My Reading List

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No sewing machine or market preparation means I have time this week to sit down with some of my recently purchased magazines and books.

Young House Love is one of the first blogs I read every morning, I love their interior design style, DIY ideas and funny and informative posts. This is their first book which hubby ordered for me pre-release. It arrived in no time from Amazon and is already on the New York best sellers list.

Decorate Workshop by Holly Becker from the blog Decor8. I have her first book, Decorate, and love the gorgeous photos and decorating ideas so this book was also quickly placed on pre-order.

Homespun Magazine; I don't usually pick up many craft magazines because I browse such a wide selection of blogs but the inclusion of a super cute fluffy hedgehog pattern courtesy of Dolls and Daydreams cemented my need to buy this one.

The first print issue of Tickle the Imagination (not pictured) also arrived last week. The best articles from their online mag are now in print and it features some beautiful handmade businesses and craft ideas. It is especially nice too that it's a local Perth magazine.

Reindeer Softie

 

This is one of my latest creations, a Christmas Reindeer. I mentioned making her in my previous post but I wanted to share a close up and a few more details. I adapted the Melly & Me Fawn pattern which I love making. I hand stitched on a red nose and reindeer antlers made from felt which were lightly stuffed and triple stitched in place. I also chose to make a felt bow for the neck with two little bells. The fabric for the main body was from the Alexander Henry Christmas Time Collection and she stood at approx 35cms. I love that someone else loved her as much as me and took her into their home. 



Eeek; sorry for the iPad quality pic.

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.

What I've Learned about Softie Making

Baby Chibi Doll

I made my first softie about three years ago. It was after the birth of my first daughter and when I started to discover blogs. I have always been a little crafty, sewing some of my own clothes while in high school, dabbling in mosaics and jewellery making and did quite a few DIY projects to keep costs down for our wedding. From memory it was the blogs of One Red Robin and Melly & Me that made me think I'd like to give softies a go. I made a Ruby Doll first, then purchased the patterns for the Baby Chibi and Babushka Dolls and I was hooked. Since then I have continued to purchase patterns, design and make my own and have learned a lot along the way.

 

My Kokeshi inspired original design

So if you're keen to make softies too, here's a few things that I hope will help you to get started.

 

•  Use 100% cotton quilting fabric, it is strong and durable. I widely source my fabrics, mainly online through etsy, Facebook pages and then at my local Spotlight and Textile Traders. Building up a stash of spots/stripes/chevron etc is good to do when there are sales too. I am drawn to many designer fabrics and I don't feel so bad about my fabric addiction when they are on sale! I prefer to purchase fat quarters or half yards to ensure that no two of my softies look the same.
• Always wash your fabrics before use. These fabrics have been in factories, boxes and on shelves so you want to make sure they are clean before you use them. I find that the fabric is also easier to work with once clean, it is easier to turn limbs and create neat corners. Make sure the fabric is ironed before pattern pieces are cut out. (Funnily this is the only ironing I enjoy!) 

• Ensure your supplies are in good working order- good sharp fabric scissors, small embroidery scissors for making small cuts, rotary cutter, fabric markers, pinking shears for internal seams. Unfortunately the quick un-pick gets a work out some days in my craft room, and I've learnt to simply scrap a softie if I can't fix a sewing mistake. Have a good selection of needles for your hand sewing appropriate for embroidery and other hand stitching.
• Don't use other designer's patterns as your own. Make sure that they allow commercial production of their patterns, or a licence that once paid allows you to sell your wares. If you do use a pattern, always credit the designer on tags. Despite there being a multitude of free patterns online, not all allow for commercial production so make sure you research this before making for sale.
• I admit to being a felt snob and will only use a good quality wool blend or 100% wool felt. I find that they don't pill or show signs of wear like the acrylic stuff does, which can also stretch and tear.
• Double (or even triple) stitch the internal seams, especially if your softie is destined for some little hands. That extra reinforcement should prolong the life of the softie and ensure that the seams are nice and strong for when you do the stuffing. Use polyester thread as it is stronger than cotton thread too.
• Stuff carefully and firmly. The stuffing process is actually quite time consuming. Small limbs and those funny little corners are best stuffed with many small pieces of stuffing than big chunks so that edges and seams can be filled properly and neatly. I tend to stuff my softies, leave them for a day or two to allow the stuffing to 'settle' before stuffing it some more and sewing it shut. I use a good quality polyfill although there are eco friendly and wool options which are more expensive. 
• When playing around with a design of your own, use some calico or other cheap fabrics (and acrylic felt) until you get the design just right. Happy softie making!