in 2010

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

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.

things i wish i knew before i opened shop

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!

flow

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

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.

style number one

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.

powering through

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.

cutting down on spending

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?

new stock and stockist

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

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

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.

1. 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:
2. 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.
   
   
3. 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.
   

4. 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.

5. 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.

studio sorted

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

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.

organisation & clearance sale

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

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?

bernina and the melbourne school of fashion

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.

business plans: simplifying styles

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?

sneak peek at winter collection

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!

new clock and diy pyramid pouch

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!