Tuesday 1 January 2013

Dear Grace

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Shirley Tote
It was lovely to hear from you again.  Thank you for your letter and Christmas card.  I was very sorry to hear about your difficulties during and after “Hurricane Sandy” in November.  Very pleased to learn your house wasn’t damaged.
I had a super Christmas day with the family.  My sister cooked a wonderful meal which was enjoyed by all.  It was entertaining watching the children open their presents and see the reaction on their faces from pleasure to puzzlement to frustration and so on!
 

You asked about my bag making.  Unfortunately, I have decided to put this craft to rest for a while.  I have a few bags left in my Folksy shop which have been significantly reduced to clear, but I won’t be making any further ones for the time being.  They do take a lot of work and are time consuming, but very beautiful as you say.


 You asked about shipping overseas.  This is a difficult issue that I haven’t yet resolved.  I am very happy to ship to anywhere in the world!  But, I haven’t a clue about postal costs.  I am extremely familiar with UK postal costs and can look at an item and know roughly how much it will cost to post, but I just haven’t got my head around shipping abroad.  I worry about overcharging and undercharging!   At the moment I offer free UK p&p but naturally allow for this in my prices.  Sending overseas is a bit more difficult because shipping costs vary so much all over the world, but my best advice to any customer is that if they really want an item and it doesn’t give the shipping cost for their country, then please contact the seller for a quote!  I may start putting a note on each listing in my shop to this effect.
 


What are my plans for 2013?  I am really enjoying making notebooks and journals so much that I have a whole new variety of them planned for the coming months.  I have been buying lots of new fabrics and I shall also be using vintage or recycled fabrics too for the covers.  I have been experimenting with the stitching for the open spine, teaching myself how to do the Coptic or chain stitch.  I have also been exploring making the open spine more decorative, using ribbons and linen tape.
 

 The other technique for the notebooks and journals I have been exploring is providing some form of clasp or closure mechanism.  So far I have only used a button and ribbon and on one occasion I used a magnetic clasp.  I am looking at using Velcro which I thought would be quite a flexible closure.  I have also remembered that I have a selection of vintage buckles in my stash and wondered if I could incorporate these – might be fun!  You will have to wait and see!


 Well that’s enough of my news – I hope that 2013 brings you everything you wish for and if you do decide to come over to the UK this year do get in touch.

All the best and have a wonderful New Year!

 
BFN

Edwina