Conveying the Quality Message.

Handmade = Homemade? No it does not, absolutely not. My background in manufacturing, specifically quality assurance, qualifies me to answer this question.

Speaking fashion, as this is my area of expertise, mass manufactured articles are made the same way as I make my one off pieces - just en masse.

Giving the Far East as an example, walk into a factory and you see people cutting the fabric, you walk through and see people sitting in rows stitching the fabric together, at the end they are pressing it and packing it. Same process as how a bespoke, 1 off piece would be made.

The difference is that all day 1 person cuts fabric. Another one all day stitches the left sleeves on, passes the garment to the next machinist who stitches right sleeves on all day. Who passes it on to the next person, who, all day does the next operation. Could be a bag, could be a shoe, a coat, jeans, all the same principle.

When you buy handcrafted, handmade, from a shop like Etsy you get the same as you get in high street stores but with the knowledge that its unique, personal, and injected with the creators personality, and you know that you will not walk through town with your brand new purchase that you have been excited about and see someone else with the same piece.

When you buy handcrafted, handmade, from a craft fair, you are not getting a sub standard product that has been knocked up in the spare room, you get a considered piece of creativity, the jewellery which has been painstakingly worked to ensure the findings are closed neatly and without error. A garment which has no thread ends trailing off, or buttons hanging off because it was made on a (famous saying in the industry) Friday afternoon, by a person who has seen the same item 300 times that day during a production run in 3 colourways and got blind to the flaws.

No, the item you get has been designed, cut, stitched with care, double and triple stitched on stress points. Restitched to ensure perfect symmetry on both sides on a constant quest for perfection. Labels attached with love as you put your name personally to an item with love and care. Pressed to make sure that before it gets sent out to the person who appreciates your efforts it is in pristine condition as you hope that is the way it arrives, and picture the delight on their face when they open their package.

This is not an item sat on a container for 4 weeks travelling on the water, then sat in a warehouse ready for picking and thrown down chutes ready for packing. Or been knocked off the hanger by the rumaging masses on a busy Saturday afternoon.

We are talking limited edition / one of a kind / hand made / hand crafted / loved and cherished pieces of artwork.

Handmade = Bought wisely.

New Projects!

Mini cushions and hanging hearts have been my creative focus this week. My friend is opening a shop and gave me this little project. It was nice having a brief and working to a deadline, I definately get through more when the heat is on.

Tatty Lashes custom design and handcraft wedding stationery, and they are going bricks and mortar!!!  As this is most crafters' ultimate goal, it deserves the red, bold, italic and underlined status and the 3 exclaimation marks I have appointed it.

It's been nice researching other ideas and having a break from the bags which are getting me down as they just aren't selling. But not to worry, I have 3 more bags on the go so by next week I will list them and create some more interest.

In the meantime I have booked myself into 2 craft shows at a local hotel. 3rd July and 9th October. So maybe I will have some luck there. I think I will make some of my mini cushions and heart hangers and fill them with scents for the craft fair, follow the scent.......!

So here are some pics of the lovely pieces I have worked on this week. The shop opening is on Saturday so I will photograph them in-situ and report back to show off!

Olganna WHAT?? Olganna WHO?

Left work to have a baby, now I have 2 -

My daughter is a year old and needs me so much it is humbling and wonderful and a thousand times better than I every imagined it could be.

The other is is Olganna. I need her! Keeps me thinking, keeps me creative, gives me something of my own. Getting in that workspace and spinning my bobbins making my bags is wonderful therapy and I have lost hours in the zone. I have made some wonderful things and its great to be able to share it with the Etsy community, indeed, the world in my shop.

I have so many areas I want to try but the bags come first. I keep reminding myself to stay focused, explore my ideas in 1 area til they are exhausted and only then I can move on. No signs of that yet as productivity has not been exactly as I would have liked - thats because I have too many ideas and need to focus!!!

Currently taking a week out to design and develop and then come back all guns blazing but with a plan.

My head is simply bursting with the fizzing wonders of creativity. Exploring, challenging what you thought was possible, what you thought you could achieve and suprising yourself all the time.

And I love it!!
Olganna WHAT?? Olganna WHO??