The weather has improved, yippee!

OMG SUNSHINE!!

Time to get on with pegbags; two have just been sold so will need some more in the shops. At least I can take pictures of them outside now. Here are some guys that have been waiting for their photo shoot for ages.

I made a cute little soldier but needed to decide which colour eyes.

I have tried a couple just as normal one- sided ones.

They were originally for a shop, so I was trying to cut down the time it takes to produce one. I like them, but I’m not sure if I should just abandon the double sided/opening ones which were the original concept.

It just does not seem worth selling through a retail outlet as the mark-up needed means either they become (what I think of as ) very expensive pegbags; or I work for peanuts. As it is they take about 3-4 hours to make. I am not sure why; it seemed to take less at first, but I guess they were slightly more simple. Now, with inserted beaks

and shaped padded feet

(and don’t get me started on dinosaur spines)

They just take longer. But it is hard not to make a creature when the fabric shouts so loudly at one to make him or her, LOL.I am still working from the fabric, up- as it were! I have loads of ideas of creature shapes but really can’t go buying more fabric when I can hardly move for “the Stash”…. so I am putting lots on hold ( but it is VERY hard when you have an idea, not to rush out, get fabric and make Mr Fox and Mr Badger). Sob!

Not to mention all the other toys and crochet all orbiting in a creative space holding pattern; which sometimes feels like it has slipped and is around my neck strangling me…

If only I had a house slave like the Romans…

and a dictation slave…

and a knitting slave…

HMM

Well must stop all this and get on with some sewing of the aforementioned pegbags.

I would love to see them in a real shop-
but the whole thing seems easier on-line; plus there is a personal connection to most people I have sold to, which I do enjoy ( even if it eats up more time ” it’s worth it ” ).

I would love to hear any comments on these subjects; selling and managing creative flow! Then I won’t feel like it is only me with the angst!

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Bug in a bag

Another lovely event at the reserve.

Bug in a bag (there is that alliteration thing again).

The children love this one. I use my paper fold box/bag net with some printing on. These are easy; my original best idea (one of them anyway, she said modestly) for a really versatile event activity.

I’ve adapted the box net for loads of different things;

they can be decorated flat (Sooo much easier!) then assembled (OK, usually by “moi”) when done.

This time the children made a little bug (more about that in a mo) and popped it in to the bag to carry home. The bag gave them scope for naming their bug and adding some facts (or even a back-story!!) and also an opportunity to think about habitats etc.

Neat. More stealth learning.

For the bug to go in the bag we wanted a different bug instead of our normal paper and wire versions, and thought of making things using wood from the site.[ It’s great that we have different styles – together inspire each other and come up with all sorts of different things.]

My friend spent ages sawing and sanding bits of twig to use as the bug body; and we used up lots small scraps of nice card we hadn’t been able to bring ourselves to throw away.

So as a bonus it was practically free… if you don’t count labour 🙂

They turned out F.A.B !

A step up from the first idea! Add in the children’s natural creativity, and voila!
Bug in a bag, extraordinaire.

As you can see the children were very inventive, although we did have a lot of the ubiquitous butterflies they seem to love above all else!

We also had a neat life cycle disc; mounted on recycled CDs for the older guys. Plus caterpillar bookmarks…

…and one very LARGE caterpillar!

This little chap laboured on; working his way patiently through some old, almost exhausted, felt pens (we need more cash!)

to finish this Opus Magnus.

And we found these abandoned when we tidied up!

Probably someone’s idea of what we looked like by the end of the day.

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