Etsy Shop

Ever since I became involved with sewing for Handmade With Love my daughter Ros aka Fangirl, has been suggesting that I set up an Etsy shop to sell our goodies. People have been asking if they can purchase our things online but it always seemed too hard. 

In September I ran a stall for Handmade With Love at Brisbane Comicon.

I shared the stall with Earthyyou

We did okay for first timers, but I sold almost as much online via my Facebook page, to my friends (and their friends). I also got asked numerous times if people could buy our stuff online. Directing them to the Public Album on my Facebook page was my only option and to be honest that was a bit awkward. With my friends (and their friends) I could post and then tell them what the postage was and then they paid me. I wasn't sure I wanted to do that with random strangers.

Cosplayers at Comic Con. It was an eye opener and to be honest I had to ask my younger family members who the characters were many times.

 I did recognise this guy

So I asked Fangirl if she would help me set up an Etsy shop. She sells her wonderful patterns and kits (she designs geeky cross stitch patterns - see my side bar) But to do that we needed decent photos of my stock and we didn't have time to take all the photos.... so we left it. I was sure I could do it on my own - it was supposed to be very user friendly.

Eventually we arrived home from our gadding about and after a week or so to unpack, settle in, sew the orders that I had received post Comic Con (from friends via Facebook ) I decided it was time to conquor Etsy.

First I had to take those photos and to do that I needed to make a light box. (Essential for good photos Fangirl told me). Pinterest here I come. I found a number of good tutorials, and as we DIYers and makers are wont - I ended up with a mishmash of several blogs. I was going to photograph my process and write my own tutorial - but why bother when there are a number of excellent free tutorials out there already. 

Before I photographed all my stuff I thought that I would set up the shop. I got as far as name and thought "Do I put my name or the name of the group? Should I use my email or set up a special one..." panic set in. Well not quite panic but worry so I messaged Fangirl Like the sweetheart she is she ended up ringing me back that night (I had by this time messaged her about 4 things to do with the shop). She sent me a link to set up a shop (by using it we both got some free listings so that was good) and then stayed on the phone and stepped me through the whole process. What a treasure.

Lightbox made it was time to photograph. I only have my Iphone camera these days and it did a pretty good job. I took a photo, sometimes 2 (to give the side view) of all my zipper pouches and bits and pieces. Then I edited all the ones of large zipper pouches. I was ready to start uploading them. I put them all up, struggling with the tagging, and the composing of each description (till I worked out that since they were all the same, just different fabrics I could copy and paste each one. I'm not really slow)

Before going to bed that night I posted a link to my shop on Facebook and announced the opening of the shop. Once more my friends were so supportive. (Yay friends). I had asked for feedback and they gave me lots of positive stuff and a few suggestions for improvements. I especially appreciated the feedback I got from a couple of regular Etsy users who gave me ideas for tags. One suggested that I tell people that the bags were lined and to include a photo of the lining. Great ideas... but it meant I had to photograph everything again.

When photographing the interiors I decided that including some props would also show their uses and give an idea of size. So that meant photographing everything several times... which meant lots more photos to edit and upload.

However the effort has been worth it. The shop entries are looking more professional than ever.

I got the shop up and running in time for Brisbane Supanova in November. I got more help from Earthyyu who designed a business card for Handmade With Love and all our links. 

I felt very professional handing out these spiffy little cards!

Mr Bean! I recognised him at Supanova

Had to take a photo of this cos player as they were one of the characters that my talented Earthyyu had produced a picture of. I admit to not knowing who they are. Bad stall sharer that I am

Getting things uploaded has taken a long time. Initially I only uploaded the things I had made for Handmade With Love, the things I take to Comic Con and Supanova. Now that I am now co-ordinator for Handmade With Love in its entirety I have all the stock at my place and my next project is to photograph and upload more of our stock, including some jewellery made in the village that our school is in. 

just 2 of the bangles already in our Etsy Shop

The earrings will be added shortly. The Bangles and the earrings are $8 each.

Please go on over and check out the Etsy shop for Handmade With Love. Its called Handmade With Love ORH as Handmade With Love was already taken. (ORH stands for Our  Rainbow House) All profits from the Handmade With Love go to Our Rainbow House, the school in Zambia that we support.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year - yes a bit late but well... its still January at any rate. I haven't blogged much since April last year. All sorts of reasons for that mostly I have been incredibly busy.

With the new year I am hoping that I can get myself motivated and back into it.

I have been on Instagram a fair bit (going over to the dark side?) My handle there is @Handmadewithloveorh so if you Instagram why not check me out and start following me.

In September last year Handmade With Love had a stall at Brisbane Comic Con. It was lots of work and lots of fun too. I shared the table with Earthyyu, my son's partner (formerly known on this blog as Gamer Girl). I was selling zipper pouches and bags made from a range of licensed geeky fabrics. Check out her Instagram account here and her online shop at Store Envy

Earthyyu sold prints, stickers and charms which she had designed and produced. We worked hard and enjoyed the amazing spectacle that is Cosplay. 

We did it all again in November at Brisbane Supanova. We've signed up for Gold Coast Supanova in April, (super excited cause Peter Capaldi the 12th Doctor from Doctor Who is going to be there.) We have also applied for Brisbane Comic Con in September. Currently sewing madly to get my stock up - especially lots of Doctor Who fabrics.

Loved meeting this friendly dalek at Brisbane. He was pretty cheeky though.

I have also, with the help of my daughter, Fangirl (from Fangirl Stitches) set up an Etsy shop for Handmade With Love. So far it has only got the stuff that I have sewn in it - the things I make to sell at Comic Con and Supanova but I am planning to also put some of the other "non geeky" products we have sewn....when I get some time. The shop is https://www.etsy.com/shop/handmadewithloveorh. I'd love you to check it out... maybe favourite a few items... or buy something! All profits go to support Our Rainbow House

Thursday Thoughts Part 2: Comic Con Sewing

I have been sewing madly the last few weeks trying to get things finished off for the convention. I had finally decided that I was done and posted on Facebook the following post

Did my comic con stall stock take 6 laptop bags, 17 iPad bags, 44 cosmetics purses, 37 pencil cases, 44 earbud/round pouches, 29 zipper coin purses, 29 tissue packet covers, 4 hanging towels, 14 pot holders, 9 hair scrunchies, 5 bandana bibs. All made from geeky type fabrics (Pokémon, doctor who, StarbWars, batman, Wonder Woman etc) I am done now. It's 2 weeks till I leave for overseas and the convention is a week after we get back. I have to tidy my sewing room before I go so need to stop

I was basically having a little boast about what I had done. What I didn't expect was for my friends to start asking about stuff and wanting to buy from me. It started with one friend asking about the iPad bags so I posted her photos of all of the different ones 

Pokemon iPad messenger style bags

and a couple of people asked if they could buy them. Someone asked about the cosmetics bags so I photographed them and posted the pictures 

 Doctor Who Cosmetics bags

and sold 4. Then someone asked about the scrunchies... 

 I didn't mae any more of these - these are leftovers from our Christmas market

and someone about the coin purses... 

Batman and Star Trek teeny tiny zipper coin purses

 I ended up photographing everything and putting them into an album on Facebook 

Ear bud pouches, these ones with periodic table and formulas

Betty Boop pencil cases

Bandana bibs for babies

Space Invaders tissue packet covers

I have been selling things from there. (still have to photograph the laptop bags, the hanging towels and the pot holders but you get the general idea)

The album is actually public if you want to have a look. Comic Con Sewing Album 

I have a page on this blog that I put items I had made onto (so the Comic Con selection committee people could have a look and see what sorts of things I have made/could make) I will load the photos onto that too... eventually.

The Hiatus Continues

I seem to have lost my will to blog... not my will to live but my will to blog. I can't believe that in 2 months this is only my 2nd blog post. Not sure why and I am sorry for my loyal followers who will now have given up on me and gone to places else where for their blog fix. 

In the month since I last wrote my main creative input has been in scanning, editing, labelling and posting on Facebook my mother's negatives. She was an avid photographer although not necessarily proficient she was prolific. We children were the main subject for her photography as she documented our growing up.

My Uncle's family (on left) and our family on right. I am the little one in the pram near my dad. Its my siblings up to the tallest girl and the other side is my Uncle Jack's family. They lived a hour or so away from us at this time. 

I have now scanned all the negatives. It was quite a process. The 35mm ones were simple enough as I had a small scanner, given to me by my daughter several years ago. It scanned the photo and converted it to a positive digital image that I was able to edit quite easily. The black and white negatives from before she acquired the 35mm camera were harder. I had to scan them on our flat bed scanner, then use another program to convert the negative scan to a positive image, and then edit and enhance the picture using one of a number of programs. The flat bed scanner didn't always do a great job and I am seriously considering getting a special photographic scanner to redo the negatives to get a clearer image. but that won't be till Christmas. Anyway - its been an interesting going over the photos and trying to work out where they were taken and why and sometimes who.

My dad and me. I was named after him so it Philipa and Philip

My main way of identify the people and the occassion has to been to put them on facebook where my siblings and cousins can see them and work with me. I am the youngest in my family of 8 children as well as being  the youngest of the cousins on Dad's side and the 4th youngest on mum's. 

This photo really amused our family. Its the 5 youngest children. There was obviously a litter of kittens and puppies at this point on the farm but some how my youngest brother (near dad) only got a cut apple to hold. He looks somewhat bemused by this

It has illicted a lot of discussion amongst us all which has been great.

Our small community used to have a Fancy Dress ball for the kids each year. With very little money but lots of imagination mum would manufacture costumes for us all. This year (the earliest one I can find photos for) I was about 3 and went as Old King Cole. One of my sisters was  the pipers that he called for (mum didn't realise that the pipe he called for was his smoking pipe.)

Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl and
he called for his fiddlers three

This has taken up a lot of my time - time I would usually spend sewing. I haven't missed my sewing time which is really weird for me. I feel like I am still in a bit of a hiatus or waiting time. I wonder if my excessive sewing over the last year or so has burnt me out. I have finished off a lot of quilts and other projects and thoroughly enjoyed my time. Now might be just a time of rest and recuperation.

My 2nd eldest sister Joy holding me when I was about 5 months old

I have done some projects. The Twilter group (on Facebook and Twitter) has been working on a QAL using a pattern called Layer Cake Explosion by Angela Gross from Quilts Bayou. The pattern is a free one from Craftsy but the instructions are fairly minimal as it was designed to be a class pattern, that she explained in the lesson. Daisy (from Laisy Daisy Quilts and Reads blog and podcast) is running the QAL on Facebook and she is writing the more detailed instructions for us. I happened to go on a retreat a couple of weeks ago and took it with me. I hadn't really started the QAL up till then and went from the beginning right through all the steps, using the pattern and managed to get in a muddle at one point as... well I was ahead of the game. Daisy kindly helped me along but the putting together clue is not being explained till the proper time.

So yes... I went on a retreat. I have been going to this particular retreat since 2002 (I think it is) I've missed a couple of years for various reason but have attended 11 or 12 times by my reckoning. The retreat itself celebrated its 30th birthday this year. Our theme was Pearls (for 30th anniversary) and the dinner theme was Pearls or T for thirty. This is the first year I have taken a friend with me and it was extra fun because of that. In the past, whilst people are always friendly and many of them I have known for the 15 years I have been going and some from before that even, it was nice to have someone who was MINE so to speak. We shared our accommodation, shared the same table group, sat together at meals mostly etc. It was lovely.

I made a couple of mug rugs for the swap we did on the weekend, worked on the mystery quilt and made a heap of hanging towels for Handmade With Love. It was productive.

I really need to get on with my Comic Con sewing as I have just over a month till we leave home to go on our trip to Japan, Europe and the UK. Once back from there it is just 10 days till the event. (I thought it was going to be 3 days and had timed it perfectly but Comic Con is a week later than I thought. Glad its not a week earlier) So I will have a bit of time to sew once we get back but not much.

Since the retreat I have cut out about 25 Easy Cosmetic zipper bags (from the pattern by So Sew Easy) The stiffening has been ironed on and I have started inserting the zips. Hopefully I will get them all done in the next few weeks. I have scraps and can sew more of the ear bud pounches and the teeny tiny zipper bags too. I am not sure if I will make any more of the laptop or iPad bags at this point. Will see.

I am sorry that I have been missing in action. I am trying to get myself motivated and back on track but its a bit of a hard slog. When I am travelling I will try to use my blog as my travel diary and so will be more prolific... which is great if you like travel stuff but for those looking for Sewing inspiration... yeah not so great.

New Month - New Goals

It's April already and we are into the 2nd month of Autumn and yeah its actually cooled down a little. We slept under the quilt last night, for the first time since probably October.

Usually I post my goal wrap up and my new goals in the same post but I didn't yesterday - just wanted to get the wrap up done and no time to think about what I want to achieve this month.

We are away for a lot of this month but I still intend to do a fair bit of sewing... anyone who knows me won't be surprised. The deal I made with my husband when we decided that we would do some big trips in our camper trailer and now caravan was that I could take my sewing machine with me. I bought a smaller more portable sewing machine as part of the bargain. Now its have machine will travel. 

This trip is not in either our van (which is still being repaired from a bingle we had a few months ago) or our camper trailer (which we are still trying to sell) but is in our car. The machine is still coming with me. (actually its already in Brisbane awaiting my arrival as I am flying down to Brisbane a week or so ahead of Fixit Guy). However socialising and travelling does cut into ones sewing time (a sacrifice I know but one has to concede sometimes).

In planning my sewing related goals I need to take into consideration the restrictions that being away from home will impose.

This is also April (I have mentioned that and you probably already know that) and for the 3rd year I am taking part in the Blogging from A to Z Challenge where participants undertake to blog every day apart from Sundays, for the whole month. The added challenge (the A to Z bit) is that the first day we blog on something starting with A, and the next with B, then C etc. This year I have chosen to blog about patchwork blocks starting with each letter of the alphabet and not just blog about them but sew them too. Ok I admit... I have already sewn them. And I have mostly written the blogs but need to edit them all - zush them a bit. So that is my first goal for this month

1 Complete A to Z challenge - blog every day. 

Not only that. I want to have the quilt completed by the end of the month 

2. Complete A to Z quilt (I have already put the top and backing together. Have to quilt and bind it) This is my OMG (One Monthly Goal) Goal. I have been asked about a photo but I can't reveal it till the end of the month as it will be the Grand Finale for my month of blog posts. So No Spoilers Here.

3. Complete 2 secret projects. No more details as they are surprises for people who just might read my blog. By the end of the month I will be able to reveal all. (again No Spoilers Here)

4 Work on Labyrinth Walk quilt. I have fabric bought and cut and it is going to be my main sewing project on the trip so I am really hopeful I will get lots done.

5. Prepare a stack of items for my Comic Con stall to take away with me. Cut out, iron on interfacing, choose zippers, sort out hardware etc.

6. Complete 20 items for the Handmade With Love Comic Con stall. I want to make more of the messenger bags of both sizes (big enough for a lap top = large, big enough to carry an ipad = small) and will make more of the small zipper pouches from the scraps. Also the cosmetics purses. I am also thinking about making some of the pencil cases I have made previously. Am considering making  pot holders and kitchen type items but may leave those till next month. I am going to be visiting Supanova on the Gold Coast later on this month to get a feel for the types of items on sale already and the age and interests of attendees.

That is going to be more than enough I think. If I manage all that - and socialise with my family and friends, go to shows, travel etc etc... I am going to be doing pretty well.

Its Whoopsday Again... WIP Thursday

Once again I am a day late with my WIP - Work in Progress report. Its coming to you on Thursday BUT its still Wednesday somewhere.

This past week I have achieved some great things. I was going to settle for Good but no I will claim GREAT. This week I learned how to do a Pantograph on the longarm. Well I started to learn. I will still need lots of help doing them but I did use the pantograph on 2 quilts and that rates as great. My friend Lorraine had to help me each time we had to advance the quilt, and help solve any hassles BUT I got 2 quilts quilted AND I used a pantograph so that rates as Great. No photos (I feel a bit self conscious taking photos in public so to speak for my blog... silly probably but you get that).

I did the quilting Friday and Saturday. I have since then trimmed both quilts and made and attached the binding on one of them and tied off the ends of the threads. So one, En Provence is completely finished (apart from the label) and the other still needs to be bound. I have also loaded (With lots of help from Lyndi) another quilt and I plan to go and quilt it today (in between bible study, house work and helping with worship at our aged care facility). This one will be free motion quilting but I am hoping to mimic the pattern from one of the pantographs I used... a series of circles in circles... a bit like bubbles.

A local quilt shop is having a 40% off sale this past 2 weeks and I am afraid I caved (my Stash figures are going to be woeful this week). Whilst cleaning up and sorting my craft cupboards in January I found that I had the Labrynth pattern - that gorgeous puzzle like pattern that was doing the rounds on the internet last year and a few years before that too. I got tagged in it numerous times by various people who really liked it. Obviously I must have too (the first time it went around) and bought the pattern and then forgot about it. Anyway... I decided since it was a pattern that I had to buy fabric for, that I couldn't shop from my stash to make, I would lash out and take advantage of this sale.

So yesterday I visited the shop and purchased the many metres of fabric that I was going to need and came home, went back to get my pattern that I had left on the shop counter, and THEN when home started cutting for the quilt. I wanted to get it all cut out for 2 reasons.

1. I had to convert the required fabric from yards to metres and I wasn't confident that I had got it correct
2. If I had made a mistake and needed more then I needed to get back before they sold all the fabric and before the sale was over!

So I spent the rest of the late afternoon and evening cutting fabric and... I had heaps. The patterns are usually pretty generous and I didn't cut back too much for each measurement (A metre is about 3" more than a yard).

So that was another great achievement. I am not sure when I will actually start sewing it. I want to get on with some more sewing for Comic Con but with it cut I can take it with me when we got away and work on the blocks as we travel.

I made another large messenger bag for Handmade With Love during the week using some gorgeous monkey fabric. Whilst not strictly pop culture it is cute and quirky so should appeal to the crowd that goes to Comic Con (at least I am  hoping it will)

My other sewing for HWL this week has been sewing 2 size one rompers at our weekly get together. I am not a great one for sewing clothing with cotton fabric (I learned to sew clothes using knit fabric and was confident sewing that for many years although since I got into patchwork I haven't sewn much of the other) Anyway Peggy, our HWL leader is a fantastic sewer. She had cut out two pairs of rompers and I sewed them with help from her. She did a fair bit of pinning and we would work out the next steps together. She did the overlocking. The look really cute.

That is about it for me... a great week of sewing. Hope you too have had a good week.

Linking up with 

WIP Whoopsday -

I'm running late again with my WIP post but its still Wednesday somewhere in the world.

Having been away for part of the week and travelling for 2 full days I haven't accomplished as much sewing this week as I would have liked. I did take my smaller sewing machine with me to Brisbane (and have left it there to use when I am down in a couple of weeks time). I had planned to do the March clue in Charlotte Hawks mystery quilt which had been due to be released the day before we left. However due to severe storms taking out power and cable services in the area she lives in she was late in getting it posted. It was released the day we left to come home.

I did work on the backing for the A to Z quilt, getting the 3 blocks (2 remade and the Z block) pieced together with left over fabric from the second border and lots of letter/school/writing related fabric from my stash.

I bought some word fabric to complete the backing 

and have realised that I didn't get enough so more fiddling about to get it big enough

I made 3 items for the Comic Con stall - 2 Easy Cosmetic Bags and a boxy zipper bag. The boxy bag looked so bad it didn't rate a photo.

Once home I was able to get the March Clue completed in Charlotte's Mystery quilt. All the units are now assembled and next month we are to be told how to assemble the units into blocks. They are looking really great and I am looking forward to seeing the completed blocks and quilt.

Its midway through the month so its time to review the monthly goals I set myself.

  1 Complete my secret project I've made good progress on this
  2  Make 20 items for Comic Con Stall I've made good progress here too. The 8 teeny tiny pouches, one ear bud pouch, a large messenger bag and 2 easy cosmetic purses. So I've made 12 items - over half way. I am now awaiting delivery of more of the lobster swivel clips and zippers so the small pouches are on hold but I can get on with more messenger bags cause the magnetic clips are here.

 

3 Complete March clue of Charlotte's mystery Quilt.I got this done over the last 2 days Yay

                     

4 A to Z Challenge quilt I've started work on it (as detailed above) The top is completed and I'm working on the back. 

5 Work on En Provence. I have organised to quilt this on Friday using our club long arm. Lorraine is going to help me load it on the frame and then I am going to try to do a pantogram for the first time 

So - I'm making good progress with all 5 of my goals 

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