End of Zippster?

For a while now I've been thinking of getting out of the 'making crafts for profit' business, because quite honestly, it was only ever meant to be a hobby with a very small chance of making a profit. Which I don't. After purchasing supplies, making prototypes, photography and creating listings, paying for the listings, and fees for sales I'm lucky if I break even. And that's not counting my time. I have a pretty busy and fulfilling life, and any sewing I do is to sell and I don't seem to have the time to enjoy sewing for myself, and that's what I'd rather be doing.

So, I'm selling most of my purse making supplies. 

I still have some items for sale at Artisans at Work but won't be restocking. And I'm not quite sure yet to do with my Etsy shop - most of what I sell there is buttons, anything larger and the high cost of shipping is a deterrent.

I have some new fabric and patterns picked out for new projects, which I'm looking forward to working on - it's been a while since I've made something for myself!

New features for Etsy sellers

Etsy has recently announced some exciting new features for sellers: Etsy gift cards and Listing Variations, which will allow customers to pick customization options on an item if available, such as colour or size.

Too bad neither feature is available to sellers outside the U.S. Considering 95% of my customers are Americans, I'm eagerly awaiting for these features to be rolled out to international sellers.

Craft show this week-end

It's been a while since I've participated in a craft show. This coming Saturday (July 21), I'll be at the Toronto Etsy Street Team Handmade Marketplace. This show features sellers from the Toronto Etsy Street Team, of which I am a member. The team works to promote fellow Toronto handmade crafters, artists, craft suppliers and vintage sellers.

See the list of vendors here.

Etsy store sale

I'm having a mid-winter sale in my Zippster Etsy store to make way for new items - go take a look!

Messenger bags

My messenger bags have been available at Wise Daughters for a while now, but they are now available in my Etsy shop. I started making messenger bags when I wasn't able to find one that I liked - often that's how I start making a new item, when I'm dissatisfied with what's out there.

These bags are based on my own pattern, after some trial and error. I tested out different closures, strap configurations, and dimensions. The front flap closure is a magnetic snap, which I love - very easy to use. The bag is just the right size for daily essentials: book, wallet, cosmetic case, gadgets, even some snacks.



Remember, I do custom work, so if you have a piece of fabric you would like to incorporate into a bag or pouch of some sort, just let me know!

New Blythe items

So I finally made some Blythe clothes from the Simplicity Blythe patterns. I've been so busy with my Zippster items, and sales have been slow in my Blythe store, that I haven't bothered making new items. I think the recession in the United States is still bad enough that people aren't shopping like they used to. I made one of each of the outfits, and overall I'm happy with the patterns.




The only pattern I didn't like was for the hoodie. The pattern had the opening at the back but I made it at the front, and used snaps instead of a zipper (anyone know where I can find doll-sized zippers?). I found the hood a bit too big, and the sleeves a weird length - too short for a t-shirt and not not long enough for a long sleeved top. Next time I'll lengthen the sleeves.



The items are now available in my Etsy store.

Back to business!

Good news! Postal services should resume tomorrow,
Tuesday June 27. As a result, I've re-opened both
of my Etsy shops. I've also listed some new magnet
sets in my Zippster shop, and a new
"create your own magnet set" option,
which I think is a fun idea for gifts.

Canada Post in full strike mode

Fortunately, the recent Canada Post strike hadn't affected me until yesterday, when it was Toronto's turn as part of the rotating work stoppage. But Canada Post has now locked out its workers and suspended operations.
Most of the supplies I recently ordered, and a birthday gift, arrived before the work stoppage in Toronto, but I'm waiting for some vintage fabric to arrive, and I just ordered some coloured metal purse frames (!) which I'm very excited about. In the meanwhile, I've put both of my Etsy shops in vacation mode, and I'm working on some messenger bags for Wise Daughters.

Sneak Peek

Normally I usually make smaller coin purses, but I've decided to make some larger ones. I already had some larger purse frames in my supplies stash, but I also purchased some even larger frames (over 8"), which I'm going to use to make clutches, but I need to purchase a different frame pincher (the one I use for the smaller frames isn't strong enough for the larger frames). For now, here's a sample of some new coin purses - the three larger ones at the back use either silk or vintage fabric (love the curved antique brass frame in the bottom left, it's my new favourite frame):



Recently I came across some vintage silk kimono fabric, which I'm going to use for the larger clutches. The fabric is really beautiful:



But I'm having major problems with my domestic sewing machine, which is probably close to 20 years old. I've never had it serviced, so that's a start, but I may look into investing in a new one, something that's got a bit more power and features. The research begins...

Canada Post strike

Well, it happened: Canada Post is on strike, effective Friday, June 3. Their website is currently down so I can't get details, but apparently strike action will be rolled out to different cities in 24-hour increments. Not only does this mean I can't mail out orders from my Etsy stores, but I recently ordered a bunch of fabric and metal purse frames, supplies which I need to make more items for my retail customers. Not good. Let's hope it's resolved quickly, please!

New glasses cases

I am excited to announce that my new glasses cases are available at Opticianado, an eyewear store in the Junction. Thanks to Mary at Wise Daughters! These are a new item for me, based on my snap frame coin purses. It was the first time using the curved frame for glasses and I'm pleased with how they turned out.











I interfaced the outer fabric to provide more stability and squared off the bottom to allow room for different sizes of frames. The lining is a really soft cotton which should be safe for lenses.

Updates

Well I'm still settling into my new place after a recent move, so I haven't had much opportunity to do a lot of sewing or add new items to either of my Etsy shops. Stay tuned for a major overhaul of both of my shops and website!

One of my first tasks is to make some new Blythe clothes, which I haven't had a chance to do because I've been focusing on my Zippster store and local consignment. A while a go I bought this Simplicity pattern for Blythe clothes, I can't wait to try out the patterns:



As for craft shows, Zippster will be represented by 100 Mile Finds at two upcoming shows, the first is Friday May 27 in St. Catharines. The next one is June 4 at The Brickworks in Toronto.

On Vacation!

Tomorrow I leave for a three week vacation to South America, the first vacation I've had in over ten years. I'll be going to Ecuador and Peru, including the Galapagos Islands, the Sacred Valley, hiking the Inca Trail, Machu Picchu and the Amazon jungle... very excited! It will be a hectic trip but the mental and physical challenge will be good for me. I'm planning on taking lots of pictures - digital and film - and am particularly looking forward to seeing Machu Picchu and to visit the craft markets. My Etsy shops are in vacation mode and will re-open when I return. See you in three weeks!

New saris for Blythe

Finally finished three new Indian saris for Blythe dolls for my Blythe Etsy store. I purchased a bunch of silk sari remnants from Toronto's Little India neighbourhood a while ago but hadn't had a chance to make the saris until now. Sales in my Blythe Etsy shop have been slow and I didn't see much need to be adding new items, but I did actually sell out of the saris, they are one item that seems to sell well.



I'm really happy with these, I paid special attention in choosing coordinating trim for the cropped tops and used a metalllic thread to add even more sparkle. Available now in my store.

Sketchbook project: done!

Well, it's done - my sketchbook for the 2011 Sketchbook Project is in the mail. Fortunately, the deadline was extended by a few days which gave me a chance to finish it. What I learned: I am not artistic. At all. Creative, yes, but not artistic. This is evident in my "sketches". A lot of my pages look more than a scrapbook than a sketchbook. However, I really like working with charcoal, which is very satisfying but also very messy. Plus I spend considerable more time on a charcoal drawing than one done with pencil or another medium. Had I planned my time better I would have done more charcoal drawings. And I would have chosen a different theme. It was really difficult coming up with "happy thoughts"; I noticed that a lot of the pages are of physical objects which make me happy, and not of events or people which make me happy. There's a difference. Not sure if I would participate in this particular project again but it was fun.



My worktable is once again messy. I'm currently finishing up three new silk saris for my Blythe Etsy store. You can see Margot in the background modelling one I've already finished. They should be up in the store on the week-end.

Corduroy dress and other projects

Over the holidays I had a long list of little things I wanted to get done around the house, most of which I accomplished (updating my finances, tidying closets, re-organizing sewing supplies, all that boring stuff). I was hoping to get more sewing done, I had purchased new fabric to make two tops but I also had some repairs and alterations to do.


This was a dress I had made a few years ago before I had a serger, so the seams weren't very good, and I've since lost weight so I wanted to re-shape it. I also added some contrast trim so it doesn't look like a sack - there's now a black and white floral trim along the hemline and armholes (forgot to take the before pics). Much better!

This week-end I hope to finish up a tunic I've started. My sketchbook is about half done and there's only 10 days left to finish it, to I need to really get some serious work done on that!

Coming up in my Etsy shops: I'm sold out of saris for Blythe so I'll be making new ones soon.

Shop updates

Saturday's Movies and Makers show went really well, I'm almost sold out of my small zippered pouches, which I debuted at this show. Both of my Etsy stores have been updated with new items, and some items have been reduced. I'm going to start putting together gift card sets, such as this one here, available in my Karen's Creations Etsy store:



It's not too late to place online orders for Christmas gifts. If you're in the Toronto area, I would also be happy to arrange for local pick-up.

Getting ready for the fall

The fall and pre-Christmas craft show and shopping season is quickly approaching. After a slow summer, sales have started to pick up in both of my Etsy stores, and I have a few shows lined up. I was able to make a few items of clothing for myself over the summer, but now I need to focus on building up my inventory.

I just added a whack of new buttons and magnets in my Zippster store, many of them made with either images taken from vintage magazines or beautiful Japanese papers.



I've been shooting more on film lately, and hope to use some of those prints on a new line of greeting cards.

Show info to be posted soon.

Small zippered pouches

Just listed in my Etsy store - small zippered pouches, the perfect size for helping to keep your bags organized or for carrying the essentials.

[As a side note, I love the robot fabric - it's one of my favourites. This is the last of it.]

New magnet sets

New magnet sets in my Etsy store! I really enjoy making these sets; coming up with the theme and choosing a coordinating paper to line the tin with is a lot of fun. They are a great gift idea if you need something small and inexpensive.