Where did January go?

So it's almost the end of January and I feel like the last few weeks went by in a blur. There were play dates, zoo visits and lots of family time riding bikes and growing vegetables. I squeezed in some sewing and got a few more business related things set up for the year ahead.

This was my view last week though.

Not bad isn't it? My husband and I spent five days at Maca Villas and Spa in Seminyak, Bali and it was a wonderfully relaxing stay. Five whole lazy days filled with delicious meals, mojitos, spa treatments and a little shopping, it was a perfect holiday. We missed our girls like crazy but I won't lie, the break from changing nappies, preparing food, washing up and saying the same thing repeatedly during the day, was a nice change. This was our first holiday in nearly five years and we are already planning to return as a family in the near future.

It's a good thing that I took time out to re-charge the batteries as I have a few sewing projects in the coming weeks. I need to finish the Pillowcases for Oncology drive organised by the Handmade Cooperative. After this I am participating in two showcases through Facebook, the first is a circus theme while for the second one I plan to release my new Easter bunny softie. I am also thrilled to have been accepted for the third time to have a stall at the March Perth Upmarket. My last two experiences at the market were really positive and I'd like to continue with what works for me and my business. Upon confirmation of my place at Upmarket I started one of many lists, what materials do I need, what/how many items shall I make and how to spread everything out over the coming five weeks to complete it all comfortably. So I predict my evenings will be spent cutting out and I'll squeeze my sewing in during the day. I plan to offer 3-4 different additional softies for this market so hopefully they will be well received. I also recently purchased a couple of clothing patterns to add to my collection as well as some fabrics so fingers crossed I can find some time to make some skirts and dresses too. Then there are birthdays, the TSL Dolly Drive and our eldest daughter starting Kindergarten.

Despite crazy busy February approaching I still plan to share some posts, updates and inspiration along the way. I recently signed up to Twitter, yes quite possibly one of the last people on earth to do so, but I'm going to try and embrace another social medium as the 'reach ability' of Facebook decreases. Now I just have to actually tweet something lol

Final Market for the Year

Last Sunday little cloud factory participated in it's last market for the year, phew!! I had tunnel vision for the last two weeks in preparing for the Perth Upmarket, every spare minute I was cutting, stitching and stuffing. And of course with every market lead up comes a certain amount of stress. Was I making enough? Too much of one design? I tried to tell myself to 'just do what you can' but there were quite a few late nights and needless to say I passed out on the couch Sunday evening at 7.30.

I set out to participate in a market or  two this year and I have ended up doing four in four months! I would definitely stagger them better in the future to eliminate the last minute rush and not feel like my children had a part time mother. This last market certainly surpassed my expectations in terms of sales and all the hours I spent making were totally worth it. I received lots of lovely compliments about my fabrics, stitching details and stall presentation which was really heart warming. I also loved meeting fellow crafty people, seeing their wares, creative stalls and hearing about their market experiences.

I did suffer a major glitch in my preparations for the market with my sewing machine refusing to work last Wednesday. I had given the machine a clean and 'service' myself after it was running rough for a couple of days before it decided to jam completely. I love my Bernina matic, it's almost as old as me and it can sew through layers of fabric without missing a beat. So she is with the repairman at the moment and I am hoping to have her back in a few days. I was very fortunate to be lent another machine which allowed me to complete my softies and not dissolve into a complete stressed out mess.

I made a few new items for this last market, the pear pin cushions (pattern courtesy of Retro Mama), the Christmas Elves (original design by myself), Reindeer (adapted from a pattern by Melly & Me) and a small version of my babushka doll design. The reindeer was certainly a very popular addition and I (reluctantly!) sold her a couple of hours into the market, and have received orders for two more.
So with my final market over I'm starting to think about 2013:
* Definitely continue participating in markets. It's great to meet other crafty people as well as interact with the public and allow them to hold my creations in their hands.
* Design and release some new design softies. I always have a few ideas rattling around my brain so dedicating some time to put them on paper and then into reality will be a focus.

 

Excited Much!

That's right! My softies and I are going to be at the next Perth Upmarket, Sunday 25th November at the University of Western Australia. This, of course, means another busy couple of weeks sewing wise but I'm beyond excited about being there again as a stall holder and getting some serious Christmas shopping done. And it's exciting to think that some of my softies might be under someone else's Christmas tree this year.
See you there!

A Recap

I have a bunch of half written posts just sitting there waiting to be edited and have photos added but time (once again!) has not been on my side this last month. Why? Well, planning for yesterday's Made on the Left Market, some paid work at the university, my daughter's fourth birthday and a case of hand, foot and mouth amongst three of us has impacted on my commitment to my blog, sorry :(

Yesterday was the second Made on the Left Market I took part in this year. The July market was a great success, around four thousand visitors and a good re-entry into the handmade scene in Perth for me. Unfortunately the weather was against us yesterday and reduced marketing than the July market resulted in poor attendance and consequently, sales. The creative talent at the market was second to none, lots of unique products and hugely talented people so it was a shame that more people didn't get to see what is on offer in Perth at the moment. I have made a promise to support as many small, handmade businesses I can this year for Christmas so I collected some cards and have started a list of gift ideas. I will share some of my favourite small (Perth based) businesses with you too in an upcoming post.

Here are a few photos from the day and the items that I made.

Softies, A Market Date & Overlockers!!

It's school holidays in Perth which means Daddy is home for two weeks. For our eldest this also means a visit to the beach, park or movies most days. Miss Harper has only the one nap now but it's a decent 3 hours minimum which limits me taking her out in the middle of the day so my husband and I tend to take turns going out with Michaela. As much as I don't want Harper to grow up quickly, it will be nice when she is a little older so that we can do more activities as a foursome.

I have done a little sewing this week, an elephant softie (a Retro Mama design) for a friend and a little doll (a Two Little Banshees Maisie doll pattern from the book The Big Book Of Softies) which I have been wanting to make for ages. I have two friends due to deliver babies this week too so I hope to try out a couple of other patterns from the same book to make as gifts.

Market news- little cloud factory has been accepted to be part of the Christmas Made on the Left Market in November. The previous July market was great fun, well organised and well attended. I have begun preparing for the market already with some pattern pieces cut out and fabric on order so the preparation shouldn't be too stressful (I say now!) After spending quite a bit of time on my stall design prior to the last two markets, it will be nice to just focus on stock creation for this market.

This week I have been researching over lockers after deciding that it is time I make some clothing, mainly just for me and my family. I have fabric in my stash which I bought intending to turn into a dresses for the girls and I'm hoping that my softie sewing and following patterns etc experience over the last few years will put me in good stead for making some simple items. I prefer the more simple styles and with summer coming up its the perfect time to get started. I have a Bernina sewing machine and my loyalty lies with this brand so hopefully I'll buy one in the coming weeks after visiting some stores for demos.

LCF does the Perth Upmarket

Awesome! That was my day in one simple word. Being at the Perth Upmarket yesterday was certainly my best market experience to date.
I had been so good in my preparation leading up to the day, using every spare moment of my evenings and free time, completing items (not leaving the stuffing, or closing til later) and ticking things regularly off my 'to do' list. I had a few little jobs to finish on Saturday, printing and attaching tags, sewing on some fawn ears, finalising my table layout and then before I knew it, it was after midnight before I finally fell into bed. I suppose one late night before a market is a given.  
My day started at 5.30am, enough time to shower, dress, stitch shut one last softie and sort the girls out for a couple of hours with Grandma while Jon and I went to UWA. My stall was on the verandah which despite being a chilly spot (6 degrees!) initially, turned out to be perfect for enjoying the sunshine and a relaxed atmosphere to chat with shoppers. I received a lot of positive feedback from people on both my stall and creations. Everyone was friendly and a genuine lover of handmade so it was easy to be relaxed and chatty too.
Here are some pics from the day

 

The 'fall out' of the market is, of course, a ridiculously messy craft room and an equally messy and neglected house which now need attention. I also have some orders to complete, some new design ideas floating around to make a reality and some more market experience under my belt. With another two applications pending for markets in November I'm hoping for a couple of sewing filled months.

Still Getting Ready

Over the last few days I've continued to prepare for my stall at this Sunday's Perth Upmarket. Some of the prep has been cutting, stitching and stuffing while the other prep is stall design and business related items. I have made a few more items than previous markets which means a re-jig of my previous layout. My talented grand father kindly made a post structure which allows me to hang a banner and some small items. It looks great and helps to define my stall space, I can't wait to see it all in action!

I ordered and received some gorgeous new swing tags (from oh so cute) and am waiting on some new business cards (from Smarties) This is probably the first time I've not felt anxious or rushed about an upcoming market. Unfortunately I've often left things to the last minute previously but doing something every day for this market has certainly taken the pressure off and I won't be doing any late nights this week. Thankfully these last few days will be spent closing softies, making a few hair clips and deciding on the stall design.

Progress Report (& some tutorials)

Over the last few days my enormous pile of fat quarters has turned into organised pattern pieces. I feel pretty ok about my progress this last week in preparation for the upcoming market. With only three weeks to go I will need to work each night and squeeze in some sewing during nap times to complete what I set out to make. Hopefully I won't have to resort to late nights this time too.

Also on the agenda this week is seeing a performance of Play School tomorrow at the Fremantle Town Hall which Michaela is looking forward to very much. After receiving the latest IKEA catalogue last week I'm planning a quick trip there which will inevitably end up being a much more expensive trip than first planned. And time permitting I have a couple of tutorials ear marked- this one is an adorable way to re-use baby's shoes and this one about printing on fabric could have many uses.

A Fabric Explosion

That's right, another market on the calendar for little cloud factory. And not just any market but the Perth Upmarket at UWA!!!!! Hoot hoot!!! I'm so excited (and more than a little nervous) about my Upmarket debut. I've lost count of the amount of times I've attended the Upmarket but last year I said to myself and family 'I'll be there one day' and that day is Sunday September 23rd.

At present my craft room looks like a fabric truck has lost it's load everywhere. I've got some items ready, have patterns laid out with their selected fabric and have a few more items in transit to show off some new designs. I'm excited about these new items and have received some great feedback already from friends and members of the handmade community. In addition to the softies I have a little project idea floating around to jazz up my stall.

If you come along to next months Upmarket, please come and say 'hi'

Off to Market

This last week has been full of fevers, vomiting, sniffles and a few late nights preparing for the Made on the Left Winter Market. Of course of all the weeks for every member of my family to fall sick, this was not the week......... Nevertheless I made it there with lots of softies, some hair clips and brooches. The market was well attended, better than any other market I have had a stall at and I was lucky to receive a lot of compliments with many 'aww's from people upon seeing my creations.

All in all I enjoyed preparing for and having a stall at the market, although I would have liked to have sold a couple more of my creations for it to have been an earner for me. If I was sit down and calculate the hours spent making each item plus the time selecting and purchasing the materials I'd probably get a little depressed, but at the end of the day this is my hobby, I love making softies and I do love the hours spent sourcing, selecting and buying the various materials and then putting them together to make something that is unique.

I guess that with each market you come away having learnt some new things and after almost two years away from the market scene, this was a positive 'return' experience. The new display props looked great and the blue tablecloth (which I bought) really stood out and was the perfect back drop for my colourful softies. I met some other lovely crafty folk, spent a little money of my own and am looking forward to the next market.

 

My Creative Space Today

Here's my craft room as it is today. Organised chaos of course! I haven't achieved too much this past week on the sewing front but as always there are a few half-done projects. I have begun work on my stall for the upcoming Winter Made on the Left Market. I have collected some cute display items recently and have started work on a felt cloud bunting for the front of my table. I applied for another market this week so I will learn my inclusion (or not) later this month.

I am secretly looking forward to being a Tour de France widow for the next three weeks, he he. Guilt free sewing every night for three weeks while my husband sits glued to the race.

Harper's birthday is next Saturday so I have some baking and decorating ahead this week. Again I have a couple of half-done projects to share once they are completed for her party.

Thanks for dropping by today, enjoy your Sunday xx

Behind the Scenes

These last few days I've been doing some work behind the scene for Little Cloud Factory, the crafty side of my hobby.

I have been a little slow to jump on the Pinterest bandwagon but now I see what benefit there is to storing inspiration in one central place. I have started collecting ideas for Market Stall Design and I realise that I will need to put a lot of thought, effort and time into creating an attractive stall at my next market (Date to be confirmed!)

This was my stall at my first market nearly two years ago. Clear branding- check, varying heights- check, allow customers to interact with items- check, each item clearly priced- check. For a first attempt looking back I actually think it looked good. Displaying softies is a little tricky because they need some back support and stacking them in boxes doesn't allow them to be seen in their entirety.

And then I came across this stall display!!! Gorgeous, creative, adorable, this is one unique stall display that I would love to re-create! The materials are relatively simple but the unique nature of this stall would surely attract a lot of interest.

This week I've also learnt to be selective. I have a lot of fabric, infact I have too much fabric. (I don't dare show you a photo!) Fabric that has been in my stash for a couple of years and I realise that I'm a bit more particular about the fabrics that I chose to use on my softies and accessories. So I've sorted out my favourite pieces and set aside them aside ready to be turned into a babushka, owl or other design. I gave some fabric to another crafty friend and have made a promise to myself to not purchase fabric that won't go towards a specific project, or be appropriate for a couple.

Felt is one of my favourite textiles and I have learnt that there is felt and there is felt. In the last few months I have found two lovely suppliers of felt, felt which is chemical free, has a beautiful selection of colours and is lovely to work with. Another quick cleanup and cull and my felt stash is looking much better.

In order to cut felt correctly and easily, especially for those little pieces, a good pair of embroidery scissors is a must. I bought a new pair recently and the difference is clear making for clean cuts and less waste.

Plans for the weekend:

• Finish the three projects lying on my desk (one babushka doll and two owl wall hangings)
• Read the latest Adore Home online mag
• Read the latest Tickle the Imagination online mag
• Make Harper's birthday party invites

Enjoy your weekend too!