DIY Shibori Tissue Paper tutorial

A few years back, my sister and I went through a tie-dye fever. We were inspired by the amazing work of Shabd Simon-Alexander and we spent a weekend at our parent's house dyeing everything, from teatowels to underwear. Once you get started on this, it can be pretty addictive and you start thinking, "Wouldn't this antique embroidered tablecloth look SO MUCH BETTER if it was ombre-purple with a yellow resist...?" (We didn't, but I'm still convinced it could work...)

Our adventures in tie-dye started with tissue paper and I really recommend this as a fun and accessible way to get addicted. I mean, to get started. Hand-dyed tissue paper is also a lovely way to finish a handmade gift. All you need is some tissue paper and food colouring - stuff you probably have at home already. (A hairdryer is handy too, although you can just leave the paper to dry naturally.)

These instructions are for a shibori-style technique, which involves folding the material/paper and then dip-dyeing along the folds. I have used just one colour in this tutorial, but you can use two colours to great effect. Three colours, however, and things just get crazy.

DIY Shibori Tissue Paper Tutorial

You will need:

• Sheets of white tissue paper (I recommend the single sheets you can buy from Paperchase. They're strong and not waxy. Not all tissue paper will work, but this one does.)
• Food colouring (nothing special, just whatever is in your cupboard at home or your local supermarket. The stuff I'm using is actually out-of-date!)
• A bowl of fresh water and a bowl for each colour.
• Some newspaper or paper towels for the mess.
• Rubber gloves (which I forgot and now have blue fingers to show for it).
• A hairdryer (optional).

1. Start by folding your sheet of tissue paper. Fold it in half. Then fold it in half another three times. You will now have a long rectangle that should divide evenly into three squares. Fold along these lines until you have a square about 10cm big. Finally, fold this diagonally to make a triangle. (If you haven't made a triangle, don't worry. It doesn't matter too much how you fold it, you'll find your own way!)

2. Soak your folded paper in the bowl of fresh water. The paper should be able to take quite a lot of water, so go for it. This will help the paper absorb the dye better.

3. Now dip the edges and corners of your triangle in the dye. Once you have covered all the sides, put the paper back in the fresh water bowl. The dye will start to bleed into the rest of the paper. (It will also go all over your hands!)

TIP: The colour will fade when it dries. Also, the paper folded inside will not get as much dye as the part you can see. So feel free to repeat this step a couple of times to make sure you have enough colour on your paper.

4. Once you are happy with the dyeing, lay your paper (still folded) on your newspapers/paper towels and dry with the hairdryer on a low setting. Be careful that you don't blow the paper across the room! As it dries, start to open up the layers gently. The colour will fade as it dries and the paper will go sort of crinkly - this is normal behaviour. Keep drying until the sheet is unfolded.

5. TA-DAH!! Congratulations on your beautiful shibori tissue paper! Pretty simple, huh? I hope you're pleased with the results. That's the best thing about tie-dye - no matter what happens, it is always exciting and it will always look good!

CLASS DISMISSED!

lessons from etsy school

On a deliriously hot day that included a thunderstorm and some very tropical rain, I visited Etsy HQ in London for a personalised day at Etsy School. This was part of my prize from the Mollie Makes Handmade Awards and promised to be a unique opportunity to get an insider view of how Etsy works and how to make the most of my own Etsy shop.

The Etsy offices are EXACTLY how I imagined they would be. Part industrial chic/ part treehouse, it is full of quirky spaces filled with handmade beauties the staff have found on Etsy. Almost everything in the office is from Etsy, from cutlery to furniture. This is a committed bunch of people. I was in eye-candy heaven and spent more time than I should taking photos of feather garlands and crocheted zebra heads (cue Instagram spam).

After a pleasant and completely indulgent breakfast (second breakfast, actually) at The Modern Pantry, I was tied up in meetings and seminars, all the way through to the office picnic lunch; managing to squeeze in another meeting before cakes and then one last seminar before a well-deserved cocktail in the company of some radical taxidermy. Yup, I'm a work-hard-play-hard kinda gal.

It was a jet-set adventure, flying down and back on the same day, and I took in as much as I could while I was there. The team gave me lots of great marketing advice and a personal dossier on ways to improve my Etsy shop. I also learned about Etsy itself: how it started, grew and where it hopes to go and I was impressed by how hard Etsy works for the sellers. These guys really, really care about us sellers and that warms my heart.

My latest Etsy treasury

I have already blogged my three favourite tips for your Etsy shop, but there was so much more that I need to share, so here's little extra! 

p.s. My shop is a far-from perfect example; this is more a 'do as I say, not as I do' list...

1. Fill up your shop: I had only three items listed in my shop - shameful! Any less than twenty listings will not do you any favours. "A hundred listings works best, but have at least twenty listings or your shop will look unfinished." List the same item more than once if you have to.
2. Create a coherent look: Try to use the same images throughout your shop, such as your banner and your icon, to create a strong brand image.
3. Tags: Make sure you use up all your tags in your product listing. This is a great tool to expand your visibility on the site. Be focused on what your product is, but also think creatively about what's trending and how your product can relate to that.
4. Photos: I'm not a photographer, but I've taken advice from books, bloggers and magazines about getting a good shot. Indirect, natural light seems to be the key! If you can get a well-styled shoot with your products in context, that's great. Otherwise, opt for a cut-out effect with a plain white background.
5. The other pages: This can be exhausting, but your other pages deserve a little TLC. Your 'About' page, your 'Shipping and Policy' page, your shop announcements - try to give a little of your personality to these spaces and have fun with them. "I'm always more attracted to shops that have a friendly policy page and sound like a real person."
6. SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Despite the best efforts of the Etsy team, I'm still a bit foggy on the details here. Basically, it's about keywords. Be assured, Etsy is doing their darnedest to make sure that your Etsy shop will be one of the first places that Google hits. (And BTW, no shop gets preferential treatment over the others.)
7. Favourites, followers and treasuries: There is a bunch of fun stuff to do on Etsy to promote your shop. And you'll make some friends on the way! Start following other Etsy members and favourite their items and shops. Check out your feed to see what others are recommending. And I've just discovered treasuries! The Etsy home page features a different treasury every day. You can curate your own beautiful collections from Etsy items and then convo the makers to let them know. I've had a few features in other people's treasuries and it is both flattering and a great way to meet other makers.
8. Etsy blog and newsletter: Since my visit, I've been following the Etsy UK blog and signed up for the newsletter. They're great for keeping up-to-date with Etys developments and for discovering new stuff.
9. The Seller Handbook: I could have saved us all a lot of time and just put this one first on the list. Because this sweet number has everything above and a whole lot more. So many great articles and advice for sellers.

Whoa, that was a LOT extra! Sorry for the information overload. There's just so much to do!

mollie makes

In June this year, I was lucky enough to win the Mollie Makes Start Up Award in their very first Handmade Awards. As part of my prize, I was featured in Issue 43 of the magazine and then they asked if I would write a guest post for their blog. I checked this morning and it's finally up!!

I feel like blog royalty today.

Read the full post here and stay tuned for more Etsy tips from my time at Esty School!

a commission

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked by Laura, a fellow maker, to create a Swedish bead basket for her craft room. She wanted to feature her signature colours, turquoise and yellow, and together we decided that the bold and classic 'Mountain' pattern would be a good choice.

I'm so pleased with the way the basket turned out and I'm even more pleased that Laura is happy with it! She has filled it with her most treasured craft tools and it lives, beaming away happily, in her AWESOME craft room. (Just look at it! How amazing it must be to work in that room?!)

I love working on commissions! It accomplishes the very best of handmaking - creating an individual piece that has warmth, that connects with someone and tells a story - and that makes it immensely satisfying work.

If you have any ideas for commissions or collaborations, I would LOVE to hear from you!

Please get in touch with your idea, no matter how big or small.

(Thanks to Laura, for asking me to work with you and for the beautiful photos. 

Photography by Laura Porter.)

Finishing the unfinished

Let's call it an end-of-year resolution. Finish The Unfinished is a campaign to tidy up your craft-life and give you more space, physically and creatively. It's a simple idea: don't start any new projects until you have completed all those not-yet-finished projects. I read about it in Alessandra Taccia's beautiful blog and it set alarm bells ringing. Uh-oh. My cupboard under the stairs is a SHRINE to unfinished craft projects. There are bags upon bags of wool, two boxes full of fabric (one for yardage; one for ridiculously small pieces of scrap) a shopper filled with leather + tools and a basket of single socks. So, now that the air is distinctly chilly, I've decided to take out my knitting basket and start with the socks. Who knows?- maybe one day, I'll open my cupboard and be able to see my vacuum cleaner...

I use this basic pattern for all my socks. It's a toe-up pattern and I will never, ever go back to making socks the other way round. If you haven't tried toe-up socks before, I promise that it's not too hard and you will be amazed at how seamless they are to make. I found the designs on Ravelry here and here and I made a few adjustments so they fit with my toe-up pattern.

I've just started using Lang's 'Jawoll' sock wool and it's a pretty good go-to for everyday sock-knitting. It has a small acrylic content to add softness and durability and comes with a spool of 2-ply that you use to strengthen the toe and heel. How clever?! (If I'm making special socks, I use Koigu. Oh Koigu, so beautiful and so eye-wateringly expensive.)

Do you have unfinished craft business? 

(I bet you do - who can resist the excitement of starting a new project?)

Join in Finish the Unfinished and tell me all about it!!

'HEJSAN!' means 'Hello!'

Hello! Welcome to the little world of HEJSAN GOODS. (In case you were wondering, 'hejsan!' is the Swedish word for hello. So cheerful, isn't it? You pronounce it HAY-SAN and, in my experience, it is always accompanied with an exclamation mark and a smile.)

This super-cute illustration is the work of Yasmeen Ismail. She is a children's book writer/illustrator, based in London. One of my favourite books to read at bedtime is Time For Bed, Fred! about a naughty dog who refuses to settle down at night. Sound familiar to anyone else? The watercolour illustrations are so colourful, full of life and humour. I totally recommend it.
Whenever I thought about a look for HEJSAN GOODS, Yasmeen's pictures kept popping in to my head. So, I asked her if she would consider creating a bespoke label for my baskets and I was immensely excited when she said yes! ( I basically bribed her with chocolate. Chocolate has never failed me yet.)

The design brief was 'Yasmeen, just do your thing. But this time, with baskets.' The final image is one-part collaboration and nine-parts watercolour genius. Thanks Yasmeen; it's PERFECT.

Yasmeen's work for HEJSAN GOODS will soon be appearing on postcard, labels, stickers and business cards. If you would like a postcard or a sticker, just holler and I'll pop some in the post once they're back from the printers.

(Phew! That was my first blog post. I think it went well. Did it go well? Hmmm, I think I need some carrot cake...)