Eco Christmas - 2017

Eco Christmas Banner

Hi there,
Today is Saturday, and I'm taking it easier today, nursing a bit of a hangover (work hard play hard) and being kind to myself after a hectic week. No dramas this week, except the genny isn't working again, but at least I'm up to date with my washing, so its not a big problem. Oh and I did a killer Pilates session on Wednesday and all day Thursday I was suffering with my abs, so much so, they hurt when I coughed.
I've spent a lot of time sewing this week, in preparation for a Christmas Craft Fair I'm doing tomorrow. I will be honest, I've never been successful at craft fairs before and this can really get you down. I don't know if its because my products weren't right for those fairs, maybe my prices were high and I didn't have enough cheap items, sometimes its purely down to the location and what the weather is like, as to how much footfall there is. Anyway, I'm feeling positive, and if anything, it will be good for networking.

Pin Cushions from Vintage fabrics

 Firstly, I'm going to tell you about the pin cushions I have made. I have to admit, I stole The 'Enter Pin' idea from a sewing magazine, it took me a long time to embroider the words. The price I will be selling them for will not reflect the amount of work gone into them. They are all made from vintage fabrics.

Christmas Head Scarves #alternative

I do like to think 'out of the box' sometimes, and I am often influenced by the materials I have. On Christmas day, I usually wear the standard red mass manufactured abroad, synthetic Father Christmas style hat, This year I will be donning one of my own Christmas headscarves, to be a bit more stylish and different. I hope people will like this idea, lets see how they sell.

Handmade Christmas stockings

Anyone who has the child still in them likes a Christmas stocking, so I made a selection. The first one in the photo is made from a lovely thick vintage fabric, the rest are remnants or reclaimed I generally have to charge a bit ore for vintage fabrics as they are more expensive than the other fabrics I get, which are either remnants or reclaimed. The traditional red shiny fabric here is reclaimed and I cant put a date on it. I got it from one of my favourite sources, The Chapel and Textiles Centre at Greenham Business Park in Newbury. I had a fruitful trip this week to the centre, and had a long chat with one of the lovely volunteers there. Basically, they get donated the cloths, many of which are vintage. Its like an Aladdins cave for me. I almost want to keep it my secret so I can keep all the lush things to myself. I always come out with a bag full of things, at great prices too. I was telling the lady there about myself, and what I was doing (I specifically went in for Christmas coloured trimmings) and she was very interested, and said she wishes more people like me came there. They also run workshops there which I actively promote, and they also display the British Needlework Archive, and have a cafe, so its definitely worth a visit.

Vintage fabric Christmas gift bags

Seasonal Vinatage Tartan Gift Bags

When Mia was a baby, my Mum made her a Christmas sack, to put all her presents in, what a lovely touch that was. I have made these stylish gift bags as an alternative to wrapping paper, because its better for the environment. You can re-use them time and time again, and will make your gifts look more attractive and personal. I have made a variety of sizes, small ones would be nice for perfumes or mobile phones. The bags may stay in your family home and be taken out each year with the Christmas decorations, or they also make a nice present themselves. The tartan ones, don't even need to be specifically for Christmas either.                                                              Next are these little tree decorations, I hope you like them, feedback so far is that they are cute.  I've also made some bunting, and plan to make some table runners on request.
Finally, I made a banner for my display, I want to get the point across as to what Foxy Lady is all about (photo at the top). I'm ready for this craft fair tomorrow x

Remnant Christmas Decorations

Vintage fabric tree decorations