Donnie Dog and Soft Toys

There seems to be a proliferation of soft toys on the market at the moment. Lots on etsy and madeit which are wonderful and original. Some in shops in Melbourne which are kinda, well, less good. I am talking about those 'handmade in China', see previous post, and those that are just screen printed and stuffed, en masse. Though of the later many of them are quite cute and could be used as little cushions. The problem I have with the former is that they are sold in the National Gallery shop in Melbourne. Come on local artists get down there and make them stock your fabulous items!
So, I am looking for a special present for my nephew and could not make up my mind and thought I could probably make him something myself. A nice stuffed dog like animal with a funny face. Here he is, I have not finished him as the first comment I got was, 'Ha, that wasn't as easy as what you thought it would be'. Suffice to say I did not feel inspired to go on and think maybe I will stick to the clothing.
Maybe he is a little scary for a little one.
Pictured here with our lovely Kelpie cross who died last year.

Tropical Conundrum

Have just spent a few weeks in the tropical city of Darwin. I know shopping centres around the world are becoming all the same but this is just nearly ridiculous. I went into Target and they have exactly the same stock in the Nothern Territory as they do in Victoria, knitted cardigans and all. It did not get below 20 degrees while we were there and during the day it was about 35, every day. I can understand there being a few items in the back of the shop for people travelling south, but the whole shop was decked out in cold weather clothing. Not surprising I supose. Apparently banana farmers up there have their bananas trucked to Brisbane (about a trillion kilometres away) to be trucked back in boxes and sold at the supermarket.
I have only two words to say about that 'global bloody warming'.

Seasonal Dilemma

I am having a bit of a dilemma over the seasons. Well, dilemma is probably too strong a word. I just think they have become a little obsolete (with regards to what garments I put in the online stores) for 2 reasons. The first being that when selling online I am selling worldwide which means that some of us are in autumn (fall for all you Americans!) and some of us are in Spring. The other is that some of us (not me) live in warmer climes where you don’t really have a winter at all (hello Townsville and Darwin). I’ll try to stop using parentheses (is that what they’re called...oops, at least I am not using dot dot dot...doh!).
Anyway, this post is getting a little annoying; I will get back on track. The dilemma is, do I stock summer and winter clothing concurrently to suit everyone? If so, how is that going to look? I really think I will have to do this, as I don’t want to be just appealing to some and not everyone. I can always just state this in my shop announcement on Etsy and Madeit and the profile on 5trillion. I believe it needs an explanation otherwise it will look a little odd.
So, there it is, asked and answered. I will need to get to and update this now.
This is the latest thing I am working on. Dog jumpers for little boys, I have cut these out and then machine embroidered them. I have decided to put them onto a patch first and then onto the jumper. If any don’t work out I can do another without ruining a whole piece of fabric! I will do these with different dogs on each, it will add to the handmade element and it is not anymore work.
I will have to stop calling them dog tops, people think I have branched out into dog wear! Please no.

QC & the cat/bird bag

I made a tote bag this week. It was an order from my sister, I will add it to the shop and make another if ordered. I am also going to make her a camera case, ditto with this. She wanted a plain black bag to use for everyday. As she knows, I don't do plain black, so I have added a machine embroidered bird on one side and cat on the other. The lining is an old pillowcase, I bought it from the op-shop because I just liked the pattern. I have a real penchant for paisley (also for Prince, they go hand in hand I reckon). Here is a picture of some test runs I did first. I did no test run for the cat, just sewed it on.






I made the yellow lines on blue into a top for my little boy. I also ironed on a shop name and logo design using that paper you can print on the computer. After a few washes there were a few problems I could see with the top. The first was with the logo and one that I kinda knew about already, but ironed it on anyway as I wanted to see what it looked like and it was not for sale. These iron ons really only last a few washes before they start coming off. The next issue was the ribbing I used for the neck. It was pilling after only 1 wash, so I have had to throw it out. Lastly and something that is not a real problem, just a small design fault, is with the hem, or lack thereof. I will turn this up and zigzag, it will look better as it rolls up and bit now. Though I think the cuffs are OK without this.
It pays to make a sample up.

Words for the Swing Tag

I have been trying to decide what to put on the swing tags for ShipShap, my new children's wear label. I think it is important as I want people to know about what they are buying. Here is what I have so far.
"ShipShap is the name I have given to my clothing for children. The clothing is all handmade, which means that I design, cutout and sew up all of the items myself. It can be a somewhat organic process, as some of the pieces may evolve into something a little different to what I had originally planned. Some of my work is not really planned at all; for instance, I always guess how much dye to mix up in the pot and my machine embroidery often just comes out how it does once I start sewing. A picture in my mind is all I may use to go on.

I love making these clothes and I hope you will love them too!

Enjoy,

Christina"

And on the back
"Buying handmade means that you are getting a one-off original and you are directly supporting the (artist or) craftsperson. These are 2 among many other good reasons. Go online to find out more. I made the pledge at www.buyhandmade.org "

I figure that if people are interested in that, or think 'handmade, what do they mean by that' (which is what I would think- see previous blog), they can go and find out, via buyhandmade.org and etsy.com.

Anyway, I am not sure if the clothing will be handmade for ever, but if I was to get it made by someone else I think I would still put on there where it was made and keep the blog with details re that. I think it is important, as I said before.

The above is a picture of the beautiful Abi in one of my tops, after looking at these I decided that the shape is not all that good and I should finish the hem and edges after all. It would be good to have a house model full time!

Handmade in China

I was at the National Gallery of Victoria at Federation Square a few weeks back and so had a look at the shop there. They were selling soft toys 'handmade in China', this annoys me for a few reasons. The stock in the shop is not made by local artists, which contributes to the homogeneity of shops around the world. BORING. And they are not supporting local art and what is their definition of 'handmade'. Because in the truest sense of the word, my stuff is not handmade. I do use a machine. But most people know what handmade means when it comes to clothing and crafts, I think. See Etsy for an explanation.

So here is what I have been up to. I did a special order for my yellow lines t shirt and while I had to screen made up I thought I may as well print some more. I dyed some of my white cotton interlock blue and screened them on there. I will make them up into kids tops, check them out on Etsy soon.

Back to the Blog

Happy New Year!
What a year for 2007 with the birth of my darling little boy.
Here he is, being held by his Dad, just born. I like this funny little picture of him, looking a bit bewildered at the world he has just entered.
He looks a little different now as he is 4 months old.

Now to the business of making.
I have been making. I went to another market, this time in Foster (near Wilson's Promontory in Victoria), with my sister's help as it is now quite a production to do something like that with a little one to consider. I made some little tube tops with rosettes and shoulder ties for girls, of which I sold a few to my sister's friends before even getting there. So I will make some more and put them in the Etsy shop as they were popular. Here is a pic taken at the market, that's me in the green, with my family helping out.

Clothing Graveyard

There was an aticle in this weekends 'The Age' newspaper lamenting the fact that the fashion industry is collapsing under a mountain of rags. Janice Breen Burns writes
'Every month. Every week. Teen frock brands even boast they have refined their rip-off systems, can turn around a style from glossy-mag red-carpet paparazzi snap to rack in 10 days. Imagine. Ten days and 100,000 more units of puckered polyester destined within a year for the Salvos.'

It's true, I have been to my local op-shops and while one is constantly having a 50cent sale (all clothing and footwear for 50cents per item), the other is more expensive than the big box stores clearance racks. I have been to Myer's basement to check out the youth clothing department a few times since it has opened and a couple of times it looked truely like a clothing graveyard. Racks and racks of cheap t-shirts, leggins, dresses, etc. all made from different shades of interlock. I imagined their birth in a Chinese factory along with millions of others being churned out by an underpaid workforce. How many do they expect to sell I wonder?
Anyway, I will get back to my own clothing line. I hope to do a few more markets once the Bub is born (currently 1 week overdue!) but who knows, this could bring in a whole world of change I am just not expecting.

Bacchus Marsh Market

What have I been doing?
I went to the craft market in Bacchus Marsh (where I live) last Thursday, which was very good. All local people who do their own handy crafts such as knitting, water painting, woodcraft, silk painting and me with my clothing. It was a long day - 9am to 5pm, but it was in the shopping centre so there was no problem with the elements. I also made a skirt for my sister (shown here) and have been preparing for the arrival of the baby (about 1 month to go), which I have been sewing for also.
I will add some pictures of these items soon.

After looking at these pictures I need to add that I will be better set up for the next market, with a clothes rack at least!

Etsy Meet Up and Ella's Top

Went to Fitzroy on Saturday to meet other Etsy sellers. It was a great afternoon, though I was one of the first to leave, but next time I will make it so I don't have to leave so early! There are some pictures on Flickr, thanks to Shara Lambeth - I did take my camera but took no shots as I had my hands full with cards, samples, cup of tea etc!

I also went to the design market as per the previous post, but again took no pictures, maybe I am just getting lazy. That was also very good but very crowded. Some really great work out there people are doing, I am making a concerted effort to buy handmade and/or limited edition artists work lately (if I am not giving something I have made myself) and will encourage others to do the same. It is generally so much nicer than buying mass produced I think.

Here is a picture of my beautiful niece Ella in one of my samples.

Children's Wear and Markets

I am still busily making children's clothing with the aim of going to market with them. Not sure when this will be, but hopefully within the next 2 months. Summer is probably a better time for markets, but people do still go in winter, at least I do anyway. Speaking of which there is a design market on this Sunday at Federation Square I hope to go to - I will let you all know how this is after the weekend. I heard there is also going to be something on to do with Harry Sidler (Australian Architect) a tribute exhibition I think, so I hope to catch that too.
I must get on and make some more women's wear, I still hope to get this into some stores in Melbourne, so much to do! Here are some pictures of what I have been up to. I made some children's jackets out of a pair of knitted pants I had - recycling and all clean! I dyed and screened some elephant tops which I then used fabric paint in tubes to outline and paint grass onto. And some girls dresses with trees screenprinted on, these I also hand painted some extra leaves and a bit of grass at the bottom, as I thought they looked a bit flat. Check out the Etsy store, where they will all be soon.

Children's Wear Samples

I think I mentioned in my previous post that I am getting into children's wear. I wanted to sell at some local markets, so I went on down to Woodend to have a look at their Sunday market - and it was not on! Not sure why, I will check that out, it could have been because of the weather...or maybe they do not even hold them in Winter. Yes, I know, I should check these things first. I was also planning on going to the Gisborne market and then we got an invitation to a party on that day, so I won't be going to that either. But that's OK, because I won a knitting machine on e-bay and I can pick it up on that day too, as it is in the same part of town. I am looking forward to that. I did have a knitting machine and it was great, but then I stupidly tried to knit with mohair wool and it all got stuck and I broke it. I could not find a spare part either - very annoyed at myself.
Here are some pics of the children's wear so far, and I even have some gorgeous little models, Eli was great he even faced the wall so I could take a picture of the back of the top, Abi was overdue for her afternoon sleep and so was less cooperative, they are available on Etsy (the clothes, not the kids).

Children's clothing

I have started to make children's clothing. A natural progression from making maternity clothing I guess you could say. But, no I haven't actually had the baby yet, more of a suggestion from a friend of mine who is also pregnant. Anyway, here are some of my works so far. They will be in the Etsy shop soon.
I have hand dyed these, so they are a bit uneven in the dye distribution, but I think that adds to the handmade flavour, then I screen printed them and then I did some machine embroidery. There are 2 styles, one for girls and one for boys, sizes 1 to 5 years, plus a romper in each style for size 6 months. I hope to get some little bodies in them for better photos on Etsy.

Puffy sleeves

I have a fascination with puffy sleeves at the moment. I am not the only one no doubt - I think sleeves are big this season (whether that be s/s or a/w depending on whether you are in the northern hemisphere or southern). I have made 2 puffy sleeve tops, one out of stretch poly and features a juliet sleeve and the other from a 50/50 wool, poly lightweight knit (unusual mix). The lantern sleeve I have made for myself, to accomodate my ever growing bump - my regular clothes just aren't fitting! I will also do 'regular' sizes for those with no bump.
Stayed tuned, I will add them to 5trillion.com soon.

quilting

I have just been having a look at a quilting blog called material obsession. They have some beautiful designs there. Quilting is a very precise craft and so one that I have never really got into - I do not have the patience. My Mum has done quite a bit in her time though; Mum goes off and on different craft projects and is back on to knitting again, which is great as she is knitting up some beautiful little pieces for my baby due in September. Speaking of which, I have been getting into making some maternity wear, funny thing, my regular clothes just don't fit anymore so it was out of necessity of course. Most things I make can just be made to fit a big belly, as I have noted on the 5trillion website.
Here are some pics of my Mum's crazy patchwork quilt - bits of it, as it is a double bed quilt. It has a great deal of work in it and is really lovely layed out on a bed.

screen printing

Here are some tops I have made in the last few weeks. The tree top I have made from the big roll of fabric I bought. I like these puffy raglans, I think I will do a few more, only slightly different. I have a bit of a fascination with trees at the moment, especially ones with no leaves, I have made another with a tree, but have not taken a photo yet. The second tee here was going to be very different to this. I have a lot of plain, large white buttons and I had this idea to stitch them onto a sleeveless black top, onto lines stitched onto the garment in white. First I did not have any black fabric, so I used this navy cotton Lycra. Then I could not get the lines to look right, so I screen printed some lines on (on the original design they are straight, so I changed this also) in yellow, as I had no white paint, then just sewed different kinds of buttons on. I am quite pleased with the way it has come out though. Have not decided whether to put this on Etsy or 5trillion or what yet!

dyeing and printing and sewing

I have been doing a bit of all these things this week. I dyed some tee's that I had made up with the new dyes I bought last week. They came out a lot darker than I anticipated; which is good because that means I can be a little more frugal with my dyes. I also made up a jumper for my niece. I made it from a block I had from college which I think has too much of a boxy shape about it - kinda 80's style - which is making a comeback, so that could have been a good thing after all. Anyway, that is what I will tell her! She is only 5, but very style concious, like a lot of young kids are now. As you can see I tye dyed a heart shape in the middle. I think I might have some kind of weird tye dye addiction, I have to refrain myself from tying up everything I throw in the dye pot. Maybe I will just do a heap one day and that may get it out of my system.

5trillion update

I am in the midst of doing a big update on my online shop at 5trillion.com. Please take a look and also read the musings blog there for info re these new items and a link to my photos on flickr (just click on one of the thumbnails on the musings blog or go to flickr link and type in 5trillion in tag search).
I have also been trying to update my etsy shop but it has been so slow in loading I have had to give up.

nude & lace top

Today I made a new top and also finished off 1 brooch to go with the denim bolero. The top is made from nude coloured chiffon with a piece of lace sewn down the front. I bought a bag of lace from the local bargain box fabric store and also another from e-bay (both off-cuts). I am not sure where this one came from. I also made a camisole to go under the chiffon top, as of course it was transparent.
I plan to put both on 5trillion and make some more brooches for the denim bolero so people can choose which one, or two, they would like when making a purchase.

new stuff on Etsy

Here is a picture of my workroom. This is a denim bolero that I am making, with an embroidered brooch acting as the closure. When doing machine embroidery I get my cottons out to see which colours would look best, then for this one I got out my pencils in the same colours to sketch some designs.

I have added some clothing to my Etsy store.
I have not updated 5trillion as yet, but hope to do so soon.

I have been getting into a bit of screen printing lately which I am quite enjoying. I made up some tops, which are on Etsy, and have some more in the pipeline. I have made up one style, but now I have finished it I am not sure that I like it, so I may just pull it apart and change it a bit.
I have also been chatting a bit on the Etsy forums and found some interesting work done by others in Melbourne (I am not in Melbourne, but v close by) and all around the world. Such as these 2: annalaura and a. t. whim.
There are so many wonderful things for sale on Etsy I am not sure why you would shop anywhere else! (In my humble, if not slightly biased opinion).

Having said that I found a great little shop just off Greville St. in Prahran that sells clothing made by people who live in or around Melbourne. Very cute stuff.

I went to the last trading day for the fabric shop mentioned in the previous post. I bought 1 roll of white cotton interlock and 1 roll of rugby weight cotton knit. As you can see by the label it has come from New Zealand and was bought from local clothing manufacturer Ojay. Today I have ordered some dyes from kraftkolour here in Melbourne, so I intend to make lots of garments that I will dye and screenprint.
Stayed tuned.