I love...,

maps!.  Maps and globes!  We saw a pink globe the other day that Lucy has got her eye on, she is fascinated with countries like China and Japan, and so wants to visit both.  The place I would choose to visit given the opportunity is..., America.

I've never been, but would really love to go.  Mr LK is, right now, sat on a plane at Heathrow, just about to take off and fly to Seattle for a week, I'm soooooo jealous!.  This fabric is a print from my stash which I've not used much yet, so I made myself cut into it when working on some new pattern ideas for softies.  Now, after my last post about the potential problems faced by softies resembling toys, which prompted some very interesting discussion amongst the comments by the way, I have lots of ideas for soft sculpture of inanimate objects.

In the words of Rolf Harris, 'Can you guess what it is yet?',

It's not quite as I imagined in my head yet, I'm thinking it needs to go smaller, and a base of some sort so it stands properly (the magic of photography hides the fact that it is propped up!). It also has yet to have some applique and embroidery added to the front, which I may well still do, so I can try out a few ideas and techniques.

Can't do that now though, it's back to a magazine project for me!

Bridge over troubled water...,

Thank you for all the well wishes for my squashed fingers, apart from one lumpy bruise they are all now recovered.  Today is a work day for me, and it has begun tinged with a little sadness. Over christmas, I spent some time reading up on what is going on regarding new guidelines coming into play in February covering the sale and manufacture of toys to, from and within the USA.  In a nutshell, this means that anyone who makes a toy or any other item deemed suitable for a child which they are planning on selling, will have to submit that item for expensive, rigorous product testing.  The problem is, this new act makes no differentiation between products which are mass produced by a large company, and products which are handmade by a sole trader.  

It also covers, as do current UK safety standards, that it is not enough to label an item as 'not a toy'.  If it looks like a toy, feels like a toy, could be played with as a toy, then it is a toy.

The question now is, should we, and how do we try and save handmade?

I have two points of view on this, the parent in me feels, that there indeed need to be some safety guidelines in place for any product aimed at children, but the designer in me feels that these guidelines need to bear in mind the distinct nature of handmade.

  

Here in the UK, there have been similar guidelines in place for some time.  To manufacture and sell a toy, the item technically needs to have a CE mark on it which requires product testing similar to those the CPSIA want to bring in across the pond.  The difference here seems to be that this testing is a fair bit cheaper in the UK.  But on the flip side, UK products are also required to conform with the British Toy Safety Standard (BS EN 71), online information on this standard is limited, a hard copy may need to be purchased (although, you may be lucky and find one in your local library), however, there are a number of different areas making up this standard (flammability, chemical compounds, small parts, durability), and before you know it, you can have spent up to £1,000 just getting hold of all the relevant information.  The most immediate source here is your local Trading Standards office.  

So, as of February 10th, what will the impact be?  Etsy have joined the debate as it will affect a large percentage of sellers making anything from knitted baby hats & mittens, to wooden building blocks.  Naturally, I am most concerned for the future softies, I'm sad that, many talented, inspiring crafters and designers may be backed into a corner.  The cost of product testing makes it not viable for items made and sold in small quantities, and what happens with in cases where every item made is an individual one off piece?  We can all, in theory anyway, still continue to create as normal, but sell?, probably not. 

One thing all this has done for me is to clear up what was a huge grey area regarding UK toy safety standards, the information I have read scratches the itch I knew was there, but have been, to a certain extent, avoiding.  Maybe the answer lies in finding a bridge over these troubled waters?.  I listened to this podcast yesterday and it brought the word 'diversify' very much into the forefront of my mind.  I'd be very interested in your views and current experiences on this subject as I suspect, given the size of the crafty blogospere, the effects will become global. 

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Update - Etsy have just posted some information to say that the voices of crafts people are being heard, and possible exemptions are now being discussed for handmade goods, a little light at the end of the tunnel!

Ready, steady, go..., OUCH!

Well, it's here, 2009, and on Tuesday, it's back to normal routine for everyone.  Lucy is so disappointed to be going back to school on her 7th birthday, but it can't be helped I'm afraid, as I have work to do!  Anyway, she has a 'High School Musical' party to look forward to next Saturday.  I have to admit I very nearly wasn't so ready and raring to go.  I did something very daft yesterday, if you are squeamish at all, do not read on...!

We have been visiting family in the Lake District for a couple of days, and Luke has slept on a fold out bed.  I thought I'd be helpful and fold it away, but had my hands in totally the wrong place, and before I knew it, all my fingers were trapped in the hinges, both hands, both sides of the bed!.  Luckily, after quite a bit of shouting for help, Mr LK came to my rescue.  The damage is no where near as bad as it could have been, my fingers are a little squished, bruised and swollen, but they are ok, I can still sew, yippee! 

PS, I am rather enjoying reading this book (although, my copy seems to have a different cover).  It's full of advice from lots of successful crafters, really inspirational.

New year, new leaves...

I can't believe that 2008 is nearly over already, it seems to have passed by so quickly.  This point in the year lends itself so naturally to being a time to reflect, and that's the thing about writing a blog, it's all here, in the archives, a years worth of posts.  As we've been doing a bit of traveling and visiting over christmas, we've also had time to have more of those conversations, you know, the ones where Mr LK opens the top of my head, asks a few questions and then waits for something profound to happen.  He's actually very good to talk to about the important stuff, I've often thought about sticking him online here for a web chat!  He'd certainly open up some interesting thoughts for anyone who feels they were a bit stuck in a rut creatively. 

Our conversation last night was mostly about the future, our future, the house's future, his future and the future of Lucykate Crafts.  There is a lot I don't know the answer to yet, but one thing I do know, is how lucky I am right now.  Lucky to have had, and still be having this time at home, with the children and the time to try out Lucykate Crafts.  It hasn't always been like this, for 12 years I was the main breadwinner, I returned to work when Lucy was only 5 months old, she was with a childminder from 8 til 5, every day.  Everything came to a head when she called me by our childminders name, and we all knew in an instant, things had to change.  And change it did, now Mr LK brings home the bacon, and given that he essentially has 3 jobs, my official post in this house is to look after the family, make sure everyone is fed, happy, and the toilet is clean!  Any time spent on Lucykate Crafts is a real luxury and a joy for me, something to savour and expand.  So, what is going to change here in 2009?  Well, I suppose if I write it down, then I have to stick to it, right?!  So here goes, plans for 2009,

1.  I think I'd like to re-design the blog layout and colour scheme

2.  Learn how to use the graphics software I have in order to design a range of patterns

3.  Launch a range of patterns both in paper and PDF format

4.  Bring together my ideas for a craft book and refine the whole concept

5.  Launch a more official web site to sit in conjunction with my blog

6.  But firstly, I really want to revisit the eye patch tutorial.  I get emails regularly from grateful parents, who after struggling to get their child to cooperate with patching, have made one of these.  It is about time I followed it up with some more detailed instructions for a boys version.

As always, after christmas, there is a pile of new reading material to get me started...,

I love the format of Anna Maria Horner's book, it's like a little folder, a pocket at the back for patterns and is spiral bound inside.  There is something about books like that, that call out and say 'pick me up, open the pages and sew'!  

We're off on another trip in the next few days, so no doubt our in car conversation will continue and help me continue to develop my ideas and aspirations for Lucykate Crafts.  But for now, it's knitting (sewing for me) club tonight, and I have absolutely nothing ready to take along.  No unfinished projects, no softies on the go, nothing!.  I'm tempted to just fling some fabric in a hoop, grab some thread and a needle and embroider up a little stitchette design made up as I go along, what do you think?!

Merry 'crafting' Christmas!

Well, it's almost here, and this year I have never been so relieved that I only had two presents to hand make.  I have been ill, and after three days in bed, am finally just beginning to come back to life.  If it wasn't flu, it was a pretty close second.  Both Lucy and Luke have had it as well, and are also luckily now on the mend, good job too as tomorrow is not only Christmas Eve.  Oh no, far more important than that..., 

it is Mr LK's birthday! (He'd like to point out he's not yet 40, just 39!)

Terrible day for a birthday, but still we manage to squeeze in a party, it is open house tomorrow afternoon for mince pies and mulled wine.

You are welcome to join us,

Merry Christmas from Lucykate Crafts...!