Make an Ironing Table in Minutes

I first saw this idea on Pinterest and the blog post it eventually led to (it was a round-the-houses kind of link-up) was a couple of years old, so I guess there's room on the internet for my version too.

Sometimes, it just seems silly getting a full-size ironing board out just for pressing a couple of seams.  Well, this table is so small it can sit permanently by my sewing table.  I like that.  Now maybe I need a spare iron to sit there permanently too, so the man of the house doesn't get annoyed because I've left it in my sewing room yet again when he wants to do the ironing.

Yes, you read that right, he does all the ironing in our house.  No, I don't hire him out, sorry about that.

I started with one of these TV dinner tables.  I used to use them at craft fairs but don't really need them for that purpose any more.  If you need to buy one for this project, they're usually quite cheap.  Mine came from Dunelm Mill and was about £6.00 but I know a lot of people have got one of these in a neglected corner gathering dust.

You'll also need:

• a piece of thermal wadding (batting)

• fleece or cotton wadding if you want a bit more padding

• heavy duty cotton fabric - furnishing (home dec) weight

• staple gun

Cut a piece of thermal wadding the same size as the table top. To add a bit more padding, I popped a layer of fleece under the thermal wadding.  Thermal wadding has some heat protection, so should protect your table top at least somewhat.  You could cut it larger and wrap it round (gives it a more padded look at the edges) but I thought this was a bit of a waste of something I need for other projects!

Then cut a piece of heavy-duty cotton furnishing fabric, large enough to wrap around the table top and go underneath.  Furnishing weight cotton is a good fabric to use as it will stand a hot iron.  If you want a neat finish, you can use pinking shears - I didn't bother.

Lay the fabrics out on the floor in reverse order (top fabric on the bottom)

Place the table on the top

 Wrap the fabric around the table (work from opposite edges in turn, so you can stretch the fabric lightly across the table top) and staple it in place at intervals on the bottom edges of the table.

 Work carefully around the corners, folding under to get a neat finish.

 Turn the table over and - ta-dah!! - you have a cute little ironing table for your sewing room!  If you don't have room for it to stand there permanently, it is easily foldable and takes up almost no room at all.

Domesticity? Surely Not!

I have no illusions.  I know full well I am no domestic goddess and never will be.  That particular gene somehow passed me by completely and was seemingly replaced by the much more fun (but often less useful) creativity gene.

So how is it that I find myself not just pegging out washing . . .

 but blogging about pegging out washing . . .

 and even photographing it?!

 Who would have ever thought it?

Is there perhaps a domestic gene in there, carefully hidden under all that creative . . . er, mess?

Don't hold your breath.  Actually, that washing on the line is not just washing - these are some lovely fat quarters with delicious tiny prints, bought on a whim, with no real idea of what I am going to make with them. 

I'm having fun playing with these fabrics and deciding what they will be.  They just needed a wash to shrink and soften the cotton and after dancing on the line for an afternoon they are now sitting patiently and waiting to be stitched up into lovely things.

My main problem now is sifting through all the ideas these fabrics have stirred up in that domestic-free zone I call my head. 

SEO Basics

This post has been written for us by Fiona Pullen from The Sewing Directory - a great resource for everything related to sewing (and even if sewing isn't your thing, there are lots of business articles on there you might like).  SEO is one of those things that it really pays to learn something about - and this article should definitely help.  It's quite a long one, so save it for later if you're short of time, or go and get the kettle on right now and make yourself comfy.

teacosy by Charlotte Macey Textiles

OK, I've got my tea, now it's over to Fiona...

SEO Basics

I have to start this article by saying that I am not an SEO professional but I’ve learnt a lot about SEO over the last couple of years whilst running my site The Sewing Directory.  I started off getting about 20-30% of my traffic from Google, now I get around 60%.  So I’m going to share the things that I’ve found work for me.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, which in brief means optimising your site to get it picked up by search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing etc so people can find you.  The higher your site ranks in the search engines the more traffic you will get from them.  Search engines work on keywords: the words that people type into a seach engine when looking for something.  Your aim is to make sure that your site ranks well for the keywords relevant to your site.

Keywords

So your first question is what are my keywords?   Let me give you a little exercise; take a sheet of paper and write down the words that you think are important and relevant to your site.  Keywords don’t just have to be one word, they can be phrases too.

Example:  If you run a sewing school in Cardiff called Stitched Up.  You would be writing down words like: sewing, sewing school, learn to sew, sewing classes, Cardiff, Stitched Up etc.
 

These words are your starting point.  Now you need to consider 2 further things to help refine your keyword list. 

1)      Firstly people tend to use different words when looking for the same thing.  So let’s take ‘sewing classes’ some people might type sewing workshops, sewing lessons, sewing tuition, sewing school, sewing courses.  If you only use the word sewing classes on your site you could potentially be missing all those people who are searching using the other terms.  

So now back to your list take a look at your keywords and see if you can think of alternative ways of saying them.  It’s often a good idea to get other people involved in this as we all tend to use slightly different language so your friends and family might come up with variations you didn’t think of.

2)      The second thing you need to think about with keywords is that the more specific you are the less competition there will be on the search engines.  For instance, if you type in ‘sewing classes’ to Google you get almost 24 million results!   If you make your search more specific and search for ‘sewing classes Cardiff’ you get under 300,000 results so you’ve already got a lot better odds of your site being seen.   If you break it down further to a specific suburb of Cardiff eg. ‘sewing classes Roath’ you are then down to 68,000 results.   If you break it down to a specific class eg. Beginners dressmaking classes Cardiff you are down to 24,000 results, beginner dressmaking classes Roath gives you just over 1,000 results. 

So go back to your list again and break your keywords down into more specific keywords.   You should now have a pretty long list with lots of keywords phrased in different ways, and broken right down to the specific terms you think your target customers will be using in search engines.

If you want more help on coming up with keywords for your site take a look at the Google Keywords Tool.  It allows you to put in a keyword and it will then generate other similar keywords for you, or you can put in a website and it will generate keywords based upon the content of that site.   The image below shows the keywords it suggests for my site.

Incorporating Keywords into your site

So now you have your keywords you want to be thinking of ways you can get them onto your site.  The obvious place is in the text on your website, the about us page, description of the items you sell, news posts etc.  Try and make sure you use a few different variations rather than just the same words over and over again.

Example -  Beginners dressmaking workshop – Come and join us on this easy sewing class to learn to sew, ideal for learner sewers. 

Instead of just:  Beginner dressmaking workshop – a workshop for beginner dressmaking.

See how we managed to get 4 different keywords into the first example instead of just the one keyword used twice in the second.  Plus we used variations; class instead of workshop and learner instead of beginner.

Having a news section on your site is a really good idea for 2 reasons; it gives you the opportunity to fit in lots of keywords and it means you are regularly updating your website (which the search engines look favourably on).   Having a blog on your site is good for the same reasons; plus if you are focusing on specific keywords you can write a post around them.  Just a note of caution though don’t overpopulate your posts with keywords it is very obvious to both your readers, and the search engines. 

Other opportunities for including keywords are in your page titles, in your image names and image descriptions (this is really important as people can use search engines to search by image name rather than looking for keywords on a page) and meta tags and meta descriptions.
 

Google Analytics/Google Webmaster tools

If you haven’t already I highly recommend you sign up for both Google Analytics and Google Webmaster tools.  Both of them are free, and provide a wealth of information about your website, who visits it and what keywords they are using which really helps when planning/assessing your SEO campaign.

I won’t go into both in detail or this will be a very long article but the key points are that Google Analytics can tell you exactly how many hits you’ve had per day, where they came from (including how many from search engines and which search engines they came from) and what keywords people used in searches when they found your site.

Google Webmaster has a section on search queries which not only tells you the number of clicks you are getting for certain keywords but also tells you the number of impressions and what your average position is in Google for that keyword as per the image below:

Backlinks

A backlink is a link to your site from another site (more detailed definition here).  The more people link to your site the more importance Google places upon it and therefore the higher you will rank in search engines.   There are a lot of places where people will swap backlinks in a ‘if you link to my site I’ll link to yours’ kind of deal.  Google is aware that this goes on and does not place high SEO value on this type of backlink so it’s really not worth doing.

What you are looking for ideally is for people to link to you of their own accord.  People who like your products will often link back to your site, if you write interesting blog posts/news posts/articles people will link to them, if people recommend you to others on social networks they will often post a link.

There are also ways to create more back links yourself, commenting on blogs and on forums which allow you to include a link to your site can help.   Listing your site on directories also creates a backlink, take a look at the second post on this thread for a list of free directories.  Guest posting for other sites/blogs gives you a backlink as does providing competition prizes for other sites and blogs too.

Google Webmaster is useful if you want to know how many back links you have and who from, it allows you to view links to your site from other sites, and shows you which pages of your site are linked to the most.

I hope that’s enough to get you started thinking about SEO.  I’ve included some further reading below for when you are ready for more information:

http://www.ukcraftblog.com/2011/10/how-to-get-on-page-one-of-google.html

http://www.buildalittlebiz.com/blog/2011/9/22/ask-the-expert-what-is-seo-and-what-should-i-being-doing-abo.html

http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterprise/2011/10/infographic-why-content-is-kin.php

http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo

http://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/untrusted_dlcp/www.google.co.uk/en/uk/intl/en_uk/webmasters/docs/search-engine-optimization-starter-guide-en-gb.pdf

Thanks so much Fiona - that is a really helpful article!

Handmade Monday 68

Hello and welcome to Handmade Monday (there's more info about Handmade Monday here)

This week has been manic.  Not just work (orders, craft fair this weekend, a writing job that came from nowhere, website updating, blogging, etc) but other stuff too: babies, children, elderly people - all needing time and attention.

I did mention here that I managed to move the studio into the garden for a little sunshine - how lovely the weather has been!  It makes such a difference when the sun shines, doesn't it?

There's not much to report on the stitching front - but I did manage to run up this cushion for my Mum's 85th birthday.  It's difficult to know what to get when someone gets to that age (she always tells us she has everything she needs!) but I guess a cushion is always useful to rest your weary bones, whatever your age.

I'll be resting my weary bones this evening too, after my craft fair weekend at Kenyon Hall Farm - while my feet are up I'll be popping round to read all the blogs linking up to Handmade Monday. Do join me!

Designer Interview: Claire Mackaness

Hello! Where can we find out more about you?

I'm Claire Mackaness owner and designer of Beautiful Things by Claire Mackaness

www.clairemackaness.com

www.facebook.com/Beautifulthingsbyclairemackaness

@clairemackaness

www.beautifulthingsbyclaire.blogspot.com

What do you make?

Handmade gifts and home wares from vintage and vintage inspired materials

Where does your inspiration come from?

Everywhere.  People, places and the tinterweb.  I am a huge fan of blogs and have a massive blog roll that if I don’t settle down to look at every night can easily stack up to hours worth of reading!

What tips do you have for generating ideas for designs?

Keep your eyes open and listen to your customers.  If they are after something in particular see if you can design something to suit their requirements.

How do you record your ideas?

Mainly in my head to be honest, but I do have a notebook and like to take sneaky pics on my iphone when I am out and about!

What tips do you have for motivating yourself?

I have to admit it’s monetary!  Since biting the bullet and going self employed this year, I have to keep a roof over my head and food on my table.  I also enjoy the freedom of working for myself and seeing my children growing up and the thought of going back to working for someone else fills me with dread!

Do you have any time management tips?

I have a clip board which I work from on a weekly/daily basis with all the things that I ‘must do’ on it for the week.  I then fit in my ‘would like to do’s’ and my ‘should do’s’ around those important jobs

I wrote a blog all about it which has had a huge amount of visits called ‘How to be Superwoman’ http://beautifulthingsbyclaire.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/how-to-be-superwoman.html

What’s your workspace like?

I’m planning a studio blog soon so watch this space

Where can we find your designs for sale?

On my website (although I am naughty and don’t keep my shop very well stocked), at craft fairs (see the events section on my website), via facebook and also on folksy www.folksy.com/shop/artyfartymack but again I am terrible at keeping it stocked.  Best thing you can do is visit my facebook page where I take pictures of everything I do and just shout.  9 times out of 10 I’ll have something in stock for you and if I don’t well then I’d be happy to make it.

Do you have any top tips for other designer makers?

Stick at it.  It’s not easy, it’s far from a quick win financially but if you persevere you will get there.  I’m not there yet in fact I have a long way to go, but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

A Weekend Bag?

Today I'm looking forward to making something from this little selection of fabrics

They're from Abakhan and I'm especially excited because Abakhan have agreed to supply these for me, and all I have to do is sew and blog! They've been one of my favourite places to shop for fabric since long before I'd ever even heard of the internet, but it's lovely (and very convenient) that they have an online shop now as well as their bricks-and-mortar shops.  If you're ever in north Wales, their Mostyn store is a real treat (you can even have lunch there, and the kids can play on the swings).

Back to the fabric: I'm planning on making a travel bag.  It's going to be roomy and have an inner pocket for a laptop, although it won't look at all like a laptop bag. 

It will also have pockets for my beloved Kindle among other things (think sketchpad, notebook, pencils, phone, camera ...) and I'm planning for enough room for a few clothes too.  So maybe it's actually a weekend bag rather than a travel bag.

Watch this space, as I'll be doing a tutorial too!

And then perhaps I'll have to book a weekend away just to test it out.  What do you think?

Tutorial: Snug as a Bug in a Rug

This is actually a really, really quick make for a snuggle bag - it's a bit like a sleeping bag, but designed for when you want to snuggle up on the sofa.

 

I'm told it will come in very useful when your school has a film night, too!

I can vouch for how easy this one is - it was sewn up entirely by a nine-year-old girl (my granddaughter - under my supervision and on my sewing machine - she loves her new sewing hobby at Grandma's house!).  It took less than an hour, even for a complete beginner.  The only skill needed is the ability to sew in a straight(ish) line.

OK, so you'll need enough double sided quilted fabric (or maybe even an old blanket?) to make a front and a back, long and wide enough to snuggle into on a chilly winter's night.  Some sewing thread, a pair of scissors and a sewing machine and you're ready to sew.

This is what you'll do:

1. Fold the fabric in half so the two sevedges are together, then pin along the side and bottom.

In the line drawings, the broken line is the sewing line (just in case that wasn't clear).

2.  Turn what is now a bag round to the other side and poke the corners.

3.  Sew along the edges again, this time enclosing the raw edges of the previous seam.  You can do this on three sides, even if your seams were only on two, to create a balanced look.

I forgot the third side when drawing the image below - sorry!!

On one side of your snuggle bag the seams will look like this

and the same seam on the other side will look like this

4.  Turn the top edges under twice (to enclose the raw edge) and pin.

5. Sew along where you've pinned to create a neat top edge.  You will have to flatten the flange you created on the seams - just sew it down as you go.

That's it - you're done!  I told you it was easy! 

I'm so impressed with my granddaughter's sewing - how's this for the top hem, sewn entirely by her - what do you think?

Her mum was equally impressed.  That same day my granddaughter also made two cushions, the fluffiest and most purple of which (shown below!) is also earmarked for the next film night at school!

 Very snuggly for cosy nights in too!

Handmade Monday 67

Hi and welcome to Handmade Monday.

If you are of a different opinion do let me know, but it seems the first Handmade Monday on this blog was a great success.  Clicks through to blogs seemed (very slightly!) higher than the previous few weeks, although still very variable between blogs all the same.

It seems the first few blogs to link up get quite a lot more clicks than the rest - although I'm sure the thumbnail image has a lot to do with things too.  Images of crafts definitely seem to be the most popular - maybe people are looking for ideas?  Who knows!

It's a mix of work for me again and I'm starting to get used to splitting my time up between sewing, writing and painting . . .

but the boundaries are still blurred and maybe I should just be ok with that - I don't know, really.  These hearts were just one of those ideas I had to go with and just try them out.  You know how it is when an idea just gets in your head and bites.  I like them, but I've no idea if anyone else will and I'm not really sure where I'm going with them.  It might be an idea that evolves into something else completely - we'll see.

If you're joining in this week, please add your link below.  Find out more about Handmade Monday here.

Shop Focus: Bath Bomb Creations

This week's interview is with Bath Bomb Creations.  Read on to find out more from Lesley!

Hi Lesley! Tell us about what you sell and where you and your shop can be found

Bath Bomb Creations loves handcrafting bath bombs, bath creamers, bath melts, solid bath foam (bubble bars) blended with a variety of colours, toppings and beautiful scents.  We'll be applying for our soap licence this year.  This will be the good old-fashioned traditional soap!   Eventually we'll expand into lip balms, bath salts, etc.  The Bathtime Team are on Twitter, Facebook page and have a blog.  The website is being developed which we aim to complete soon with some wonderful products including mix 'n' match.   And the good news is:  we offer wholesale prices and none of our supplies are animal tested!

Blog: http://bathbombcreations.blogspot.co.uk/

eBay: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Bath-Bomb-Creations

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bath-Bomb-Creations/127837377322522

Twitter: @bathbombnsoaps

  

How much of your time goes into your business?  Is it full time/part time?  Juggling act? 

Anita works  full-time four days a week  plus a self-employed bookkeeper.  She  averages 15 hours a week making luxuries for online sales or double if we have craft fayre, wedding show or pamper party.

I work full time with an hour and half drive daily.   I aim to arrive at work an hour earlier  to catch up with online things for the business,  plus a few hours at weekend  on marketing, website, blog, etc, making bath foam and bath melts, sourcing items for our stalls. And joining Wendy's Handmade Monday!!!

So yes, can sometimes be a juggling act - a diary is essential too! 

What have you learned since opening your online shop? 

We've learnt that good customer service goes a long way!  And to provide a more personal touch to sales and being honest with people.  Working towards making Bath Bomb Creations successful is hard work but rewarding, especially when you receive positive feedback from customers. People still love to pamper themselves  but cannot always afford the expensive items from Lush or stores.  For us offer  this treat with lower prices if fulfilling.   Everything is a learning curve.  For example, the postage prices and how different types of packaging can affect carriage.

 Approximately what percentage of your sales are online? 

80% of our sales are online whether via ebay or the blog.  The rest is from parties etc.

What do you think your biggest challenges are? 

The biggest challenge has been promoting the business, creating new designs, and finding new fragrances.  We also look forward to expanding into new areas mentioned before.    It takes time to find what you are comfortable with and know will work.  Plus we are doing a 2-day event at Wood Green Godmanchester (Oakleigh Fairs) which sees between 2000 - 8000 people through the door, so this will be a good tester for the Royal Berkshire Show, Newbury.  For example, stock quantities, layout, efficient service having everything we need to hand, so organization is a must!

What are your main ways of promoting your shop?  Which methods do you think have the most success?

 The correct tags in eBay are a must, plus clear photos and keeping the prices competitive.  Adding links to email signature.  I even mention it on my phone so a message is there when a text arrives to the recipient.  Getting business cards on notice boards.  When a craft fayre forgot to promote the event, Anita and I took it in turns to go out on to the street to hand out business cards to shoppers and get them through the door.  We monitor sales hourly at a fayre or show. As we sell we mention the shop,  blog, weddings, give away a business card.  We've had returning customers who have given our info to organizers for events.   So lots of word of mouth. 

What other outlets do you use for selling (if any)? 

Wedding fairs, craft shows, pamper parties, blog, wedding planners, Free Index, Linked In, Stall Finder.  Even with a stall at a wedding show, Anita has approached wedding planners and found business this way.  Lesley works in the print industry and when the right business comes along, subtly approaches them with Bath Bomb Creations!!  An order example is a recent hair and nail salon and its April launch.  We chat to other stall holders -  a cupcake business has hen cupcake making parties and gives each guest a Hen Party bag.  We visited them last week as they are interested in adding our bath luxuries to the bags.   We have secured a number of decent orders through conversation about what we do.  People are also interested because we sell wholesale and when they mark up they still get a profit themselves.   We have a couple of boutiques who purchase, plus a lady who sells our products for her craft stall.  Recently two wedding boutiques (Cambs and Leicester) have approached us.   Those who buy to sell on we encourage to rebrand under their name which is received well. This has also resulted in another website asking to advertise our products to sell in their wedding section – free to us and which I have been working on compiling.  

 What tips do you have for others hoping to follow in your footsteps? 

Be sure to allocate time as orders arrive any time of the day.  Allow time out  with family and friends otherwise  a business will overtake you life.   It's very hard work and we advise looking ahead, research competition and keep a track of them.  Product research is essential too.  Be fully insured and have correction certification if required.  Be fair with your selling prices but do not be greedy.  Always be respectful to your customers and offer excellent customer services. 

What are your plans for the future? 

We often get encouraging comments - one that pops up is liking us more than Lush because our prices are affordable and our scent less over-powering!   We'd like to see more luxuries in stores and that is gradually happening.  

We hope to perfect the rustic gift box, men's range, approach gay wedding planners, luxuries for hotels.   Really to be known.   And yes, we'd love our own boutique with a traditional feel.   We do wish to encourage anyone planning to start a home-based business to think about bath luxuries.  We create, you buy and rebrand.  Again, we offer wholesale because understand that people require affordability and give the opportunity to mark us and earn from them.

 Which other shops (handmade or supplies) do you admire? 

The businesses we admire are those British handmade products which are more personalized than mass produced.  A store or stall that sells one-off items will encourage me to browse and think this will be perfect as a home, gift etc.  Our supplier is brilliant and reliable too.

Anything else you’d like to add?

 We hoped our blog linky parties might be successful but sadly wasn't.  As well as meeting other crafters, our other aim was to find suppliers – we have found someone we’ll be working with and will be travelling half of the UK to meet!  Launch date comes soon.

Bath Bomb Creations is happy to support any businesses and welcomes photos of what buyers did with our products plus we’ll highlight your events.  We'll add to a FB album and publish a post. The Bathtime Team wishes all crafters the best of luck!

As Anita is a book keeper, she can answer any business orientated questions.  We shall also be supporting Feline Care in Norfolk when the website is launched.

Thanks so much for taking the time out for this interview Lesley.  I totally agree about a home business potentially taking over your life - orders come in at all times of the day and it can be hard to switch off unless you make an effort.  I also agree that good customer service is vitally important - oh, and that diary, too, of course!

If anyone would like to answer a few questions and be featured on this blog, please email me: wendy@1stuniquegifts.co.uk

Craft Business Tips

One of the amazing things about the internet is how much free information there is out there in cyber space.

One of the problems is finding it.

That's why I love to share stuff and love it when others share stuff too.  Recently, someone commented on here that they love a link-rich blog as it leads you to other stuff - and I totally agree.  Links are one of the very best things about the internet.  In fact, I think links make the internet.

So today, here's a few links for those who like reading about business tips.  Artists, designers and crafters sometimes set up in business simply because it's often the only way to get the job we really want - it's not because we're naturally drawn to business.  So, of course it helps to read about it!

 craft fair

Here we go, then.  First, you'll find a list of business articles here on The Sewing Directory.  Don't be put off if sewing isn't your thing, because they're not all sewing related (and one of them - more in the pipeline! - is written by yours truly).

I'm a big fan of Seth Godin.  You can find his books here and do scroll down the page, because some of them are free.  You can follow his blog, too - he blogs a lot.  And blogs a lot of sense.  Worth a read for any type of business.

Blogging is a big part of promoting any small (or even large) business these days.  It amazes me how successful a blog can be for promoting a small business if you just keep blogging!  There's loads of tips on Craft Blog UK all in one easy-to-access place.

 reading up about Craft Business

The Etsy Selling Tips on Handmadeology aren't just useful for Etsy sellers - there are tips on these pages anyone can use.

You'll find a range of business tips on UK Handmade too, specifically aimed at makers.

Those are just a few of my favourites - do you know any places with  good business tips - especially if they are free and easy-to-read?  Let us all know about them by leaving a comment!

 tools of the trade

P.S. If you don't already get the Craft Business newspaper in the image above, go to CraftBusiness.com to find out more - it's free in the UK.