Personalised Christmas Stocking - Cath Kidston Fabric

I have been asked by a friend to create a personalised Christmas stocking for her baby daughter. She sent me the star fabric a couple of days ago and it is really beautiful as you would expect from Ms Cath Kidston. Since receiving this my head has been full of different ideas.

I bought the lining and the wadding today off eBay and sorted out the template shape. Once my purchases arrive it will be full steam ahead with this new project. I'm definitely going to do one for my daughter too with some red dotty fabric I have been saving for such a project.

I have found some great instructions on how to make a stocking in a book called Crafting Christmas Gifts: 25 Adorable Projects Featuring Angels, Snowmen, Reindeer and Other Yuletide Favourites

It has some beautiful projects in it not just the stocking.  Including this gorgeous penguin.

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2011 - I have realised that I never posted the final pictures of the completed Cath Kidston Fabric Christmas Stocking......well here it is.....

I was delighted how well it turned out.  I drew my own pattern in the end as my friend wanted it a specific size but I followed the very useful instructions of how to make it from the book.

Great fun and it looked the part against a fireplace waiting to be stuffed with presents.

The Smell of Christmas

I have been stuffing (must find a better description) my fabric hearts with cloves this week and the cottage smells delicious. Once completed I have been storing the hearts in sealed boxes which I have filled with cinnamon sticks, cloves and a small piece of fabric soaked in vanilla essence and the smell when I open the box is what I associate with Christmas and winter. Its warm, cosy, sweet and spicy. So on top of the cloves inside the hearts the fabric is also absorbing the smell of the other winter spices in the box.

As we get nearer to Christmas I'm going to dot these hearts all around our cottage. On door handles, shelves and on the Christmas tree so that this welcoming smell will gently fill the air.

I have also put some of them for sale on eBay.

A real bonus for all my creations is that the shelves in our home are looking very interesting and something new is added to them every day.

Ebay Items

So I have posted my first Button Patch items on eBay to buy. They are the items I created last week and I am really pleased with how the photographs came out as it was a very gloomy day when I took them.

The three items up for sale are:

1. Canvas featuring polka dot teacup and cherry button cupcake

2. Similar canvas this time featuring a pink polka dot teacup and cupcake. Both canvas' have been painted using Farrow and Ball Cooking Apple Green which is a really classic colour.

3. The third eBay item is the very first design I started on my fabric stitched cupcake birthday card .

I have sold on eBay before but under my husband and I username which we have had for years and have managed to build up over 50 positive feedback both as seller and buyer. As this is my business I wanted to keep it separate so I now go under the name buttonpatch 09. This has the unfortunate downside that my feedback only amounts to 3 positive which may put potential buyers off.

I am doing some jiggling around according to which category to list them and whether I should have just the auction or with Buy-It-Now status too. So much to consider but its incredibly exciting too. I want to add more things throughout the week so I have some rolling stock and potential buyers see that I have a lot of different items to offer.

Things to do this week are:

• Finish winter scented red polka-dot hearts (these are looking really nice and the smell of the cloves and the cinnamon is really making me get into the Christmas frame of mind).
• Take photos of hearts and place on e-bay
• Design 2009 Christmas card !!!
• Complete another set of baby booties birth/christening cards (first set have been used or bought by friends)
• Put personalised Christening/Baptism canvas on eBay.
• Research - business postcards and fabric labels

Pheeewwww. Busy, busy, busy but I'm loving every minute of it.

A productive week

The success of last Sunday's boot sale has proved to be very motivating. This week has seen the design, creation and completion of:

• 2 canvas pictures of teacups and cupcakes
• 1 canvas with 4 teacups
• 1 baby girl card
• 1 baby boy card

The design process takes the longest amount of time as it involves fine tuning my template drawings and then deciding upon the best fabric, thread and button combinations. This can be the most frustrating but rewarding part of the process.

I have also done a spot of market research this weekend with some of my oldest friends. I quized them on what they would expect to pay for each of my creations, what they usually pay, which of my creations they liked/disliked, etc. and it was invaluable.

This week I hope to finalise a date for exhibiting at my first craft fair and to create a batch of the baby boy and girl cards and to start on my Christmas collection.

First Sales

Button Patch launched officially today at Lacock Car Boot. A good friend who makes delicious cakes and biscuits kindly let me perch on the end of her table. I took my first 2 sales. One for a canvas of a cupcake and teacup and one for a tea cosy decorated with appliqued teapot, cup and cupcake. I am absolutely buzzing and thrilled that people think my work is worth spending their hard earned cash on.

I feel inspired to continue and ramp up my efforts.