Weekly Challenge and Chat Thread 2008, part 3

[Miaou]

Here we go!

I am trying to crochet my fairy but struggling with the arms at the moment. Meri, I have finished my meme, and tagged a few more people, including dizzyday and lucykate

Miaou - cheers for that. I did think dolly scarf or bag handle. But like a plonker I've already cast it off (I needed practice - and have now discovered the trick to it!! YAY)

Thanks for the duvet cover tip. That's what I thought. Not sure about buttons. I know I can do button holes on small scale stuff, but if I get the measurements a bit out on something that size it will be hideously wrong!! (besides which - toddler duvet cover - possible illness in night. easier to change with poppers/velcro!!)

hi everyone

finally blogged the badge I made for DD2 and a run down of her party yesterday, it was exhausting but fun...I am off to Ireland tonight with DD1 so am just about to sort out packing now and then into work for a half day before we go

GM thanks again so much for the Ms bester doll, and all the little bits and pieces you popped in too, beautiful!

jeangenie - your dd is gorge!! She reminds me of my dd1 who will be 3 in June. Lovely badge. Looks like a great day. Have a wicked time in Ireland. I almost got tearful at your blog. I can so relate to all you said about dd. (feel like I'm missing out big sis here - who is also very pretty. What a lucky mom you are)

JG - lovely birthday stuff! I like the badge. Hope she had fun!

Chrissnow - how was your day in Colkchester? Did you get any craft shopping done?

Dior - ended up in blimmin' Chelmsford!!! DH wanted a rush round shopping trip and he knows Chelmsford like the back of his hand. Will go to Colchester in a couple of weeks, hopefully when the weather is nice. No craft shopping of any sort. Was a bad bad day. DD1 had a proper bag on!! Was horrible

thanks guys she is actually totally gorgeous and a sheer dream to have around...I'm going to miss her loads between now and Thursday...at least I am taking her big sister (who is far more complicated and less sheer dreamy but nonetheless wonderful in her way) with me as she is on hols and needs a bit of mum-to-one time...

Chrissnow - well, if you fancy a guided tour of the few craft shops we have here, you know where I am!

jeangenie - what a smashing party!!! and good luck with the 3yr old transformation - ds went a bit wild when he hit three - he was always easy going with no terrible two's then BANG full on tantrums!!!!

he's calmed down mainly again now [he's 3.4!!!]

have a good time in ireland

Hi everyone.

I meant to get on yesterday to say bye to Meri but shes gone now.
Anyway hope you have a good time Meri and glad to hear your ds is on his way to recovery

Miaou The Tilly doll is gorgeous
How long do they take you to make?
I'm so of knitters and crotcheters (is that a word?)
I also wanted to pick your brains about Scotland too.
Where is the best place to go at christmas for skiing/snowboarding?

Ranting, the sewing machine is old. I think my mum got it before I was born so at the least its nearly 26 years old
And I don't think its ever had a service.
How much is that?
God knows where I'd get it done round here.
We dont even have a haberdashery shop!

JG the party looked great
And that cake!
Thats another thing I am of. Bakers
I have decided I will make the childrens cakes this year. Maybe.

GM, Can I commision you to start the merry legs now?
My friend is due on Friday but it is her first so god only knows when baby will appear.
Plus we may not get to see her for a while after.
Dont want to swamp her with visitors.
I will email you

DD and dh are back from Austria now and they had a great time.
I've blogged a couple of pics and some bits I've done for the fair.
here

ah but nbg i DON'T bake...no no no...boudoir sponge biscuits formed the mainstay of that extravaganza (my oven is broken - fabulous excuse not to bake - though most people seem horrified that I haven't bothered to get it fixed...has only been 3 months or so now...)

NBG, they take about three days each, but obviously I only do a few hours each day! I reckon 15/20 hours each, maybe a little less. My intention is not to sell finished dolls though, just the patterns, and maybe the odd commission.

Winter skiing/snowboarding - um, I'm probably not the best person to ask - but either Aviemore or Fort William (Ben Nevis range) I think. Fort William is pretty dire though in terms of facilities - three quarters of it is charity shops and the rest outdoor shops (which I suppose might be useful to you if you are visiting but was sod all use to me when I lived there! ). Put a general shout out - there are a few people around who are better travelled in Scotland than me and who would be able to advise better.

Have now made a head and starting body of doll 4 - this is going to be a boy doll!

Lol
I like your style.

Our oven might mysteriously break too

So you went for a trifle type base then?

Why wouldn't you sell them Miaou?
I think they're gorgeous!

NBG - was SO simple - I soaked the sponge fingers in juice from a tin of strawberries, stuck them together with whipped cream - built a kind of standing up wall around first (in a strawberry shape that I'd created with cardboard inside a chritsmas cake tin) then layered in the middle, threw some smushed strawberries in between the layers as I went

chilled overnight in fridge, then took out of mould, slathered more cream all over and covered in strawberries...everyone loved it, especially all the mums and dads who got some with a nice glass of chilled prosecco...mmmm...simple and damn tasty...that's my kind of cake

(my mum used to do a variation on this with gingernuts biscuits soaked in whisky, stuck together with cream and soem grated choc on top - was to die for, but obviously the whisky not such a good idea with the 3yos)

Just take too long to make NBG; I couldn't charge enough to make it worth my while.

Just trying to imagine children is the midst of a party and then drunk on whiskey

Tis the stuff nightmares are made of!

Thanks for the Scotland info Miaou.
I might take it to the main board.

Nbg, you should be able to get someone to come to your house to service your machine, there are a couple of services round here that do, check yell.com. Last time I had my old singer machine done it cost about 40 quid which is a lot but you can't beat a good old sewing machine, (alas it has died a horrible death). I hate the plasticky feel of the newer ones, on the look out for another old singer.
Am feeling very smug today, everything finished last night and ready to go, really want to blog it but too scared that GM and Nbg will see what's coming to them

just quickly popping by as have seen this mentioned quite a bit in blogland, picnik

for those who don't have photoshop to tweak their images, try it, you can adjust the brightness and lighten up, darken, rotate, crop etc.

i use photoshop on all my photos, i don't know what i'd do without it!

Thanks Ranting.
I'll check yell and see if I can find one local.
Its rather annoying having to flit between tension settings and unpicking work.

LK funny you've put that link on.
I was looking through my blog today and one thing I keep meaning to do is retouch the photos but I always forget.

Nbg and Miaou - That's the problem with handcrafted items. The amount of time it takes to make things (and consequently the cost of this time) quite often doesn't equate to what people will be willing to pay.

I have a friend who quite often will say 'it's lovely but I wouldn't pay that'. It's because people are so used to seeing the prices of mass produced (& cheaply so) things from Asia etc.

I think unless your market appreciates the time and effort that goes into quality hand-made designs you are nearly always onto a loser.

But that's just my opinion. Pricing is such a difficult topic.

My friend isn't creative so doesn't know how long it takes to make a hand crafted item.

I tell her, as an example, that to maybe applique a design might take 3+ hours i.e. from the thought process, drawing and making the templates, cutting out, fusing and stitching plus maybe some hand embroidery. And of course the applique is only one part of the finished article.

Miaou, the pattern is an excellent idea and will be very successful I think because the dolls are just s gorgeous

Talking of applique here is a peep of my new Rapunzel Tower hanging decoration - complete with lots of applique.

So obviously, I'll be putting this up for sale at about £275.00

My weekly challenge is to get a commissioned collage finished and hopefully finish my Rapunzel WIP.

Oooh its lovely Tilly.
I personally think your putting your prices too low

Thats one thing I'm dreading about the fair tomorrow.
People walking past my table because the prices are too high.
But I think I've been sensible with it and not gone ott.

TB - she's looking lovely so far!
NBG - in case I don't get on later - good luck tomorrow!!! And don't be disheartened if you don't do as well as you hoped, I think all of us that have had craft fairs will say the same thing (I took 8 quid at one, and the table was fifteen quid...plus petrol...plus the pain in the arse it was to get there....)

LK - thanks for that link, I'll have a look at it later (I'm on DD's crappy laptop so I can't do a thing)

Thanks all
Ooh, Nbg, d'you think £900.00 would be a little too optimistic then

It's such a lovely day, sunny and and summery (bloody weird weather) that I'm loathed to stay indoors and craft but I have such a lot to do - yikes !

I'll just have to open the kitchen doors and windows and let the outside in.

I've just legged out all the weekend visitor bedding to dry and it really is a fantastic morning. Boo is running around the garden, the blackbirds are twittering - and I've just switched off CBeebies (Ah, that's better).

Have a good day everyone, I hope you have at least some of our weather not sure how long it'll last.

Tilly - that looks great and I love Boo's frame too!

I walked past a jewellery shop yesterday that had a silver chain-link bracelet with semi-precious and crystal beads on each link. Yes, it was pretty, but I could make something exactly the same for less than the £90 they were asking.