Back to School & New Listings

First, here’s my latest post over at Sew Green – Better Back to School Shopping.

Last month was a good month for me, in between Gala days and designing Wedding invitations (although sadly not my own. Yet). My struggle now is to try and keep up this momentum, as despite my successes I’m still on a very limited budget! So I’d like to introduce you to some of the new items in my Etsy shop…

Cuff/corsage made from reclaimed Indian silks and backed with organic cotton. The centre of the rose is embellished with crystal beads, and the body of the cuff is hand quilted with coloured silk threads (have I mentioned before how much I love sewing by hand?) £30. Available on Etsy: click here. I’m planning a bridal ivory/nude version for, and matching headband and choker. I’ve had these silks for a while, just waiting for the right idea to come along. It’s really satisfying to finally use them!!

Purses & wristlet made from a mixture of reclaimed, sustainable, vintage and organic materials (£20 and £45 respectively).  These guys are so cute, and each colour/pattern combination is limited edition because when I run out of any reclaimed/vintage fabric, it’s gone for good! The pattern for those little purses took so long to perfect — I’m used to visualising something, making it, and then making more because I like it. But with these I think I made four or five frustrating, fiddly failures before getting it right! See my bags & purses on Etsy: click here.

Jersey Wish Bracelets, made from cotton jersey, mostly salvaged from old t-shirts. At just £1 each, these have proven amazingly popular with girls of all ages! I’m going to be creating more non-bell charm bracelets soon, with some new purple and powder blue bands (:

I’m loving the chill in the air this past week or two, though there’s still the odd warm afternoon to sit out in the garden. Our neighbours on one side have trees that shed really early, so our lawn is covered in crispy crunchy leaves already. And I’ve just started planning my christmas shopping (don’t hit me!). This is my favourite time of year. (:

Say hello to the new collection!

Look! At last! Here it is! The first release of the new collection! This is the Small Adventure bag (£60/$87). Say hello! :)

I should be in bed, but I had to share the news. I’m sure when I look at the listing tomorrow I’ll have to amend it straight away, having unwittingly left out some vital details… but click here to see the Etsy listing anyway! I’m considering listing these on Folksy too, as they will be made to order (they have customisable elements). It might save my UK fans from feeling alienated!

With this collection, I really wanted to push my ethos further. So as usual, I have used my favourite hemp and organic cottons – but now many of these are also fair trade, so they’re ethical too! The shape of the bag itself was designed to waste as little fabric as possible – geometric shapes lend themselves to efficient pattern cutting. Plus it’s durable – not just in a physical sense, but in a design sense too. I can change the lining and the pattern panel to create a whole new look.

At first I was very taken with the idea that the outside of the bag would show glimpses of a more vibrant interior – and I’m really pleased with how that panned out. The teasing glimpse of the pink lining on the seams, and the full reveal of the patterned panel when you open the bag are details that I’m very pleased with. Also… I managed to wrangle a lot of hand stitching into the construction, so I’m a happy Maimy. :)

I hope you like it!

New listings for January

I’m listening to lots of vintage Iron Maiden to try and boost my energy levels today — it’s very cold and very grey (which makes me feel cold & grey. Boo). But some good news: I have two new products for January which are available not only on Etsy, but are (or soon will be) also found at The Green Apple (thanks Mickey!) alongside some really fantastic designers.

Crochet Charm Purse

Recycled Sari Peep Bag

Colour colour colour colour! Need more colour! Bring on spring time!

Next week, next year

I feel like I’ve had a really busy couple of weeks, and it’s not about to slow down. Two house parties later, and I think maybe greetings cards are the way forward! Speaking of which, I listed a set on Etsy last week:

Visit my Etsy shop to see them, and look out for matching gift tags on a printable PDF! Each design is a digital print of one of my original watercolours (which were painted on hemp paper, also used as the background for the final designs). They are printed on to sustainable card and have a beautiful smooth, matte finish – they’re surprisingly tactile!

This Friday is my graduation ceremony, then on Sunday I’ll be at Designer’s Marketplace with the girls, then the following Thursday will be my house party…

If you’re anything like me, though, you’re already thinking ahead to spring/summer 2010. I have a bunch of exciting new ideas that I’m hoping to realise by February – if I can wait that long ;) I’m thinking a mix of digital and hand block printing, lots of colour and beautiful, tactile eco fabrics. Sound good?