Between the devil and the deep blue sea....

I've posted before that I'd like to make sewing and all other things quilty, provide me with an income...so I've made a few things and listed some of them on Etsy and on Madeit.  I priced them according to the value of the actual materials it cost me to buy as well as a cost per hour for the time it took me to make them (and I have to say the cost per hour was exceptionally low - I could make 3 times as much per hour serving in a shop - this is not a moan, honestly, just wanted to highlight that my cost per hour is not over the top).

I was super excited that I sold one of my pouches, and looked forward to perhaps selling some more - but unfortunately, to date, that hasn't been the case....I seem to have a few viewers of my stuff, but no takers.....are they too expensive?, are they naff?, have I not adequately highlighted the care I've taken in making them?, is my taste in my bum?..and today I finished a couple more items that I'm going to list and I have worked out how much they cost me to make (materials and time).

bright baby quilt with matching soft basket

pastel baby quilt with matching soft basket

My quandry though is one that I am sure everyone who has attempted to put a price on a handmade item has experienced - where is the line between value for money and expensive?  I really don't want to completely understate my time and effort but if I undercut my per hour rate further, I will be earning less than those working in sweatshops in 3rd world countries!

Obviously, I'm assuming that the reason no-one's buying is because of the price - but maybe it's because I don't have a big enough audience, or maybe it's because there's a recession on, or my stuff doesn't stand out from whatever else is on Etsy or Madeit - maybe I need to offer items at a vastly reduced price to 'get my name out there' and go for volume - but this then means I can't afford to spend as much time per item as I do - something will have to give.  I tell you, it's a real quandry.

I'm currently reading:

The Handmade Market Place:

How to sell your crafts locally, globally and onlineBy Kari Chapin

recommended by the lovely Kathy and hope to have further insight into 'selling handmade' success, as well as reading the Etsy 'boot camp' lessons that I filed away to read another day - obviously need to digest the pearls of wisdom provided.

This on-line selling is very much a learning experience but I will persevere....anyone out there have any pearls of wisdom for me?

Must run in the family....

I have many nieces and nephews - comes from being one of 7 kids I guess (;>) - and all of them, including my brothers and sisters, are very creative - sewing, photography, painting, drawing, knitting, interior design (and I include my sons in enjoying the creative bent)....so last year when we visited my little brother in Queensland, I noticed a pair of runners that his eldest son had been colouring - he'd used fabric sharpies (or similar) to design and colour oriental themes onto a pair of canvas high-tops for a friend of his - of course, I didn't get a photo (what an eejit) but I did ask him to create me a pair with a patchwork theme - and he did.  I received these absolute beauties...............

Cal had said he didn't know anything about patchwork so I directed him to my blog and Flickr pages to get some inspiration - and he's obviously been inspired by this quilt:

a similar quilt is available in my Etsy shop

What a talent - he's done a simply amazing job - thanks Cal - I'm trying to only wear them inside so they keep looking good - but it's difficult when I want to show them off!  Absolutely love them.

.............and for something a little different, my son and his partner bought me the Sew Wild book Alisa Burke for Christmas and on the weekend I got a little inspired:

hand dyed fabric, stamped, written on, stitched and embroidered

I started with the chorus of Adele's "Set fire to the rain" - which I am totally in love with and I got her '21' CD for Christmas too - and just went from there.  I purposely limited my colour palette to the blues and reds - haven't decided whether to make it a small wall hanging or to use it as a journal cover - I've stuck it onto my design wall until I figure it out.

......and in other creative pursuits...........I picked another bowl or 2 from the garden this morning (lucky I did - it's raining now!) - we're picking this much every other day and have enough carrots and beans in the freezer to last a year or two!

toms, eggplants, beans, peas, snow peas, sugar snaps, zucchinis, lebanese cucumbers, spring onions, carrots, corn, green cucumbers

Back from AWOL - a bit of a mish-mash of stuff

I feel like I've been away from the computer for ever - but in reality, it was only last week, but I haven't caught up with my blog reading nor emails - I've been quite busy - lots of things to see and do - but I got some mail today that I couldn't not share...

Some time ago I received a lovely note from Fiona, my secret partner, to tell me that the MCTS I made for her had been happily received (so glad you liked it Fiona!).

I eagerly awaited mine - and seeing so many beautiful runners in the swap, I was happily anticipating all of them!  However, on November 20th, a photo appeared in the Swap Flickr group that got me thinking that surely that one was mine - red and white (my favourite combo) and stars - and guess what arrived today??  Lynne, from Ridge and Furrow got is sooooooo right - I love it - and the 2 little tree decorations in the parcel are just fantastic.  It's beautifully made and the rich reds in the runner go so well on my dining table........

Just gorgeous - thank you to Lynne for reading me so well and thank you too to Susan for her wonderful Swap bee - I really enjoyed every bit of it.

In other news:

Me and my BFF went to Australian Quilt Market last weekend - we stayed in the city as the market opened early and it was on for 2 days - in the end, we only attended on the saturday -  lots of gorgeous new fabrics coming in as well as threads, patterns and clever tools - we met Saffron Craig and saw her new range, listened to distributers and what they could provide, we were inspired by various talks and bought some fabulous fabrics (no photos of anything - forgot the camera and put everything away when I got home trying for some semblance of order in my sewing room house).  We're also planning to become on-line fabric sellers so we've been looking over the fabrics we want to stock (Echo by Lotta Jansdotta is on top of the list!) - so more on this new venture at a later date.  When I got home and told me husband about the new idea, he FULLY supported it - funny, I've been married to this man for almost 30 years (aaaagh!!) and he STILL has the capacity to surprise me.

On the Sunday, me and my BFF went to the DFO's at South Wharf in Melbourne - Lizzy picked up the bargain of the century at Fossil - a big, gorgeous black leather handbag - for 50 bucks!! - she really is the bargain queen.  We had a great weekend - no-one to please except ourselves - and the weekend incorporated sewing, quilting, fabric, food, movies (The King's Speech, Young Victoria and Oranges and Sunshine) and chocolate - and BFF's - so sensational all round really.

I finished a couple of things...

a flashy tote bag

a new pouch for the Madeit shop

 I sorted out all of my hanging clothes as my son fixed the rail.  So there was a pile of clothes for family to pick over, a pile of clothes (and shoes) for the bin and a pile of suits for a charity that kits women out and prepares them for job interviews.

The 'family' pile has been picked over and the remainder was sorted into 'recycle' or 'op shop'.  So all is in order again - I even found some clothes I had completely forgotten about - and due to me losing a couple of kilos (without even trying - what's THAT about???? - I only want to know so I can be sure to keep doing it) they fit again - woo hoo!

Anyway - I have to prepare for my lesson tonight - my students are on block no. 8 and really learning a lot, so I'm off.  While I'm not a prolific commenter, please forgive me for not leaving any this last week.

Cheers

Favourite thing Friday

There's a very serendipitous air wafting about the place, so it's not too hard to think about favourite things on this friday....so thought I'd share them with Shay at Quilting in my Pyjamas

• I sold a pouch - on Madeit - my very first sale - very excited!  I sent it on its way to NSW this morning.
• My fabulous Kate Spain fabric, won at the Bloggers Quilt Festival, arrived in the mail today too
• I have been confirmed to teach 2 more patchwork groups next semester, with a possibility of another one to be discussed next friday
• We met my new great-neice yesterday - she lives about 3 hours away so it was a long day - but so worth it - the only thing though, the little minx would not wake up for her aunties, despite our surreptitious efforts, so we left without seeing her baby blues - next time!
• A family get together tonight to farewell a fairly recent addition who is going back to Canada until her visa can be renewed (there's storms predicted - not because the family is getting together of course, although that is entirely possible too - but because there's a cool change due in after our stinky hot weather today - should be fun!)
• Our cat, who has been missing for about 2 months, turned up last night, a little moth eaten, skinny and beaten up - and after a feed and a snooze, wandered off again into the night - haven't seen her today but thinking she may just have come home for good

So a great week all up - hope yours was good to you too.

Stuff and nonesense

Had a funny sort of day today - it took me ALL day to make 2 pouches - mostly due to the fact I spent an inordinate amount of time staring into space - and it was such a lovely day outside (well, before the cool change) that I could have been out there soaking up some Vitamin D - but, there you go.  I do have some stuff to show though - quite a disparate group to be sure.....

edge to edge quilting (shown from the back) for a client - finished on the long arm on friday

After I finished the client quilt, I had a scathingly good idea about sewing the heavy interfacing onto the fabrics I'm using for pouches etc. - I pinned on a long piece of interfacing onto the quilting machine, laid the fabrics on top and simply 'quilted' them to attach (no photo of that because I forgot!) - obviously iron-on interfacing would be so much easier - but I have a big roll of heavy duty stuff without the iron-on option (I got it at a really good price).  So I made some prototypes for a different shape of pouch I'm contemplating...

these can be buttoned down to keep your mug safe if you take it to class etc, your hairbrush, 3pm pick-me-ups......

....or the top rolled down for easy access - the shape means they can stand up by themselves.  My neice has already pinched taken the one on the right - it's an Echino print - good taste!

the two pouches that took me ALL day - that dog alone took at least 3 hours! - these will be listed in my Madeit shop

...and to finish off, a few pictures of the vegie patch - you know, I planted so many tomato seeds in the greenhouse back here, some sprouted, but then they carked it - I don't seem to have much luck raising tom seeds - same thing happened last year, so about a month ago, I went off to Bunnings for heirloom tomato plants - and today, what do I see popping up all over the place in the vegie patch - you guessed it - tomato plants!

Back - rhubarb and pumpkin (you can't see the pumpkin yet)
Middle - asparagus, bok choy and pak choy (we're already eating the choys)
Foreground - tiny capsicum seedlings and rogue tomato plants

Back - snow peas, sugar snap peas and beans
Middle - leeks
Foreground - carrots

Back - sweet corn
Middle - lettuce, which you can't see, and we're already harvesting
Foreground - heirloom tomatoes



The far bed - sorry, rotten photo
Back - zucchini, pumpkin
Middle - eggplant, cucumber
Foreground - spring onions and leeks

Right then - have to write my lesson plan for tomorrow nights' class and list the two pouches on Madeit - and maybe tomorrow will be a little more productive!