Things have been pretty busy in the last couple of weeks so I've had no time to do anything much other than sew, not that I'm complaining.  I love to sew.  I've been doing a lot of primitive stitchery stuff ready for the Christmas rush.  LOL  It's only July and it's been in the 70's here today and I'm stitching Santa Claus.  Ah well, they say it takes all sorts.  I don't want to be caught on the hop because last year I could have sold twice as much as I did if I'd planned ahead.

I always do Santa Sacks using pre-printed fabric from my local mill shop but this year I'm also going to do some special primitive sacks and stockings and I'm just working on the designs for those.  I think they'll have to be made to order though because I plan to personalize them.  I got a great bargain in fabric yesterday though, about 5 metres of red which was a roll end that hadn't printed with it's gold pattern and Laura let me have it for 50 pence so I was well pleased with that.  I also got some of the same fabric with the gold on which I am turning into Christmas stitchery cushions.  I'm mainly using the red fabric at the moment and doing whitework stitchery on it.  Santa has come out a treat and looks very classy. 

I've also decided to start selling primitive stitchery kits because I haven't seen any for sale here on Ebay so maybe there's a market there.  If they sell like my walnut ink crystals I'll be rich in no time. LOL.  I wish!!  Anyway I'm going to get working on putting my kits together and am hoping to launch them by next weekend.  They'll include the fabric, embroidery floss, needles, stitchery pattern, instructions and a how to leaflet explaining how to do the different stitches and how to stain for that primitive look, plus a photograph of the finished article.

I've got plans for doll making kits too but I need to do a lot more work on those yet and cost them out to see if they will be cost effective.  Once I've got Victorian weekend out of the way I'll get started so that I can have them ready for the Christmas market.

I've just opened an Ebay shop and I'm busy stocking it.  I've been making some primitive stitchery cushions this week and they seem to be attracting a lot of attention.  I've had a bid on one and an order for 2 more.  I haven't done any primitive stitchery before this week but as I learnt to embroider when I was about six years old I found it so easy compared to all of those nasty tray cloths and tablecloths that I did as a child.  I hated them wit a vengance as they never seemed to be finished.  I think the nicest part of doing them was in going to the shop with my Grandma and buying some lovely new embroidery silks.    I think that is why I've been buying embroidery floss for Britain this week.  If there was a category for buying the most embroidery floss in one week at the next olympic games I'd win a gold at least!!!

I got lots of lovely new fabric yesterday from my local mill shop.  I love going there as it always smells so good.  I'm a bit of a nutter I think but I do love the smell of new fabric.  It was only when I was talking to Laura about it that she told me that the smell comes from the fabric dressing which is applied to keep the fabric looking crisp and fresh once it reaches the shops.  That's why new clothes always stay clean for longer before they are washed.  For the same reason towels and teatowels don't dry up properly before they have had a couple of goes in the washer.  I had an aunt who was a tailoress and so I have been around fabric since I as about 3 years old and I think that the smell must remind me of my happy childhood memories.  Other smells such as newly cut grass also give me the same feeling.  As a 5th year mature student studying for an honours degree in psychology I've learnt that certain smells can trigger memories in the brain, both good and bad.  Sounds can also do the same thing.  I'm glad that all of my triggers are associated with happy memories as I've worked with people in the past who's triggers are associated with abuse and it is so hard for them to become de-sensitized and can take years.

Oh heck, here I go waffling on again when I should be slaving over a hot sewing machine.