'alterations' and 'Bob's your uncle'!!!  Silly, silly, silly Jane!!!  Life ain't that easy when it comes to designing!!!  Well not using my 'hit and miss' method!!!!!  Perhaps I should just settle down and 'plan things'.  Like ornery people do!!!

Nah, that would be boring in my book!!!!
 

6 October 2010

What's THIS?

Now, go on.  Guess what this is going to be?  OK the thread is old thread and I always use two colours on two shuttles when starting something new.

More will be revealed as time goes by!!!!!


5 October 2010

Definitely last of the season!!!

As I said yesterday I think these (and I promise they are here this time) will be the last of the season.

I sew in the conservatory where we get light.  The problem with living in an old terraced house is that there is little light anywhere within the house itself.  The conservatory gets toooooo cold in the winter and would cost a fortune to heat!!!  That's what makes my sewing 'seasonal'!!!!

So, here are the promised last three sets.  One set, like the cats, will shortly be on it's way to Crazymom as a thank you for the fabric and this set (below) is NOT hers!!!





4 October 2010

Last of the season!

I only sew in the summer or warmer 'parts' of the year so roly poly bags only get made then!!!

Autumn is now here so I'm slowly finishing off odds and ends of sewing - BUT I couldn't resist trying out some of the fabric that Sandra sent.  Here are three bag sets made out of her fabric and which will get listed in Etsy over the next few days.

Having said that this is the end of the season's sewing I have one more project on the table at the moment but you're going to HAVE to wait for that for a few more warmer days.   Here are the three finished bag sets. 

Oh, hang on - I haven't taken the photos yet!!!!  I'll do that later.  Sorrrreeeeeyyyyy.
I do have one or two more exciting projects to show you over the next few days so don't go too far away, please!!!!

2 October 2010

I thought I'd do an experiment!!!

With all these absolutely fantastic HDT's (which, by the way, can't be put away as I keep 'needing' them) I simply HAD to experiment.
 
I decided that I'd do the Flurry in all sizes starting with 20, then 30, followed by 40, 50 and 60.  Not a problem and a fantastic relaxing way to spend several evenings.

You'll see by the scans that I used a contrasting thread as usual.  The reason that each snowflake had to have a different contrast was because I've only ever found 20, 40 and 60/80 easily available over the years.  There's always been a bit of 30 and 50 around but not always very much choice until recently.  Well, not for me down my 'neck of the woods'!!!!

So I present - a mass of Flurry Snowflakes!!!  I still need to make more as they're my Christmas giveaways but am slowly learning that if I start too soon then I give so many away before Christmas that I need more and more and more!!!!  Keeps me quiet, though. 

Oh, more surprises on Monday - I hope!!!

1 October 2010

Mumbling on about Etsy!!!

I was thinking t'other day - I do that sometimes on my own and without the help of brain cell 3 or the benefit of a safety net either!!!

My question to myself was 'why do I sell on Etsy'!!!!  I really didn't have to think too hard about the answer, though.

I started the shop when I had a 'good idea' and thought I'd make a fortune selling online.  DUH!!!!  Now a few years later I can tell you that I'm not rich out of the proceeds of selling but it does help feed my addiction to thread, beads, buttons, zips, etc.  Notice, I say 'help'.  I am a lot richer for the friends I've made through doing it which is WAY more important.

I do know why I do it, though.  Do you want to know why?  Well it's cause I enjoy making things.  That makes for a lot of 'artifacts' around the house so I have to keep selling or giving it away to keep some spaces for us to move about in.  Do you remember Mr Trebus?  Well our house could well become like that if I didn't fight my own gremlins and keep trying to 'move things to other locations'.

I often wonder about my pricing.  I see a lot of tatting being sold and some of the prices asked are out of this solar system!!!!  WAAAAYYYY too much for very simple and only slightly beaded jewellery.  I cringe and hide my head in shame.  I mean, how long does it take to make a pair of earwigs without anything added?

Then there are the sellers who see what somebody else is doing and copy them.  Thankfully I don't need to do that (thank you brain cell 3) and nobody's done it to me - as far as I know!!!  Mind, my style would be hard to imitate - mainly cause I don't have one!!!!

I have a policy statement on my pattern page which says to ask me if anybody wants to sell anything made out of my patterns.  That's simply because I like to use my own designs to sell online myself but I don't mind who makes what to sell 'offline'.  As if I would ever find out anyway!!!!  Can you imagine me lurking around all the small shows, fairs and craft shows round the world looking to see who's using my patterns?  Wouldn't that be funny?  Also I wonder who would want to make them anyway as there are so many tatting patterns now available online.

Well, that's enough from me today.  Yesterday I cleaned all the windows and got the geraniums in ready for winter.  Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, Grrrrrrrrrrrr, etc, etc.

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Happy Beaks

Happy Beaks
I beg your pardon? I didn't quite catch what you said.