Farmer's Market Farewell

Last Sunday was my final farmer's market. I've decided to retire my tent for a while to focus more time on my monkey shop and to write some new sewing patterns. Nick and I are hoping to move to Seattle in a few months, and hopefully have a baby soon too. It was time to quit. My last day was right before Christmas so there were lots of vendors. It was nice to be able to say goodbye to everyone and pick up a few goodies too.

First, I got myself one of these adorable cashmere bears from Barbara of Gabby Goo. She calls them Wooly Bearz. This little bear is sooo soft and cuddly. I can't wait to have a baby to go with it!

I also picked up an adorable carrot from Jennifer. I've told you about my ridiculous love for fake food, right?

I feel very relieved now, not having to worry about filling my table. The only problem is what to do with the things I didn't sell. I guess I'll be spending a lot of time with my camera in the coming weeks to get these things online. If you make a purchase from iSew, you'll be getting something free in your package too (while supplies last). I've got lots of tissue cozies & magnets to give.

______________________________________________________________

Now I'm working on my long term To Do List. What are your big plans for the new year?

Productivity

It's amazing how much I can get done by just taking one day off from the farmer's market. I've been super busy and I'm actually seeing some results now. I'll try not to get too wordy with you, I'll just show you what's new with me.
First off, I finally got my Look and Learn Fat Quarter Bundle. I've been awaiting the arrival of these fabrics for a while. I got a quilt top done using these prints. I'm hoping I get the backing & binding fabrics in the mail today so I can get the quilt finished for the market on Sunday. Next I'll make a Catie Diaper Bag. I think this style looks best when I make it from the vintage kids prints. I'll make bibs from what's left. They sell pretty regularly at the market.

I also got a chance to use some Fall Back in Time prints. For now, this little bag will just be at the farmer's market.

For a long time I've been hoping to make some soft blocks to add to the shops. The other night, I took out some scraps & made up a prototype. I think the colors are great, but I'm not happy with the block at all. I much prefer the ones Amy makes (I love her shop), but I certainly can't copy them. I guess I just need to work on the edges. It's a little lumpy too. Makes a bright pin cushion anyway.
I've also been planning to add some baby gift sets. I've started offering deals on bibs & booties at the market, but half the time I don't have matching sets. That's not very good business, is it? Well, yesterday I made a new easier and quicker baby blanket that I can sell along with a bib & pair of booties. Here's the first set I made up with some fabrics I'd purchased to make a tote or two. The swirly print reminds me of The Muppet Movie (You know, the part when Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem paint Kermit & Fozzie's car?)

I've got enough flannel to make 3 more sets to test them out on Sunday. I'm thinking about $40 for the set. What do you think?
That's almost everything, this post is getting way too long. You can always see my stuff on Flickr too if you're ever interested.
And last but not least...I finally got around to making a little Christmas ornament monkey. His name is Kringle & he's not in the shops yet. Just thought you might like to say hello. He's about 4.5" tall.

Life in the Monkey Factory

Okay, maybe I shouldn't say "factory", that sounds so mass production. lol I made a bunch of new monkeys over the last week or so. Getting ready for the Farmer's Market and trying to list often on Etsy and on my site keeps me pretty busy. I'm trying out some new monkey colors too. The one in the gold hat is a yummy caramel color, the lavender hat monkey is a sort of latte brown. Not sure how I feel about them yet. We'll see if I sell them. :)
I also just finished a new zipper pouch, I sold the last one. I'm planning to make a bunch more of those, but maybe not take quite so long to do it. I spent way too much time piecing this new one together. Naughty girl.
And while I was doing a little online shopping yesterday, I came across this Tupperware Design Contest. Check it out, sounds like fun. (Maybe a collaborative effort for you & Josh, Jenn) I think I'm off to San Francisco today for lunch with Nick. We might get our new car tonight, wish us luck. Have a great Tuesday!

There's a new kid in town

It's Ruthie! She's the latest Gadget Monkey I put on my website. She's not on Etsy yet, but I suppose she will be soon. I've found that I get very few sales on the weekend so I'd rather wait until Monday to list a new item.
This not being able to sew thing is really hard. I took my old PFAFF in for a tune up and the guy won't even be in for another three days. Aargh! I guess Nick & I have been really busy this week buying stuff for the house & everything so it hasn't been so bad. He starts his new job Monday and I'll be stuck here alone. That's not gonna be fun without a sewing machine. I guess I'll be stocking up on monkeys again. I haen't sold much over the past 2 weeks so it seems like such a waste. Ever get discouraged because your sales are low? That's me right now. I've been trying to relist and post on the Etsy forums a lot, but still not much happening. I guess it'll pick up.
What I really want to do is get a second website going for my little monkey friends and spend some time promoting iSew.biz. I have a great book about online marketing, but it's on a ship with my sewing room! I'm afraid I don't even know where to start. I've done a lot already, but I still need to do way more. Maybe it's time to put an ad in a magazine. Any ideas which one? Me either.
Well, I'll worry about all that later. My Aunt is in town this week so she's stopping by tomorrow to see the house. That'll be a nice distraction on a Sunday.

Here's the latest

I sold my one Jenny bag last week, a miracle since I was out of town, so I decided to make another one. My original plan for this bag was to make a zipper version, and one with a flap closure. Here's the result... I think it turned out really pretty. (Naturally it's on iSew.biz and Etsy)

Things are getting a bit stressful now. The movers should be here a week from tomorrow to pack up the house. That will include 99% of my sewing room. This means I'll be unable to make new things for up to 6 weeks! (omg) Lucky for me, I have a sewing machine sitting in my cousin's closet in California right now. The problem is deciding what fabric & supplies to carry with me. I'm running out of time here. sigh

The good and the bad news - I have sold 2 monkeys, a diaper bag and a backpack since I got back on Monday. I just got some REALLY cute fabric to use for another Catie Diaper Bag too, it's going to be so sweet. The bad news - (not bad really) I have a backpack & monkey to make. I need to make a baby quilt for some friends & the fabric hasn't arrived yet. When it rains it poors, right?

More good news, Nick's work visa was approved yesterday so we will actually be moving in a week or two, haha. Just wish me luck getting the house we picked out. The owner wasn't planning to allow more than one pet, I have two. Wish me luck. The property manager man thinks it won't be a problem. (crosses fingers)

Back to the old sewing table now. Tomorrow's a holiday in the UK, I gotta get this backpack done so I can ship today! Cheers! And big hugs to my poor cousin Ryan in the hospital right now after having surgery on his jaw. Poor guy is in a ton of pain, send him your good karma please...and a milkshake.

My friend etsy

Etsy is a great place to "buy and sell all things handmade". I love this website. What a great way to give regular people a way to put their handmade goods on the web without a huge investment. I have a shop on etsy, and to tell you the truth, that's where pretty much all of my sales have come from. They have over 32,000 users on this site. That's a lot of traffic potential.

As for selling things, it's pretty easy. All you do is pay a nominal fee, that lasts for 4 months, for each item you want in your shop. Then you just write a description, add some tags, upload the photos, easy. Especially easy for someone who has already put in a billion hours creating product images. They charge you a small percentage of the profit, but I think it's worth it. This is a great way for the average person to have an online shop. You don't really have to put a lot of work into it, it's great for an "on the side" kind of deal.

So please go check out etsy, support your local crafter, buy something from a real person! In the future, I plan to feature some of my favorite etsy sellers here, so come back often to see some great, original items.