Fight the Credit Crunch with Creativity

Article Added: 22/10/2008
By Katie Powell

It’s official – craft is cool. The current resurgence in the popularity of craft has seen people falling over themselves to knit, crochet, felt and sew. Traditional crafts that were once thought to be ‘granny-ish’ are now gracing catwalks and high streets up and down the country. Vintage, recycling and the upturn in the demand for something unique have all played their part in making craft desirable by the masses. Chrissie Sherwood of Injabulo told us about what’s popular with her customers at the moment, “For us, it’s knitting and sewing, which includes cross stitch and patchwork. We’re finding that people are buying buttons to revamp old clothes from their wardrobes, as well as to individualise cheap supermarket buys and charity shop finds.”

It’s been reported that, due to the credit-crunching times we now find ourselves in, many people are turning to extra part-time jobs to bring in more income. So, how could craft and textiles help to boost your Christmas fund?

The first step is to decide what you could make. Ask yourself a few questions: am I good at a craft already or could I learn something new? Do I have a particular style that I could develop? How am I going to be different from the other makers that are currently selling their products? There’s a huge range of courses on offer where new crafts and skills can be learnt. Searching The Textile Directory for local galleries and shops that might offer courses, or finding your local college is the best way to find out what’s available in your area. Many textile artists offer courses in their own studios. This is not only a great way to meet other like-minded craft lovers, but it also offers the chance to learn from someone who makes their living from their craft and will often offer some great advice to thinking of doing the same. Going on a course could lead to joining forces with the people that you meet. Many textile groups have been formed after students have come to the end of a course and wanted to take what they’ve learnt further.

Textile artist Priscilla Jones offered this advice to those thinking of making items to sell: “Think very carefully about your product. Producing something of quality and design can be very time consuming and you must consider how you will be able to make a sustainable income from this without your patience suffering! Consider your market carefully and look at what competition you may face from other makers. It’s very important to identify the right place for you and your work. Always visit possible outlets, such as galleries, fairs and selling events, before attempting to sell your work through them. Talk to everyone you can about your work – other practitioners, gallery owners, event organisers and your friends and family. Everyone will have an opinion and will look at your work from their own perspective. This is very useful in gauging your market. You may create the most fabulous work in the world, with the greatest integrity and everyone may love it – but will it sell?” Priscilla added, “The best thing about making and selling your own pieces is being involved it the whole process. It’s the best feeling in the world to create an idea, follow it through to a conclusion you are satisfied with and then walking into a gallery and seeing all your hard work displayed beautifully.”

Once you’ve identified what you are going to make, it’s time to ask yourself another question: How and where am I going to sell it? Selling online means that you could potentially reach a wide audience, but it can also be good to meet your customers. Craft fairs, Christmas fairs, Etsy, Ebay, galleries and local shops are all great places to find your market.

Etsy (www.etsy.com) is “an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade”. Having launched in June 2005, it has over 1.3 million members and 200,000 sellers. Etsy’s vision is to reconnect buyers and makers and enable people to make a living out of making handmade products. Etsy is a great way for makers to reach a wide audience and sell their designs to people all over the world. Another online marketplace that might be suitable for selling your handmade delights is Ebay (www.ebay.co.uk). Where Etsy is designed purely for those making handmade objects, Ebay, however, is not. Anything and everything sells on Ebay and if you decide to sell through this outlet, it is important to ensure you give your product the best listing and description as possible to make sure it reaches your target market.

This time of year is great for fairs – Christmas fairs, village fairs, craft fairs…all are aiming at the Christmas market and would be a great way not only to sell your products but also a wonderful opportunity to gather feedback. There is nothing more valuable than talking to your target market about what you have made. It will either reinforce that you are doing everything correctly, or help you identify what you could change and improve on in the future. Another great way to create interest in your work and help sell your unique items is to create an online blog. Not only could you tell people about what you are making, you can also point them in the direction of the outlets or fairs where you will be selling your work. You may even wish to create an online shop alongside your blog. This is a great way to reach your target market and also gives you the opportunity to talk to other makers via their blogs and create links between your sites. If you would like to start a blog to promote your work then The Textile Directory can help you. We have created a specially-designed community area for makers to share their ideas and get feedback from other artists and crafts people. To set up a blog simply visit http://www.thetextiledirectory.com/community/index.asp.

If you’ve been inspired to turn to craft to generate extra income, here are a few ideas for what you could make to earn some more money as Christmas approaches:
·    Beaded jewellery.
·    Knitted items such as hats, scarves, bags and tea cosies.
·    Felted bags, pincushions, slippers and toys.
·    Cushions made from sumptuous fabrics and trimmings.
·    Patchwork items, from small objects such as needle cases, to large quilts and throws.
·    Jewellery made from crocheted silver and beads.
·    Customise t-shirts with buttons, ribbon, fabric paints and appliqué.
·    Create a range of unique bags using vintage fabric.

Books
Reading books can be a great way to learn new skills and also pick up some ideas and inspiration for your own designs. Here are a few suggestions for books that provide ideas and inspiration for textiles projects:

Stitch and Sparkle – Charlotte Liddle
Ideas for recycling fabrics and haberdashery into little must-have ideas to add some zest and sparkle to life. From scraps of leftover fabric, beads, buttons and ribbons, Charlotte creates an exciting gallery of design ideas that can be made in no time at all. Projects include a flower corsage, embroidered slippers, curtain tiebacks, a lamp, flowery napkin holders and even little peg dolls.

Easy Felted Accessories – Teresa Searle
Make a wide range of accessories for children and adults using felted knitting embellished with appliqué and embroidery techniques. A range of processes is included to suit all abilities and varied resources. Projects include hats, mittens, slippers and scarves for adults and children, as well as jewellery such as brooches, hair clips and corsages.

Sew Pretty Homestyle
A subtle colour palette and lovable designs combine to create a fresh and fun collection of over 35 projects. From cosy cushions and slippers to delightful bags and quirky soft toys, Sew Pretty Homestyle contains ideas for every room including the kitchen, bathroom, children's bedrooms and even the garden.

The Bead Jewellery Maker – Cheryl Owen
This book contains jewellery for every occasion, from simple everyday items that still look special to extravagant adornments for a night out, a party or even a wedding. The book contains detailed instructions to make 30 beautiful pieces of jewellery using beads and seed pearls, including step-by-step instructions for basic techniques.

All of the books mentioned here can be bought from The Textiles Directory’s Book Store (www.thetextiledirectorybookstore.com).


CONTACT DETAILS

Injabulo
Broom Cottage
Ashton
Oundle
Northants
PE8 5LD
Tel: 01832 274881
Web:www.injabulo.com

Injabulo is a fair trade business that sources goods from projects and small businesses in South Africa. Whether you are looking for gorgeous buttons and beads, fabulous hand made papers, knitting and stitching accessories, cross stitch and patchwork kits, bags, stunning silk flower products or beautiful work baskets, you will find them all and much more at Injabulo.

Priscilla Jones Textiles
16 Leycester Drive
Crosshill
Lancaster
LA1 5HW
Tel: 01524 65197
Web: www.priscillajones.co.uk

Priscilla is a creative and enthusiastic textile artist, producing textile art for exhibiting, commissions, freelance embroidered design and workshop tuition.

The Textile Directory Bookstore
Tel: 01386 760406
Web: www.thetextiledirectorybookstore.com

The Textile Directory Bookstore contains hundreds of specialist arts and crafts titles and is the one-stop location to find all you need to get your craft business off to a great start.