Join me on an adventure!

Once upon a time, I mentioned a little project I was working on. For awhile there,it seemed like just a dream. In the space of a week, that dream has become a reality! In less than 3 weeks time, Kirsten and I will be opening the doors to our very own store!

Making Spaces Marketplace will commence trading on July 20th. There's a lot to do between now and then, but it is all very exciting and our first applications are starting to roll in. I'll try to post some progress updates in the next week or two here so you can see how it is coming together.

If you design fabulous handmade goods, please have a look at our website for an exciting opportunity to sell your products!

Bags, bags and more bags

A quick post while I wait for some glue to dry! I'm busy making stock for Handmade Market, which is just over a week away. There will be more satchels than I can probably fit in the car, as well as some new handbags which I thought I'd give you a sneak peek at...

This pretty pretty one has a leather base and strap!



And this is a work in progress pic of a bag that is now finished. It's the same shape as the one above, and in a really nice fuzzy wintery fabric.



I'm in the middle of making another one in this shape too. It'll be from a beautiful olive green linen and will feature a lovely vintage doily.

The glue is dry, so off I go! See you all in Canberra on June 11th!

New products!

My embroidered clutch purses have always been really well liked by everyone who sees them, but it has always been obvious that a lot of people who loved the embroidery didn't purchase one because a clutch purse isn't the most practical thing.

So, I have a solution! And it's fabulous, and a little bit in part to a request from my friend Cloud. The idea was half formed in my head already, but Cloud's request cemented it.



I'll have a few (this design and at least one other) at Glenbrook Market this coming Saturday (21st May). And I'll post here again when they are listed online. I'll also be taking some to Handmade Market Canberra in June.

Mountain Makers Market wrap up

The Mother's Day Mountain Makers Market was a fantastic day, despite the rain and cold. Thank you to all the lovely customers who came to support us. You can see a wrap up of the day, including some pics here.

My next market is at Glenbrook on May 21st. Then I'm back at Handmade Market in Canberra on June 11th.

Tomorrow I'm off in search of a coat to get me though both those markets!

In time for Mother's Day

Lots of things going on here at the moment, but the first one to note is the Mountain Makers Market next Saturday!



It is going to be a great day, so please come along if you're in the area!

We have the technology

I'm ridiculously excited about this! I just took delivery of a shiny new mobile EFTPOS machine, so next time you visit me at the markets, you can pay by card!



My focus this year is on markets and since my products tend to be on the higher end of the price scale for your average market, I'm hoping that it will make things easier for my customers who don't always carry a lot of cash.

Can't wait to try it out!

Wow

My mind is officially blown! Watch this movie about how jeans are made! http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2011/03/how_jeans_are_made.html

Amazing!

Did you make this yourself?

A regular question that comes up when I'm trading at the markets is "Did you make this yourself?". The answer is "I did!" Sometimes when I say that, people look at me with what I see as a hint of disbelief. Maybe I'm imagining it, but it happens enough that I don't think so.

Now I don't think that they think I personally couldn't have made things, but that any one person couldn't. I'm convinced there's an idea that only well made products (and purses with metal frames!) can be made in factories.

It's an interesting mentality to contemplate. We are told so often by advertising that products we buy in stores are good quality etc. But the handmade movement doesn't seem to come with that same idea. I can't wait until it does. And I can't wait until I can articulate how buying something beautiful, direct from the maker, has got to be a great thing.

PS. Am interested to hear if you think I might be imagining it?

Thank you Canberra

The first Handmade Market Canberra for 2011 is done and dusted. Thank you to everyone who came along and made it such a worthwhile event! It was one of the longest days of my life (5am start, home at 10pm), but such a fabulous day. It was great to meet so many people, and even better, watch my bags (and other things) fly off the racks.

I'm taking a few days to recover, then have to photograph the stock that is left and get it in my etsy store so it's available for everyone. I'll post an update here when I've done that. Just waiting for my new light tent and studio lights to arrive - hoping these will make for better photos and much quicker photo processing as it's currently a very time consuming job.

Also working on a 'gadget love' kind of post - just deciding which piece of equipment to start with.

An exciting venture

I have some exciting news to share! If you're a crafty person in Australia and particularly in Sydney, check this out:



This has been in the works for a few months, and Kirsten and I are super excited to launch our idea to the world.

Now, back I go to the sewing...

Swamped

I'm slowly but surely being buried by piles of finished products! I'm working hard to make a lot of stuff for the Canberra Handmade Market which is on in less than 2 weeks!

It will be the biggest event I've traded at so far and I'm excited, but also a little nervous! I'm very much looking forward to it - or at least I will be when all the sewing is done and I've figured out how to fit everything in the car for a 3 hour trip.

We've just had an entire week of +30℃ weather - mostly 34-36℃ and I'm pretty pleased that I got as much done as I did. The words 'one woman sweat shop' come to mind.

Thankfully the cool change has just hit, and desperately needed supplies should be here in the morning so the coming week should be productive too.

What I do

Sometimes I find it hard to explain what I do. It is best summed up by saying that I'm a designer and a seamstress. But that is a very broad description and I think it can be a bit misleading. I think people think that as a seamstress I can sew anything but the truth is that I can't! I'm terrible at making clothes and even worse at making curtains, and I can't follow most patterns to save my life!

What I can sew is bags, wallets and other complicated little things. The more details the better as far as I'm concerned.

There's something about making this stuff that I love, and I think its because I get to play with lots of tools. My job involves much more than scissors, an iron and a sewing machine. Just last week I added a chisel to my collection, which already included a hammer, pliers (4 pairs!), rotary cutters (normal and electric), a point cutter, pegs, saddlers punches and lots more. I love using this stuff!

I'm thinking that as part of my new blog I can show you some of the tools/gadgets/equipment I use and what I use it for. I have to thank Nikki for pointing me in the direction of most of this stuff too!

So, the next blog post will be something along those lines. But right now, my mini laptop is about to melt and I have a bazillion bags to make so I'm outta here!

Well hello there!

Welcome to my new blog! I thought it was about time that my blog name/address matched my business name. And I've been pretty slack with blogging lately, so I hope this will be a fresh start.

You can find my old blog here: make n do.