With only three weeks left until les grandes vacances or summer vacation, things are a wee bit crazy. Trying to wrap up this year, and prepare for summer workshops, get together appreciation gifts and just the general craziness of life is upon me. I’m so affected by the weather, and with it raining every day for what seems like an eternity doesn’t help.* Seems like when the sun is shining and it’s warm I’m twice as productive…are your batteries solar powered, too?
Remember when I drafted this pattern for Betty Bunny? Guppy brought Betty to school as her nap-time doudou, and her teacher loved it! She asked me where I bought it because she wanted one for her daughter; feeling thrilled, incredulous and blushing, I admitted that I had made the stuffed animal myself. Her teacher continued to gush, and said more than once that she would love to have a bunny like that for her little girl, but because of my inability to sell myself, that was the end of the conversation.
Monsieur Fish scolded me when I related the story, asking me why on earth I didn’t offer to make one for Guppy’s Teacher (known here on in as GT) and sell it to her. I wanted to, but this was indeed the first time this had happened to me and I didn’t know how to react. I wanted to offer to make her one, but didn’t know how much to charge, honestly. I’d not payed attention to how much time it took me, and had no idea how to add up the cost of materials, etc.
I let a few weeks past, but every time I saw that bunny I would inwardly cringe. I didn’t want to let an opportunity pass me by, but wasn’t sure how to approach it, so I made a bit of a compromise. The next time I saw GT I nonchalantly said that if she had some fabric that she liked, I could make a bunny for her. I reasoned that since I wasn’t sure about charging her, if she supplied the fabric, then I could chalk up the labour as some free advertising for potential future bunnies. The only problem? She loved the brown corduroy I used and wanted that. Sigh.
In the end, she brought me about 2 meters of fabric she’d chosen for the bunny’s body, and I told her I would try to scrape up enough corduroy to do the rest (knowing I didn’t have much left). She loved it, and it really gave me some confidence as to my sewing skills, because I can see that possibly opening an Etsy shop next year could be a reality. I still have tons of work to do researching how to do pricing, etc., but it’s a good feeling.
This is the one I gave to GT. The “in progress” bunnies above are still not finished, but I would like to get them done before my mojo is gone. I need to raid my stash to find fabric for their arms and legs as my brown corduroy is gone…I’d also like to make some less girly ones…so much I want to do!
Have you managed to get any lingering W.I.P.s finished up? Whatever your works-in-progress, have a crafty week, and don’t forget to see what the other Wipsters are up to, and to check out our W.I.P. Wednesday Flickr Pool, too.
*Ever since the canicule (heat wave) we had here in 2003, the weather has just been haywire. Even the summer of 2004 was more normal, with bright sunny skies for most of June, July, August and the beginning of September. Now, it just seems to rain all the time. Thanks global warming.
Musings From The Fishbowl 