For ages I've wanted to make accessories for guys, but I couldn't figure out what to make for a brief while I made t-shirts but the work that went into them was not feasible in the end. It was while I was reading
ByAmors piece on
revamping your shop during the Summer months I saw the link to the
merchandising desk on Etsy. Here they talk about specific trends, and advice people to use this quieter time to start a new line of products. It was when I read about the growing trend in gadget accessories that a bell rung in my head. I love making detailed felt designs, and it would give me the scope to work on stuff for guys and girls. So after doing a bit of research on sizes, and prices being charged for them I made my first one, the apple tree here. It was so much fun to make as the ideas for the images are only limited by my imagination. In the few days that I've been working on them I've made 10 of them, and I've even listed them already in my
Etsy shop. I've gotten really good feedback about them on facebook and I have an order for one already.
I've decided to push the idea of doing custom order ones, so you can get an image tailor made for you. For example my friend Rebecca has ordered a rainbow to match her
LuckyRainbowDesigns business name. I think it would make a cool present for someone if you got something custom made for them, either to do with an in joke a hobby/occupation.
I've three markets coming up this weekend, at the moment I'm working hard on building up a good selection of cases to choose from. I'm charging 20 euro($26) with free shipping worldwide, I think when people see the level of work and detail that has gone into them they will understand the price, especially since they are entirely hand stitched.
Ps: I was reading a post about
reverse applique on Grannymars blog last week and I promised myself I would give it a shot. I used this method while making the tape cassette in conjunction with regular applique. I love the results, but boy was it extra work!! Thanks grannymar for the great how-to, I'll definitely be using it again as it looks so pretty.
Lately I've been bringing my pre-cut felt iphone cases down to the market and doing my hand sewing while I'm there. It means I can get some Christmas stock made while it's quiet down there. I'm spending over 20 hours a week standing at my stall so it makes sense to use that time wisely. I learnt from pre-cutting my brooches that it saves time to design and cut the pieces at home before hand. I recently ordered lots of felt from Lupin, so it was great to be able to design them and have all my new coloured sheets at hand. 
