Oh boy, I really missed you!! Don't get me wrong, my little girl is way at the top of the list along with my little boy when it comes to the company I love to keep but you really have a hold on me...truly.
London....more than one reason to go. I would go every day to play mummy but there was a little extra reason this time, my hook and eye pieces. There was a come one come all kind of open day at a big store in London on saturday for British (aspiring) designers. A queueing system from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. take your chance. Super organised moi, there by 8 a.m. daughter tagging along for company. First in the queue?? Not a chance, around number 100!!! Anyhow, the queue went down unexpectedly quickly as they opened the doors early due to congestion on the street..it was like the X Factor, I kid you not..It wasn't exclusively textiles either, there was lighting, furniture and I even saw one poor girl carrying a rocking horse under her arm!! The setup, well if they liked your work and had a market for it they may, just may, place an order. If they liked your work but didn't feel they had the market for it they gave you advice, pointers, feedback. When I first signed up for this someone said to me ''how will you cope if they don't want it?''. Honestly? That depended on the scale of them not wanting it. If they thought it was crap, wouldn't sell in a pound shop, then I would be working in a supermarket the next day, devastation, throw out the needles and thread.
In all honesty I would have been delighted if they had ordered my work, really delighted yet I had another reason for going. Working in isolation is very hard. Is it good enough? Which direction should I take? Am I flogging a dead horse? I know that I drown in compliments about my work from you lovely people and I am so very appreciative of that but I needed to hear the truth from the industry perspective or from part of the industry at least and I went there looking for a little confidence because believe it or not I sometimes don't have very much of that. I don't sell as well as I want or need. I see poor quality work selling so fast it makes me dizzy and I am regularly asking myself the question, is it worth all the effort?
So that's the reason I made these hook and eye cushions, three to be exact. (my daughter inherited the third one by the way which is why it's not on here) she can wrap me round her little finger!!
So, did they want to buy? No.......but...they absolutely loved my work. There was even a gasp and you can't ask for more than a gasp can you. In my mind these pieces are for a lounge, they felt they were pieces for a bedroom and they don't have a bedding or bedroom department. I am not upset, or down or feeling useless in any way. I came out of there bouncing and high as a kite. Stunning, beautiful, exceptional quality and a few names of places to approach...that's good enough for me. So I am going to put these in the shop later, they won't be cheap so may not sell but they may aswel be in there as not.
Now for what all this means in terms of my direction.....I have been wanting to do a different kind of work for a while now, for a different market. I did start a little collection a while ago and then the confidence went and I mothballed it all. Well I now feel newly invigorated, filled with excitement and motivation. can't wait to get going again. I have decided to blog less....every day blogging is great for feeling part of everything and bumping up those stats that have become such an obsession but it doesn't leave as much time for embroidery So I will now probably go down to 2 or 3 times a week, I hope you don't mind . It doesn't mean I don't love you any more and as for my stats, well I will keep taking the tablets and my one reader and I will be just dandy on our own.
I must show you what I bought too...look at all this beautiful cloth. The trim on the left is vintage and I couldn't possibly tell you what it cost, you would have to go lie down in a darkened room. Suffice to say I only bought half a metre.....the nice man gave me a bit extra though, it must have been the puppy dog eyes and the drooling that did it!
As for the touristy things...I am useless. I did take my camera but I'm not a natural when it comes to taking pictures. However...I got caught up in a mini riot/protest/demo and did manage to get a picture for you of a policeman running for cover and see the people behind the lampost? well they are looking at all the chaos...quite exciting really!! The hair on the right belongs to my daughter in case you are wondering. So thats my holiday snaps...do you think I'll ever get employed by a travel company??? No, me neither.
I hope you've managed to stay awake whilst reading all that...it was a long one.
