new kits...

I find it's always good to produce new items this close to Christmas. 

You know, when you are so rushed off your feet and can hardly breathe.

It's just perfect timing to spend all hours getting it into a ready selling state and neglect what really needs doing.

Hence I have just produced  these kits...

I spent most of yesterday photographing and writing up the instructions for them and they are now winging their way to various stockists to sell as Christmas extras.

They come with everything needed to make one pouch and full instructions to make as many more as you like! Perfect for making lots of presents this Christmas!

For now they are available in my Etsy shop...and in time I will let you know which stockists are selling them.

Now back to the To Do List...

bribery time...

I would really appreciate your opinion...

I'll make it worth your while...

well you read the heading...Bribery Time.

As you know I have been working on my screen printing range for this Autumn/Winter and have developed the 2 colour-ways - Utility above and Frozen Berries below and within that Triangle Mania and Scruffy Daisy.

I have 3 big fairs coming up and so need a lot of stock and obviously I want the right stock for my customers as all the fairs will be a "see it and buy it now" kinda affair, rather than the ordering kinda scenario.

So the question is, what would you choose? If you could pick any 3 items that you are drawn to, either for yourself or thinking ahead as Christmas gifts what digs it for you? Is there a particular pattern? A certain colour? A favourite pouch? I really would greatly appreciate your thoughts on this, my little in house market research buddies.

 So what's in it for you, I hear you ask? Obviously I know you aren't that kind of person and you are happy to just help out I hear you cry, but everyone is entitled to a little reward and I insist.

So, two things. 

The first is if you leave me a comment with your thoughts I'll email you a code for 10% off your next order (so be sure to link to an email address).

Secondly I'll enter you into a draw to win a little selection of your suggestions. Ah, sneaky huh? Now you have to think about what you like, not just be random, because one of you is going to be lumbered with the said pieces.

Seriously though, I really appreciate the time you take in helping me with this.

Thank you! x

Giveaway open until Sunday evening (oh and talking of which, there's still time to enter my fab giveaway from M is for Make...go check it out if you haven't already entered.)

A little update on what I've been up to today...

I have had this waterproof fabric on order for a while and finally it arrived today. 

You know me and my inability to put something to one side, so it was operation sew up for an order that had been waiting for their super cute wash bags.

 And the good news is I ordered extra so there's a listing for them in my Blueberry Park shop right here...

It's probably a good thing that I just got on and made these as I have other projects that really need attending to...including one very exciting (to me...and probably you) one that I can't wait to get started on...

...but more about that another time.

Triangle Mania!

I think I'm rather enjoying this one.

Is it wrong to say that?

This design and I spent quality time together in the design process and we developed a mutual respect and understanding.

It goes without saying that I tried out this design in my 3 favourite colours. It would have been rude not too and quite frankly you would have been disappointed with me if I hadn't. Or on the other hand, maybe you would have been quite relieved.

Not only did I print onto fabric, but I also wanted to see how the design looked on paper. I'm thinking the design would work well as wrapping paper. I'm not totally sure I'm ready to print such big scale, but hey, a girl's got to keep dreaming.

One of the wonderful features of the sewing machine I am currently using is all the pretty stitches it has.

Whilst I could go crazy and incorporate most of these into projects, I am being very refrained (bet that made you laugh - me? refrained?) and just rolling with one at the moment.

I've up-dated a pouch I previously made, with the limited stitches I had on my old machine, with this circle design.

I just love the simplicity of the stitch. It has just enough detail to make it interesting, without being too fussy and over-powering.

I'm sure I won't be able to be refrained for that much longer and you'll get to see some of the other stitches this machine can produce, but in the meantime these are available here and here.

WARNING:

Do not adjust your screen...the following blogpost is brought to you in black and white...well, grey anyway.

Following my screen printing session this week, I was drawn to making up some pouches in grey.

We have Wave in Grey...

and we have Hexie in Grey...

I don't know if it's just my mood this week, or my usual affinity with grey, but I'm rather liking them.

If you are drawn to more colour yourself, next up will be something with a bit more zing...

(For all you mutual grey fans, the first are in my shop...the rest to come very soon.)

I am feeling a little anxious about heading away for our summer holidays pretty soon and being absent from the screen printing workshop.

Really. It's a big concern.

And then not only that, but how am I going to get in there when we get back while the kids are still on school holidays?

As I said, Big Concern.

I have booked in a session this week, which I'm hoping will enable me to get my fix before we go.

But then, what about time for sewing with it all?

Vacations are supposed to be exciting aren't they?

Quite frankly, I'm rather keen on sending them all on one and staying behind to have my own vacation right here...

Is that very wrong?...

Ok, it's time I started declaring all the fabric that has been mounting up over the holidays. Part of the reason I have been ordering with such gay abandon was that my Aunt came over from US during the hols and I always make use of getting fabric Stateside, without the worry of heavy postage and import costs. However now that the airlines have started charging their baggage allowance according to weight, I'm not sure she'll be quite so agreeable to letting me take up precious kilos. In the meantime I made the most of it.

First up in the show and tell pile is this collection from Fabric Closet. I'd seen the Kisses in Red by Wendy Slotboom and thought it was fab and then found the other 2 by Wendy too. They are perfect basic stash fabrics. While I was there, as you do, I dropped Michael Miller's Brady Bunch (far left) into my basket. too.

Whilst it is pretty clear that there is little chance of me giving up my fabric buying addiction anytime in the near future, so it really was pointless to make any resolutions to do so, one thing I have however made a resolution to do, is to keep any new fabric on my work desk in full view and approach it first when making something. This way, hopefully it will become integrated into my making psyche and not hide away and be forgotten.

So today when I needed to make some gifts, I headed straight for the new pile. The girls in Noah's year are all celebrating their Bat Mitzvah's this school year (girls come of age the year before boys) and he seems to have a party almost every weekend. I'm trying to keep stock up in the present pile to avoid that "aggghhh, what do you mean you are going out in half an hour and you need a gift??" panic.

Judging by Ruby's response to these Make Up and Purse Pouch Sets, I'm hoping the girls will be pretty pleased with them.

I promised to show you some of my purchasing from over the holidays. And I will but I am ashamed however to tell you that none of this is any of it.

This is all yesterday's shopping.

I know it is shameful - especially since this is just an iota of what has been arriving into this house over the last few weeks.

But let's not dwell on that. Let's talk about yesterday...

Manda and I headed to Fabworks (remember where I bought all this Liberty and shirting?) and I knew it was going to be trouble with a capital T.

And trouble it was...

First up was those bundles of the most delicious felt, in stunning colours of teals and greys. I have no idea at the moment what I am going to use it for, but at just £1 a piece it would have been rude to pass it by.

Everything else however has a purpose. (Do you think if I repeat that enough times I'll be able to convince myself as well as you?)

But it's true...

Having designed the Summersville Pencil Pouches and on the whole being really pleased with them, there was a nagging detail that wasn't quite as I wanted it. Before going to Fabworks I put my finger on what it was...the need for a little tab detail. I'd already begun searching online for some ribbon, but hadn't got very far. I needn't have worried as one whole shelving unit was given over at Fabworks to stunning vintage braiding which I am overjoyed to have found and even more overjoyed to see that this works a treat on the pouches.

Of course a trip to Fabworks wouldn't have been complete without the purchasing of a stash of fabrics. And as I said before, these all have a purpose. (They absolutely really do).

First up was the selecting of several Libertys - very useful little numbers for quilting, kits, linings.

Next up was crisp shirting at just £3/m. I love the shirting. It works beautifully as lining for the pouches and I particularly love the green stripe. I find it quite difficult to line green, but this stripe is just perfect.

Last up and almost *gasp* passed by, was this gorgeous linen with red line through it. How amazing is this? It is incredibly soft and utterly beautiful. Simple understated, just how I like things.

And of course creating this Make Up Pouch was far more important than doing my tax forms today...whoops...

It is however available in both my Etsy shop and Big Cartel shop if you'd like me to feel that it was money and time well spent...

I love delivery day at Blueberry Park.

The excitement of having found new products that I think my customers will love gets intensified when I have in my hands these wonderful items that artists around the UK have so cleverly made.

This latest bunch of finds are no exception. Ros and Ed, the talents behind Stabo are a couple who make fab and funky accessories from the softest by-product leather. They are very keen on producing all their products as ethically and environmentally friendly as possible. Just what I love...beauty, practicality and eco-friendly-ness .

The leather they use is a by-product from the meat industry and much better for the environment than many synthetic products.

I love the fact that Ros and Ed's studio in Cambridgeshire has the thickest insulation and is heated by a wood-burning stove.

I personally feel that sometimes a compromise is made with style in the efforts to make things as ethically as possible, but this is not the case with these at all. Stabo create the funkiest accessories for men and women that I have seen in a long time.

I'm hesitant to say which is my favourite accessory (although I am partial to the iphone case) or which is my favourite design (scooter maybe?). I do think Ros and Ed have created a fantastic range that I think (hope) will be very popular with Blueberry Park shoppers.