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Designs in Reality!
The cushions have been at my house for ages waiting for me – real but not feeling real. They were just sitting there – not doing a lot. Until a few weeks ago when I finally managed to pull it all together. A photo shoot was not only arranged but held! The results are fantastic (not that I’m biased in any way of course!). So, I’ve been working on getting them published and available. My…
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Snails are moving quicker...
Snails are moving quicker…
At the moment, it feels like even snails are moving more quickly than I am. But it’s for good reason, I have two business areas that I’m trying to build and this means that my focus has to shift as feels appropriate. At the moment, the majority of my energy is going on Bridge Road Consultants – strangely this seems to involve a lot of investigation around cupcakes and chocolate (luckily not…
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Woohoo – things are beginning to move along.
The clutch bag sample arrived from Bags Of Love, which has helped me to learn a bit more about what I want so I can now start investigating how to achieve it. Looking at the bag, I’ve realised it’s not quite what I am looking for to offer potential clients which shows me that I need to do some more work on the product itself to get to where I want to be. The quality of the work is great! And I absolutely love the inside fabric so may do more with that.
My labels have arrived as well and they are beautiful (if I do say so myself). The oranges seems to shine against the black background.
And then, the velvet fabric arrived, courtesy of the ever quick and helpful Silk Bureau. I was a bit taken back when it arrived on a roll as I had not taken into account that it was a much heavier fabric than previously. After removing many layers of packaging, I unrolled a bit and it’s lovely! I was so nervous that it might not come out as well as I wanted so this was a huge relief!!
The WOW Workroom have transformed into 1 super gorgeous throw and 6 scrumptious cushions! The material is so soft and luxurious.
Next to come, more photos of the cushions and also seeing if any of the local shops are tempted!
Rolling, rolling, rolling… Woohoo - things are beginning to move along. The clutch bag sample arrived from Bags Of Love…
Feeling slow!
I’ve been feeling like I’m moving forward very slowly just now and not making any visible progress. So I decided to take stock of what I’m doing to see if I really am losing ground. I realised that it’s not so much that I’m slowing down, it’s more that the things I’m working on right now are “invisible”. They’re hard to share until they’re ready. (more…)
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I’ve been working on how I will transform my designs and focusing very much on “Made in Britain” – which is of great interest to those of us in Britain. An unexpected turn of events came up yesterday though – and can now let you know that some designs are available in Canada! Designed by me with my dual heritage but Made in Canada! Art of Where provides a service to print your fabric and turn it into products. They then deliver it straight to you!
I have to thank my oldest friend (oldest in the sense that she’s known me the longest!), Kathy, for pointing me to this company.
Part of my excitement is that it is the first time I can really see how the designs will look. Check out my shop and, if you’re in Canada, feel free to order! You can even order if you live elsewhere too. I’ve started with the Curvaceous design – solely because this is the one my mother wants to have cushions made in. It turns into a cute little dress too (well I think they’re cute)
I’ve also used my Exuberance on Green design to create a number of different cases to cover your Samsung or iPhone devices, or hold your makeup/pencils and more.
I’ll be adding more as I go and experimenting with other designs to see how to make the most of them. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think (even if you’re not in Canada or the USA!). I will, in time, also look to make these available directly via my website but still made in Canada.
In the meantime, I am following up on the creation of a throw and accompanying cushions for some very special friends in the UK. This includes a velvety fabric for the throw and cushions using my Randonnee 6 design and a contrasting personalised cushion for them. Pictures will come as soon everything comes together. I will continue to work with WOW Workroom here in the UK and the Silk Bureau for my “Made in Britain” offerings.
Exciting times ahead!!
Made in Canada I’ve been working on how I will transform my designs and focusing very much on "
Part 3 Decisions
The samples were printed and 11metres of fabric arrived at my house. I spent ages cutting each design out and inserting it into the display books I’d bought. It works surprisingly well (surprising to me anyway!). Then off I went to meet the people at the WOW Workroom. They shared a lot of ideas and made suggestions which was great (thanks Lisa and Rachel!). And then we agreed that they would…
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I was clear from the outset that I want to do something of high quality. While I was perhaps a bit extravagant in getting so many samples printed on silk, for me, I think it was time and money well spent. It has really allowed me to gain a much better understanding of what works. I’ve also seen how the designs I loved as a base pattern or on screen, may not be the ones that jump out when in my hands.
Decision 1 – good quality.
Decision 2 – Made in Britain. There is nothing wrong with using overseas manufacturers, but I felt strongly about wanting to support businesses here and if possible to work locally.
Decision 3 – get samples printed. Tick!
The first sight of the silk fabric that arrived today
And now for the tough decisions – what on earth am I going to make? I was leaning very strongly towards scarves. They seem to be quite a good start point for designers. I suppose this is because there is a market but also because they are quite easy to produce.
How am I going to sell it? Myself? Directly?
Slowly it is taking shape. The decisions are falling into place. The designs are still piling up but I have made sure I stay focussed. I don’t allow myself to get sidetracked by just creating new designs. I’ve learnt so much (as you will know if you’ve been following me) which means that some of the things I do in the future will be easier.
More to follow in Part 3!
Part 2 Decisions I was clear from the outset that I want to do something of high quality. While I was perhaps a bit extravagant in getting so many samples printed on silk, for me, I think it was time and money well spent.
From portfolio to product
From portfolio to product
Today I met with Rachel & Lisa from WOW Workroom. It was very informative and exciting! After much discussion, I left with lots of ideas on where I want to focus my attention initially. Making Samples I also committed to having 3 cushions made from the first fabric I had printed a while ago. Unlike my recent print run, these are on polyester and were scaled to make 40cm cushions. I used them to…
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