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.

Action Station Procrastination.

My shop is not full because I procrastinate. I have set myself goals, lists, and targets when I know the only thing to do is just get on with it. And this week - I have achieved. My secret - Just do it. Thats it, no magic formula.

I had a few other sewing jobs on, and thought this week would be written off in terms of Etsy production, but I have actually cut the fabric for my next 2 bags.
Added the interlining.
Made the handles.
Cut the lining and stitched in the pocket - I remembered for this one. And now I am ready to stitch.

I just sat down and did it. I am truly in disbelief and now need to stop praising myself for a job that is still only half done. I noticed my babe does the same. She'll be doing something and is so busy looking for the praise, she loses concentration and fails to actually reach the end goal! Thats me, have I passed that on somehow? I hope not as its a really annoying self gratification tool which one could rather do without. But now I have realised that I actually do it I can work on it.

I will add it to the list!

For now though, check out my new bag! I love it and the 2 more I have on the go are in black and lace options so I think I have created an exciting product here!

Rustic Holidaying in Nottinghamshire!

So, happy holidays been had by all in Robin Hood's old haunt of Nottinghamshire. Hired a lovely log cabin in a deep dark forest with a spa bath and 4 poster bed. Had to choose the central heating option due to the toddler, so no log fires for us but it was lovely, spotlessly clean and just perfect.

Despite the immaculate condition of the cabin, my dad had got me so worried about the hygene of the spa bath and gave me specific instructions on how to clean it, that I packed my soda crystals, and the very first thing I did when I walked in was clean the bath - just to be on the safe side.

I couldn't have rested til it was done!!

I paid an extra tenner for the 4 poster bed, simply as I had never slept in one before. Bargain price for the amusement it provided as my other half is 2 inches taller than the beam that runs across the top, so a frequent thud preceeded a cloud of blue air, closely followed by a muffled chuckle from myself! Occasionally he scored a double whammy thanks to a rather badly postioned shelving unit; which I managed to avoid the whole time, (a miracle as I am constantly covered in bruises from bumping into eveything else!). Cue, another little giggle!

Plenty of open spaces to walk around and we went to see the Major Oak at Sherwood forest, a 600 year old tree being propped up by scaffolding. One could not help thinking 'Let it die'. My first thought as I walked round the corner to be faced by this relic was that is seemed like an elderly, wrinkled old pensioner on life support. The branches were literally about to drop off were it not for its' crutches. It just was not natural. I suppose as its the major tourist attraction of the forest they have a vested interest to keep it hanging on. Definately worth the visit a richly informative exhibition about the legend of Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. Robbing from the rich to give to the poor, my, how things have changed...

On site there was a pool as warm as a bath - really toasty and relaxing, and you cannot go to Nottinghamshire without trying archery, so we did - I have bruises! It was fun despite me being rubbish. On a drive through the city we saw some school boys practicising their archery in the playing fields - only in Nottingham??

Of course I enjoyed some creative thinking, hard not to with the absence of the internet and all the usual paraphenalia that crowd my mind daily. Took some lovely pictures and sketched my next creations for my shop for which I have made a pattern this evening. Eager to get back to it and await the return of my poorly Singer hopefully this week. Dog feeds mended and nursed back to good health.

I had to show this example of tree bark taken in Sherwood Forest, what a fabulous contrast in natures colour and quite inspiring for the designer in me!!

Big up holidays in Nottinghamshire! 



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??

The Height of Procrastination.

Stand up and declare -

‘My name is Helen and I am a procrastinator’.

There I said it. Now I can do something about it. After I just sort out that cupboard, send that quick e-mail, make a brew – can’t do anything without a brew, and a chocolate biscuit, better eat that in the kitchen so I don’t get crumbs on my work. You know what, I need to ring my mum about babysitting tomorrow and, oh, look at the time, let me put the oven on for that pizza.

Right, now I have finished my tea, I can get on with it. Just before I do I must put the bins out. So, 2 hours wasted doing all that stuff and not a pattern cut, it’s still all in my head.

I really have to fight to get past this procrastination thing. I am motivated, I have ideas, I have drive, I just have too many things to do and am far too good at making excuses.

So I have tackled this head on and started a team on Etsy – 'Personal Challenge - Set Your Own Goal'.

For anyone who does not know, Etsy is a fantastic shopping website selling just about everything and its all been created with love, handmade with care and is full of totally unique product.

My plan is to share my goal, monitor my goal and since I am sharing it with the world, be shamed into achieving it!! I have invited others to do the same.

Any fellow Etsians (yes we have a collective noun) who need to focus are welcome to join in.

http://www.etsy.com/teams/8932/personal-challange-set-your-own-goal

Aha! You suss'd me. This is procrastination with a motivational, self help guise. Writing this is another and so it goes...A vicious circle, and still those ideas are in my head!!

OK, over and out.