To Sell or not to Sell?

That is the question!  (Apologies to W. Shakespeare!) I am going to tell you a secret.  Don’t tell anyone.  There are a few bags in my Folksy shop that I would be quite happy if they don’t sell.  The price may reflect this (oops, didn’t mean to confess that!)

The problem is that I so enjoyed making them, and they are just so beautiful that I don’t think that I could bear to part with them.  Daft?  I suppose you are wondering why not keep them?  Why try and sell them?  I guess the reason is two-fold:

1.   I doubt I would ever use them as bags, in some senses they are a piece of art to me – a creative outpouring that found a focus in making a bag.  As a self-taught sewing “nut” – and I only recently learned to use a sewing machine, I feel I have become quite confident with the stitching and making.  As other bag makers will tell you “It can be quite addictive!”

2.   I need the money!  To feed my other addiction.  (Oops a lot more secrets are coming out than I planned to tell!)  The bags give me such a huge pleasure to make and complete, that I hope that someone else will feel the same way about them and want to part with their money to have them! It would give me pleasure to know that they are giving someone else the same pleasure.  (My other addiction is to purchase even more fabric, even more lace etc. etc.)

It’s about time I showed you an example of one of the bags I am talking about!

I expect you are wondering what’s so special about this handcrafted bag?  It’s the fabric!!  Anyone who loves the Fleur de Lys motif can’t fail to love this bag.  The fabric is covered in them, which is very pleasing, but the real icing on the cake is that the large silk bow has Fleur de Lys motifs as well.



It was a lovely happy accident when I discovered the silk remnant in my stash and was able to pair it with the main fabric.  Luckily, this bag hasn’t attracted as much interest as some of my others!  So, I am fairly safe in the knowledge that I can probably keep it!

Another bag that I am fond of has already featured in my previous post:

If you read my post on “Fabric”, I tell the story of how this bag came into being, so I won’t repeat here.  Needless to say, I would be very loathe to part with this bag.  But, I am pretty sure no one is going to purchase it!!

Finally, there is another bag (I like lot of others too!) But, this bag is so special I’d be pretty happy if no one purchased it!

It is covered in vintage lace, you see.  This bag is GORGEOUS.  Sorry to shout about it, but I love it to bits!!  Now this bag I would just enjoy owning.  I doubt I would ever use it, but that’s not always the point!  (Other bag owners will tell you this!!)  Unfortunately, there has been a lot of interest in this bag, but luckily it hasn’t sold yet! 

Anyway, my secret is out. (And a few others too!)  Don’t tell anyone because they might have a look at my Folksy shop and decide they want to purchase one of these bags.  That will be a very dark day indeed.  But, to end on a more cheerful note, what my happy potential customers don’t know is that I have lots of other bags that I haven’t listed yet, so I get to keep them, unless of course, the urge to purchase more fabric or lace comes upon me then I will have to try and sell one!?

Check out my Folksy shop – it sells more than bags!  PS. Don’t forget to keep my secret!

www.Folksy.com/shops/HandmadebyEdwina

BFN Edwina

Fabric

“I am in fabric heaven.”  Have you ever had that feeling?  When you enter a fabric store (either virtually or in reality) and are surrounded by fabrics of all kinds – lots of patterns, texture, colour, and different types.  So much choice – how do you choose?  Of course, some people are looking for something specific, a dress fabric for a pattern you like, and want to make, or a blouse pattern you have been dying to have a go at. 

When I look at fabrics, I am tantalised by their mystery and their potential.  I just enjoy fabrics for simply what they are.  I like unusual fabrics, vintage fabrics, special fabrics, textured fabrics.  I haven’t a single idea in my head what I am going to do with the fabric, but some fabrics are just irresistible and I must have them.  I have some fabrics that I have purchased that are so special, particularly vintage ones that have bold prints, or African style fabrics that the idea of cutting into them with a pair of scissors would be like committing murder.  How weird is that?  They are just so beautiful to look at.

Sometimes I see some fabric and instantly I can see a beautiful bag, and because you don’t need a huge quantity of fabric for a bag, I am pleased with myself, because I know I can cut out the bag pattern and still have lots of fabric left, just to enjoy!

One of my instant bag “visions” was this bag that is available to purchase in my folksy shop:

This gorgeous red embroidered fabric bag is rich with style and finesse.

Sometimes fabric can arrive in unexpected ways.  One day, a friend suddenly presented me with a bundle of upholstery fabric samples.  What treasure!  They were simply gorgeous – lots of texture, colour and potential!  What they were particularly ideal for was a patchwork bag and the following picture shows the result:

I used five different sample fabrics to create the bag and I was very pleased with how it turned out!

Certain fabrics are special in their own way.  For example, cotton fabrics that are dazzling with their myriad colours and patterns make choosing which to have so difficult.  Linen is a favourite because it is so versatile and comes in so many different colours now.  Faux leather and suede are great to experiment with and they don’t fray!  Classics like denim just never go out of fashion.  But my all-time favourite fabric just has to be silk.  Wow, it is just so amazing!  Lots and lots of beautiful colours, weights, patterns and most of all, silk is the height of luxury.  Luckily a silk bag only takes a little fabric so doesn’t cost a fortune!  I made some silk patchwork purses because it gave me the opportunity to use lots of different colours, but only small pieces of silk.  There are a few silk purses available in my folksy shop.

www.folksy.com/shops/HandmadebyEdwina

BFN Until next time! Edwina

Lace

I love lace.  I admire lace.  I enjoy its delicate patterns, its numerous different widths, its myriad of colours and its different types and textures.  I love antique lace, vintage lace, and new lace.  But, before any of you lace-makers out there start jumping up and down, I have no desire to make lace, only to find ways of using it in my crafting projects whilst respecting it and wanting to use it as a distinctive embellishment.

I had no idea how much lace would become a passion.  It started off gently. I used it in my collage artworks when I was at college, and then I continued to use it because it added a different texture and pattern and made its own contribution.  When I moved into craft work, I started to collect it.  I purchased different colours, widths etc.  Then two things happened:

Firstly, I was given a small box full of antique lace.  It came from a friend’s mother, and had belonged to her grandmother. Her grandmother, of course was a Victorian lady and I had been given her precious collection.  Fabulous!  What treasure!  What delight!  The small collection revealed that this lady loved lace and she had even attempted to make some tiny pieces.

Secondly, whilst sourcing my craving for even more lace I came across “Viennese” or “guipure” lace and I was hooked.  It is the most beautiful lace I have ever come across.

So, now I have quite a collection of lace, but rather let it sit around in its storage boxes, I am always looking for craft projects in which I can use some lace.  Recently, I made a bag using some vintage lace that I purchased this summer.  I was very pleased with the result.  It is a very special bag and is available to purchase from my shop at Folksy:

www.folksy.com/shops/HandmadebyEdwina

BFN