U-handblog

Ask that Bag Lady...you might win a Eye/Sun Glasses case!

I get lots of lovely emails from you telling me that your new found hobby (that being bag making, of course!) has begun to get a bit out of control and that your partners are beginning to moan about all of those pretty bags that are filling up various cupboards...  Lots of you have begun to sell your handiwork through bag parties, Etsy, your own website, Ebay, craft fairs and/or amongst friends and family.

I really enjoy these emails because I really am all for women (and men too, but especially women) going into some sort of business for themselves if they can.  I think back to a couple of years ago when my working life was in a rut and I was feeling pretty crap because of it.  I would sew in the evenings and weekends to relax until I had made way too many things to store in the house.  I then began to sell in Greenwich Craft Market which eventually led to U-Handbag being born.  The buzz I got from selling my first bag was addictive, and I'd love for other people to experience that too (if that's their thing!).  These days, besides being able to help put food on the table, running a business has given me some sort inner pride, and this gives me a confidence that I have never experienced in any of my other jobs (which are too numerous (and some too embarrassing) to mention!)

I haven't written a Bag Selling Advice & Tips post for quite a while, so I thought why not ask you if you have any Bag/Craft selling questions that I could try and answer.  I'm no business guru, but I'm not hiding out from my bank manager, and I don't owe either of my kidneys to loan sharks :)

Ask the (ditzy) bag expert your business related question!  I found this image (isn't it great?) and loads of kitschy Americana pin up prints here.

So if you sell your handmade crafts, or you are planning to and you have a Bag/craft selling question that you think I might be able to help with comment on this post with your question.  It could be website related, craft stall related,  photography related, what-things-to-sell related, or marketing related etc. etc.

I will randomly pick one question (and try my best) to answer.  The person who asked that question will also win this dotty eyeglasses case (but not my groovy sun glasses) cool eh? 

I'll draw a winner in a weeks time 7th August.  Good Luck!

PS.  Sorry, I can't reply to contest/draw comments, but I do love reading every single one :)

The 2 winners of the Sewing Mags are...

Thanks to everyone who entered the latest sewing mag draw.  I got such a good feeling from reading all of your comments.  In this age of impatient consumerism it's lovely to know that (in blogland at least) there is a hard core of crafters out there who love the gentle slow-game of creating something individual with their own hands.

66 entries this time and the trusty Random Number Picker fancied the numbers 17, & 6. 

So will Emma in France who wrote:

"I didn't really have much choice.

You see, my great-grandmother was a dressmaker by trade - I have her Singer 201 treadle. Then my grandmother trained to be a tailor and worked in a workroom. My mother made all her own clothes as a teenager and made me beautiful outfits using remnants as a child. I saved for my first sewing machine when I was ten.

It's not been easy, despite my background I don't have an innate talent for sewing. There have been long periods when my sewing has been neglected. The most recent phase occurred because I needed to make a wedding dress in two months flat - it was the only way to get a dress that fit and suited me in such short notice. Myself and my mother made my dress plus five bridesmaids dresses with my grandmother giving advice from the sidelines as her eyesight is too poor to sew anymore. At that time I bought a new (to me) machine - a Husqvarna Lily 445 - I couldn't believe how much easier things became with a good machine. It's taken a lot of the hassle away."

And Chris who wrote:

"I learned to sew in school. But I think my love of the craft came from my Mom's Mother and my Dad's Sister. My Grandmother always had fun things to see in her sewing room. I always visited her buttons! My Aunt would sew tops for me and a matching one for my doll. My Aunt also taught me to crochet. I think we have an innate sense of direction when born and if we are crafty we will seek it out. I know it's true when I am knitting in public and little ones who are craft prone just flock to your side to see what you are doing. We need to grab those small ones and get them crafting!"

Please step forward, give me your postal addresses and I'll send you your sewing mags :)


If you didn't get lucky this time - Soreee!   I'll do another Sewing Mag up for grabs v. soon...

Monday Bag Eye Candy - now on Flickr.

Have you told us about where your love of craft comes from yet?  Go on, you might win a sewing mag, and everyone else's comments make for some heart warming reading :)  You have until the end of today.  I'll announce the winners tomorrow, 31st July.

Lately I've been trying to figure out new ways to show off your delicious bag pics.  I won't be showing them in pic heavy posts in this blog anymore because it takes grey-hair-growing-ages to upload each one into Typepad.  Not to worry though, I know that a lot of you enjoy the bag eye candy (as much as I do), so I will continue to show off your work, just not with super pic heavy posts.   

The viewer that I used for the last eye candy seems to be having a bad hair day and it won't behave, so this week I'm going to direct you good folks to Flickr to where the Latest Bag Eye Candy awaits your viewing pleasure.  Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them and/or to view my comments.  Thanks to all of the the clever bag ladies who sent me their pics to share with us.  Enjoy!

Hey guess what?  WOO HOOOOOO!!!!  I've just found out that I've been accepted to join the Ladies Rock Band programme.  I am going to be a  drummer YAY!!!!.  I've been told I'm going have to sing as well...not so yay! I only can only sing in tune into a hairbrush.... 

He has better hair (and rhythm) than me!

Retail Tomfoolery.

Have you told us about where your love of craft comes from yet?  Go on, you might win a sewing mag, and everyone else's comments make for some heart warming reading :)  You have until the end of tomorrow, 30th July.

My sister Wendy (who is a (brilliant) special needs teacher) broke up for the school holidays last week so she and I have been having a great time catching up again.  Teachers usually have so much work to do after the kids have gone home that I don't get to see Wendy as often as I would like, even though we both live in London!  So we started off with a spot of shopping, and I wanted to give you a peek inside my shopping bag...

Here is Wendy who is doing a fine Princess/secretary/swot impersonation in Selfriges.  Note: she only put the tiara on for the photo shoot!

 

I treated myself to rather large Cherry Chau bug ring.  I thought to myself this ring would look great with a crisp white shirt , a trilby hat and a cigar...except I don't smoke, and I don't own a trilby...  (as we are on the subject of pretty costume jewelry, have a look at Satellite Jewelry their stuff is so lovely and the product shots are just amazing).

The  potpourri (called DOFTA - IKEA and their daft product names!) is from IKEA.  It smells yummy, like a fresh smelling soap (heavy air fresheners give me a headache) and a good sized bag only cost 40p!!    Also worth popping into your IKEA trolley (because most of us will end up braving the shopping nightmare that is IKEA sooner or later) is their PRESSA table top ironing board; the legs are fold-out, and it's a great size making it sooo handy for sewing rooms that don't have the space for a full size ironing board, oh, and it only costs £2.00!

Other stuff that Wendy & I will be getting up to this summer:

• Joining the London Stitch & Bitch - my knitting is pants! ::UPDATE:: look! look! A (so cute it hurts) pattern for ladybugs.
• Joining a rock band (no seriously!) we are both going to be drummers for a rock band each (well Wendy def is, my place is still to be confirmed, but it's looking likely - wish me luck!)
• I'm going to hold her hand while she get her ears pierced.
• She's going to teach me to bake bread
• I'm going to help her finish her first bag
• Hunt around for good Sushi joints, and Fish & Chippys in London

Are you doing anything nice with your sibling/s this holiday?

PS: For anyone who was wondering...the reason I haven't posted a pic of the purse (that I promised in an earlier post) is that I cut my hand whilst doing the washing up and I couldn't sew.  I was washing a glass and for some reason the bl*@dy thing just shattered in my hand!  Anyway all is well now, and normal sewing service can be resumed.  I'll post pics of the purse real soon.

Next post is Bag Eye Candy; see you then!

...and the winners of July's Amy Butler Pattern contest are...

Thanks to EVERYONE who entered in July.  Your entries all looked so beautiful and it's such a shame that you can't all walk away with a prize.  I emailed the Amy Butler Pattern flickr pool link to Amy so she could see what you have all been creating with her patterns and this was her reply:

"Thanks for sending the flickr pool link!!  Oh my goodness, this is so cool!

I do not know how you are going to decide!. Everyone's bags look amazing.

Please congratulate everyone for me. Their work is so impressive."

Looks like she is totally leaving the judging to me then!  Heh!  I have used a 2 step draw system to select the 3 winners.  I grouped together all of the Weekender Bags, the Frenchy Bags, and the Cabo tops (and so on) and the drew one entry out of each group.  Then I put each group entry into the final draw.  Hopefully you'll agree that is is more fair because as far as I can see  all of the Weekenders were beautifully made to the same super high standard...the same can be said for the Cabo Halters, and the In Town bags, and so on.  I'm not kidding, there is NOTHING to differentiate which one is better...this is not a cop out, see for yourself!!

 

OK, the July 07 winners are:

In Town Bag by Rebecca.  Rebecca has modified the pattern to make a single side strap and it looks great.   This is a very sweet and folksey bag.

Chelsea Bag by Caryn (aka Fuzzynoodleknits).  Lovely dreamy Amy B fabric on this bag, it looks very posh indeed!

Cabo Halter by Ali (aka Domesticali). More pattern modification (it's great that some of you are having a go at tweaking patterns to suit your needs). I love the way that Ali has made a neat job of modifying the straps to suit her.  A very worthwhile mention goes to Bradyphrenia's Cabo Halter, which was modified to make it into a dress; how cool is that!?

Congrats girls!  So, if Caryn, Ali, & Rebecca if you are watching, please let me know which Amy Butler pattern you'd like to get your mitts on, and to what address should I send it to.

Sorry to all of the folks who didn't get lucky this time.  I hope you'll try your luck in next month's Amy Butler Sewing Pattern contest. I will of course show next month's entries to Amy so she can check them out too :)  The closing date for the next month is 25th August.

Misc-listmania...

1. Have you told us about where your love of craft comes from yet?  Go on, you might win a sewing mag, and everyone else's comments make for some heart warming reading :)  You have until the end of 30th July.
2. I will be selecting the 3 winners for this months Amy Butler Sewing Pattern Contest at the end of today.  I am de-rrreading it, the standard is seriously high...I'm definitely going to have to buy some choccy to help me decide.  I will announce the 3 winners tomorrow (so you still have a few hours to get your entry in!)
3. Lots of you were wondering when the Bamboo Bag Handles would arrive.  Well, they finally have and they look fab!  The reason for the hold-up was that the last lot were less than perfect so I had a BIG MOAN at the factory and they made some nice, shiny, new replacements for me.
4. 15 pairs of the cutest bag handles arrived in the office today.  They are rare; when these 15 pairs have gone to good homes there are no more left to be had ...  I have some new glossy black bag handles in stock as well.
5. I'm in the middle of making a cute purse with this frame and this fabric.  I'll post pics tomorrow.
6. I have to give this smelly ol' fella a good wash:

I have this simple trick for getting Beans to hop into the bath (to his impending dog shampoo doom).  I chuck his fave toy in the bath and in leaps in after it!

Waddya know there IS a Sewing God!

I'm getting big warm fuzzies from reading about where your love of craft came from, and where you learned your skills from.  You've either got fond memories of learning at your Mum's, or Grannie's side, or someone else who was inspiring, or you love a challenge and you've taught yourself for fun or out of necessity.  Either way it's REALLY cosy reading your comments :)  I love the way that a lot of you are recalling these crafting memories with so much affection, and you are all obviously proud of your skills (and rightly so!!)  I hope we can pass the crafting tradition to the little ones.  Have you shared with us where your love of craft comes from yet?  Go on, you might win a sewing mag...

Hey you know what?  Remember a couple of posts ago I was going on about my messy work room and 'inexplicably losing my scissors, tape measure and chalk etc.' during and after a sewing sesh?  Well, a sewing God/ess heard my complaint and arranged for this to be sent through my letter box all the way from the US by Linda of Craft Apple:

Will you look at that?  A pretty, and useful Seamstress Apron pattern designed by Linda!   It was so uncanny I needed to make myself a cup of tea just to get over the coincidence (look at the description below "...you can't remember where you put your scissors?"  she's been spying on me.  Isn't the patchwork card really cute?  Linda sells this cool pattern and other designs here.

 

After winning in May's Amy Butler Contest Lindi said that she was really delighted and that she wanted to return the good luck (Chinese folks (Lindi is half Chinese) always return the favour or gift in some way because they believe it's good karma).  I told her that was kind, but not necessary.  Anyway that was yonks ago, and I forgot about it, until now.    This apron is thoughtfully designed and I think Al will now hear less of  "Oh [insert swear word] where's the blo@*y scissors/rotary cutter/chalk/marker (delete as appropriate)" coming from my workroom.  Thanks Linda X

 

Sewing Mags up for grabs!

Heh!  I'm glad that you enjoyed that horrendously messy office picture.  For those of you who thought for a second that it was a pic of MY office...well, my work space isn't quite up to Amy Butler standard, but I think it's bright and cheerful all the same.  Think mobiles hanging in the window, hanging plants, pics of my family and pics my siblings as goofy kids, lots of pics of the seaside (because I was born on the coast), and on my white board are these funny cartoons that Al keeps leaving as surprises for me.  I get quite attached to them so I can't wipe them off which means I'm running out of space to write my own stuff on it!

Clockwise from top: it's a frog (of course!) I have a soft spot for frogs;  Al says that he intended for the two red creatures to become parrots, but mid doodling he changed his mind...they're still cute whatever they are! and lastly, one funky cow!

Righty, onto the sewing mags.  After scanning the pages of Sewing World Magazine into my PC (in which my tutorials appear) I lend the magazine to my Mum.  She says a few "Ohhs & Ahhs" and then she shows the mag to Aunty, Granny, and some of her friends.  They all live really close to each other in the same town of Poole, in Dorset (a lovely part of the world and where I was born). 

So after the magazine has done the Lam family rounds, and perhaps Mum has made a few things from the mag (she is a sewing wizard, I attribute my love of sewing to her, she always had a huge stash of fabric and habby supplies for us to practice on and she taught me how to sew from when I was very young - thanks Mum, You Rock!) she then sends the mag back to me (if it's still in one piece, or not gotten lost!) 

I have two of those returned mags here, do you fancy them?  One is dated April 06, and the other is March 06, there are none of my bag patterns in either of these issues (I didn't start writing them until Oct 06) but they are great for anyone who loves to sew and they're both full of patterns and sewing tips.  I will be giving away 1 magazine each to 2 winners.

To enter all you have to do is comment on this post by sharing with us:

• Where does your love of sewing/or knitting/or crochet come from?
• Who taught you how to sew/knit/crochet?

I'll draw the 2 winners in a weeks time - 30th July.  Good luck! 

PS.  Sorry, I can't reply to contest/draw comments, but I do love reading every single one :)

Workroom mess & a gaggle of Market Bags.

I've been sewing like Billy-yo lately!  After so long of not having the time to sew bags, and pining for my dusty sewing machine, I got myself a whole bunch of customer bag orders to do.  By time I got the orders sorted, my work room looked pretty damn messy...

This is NOT my messy desk; the owner of this office is actually the winner of a messy desk contest.  I find this picture comforting because it reminds me that I am NOT the Queen of Messy.

...I'm sure you know the kind of mess I'm talking about; loose (vacuum resistant) threads that work themselves RIGHT into the carpet, your clothes, and even your hair, pins that have fallen onto the floor - YEEOOUCH!  and scissors, chalk, tape measure, all inexplicably missing?   Is this an uncanny description of your workroom too? 

So whilst my work room now resembles an exploded haberdashers I thought why not make even more mess and just carry with the marathon sewing session...ahh it's been wonderful to get properly re-aquainted with my girl again :)

I've just finished 3 Market Bags, and 2 of them are for sale in the Sample Sale Section of my shop.  I call them 'Market' bags because they are roomy, easy to get into, and I came up with the idea for the design whilst watching Amelie (for the umpteenth time).  I think they have a simple rustic charm to them (at least that's my opinion anyway!).

Leaf Market Bag made entirely from 100% Linen, in pistachio green, and sky blue.  Fresh as a daisy!

Inside the Leaf Market Bag.

 

Flora Market Bag made from 100% linen & 100% cotton.  I looove the raspberry pink, peacock green, and biscuit colour combo.  I think that something about the print and the colour combo makes this bag look quite  'arty'...

Inside view of the Flora Market Bag.

 

50's Kitchen Market Bag made from 100% cotton.  I'm sure yet whether this bag is going into the shop because: A) I haven't got anymore of this fabric left, and B) I love it!

Close-up view.  I love this fabric, it's both charming and daft at the same time...a bit like me heh! :)

Inside view of 50's Kitchen Market Bag.

Feeling Fabulous Friday, Fwinner!!

I really enjoyed reading through all of your fave beauty products.  I kid you not, I am currently bidding on eBay for a one or two beauty bits, and I'm also expecting something in the post.  How the hell am I going to sneak all of this must-have beauty stuff into the bathroom past my beloved??

Thanks everyone for entering this draw (and adding to this mega list of beauty products).  In all there were 102 comments, 4 of them were double entries (NOT including Mark who entered himself, and again on behalf of his girlfriend - sorry you didn't get lucky this time, buddy), and another comment which ended on the wrong post!  I have carried out the draw with the help of the trusty random number picker, which fancied the number 98.

So, will Sarah who wrote this comment:

"Very scary ad... My fav beauty product is Paul Mitchell Detangler for my naturally curly hair. Without it, I would be Ms. Frizz.

And if I by chance win, I would like the chocolate rectangular wood handles."

Please step forward, chuck me your postal address, and claim your handles.  Clappity clap, & congrats!  :)

Here another reminder for this:

July the 25th is the closing date for this month's Amy Butler bag, skirt, hat etc. contest.  Any and all can enter and three of you will win an Amy Butler Pattern of your choice!!

Click here to enter.  Good luck!