Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Recycled wool blanket

I've been thinking about my Etsy shop and why I have so few sales.  I really like the items I've made and think they're reasonably priced.  I think I don't have enough to choose from.  It must be time to make many more items.  I've hesitated to make too many things, but everything I read says you need lots of inventory.
The more often I make each thing, the faster I get at it.  My favorite thing I make is the glitter stars.  I thought these would be a big seller, but they lose something when you don't see them in person.
The baby/lap blankets are my next favorite.  If I could sell 1-2 of them a week, I would be so happy.  This week I made another, a new design inspired by Lisa's Flower Garden BOM.  I wasn't sure if I was going to put flower or bird appliques on it, until I was through and liked it best without either.
I first cut out squares of many colors and sorted them into light and dark pairs for each 9 patch square and cream/beige for the 4 patch squares.
After cutting the wool into 3 inch squares and adding a pink square to the middle of the 9 patch blocks, I arranged and rearranged them until I liked the balance of color.  I ended up moving some blocks again, as I was sewing.

All the 9 patch blocks were sewn together in orange, the 4 patch in baby pink and all the blocks were joined in hot pink.  Thread color becomes another aspect of the finished blanket.
I added a binding around the edge, made of the same wools.  I put little patches of color randomly sized and spaced around the edge.
Camille helped me take pictures.
 She can make some of the most gruesome faces!
Zinnia had to come help too.



2 comments:

  1. It is absolutely gorgeous! I totally agree about having lots of inventory. I sell a lot more when I have a high inventory. Your prices are definitely reasonable, and your creations are fabulous! I am actually heading over there right now to buy some of your fabulous potholders :).

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  2. I love this blanket, the colours are great and it looks incredibly warm and cosy. I think your prices are very reasonable and your designs are lovely. I agree it's good to have lots of choice and also to keep adding new stock so regulars can come back for more (most of my customers are repeat ones). I don't sell on Etsy, so I shouldn't really comment I suppose. Beth/The Linen Catx

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