What do you do with your craft projects once you have finished them?

[carrotsandcelery]

I have recently become interested in beading and jewellery making and have made a bracelet (on my profile) but I don't know what to do with it.

I may give it to my dmum but I don't want her to feel obliged to wear something, if it is not her taste, just so she doesn't offend me.

I really enjoyed making it and would like to make more but I have no idea what to do with them once I have finished.

What do you do?

I do an evening textile class and we have two projects each term. I either make something I would use/need in the house or something as a gift for a particular person.

I've made two fancy cushions for our bed (decorative purposes only), a quilted patchwork table runner, a raggy wreath, a wallhanging and recently a cushion for my sister with hers and her DHs initial in trapunto.

I also have a shop on etsy and folksy and sew a lot of stuff for on there.

Thanks for your reply teanosugar.

I can see the appeal of the gifts but I suppose I lack confidence and worry that recipients won't like what I have made them.

Do you need qualifications in your craft to sell on etsy?

I have just had a look on etsy and folksy. I didn't even know that folksy existed. They are selling the sort of thing I am learning to make. Is it easy to set up selling on there?

I sell my hand-dyed yarn & fibre on Etsy. I wouldn't have the time to use it all if I just dyed for myself and I like that it pays for me to carry on with it iykwim.

Other stuff I either plan to make for myself/kids/house/dh or sometimes I take part in swaps on forums. I quite like doing swaps in that I can make something that doesn't have to fit in with my style and I know the recipient likes handmade stuff.

Last year I did a couple of handmade gifts for Xmas and I'll probably do more this year. There are lots of simple things you can make. Things like wine glass charms or little beaded decorations are nice for Xmas and can be little extras if you're not sure if people will want handmade stuff (my mum is terrible for saying "Don't make me anything" then saying how lovely the stuff I made for everyone else is and that she'd have liked something like that )

Oh and to sell on Etsy you don't need any qualifications but you'd have to register as self-employed and do a tax return at the end of the year. It's also a good idea to have product/public liability insurance (there's quite a few providers of craft insurance).

I don't do "craft projects" - i only make stuff when I need it iyswim.

so my latest one was a dragon outfit, but it's for DD to wear on St George's day.

nickel I totally know what you mean but I am really into this at the moment and need to practise so that I remember how to do it.

A dragon outfit sounds great. My most adventurous dressing up outfit was a dolphin one for dd when she was a toddler.

I have also recently had to give up a sport for a while (horse riding) and want something to do that is "mine" if that makes sense.

crafty that is really useful information, thank you. I don't think I could face a tax return, nor could I pay for insurance out of the sums I would be talking about. Would I need insurance if I was just making things for gifts for friends?

I gave what I made to my dmum today and she seemed to love it so hopefully she is not just a good actress and she does really like it I have also made one for dd today and she is genuinely delighted (she is only 11) so hopefully they are ok.

No, there's no requirement to have insurance even for selling - it's just advisable (it's about £50-£150 depending on what you want covered, how much for and whether you want to do craft fairs too). Tax return is very simple too. I do the short version because the sums are so small. It's literally a total in and total out kind of form. I think if you have earnings from a job there's a place to record that from the totals your P60 gives but I've not had to worry about that.

Its really cheap to sell on Etsy and Folksy and quite easy to set up.

I have PL insurance ( think its about £70 for a year.

dolphin!

that sounds far too hard!

I can't make stuff if it's not necessary iyswim.
I probably should. for practice, but I just can't bring myself to

my shop insurance is £250ish a month.
and that's for a whole shop and all the people visiting it.
I'm sure product liability etc would be a lot cheaper.

Tax returns are a doddle!
If you have a turnover of less than £74k per annum, you do the short one, and it's literally "money in, money out" :)

nickel I will put a photo of it on my profile and then you won't be shocked. It is much used and outgrown now but it was fun at the time. I don't have great skills on that front at all but I love doing that sort of thing.

that looks fab!

(any pictures of her in it?)

mine was a bit naughty, because I used an existing pattern to make it - adapted ears and tail to look more dragony.

She is 11 now nickel so any photos would have been pre digital and we haven't figured out how to put them on the computer.

have you got a scanning machine?
You can scan photos using that and save them as jpgs.

We don't nickel - that can go on the long list of "would likes"

ah.
you could do what my mum used to do and take pictures of the picture you want with your digital camera

Oooh Clever idea for a temporary fix.