A few purses

After a hiatus post-market, I am starting on some more purses.

I've managed to get the medium sized ones sewn up.  Looking at this array it is clear: the usual draw to florals, blues, greens and browns is clearly alive and well. :)

I am about to start on the over-sized collection (oh - 'collection' makes me sound a bit too serious doesn't it. lets call it a 'bunch').  As its getting wintery and wonderful here, I am making a few out of some wools and tweeds which are perfect for the season. Why not eh.

Anyway, all going to plan they should start appearing on my (terribly empty) FELT shop soon.

Fun in Brunswick

Well its been a while since my last post. There's been a variety of things happening (good and bad) that have meant life has felt a little bit on hold. Its funny how the process of moving through a bad patch just takes some time before you come through the veil and actually feel you can give some positivity back to the world.  I do now feel more able to focus and look to the future.


And certainly, now as the winter days are now much shorter, it lends oneself to hibernation tendencies. This "inside-time" presumably should have the effect that I might be more productive in the sewing sense. Maybe.

One of the positives in the last wee while was a visit to Melbourne for a friend's engagement party. I love love love the creative soul of Melbourne - it is quite simply brimming over with originality and style. Coming from little old Wellington where we pride ourselves on our snazzy cafes, the sheer size of Melbourne and the endless spirit is so awesome - I am always profoundly jealous. I walk away thinking there is absolutely no excuse to not be wonderfully stylish in Melbourne - whilst here at home we are lucky to have 5 or 6 design stores, Melbourne has such an extraordinary bounty.

I was lucky to have the time to spend quite a few hours meandering happily along Brunswick Street. To be fair, I would have been just as happy to pitch my tent and live on the side of the road for a week or so, but I settled for an afternoon.

Loved the stores that I lucked upon there. The Fabric Store, with its light warehouse feel and clean walls made looking at cloth a delight. Mozi which had the most gorgeous bright coloured home wares (I bought an oil drizzler - love it!).  And Amor y Locura, a shop that specialises in Day of the Dead kitch merchandise, and so many many others.  A delight.

Fabric haul

 I often get emails from fabric shops such as Hawthorne Threads showing off their lovely wares. I covert the lovely fabrics (sewers are such terrible hoarders). The costs overseas are so much less than what we pay here in NZ, but then the shipping cost starts to eat into the difference.

 My brother lives in San Diego so in the styles of any self-interested daughter I ordered a batch of fabric to be delivered to him and made my poor mother lug in back from a recent visit. It wasn't mammoth amounts (compare my recent ikea curtain fabric haul - now that was heavy!) but I did have the odd twinge of guilt. Is this the right thing to do to one's poor old mom? However, this guilt was significantly reduced upon delivery - I mean seriously, how fun are these fabrics!  So mum hauled it but I get The Haul.   

I love the Retro Kitchen print - my intention is to use some of this stretched over canvas as a kitchen wall hanging. In hindsight its a little like the cheesy wallpaper that used to be in the laundry which I rudely painted over - but the other half can't complain about a wall hanging so easily .....

I also think these will look great as tea towel trims, any kitchen accessory, and lined as a blind. Actually would also look great as some bunting wouldn't it? ..... hmmm, now I'm thinking .....

Anyway, I bought extra amount to share the love so when I finally get round to it there will be available (fat or thin quarts) on my felt shop for those who like the print and don't want to pay the usual high retail price.

My favourite however is a print in the Gallery Fiori range. This poppy print reminds me of Van Gogh paintings - its just lovely. I have absolutely no idea what I am going to make with this but when I see it, I'll know. I think it will make a striking top of some sort.

Sydney, Storms, Stalls, Sales

It is with a wine in hand that I write this post.  I'm reeeaaallly enjoying this glass.

Sydney was great. I managed to:

- enjoy a beer in the best spot in Syders (Opera Bar - its expensive and busy but on a sunny night, cannot be beat);

- loved my friend's wedding;

- made it to the Paddington Markets (photo of my favorite stall at Paddington - couldn't resist buying myself a few gorgeous cups);

- made it to Ikea (I know its lame - but I got curtain fabric and picture frames at bargain Ikea prices) and Manly (for the ferry crossing);

- visited my lovely Waverly Cemetery, had breakfast at Bronte coupled with the usual swim in the pool. I still say that coastal walk is the highlight of Sydney.

Spiffing

And today - thank you to the lovely people who visited my stall today at Newtown: it was lovely to meet you all and despite the say starting off with rain dumps, blastering southerly winds and general misery, it fined up (though perhaps in-a-typically-Wellington-Artic type of way).

The Newtown Festival is such a great day, with so much excitement and great bands, and great food. I was honoured to be part of it (but kinda jealous I couldn't wander and enjoy it) and am delighted by my sales.

THANKS EVERYONE!

 

 

Survival and sales

Well I survived the weekend's market.  It ended up being a rather exhausting day.  I had (rather optimistically and stupidly) opted to attend a Twenty20 game of cricket being played between NZ and South Africa on Friday night.  Whilst I did make us leave the game a little early, it wasn't before the consumption of one or two mini bottles of Sav Blanc.  The ironing and packing that had been the jobs for Friday night then became the jobs for Saturday morning.

We loaded up to the car and unloaded on Jackson Street and set up my table.  In a rather bizarre spot allocation, I was backing onto a food van and next to the fair rides. Compared to all the established vendors, my wee table of wee wares seemed terribly small.  And as the sun shone down and the food van generator droned on, it has to be said that the spot was not my favourite and I felt cooked (and somewhat hung over) by the end of the day.

However I was delighted to have people to keep me company (thanks guys - pictured is my friend and her adorable son) and to receive so many nice comments and compliments from people - its always nerve racking having people inspect your handiwork and was nice to get some very flattering comments.

Off to Sydney this weekend for a friends wedding and then the Newtown Fair the weekend following.  Just keeping on trucking.

Getting ready for market day

Well it has certainly been a hectic few weeks.  Leading up to Petone Rotary Fair on Jackson Street this weekend, I have been desperately trying to get my myself organised.  I finally set up the trestle table last night to do a trial run of what my stall will look like.  I am pretty chuffed with the result - but that might be the tiredness talking.  There are a few sale items of stock that didn't sell last time (and I have never got around to putting on my felt shop) as well as quite a few new creations.
 

I have almost finished (final stitches tonight) a variety of clutch purses - a retro themed batch of small purses from fabrics chosen by my very dear (and retro inspired) friend Vanessa; a bunch of medium sized purses which are typical fabric choices for me (florals and brocade type designs); and some oversized clutches made from a gorgeous thick-weaved pattern that I absolutely love.  I really do like this fabric so am secretly hoping they won't sell so I can keep one all to myself.

I was also so pleased with how my screen printed cushion turned out that I made a couple more in a variety of black on white, or white on black etc.  They look lovely.  I did a few with the tree design (see burnt-to-crisp example in previous post) and with the feathers.  (I can safely say that my screen printing prowess has improved markedly with practice.)

My last venture was to screen print a few muslin baby wraps.  If there one universal truth (along with all the other universal truths) it is that mothers can't have enough wraps.  They provide warmth when required, shade when required, swaddling and privacy, as well as always being available for clean up duties (spit, vom, dribble to name but a few varieties).  The great thing about this muslin is it breathes, has a little bit of 'give' in it so not to constrictive, and it dries in no time flat. 

I tried to tone down the yellow by mixing white, which I thought might be a nice colour for some floating feathers.  It is still super bright and perhaps not my favourite result.  The tree design sitting in the middle of the baby's back when wrapped is kinda nice though.

Anyway, other than finishing off a few items, I am pulling together all those extra things one needs for market day (all the little things like price tags and signs, business cards, change, bags for purchases, cellotape & scissors, pen, chairs, weather protection for whatever happens .... and the list goes on).  It will be a relief when Saturday finally rolls around.

The core ingredients

The core ingredients for a night sewing:

Machine - check. 

Pot of tea (to distract me from wine) - check. 

Bowl of cherries (to distract me from chocolate) - check. 

TV on Demand (to distract me fullstop) -  check. 

I'm sorted.