Fabric Choices-- Fleece and Cotton for My Shops

Because Google Changed how pictures are presented and what they then have access to.. I have moved All my fleece choices to my web site.

Fleece Choices  (link to the fabrics)

 On my web site.. thehomespunloft.com 

What is Wrong with People??

I live in the country.. well it used to be the country before the city started encroaching.. Now I live in sorta country. I have a barn and some farm animals. Ok.

But what annoys me to no end is people who for whatever reason believe that it is ok to drop off the last of the litter Male Kitten who needs to be neutered at a barn and expect them to survive. 

I have wild Foxes here.. they eat cats. We have coyotes.. who also eat cats. A young male cat showed up 4 days ago.. what a sweetheart.. Un-neutered and ready to party. My spayed female cat was not in the market for a boyfriend and let him know right away.

You could tell he had never been outside.. the farm animals scared him...all the noises and the sounds scared him. He was a house cat.. he belonged in a house. My girl cat came to me as a feral cat.. it took a couple of years for her to let me pet her. Now I can pick her up. No one else can- but I can. My dogs in the house are not cat people.

I spent my weekend calling everyone I know to see if they wanted a cat or knew someone who did. Today on a whim.. I went into a local business and just asked.. and I found her.. his new mom.. She has him now- he reminded her of a long ago family pet. He will have a family and be an indoor cat that he deserves to be.

But that is just one with a happy ending. How many cats are just dumped because of the costs? and ignorant people? I did call today and get a vet appt for a neuter (in case).. it will be $345 without tax for the neuter.. People can't pay that! But I also know there are low cost spay neuter programs around the area.

Honestly do not adopt a pet unless you can care for it. Pets are not disposable. They are family. And don't take a house cat and dump him at a farm that is dangerous to a house cat.

I figure that my cosmic sign that said "No more cats blew down" will be putting that back up tonight before anyone else thinks it is ok to drop off another cat.

Just my thoughts

Time Management

On the main Etsy forums someone asked about how do you manage your crafting time. hmm...

Since I am the boss I don't really think about it much. I do what has to be done in the time allotted. No day is like the next.  I multi task and I make lists. I have a headset for my devices.. I can watch a show/movie or listen to a book/music/podcast on my iPad while I sew. 

I can take a break and put a load in the washer.. take another break and make dinner or take the dogs out. I am generally up later at night than most- but that is my quiet time.. My household is asleep and I am free to do what I want then.-lol. Morning still comes at the same time and it starts all over again.

People have to do what works for them.. my non schedule might not work for others. I Don't pre-plan much with my business. I know what has to ship when and just do it. My iPhone is never far from me to stay in touch with my business.

What do you do?

Etsy Changed Things Again...

I have said for years now, on Etsy, it is like kids are running the place.. someone gets an idea-- with no selling experience and changes things and doesn't tell the rest of the place. (I know for major things they do test as I have been part of some of the tests for months).

So of course Help-- if you get a real person- has no idea what you are talking about because someone in another dept changed things-- and didn't send out a memo. Now everyone else is expected to know how to do it.

It is like there are no managers who are in charge and the kids are running the place.. This has always been the case as far back as I can remember.

They change colors of the banners and think it is a deal.. they work on silly stuff and ignore the real issues that need fixing.. and now they are trying to fix the site but it might be too little too late. I do believe Etsy is trying to fix the mess they created when they let POD onto the site.. they naively thought that sellers would follow the rules.. many did.. but just as many did not. So now it is a free for all.. and there are just as many You Tubers with outdated info luring in new sellers with their promises of making millions for little to no effort that adds to the problems on the site.

Etsy changed how sellers tell the world what they make.. I don't use commercial patterns in my sewing. I just don't.. I happen to be one of those lucky people who can look at something and just figure out how to sew it. Some do that with wood or a paint brush-- I do that with fabric. BUT today if I list something.. I can choose Handmade or Designed.. but not both.. Designed is for a POD seller or a Digital seller.

In spite of it all.. I do still like Etsy and do plan to stay.. and depending on what happens this fall with more changes to come on the site.. I might close my other shop there, maybe or put it on vacation. The key is to branch out and not make one place your only selling venue. (which-- I have done.. I have my web site now and GoImagine shop)

Thanks for reading--

Resolutions

 I am really bad with resolutions.. I bet lots of us are.

Every year I say I won't buy more fabric.. and then someone sends me a sale.. and I go and buy a bunch of fabric. My excuse this time was it was backing fabrics. lol

I said I would show off some of the tops I finished during my 2 week Etsy slump in May..

This one is actually done and gifted.. it is all Sea theme batiks in Teal & Blues. I forget the name of the pattern from the Sewing Studio but it is super simple and one of my faves. I don't think I used their measurements but it is basically the same one. I stippled the quilting on my Juki. I think the finished size was 60"x75". (I forget exactly). 

Happy Independence Day!

Let's start Again...

 Time to start over and see where this takes me..

My Goimagine shop is slow-but I get that it is a fairly new site and I might be expecting too much too soon from it.. but it is good to add to my business. I will stay for a few years and see. The cost is minimal and if I do better with sales there-I would consider the next level up in cost & fees.

I do need to add more items to the GI shop. Listing items is ok.. it is different then other sites but do able. Shipping is certainly different and honestly I don't know if I am undercharging or not. lol. The help desk is excellent and their forum is always ready to help.

The owner is pleasant and has weekly interactive video chats. I do find the often denigration of Etsy to be annoying. It is not needed and I bet most of the current sellers also sell on Etsy. And lots of us have good sales on Etsy. I do find it to be less than it was even a few weeks ago- so I have hope they will stop.

Etsy is doing fine- no real complaints there as far as sales go. I had a 2 week slump in May-- but I got curtains made for 3 rooms in my home.. and got a couple quilt tops done.. that I will post here at some point. I discovered that I apparently like to make quilts but don't like to finish them.. I got some more tops ready to baste.

Am off to take pictures and make videos for 75 Etsy listings.. I already did 30 of them.. but Etsy now wants videos on all listings.. So.. I will get them those videos even if they are really just slideshows. I am trying to do 5-10 a day.

Thanks for reading..

Selling your Best

 I am not sure when it all started.. maybe during the pandemic.. not sure. But there are lots of sellers on all venues who make shoddy work and wonder why they have to lower their price so much to get a sale.

 I see stained sewn items and sewn items with pet fur on the pix.. I see wooden items that are slapped together and not painted well or sanded. I see sellers doing the bare minimum and crying foul because their items just don't sell.

When did it become the norm to just make something to get it sold and not have the integrity to make your best and then try to sell that.

I believe you try until you have perfected your craft and then you make and sell that. Just my thoughts.