Preparing for the holiday season

The holiday season is a very busy time for sellers on Etsy so I am starting to prepare myself and my shop(s) for the busy period and using this quiet summer period to add lots of exciting new products, both gifty and holiday season related, and hopefully open a new shop!

My current Etsy shop, iheartrosie, sells fabric items. Braided fabric bracelets, fabric hearts keyrings and other fabric items, such as fabric christmas trees and stars. There are also super cute friendship bracelets! Many items that would make great gifts this holiday season! (I'm cringing a little bit saying that in July, but there we go!)

I'm currently working on new bracelet colours and styles, and special holiday items, plush fabric christmas trees, stars and hearts, plush fabric christmas tree garlands and other nice things!

Here's a sneak peek of some of the fabrics I'm using for the christmas collection!

I've also been working on items for a new paper based shop where I hope to sell my own designs as prints and greetings cards. It's starting to come together so I will be able to share that with you soon!

Here's a little sneak peek of some of the things I've been working on! Let me know what you think!

All images copyright Rosie Simons

Estella's Wall

Today I made a star for Estella's Wall, a project to help raise awareness of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) You can read more about the project by ceramic artist Lisa Stevens on the blog here.

The brief specified that 'Stars should be between 5cm and 15cm across and suitable to be displayed on a wall. Obviously stars will need to be child friendly, both visually and as I am hoping to create a piece than can act as sensory stimulation for the children at the hospice, the pieces will also need to be safe for small fingers...non toxic, no sharp edges, beads and buttons securely sewn or glued.'

I decided to make a fabric star in pale blue polka dot fabric, very child friendly and similar to the hearts (and stars at Christmas time) sold in my Etsy shop.

The simple string means it can easily be hung on a wall, however if they decide they want to attach it by other means it can be removed easily without damaging the star. 

I can't wait to see all the other stars as they are made and the wall when it comes together!

Today I made..

Customised tees!

A family friend in Australia is due to have a baby in just a few weeks and I wanted to make something to send over for the new baby, so I customised some bodysuits! I don't know what sex the baby is so I wanted to create things that could be worn by a boy or a girl, but then my girlyness took over and I made a really girly one with a flower on!

(Please excuse the awful photos they were taken in a hurry!)

I cut out shapes from patterned fabric and sewed them on using a close zigzag stitch. This holds them on well, stops them fraying and looks nice too! I made a star using blue and white polka dot fabric, a heart using purple and white polka dot fabric and a flower using mocha floral, pink polka dot and purple polka dot fabrics.

I didn't want the older kids to feel left out so I decided I would customise some tshirts for them! I bought a grey tshirt for the boy and a purple vest for for the girl (both from h&m, the only place I could find individually sold plain kids tshirts!)

I used the same technique as with the body suits, sewing fabric shapes onto the tees. For the girls tee I chose to sew 9 hearts, all cut from different pink and purple fabrics, and for the boys tee I made 'big bro' from demin, blue polka and blue stripes!

They have come out quite well but jersey material of fabrics is hard to sew onto as it stretches a lot, hoping with a wash and an iron they will straighten out a bit!