Heidi and Seek and Ethical Fashion

an update on things

2010-08-09T17:20:00.004+10:00

If you haven't followed me to my new blog - hello! It's been a while.

I've officially stopped Heidi & Seek for good - however! - I have a new project in the works and it'll involve sharing my DIY eco-sewing knowledge online (and in person), perhaps selling some made-by-me clothing samples, as well as some other exciting things I haven't fully hashed out just yet.

But I wanted to introduce what I've been doing over at my new blog just in case you're interested.

UPDATE: The links below don't work anymore, but all the content is at thinkermaker.com.au.

In a nutshell, Remade in Melbourne is about thinking more mindfully about what we buy and how we live.

It's about our personal relationships with buying stuff: owning our stuff instead of letting it own us. It's about buying second-hand, since consuming this way has much less impact on the environment. It's about adoring the things we do own - the DIY and make-do ways to have nice things (ways that don't have nearly as many social and environmental consequences as heading over to K-Mart, or even that great little indie goods shop).

It's about being conscious of all these things with as little guilt and bad-feelings as possible (I know that sounds contradictory, but that's why I write about self work, too - it's not).

I'm seriously loving blogging at the moment. It's easy to do because I'm now writing about the issues I care most about, and the writing itself seems to be a sort of therapy, more than ever before.

Anyway, if you would like to get aquainted, here are the ten most popular posts:

Or, if you're interested in a particular topic, here are the links to each category.

psychology of stuff
personal style
things I made
self work
thrifting
ethical clothing pledge
mindful parenting
ethical health and beauty
tutorials (at the moment there are two about how to sew a t-shirt)
fun brewing (posts about business projects I'm working on)

And here are some of the best posts from each category:

psychology of stuff

The perils of thrifting. Or, how to consume mindfully.
Pulling apart my relationship with buying stuff
Using containers to reduce your stuff
The perks of being picky

personal style

The politics of fashion
My personal style
Which colours suit me?
The liberation of knowing your colours

things I made

Campaign shirt into pyjama pants
Second hand (reconstructing a maternity skirt into pants and a tunic for my daughter)
Refashioned jewellery
Red, reconstruction

self work

The art of being nice to yourself
Everyday mindfulness
On spirituality
Creative flow
Creative stagnation

thrifting

Building a preloved wardrobe
My new favourite (ethical) coat
Get one, donate one
Presents stock
Thrifted magazines

ethical clothing pledge

Ethical clothing pledge
Two months later

mindful parenting

Kids and consumption

ethical health and beauty

Skin and body care

tutorials

T-shirt pattern from an existing top
Make a t-shirt from your pattern

fun brewing (biz projects)

For inexperienced sewists
Transition!

I would love to meet you over there, so I hope you come and visit! I'm at remade.com.au.

new blog

2010-03-19T19:45:00.002+11:00

I'm done customising my new blog! You can now find me at Remade.com.au.

Here's is it's purpose, from the 'about' page of the new site:

Remade is about how to be kind. To the environment. To every soul we share this planet with. And, importantly, to yourself.

It has a lot to do with what you buy or don’t buy, because we live in a consumer-driven culture. We are being increasingly defined by the things we have, to our detriment. I believe in the importance of being surrounded by beautiful things you love. But I don’t believe that this must come at the expense of the planet and it’s occupants. Nor do I think we must have ten of every beautiful thing. More is not more.

You may already know about the negative effects of buying new stuff. If not, please take a look at The Story of Stuff.

This little blog is about creating, thrifting and making do. It’s about living your life on your own terms and according to your values, rather than the values that the advertising industry and their clients force on us. It’s not about sacrifice. It’s about freedom.

I don’t have all the answers. I’m certainly not ethically perfect. This blog is my journey to greater ethical living. I hope mine will run alongside yours.

One thing I'm definitely planning is to compile some reconstructing/clothes-making tutorials.

Stop on over and please let me know what you think!

the little things

2010-03-13T16:50:00.006+11:00

I thought of this little game for Ellie.

And was so happy to see that she adored it. Since there are two knitting needles to thread, there's one for her, and one for whoever is sitting with her. 'One you!' as she puts it. The wooden beads are from an old necklace I had but never wore, and the red bowl and the knitting needles are from an op shop - for a grand total of $1.50.

[PS. How awesome is her little elephant desk?! I should get a better pic of it. It's from the Melbourne Zoo, weirdly enough.]

The book publishing job fell through, so I'm back to just studying this year.

It seems that I'm not content with 'just studying' though, so I've been coming up with a number of ideas about products to make and ventures to try when I finish my degree. In the short term I'm planning to start up a new blog focusing on eco-minded craft and living. It's my goal to post something every weekday - something new for me, but I really want to push myself and see if I can do it. Self-discipline is usually something I struggle with, but I've learnt a lot in the past couple of years. I never gave this blog my complete attention because my focus was always on the making and selling, so it will be interesting to see what happens when my focus is a blog by itself.

During the last week I've been battling with Wordpress because I'm self-hosting the new blog and doing the design and coding myself. For some reason when I add images, they don't appear in the post... Anyway, when it's done and I've made a couple of posts I'll show you. Hope you like.

jewellery storage

2010-02-18T11:02:00.005+11:00

A while ago I found this old broken cupboard door and have been using it to pin up photos and things. But now it's much more useful. I just put some nails in it to hang up my necklaces. (I culled about half my collection first.)

I've been searching for a storage solution for my necklaces for a little while now. They've been jammed in a drawer in individual plastic zippies for a few years, but I usually forgot about them there, so I never tended to wear much jewellery as a consequence. I'm sure I'll be wearing necklaces much more often now that they're on display. And they're much easier to choose between.

I was planning to make a jewellery tree, but I much prefer this, plus I didn't need any new materials. Yay for being creative with stuff you already own.

Speaking of jewellery, I'm a little in love with an Etsy shop called Moth House. Particularly these three pieces.

And especially particularly the bracelet. My birthday's coming up in a couple months...

impulse buy

2010-02-03T19:41:00.003+11:00

Vintage 60s block dress from Bleubird Vintage

I come across lots of vintage pieces and shops online, but nothing usually takes my fancy. A lot of the higher end vintage e-stores tend to have a bunch of 'trendy' going on, and I'm really aware of how those trends date fast.

So I don't think I've bought a vintage piece of clothing since about two years ago when I scored a $9 wool blazer. Usually I'm like, 'Ahh, I can make something I like better than that for much cheaper' and move on.

But I was unable to let this dress go to someone else.

I'm excited.

reorganising

2010-02-01T17:48:00.010+11:00

I'm reorganising our space. No longer will clothing, materials, dressforms and such take over the house, hurrah! I joke, but it really does make a big difference to me. As a place to live for Tim, Ellie and I, our unit is a nice size. Not huge, not tiny, just kind of perfect. As a place to live for us three, plus a clothing studio, it's crowded and a bit ridiculous.

Since we've moved in two years ago, I've always been distracted and haven't devoted much time to interior design. Besides that, we have so much stuff that we don't use or need, and I hadn't gone through it all properly before. I'm doing it now, and it feels so good to get rid of things. I can be a bit of a hoarder, but I can just as easily decide to chuck a thing if it takes me more than three seconds to decide. I'm a firm believer in only keeping things you love (or, turning things you don't love into things you do) but I tend to know instinctively whether something is/can be meaningful to me.

Everything has been going to charity or to Reverse Art Truck.

I'm on a ban from buying any clothing to reconstruct, because I've still got two huge tubs worth of the special pieces I wanted to keep for my personal stash.

I love love arranging things, so I'm having a great time making our place cosy and quirky and nice. So far I've only finished with my desk area, so I'll show you that.

Featuring two of my favourite op shop finds everr.

This vintage green magnetic board with a cute leaf border. This isn't the best place for it, but I'll figure out another spot for it later. I just like looking at it.

This little wooden bear whom I've named Oxford. Oxford, meet the Internet.

in 2010

2010-01-28T21:31:00.004+11:00

So I know I've kind of disappeared off the face of the Internet lately. Sorry about that, guys. And I hope you all had wonderful Christmases and New Years'. We had a brilliant day.

Anyway. I've been doing some serious soul searching, goal deciding, career thinking. I've decided to take an extended break from Heidi & Seek while I finish off my degree in 2010. My Etsy shop will still be open, but I won't be adding new stock to it.

I used to enjoy making clothes with my hands, but having to churn them out for business and profit has truly dulled the joy. So I'm taking some time to find my direction, to look for that energising passion again, even if I find it elsewhere in the end.

I have a number of ideas about paths I might like to follow. Teacher, editor, writer. I have a persistent idea for another business venture, but I'm going to take my time with this one. I'll let you know if/when it gets off the ground, because I'm sure you'd all love it.

Needless to say, I'm still incredibly environmentally-inclined, and I believe in the superpowers of craft. If I have my way, many more people will come to realise the neverending number of crafty ways to live prettily and happily without exploiting the planet.

possibilities

2009-11-27T10:32:00.004+11:00

One of the poop things about being a 'creative' is the grand ideas that you get and are so so interested in seeing through that a) you don't know which to do first, and b) whatever you're supposed to be doing is either resented or ignored.

Here are the things right up there on my 'WANT-TO' list:

Write a novel.
Write & publish a making and patternmaking for t-shirts book.
Learn to draw.
Start making bags.
Consume every bit of interesting fiction there is. (I just finished the audiobooks of the Harry Potter series.. I seriously feel like a little bit of me has died because it's over.)

Anyway, here I am in the middle of a pile of flyers that need halving for Fair@Square, orders that need posting, fashion show dresses that need descriptions to be written, and an application that needs filling out. It's not that I don't want to do these things, it's just that - well, think of the possibilities of the next couple of hours. Endless.

Of course there are many more awesome things than bad about running a creative business. I suppose I just always want more. I think that's a good thing, though, in the scheme of things.

fair@square, peppermint and summer dresses

2009-11-26T11:39:00.005+11:00

Next month I'm going to be showing several dresses of mine at the fashion parade of the Fair@Square Festival. It's at Fed Square in Melbourne on Sunday December 13th from 11am-7pm and all about embracing all that's ethical and fair trade.

As well as the fashion show, there's going to be panel discussions and workshops - t-shirt reconstruction, screenprinting, hat-making and kids craft activities. Plus you can shop for fair trade and ethical goods from over 50 vendors. I won't be selling, I'm just going to be presenting at the fashion show. Come along, if you're in the area! It's sure to be heaps of fun and educational, too.

The festival is being sponsored by the wonderful Peppermint Magazine, among others, which makes a good segway for pointing out that I'm in the latest issue, yay!

(click to enlarge)

I thought I'd show you some of the one-off dresses I've been making lately. I haven't decided which to present at the fashion parade yet. Your thoughts would be lovely!

Which do you like best?

inspiration: boo radley

2009-11-20T08:17:00.006+11:00

I wanted to show you what I've been making lately but Tim keeps running off with both our cameras for his volunteer work at the AYCC. They're a bit different in style to the tshirts up in my shop at the moment, because I've included more lace, more detail, more flowiness, and they're all one-offs.

It's so stinking hot here in Melbourne at the moment that sleeves are too much to bear, so I've been making light and flowy sleeveless tops and I'm going to start on summer dresses today. Pictures to come!

I'm having difficulty working out which method works for me best: sticking to styles or creating one-offs. Styles take more effort to prepare, but once prepared they're easier to make up. One-offs can often be a headache as they can be quite challenging and time-consuming. And sometimes they don't work out. But they are more interesting to make. I guess I'll just make some of each. Maybe the one-offs can be samples that I'll make up into styles if they're well received.

On another note, here's a local designer samples outlet just down the road from me that I entered for the first time and I was so impressed by the collection of interesting pieces - there's very few 'trendy' items there, just timeless goodness. If you live in nearby I really recommend it because the prices are very reasonable too. It's called Neo Rococo and it's at 269 Whitehorse Road, Balwyn.

They stock a Melbourne label called Boo Radley and I have been feeling very inspired by the pieces I saw. I checked them out online afterwards and found that the styling wasn't my cup of tea, but I think the work is so much better in person. They have a very good eye for interesting details.

And! Boo Radley is having an end of year summer sale at their warehouse in Collingwood. Everything below $50.
Thursday Nov 26th to Sunday Nov 29th
Boo Radley Warehouse: 114-118 Campbell Street, Collingwood Vic 3066 (off Johnson St.)
9:30 am to 5pm

Yay for local talent.

things i wish i knew before i opened shop

2009-11-13T10:50:00.012+11:00

I just got this wonderful recycled wood sign custom made for me by William Dohman on Etsy. I've had my eye on his signs for a while now, but only just found cause to get one. It's to remind me of my goals, to help me stop being hard on myself, and to remember to keep being aware of and working on my 'stuff' (issues I have that stop me living how I'd like).

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I work and what I've learnt. I've been making more of an effort to notice and improve what doesn't work for me, thanks to Havi. But I've learnt lots all along the way since I started last year (it feels like so much longer than that).

Here are the things I wish I knew before I got myself into this whole Heidi & Seek shebang.

Be nice to myself.
Don't run away from difficulties. Question them, write down thoughts and feelings (non-judgmentally) and figure it out.
Free press is way more useful than paid advertising. And keep in touch with publications.
Make things. Make new things. Constantly. Give visitors new things to look at as often as possible, and keep it consistent.
Listening to audio books while sewing keeps me focused (currently working my way through Harry Potter, I'm at Order of the Phoenix).
But listening to myself about when I need breaks is better than burning out and getting frustrated.
Don't do things that make me feel stressed and uneasy, but do do things that are a bit outside my comfort zone if I think it'll be good in the long run.
Don't make important business decisions quickly. Considers the risks involved first and talk it through with someone. Let it sit for a week or two before deciding.
File emails like I would files on my computer. Don't be afraid to delete mass emails. File emails as soon as I've read and dealt with them. Keep my inbox tiny or close to empty, with only the 'to-do' emails in it.
Don't check blogs in my Google Reader every time I get a chance. Do it when I'm taking a break if I feel like it, and don't worry about not keeping up.
There is a remote control for my camera (I found one online recently after thinking they didn't exist) and it makes photo shoots so much quicker!
Instead of editing each picture in Photoshop individually, set up an Action with Levels, a little Curves, Rotate and Resize, Save and Close. Then automate the entire shoot's folder to save to a 'fixed' folder within it. Then it's just a few clicks, and a wait for Photoshop to create the finished photos.
Blogging for the sake of blogging doesn't work. Blogging with a purpose and my unique voice works much better.
It's best to have a light, non-busy background for photos. When I started, I took pictures in front of a brick wall that was quite distracting.
In terms of social networking and 'getting your name out there', it's best to do a few things well than do many things without much dedication. It's also better to concentrate on the enjoyable ones.
Get out of the house regularly. Find ways to work elsewhere for a little bit, like a cafe, or at least just take a walk.
Don't spend so much time looking up handmade business tutorials. I kept doing this long after I felt I wasn't learning anything new. The time is better spent sitting down with a pen and paper and working out what will work best for my business.
Choose a label name that means something to me and what I hope to achieve. I came up with Heidi & Seek long before I had a real business idea, but just stuck with it because I had the domain name. I'm not going to change it but I wish I'd chosen something more expressive of my ethics.
Don't start watching a horrible, addictive TV show halfway through a work day, despite the break I'm on. I'm looking at you, One Tree Hill (which has since been boycotted on the grounds of excessive clicheness).

I could probably think of more with some extra time. I still have so much to learn, but I'm grateful that I've come this far.

If you have a business, perhaps you'd like to make a blog post with the same title as this one? Be sure to post the link in the comments section, I'd love to read them!

relaunched

2009-11-06T22:56:00.005+11:00

I'm done, I'm done! And so excited. Check out my relaunched shop at heidiandseek.etsy.com and let me know what you think of my new direction?

I've got five styles. Come meet them.

Mia

Yoki

Snoop

Emelda

Oh Bow

It's interesting how completely different the same style can be with the different fabrics used. Though, I sometimes have changed up the styles a tiny bit to fit the fabrics.

heidiandseek.etsy.com

savers haul

2009-10-28T16:53:00.006+11:00

I just got off the phone with Jo from Frankie magazine for an interview in an upcoming issue. As a teenager I was totally shy, and I'm still kind of getting over it, so I was nervous-but-thinking-happy-thoughts. Near the beginning I had a total brain freeze at one of her questions but otherwise it was a lovely conversation. There's a photo shoot sometime soon and I have no idea what I'm going to wear (I'm such a girl).

Yesterday I went to Savers with Ellie, which is tricky business. She's not content for very long in the pram without it moving, and when I get her out it's all 'Mummy!' repeatedly until I give her my full attention, and then a dragging me in the toy direction, where I must be constantly fascinated with her at various buttons and switches and pictures. If I then turn to look at something else there's a 'Mummy!' again, in that 'and what do you think you're doing?' tone.

Fortunately, she can be reasoned with. I figure that if I give her some of what she wants, it's then my turn. It doesn't always sit perfectly with her, but I think she's getting it. We spent time in the toy section, time in the clothes section, and then wandered across the street to get some lunch, look at the pets, and climb up on the mechanical coin-slot Barney car (yes, me too, she patted the tiny seat next to her each time she sat down). After that she fell asleep and I had some more time in Savers. It was fortunate because I found these gorgeous vintage sheets and fabric bits to turn into pretty clothes.

And this little top for my little person.

Plus I got a couple of gorgeous ethnic woven cushions which are being washed so no photos just now. All this plus a huge load of t-shirts to reconstruct and a Bananas in Pyjamas video makes it my biggest Savers haul. I must go back to Greensborough more often.

style number two

2009-10-25T07:23:00.004+11:00

The Yoki tee. Available in different size and colour combos in my Etsy shop upon relaunch (visit the shop to sign up to receive an email when it reopens).

flow

2009-10-22T20:22:00.004+11:00

I've never before had a change-my-life breakthrough. Sometimes I get really excited about a new idea and hope that it's going to solve my problems (like this one), but it doesn't end up making a huge difference in the end.

I came across The Fluent Self about a month ago. I read a few pages and a bunch of the blog and thought I'd stumbled across something exactly up my alley. I like that Havi is genuine, has a sense of humour, and writes really well. And I'm her right person!

An hour later I wanted to fork over the $108USD for Havi's Dissolve Procrastination package, but I decided it probably would be something I just procrastinated reading - another distraction.

I'd been getting particularly stuck before I wrote my last post but felt a bit better after coming to some realisations:

Bullying myself made me feel even more like poo (but I didn't know how to stop)
I felt defeated afterwards (but I didn't know what to do about that)
It helped to focus on making a choice in the moment without thinking about how much was still to go or all the other items on my to-do list (but I'm actually quite a good planner. I love planning. When I don't feel stuck.)

Penny's comment (thank you Penny!!) reminded me of The Fluent Self and I was feeling motivated enough to work on my problem, so I bought the package.

Thank god.

There is barely a word in the book that I didn't have the "yes, exactly!" response to. I guess I knew about some of the principles in it, such as that the root of the problem is blaming and being hard on yourself, but I didn't know what to do about that. I didn't get the concept completely, but it's all laid out in such an easy-to-understand way in Havi's book and I get it now.

So. I'm being nice to myself. I'm allowing myself to feel that I don't want to do something. How I feel is allowed. I'm in the process of removing the 'shoulds' and blame, and when that bad habit does come up, I'm just letting myself be aware that the blame is there, and then deciding whether I want it to be. I'm reminding myself to keep in mind that my goal isn't about getting to x point, it's about flow. It's not about the end result, it's about being happy with myself. After removing the blame, all that's left is me, without all that blockage and inner struggle. I'm free to make choices about what's best for me and I'm trusting myself to know when I need a break and when I really want to be working. (Most of the time, I want to be working, so I do.) I'm enjoying the process, and I'm really, really motivated to make my business great.

Now that I've starting working with myself instead of against myself, I can work out which techniques will help me work best (there's a bunch of ideas for that in the Dissolve Procrastination package, too). I'm keeping a notebook of little observations about how I work, what makes me more likely to want to procrastinate, and what makes me want to work.

I know I'm not 'fixed', just like that. I know it's something I'll have to keep working on. But I know how to maintain this. I'm confident that things won't be as bad as they were ever again.

$108 is almost too little a price to pay for that.

defeat

2009-10-19T19:37:00.004+11:00

I've been having a lot of trouble with motivation and procrastination lately, more than usual. This is an issue I had second thoughts about posting in case I give the impression that I'm lazy or not dedicated enough. Those are definite fears of mine. But I figure that most people have these issues, and they're not going to go away by ignoring them.

I'll give you a run down of my morning.

I got to sleep in (for me that's getting up at 8am), I stayed in my pyjamas and got right to work making Yoki tees while listening to Triple J's Hack podcast. I made two tees and then ran out of episodes of Hack to listen to. I made some food and ate it while looking for other podcasts to listen to.

For two hours. I didn't want to get back to work and the distraction was a relief.

One genre of podcast I came across was the motivation variety, and I listened to a few, mostly unimpressed. I started searching out articles on motivation and time management. Some time during the search I realised that none of them would help me. None of the authors know me. They don't know which unique combination of things works for me. They don't know the cause of my problem.

I realised that if I wanted answers, the only place I'd find them was in my own head. I guess it helps to know which techniques are out there. But the techniques I've found most useful are the ones I've come up with myself because I saw a problem and took the time to think about how to fix it in a way that works for me.

I opened a blank text file and started writing about what my bad work habits are, what my thought process is when they occur, why they happen and some ideas on how to alter them. Writing my thoughts down always helps to shed light on them.

I think I figured out what my problem is. Problems are.

I'm a bully to myself. I can't shake the thought that success and productivity are about control, that I need to push myself hard, harder, and force myself to fit into schedules, deadlines, I "should" do this and I "can't" do this.

I feel defeated every time I should be working and I'm not. I feel like I've given in, and even if it's only been ten minutes, my motivation declines to zero because I haven't had the willpower to stay productive. And if I don't have the willpower, how on earth do I expect to be successful? And if I can't be successful, what's the point? I'm procrastinating and lazy and I might as well give up now because it's too hard. I try to escape and distract myself with anything but work. I write off that hour or the rest of that day, thinking that tomorrow will be a new day and it'll be different and I'll definitely work harder then.

With all that written down I could try to work out solutions.

I think the root of my issue is feeling defeated. So I wrote, "What will help me to not feel defeated?" and rambled whatever came to mind. What sprang from that was the idea that I need to disregard thoughts of later or tomorrow, and how overwhelming the work I have to do between now and then is. I need to focus on now. And I need to make a choice, right now. I need to choose defeat or strength. Every minute is another minute that I have a choice about.

When I feel strong and capable I work best. When I feel defeated it doesn't matter which amazing time management techniques I try to enforce, my productivity still suffers.

It sounds a bit New-Agey, but I wrote down the positive ideas that address the root of my problem on Post-Its and stuck them around the place. It immediately made me feel energised again.

I don't want to have to bully myself into working. It's helpful to remember that I have a choice, that I can do this and that I want to do this. It's helpful to remember that these are things I enjoy. Instead of feeling backed into a corner and looking for an escape, I want to feel confident enough to be able to focus on what's important to me.

If you don't relate to this issue, it might sound ridiculous and obvious. If you sum it up in a sentence it seems simple, but I think it's pretty complex. For me, it is by far the most challenging aspect of running a business.

I'm going to spend a little time regularly to think and write journal-style about how to improve it. I can work it out.

writing a sewing book and tutoring

2009-10-08T09:52:00.003+11:00

I want to write a book. Or I should say I'm going to write a book. The idea has been swimming in my head for ages and I keep coming back to it and thinking of more reasons why I want to do it.

It will include everything I know about sewing and pattern-making in knit (t-shirt) fabrics. I took the hard road in my learning by taking a little bit from books, a little bit from online tutorials, a little bit from my fashion course, and a lot of trial and error.

I want to empower people to think outside the box, to express their own style rather than the looks of the magazine stylists, to never have to rely on made-in-china cheap finds in the shops, and to have clothes that fit you exactly as you want them to.

I need your help.
Have you tried sewing? Have you tried sewing knit fabrics?
If not, what's stopping you?
If you have, what info out there do you think is missing that you want to know?

I'd love to hear from every one of you! It would be a big help.

tutoring

In the interest of experiece (and because I think it'd be fun) I'm looking to tutor a few local girls everything I know about sewing and patternmaking in knit fabrics, and I'm letting you guys get first dibs! If you're interested and live in Surrey Hills or surrounds in the Melbourne suburbs, shoot me an email for more details at hayley [at] heidiandseek.com. Those who have never used a sewing machine before are very welcome (in fact, I'd love to teach someone from the start).

eco your coffee addiction

2009-10-05T09:32:00.005+11:00

I have to admit that I'm a tea-drinker and don't like coffee much at all. But Tim can't start the day without his, and it used to result in an expensive daily purchase of take away coffee because he couldn't stand the crappy instant coffee he'd tried. A while ago he found a brand of tasty instant organic coffee at the supermarket, but it's pretty expensive at $8 for 100g.

Fortunately, when I went looking on the shelf for it at the supermarket yesterday there was none there, so I checked online. The Australian company, Nature's Cuppa, is having an online special on the coffee granules I was after, at $60 for 6 jars of 200g, including shipping. That's $5 per 100g instead of $8, so I saved $36. The coffee is certified under international codes for its organic and environmental protection of forests, birds and wildlife.

I thought a coffee-drinking reader or two out there might like to take advantage of the bargain as well. You could try some at the supermarket before buying 6 jars of it.

I also went looking for a good thermal cup, because the ones we bought in the past broke after a couple of months. I found the KeepCup. They're cute, environmentally-friendly and the company is based right here in Melbourne. It's designed to replace unrecycleable take-away cups when you visit a cafe with it, and is made from the most eco-friendly plastics they could use.

Tim's:
Mine:

Aw.

style number one

2009-10-01T09:18:00.004+10:00

The past couple of weeks have been hectic with distractions. Family life has been more stressful than usual and it's amazing how terribly that affects my work motivation and productivity. It's also amazing how having wonderfully relaxed family days can make me feel incredibly energised. I feel like my mojo has returned a bit since Tuesday in the park with Tim, Ellie, the sun (how I've missed thee!) and plenty of fruit.

Anyway. Meet my new friend:

He's a beast, but a tame one when you know how to handle him. I'm a little in love.

I've made up a basic tshirt pattern with a casual fit - it tapers in at the waist a little and has a little bit of extra room at the hips. I think shirts that are tight at the hip are the worst - any size person will display some sort of muffin-top if they're wearing jeans.

My first style is a casual fit tee with contrasting sleeves and a scoop neckline that gets wider at the front. What do you think?

I'm going to be filling my Incube8r space with just these in different colours and sizes. There's not enough room to provide a good selection of more than one style there, I think. So I'll see how these go. By next week I should have enough to fill the shop space and I'll take them in. Then I'll be developing other styles and making some for my Etsy shop. I have to work on the Incube8r stock first, because the rent keeps coming so it costs me money to wait.

have you voted?

2009-09-18T13:26:00.005+10:00

This week, the online voting lines are open for the national Australian climate change poll. I blogged about it here if you missed it. If you haven't voted yet, head over to YOUth Decide and do so! And tell your friends to vote as well. We've only got a few days left.

Aren't the flash mobs in the video cute? I'd never heard of flash mobs before this. If you haven't either, they're a form of art or activism (or both) where people in public, seemingly randomly, break into dance. This is the first one I saw and I was totally gobsmacked by it's awesomeness:

It was put on by the Australian Youth Climate Coalition a few months ago, with choreography by So You Think You Can Dance. I think it got some kind of global flash mob award? I'm really proud of Australia for getting together and putting on events like these.

what do you like about heidi & seek?

2009-09-17T22:22:00.006+10:00

I have been thinking more and more about concentrating on a few popular styles. I'd make them each up in different fabrics so they would still be one-of-a-kind, and I'd make sure to have at least a full size range in each style.

That way, customers wouldn't have to miss out so much on things that aren't in their size or that have sold. It would bring me more design focus and direction. I came across the concept of 'choice paralysis' today, where when we have too many choices it can lead to us avoiding making one, or any. Maybe that's partly the rut I've been feeling recently.

Anyway, I have gone back and looked at some of my favourite past styles. I'm starting with what I know best - tops.

I'd want to make this one a top rather than a jumper:

See, I have too many choices. Again. Although one design that is a must-have in my new set of styles is the Yoki tee, in one of its variations:

I was wondering, lovely reader, what your thoughts on the matter are? Is there a previous shirt design of mine that you'd like to see again?

powering through

2009-09-16T09:46:00.004+10:00

I am sitting here in the midst of reorganising my studio once again, to make room for the industrial overlocker I bought. My old domestic one broke. My new Bernina Activa has been having issues as well for the past month or so. I took it to the local repairs place and was told there was nothing wrong with it, but there obviously was.

So I trekked out to Nick Ciancio Sewing Machines in Footscray after a recommendation and a phone call that assured me they knew what they were doing. They fixed the Bernina on the spot - there was a piece of thread stuck around the take up lever - and I put in my overlocker for repair.

They had one old industrial overlocker for sale that they'd fixed up and I bought it, sick of dealing with domestic machine issues and feeling that I'm ready for that next step. Nick patiently showed me how to thread it, gave me a go, and explained the differencial feed to me (which I'd never really understood until then). Both Nick and his son were very helpful and competent. I also appreciate that they're a small family business and that they specialise in restoring old machines that other dealers won't touch.

It's being delivered today.

This is just one of the issues that have been stopping me from getting Heidi & Seek moving as quickly as possible. There always seems to be something cropping up and getting in the way, and instead of powering through and keeping to schedule, I get frustrated at all the things that aren't going as planned, and that makes me more distracted. I feel like I know where I need to be but it just seems so far away. I've considered quitting once or twice, but I truly don't think that would work. This is my only option because it's the only one I want.

So here I go, trying to move past the distractions and finish making my patterns so I can get moving.

woods and fields ethical fashion & link love

2009-09-11T09:06:00.006+10:00

Melbournians, you can now find my work at Woods and Fields Ethical Fashion, a newish shop in Syndey Road, Brunswick. The owner, Elysia, is lovely. She's studying textiles because she wanted sustainable fabrics but couldn't find them - what better idea than to learn how to make them yourself.

I've had some lovely people say lovely things about my blog and label recently so I thought I'd share:

Treehugger put me at #1 for Green Fashion: 7 Australian Designers You Need to Know.

Evolved Fashion awarded me an 'Evolved Blogger' award. There's 50 quality blogs listed here with a sustainable fashion focus, so I'm going to enjoy checking out the ones I haven't heard of.

And the lovely Clare from Pretty Green gave me this blog award, thank you!

I'm among some kick-butt company at all three links so I'm really very flattered.

I need to to list ten random things about myself for Clare's award so here goes!

A couple of weeks ago we bought a perfect second-hand car, a 2001 Hyundai Elantra in immaculate condition, with great service history and at a heavily reduced price. Today it got towed because Tim caused a little car accident. (No one got hurt.) We only have third party insurance.
Last Sunday for Father's Day, Ellie and I made this notebook for Tim - Ellie did the sticking and drawing, and I glued and finished it. I secretly wish that I'd made it for myself. Except for the Mod Podge and masking tape, it's made from completely recycled materials.
As per my budgeting plan, I've been successfully living off $50 a week for the past two weeks. That includes groceries, food and etceteras that aren't bills. It doesn't include op shop purchases or petrol though.
I bought a perfect blank Collins 2009 diary from an op shop the other day, which I'm going to use for 2010 and just manually (and creatively) alter all the dates. Tim thinks I'm weird.
I'm constantly late. I think I'm still stuck in babyless mode, where I could just throw a bag over my shoulder and walk out the door. Now I have to change a nappy, make sure Ellie's bag is packed, get some snacks and a drink to take, clean her hands and face, and deal with the dawdling that happens when you're 2 and no place to be is urgent.
I just discovered social bookmarking. Well, I'm not as interested in the social part as I am in being able to organise my bookmarks and use nifty features like sticky notes and highlighting on the bookmarked pages. I signed up to Diigo, added the toolbar and I'm surprised how often I'm using it. You can also bookmark sites as 'unread' so you can come back to them later.
I kind of envy makers who can stay up making until late in the evening. I mean, I usually stay up late, but by about 6pm I feel like I've used up all my making energy. I can work late on the computer or something, but not the sewing machine. Weird.
The last movie I watched was Adventureland, which I was drawn to because it has Kristen Stewart from Twilight in it and I'm kind of attached to Twilight, despite not wanting to be and acknowledging how ridiculous it is. (I drew the line at the end of book one, but I will be watching all the movies.) By the way, Adventureland is good stuff.
I've had a bias tape maker for years, but have yet to use it.
Every time I go for a walk I look at each house and think about what it would be like to own it. We are renting and I have major homeowner envy. It doesn't help that many of the houses in our area are gorgeous and/or huge.

I'm passing on the award to:

Tricia from Little Eco Footprints
Adele from modernemotive
Nikki from Nikki-Shell
Gina from clutterpunk
Yana from Supayana
Sarah from forevayoung vintage
Jen from Rejenerating Fashion
Flossy from Flossy-P
Emma from Owl and the Grapes
Ali J from Aussie Patches

franny armstrong and ethical living

2009-09-11T08:35:00.005+10:00

I've been getting more and more inspired by the maker of The Age of Stupid Franny Armstrong. Here's a quick interview with her about how making the movie increased her carbon footprint and about her fulfillment in making a difference. I also really like this quote about her, from her Wikipedia page: "When, in a few years' time, Franny Armstrong is being discussed as one of the key documentary film-makers of our generation, you can say you were in there at the start."

I want to get a hold of her previous documentary, McLibel, because I don't know much about the ethics of McDonalds, except that they're probably non-existant. I'm going to try to forego my occasional french fries purchase, but without knowing compelling evidence it's sometimes easy to ignore that nagging feeling.

That's an idea that you're probably already familiar with, but I'm going to remind you about it anyway: positive purchasing. When you are a customer of a company, you sustain them and reinforce what they're doing, whether that's ethical or not. It's our job to find out which companies are aligned with our ethics (or which is the lesser evil, in some cases) and to support them. Looked at another way, it's also moral boycotting.

And it's not just at gift-giving time that we can choose handmade. It's a way of every day living, to try to ensure we're being kind to both the environment and people. It doesn't have to be expensive, often it's cheaper. If I eat before leaving home I won't have had to spend money on drive-through fries. A second-hand piece of furniture costs less than a new piece. If I buy less processed foods, I can afford to buy organic basics. Etc.

What have you bought this week? Could you have made more ethical choices instead?

the age of stupid

2009-09-02T16:39:00.003+10:00

Australia & New Zealand Trailer HD from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.

Just found out about this movie, The Age of Stupid. It's about a man living alone in 2055, after the world has been ravaged by climate change. He looks at footage from 2008 and wonders why the hell we didn't stop it from happening.

The movie is screening all over the place except Australia, it seems. But it's launching online on 21/22 September, so I've happily signed up to the newsletter to be reminded. There's a 50 minute documentary here for the meantime though. I'm excited about it for two reasons. The first is because I'm really interested to see what it's like, and the second is that I'm hoping it will be a big step to people understanding just what is happening to our planet (and working to change it).

I was watching Grey's Anatomy the other day and there was a woman on it with four broken limbs because she'd been bulldozed down from a old growth tree she'd been living in to save it. I was a bit offended by how ridiculous they made the character sound - she'd given the tree a name and talked about it like it was a person, she ranted about greedy corporations, and she'd changed her own name to 'Willow'. I get that it might have made the situation more believable, but couldn't they have represented the level-headed side of environmental activism, rather than implying it's for crazies?

cutting down on spending

2009-08-31T12:34:00.007+10:00

I've been working on a Mod Podge craft project for the past few weeks, doing one bit at a time while watching True Blood or Grey's Anatomy online in the evenings. It's not the finest craftsmanship, but I'm happy with it all the same.

I bought the drawers second-hand from the Camberwell market ages ago and started painting it red. I wasn't feeling that so I used found papers to decorate the drawers instead. The top left and right are layers of vintage pattern paper. The diamond blue pattern was part of the packaging for something I bought. The blue is from the cover of a vintage book we were going to give away, and the bottom drawer is covered with pages from another vintage book.

It's going to be a totally new thing for me to actually have desk storage. Not sure how I'll best use it yet.

I've just realised how much I've bought online in the past couple of months. Books and stationery and tape and things.

mouse pad from My Favorite Mirror

tape from Nothing Elegant

Pricing Your Craftwork from Fishpond

lacy bird bowl by Prince Design UK

And that's only a portion of my purchases. I thought I was doing well because I carefully considered each purchase, and nothing I bought was a waste, but that's not good enough for me. In the interest of saving money and reducing environmental impact, I want to do better. I've been reading a book called Budget Wise, Dollar Rich, borrowed from the libary like a good little saver.

Looks a bit spammy, doesn't it? Despite that, it's really helpful. Now that Tim isn't working (for money, anyway) I'm paying the large bills, so I've made a budget for Heidi & Seek and for home. It's all well and good to make a spreadsheet with the best of intentions, but although I've done that in the past, I haven't enforced what I've written down or monitored how I was doing. I've never been in much debt, and I always pay off my credit card during the interest-free period, but I've never consistently put money aside for savings either. Except when I was saving for a holiday, but that was different. Single life living at home with your parents is so different.

Anyway, my plan of attack now is this:

I withdraw in cash a certain amount at the start of every week, and must only use this to pay for things. Just before I withdraw the next week's allowance, I put the leftovers of the previous week in a jar. Any additional money I get, like gifts or random cash goes in this jar too. My motivation for keeping my spending within my allowance is seeing this jar's contents grow. It'll pay for extra more expensive things, or is there if I feel I deserve a treat. I might allocate 20% of the jar to 'treats' and the rest to savings, and then deposit it at my bank when it gets big.
I've made my allowance quite low because I want to try to make do. Since we're vegetarian our meals don't have to cost much. Our pantry is full of things we keep accumulating but don't seem to use, so I want to see how far I can take what we already have and only buy the basics week to week. They will easily fit within my allowance.
I'm doing a similar thing with Heidi & Seek, because sometimes I can get carried away with buying supplies or whatnot. Some months my expenses are sky-high and some months it's very little. I'm setting a monthly allowance for Heidi & Seek, except at the end of the month, the money left will be topped up instead of taken out, saved and completely replaced.
For Heidi & Seek purchases that I don't need immediately, like certain books and equipment, I'm putting aside some money each month into a linked online account, and I can only buy them when I have enough in that account.
Then of course I've made the standard annual tables of bills and other required expenses, but there's not much I can do about most of those. I cut my mobile phone plan from $50 to $20, and I'll see if there are cheaper options for the rest, too.

The good thing about this cash system is that I can see how much I've spent that week without having to keep a tally (although I'm being anal so I'm doing the tally anyway). And I can still buy the things that mean a lot to me, but not just 'when I feel like it' and not all at once. I have to save up and to really consider where I want to spend my money.

Do you budget or have system that works for you?

vote for the world you want to inherit

2009-08-29T20:48:00.008+10:00

Tim has started volunteering for YOUth Decide, which is run by World Vision and the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. They're hosting an voting week in September that gives young Australians (from 12-29) the power to make significant positive change to help our futures.

The deal is this:
You vote by choosing one of three options online during 14-21 September (register to vote and get a reminder!). The results of our voting will be taken to the crucial United Nations climate change negotiations in Copenhagen this December. They need at least tens of thousands of us to vote for it to have an effect. They're campaigning like crazy, have enlisted celebrities, gotten some major sponsors and they're encouraging people all over Australia to host voting events.

I'm utterly excited.

Just voting isn't enough. Tell your friends, blog about it, add it to your website, tweet it, and post it in your Facebook updates! Attend an event in your area, or organise one yourself! The more people that vote and the more attention this gets, the bigger difference it will make.

To repost, you can use the banner at the top of my blog, or the image in this post, or use their other promo material.

Here's a video about it:

winner of the cloth pad giveaway

2009-08-22T11:17:00.002+10:00

The winner of the Naturally Hip cloth pad giveaway is Aik!

Super congrats to her and a huge thanks to Lindsay from Naturally Hip for giving away the pad! And thanks to everyone who played along.

Expect more giveaways in future, it was fun!

o-check, stationery and focus

2009-08-19T08:17:00.006+10:00

Those in Melbourne can now find my work at Incube8r. 321 Smith St in Fitzroy. Hoorah!

With setting up Incube8r, catching up on accounts, organising my space and uni, I feel like I haven't been on track with Heidi & Seek for a while. I haven't been keeping up with my non-schedule, mostly because other things were the priorities, but also because once I feel I'm in a rut I kind of give up and just want to escape making things (self-sabotage?). It doesn't make for good productivity.

So I've decided to give up uni for the forseeable future. It's a Bachelor of Arts degree with an English major and I'm not far off from completing it. For a while I've known that the career path I want doesn't require a uni degree, but I kept on keeping on because it's useful to have one. But it's not working for me. I can always go back if Heidi & Seek fails horribly. I'm an optimist, though. The concerning thing is that I think I'll still be overloaded without uni, because I'm still doing my pattern-making course and looking after Ellie.

I keep coming up with new ideas: new venues to sell at or new products to make. I suppose that makes me impatient. I didn't understand until now that spreading myself too thin means that I won't be great at anything. I need to focus. So for now, I'm going to be exclusively working on clothing for Etsy, Incube8r and the odd wholesale account (except for in my spare time, when I can make what I like).

I've been fixing up my taxes the past couple of days, and I had to use the floor and another chair for more working space. It was terrible ergonomics. I realised that one thing that's been affecting my productivity is my desk space. It's small and unorganised and easily gets its surface taken over with papers and bits. The clutter makes my brain cluttered. It's kind of strange how you just end up with a set-up that doesn't work for you in your space and since you've had it for ages you don't even realise.

I found a wooden box I'd been using to store fabric and used it as a shelf. Going vertical means I have more surface space, plus I've pushed the box right to the wall, where the desk used to end a couple of inches away. And before you think it, yes that couple of inches makes a difference!

I'm starting to envy those with a pretty white Mac computer - I think the black is out of place here. If only I could decoupage it...

Anyway. I'm going to confess something: I'm a big stationery freak. I used to spend all of my pocket money on stickers and pens and notebooks. I still get a thrill from entering a stationery store, even a boring one like Officeworks.

I recently discovered these Bantex Ecoboard lever arch files from Officeworks and I am utterly obsessed. I filed the entire house's papers and important documents in 4 of them. The one pictured contains my tax information. I got rid of the chunky, messy archive boxes and suspension files to save space. I turned the suspension files into hangtags, which I'll talk about in a future post. The boxes might make notebook covers or something. I just love that they've finally made a folder that doesn't look like it belongs in a very uncreative accountant's office.

The reason I'm talking about stationery is because I went on a strange internet journey. Somewhere recently I found this amazing stationery shop on Etsy called nothingelegant, which stocks things from Asia. I went e-searching and found this whole mass of gorgeously styled, unique stationery and homewares from Korea and Japan. But all the sites were in Korean or Japanese.

I finally found a stationery company's website that had an English menu! Score! They're called O-Check Design Graphics. I traced their stockists to an Melbournian online shop, Notemaker. At this point it was late at night, but I couldn't pull myself away because this is the stationery I have been searching for my entire life. O-check is vintage-inspired, but not in a kitschy way, plus they are environmentally conscious. A lot of their goods are made from recycled content and natural materials.

I put about 20 things in the shopping cart, and then whittled it down to the weekly planner and the ruler - "essentials". I want to try making my own repurposed notebooks and things, because it's nicer to my wallet and more environmentally friendly to make them myself.

Notemaker is run by the same people who own The Source newsagent in Melbourne CBD. I haven't been yet but the next time I'm in the city I'm definitely going to pop in. I'm still wondering why I ever wasted my time in Smiggle, hoping to find something nice...

ellie is 2

2009-08-16T10:58:00.004+10:00

Yesterday was Ellie's 2nd birthday party and many presents and good company were enjoyed. I forgot my camera but I did take these this morning.

This gift was one of her favourites.

Ellie has grown so much in the past year. She's more outgoing and willing to talk with strangers (although usually, if you try to pick her up and you're not one of her parents, Uncle Jason or Grandbob, prepare for a scream). She's learnt lots of words and is contstantly impressing me with new ones. And she's so, so smart. I can reason with her now a little. Like one morning she got upset with me trying to undress her from her pajamas, and I said, "Pajamas are for sleeping. Do you want to go back to sleep?" and she thought about it, said "no" and then stopped struggling. It's fun watching her problem solve and think.

Then there are the cute things. One afternoon we were at a cafe and Ellie was struggling out of her chair, not listening to us asking her to sit down. Tim showed her the muffin we'd got for dessert. "Do you want some?" She stopped, then said "Sit down..." She's always telling me when things are in the wrong place, picking them up and telling me "away". Or kindly letting me know when she or someone else has spilt something by pointing and saying "mess". She's decided that hairs are "dirty" when found by themselves, so every time she finds one she gives it to me to put in the bin (which she calls "bim").

I don't know if the 'terrible twos' is yet to come, but she is quite a delight and I'm so proud of her.

naturally hip cloth pad giveaway!

2009-08-14T08:14:00.007+10:00

I'm super excited because I've got one of these adorable regular cloth pads to give away to one of you, made by Lindsay of Naturally Hip. Now's the time to try out cloth pads for the first time (they're awesome, let me tell you), or add to your existing collection.

To enter, just post a comment here describing your ideal cloth pad. You get an extra two entries if you make a blog post about the giveaway, and one extra entry if you post about it on Twitter or Facebook. Leave a second comment below with the link/s for the extra entries to count.

This competition has closed. Thanks to those who played along, you can see who won here.

op shopping and a little creativity

2009-08-07T15:40:00.005+10:00

Spent most of today making this to put next to my stock at incube8r.

It doesn't look like it would take that long, but I had hassles printing onto fabric again. After ironing freezer paper onto the fabric then carefully cutting it out to a perfect A4, it jammed in the printer. Then a second time, then a third.

I finally realised that I hadn't set it to heavy paper. Then I printed out a perfect one, but forgot to include my website and blog. So I tried once more with the correct text, but at the heat setting stage the ink ran. I was stupid enough to be doing this on the couch, and got it stained with my promo text and ahhh! I'll stop whining now. It's finished and I like it. It looks better in person!

Yesterday was my day off. I went to a few op-shops and didn't look for anything Heidi & Seek related. I really needed a break. I got these jeans.

Yes, that does say superflare. And no, superflares are not my style. However, they fit perfectly at the top so I will be turning them into skinnies.

I also got these cute things: a mini easel photo frame and a yellow vintage sugar jar.

I'm slowly trying to make my home pretty. Space is a big issue for us so everything I buy has to have a purpose. I'm looking for things second-hand before I resort to buying anything new. However, I was looking for a solution to the notebooks and diaries I like to have on hand at my desk (but that clutter it up), so I bought this rack from Ikea. It'll attach to the side of my desk, so everything is off the surface but still easily accessible.

Walking through Ikea, I was very tempted by other colourful storage things, but I resisted. I'd much rather find second-hand boxes and things.

dealing with periods, eco style

2009-08-05T08:55:00.007+10:00

This is a post I've been meaning to make for ages, a follow-up to my post about cloth menstrual pads, which included an interview with the owner of Naturally Hip, a handmade cloth pad seller. If you don't know much about cloth pads I recommend you give the post a read because going cloth has both environmental and health benefits. (Disclaimer: If you are a boy, and/or squirmish about such things, this may be the point where you should click away.)

I bought pads from the lovely Lindsay of Naturally Hip several months ago. These are my thoughts:

I was quite flawed by how much they absorb. They're like Mary Poppins' bag. I have no fears of leakage overnight, or any other time.
They're made from a really soft flannel on the outside. Regular pads aren't uncomfortable, but you can generally feel them being all plasticky down there. These cloth pads are much nicer to wear.
They're easy to wash. I'm a bit crap at getting housework done, and if I can manage, so can you. I mostly only use them when I'm at home, so I rinse them well as soon as I change them, then either put them straight into the wash (with other laundry), or put them in a bucket filled with some water until I put the next load on. There's also wet bags you can buy for storing used ones that have been changed while you're out.
The only problem I had was that the liners without wings ended up where they shouldn't be. They don't have a sticky section like store bought ones and the listing says that they should stay in place with snug-fitting undies. A lot of my undies were one or two sizes too big (in terms of dress size), so I actually went out and bought more of my size undies, and the wingless liners still moved around as I walked. I'm not sure if it's because I'm small or something else, but I recommend you get the liners with wings. Trying to figure out how best to sew in wings so the ones I have don't go to waste.

Overall, totally star quality from Naturally Hip. Lindsay is easily contactable and more than happy to answer questions or make custom ones. Plus she's passionate about being eco-friendly - a total plus in my book.

After I made the initial blog post about cloth pads, I started a thread on the Etsy forums about it which got a lot more attention than I was expecting. Lots of responses were about the Diva Cup, an alternative to tampons and a new idea to me. At first I thought it was a gross idea: basically it's a reusable little cup that 'catches' your blood, and then you empty it periodically. As I read on further, I realised it's not much more gross than tampons and, really, that perspective was just because I wasn't used to the idea yet. If everybody was doing it I wouldn't give it a second thought.

Here are the benefits:

You can leave it in for up 12 hours, so you can change it twice a day and not have to think about your period the rest of the time, because if it's in properly you can't feel it.
It's reusable so you don't need to send tampons to landfill all the time.
None of this toxic shock syndrome stuff to worry about.
It makes activities like hiking, swimming, yoga or whatever else easy while you're perioding.

So I bought one. I've tried to use it a few times. More often than not, unsuccessfully. It's apparently something you need to get the hang of doing, and also, some people find certain brands don't work for them - everybody's shape is a bit different. I'm not sure what the others are called, but the Diva is the original, I believe. I know it does work for some, because of all the raving testimonials on the Etsy forum. I suppose I will keep trying, because if it works it would be an ideal option for me, combined with cloth liners and overnight pads.

new stock and stockist

2009-08-03T17:53:00.007+10:00

There are some changes a'happenin'. My start date for incube8r is looming (it's next Wednesday) so I've been preparing enough stock for my space. A few things that were in my Etsy shop are going there. And the rest I decided to unlist and re-reconstruct because they haven't sold. All the old is therefore gone and so my Etsy shop has begun afresh!

I've listed a few things in sizes XS and S (8 and 10 Australian) because I can model those myself. Size M (12) will be coming when I can arrange a session with my lovely new model, Lauren, and I'm still trying to find a size 14 model. (If you know someone near Surrey Hills in Melbourne that might be interested, please pass on the message. (It's a paid gig.))

These are my favourites:

Click here to check out the rest.

I was informed by the lovely Isy of incube8r that the average size shopper there is a 12, so I've rethought the way I do some things.

When I set up shop I made a size Australian 8 (US 6) into a Heidi & Seek small. But that means a 10 is a medium a 12 is a large, which is a bit weird. I've changed it up now so size XS is an 8, 10 is a small, etc. I've made the change clear in listings (I hope).
I made a size 16 (XL) pattern and some size 16 things will be going to incube8r.
I'm making a wider range of different sizes now. As soon as I get my models organised I'll keep my Etsy shop well-stocked in a range of sizes, too.

I want to get back to listing constantly on Etsy again. I just need to organise my time better so that I can keep incube8r and Etsy (plus MadeIt, when I open shop again there) well stocked consistently. At the moment most of my time is going to incube8r stock.

I'm taking one class at uni, Advanced Fiction Writing. That coupled with my fashion course in the evenings means I'm so so busy in all my spare time with deadlines and homework. I need a better system to manage it all. Any tips?

the non-schedule affair

2009-07-29T15:18:00.006+10:00

I've been using the system in my last post since last Friday and it has been working perfectly. I'm really excited about what I can achieve with this. I can plan for things like markets and wholesale orders better, and try to keep new online listings a bit more consistent. That means I'm this much closer to making Heidi & Seek pay a full-time income.

I discovered that for me, five items per day isn't really 'starting small'. It's enough that I'm challenging myself but not enough to make me give up in a heap of frustration. It's perfect. I think eight things is the most I've made in a day, so for a while that was my goal for each day. I very rarely met that aim. It's too much to expect from every working day, so it made me feel overwhelmed and procrastinate-y.

I started back at uni yesterday. I'm doing fiction writing (which is half a day on campus) and couselling via correspondence. So I really have three and a bit days to work, rather than four, like I planned for in my weekly chart. I'm pushing myself a bit by making up the lost time and still maintaining my 'quota', as I've started to call it, of 20 items per week. It has been harder to meet today, because I've been flat out making up for lost time yesterday. I suppose it's okay to have just one day a week as a 'work your ass off' day. I am very motivated by wanting to see all those boxes coloured in, weird as that may sound.

I'm setting up a space at incube8r gallery on the 12th of August, so lots of my stock will go there, plus I'm working on a wholesale order. I'll still list a few things on Etsy in the meantime though, just as soon as I can fit in a photo shoot! Here's a look at a few of the things I've been making.

By the way if anyone in Melbourne wants a copy of the upcoming Handmade in Melbourne book, they're available from incube8r, hot off the press for $29.95. I haven't gotten a copy yet but will soon!

One more thing: I was included in a post about refashioning over at The Transit Lounge blog, check it out.

an little organisation tip for non-schedulers

2009-07-27T08:35:00.006+10:00

source: Flickr by oclaire

Originally posted here (but changed up a bit for the blog).

I'm quite a procrastinator, so it has taken me a long time to get to this point. (Well, I'm not really sure what 'this point' is, because I've gotten much better since I started Heidi & Seek, but I still procrastinate.) I find that I'm a big workaholic when it comes to being online and promoting that way. But when it comes to making things, I've built it up in my head that's it's maybe more effort than it actually is, so often I have to use some strong willpower to get away from the computer, head over to my studio space and start making.

I've tried making timetables to schedule blocks of time, but I can never stick to them. I guess they just don't make me feel very in control. They don't cater for creative types like me, where sometimes I get an idea and just want to run with it, regardless of what I'm 'supposed' to be doing at that moment. So lately I've been working without particular goals, and not getting very much done consistently. I have spurts of making and spurts of procrastinating.

So I made a little notebook to help me instead. It's filled with weekly charts of blocks of time that must be completed by the end of the week. I don't schedule time, I just have a weekly goal that I can work on at any time. I colour in each block as I complete it. So far it's working better than any other system I've tried. Here's how to try it for yourself.

Firstly, work out how much time, on average, your items take to create. Then place them in a box, using Word or Photoshop or whatever you prefer. It might look like this, for example:
Work out how many of these you can realistically complete in a week. Then subtract a few, because we're going to start small. I worked out how many days a week I have to work on my label (4), then how many items I want to make each of those days (5). I'm using a conservative estimate to start with because I don't want to feel too overwhelmed. That's 20 items per week. That's my goal. Yours will probably be different.
Put all the blocks in rows and columns on a page each. (I printed three weekly charts to a page to save paper, then cut them out). If you want to work four days a week and make 3 items a day, and your items take about 25 minutes to make, your chart will look like this:

I've purposely not written the day dates at the top of each column, beacuse I don't want to feel 'behind' if I've not done all the day's work or too boxed in, just that I have to make some more by the end of the week.
Paste the chart into a notebook with a week to a page, and write the week dates at the top of each page. For each item I make I will colour in one block, until all the blocks on the page are coloured in, hopefully by the end of the week.
I've come up with a reward (mine is a visit to an op shop or second-hand market), which I may only happen when the week's blocks have all been filled in. I can then 'cash in' my week's chart for the reward.

I'm treating it like homework. If I've been slow making during the week, or even if I have to take a day off to do something else, I have to catch up by the end of the week and make sure all those blocks are coloured in. Whenever I have a spare however many minutes, I'll make one thing, and these will add up. This is why I recommend you don't try to push yourself too hard when you're starting this. If it seems too overwhelming you might give up.

Make it fun! Use a cute font for your charts and colour the blocks in with your favourite colours. If you're using a plain notebook, dress it up by making a collage on the front or covering it with fabric. I haven't decorated mine yet, but I'll post it when I have.

The benefits of this method are:

It encourages you to set goals. Most successful people set goals for themselves.
You can track your progress in a fun way. You can see exactly how you are or are not meeting your expectations of yourself.
Writing how much time it will take puts the task in perspective and makes your creating seem more achievable. Sometimes when I have an hour or two to spare I don't think to make an item because it seems like a bigger committment. With the blocks you can see right there that it's really only about a ___ minute committment.
It's not just for makers, you can apply it to any project if you can accurately estimate how much time it will take you to do, then break it down into small pieces.

plastic shopping

2009-07-26T18:09:00.005+10:00

I ended up in Target the other day to look for some stationery for class, not really knowing what I was signing on for. I got clobbered in the brain by "Australia's biggest toy sale" marketing and almost run over by a woman with her trolley piled high with plastic fun for her children. The lay-by line was made about five times longer than it usually is, and there was red tape along the aisles marked 'toy sale line'. As I walked along I only spotted one item made of something other than plastic.

As well as making me annoyed with the consumerist state of the world, it got me thinking about the effects of plastic. And I did some research. I think we generally know that manufacturing plastic is a not-good for the environment. But here are some reasons to try to avoid buying or using plastic that you may not have thought about:

Plastic is made from fossil fuel, which is rapidly depleting. What we're going to do when we've used it all up seriously scares me. There's more gone than left, in just the short time we've used it extensively, and our consumption of it is growing. We depend on fuel for things we don't really need, but we also depend on it for food and safety. Without power for agricultural machinery we can't feed our massive population. (Tim has been reading up on this a lot as he's interested in doing environmental law, and the reality of it is freaking me out.)
In 2006 in the US alone, 30 million tonnes of plastic were disposed of, most of which was packaging.
Degradeable plastics might not actually degrade upon disposal. They require appropriate conditions, like exposure to light for example. And if they do degrade, they release the greenhouse gas methane.

Check out this helpful link for what you can do about it. My advice (which you can probably guess from reading this blog) is to buy less, and what you do buy, try to find it second-hand first. Also check out the Life Less Plastic blog, it's a good read.

(As a side note, I got the stationery I needed from Tim's mum's unwanteds. Didn't have to buy a thing!)

christmas in july sale: 30% off

2009-07-24T22:39:00.004+10:00

The Etsy Down Under Street Team is holding a huge Christmas in July sale and my shop is participating! There's 30% off the listed price of everything in my Etsy shop, but only for this weekend. So if you want something, hurry on over - there's only one of each!

A very cool thing about this promotion is the giveaways forum thread on Etsy. You just have to post a comment to enter the draws, and there are 10 different items being given away each day of the sale. About every 3 hours (excluding sleep time) something new will be up for grabs.

Here is the list of all the shops participating in the sale, or you can search 'dust team' on Etsy for participants.

Have fun!

studio sorted

2009-07-21T11:04:00.007+10:00

I was featured on Indie Art and Design (www.indie.com.au) today! Check out the post here. Big thanks to Carolyn.

I have finished organising my studio and it's inspiring me to go make things already. Too bad the rest of the house is still a mess. But, one thing at a time. The best thing is that I didn't buy anything. With everything sorted I can see what I really could use, so now I can keep an eye out for second-hand pieces I need.

I picked up another two sets of these awesome vintage filing drawers from Tim's mum, which were hanging out unused in her attic.

These two stacks don't really work for me. I'd much rather have another set of wire drawers instead of the big tub, and a narrow dresser with lots of drawers to replace the right side. Drawers are so much easier to access, plus I can organise the contents so that when I pull the drawer out I can see everything at a glance. Really helps with matching colours and patterns.

The little green box is actually a tissue box I repurposed to file my garment patterns, which I make from interfacing. Yes I know I'm supposed to make them from card, but I like that they can all fit in this box - which I might cover with something pretty. All that's there is a basic t-shirt pattern, with long and short sleeves in a range of sizes, plus patterns for my yoki tees, which I haven't made recently because they're time-intensive. I adapt the basic patterns each time I make something, or work on it as I go along.

As I was sorting my fabric and clothing, I came across this darling little cardigan I bought from Thailand, which I love but looks terrible on me, and I hadn't the heart to part with it. I decided to 'frame' my inspiration poster with it. Now I can enjoy it without needing to wear it.

I picked up that vintage book, 'The Awful Dressmaker's Book' from a little second-hand bookstore off Gertrude Street, as well as a sewing shortcuts book and a sew your own wedding book. The mannequin I got from Camberwell market and painted. Not sure I'm feeling the black now, but I suppose it could be worse!

The black pot is for an indoor plant that we never used for its purpose. I lined the inside with a few layers of scrap fabric, so my tools don't get damaged. The ceramic 'sew' tags are from mudcakes on Etsy - they were my first Etsy purchase I think, way back in 2006. I tied them up with black ribbon and hung them on the pot. The tree print is from littlestflower on Etsy, and the stones are from Ikea forever ago. The little figurine is a tiny carved wooden bird, which I claimed from my dad's things.

Huge wire basket for shipping supplies. Next to it is a gorgeous vintage sewing machine I picked up at a garage sale on the weekend for $5!

So I didn't really need another sewing machine, but it might come in handy and it makes me giddy just thinking about the fact that it's mine. Waiting until I get a bigger studio so I can put it on display when not in use.

Right. I'm off to make things.

more to-do than done

2009-07-19T21:41:00.005+10:00

My to-do list:

Make more 'buy ethical' badges
Finish sorting fabric & store it, so it's not taking up half the living room floor.
Organise my offcuts into boxes/drawers/shelves - sleeves, applique pieces, cuffs, necklines, etc.
Figure out if my studio furniture is working and if it's the best use of the available space. If not, replace/alter/move it around.
Finalise new hangtag design & finish making the batch.
Clear my desk & find a home for everything
Organise papers into filing cabinet, to be picked up soon (thanks Jess!)
Find a home for all blank paper and notebooks and things.
Donate the next 5 shopping bags of clothing & fabric.
Take a pile of stuff I can't donate to my local recycling centre.

I'm recovering from the flu, but I can't quite relax. I've been organising myself - writing down plans when I can't fully execute them. I have a bit of a one-track mind sometimes. Until most of this is done I won't be able to focus on making.

I've been reading a book called Sorted! The Ultimate Guide to Organising Your Life, and I'm finding it's helpful. I like that it's recent and relevant and Australian. So far, one idea from it that I've found useful is that I need to slow down and devote time to being organised regularly, instead of saying I'm too busy. I'm too busy not to be organised. Another idea is to work out how many of something I actually need (like t-shirts for example) and keep at that number. Meaning if I get a new one, one has to go.

I'm finding it pretty easy to let go of things, and make decisions about what I keep and throw. I think that my 'buy less' ethic has helped that. Yes, I like getting new things, but only if I feel they'll add value to my life and if I adore them, hopefully for a long time. I know that I if I don't love or need something, it doesn't matter to me. If it's just stuff, it can go. I can hardly remember the things in the 16 shopping bags that went earlier this week.

I'm having to resist buying more storage boxes and furniture. I think there's often this urge to get all this new stuff to organise yourself, when that just may add to the clutter you're trying to get rid of. I'm going to wait until I've gotten rid of the excess, then see what's left behind and what the best way to store it is. It's taking a lot of willpower to get this finished, but I'm excited about the result. Change is good.

Half my studio, a month ago

The 'after' picture will come later.

progress

2009-07-15T20:27:00.005+10:00

Aren't these tags adorable? They were made by Carolyn from leftover card and paper and inspired by my recycled hangtags. I can think of a bunch of uses for these. Nice work, lovely!

A few weeks ago my clothing rack broke because I piled too much stuff on it. (Avoid the ones from Freedom, guys!) It was handed down to me so it was less frustrating than if I'd bought it new myself.

Anyway, after checking eBay consistently since then, I still hadn't found a replacement. I was after a double rail one. So I decided that today would be the day! (Because do you know how annoying it is trying to hang more clothes on a crooked rack that would fall to the ground without the support of the wall and a carefully-placed piece of furniture.) I went to a used shop fitting place in Dandenong, and they did have what I was looking for... unfortunately it was new. I bought it because there is only so much energy I can spend looking for a single necessary item second-hand. While I was there I picked up a used metal basket that I liked the rustic look of, for storing my shipping supplies.

I took apart the old rack to drop off at a local recycling centre, along with my old computer. I read recently that only one in five computers are being recycled, and the rest are going to landfill. I had no idea these recycling centres existed until today, but they're such a great idea. Have a look online to see if there's one in your area, and tell your friends not to throw their computers away!

On the way home I noticed an ex-display furniture place across the road from where I used to work. They were having a sale on antique furniture and I found a few pieces I loved. But Tim would kill me if I brought more furniture back to our already packed place, plus we didn't really need any of it. But if anyone in Melbourne wants to check it out, it's in Clayton near the corner of Blackburn Road and Princes Highway.

I did find part of a cupboard door huddled in the corner among bed heads, and I thought it had potential. Five bucks later and I have a cute inspiration board hung above my computer.

I got these tiny pegs a little while ago and now finally have a use for them! Knew they would come in handy.

I donated 16 shopping bags worth of items today - what a relief to have them out. It was cleared from mine and Ellie's closets, with some fabric in there, but I haven't gone through the majority of that yet. I already feel much better. I tried to just get to sewing this morning, but I was a procrastinate-y mess because I wanted to organise. Once I have an idea in my head it's probably better just to run with it. I got a lot done today, once I got over fighting with myself.

organisation & clearance sale

2009-07-14T17:02:00.008+10:00

I just reduced the price of a bunch of stuff in my Etsy shop, check it out here. I'm feeling a change is in order (yes yes, I know I always say that).

The trouble with working from home is that if your house is cluttered or untidy, or if there's dishes that need doing in the sink, those unfinished businesses can distract you from work. Until we can afford a bigger place, my studio takes over half our living room. I think that makes the whole 'separating work from home' thing more difficult.

I'm the kind of person that will let those things get to me, because I was brought up in an unrealistically tidy and clean home (kudos to mum for keeping it that way). With everything else that's on my plate, I find it really difficult to keep organised. Dishes and washing and papers pile up, and I often find it difficult to prioritise.

I came across this article that talks about how pysical clutter can clutter up your mind and I really related to it. I sometimes put jobs off because they seem too large and I don't know where to start. And I'm sure that has something to do with my organisation.

So. I wanted to have a week set aside for just organising everything. Mostly Heidi & Seek related things, but the home-life things that affect my productivity, too. I'm seem to always be working on the next job, concentrating on making and listing and everything that comes with them, that I put off everything else and get kind of burnt out.

I want to find a second-hand filing cabinet to organise my papers, get rid of fabric I know I'm never going to use, find an easier way to manage my finances, clean out my wardrobe, and mostly, work out my storage so that everything has a home, and things I use regularly are easy to find. And this might be too much to ask for a week's work, but I want things to be pretty. I've been eyeing off Etsy home decor finds over the past few weeks. Like these:

recycled wooden sign by WilliamDohman

cobalt blue suitcase by jessjamesjake

snip snip ironing board cover by CityChicCountryMouse

I'm going to try to make do before buying anything, though. The plan is that after that week I can return to my regular work refreshed and best able to be productive. I think my schedule right now won't allow me to block out a complete week, but maybe I can do a day here and a day there..

etsy featured seller & recycled hangtags

2009-07-11T15:41:00.008+10:00

I'm the featured seller over at Etsy right now, how excitement! Click the link to read the interview. What a crazy press week or two, with Frankie magazine, the Handmade in Melbourne book and now this.

Anyway, yesterday I planned to sew up a bunch more stuff to list before the Etsy feature went up, but since I'd gone to bed at 1am the two nights before, I was completely buggered and couldn't bring myself to crank up the sewing machine. Since I'm up about 7am every morning, late nights don't work for me too well.

So instead I spent the day fretting about not being organised enough, arranging to rent a space at Incube8r (scored, starting in August, woo!) and designing my new hangtags while watching How I Met Your Mother online. I'm not completely sure on the final hangtag design yet, but I've come up with this to start.

They're waiting for a coloured stamp (I have these cute faux button ones from scrapbook.com) or machine stitching or some other kind of adornment, I'm not sure yet. I'd like to incorporate fabric, but I'm not sure how. I like their simplicity and handmade-ness and that they're completely recycled.

I made them by punching large circles of Ecocern reycled card with my big circle punch, printing the text on the blank side of used copy paper, cutting that into strips, then putting them through the circle punch. Then I glued the pieces together.

I'm planning on using the same process on the back for a chunk of text I wrote to inspire people about ethical buying.

Even though these are taking me a while to make, I think it's worth it for the impression that people get of my work when they see them. That they're obviously different to mass-produced ones, and that I take care to make things. And due to the process, each one is a bit differently placed. I'm starting to realise the value of the small touches that distinguish handmade sellers from large companies.

One more thing! I was tagged by Renee Anne from art4friends to post what I'm wearing today. It's this, plus skinny jeans.

I stole the cardi from my Etsy shop because it's really warm and simple and cute and has handy huge pockets. This has been my uniform for the past week or so, because it's way too cold here in Melbourne to be trying anything creative - I just put on a bunch of layers, chuck this cardi on top and rotate my scarves. Here's a better pic of it.

It might have sold if the pictures were better, not so yellowish. (I'm keeping it, though. :P) Can anyone fill me in on why that happens and how to prevent it?

heidi & seek in 'handmade in melbourne'

2009-07-08T10:27:00.004+10:00

How freaking amazing is this?! (Hint, bottom right corner.)

The book comes out in August. I'm containing myself from running around the room squealing. Ahh, what the heck, you only live once...

the downside of new crafty things

2009-07-06T13:14:00.006+10:00

I feel like a bit of a crappy frugal buyer at the moment. My order just arrived from Scrapbook.com and it is rather large. But I did look for quality, study things that will hopefully last for a long time. Spotlight has a really, really sucky range compared to these guys.

I had never delved into the scrapbooking world before and I was boggled by the things out there. I arrived at Scrapbook.com because I was looking for a circle paper punch for my new hangtag designs (and overstock.com was way overcharging for them), and then I discovered all the other cool stuff there is. I'm not going to start scrapbooking, but I am interested in paper goods like notebooks, journals, cards, calendars and whatnots.

I spent like a day figuring out what I wanted - really wanted - and what I could do without. Mostly I bought tools. Like the Crop-A-Dile eyelet and snap punch tool, which can punch holes in almost anything that will fit between the blades. I'm not so interested in the eyelets, but I bought it for the durability of the hole punch. I want to make reclaimed, altered journals and notebooks with this, as well as punching holes in my hangtags.

I got the Crop-A-Dile Corner Chomper Tool, which is a punch that rounds off corners by cutting the excess.

I think rounded corners makes things look much more professional, so I'm going to attack my business cards with these, and use it for other paper/card projects too. From all the reviews I've read online, Crop-A-Dile tools are very sturdy and work really well, so I went with this.

I also got the Marvy Uchida Clever Lever Extra Giga Circle punch for my hangtags, which punches out a chunky 3.5 inch circle.

I'm still trying to figure out what design to use, because the recycled Ecocern card I have won't go through my printer. I don't have forever to make hangtags, but I do want them to be unique, recycled and obviously handmade (in other words, with more care taken to make them that the plain printed card ones at every department store). I'll post pictures when I've worked on the design.

I also got some stamps for Heidi & Seek packages, stamp pads (I looked EVERYWHERE for vegetable based stamp pads, and even plain veg-based ink, but found nada), date stamps for making calendars, mod podge for upcycling some of our boring furniture & homewares, a paper craft knife and some craft scissors. Thus begins my adventures into recycled paper crafts.

Now I'm off to go buy more new things off the equipment list for my course. Crap. (But I'm excited regardless.)

bernina and the melbourne school of fashion

2009-07-03T20:30:00.006+10:00

Two large and costly impulse decisions this week: a pattern-making and garment construction course at the Melbourne School of Fashion and a new Bernina Activa 220. Well, the second wasn't quite as much impulse, because I have been following eBay for a Bernina a while now. It's the model I was unsure of, I had to do some quick web surfing to see if the machine would be a fit for me. It was 'buy it now' and it was brand new (won in a competition and unwanted) and it was at like 30% off the retail price, so I acted quickly.

It arrived a couple of days ago so I haven't had much time to get to know it, but I adore it so far. Runs through thick fabric like it's butter, unlike its clunky predecessor that would chortle and halt and get stuck in a clump of thread half the time. The Bernina is computerised, which is new to me. The manual calls it a sewing computer, rather than sewing machine. I think that's cute.

I found out about the course at the MSoF this morning. I called up, got my place, and it starts next Tuesday. Crazy. I got the last place. I'll have to run around on Monday gathering the required equipment. There are several good things about doing the course:

I get to hang out with my new Etsy-buddy, Anne, from Pins and Thimbles.
I get to learn the things I don't have a handle on yet (and don't quite have the patience to teach myself). There are a lot of them and it limits the things that I make.
I'll get the skills to make my wedding dress!
By the end (hopefully) I'll see myself more as a professional dressmaker, rather than DIY-er. I think that's pretty important. At the moment I see this huge gap between myself and other designers who have had training. I remember at the fashion show I did, the other designers mostly made elaborate dresses and I felt so out of place with my casual wear, having only sewn like 4 zippers in my life. (That was mostly my own fault, not doing any research into the show before signing on.)
This feels like a defining step to fashion as my career. I've always tiptoed around that, saying that I'd do fashion as long as it worked out, then I'd get more 'realistic' if I had to. I've never said I definitely want fashion to be my career because it didn't seem safe. Well, bugger that. This is what I want to do. I'm treating it more seriously, otherwise how will I expect to make a living from it? Having said that, I'm not sure where, or if, my arts degree fits in. But that's another anxiety-ridden kettle of fish. Might tackle that decision next week.

Who knows, maybe the course won't give me all those things. But I'm still bloody excited.

WINTER IS HERE

2009-07-01T20:55:00.004+10:00

Yes, I know I'm a bit late. Forgive me; I have pretty things for you to look at. I listed 40 cool winter threads in my Etsy shop today (and holy cow it took almost an entire day, crazy). Here are a few of my favourites.

heidiandseek on Etsy

Several of the oversized collar jumpers have disappeared already (which is awesome for knowing what to make more of next). So there will be more of those coming soon!

This is obviously not a traditional 'collection' where I make a bunch of things then I'm finished and done designing until the next season. That means I'll be making new things (from Friday) and will continue to list new things regularly again once I've caught up.

So! If you have any suggestions about things you'd like to see more of or less of, I'm all ears. Okay, now I'm imagining a person covered in ears. Gross.

6 days to madness

2009-06-29T20:43:00.005+10:00

Compare the 6 days of the book of Genesis
to the 4 billion years of geologic time.
On this scale, 1 day equals about 666 billion years.

All day Monday, until Tuesday noon
creation was busy getting the earth going.
Life began on Tuesday noon
and the beautiful organic wholeness of it
developed over the next 4 days.

At 4 P.M. Saturday, the big reptiles came.
5 hours later, when the redwoods appeared
there were no longer big reptiles.

At 3 minutes before midnight, man appeared.
One-fourth of a second before midnight, Christ revolted.
One-fortieth of a second before midnight, the industrial revolution began.

We are surrounded by people who think
that what we have been doing for
one-fortieth of a second can go on indefinitely.
They are considered normal.
But they are stark. raving. mad

Found via the track 6 Days to Madness by Cloud Cult, which Tim showed me the other day. It is adapted from a speech given by the late David Brower, who founded Friends of the Earth and was a very big and important environmentalist. I love it. It always raises new questions in my head. It may be more powerful when you listen to the song. The words aren't lyrics; they're spoken above the music.

David Brower (image source)

I would like to study environmentalism more deeply. There's so much I don't know and so many ideas that would probably change my perspective a bit if I learned them. I suppose, though, I'll mostly have to be satisfied with occasionally coming across gems like this one, because I don't have the time, and probably the patience, to delve headfirst into it all. If only there were a Matrix-style plug in my head to download the information I want to be there...

business plans: simplifying styles

2009-06-25T19:43:00.008+10:00

First of all, thank you so very much for all your advice and help in response to my last post. It was a very pleasant surprise and oh-so useful.

A number of recent blog posts from my Google Reader happened to focus on running a business right when I'm more interested in the topic than usual, which is already pretty damn interested. I really like this quote:

People probably think that fashion designers make a ton of money. But in reality, for the majority of us, that couldn't be farther from the truth. (even if we're one of the lucky ones that "makes it" so to speak.) We spend more than we bring in. We're lucky when we break even. And we're one of the select few if and when we turn a profit. I'm still not there yet.

Buy directly from the designer. You'll not only save from the retail mark-up, you'll ensure the designer actually gets compensated for their work. Long live Etsy. Or at least, long live the non-evil retailers. I still realize I have so much to learn about this industry. And I'm learning, one mistake at a time.

From Leanne M of Project Runway America.

The most helpful piece of advice came from The Fashion Incubator, from the first in her series of How to Start and Homebased Handmade Sewing Business:

If you make up one-offs, you won’t get a picture of which styles and sizes hold greater appeal. The way I would do it is to only produce a few styles and make them in different sizes, meaning duplicates. I realize each fabric would be different but the basic lines and shapes of each style could be important indicators. I would keep careful track of which bodies sold first and in which sizes. This will be very useful information in the future.

I could kiss her. In my last post, my main gripe was not really knowing what will sell (i.e. what the market wants), and this is a promising way to rectify that. I've never come across this point and I'm kicking myself for not considering it before because it sounds so simple. I have read every piece of handmade business advice I could get my hands on - Etsy Storque articles, Handmade Business blogs, the Business Topics Etsy forum, the Craft Inc book, and so most advice I feel I've read before. Although, usually it's not directed at people who make one-of-a-kinds or clothing, and certainly not both. There's a lot more advice in the series so I really recommend you read it if you have, or want to start, a sewing business.

I'm going to apply that advice by choosing several favourite styles to focus on that can be made up repeatedly, in different fabrics of course, so everything will still be one of a kind. I'll make several of the styles, in different sizes and colours. This style is one of my favourites, and it seems to be popular so this will be one of The Designated.

I might make up a poll post so you guys can vote for your favourites that you'll be seeing more of if they 'win'.

I don't want everything I make to have to fit within my select group of styles, because that would take some of the fun out of designing, and maybe buying, too. So I'm still going to experiment sometimes as well. And sometimes the materials I use won't necessarily allow replication - I'm not sure to what capacity yet. This change is to give me some more direction, some more market knowledge, and maybe help the issue of people liking stuff that's not in their size.

Oh, the other entrepreneurship article I came across was an interview style post with Xenia from Lime Crime Makeup, which was more interesting (very) than helpful.

P.S. I've changed the logo/header on my blog and Etsy shop. I felt the previous was a bit too clean and 'perfect', so I've grunged it up a little (but kept the cute). What do you think?

frustrations and stepping up my game

2009-06-23T16:41:00.005+10:00

I can be a very impatient person. I also have the tendency to want to take on the world. These traits can make me frustrated because a) inevitably, things I want don't happen right away and b) high expectations lead to overwheming feelings.

Tim is returning to study postgrad law in August, which I am utterly proud of him for. Though it means he can only manage three days of work per week after then. He currently manages a bookshop that's so hectic the job can't be done in three days a week. The best offer they could give him instead was a hefty pay cut and a demotion (which, if I may say, I find quite ridiculous given his experience and skill there). In any case, he resigned and will no longer be working there in four weeks time. This is worrying in two ways: what if he can't find another job, and even if he does find one, how will we manage without a steady full-time income?

The best way out is for Heidi & Seek to start earning a steady income to make up the difference. I really don't want to have to start applying for jobs elsewhere, because as bloody difficult as it is to run your own business, at least it's mine and runs on my own terms. It's flexible for when I have to be home for Ellie, and since I work from home I don't need to waste time commuting. I don't want to put it on the backburner, as it inevitably will be if I get another job.

So, I've been trying to figure out how to step up my game. I worked out how much I'd need to sell per week and per month, and honestly, the figure feels so far away it's not funny. I'm half moping at the futility of it all and half planning (and continuing to sew winter stuff in between) because I can't get these issues out of my head. Things I want to do:

Get to know my market better. This is the one that's troubling me the most, and also what I think is the most important. There is a difference between the things I make and the things people buy, and I have no real idea what that is. I just guess and experiment, and while that's cool some of the time, it's not good enough for every time. I'm not sure how to go about this yet.

The survey I put up a while ago wasn't as helpful as I anticipated, maybe because I didn't ask the right questions. I need to understand the difference between people saying 'that's cool' and people actually buying something. Maybe it would help to study what things of mine have sold quickly and gotten attention, and try to mimic their features in new pieces, but that's harder than it sounds: How do I know if something sold because that one customer liked it a lot but most people wouldn't?
Post new listings every day. I've been good with this the past couple of weeks, though to be honest I'm not sure it's helped sales. But I do think in theory it's better to give lots of choice. What do you think?
Open up my Made It shop again. I'm trying to make enough winter stock so I can fill my Made It and Etsy shop. I'd like to try Made It again because it's smaller, therefore easier to get seen, plus it's local and I seem to have gotten mostly Aussie sales recently.
Start doing a market. This idea freaks me out a little because it's new and I've never done one before. Plus it involves me spending a whole lot of time finding display things, making signs, arranging the stalls, and so on and so on. But, given my previous income calculations, I don't think I can rely solely on online sales.
Work on wholesale accounts.

Wow, I'm not sure if I feel better for having written that all out or worse for the sheer amount of work I have ahead of me.

P.S. Heidi & Seek is in the new Frankie mag, out tomorrow (squee!). Check it out, there's also details to enter a competition to win one of five Heidi & Seek tops! I don't have a scanner, but I'll try to grab a picture of it soon.

ethical style feature: rejenerate handbags

2009-06-18T19:53:00.009+10:00

My ethical style feature has been MIA for a while on my blog, but it's back! If you have no idea what feature I'm on about, it involves me handpicking and interviewing entrepreneurial ladies and lasses with gorgeous products and responsible business practices. This means fair trade, handmade, recycled, organic, second-hand, and vintage galore!

I've chosen reJenerate for this one, which is a handmade handbag label run by Jennie Smith - a fellow Aussie! Each gorgeous piece of hers is made from recycled materials and she's passionate about sustainable fashion.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you make.

Well I'm a self-confessed recycling junkie. I have this uncontrollable need to save things from landfill. I used to love things that were shiny and new, things that had a blank slate but the more I became aware of environmental issues the more I started to lean towards using things that were pre-loved. Now I find these things to be so much more charming, they have a personality and a history of their own that you just don't get with new stuff.

This recycling obsession quickly developed into my label, 'ReJenerate: Vintage & Recycled Creations by Jennie Smith'. Now I spend most of my time saving unloved curtains, clothing, fabrics and linens from their one way trip to landfill and turning them into pretty new things that are handmade and usually one of a kind.

How did you start making bags?

I was inspired by delicate vintage doilies and napkins and was captivated by the thought of transforming them into quirky, girlie clutches. From there I was hooked and handbags became my world! I have lots of different styles now and my bridal clutches, made from divine vintage fabrics, are my most popular items. I've also started moving into homewares lately which I'm finding really fun. Interior design is my latest obsession!

little splash of vintage clutch

Tell us about your materials. What new supplies do you use? What recycled?

I aim to keep things entirely recycled. I do use new cotton thread to make sure that I have a really sturdy, quality product and sometimes I will use new magnetic snaps, rings and zips but often these are recycled too. Absolutely all of my fabrics are vintage, recycled or salvaged.

Why do you use recycled materials?

Well, like I said before...I'm a recycling junkie! Thinking about the amount of waste every human goes through in their lifetime completely freaks me out. My aim in starting ReJenerate was to provide an alternative to fashion accessories that were made off shore from chemically laden fabrics under horrendous conditions. I try to keep my prices accessible to the average Aussie gal...so she has no excuse for not buying sustainable!! ;)

slouchy samara oversized handbag

Which item of yours is your favourite?

My favourite item is always the one I created last! I tend to get a little attached and get a bit sad when I send my creations off to their new home. Crazy I know! But the lovely thing about selling online is that I get to have contact with my customers and many of them keep in touch, updating me on all the fabulous things my handbags have been up to! I have had handbags go to Paris for a holiday, get sent to Iceland as a gift, attend A-list events and lots of other crazy adventures! One of the best things about my job is emailing with all of my gorgeous customers.

But in answer to the original question (!) right now I'm having so much fun working on my bridal range. It makes me so happy seeing so many brides working towards a sustainable wedding.

bridal betty eco-clutch

What advice would you give to designers who want to start working for themselves?

Do it! I have never been happier than I am now. If you really want something then don't give up. Just make sure that you're really self-motivated because you don't have a boss looking over your shoulder making sure you're getting things done! And don't expect to be an overnight success, it takes time for customers to find you. Just make sure you do something every day to get your work out there.

What's your best eco-tip?

Everytime you are tempted by something shiny and new, ask yourself if you could find something similar that is pre-loved. Usually you can find something even better with lots of character and individuality and people will admire your unique style. Pay attention to everything that goes into your bin and assess what you can do next time to avoid creating that waste. No one's perfect, certainly not me, but that doesn't mean you can't try!

What a great response. Thanks Jennie!

Visit rejenerate.com.au to shop (Etsy & Made It) and for more info.

sneak peek at winter collection

2009-06-18T09:01:00.003+10:00

I don't tend to make 'collections', since I put new designs up daily. In the past I've made whichever season clothing I feel like making, with the assumption that I'm selling all over the world, so there are multiple seasons going on at once.

I have since realised that I have pretty much zero winter clothing in my shop, when it's 5 degrees celcius in Melbourne right now, and subsequently, that this is a really dumb thing not to plan ahead for.

So I'm working on a winter collection, which will all be launched at in my Etsy shop in a big bunch, instead of my usual 'few here, few there' method of listing. After that I'll continue to make and list winter clothing and summer clothing. Here's a sneak peek at some of the upcoming winter designs.

They'll be launched in a week or two along with the rest. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions about what you'd like to see for winter (in the way of dresses, jumpers, and tops), please do let me know. I'm still making, so I'm very open to ideas!

the uniform project

2009-06-16T08:49:00.004+10:00

It's rare that I find something online that makes me inwardly squee. But this has done it because it's fashionable, it's ethical, and it's just a really cool idea. From 'About the Uniform Project':

Starting May 2009, I have pledged to wear one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion. Here’s how it works: There are 7 identical dresses, one for each day of the week. Every day I will reinvent the dress with layers, accessories and all kinds of accouterments, the majority of which will be vintage, hand-made, or hand-me-down goodies. Think of it as wearing a daily uniform with enough creative license to make it look like I just crawled out of the Marquis de Sade's boudoir.

I'm jealous of her superb style and admiring of her ethos all at once. At least it's motivating me to get my style together, because lately I've just been wandering around in as many layers are clean. It is freezing here in Melbourne and I am not a cold weather girl. I suddenly want some cool sock/tight combinations...

You can add the Uniform Project via RSS to your blog reader for daily doses of sustainable style inspiration. Or just visit the site at The Uniform Project.

cosa verde

2009-06-15T15:06:00.005+10:00

I just found out about a newish online shopping site for eco-friendly handmade goods. It's called cosa verde (meaning 'green thing' in Spanish) and it's clean, easily browsable and filled with items that are all gorgeous because they're approved by the site's admin first. It's a great way to look for earth-friendly handmade products online because they intentionally keep their site small and easily browsable.

Another great thing about it is that you can search by your values, such as organic, repurposed, recyclable or cruelty-free. There's a daily front page curation, plus a number of gift guides to look through. It's not an e-commerce site, so the items you see in any shopfront there will probably only be a selection of what the sellers have available online, and clicking through will take you to their Etsy shop or other selling website.

I love this realistic and down-to-earth point of view from cosa verde's 'About Us' page:

"First, who we're not. We're not radicals. We're not preachy. We don't always seek out organic products, and we (gasp!) still have a few non-CFL bulbs at home and drive our fossil-fuel burning (high mpg, but still...) cars to work each day. But, when it comes right down to it, we're two kids who like the Earth. We think it's a nice place. We'd like it to be a nice place for our (future) kids. And we believe that while big changes happen slowly, it's the small changes that pave the way."

I just opened up a page at cosa verde, which you can check out here. If you sell eco-friendly handmade wares, I really suggest you check it out and open a shopfront. It's free for 3 items at a time in your shop, and there's a fee for more than that, but to begin with they give you free credit. Plus you can find an extra coupon code online if you look hard enough (*hintetsyforumshint*). Tell them I sent you and I'll love you forever! (Just put 'heidiandseek' in the referrer text box when you sign up.)

Happy browsing!

a to z on my browser

2009-06-14T11:37:00.006+10:00

From Nikki-Shell, Veronica Darling, Crafty Librarian and Meet Me at Mikes, that order.

"So what you have to do is type each letter of the alphabet one by one into the URL line of your browser. This will bring up your most visited site of this letter, or the letter being used within the address. Use the first site that comes up, or the second if you have privacy/security issues. It's like a little outline of your favourite web sites!"

A - Armour sans Anguish on Etsy. A very talented eco-fashion designer who I interviewed a while back.
B - Big Cartel Dashboard. Apparently I don't visit B sites much, because I stopped using Big Cartel a while ago! (I opened one up then changed my mind, if you're curious.)
C - Craftcult. Yes, I check this everyday with the excuse that I'm doing 'market research' by seeing which items get hearted the most (it doesn't actually help).
D - Design Sponge. I spent an entire evening last week looking through every DIY home decor project there and marking my favourites to try. I'm on a 'making my house pretty' kick at the moment (but haven't gotten very far yet). Will post progress!
E - eBay.com.au. I don't really use eBay that much, but I've been checking it a lot lately to find a good second-hand Bernina sewing machine.
F - Frankie Magazine forum. I used to post there regularly but I don't seem to visit much anymore. There are lovely people there though, it's where I met my penpal, Stepstotheleft. Letters in the mail are the best.
G - Goodlife Health Clubs. My gym, which I have been very bad at attending lately. I check the site to see what the class schedule is.
H - Heidi & Seek and Ethical Fashion - Yep, my own blog.
I - I'm Your Present on Etsy. I don't mind her work, though it's often too girly for my taste, but mostly I have a look every now and again because I just can't believe how many sales she makes and processes. It's a good kick-up-the-butt for me to work harder.
J - Jenny Vella on Etsy. Apparently J is a little-used letter, too. I've visited this shop for its cute backpacks a few times recently. Still deciding about them.
K - Kara Smith handbags. So I know Kara's bags are a bit out of my price range, but I still love looking at them! They're made from vintage and reclaimed fabrics and she's a fellow Australian, so I've been following her work and her blog since I started this biz.
L - Monash library. Monash is the university I attend.
M - Madeit.com.au
N - Nikki-shell's blog. You may know this is one of my favourite blogs from the link list on the left. A lovely local crafty lady.
O - OzBushfireAppeal on Etsy. Another little used letter, because this shop has been closed for a while. 900 donation sales to a great cause is such a great achievement.
P - Paypal
Q - Call My Agent Query letter post. Firefox just pulled up the Q in the title because apparently I don't visit any sites beginning with Q. Still, I love this blog for an insiders look into the publishing industry.
R - Replicca on Etsy. I'm quite in awe of what Rebecca has achieved with her label, plus I love her designs.
S - Supayana on Etsy. Same as above!
T - Twitter
U - Urban Outfitters. I visited a couple of times to check out their bag selection for backpack inspiration for making my own. I found a cool design of theirs via Google image search (see below) and followed it up but it's been discontinued. Not digging the pink, but I like the design.

Urban Outfitters

V - Vogue Australia forums. I'm not actually a member because they have this newbie censorship thing going on and my account for some reason got suspended before even having my posts appear anywhere. I tried finding out why but got no reply. However, the forums do have some great content.
W - Project Wonderful. An online advertising website, if you haven't heard of it before.
Y - YumiYumi on Etsy. A cute shop for art, but not one I regularly visit.
Z - Zingaling on Etsy. Cute upcycled bags. Again, I've only visited once or twice, but Z isn't very popular in my browser!

Feel free to do this on your own blogs, it's fun!

new clock and diy pyramid pouch

2009-06-10T16:28:00.007+10:00

I was just looking at an Etsy shop that said something like, "we only use the finest quality cow skin. You'll never want to stop touching it!" I'm not sure if I found it gross because I'm a vegetarian or because it is actually gross. I'm suddenly really uninterested in leather now, even vintage/sustainable leather. Almost all of my shoes are leather, but I'm not going to replace them all. I guess I'm used to them and I'll try not to think about it. But I won't be buying anything leather any time soon, new or second-hand. This makes it even more difficult to find a backpack, because the ones on Etsy that I did like were in leather, and the sellers aren't interested in making them in anything else. Back to the drawing board...

Here is my first attempt at making something bag-like. (Baby-steps.)

It's squashed from being at the bottom of my bag and because I forgot to put interfacing in it, but let's just ignore that. I'm vaguely happy with the sewing, despite the fact that my machine is completely uninterested in sewing zippers (I broke two needles in the process). Looking for a decent second-hand Bernina. Also not so impressed with the colours I chose. I looked at it as a test piece and didn't want to waste especially cool fabric if I buggered it up. I found the tutorial here at LivingCreatively.com.au, which is such a great site. They have a bunch more quality DIY tutorials there.

I'm going to use it for Heidi & Seek petty cash and receipts, because I'm currently horrendous at keeping my money and business money separate.

By the way, I adore my new upcycled clock from pretty green. I used to have to keep my mobile phone in this corner to check the time and I still sometimes forget that I can just look at the wall now!

music. and free shipping info

2009-06-09T11:07:00.004+10:00

I'm finishing up the Australian free shipping offer at my etsy shop, so if you're an Aussie and you've had your eye on something, now's the time! I'm ending it this weekend.

Just so this post isn't exclusively promo, I thought I'd share some tracks I'm loving at the moment:
The Knife - Got 2 Let U
I usually find The Knife a little boring, but this song is just so catchy and gets me in a good mood.
So They Say from Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
If you haven't seen Dr Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, you have been missing out! It's available to watch online and doesn't go for that long. It's created by Joss Whedon of Buffy and Angel fame. Here's the trailer. Anyway I have been listening to the soundtrack (it's a musical) and it is so so catchy (and funnier in context).
Cloud Cult - Journey of the Featherless
I left you a love poem
The best I have written
My favorite words
Were the ones I couldn't spell
Sigur Rós - Inní mér syngur vitleysingur
I love singing along to this even though I have no idea what the words are.

things i would like to be mine

2009-06-05T15:40:00.005+10:00

dress up dolls wall decals by lovemaestore

contemplation desk garden no. 2 by madebymavis

obsessive print by yaelfran

mini hardwood toy sewing machine by woodclinic

I've been working fairly non-stop this past week, so I treated myself to a bit of Etsy browsing. Very much considering buying that yaelfran print for my studio. Utterly adorable.

I love the idea of a contemplation garden. It wouldn't be too hard to find some sand and a pretty dish and a cute fork from an op shop.

I recently bought this belt from utilitywear on Etsy.
I think it will come in very handy for short trips.

I used to be quite happy lugging around kilos on my shoulder in a tote or handbag, but since I've had Ellie, I'm a little more wary of putting too much pressure on my neck and back, since they're already overworked. A backpack is the best option for everday use for me. I've been searching high and low on the net (plus just about every search page on Etsy with the tag 'backpack'. You'd understand how tedious that was if you knew how many non-backpacks come up in the search) to find something cute and unusual, because this one isn't wearing very well. I've found absolutely nothing I like. Bugger all.

When I have some spare time I will a) try to teach myself bag-making techniques b) design one I like and c) make it. I think it will be a long while away.

clearance sale at heidiandseek.etsy.com

2009-06-01T21:27:00.007+10:00

There's a big 25% off clearance sale happening at my Etsy shop right now, on a range of my older stock. I've been in a creating frenzy recently but haven't done a photo shoot yet, so this is to make way for more new stuff! Here are a few of the things on sale:

Click to go directly to the sale section.

new stockist: rude health

2009-05-29T19:10:00.005+10:00

Rude Health is a brand spanking new shop in Melbourne, and you can find Heidi & Seek items there. Every item is sweatshop-free and made in Australia, how cool is that? "Think polka dot fifties dresses, crocheted alien birds, silk high-waisted undies, Little Red Riding Hood capes, stripy one-piece pyjamas, paperboy woollen caps and felt lungs in jars."

Stop by at 17 Irwell St, St Kilda.

feeling unsettled, studio

2009-05-29T16:06:00.009+10:00

I'm having one of those rut-feelings where I want to take my label in a bit of a different direction and so I'm unhappy with almost everything currently in my shop. (I know I say this like every two weeks, but my ideas are always changing and I can't help it!) What do you do in this situation?

(This post from Call My Agent about a rejected query letter for a novel made me laugh and feel better, for one.)

Anyway, I'm creating the things I want to represent me and maybe I'll have a sale on some older stock soon. I think one of my problems was that I'm so strapped for time (I only work two days a week at the moment) that on those days I thought to myself 'holy crap I need to make the most of this!@' and then I created and created without really thinking through the designs fully - and that meant I ended up with hit-or-misses. Most, if not every piece should be a hit. That's my goal.

I've also reorganised my workspace, which makes it much easier to see what sleeves, cuffs, necklines and other random pieces I've already cut out, and therefore it's much easier to match colours. The colour combos of my new pieces are definitely benefiting from it.

(Click to enlarge)

I still haven't finished with the making it pretty. The clock up on the wall is broken, for one, but soon to be replaced with this beauty! And I haven't shown you the other side which is full of piles of clothing to be reconstructed. But at least I can find my bits and pieces easily, and I'm just working from the pile from the top.

I can't wait to upload my new stuff, but I've missed my shot for today, it's too dark now to photograph them.

accounting

2009-05-28T08:11:00.005+10:00

This is what happens when you haven't touched your accounts for a few months.

And that's not including all the online transactions I've made.

The reason I've been putting it off is because for the first half of the financial year I kept my accounts in MYOB. When the trial version ran out I decided I wasn't going to pay $170 or something for it when there are open source options for free, and when my accounts are completely basic. (I think that my accountant won't be pleased, but I'll deal with that when tax time comes.) But that means I need to re-enter all my info into the other program.

I've been using Gnucash for personal accounts for a while, and it does small business, too. It's reasonably easy to use and shows all the reports I want. The only problem with it is that when I try to print something, it freezes. This is okay for my near-paperless office (just got the receipts, which I'm required to keep) and if I really want to print something I can print screen and move it to Photoshop, to do with what I will.

Sigh. Back to it..

sometimes things disappear

2009-05-22T19:26:00.003+10:00

Just a quick note to say that if you notice something in my Etsy shop and come back and it's disappeared (i.e. not in my sold section, either), it's because I've sold it in a wholesale order to a retailer or I've sent it off for a fancy pants magazine photo shoot or some such. If you convo me I can tell you if it's coming back to Etsy or not.

My sansa skirt, among other things, has gone to the latter, more specifically the first issue of Oxfam's Three Things magazine ("a humorous, hard hitting magazine for modern folk") which I would LOVE to get regularly. The first issue is only being distributed in NSW, so I hope they expand to include other states for future issues. I'm happy for the moment because I'm being sent a copy of the one I'm in, muaha.

Missing Water: A film about sweatshops and refugees

2009-05-22T08:28:00.004+10:00

If you're in Sydney on the 3rd to the 14th of June, you'll be able to make it to the Sydney Film Festival. There's a movie showing called Missing Water, about the realities of sweatshops and refugees. A "boldly cinematic work that structurally and emotionally cries out the very simple question: can you imagine what it was like?"

The actors are all non-professional, either refugees themselves or descendants of refugees, and the subject is very close to the director's heart. I hope the movie makes it to Melbourne, because I'd love to see it.

Screening
9 June & 10 June
Click for more info

web design and online social networking

2009-05-21T13:49:00.004+10:00

I'm redesigning heidiandseek.com and here is a sneak peek:

Excuse the bad quality, Blogger seems to be terrible at resizing screen shots. I'm adding links to Facebook, Twitter and Flickr to it, which meant that I actually started using these sites again.

I set up a Facebook page months ago, but didn't finish it or do anything with it, until the other night. If you'd like to join, click here. I'll be uploading my new listings to my photo gallery there so they'll come up in your feed, and I'm definitely not sending out mass messages all the time because I know that gets annoying (I'd have a really good excuse if I did send one, promise).

I set up a more reliable mailing list, which you can join here or there's a little form on my blog page, too. (If you already signed up before the change, you don't need to sign up again.)

You can also find me on Twitter and Flickr. Though to be honest, Twitter still confuses me a bit. Come say hi if you tweet too!

I find web designing both frustrating and fun at the same time. And it's usually a long time between utilising my web design skills, so I always have to relearn a bunch of things. Although I've been designing web pages longer than I've been sewing, so you could say it's my roots!

Crafting failures and successes

2009-05-18T09:04:00.005+10:00

You know how sometimes you create something that you can be proud of (and you have this 'yes!' moment when you're done) and then other times the finished product isn't quite so great? I found examples of this in my most recent batch of Heidi & Seek creations.

Here's the one I love:

vanessa top on Etsy

Here's the one I feel like shoving under the bed:

When my experimentations with colour and design went awry, sometimes I would list these pieces anyway to see if someone else might like them and they're just not my style (and sometimes they would sell) but now I think that if I don't like them then they shouldn't be representing my work in my shop. I'll let you know what it turns into when I change it up.

Mind you, the first top came with its own set of problems, because first I made a top out of the purple fabric alone, which turned out a disaster, so I reconstructed it into the vanessa top. Such is the beauty of designing one-offs on a whim! I think it's much more fun than reproducing the same thing over and over.

One more thing: check out this thought-provoking post from OutsaPop Trashion about why, in ten years time, buying recycled clothing might not be an option.

Joyful consumption

2009-05-17T11:42:00.005+10:00

I came across this post by Consumption Rebellion about the concept of 'Joyful Consumption' and it really rang home with me. I really encourage you to give it a read, it's about the idea that most people buy things to make themselves feel better, but since buying is pretty superficial it can result in negative emotions. Check out Eilleen's definition of Joyful Consumption to combat it.

I used to buy a lot of junk. I'm not exaggerating by using the term junk - it really was, because it was cheap and nastily made, and I had no idea about my style so I would buy something and then um and ah over it and never wear it out because I no longer liked it. I shopped to make up for things lacking in my life. I made impulse purchases, and I had no idea what I wanted to wear, only what chain shops wanted to sell me. I didn't know about fashion blogs or Flickr for inspiration, and magazines I read all had the same trendy stuff. No wonder I was confused - nobody had told me that fashion is self-expression. To me it seemed like it was just another way you had to fit in. I learned better but it took me a while.

These days I still have the urge to buy things to feel better. Sometimes I give in, but it's generally of the second-hand variety, and I (usually) have the excuse that it's for Heidi & Seek. I barely ever buy things I haven't planned to buy from chain stores, and it makes me happy that they don't influence me as much as they used to.

I'm wary that I still look at buying things as a bandaid to my problems, even though I try to play it out by shopping ethically instead. I suppose I should congratulate myself on how far I have progressed, too. We're constantly learning better.

Upcycled clock purchase

2009-05-15T09:04:00.005+10:00

I had to share with you something on Etsy I've been eyeing off with lust for the past few weeks. I finally bought it!

La Mode Wall Clock by pretty green

I just love it. It's an upcycled clock decorated with vintage paper - in other words, right up my alley. And I have that nice feeling because it was Clare's first sale. Here's to many more! And hopefully, many more listings, because I'm looking forward to seeing what else she comes up with (especially of the decoupage variety).

a little update in the midst of chaos

2009-05-13T09:30:00.006+10:00

Hello ladies, sorry for the infrequent posts lately, but it's crunch time at uni! I'm stealing a procrastinatey break right now, but I have an assignment due tomorrow (it's about the Melbourne-based zine called YOU, anyone heard of it?). My computer has also been infected with a sneaky, pesky virus so I'm in the process of backing up all my stuff so I can reformat. Fun times!

Anyway, I was delighted to find my Georgia dress in an Etsy Finds article about repurposing used items into fashion goodness. You can check it out here because there are some delightful finds included. I particularly loved the Wooly Baby shop - cosy woollen slippers and shoes for little ones! They are adorable, made from preloved materials and very reasonably priced.

Mountain Laurel slippers by wooly baby

Purple mist baby slippers by wooly baby

Since it has been a month, here's a little hair update, following my shampoo-free post:

My hair still feels and looks much better than before.
On the second day after washing, my hair still looks clean, but gets flat after I brush it. I suppose that's a little inevitable and something that I could address with some hair product if I could be bothered, but I don't think it's worth the trouble. So I just tie it up in a ponytail, as I often do anyway, and it looks good as new.
On the third day after washing, my hair kind of does the sticky-together thing in the fringe, which I don't like, so I wash it. It's still not as bad as the second day after washing with shampoo.
It doesn't make a difference to my hair cleanliness if I use as little baking soda as possible to cover my scalp. Same with the apple cider vinegar - I just pour a little in the cup and then add water. I found that I was getting through my supplies too quickly and it was unnecessary. Less is more!
I am enjoying making use of my shower cap.

If you've tried it too, do let us know how it's going and leave a comment!

Shampoo: Not the best way to clean hair? How to go poo-free

2009-05-01T12:52:00.009+10:00

"In recent years, "no poo" has become something of an underground beauty trend... that's split into two camps: beauty mavens who believe they've found hair care's dirty little secret, and environmentally minded folks who want to use fewer plastic products and products with fewer chemicals." (Source: Today)

I've recently discovered the 'no-poo' movement, in which people replace shampoo with a natural alternative like baking soda or clay or or nothing at all. It seems like a crazy idea to not use shampoo. It's something that we just accept as absolutely necessary, almost as much as toilet paper (which, by the way, I won't be giving up any time soon). But it's not necessary. I've avoided shampoo for the last week and my hair looks and feels much better than before, plus I'm no longer having product build-up problems that made me obsessive-compulsive about washing my hair every day. Thanks to Lucy and I, I found the solution.

Why go poo-free?

Your health

Shampoo contains chemicals that strip your hair of healthy natural oils, replacing them with artificial oils that don't absorb into the skin very well and don't allow much release of your natural oils. This makes your hair weaker and requring more frequent washes.
It can eliminate problems such as dandruff, itchy scalp and product build-up.
It makes your hair look and feel better, if not at first, then after your head has gotten over its shampoo addiction and returns to a state of balance.
Most shampoos contain mineral oil, which is what's left over when crude oil is turned to gasoline.
Other common chemicals in shampoo may have additional unhealthy effects on your body. Since chemicals are absorbed by the skin, these enter your body, too. There's a (scary) list of them here.

It's very inexpensive

All you need to replace shampoo and conditioner is baking soda and apple cider vinegar (more on that below). Both are very cheap compared with some shampoos and conditioners.

It's more eco-friendly

Cut down on frequent fancy bottle packaging and buy the things you need in bulk instead - usually with very minimal packaging.
Avoid supporting the production of harmful plastics and chemicals.

Avoid animal testing

I posted about animal testing in the cosmetics/personal care industry (and how unnecessary it is) last year.

The use of chemicals in shampoo, such as those above, mean that these products will probably have to be tested on animals.
Most shampoos and conditioners purchased are tested on animals. This makes it easier to avoid supporting these companies.

How to do it (my way)

You can check the below links for alternative and trouble shooting ideas if this doesn't work for you. There's no 'right' way. This is just what I like.

You need:

Baking soda
Apple cider vinegar
Two small plastic cups. One should be shallow enough for you to easily reach your fingers into the bottom. You could cut off the bottom of a plastic bottle due for recycling. I used a cup and bottle of Ellie's that weren't being used.
A big everyday hairbrush that's comfortable to use

Optional:

A bottle of an essential oil like lavender or jojoba, depending on what remedy you want (check this link for ideas)

Instructions:

Put about a heaped tablespoon of baking soda into the shallow cup.
Turn the tap on as little as possible and put a tiny amount in the cup, and mix. I like using a thick paste (but it shouldn't be gritty), but some people like a more watery mixture. Include more water if you want.
You can add a few drops of your essential oil to this mix, if you like.
Put about a couple of table spoons of apple cider vinegar in the other cup, and fill it up with water.
Head into the shower with your two cups.
Spread some of the baking soda paste onto your fingers and rub into your roots. Keep going back to the cup until it's finished. I usually start with the areas around the hair line - front, sides, then back, and then do the middle by parting the hair horizontally at intervals.
Leave it in for a minute and clean the rest of your fine self.
To get rid of any existing product buildup (especially this first time) give your head a good massage. It also stimulates growth and natural oil production (no, this won't make your hair oily!). Use your fingertips and rub back and forth in short strokes, gently but firmly. Concentrate on the area around your parting, because that's where the roots mostly show.
Rinse the mixture out of your hair.
Use the other cup's contents on the lengths of your hair. (I promise the vinegar smell won't stick around forever.)
Rinse it out.
When your hair is dry, brush your hair. (Use a wide-toothed comb when wet if you need to). Brush it at least twice a day, regardless of when you wash it. This will distribute the natural oils along the length of your hair and make it nice and shiny.

For convenience, I usually estimate the amounts without using a measuring thing, then mix the baking soda with my fingers in the shower, and just swirl the apple cider vinegar cup.

How it's worked for me

I had given up on my hair a little, because in my teens I started getting a lot of product built up on my scalp. I didn't use much, if any, styling products, so it was the shampoo and conditioner. I stopped using conditioner. I didn't use a hairbrush because my hair didn't get knotty. I washed my hair every day because otherwise it got greasy and awful.

The first day I tried this my hair and head felt lighter, due to the lack of chemicals and product in my hair. It felt softer, too, and very clean. When I brushed my hair it had a really nice shine that wasn't there before.

I've been doing this for two weeks so far. I've been washing my hair mostly every two days. It gets a little flatter on the second day, but not oily like before. Once I left it three days and it looked a bit greasy by the third. This might stop happening in time, when my hair is used to the new routine.

If you try this, let me know how it goes!

Links

No poo community on LiveJournal
Skin problems TV programme on ABC.net.au
Shampoo-free on Babyslime at Livejournal
No Shampoo Experiment
Why you should go no 'poo'
Shampoo-free: Healthy hair, naturally

Market at St Albans in Melbourne

2009-05-01T12:42:00.002+10:00

For the Melbournians - on Monday 4th May (yes, that's this coming Monday!) I'm holding a stall at the Fair Trade Market to be held at Victoria University, St. Albans in Building 9. It's running from 11am-2pm. Click here for directions if you're free!

New designs

2009-04-28T18:56:00.003+10:00

I'm a bit excited about the new stuff I've just uploaded. I think I'm going in a bit of a new direction. Love the asymmetry, so I'm going to be trying more of that in the future. I'm also really into ruffley bits. Would love to hear your thoughts! There's more to be listed over the next week or so.

XS/S sugar top

M granger top

S tattoo top

Recent thrift finds

2009-04-27T20:27:00.003+10:00

Firstly, I know my Etsy shop has been a little lonelier than usual, listing-wise. I've had a backlog of Heidi & Seek items that hadn't been posted because I didn't have photos. Now that the photo shoot is done, starting from tonight, I'm resuming regular daily or every-two-days listings. For reals this time.

Secondly, I thought I would show you some of the things I picked up recently while thrift shopping.

This little guy was a steal and caught my eye out of the many pastel stuffed animals. One might assume I bought it for Ellie, but teddy sits on my desk because Ellie hasn't warmed to stuffed things. She can have it if she decides she likes it.

I've been very interested in brightening up our place with delightful storage bits and pieces. The ceramic cup and yellow tin bucket are for holding thread (cup) and holding fabric scraps as I'm working (bucket). I thought the tin was adorable but haven't put it to use yet.

An adorable woolen cardigan for Ellie, only $4. Had to mend a hole, but it's good as new now. After I took this picture I realised the poster was in the background and thought I'd get a better shot of it.

That's my dad, drawn when he was a teenager. It's one of those life drawings you see people peddling in public places. It's nice to remember him by.

The trip in pictures

2009-04-23T21:03:00.003+10:00

Holiday return

2009-04-16T21:10:00.005+10:00

I'm back from Tasmania! It was gorgeous and fun. Will upload pics when I have them. I feel kind of like a different person now that I'm back. The house feels strange because I did a complete reorganise just before we went away (plus, it is tidy. Shock horror).

I've never really had a 'refreshing' holiday before (probably because as a part-time uni student living with a casual retail job living with her parents, I never needed a break). During the trip, I got a bunch of ideas for my novel, and wrote most of my plot outline. I feel good about getting stuck back into Heidi & Seek. Not feeling quite as good about the essay I have due on Monday. But still overwhelmingly happy with life. It was lovely to have more quality family time than usual.

In other news, Etsy Voter has popped up I'm-not-sure-when, but basically there are a number of polls where you choose between items with a certain theme. I'm in a new poll at the moment called Eco-friendly Items for a Better World (isn't that lovely?). Click the link to vote for my Ella dress if you wanna.

I'm fixing up orders placed while I was away, but I won't be back to listing and making until Monday.

Also! Sydney-siders, there's going to be a public talk about ethical fashion at the University of Sydney. It's called Slaves to Fashion - the apparel industry and the race to the bottom. It's next Monday the 20th April, from 4-5:30pm, given by Prof. Robert J.S. Ross from Clark University, USA. It will be in Room 148 of the RC Mills building, which is in between City Rd and the Manning Bar. Wish I could go. Even events like this in Melbourne, I don't end up attending for lack of time.

Tasmania and Gunns pulp mill

2009-04-03T12:36:00.007+11:00

We're headed to Tasmania next Thursday, so all orders received between the 9th and the 19th will be shipped on Monday the 20th.

Tasmania is such a beautiful, nature-filled place. We would love to live down there, but I don't want to be so far away from our families. And the way things are going, there won't be much beautiful nature there anymore. Over 75% of the rainforest has already been consumed.

From The Wilderness Society:

"Gunns Ltd, Australia’s largest logging company, is proposing to build a chlorine bleaching, native forest fed pulp mill in Tasmania. Stopping the pulp mill is crucial because it will be a disaster for climate change. It will be 80 per cent native forest-based, consuming an area of forest equivalent to 100,000 MCGs. Marine life, human health and other industries, including tourism, agriculture and fisheries are also threatened by this polluting development. The pulp mill has been approved for construction via inadequate, fast tracked approval processes that have ignored many of the key issues that concern the public. Funding has not been secured for the project, and public opposition continues to grow - it can still be stopped."

Despite Gunns' attempts to ensure the public that they are an environmentally considerate logging company (don't make me laugh), it seems that they're basing their statements on faulty research or deliberately overlooking many of the other effects of their practices. Besides, it's obviously all about the money, hence the suing protesters for millions and their history of strong-arming the government.

Flex your cyberactivist muscles and sign a pledge to help here.

Work smarter, not harder

2009-03-31T21:39:00.005+11:00

I've been terribly inundated with life, hence my absence recently. I have an assignment due tomorrow (now completed, thankfully), the weekend was jam-packed, and last week I had a badly placed day off and familial obligations on my usual Heidi & Seek days. I do, however, have a bunch of new items to list when I have a minute.

I've decided that to ease the anxiety of my busy-ness, I will back off from projects that aren't necessary or important. I'm cutting out internet dawdling, like reading 100 blogs when I only care about 15, and looking far-and-wide for advice on expanding Heidi & Seek when, really, I'm okay with the current state of the business. I'm just going to stick with creating, blogging and listing. And customer service and order handling, of course. And I'm going to take weekends off (unless absolutely necessary or I find myself twiddling thumbs). I'm hoping this will mean that instead of cutting down my creating to make way for 'me time', I'm cutting the excess so that I'll still be able to create the same amount and have time for myself. What's it they say: work smarter, not harder? Well, it's all good in theory but we'll see how it goes.

I just got home from uni and it's 10pm. I'm ready to shower and pack it in.

Oh but before I go! There's an online trunk show sale happening online at Olio United for ethically made, recycled designer wares. Favourite labels of mine Armour sans Anguish and Supayana are features. I'm also really liking the jewellery by AK Vintage and particularly Frocky Jack Morgan, made from vintage and antique materials. In order of mention:

Pretty!

Recycled fabric eco-friendly trunk show

Heidi & Seek in Peppermint magazine

2009-03-26T12:08:00.006+11:00

The second issue of eco-friendly and ethical fashion magazine, Peppermint, is out on Monday. And a few of my pieces are included in the spread! That's my real girl dress in the shot above. The gorgeous cover was drawn by the talented Bec Winnel of My Charlie Girl.

Here's my review on the first issue. I was really impressed and I'm looking forward to the following issues.

If you're Australian, you can nab a subscription to the magazine for a tiny $35 ( including postage) until April 3. Check out the website for more details and stockists.

Organic produce delivery in Melbourne

2009-03-24T16:42:00.004+11:00

Is it weird for me to be excited about a box of fruit and veg?

I finally got around to ordering from The Green Line. I just got a box of produce this time, but next time I'll probably add on other groceries. Hopefully in time we can cut out supermarket shopping altogether.

Check out their website for some benefits of eating organic.

Backpacks and Round She Goes market

2009-03-24T15:20:00.008+11:00

I love backpacks and don't quite understand why 99.9% of bags in stores are not backpacks. Unless I'm interested in wearing a sporty number with an Adidas logo on it or some such (I'm not). Bag-makers - there's a whole market there that needs taking advantage of! Stylish, unique, cute backpacks.

I've come to appreciate backpacks a whole lot more since I've had Ellie, because carrying her means I'm constantly having to rely on the strength of my arms and shoulders and neck. They are not appreciating it. Backpacks are much friendlier to my body than shoulder bags, especially given the amount of junk I seem to carry around these days.

For the past few months I've been on the look out for a cute second-hand or eco-friendly backpack for everyday use, to replace this one.

I got this in Thailand a few years ago. I still love it. Maybe I'll try to figure out how to convert it into a backpack at some point.

Anyway, I headed to the Round She Goes market on the weekend and found one. I intended to mention the market here before the event, but it completely slipped my mind, sorry ladies. It's for quality preloved and local designer goods. And I'm going to be selling at the next two markets in July and October! For those readers in Melbourne, check out the website for more details.

Here's the backpack I found for a whopping $5.

It reminds me of the early 90s a lot, but I like the fact that I haven't seen anyone wearing something similar recently. I was drawn to the plaid, the blue, and the cute drawstring. It's a good size. Hopefully I can make it look a little more current.

I also picked up this merino wool Country Road cardigan for myself, as well as a few other pieces to reconstruct for Heidi & Seek. I think the cardi is calling for a couple of ruffles at the neckline.

Here's what I wore. I forgot to take a picture in the daylight, but I was really pleased with the outfit and wanted to capture it despite the darkness.

Scarf: salvaged from mum's charity shop donations
Shirts: thrifted
Shorts: Had them forever, not sure of the brand. Mum shortened them for me before I could sew; they used to be knee-length.

The Story of Stuff

2009-03-22T21:54:00.005+11:00

I really encourage you to watch this online animation called The Story of Stuff. It's about the lifecycle of the things we buy and the inherent problem with the processes involved: that natural resources will run out, that people are exploited along the way, and that it's actually worsening our quality of life. It's really easy to watch.

Some of the things learned:

Only 1% of the things we buy are still in use in 6 months. 99% is trashed within 6 months.
In just the past 30 years, one third of the world's natural resources were used up.
There are 100,000 different chemicals used in commercial products, and only a handful of them have been tested for health effects.
For every 1 garbage can that we put out on the curb, 70 cans worth of garbage were produced in making the amount we used up.

Quips appreciated:

The little guy representing the government shining the shoes of the fat corporation guy.
"We'll start with extraction, which is a fancy word for 'natural resource exploitation', which is a fancy word for 'trashing the planet'."
"We take our pillows, we douse them in a neuro-toxin [a flame retardant chemical], then we bring them home and put our heads on them for 8 hours a night to sleep? I don't know, but it seems to me in this country with so much potential, we could think of a better way to keep our heads from catching on fire at night."

To be honest though, watching this made me angry. I know I'm a part of the consumer cycle so I'm partly angry at myself. But mostly I'm angry at those capitalists who make a dedicated effort to increase consumption and disposal at the expense of the planet and people. I'm angry at computer companies for purposely changing the pieces of new computers so they don't fit into old ones, in order for us to throw the whole thing away and buy a new one. I'm angry at the guy quoted in the video, who after WW2 stated that high levels of consumption and disposal is in our best interests to better the economy. I'm angry that companies purposely design things to break.

I suppose that the high stats per person of waste and consumption means that if we buy less and try not to support the 'buy disposable' system, then we're doing a lot of good. If one can of the garbage we put out each week actually represents 71 cans, then by cutting that down to a quarter of a can, we'd save about 50 cans per week. That's a lot.

It's easy to conform to the idea that new is better, given it's blasted into our heads with advertising everywhere we turn and it seems to be what others are doing. It's great that there are videos like this to renew my dedication to a sustainable lifestyle.

Inspiration collage and photography

2009-03-19T11:03:00.006+11:00

Further to my last post about market research, I've created a survey and would appreciate if you'd fill it out for me! It's here. I'll post the results when it's finished.

I made this inspiration collage from a poster out of Frankie magazine and ideas from magazines that I cut out.

My work area is such an uninspiring mess at the moment that I thought this might brighten it up a bit and get ideas flowing. I'll add more inspiration pictures when I find more that I like. I didn't realise until after I made it that there are scissors on the poster - quite appropriate. I don't normally search for inspiration this way, I usually find it in the materials I use. But I've been feeling a bit uninspired lately, so this is a pretty remedy idea.

I constantly get new ideas in my head about non-clothing projects to try and things to learn. The ideas either fizzle out, or are stored in my head for later use, or I go out and find all the necessary materials I would need and then the idea fizzles out. Heidi & Seek is one of the ideas that I've followed through with, and that's immensely satisfying (even though it's been a long road).

This year I've 'decided' to start making jewellery, bags, armwarmers (all from reclaimed materials), write a novel, write and publish a beginners guide to sewing, exercise regularly, and, my most recent addition, learn photography. I've started each of these projects but haven't seen any of them through. Maybe I'll return to them later. But, for the minute, I'd like to talk about photography. I know enough to get by, taking decent enough photos for my online shops, but I'm still very much a point-and-shooter, occasionally fiddling with white balance, thinking vaguely about light and doing a lot of Photoshop editing. I've read guides on Etsy and such, but I'd love to delve deeper into the field. I love the idea of photography - capturing beautiful scenes in a picture forever. I'm sure it will make my shop look better, too.

I have an account on Flickr (which I've neglected up until recently) at flickr.com/hayleylau. I accidentally for some reason created two accounts when I signed up, and flickr.com/heidiandseek exists but isn't in use by me. Anyway, hopefully there will be more attractive photos up there soonish.

Issues in designing clothing

2009-03-15T10:42:00.009+11:00

Just quickly, I've made my Etsy clothing shop a bit more Aussie buyer friendly:

There is free shipping within Australia, for the forseeable future. I'm able to offer this because when Australians pay by direct debit, it cuts out the Paypal fees for me. Aussies can still pay by Paypal if they need to.
Each listing now has the Australian price in the text of the listing, so you can see exactly what the damage is without having to contact me.

I'm having a bit of a design direction problem. I've been making clothing for Heidi & Seek regularly since about August of last year. This is the first piece I sold, though, back in April on Made It.

This is a fresh new piece I just listed.

S calculator dress

Although I've come a long way, I feel like haven't quite worked out my 'style' yet. I experiment with varying techniques and looks. Then again, maybe my style comes subconsciously and most of my clothing fits within a certain look anyway. What do you think?

I guess I'm trying to work out what's both uniquely mine, and that people also want to buy and wear, not just think is pretty in a picture. I guess that comes down to market research, which I've never quite gotten a handle on. Maybe you could help me out a little by answering a question or two.

What do you look for in clothing?
Do you avoid certain colours or styles?
Are there pieces in my Heidi & Seek shop which particularly stand out to you? Ideas you'd like to see expanded upon?
Any that fail to appeal?

Thanks guys! Hope you're having a great weekend.

A bouquet of butterflies

2009-03-12T21:45:00.003+11:00

butterfly bouquet by whichgoose

This is the kind of amazing idea that makes me utterly overjoyed to have found Etsy.

P.S. I was interviewed over at the gorgeous blog, Etsy Item of the Day. Check it out here.

Green indie wedding

2009-03-12T10:57:00.012+11:00

Tim and I have been engaged for over a year now. We didn't set a date because a) we are naturally procastinate-y people and b) we didn't have enough spare cash to fund the event. Tim just got a raise so we're starting to plan the thing (by 'starting to plan', I mean we had a conversation that went, "We should start planning," and, "Yes. Yes we should.")

I really don't have much direction at the moment. I've only been to two weddings before, and I was a kid then. At age 22, I don't have the benefit of seeing what my friends have done first because none of them are married. I know that we don't want a traditional wedding. It won't be in a church, things won't necessarily be white, I won't necessarily have bridesmaids. It'll be small, green, indie. I don't want to buy new things that will just be thrown away afterwards, so we'll look for eco-friendly alternatives, or skip unimportant traditions altogether.

I'm starting with the dress, because it's probably the easiest. It doesn't necessarily have to be white (I mean, with a daughter I'm obviously not exactly 'pure'). Actually, I don't particularly like wearing white, anyway. I'd like it to be unusual, and preferably not exclusively for wear as a wedding dress. I'm thinking something with lots of layers and textures.

I'm inexperienced at making intricate, delicate dresses, but I might give it a try. I'll try to use reclaimed materials so I'm not impacting the environment so much. I've been looking for inspiration.

The doily dress by Armour sans Anguish

A new piece from the lovely Tawny (who I interviewed here). I love this. I haven't seen anything quite like it before. Loving the textures and the flattering fit, though I think it's too short for a wedding dress.

Grey sparrow dress by Makool

I love the pop of colour in this, and the asymmetry. It's gorgeous and unique. I'm stuck between whether I want a floor length or knee-length dress.

Vintage grecian gown from designarchives

This is much simpler than I'd like, but I'm liking the idea of the big bow and the asymmetry.

Antique lace pouf sleeve shrug by hollystalder

I put the white one there to show what the whole garment looked like, but I like the dusky purple one much more. Who would have thought a giant shoulder pouf would look so amazing?

Too many ideas, not enough time to test them all. I'm sure I'll be making a few trials. I'll keep you updated. I have yet to shop for materials.

A day in the park

2009-03-09T09:25:00.004+11:00

I think this face is priceless:

It was Ellie's first time really riding the swing. I've attempted to put her in it before, but gentle pushes freaked her out. This time, she loved going up high (although this photo might not exactly spell that out).

Sometimes she thinks it's fun to walk lopsidedly, cocking her head to the side and doing a bit of a Frankenstein stiff walk. It's hilarious watching random people's responses, whose expressions indicate that they think she's a special child. She really is her father's daughter, kidding people for their reactions.

Eco-style find: Armour sans Anguish women's dresses

2009-03-07T14:22:00.006+11:00

This week's eco-find is Tawny Holt's Armour sans Anguish, gorgeous garments made completely from recycled and reclaimed materials. Such lush colours! Such romantic designs! I would totally want this to wear to my wedding if I didn't want to try making the dress myself first.

The over the moon dress

I had the privilege of interviewing the brains behind this operation.

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you make.
My name is Tawny Holt and I'm 26 years old. I make one of a kind clothing for women from recycled materials under the label Armour sans Anguish. I work from my home in lovely Modesto, CA and can be found dancing with my Go-Go troupe, The Radiowaves when I'm not knee-deep in fabric and pretty bits. I also enjoy thrifting, bike riding, and cooking up unique foods.

How did you start making clothing?
I literally got a sewing machine for Christmas 5 years ago and started selling clothing 4 and a half years ago. I sauntered into a local boutique, Queen Mab's, and they asked me where I got the clothes I was wearing. When I sheepishly announced that I had made them they asked if I would consider selling other pieces through their shop. After a couple of successful mini-collections of one-of-a-kinds in Queen Mab's, I started to expand Armour sans Anguish by selling through other shops and online.

The aquamarine dress

What kind of person shops Armour sans Anguish?
I would like to think it's the hopeless romantic; the eccentric girl who wants to wear the dresses she dreamed up as a little girl, but with a refined and adult twist.

Tell us about your materials. What new supplies do you use? What recycled?
Literally all of the supplies I use are recycled, save for my sewing machines and scissors! I even get thread, zippers, buttons, and needles at second hand stores. I become a bit obsessed, as I try to make sure that even my hang tags are printed on papers I've found at garage sales or thrift stores. It is always my intention to use what is already out in the world.

The pistachio dress

Why do you use recycled materials?
Not only do I want to contribute to the sustainability of our world, but I am also simply drawn to vintage materials--I think they tell better stories and lend themselves to the kind of romanticism I want to create.

Which item of yours is your favourite?
My items are always revolving and coming in and out of my life, so my "favorites" are constantly changing. Right now I'm in giddy love with The Blue Lagoon Dress because it all came together using colors I don't normally use. I was delighted with the result.

What advice would you give to designers who want to start working for themselves?
I would encourage an attentiveness to a sustainable rate of growth. Only take on what you're comfortable with as there is a desire from the eco community to do business with folks who keep their operations intentionally small.

What's your best eco-tip?
Networking with other eco-crafters and designers! Folks who are interested in sustainability are eager to find out how they can pass on their production "waste" to other folks who could use them. Don't be afraid to ask!

Thanks, Tawny!

Check out the Armour sans Anguish Etsy store.

I love the increasing variety of recycled handmade clothing online. Some might say it's counter-productive of me to feature the 'competition' here, but I really want to get these labels out there and show you that there are plenty of ethical eye-candy options. If you know of a recycled label for a future eco-find feature, please comment below!

Outfit favourites from the blogopshere

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Some Girls Wander

Okay, so pretty much anything that Emily from The Black Apple wears, I adore. She has a cute classic style that doesn't seem to get boring even though she often dresses within a theme. Her pops of colour are also refreshing.

Hel-Looks

I'm a little iffy about the scarf, but everything else about this outfit is great. Particularly like the patterned tights, the smidgen of bright tangerine, and the round bottom hem of her coat. I'm not sure whether her tights are layered, but she's just given me the thought to experiment with that.

The Satorialist

I've been at uni or otherwise out for the past few days, and it seemed that plaid jackets similar to this one (a bit more 'bomber' in style, though) are everywhere. I automatically avoid 'all the rage' items on principle (even if I like them, i.e. gladiator sandals) but this girl's outfit makes it look fresh and I wouldn't say no to dressing like her.

The Coveted

The thing I love most about this outfit is the patterned dress coupled with a longer, deep purple skirt that pokes out at the bottom. I'm very much a fan of layered skirt-ing, especially when the colours are as complimentary as these.

Things to try:
Layering tights
Layering skirts
Incorporating bright, rich colours

We have lift-off: awareness badges on Etsy

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I've finally got these pictured and listed! Don't they look cute, all lined up in this picture? You can check 'em out on Etsy here. I'm really pleased with the concept of these. I love that they're innocent and cute looking but they purport big ideas. My favourites are this and this.

Also, photos from the fashion show are up on Style Melbourne here! Four of the seven or so outfits I showcased are there. Awesome.

Splurge

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Ahh, I just splurged on this top and will henceforth blame it on being an early birthday present (my birthday is two months away).

Emerald Grey Blue by Replicca

I'm starting to wonder if signing up to her mailing list was such a good idea after all.

I'm aware of the fact that this is not, as far as I can tell, made using eco-friendly or recycled fabrics. But I guess the most important thing to me with fashion is that I'm not rewarding (paying) a company to keep exploiting garment workers. This hoodie does not. I think that ethical fashion is about having the knowledge to choose what issues important for you, and then reducing what you buy to select pieces that you will treasure and adore for a long time to come.

I'm quite unhappy with the extent of my wardrobe at the moment (although that may have something to do with the washing that's been piling up since before the fashion show). I guess everybody goes through that stage once in a while, where our wardrobe just feels old and a rejuvination is desired. I'll be reconstructing my own things when I have spare time, and largely keep my clothing to second-hand or self-made. This 'spare time' does not seem promising, as I just started back at uni, but we'll see how I go.

If you're interested in peeking at others' refashioned clothing, check out this inventive blog: Wardrobe Refashion.

"Participants of the blog pledge to abstain from the purchase of new manufactured clothing for the period of 2, 4, 6 months or LIFE. They pledge to refashion, renovate, and recycle preloved items with their own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium or make their own from scratch."

I really appreciate the values behind this idea. Huge props to Nichola for creating and maintaining this.

Also! I was interviewed in depth over at the modernemotive blog. I think that this is my favourite interview so far, the questions were fun to answer and the post ended up so pretty!