Creative Crafting May 2019

CREATIVE 1

You will be in good company at the PCG! Erika Price Artisan Jew ellery ~Sapphire M ember

The Professional Crafters Guild was established in 2011 to provide small craft businesses with the recognition that they deserve.

Join our community of professional crafters and gain support, advice, workshops and publicity for your business.

Add your unique guild badges to your websites and display your membership certificate on your craft stalls to show the world you mean business!

Be part of an international network of Professional Crafters and Small Business owners ry K.D Jewelle Member ~Sapphire

Helenka

White Design ~Sapphire Member

ed membership receive discount d an g tin af Cr e eativ Interview for Cr

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Welcome Is it just me or has May just whizzed by?

We have another shorter than usual issue as I’ve had quite a lot of family commitments this month which has kept me away from the web.

There are still plenty of wonderfully creative people to meet though so grab a coffee or a cup of tea and read on…

Next month we will be featuring lots of articles on handmade weddings.

Do you create wedding accessories?

Perhaps you made your own for your wedding? Have you just got married, we would love to add you to our wedded bliss spread.

We are ready to publish you and your fabulous creations.

So how can you help?

Well we would love to hear from you if you’d like to: ● Write an article, how to guide, feature, your story etc. ● Have products that you would like us to review or promote. ● Would like to be Interviewed.

Click this image in our magazine to visit the online version of the

● Would like to work with us at Creative Crafting.

article to share.

We have lots of ideas but always have room for more so get in touch.

Email us at articles@creative-crafting.com or visit our website www.creative-crafting.com

This Month Features: Small Purple Hedgehog Michael Harrigan Spratt’s Designs

ADVERTISING Anna-Marie Miles theycrystallady@creative-crafting.com Tel: 07763 566636 ARTICLE SUBMISSION To: articles@creative-crafting.com www.creative-crafting.com

Bernadine’s Creations CreativeCraftingMagazine Perfidious Jewellery CreativeCraftin

Nessa Foye Designs

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Creative Crafting publishes articles, features and projects provided to us by crafters and suppliers. By submitting articles to be published the author grants Creative Crafting copyright of each piece.

The Handmade Garden Craft Bloggers

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Crocheted clothes, accessories and novelty items

Tell us a bit about the artist behind your beautiful creations.

Hi. My name is Angela. I make a variety of crochet items including fancy tea cosies.

I used to be a teacher and I guess I’ve always been a problem solver and creative.

I worked with children with Special Educational Needs in a main stream school.

And often used drawings and sometimes stories that I wrote to develop the children’s skills. I had to stop work because of stress and changes in working conditions. This was not helped by a light sensitivity issue that developed many years earlier. I decided to become a self employed crocheter as I had always enjoyed crocheting and it was something I could do.

Have you always been creative or did your talent evolve over time ?

I think I’ve always been creative. When I was young, children watched less TV. My Nana taught me to crochet when I was 6/7. I also learnt to knit ( no idea who taught me) and to use Mum’s treadle sewing machine. I made dolls house dolls clothes, Tressie doll clothes. I wrote stories and drew. I continued to knit when I became a teacher.

But had to stop all crafting when I became severely light sensitive - I couldn’t even read a newspaper. I could read and write on grey sugar paper. Fortunately the condition eased off and I was able to start crocheting again. I mainly used other people’s patterns at first. Then started making my own some of which I sell in my Etsy shop. I’ve always been able to do this with crochet, but not with knitting.

What is it that you enjoy most about your work ?

Trying to make the picture I have in my head in crochet. I also just like to crochet. I can’t sit and do nothing. I like to make other people happy with the items I make.

Have you achieved anything in your crafting life that you are particularly proud of ?

Two items: The first was a crochet cake for a customer. The lady was very particular about how she wanted it to look. It was about 40cm high. A great challenge.

And the second is my daughter’s uni blanket. It’s not finished, fortunately she has been doing an art foundation course this year and living at home. I need to finish it before the middle of September. I’m making it in squares, some of which are decorated with crochet motifs (most of which I’ve designed) to show the things my daughter likes/is interested in.

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Other than crafting what else do you like to do?

I also bake, make jam and chutney, grow veg and plants for the local Rochester Country Market. I love to spend time in the garden. One day it will be finished and I can just sit and enjoy it.

If you had to choose your favourite from your creations, which would it be?

Probably the Spring tea cosy. It was a commission for an American lady who has bought a few tea cosies from me. Last year she wanted something to make her think of Spring as the Winter had lasted so long. I love Spring flowers too, so we agreed on a combination of daffodils in different shades (which reminded me of the grounds at college) and purple violas to add a pinch of colour.

What advice would you offer to someone new starting out in the craft world?

Find something you enjoy doing and explore its possibilities. Join a Facebook group or two and join in with the posts. Joining your local Country Market if there is one is a great way to meet other people and sell a bit of craft. Crafting can be a lonely business. If you bake, keep bees, grow veg and plants it’s also a great place to be.

If you could change one thing about what you do, what would it be?

To be able to crochet faster and take better photos

What do you think has helped your business the most?

Joining craft groups on Facebook. You need to join in with posts. I’ve been lucky. The groups I joined early on have been very supportive. Crafting can be a very lonely, so having a supportive group makes the ‘job’ much better.

Has any person helped or supported you more than any other?

Not an individual, but my family have been very supportive. Even though our house is full of boxes of my yarn! My daughter is often my model, although both my husband and son have modelled too.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.

I love hemerocallis. I have many different ones in my garden.

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This inspirational story from Sarah was first shared in 2017 with The Professional Crafters Guild in which Sarah is a valued Sapphire Member.

So I’ve got to the end of January and finally my craft room is back to some semblance of order apart from still being overcrowded with crafting items that I cannot find home/space for. I should feel proud as after the craft fairs in December it not only had the decimation of the remnants of makes for the craft fair, but everything unsold and the structure of the stand got dumped in there.

But I’m not proud, I knew it would be some recovery for me after the events, and we had a very quiet Christmas too, but I still beat myself up over not achieving more. So why am I telling you this, well in fact this is not uncommon with any crafter. Those that are well, those that run crafting part time alongside other jobs, those that are a house-parent and a crafter and those like me, disabled and crafting. We all set ideals that sometimes we know from the outset are beyond reach and then punish ourselves when we feel we have not done enough.

What is enough? Here lies the problem. Crafters/artists have to, in a lot of cases create and sell their work. It’s a dual role that is difficult to balance. You can spend all your time at fairs, marketing on social media, topping up your websites, stocking shelves in shops where you have rented space and therefore neglect the creating side of the creative wheel. Or we flip that round and spend all the time creating (especially if you're busy with orders)and neglecting our presence outside of the ‘Crafting Zone’, to future and repeat customers and finding that when we have dropped out of people’s minds the sales do too.

We have to keep that wheel turning and turning smoothly. Now I admit I am a failure, I am a cheeky fat hamster who looks at the wheel and feels daunted by it. I step on, go for a little spin, get out of breath and exhausted, to then step off and leave it in the corner for a while, achieving very little. Come on hands up all those that have started a new year’s resolution and haven’t maintained it. So what am I doing? I’m creating in fits and starts for both the sales and making, this isn’t good, I’ve not got my wheel running smoothly. I risk it coming off its frame altogether. So, I have started a new plan (not a New Year’s Resolution, I suck at those to), to research ‘the wheel’ to make it work for me and keep me running at a pace that I can and then implement and maintain.

Well how on earth do I do that, in truth I’m not yet sure, I have started by buying an A4 diary, and I’m looking at and trying bullet journaling.

I’m researching more into social media and the platforms and tools to help make this work for me. I plan to start a mailing list and engage my followers. With my future and existing customers with direct contact of my makes, well as we know social media doesn’t show all our magic to all our followers so I need them to be able to see the magic I am making.

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I’m working on my selling platforms, current and future ones, I have to make it as easy as possible for people to buy from me don’t I? But I can’t do this all in one day, and if I tried I will have pushed my little fat hamster body to exhaustion on the wheel. So I’m making to-do lists, daily ones (yes even weekends) and there is only a few items a day, but I also add in the other things that may crop up and throw themselves into my day, like an order, *whoopee*. This is so that when I’ve not completed an item on the list I can possibly see why the day didn’t go to plan, though, I don’t have as yet a tick box for the cat sleeping across my keyboard therefore I could not type *grins sheepishly* which I think should be added.

It’s even got me on a new make, a stencil to slot into a diary that gives you tracings to bring alive your bullet journal *go me*. So as I move further into February I am still using the diary, which has to be a first for me. My planning today is already interrupted with an order. A make which will take me most of this coming week, but I have a stencil for that to add it to my journal, so when I look back I can see that is why the next article for the Professional Crafters Guild took me longer, *sneaks off to make a coffee while no one looks*. Catch you soon xx Saz xx

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You may remember the other week when we started our new series – Ask Michael.

Michael Harrigan – The Master Knitter is on hand to answer all of your knitting questions. Read more HERE

This is a question that has come up frequently: How can I make the edges of my knitting look even?

Here is Michael’s Answer: Here’s a method you can use whether you’re knitting in Garter stitch, Stockinette stitch, Seed stitch, or other stitch patterns: Slip the first stitch from your left needle to your right needle (inserting your right needle from left to right in the stitch). Work the remaining stitches of the row as planned until you reach the last stitch. Purl this stitch (regardless of the stitch pattern).

Do this with the first and last stitch on every row, and you’ll have a smooth, chained edge – that looks attractive and makes for straight sides to your knitting.

KNITTING Q & A Do you need a little help with your knitting?

Is there something you’ve always wanted to know?

Michael was certified by The Knitting Guild Association (www.tkga.org) as a Master Hand Knitter in 2017 and has travelled the world learning about different styles of knitting, crochet and lace making.

You can email your questions directly to Michael at mwharrigan@gmail.com or Tweet to him at @melcontent You can also email us at Creative Crafting to articles@creative-crafting.com Get the help you need NOW!

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We have many projects underway in the garden right now as you will hear over the coming months.

After a fruitful visit to the garden centre we picked up two cucumber plants. I’ve been wanting to grow some for a few years now as I love them and store bought ones just don’t taste the same as they used to do they!

Today we would like to ask all of you budding gardeners out there for your advice on growing cucumbers.

We have a few options for our plants.

Should we: ● Grown them in large pots on the patio (concerned about an abundance of slugs for this option) ● Grow them in hanging baskets ● Grown them inside our porch which has large glass windows so is practically a greenhouse.

Please get in touch and let us know which option you think would be the best.

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High quality semi precious jewellery items created by a specialist in wire working.

Tell us a bit about the artist behind your beautiful creations.

I am married but we have no children. I’m very lucky I don’t have to work but do short term teaching contracts. I am heavily involved in the local community as I live in a village location. When my time is not being spent doing other activities I am busy creating handmade jewellery, watches and gifts. Currently a lot of my creations are wirework which I love playing with. I like to work while I am at craft fairs and be able to demonstrate my skills to customers.

I was only able to devote more time to my jewellery creations when I left work and took early retirement 5 years ago due to ill health. I had been attending a few craft fairs but felt ready to through myself in at the deep end.

Have you always been creative or did your talent evolve over time?

I have always been creative, starting with making grass pictures when I was a teenager. I wanted to study floristry when I left school but for personal reasons this didn’t happen. My creativeness has always been there but was reignited when I was on holiday on a cruise in 2009 where they were running a jewellery making workshop and I initially went along just for something to do on the first sea day. From day one I was hooked and found myself attending all the classes and also using the craft room between classes to work in and complete extra pieces. I already had my walls at home filled with tapestries, embroidery’s and paintings (by numbers – yes they are painting by number kits) and the jewellery making didn’t seem to take up a lot of room. I have recently started making floral dreamcatchers as an alternative to the more traditional style. I was asked to teach making dreamcatchers to one of my classes and so I had to find out for myself how to make a dreamcatcher before I could teach them. My craft room has now expanded onto the second bedroom and occasionally causes an exchange of words!

What is it that you enjoy most about your work?

The freedom to express myself and my love of nature through my jewellery and crafts, I cannot follow patterns as they bore me and like to make everything from scratch. I often have multiple objects on the go at one time Have you achieved anything in your crafting life that you are particularly proud of?

I was ecstatic to be photographed at Sandown last October and appear as a runner up in the Best Dressed Beader in the Beads and Jewellery March edition. I had to be told about it, as I had quickly skimmed through my copy

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Other than crafting what else do you like to do?

I teach arts and crafts and IT, mainly to people with special needs or the elderly and this is very rewarding particularly with those that say they will not be able to achieve what I am asking but they do.

I also run a small pet boarding business from my home – Belvedere Boarding

If you had to choose your favourite from your creations, which would it be?

My wire work pendants and rings as they are evolving with each one I make.

What advice would you offer to someone new starting out in the craft world?

Don’t expect to become a millionaire, be yourself and don’t try to copy other peoples work.

If you could change one thing about what you do, what would it be?

This is difficult for me as I am happy with what I am doing at present and am always looking for ways to improve. One option could be having enough

What do you think has helped your business the most?

Word of mouth from friends and social media, although I do need to spend more time promoting myself.

Has any person helped or supported you more than any other?

There are two – my husband Roy who is very tolerant of my hobbies and my friend Jo who helps me at craft fairs and gives me motivation when I am down.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.

I couldn’t be without nature and pets in my life and my two bunnies Coco and Dylan are testament to that.

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Tales From The Table You get to see a lot of things from behind a trader’s table at makers’ markets and craft fairs, and meet quite the range of people! Lisa has been selling at a variety of events since she was a teenager, and some of her tales are cautionary, some simply amusing, but all of them, honestly are true.

A crying shame

The flyers had been handed out, the posters up, social media had been plastered with updates and all of the what's on guides were informed… Yet it was one of those craft fairs where no one comes.

It's always a strain working at an event like this, but here I saw the pinnacle of poor form when a stallholder decided that enough was enough.

We'd reached the point a couple of hours in where the event organiser had been round to let us know that she now had helpers on the nearby streets, trying to entice people with flyers. And then, a raised voice, and every head swivelling. To one end of the room the event organiser was being addressed by a stallholder, a chap who had packed up and was going to leave hours early, but not before having his say.

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Now, there are ways to make the most of a quiet event. The smart stallholders had all been networking, chatting about events to give a miss or to try and get into. When there had been customers we'd been enticing them to taste this, feel that, try that on… Mr Unhappy had sat with his eyes on his phone, barely even looking at passing customers. We’d tried talking to him, but his response being limited to handing out a business card made his opinion of networking clear.

He could simply have been wholly uncomfortable with social situations, his discomfort making him come across as unapproachable. That benefit of the doubt vanished when he decided to publicly list the failings of the event, the failings of the organiser, his dissatisfaction with the whole thing, at increasing volume. By the time shocked stallholders realised what was going on, and had the momentary mental struggle of “Do I intervene?” he'd blasted back to his stall, picked up his boxes and stormed out.

Word passed round that the organiser had had a brief cry, and was ok now, thank you. She'd be contacting him the following day about his behaviour and future events. Word also passed round that this chap would find himself quietly mentioned to every event organiser that every stall holder knew.

Because if you're going to make one of the creative community cry, be prepared for the maker mafia to see you buried at the bottom of the list for handing out stalls!

Did you miss part one of Lucy’s new series? Find it HERE

Look out for Part Three of Tales From The Table next month.

Tales from the table are written and illustrated for Creative Crafting by Lisa from Shop: www.PerfidiousJewellery.etsy.com Website: www.perfidiousjewellery.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/PerfidiousJewellery Twitter: www.twitter.com/Perf_Jewellery Instagram: www.instagram.com/perfidiousjewellery

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An Interview With Tell us a bit about the artist behind your beautiful creations.

Hi, I'm Nessa and last year I moved back to the UK after spending 9 years in the USA. I have 2 little girls (7 months and 3 years) and when I'm not sewing bunting, I'm outside exploring the beautiful Chilterns. I opened my first Etsy shop in 2015 when I was living in the USA but unfortunately it wasn't compatible in the UK, so this year I started a brand new Etsy shop called Nessa Foye Designs.

Have you always been creative or did your talent evolve over time I've always been creative, for as long as I can remember. I went to art college for 5 years where I studied Fine Art. After working at various art galleries and museums for a number of years and even a stint as an art teacher, I realised I missed making things and being crafty. I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to make but after sewing 190 feet of bunting for my wedding in 2014 and receiving many compliments for it, I realised what my calling was.

What is it that you enjoy most about your work I LOVE colours and patterns and this is one of the reasons I started making bunting.

I enjoy choosing fabrics and making fun combinations with them in my strings of bunting. I also love creating pretty flat lays with my bunting and thinking of fun things to photograph with them.

Have you achieved anything in your crafting life that you are particularly proud of To be honest, I'm just so humble that 4 years on from starting this venture, people still love my bunting and come back to me as repeat customers. It really means the world!

Other than crafting what else do you like to do I love being outside, exploring the countryside with my little family. I also enjoy gardening, reading and going to see art exhibitions.

If you had to choose your favourite from your creations, which would it be Ooooh that's a tough one! I don't think I have a favourite string of bunting but I do love my British bunting collection. I started sewing British bunting when I lived in Boston as it made me think of back home. Even to this day (I now live in the UK again) I love scouting out new British fabric and working out what other fabrics to sew with them.

What advice would you offer to someone new starting out in the craft world See what local Etsy, crafting, networking groups there are to you and go to their meetups. You can learn so much info from these kinds of groups as everyone is in the same boat and normally willing to share what has and hasn't worked from them. Also, don't sit around waiting for the right moment to start otherwise you could be hanging around forever, just go for it as you'll learn as you go along anyway.

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If you could change one thing about what you do, what would it be I know I need to streamline my making process so that I am more efficient with my time. With 2 little girls, time is precious, so when I get a free moment to do some work, I need to make as much as I can in that small amount of time.

What do you think has helped your business the most I was once told at an Etsy meeting in Boston, to "know who your tribe is". This can not be more true!! After much time trying to figure it out, I realised my "people" are British expats and anglophiles and thanks to the Royal Wedding last year, my business took off!! I spent a lot of time on social media finding British expat and anglophile groups and posting my bunting on their pages and little by little my customer base grew. Social Media is such a useful tool when used correctly.

Has any person helped or supported you more than any other I wouldn't say any one particular person but my family have been VERY supportive. I started this venture shortly before I gave birth to my first daughter and it has been a great way of earning a little extra money whilst staying at home with my girls.

Tell us a random fact about yourself.

I used to be an art handling technician for the Tate galleries in London, installing their exhibitions. I used to love working at their stores and going through their endless racks of paintings and spotting the many masterpieces hidden in them.

How would our readers find you www.nessfoyedesigns.etsy.com www.facebook.com/NessaFoyeDesigns www.instagram.com/nessafoyedesigns www.pinterest.co.uk/NessaFoye https://twitter.com/Nessa_Foye

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The Handmade Garden At this time of year it's time to 'Go Potty'. Whether you have a garden with a patio or even a small balcony, anyone can have a garden. Every garden is individual and you do not have to have a large budget to create something beautiful.

Containers and pots from garden centres etc can be very expensive and there are many ways to create your own. This all makes it much more personal and can be very enjoyable.

The Micro Gardener Looking for creative DIY container garden projects? Micro Gardening in containers offers you SO many benefits. If you are a beginner or need some ideas to get started, I’ve compiled these tutorials to inspire you – regardless of your space, skills or budget!

Birds & Blooms Looking for vertical garden ideas? Try using dresser drawers! We’ll show you how with this recycled garden project.

Topsy-Turvey Herb Garden By fromdatestodiapers Now that Spring has arrived, I wish I had a green thumb. The weather is gorgeous and I would love to have a garden. Maybe some day I will; with tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and maybe even some asparagus. But, for now I’ll make due with my new mini herb garden.

This Topsy-Turvey Herb Garden was super easy to create and is a super cute accent in our front yard. I purchased all of the supplies from Walmart for about $40, including the herbs. Now, we have six of our favorite herbs, ready for picking and noshing!

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Of course not everyone has time to make their own containers so here are some wonderful handmade ones that I discovered on Etsy.

Personalised Wooden Garden Planter If you’re looking for something innovative for a small gift hamper, this attractive trough could be just the thing.

Indoor Wall Planters The Hive Wall Planter - suitable for succulents, cacti, herbs and many more indoor plants. Or choose The Hive Wall Shelf to show off trinkets, photographs, spices, cooking oils or whatever else you want on display!

Mix N Match planters and shelves to create a wall feature unique to you.

Great wooden garden Planter trough Thinking about adding a few flowers in your garden this year?

Treated with Tanalith E. Giving your planter the protection it needsI

4x4 Truck Garden Wooden Decking Herb Planter Plant Pot + Trailer These decorative trucks have been handmade in our workshop located in the United Kingdom. They have been carefully designed to be stunning and sturdy. They have been crafted with precision and each trailer comes with a bracket to connect them together. You can attach as many trailers as you want to create a diverse displayI

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Do you love to read craft blogs?

I love to discover new ones but it can be a bit of a job to track them down. So I have a running list of Craft Blogs To Follow in 2019.

Do you think you should be on it? Visit the monthly posts on our website and leave a comment or contact me by email.

Thank you to everyone who has already submitted their blogs to me.

U-Create Crafts What will you find at U Create? ● thousands of free tutorials, recipes and projects that inspire “YOU” to create ● the latest craft trends and projects in the craft industry ● free printables and downloads for holidays, home decor, and simple gifts ● tips and tricks to make creating funoccasional guest posts from creative people all around the world VISIT U-CREATE CRAFTS HERE Yarn Harlot Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Writer, knitter, blogger. Funny most days.

VISIT YARN HARLOT HERE

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Knitty Blog This is the blog for Knitty magazine, which lives on the web at knitty.com.

Three of the women that make Knitty happen write about things here. We write about Knitty and Knittyspin, and more often, about whatever else we think is interesting. Or silly. Or both. Penny and Jillian write most of the posts, because they’re awesome.

VISIT KNITTY BLOG HERE

Deb Roberti's Around The Beading Table Bead patterns by Deb Roberti, both free and for sale, beading resources and links.

VISIT DEB ROBERTI’S AROUND THE BEADING TABLE HERE

What Katie Sews Hi! I’m Katie, a sewist, digital product manager and cat-mum from North London.

This blog chronicles my attempts to build a wearable everyday wardrobe by sewing my own basics, with a few special makes thrown in every now and then. I hope my blog helps people to see that making a simple, unfussy wardrobe of everyday handmade clothes is achievable and fun.

VISIT WHAT KATIE SEWS HERE

Repeat Crafter Me Hello and welcome to all my fellow Crafters, Crocheters, and Crockpotters!

I hope you find lots of projects, patterns and recipes here that inspire you. Feel free to repeat anything you see on this blog!

VISIT REPEAT CRAFTER ME HERE

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