Well, finally!
Yes, finally! I have lost count of the years I have been toying with the idea of selling things that I make. I have even told people I would be starting soon….but “soon” never happened…until NOW.
There will be completely individual designs created from scratch myself with inspiration coming from the supplies I have at hand. With other items I will have used other clever peoples’ patterns or designs.
The upside of the use of fabrics and other supplies that I have collected is that many items will be truly one-off creations…..no-one else could possibly create the exact same piece.
On the other hand, once that particular piece has sold I will not be able to recreate it for anyone else!
As you will see I have a range of goods for sale. I could not seem to focus on just one category so I have made whatever I felt like making! I will soon find out what is popular and what is not!!
T
he initial items on offer are varied - assorted bags, purses, scarves, journals, journal covers, coasters & sewing accessories. My idea was to open my store with an oriental theme so you will notice the use of Japanese, Chinese, East Timorese and Balinese fabrics as well as Japanese sashiko style hand embroidery.
The main fabric used for my first handmade items is 100% cotton.
I have now started to create items with cork, faux leather (polyurethane faux leather) and leather. New items will constantly appear in the store as they are made.
I take inspiration from many sources and will give full credit to the marvellous pattern & fabric designers & suppliers that I use. I try to support Australian small businesses. I am aware that many source their stock from overseas but prefer to buy from them instead of using sites like AliBaba, Amazon & other big overseas businesses.
It is an absolute delight dealing with fellow Aussies in small businesses all over the country - the ones I use offer exceptional service and feel like friends. I know they have done their research to provide great quality goods to their valued customers. It may cost a little more but I feel it is absolutely worth it. I can easily contact these Aussie store owners if I have any queries about quality or advice as to what best to use for a particular purpose………I love the personal touch in every transaction I make with our local suppliers!
Once I recover from the whole “opening a business online” rush I plan to use my own photos printed on cotton in my designs as well as creating my own small pieces of fabric from my scrap threads and fibres….and even trying painting on leather. I am really looking forward to this as it will add more of “me” into my wares.
Handmade journals/photo albums is another area I wish to explore more. Vintage Page Designs/ Handmade Book Club owner Ali Manning has been a great source of learning all things to do with handmade books. Ali is an English woman living in USA and her on-line classes are such a delight.
Pricing handmade goods is not easy. I will have to price items according to several criteria:
basic value of fabrics and other necessary items used.
embellishments, including machine embroidery designs, handmade fabric, tassels.
bag “hardware” (this can be expensive so the more metal pieces & zips, the higher the price - but hardware can certainly elevate a plain bag to a higher level of beauty & functionality).
time needed to complete the project.
BUT I will definitely find a price that is fair to both you, my customers, and me, the creator!
There is a lot of competition out in the marketplace. Often mass produced items created wholly with machines and /or “slave” labour are being sold as “handcrafted items” and for a ridiculously low price. I make all my products here in my home with care and attention to detail. I hope that, if you have found my site, you recognise that you are buying locally handmade, quality items.