Happy Ending

As we're finally come to the end of 2015 very soon, I'd like to note some of best moments, accomplishments or whatever you call it ...

 

§ My last "Marché" of this year.

 

It was at Marché des créateurs de l'Usine in Geneva.

 

Only one day (Sunday Dec 13th), one afternoon precisely, we're opened from 1-7 pm, but it was a huge success! for the organizers and for the participants, as the visitors were coming in non-stop and take advantage to purchase their last-minute Christmas shopping for gifts or for themselves. Petits Pas - handmade creations made a good selling day too.

 

When people told me to bring as many creations as possible, they're absolutely right! I sold all my capes (animal themed, for kids) within just 30 minutes after opening hours. I sold other creations too for women and children. I made a break even and profits just in one day. The place I reserved (the bigger) was only 2,5 m linear - which was just a tiny space, the price for that space was 30 CHF (waaaaay much cheaper than other exhibition/market space) and I pocketed more than 500 CHF in an afternoon (minus 5 CHF lunch - a sandwich).

 

This creative market was organized every December in the l'Usine de Genève (a place famously known as an alternative culture in Geneva) where the participants (the artists, designers, etc) got picked by two of the girls who's organized the event from their applications - which was opened in October. The chosen participants got a notification by email in the early November. Meaning, roughly a month to get prepared.

 

Some of the participants were designers (leather, jewellery, clothes, tshirts, graphics, accessories - bags, hats, babies bibs, decorations, toys, etc from local artisans). The ambience is alive and packed, there were 2 bars and coffee shops in their 3 storeys building, music was loud in any genre - mostly "alternative".

 

The downside was only when a headache hit me (maybe because I didn't get the time to eat lunch until around 3 pm) :)

 

§ With Ateapic.

 

The boutique moved to Flon, a hype area in Lausanne starting next year. They found a place there and the manager will get in touch again with me around mid-January. It sounds promising to me, new place, new adventures, hopefully a good one, although the manager sounds a little bit worried. Well, who could predict what's going to happen? no one. But, as I learned, life is like that, we could only try and hope for the best. Try the best we could and see what happens.

 

We did a stock taking in the old boutique in Geneva before holiday, and found out one of my dress was missing. Looks like it's stolen. The manager decided to make a payment for that missing dress in the end. I got mixed feelings though, well, I received a payment but to know that there's a thief in the boutique which mostly carry indie creators/designers/artisan who's working mostly for their passions and to help the unemployed to be active during their unemployed times ... it's just sad. Anyway .. life still continues and the creations too.

 

§ With customers.

 

I received a last minute order to deliver before Christmas. It was a dress for a girl size 140 cm (I guess 10-11 yrs) but actually the client said she bought it for her 8 yo niece. The client happens to live not too far from my place, still in Nyon area. I handed her order in person at Nyon train station before Christmas school holiday started.

 

So I guess, I'm done with this year. I guess, 2015 was a good year :)

Capes for Boys

I made capes mostly for girls before, and now for boys too. Actually someone ordered as a birthday gift for twin boys (around 4 yo), and I proposed Batman & The Boy Wonder (Robin).

 

My clients loved them and hope the twin boys will love them too :)

Preparation for Marché des Créateurs

It will be my first time joining Marché des Créateurs at l'Usine de Genève on December 13th. It looks fun. Crowded but fun.

 

Every craft fairs or Christmas market have their own unique ambience. I tried bigger scale of exhibitions before like in Palexpo and UniCréa both twice, and many smaller scale of exhibition and one day bazar. Bigger fairs were less fun, because in our head we were worried if we didn't make enough to pay back the fees - which often quite expensive for a small scale of homemade businesses.

 

I took notes too that I gained more in smaller scale fairs, because firstly the rent was cheaper for a stand (or a table) even sometimes it's free. People who came to these fairs were fairly easy to open their wallet as my stuffs were also affordable. The worst fair was the one I participated across the border last time (as I need to pay "service" in custom, I lost 160 CHF last time for an expedition bureau who's work was only fill-in a tax form and handed it to the custom office upstairs - which actually I can do it myself, plus 40 Euros for tax I had to pay for France custom). So, one experience was enough.

 

Okay, so right now I'm in the middle of preparation. This time I will make more fun clothing for kids. I'll remake animal capes and thinking to make animal themed shift dresses for girls in fleece fabrics. I had sketched some of the items before going fabric purchase this week end.

fun fleece dresses sketches.

 

What do you think? :D

 

Journèe Culturelle

Last weekend (Saturday 05 September 2015) I participated in a cultural day organized by Indonesian Association in Geneva (AIJ). There were music performances, dance, martial art demonstration, traditional food stalls and handicrafts.

 

It was a success. People appreciated my creations. I sold 3 of my creations and took some custom orders too. I didn't imagine that the visitors could be so enthusiastic and even 2 of my creations bought by locals (which means foreign women, who love Indonesian unique, ethnic fabrics). I sold both of my songket dresses and tenun rangrang skirt! awesome.

 

It was tiring, but I'm happy. I heard people said that my works is neat and like a boutique made. I feel grateful, my hard work paid off.

 

And today, as I'm still doing people orders, I received an email from Ateapic boutique commercial assistant that 2 of my creations (dresses) are sold and I will receive the 80% commission in my bank account. Great! so it's true what people said, my work it actually is a neat boutique "standard" :D

 

Here, I'd like to share a picture of my stand at the cultural day ...

La rentrée

La rentrée is usually a back to school for kids.

But it's also back to work for me. Since end of August I've been busy preparing bazars. I got two bazars to prepare. I'm not panicking, because I know I have enough items to bring to the two events. I just need to add some new creations to complete my stand.

 

Depends on what kind of event I'll be attending, then I create something to go with it. Like a garden (outdoor) bazar or indoor. How much spaces I got. Who's going to attend? the public? will it be families with children or many adults? is it an informal or a formal event? etc ... so I could design my stand to be matched accordingly.

 

For garden (outdoor) bazar, on a sunny Satuday morning until 6 pm in August, I brought colorful, fun, bright stuffs. For an indoor formal Cultural Day with a piano and violin musicians, I'll bring a more sophisticated and classic creations.

 

I try to prepare all events with the same enthusiasm. Big or small events I'll try to  treat them fairly. The amount of works only depends on how big or small the events, the spaces, the time that I got.

Back to kiddie stuffs!

I've been playing with my creations again, and boy it was so much fun!! .. I think if we're doing something that makes our heart sing, we're actually make great things.

 

I started making kids 'animal theme' capes when I got fabrics leftover from the ice skating costume my little client ordered. I brought the adult size animal (leopard) hoodie cape to the Ateapic boutique and the manager took it to put it in the boutique, then my little girl wanted one similar cape for herself, I added ears to the hoodie just for the fun effect of kids version.

 

Then her best friend wanted one too. I started selling my first 'animal theme' cape for kids to her. Then another girl wanted one, the other girl wanted too, more and more different animal requested by these little girls .. until just yesterday I've completed all orders.

all of the animal theme capes for girls.

Funny how unintended designs like that first cape I made from fabric scraps could become a hits. Now almost anyone at school know I made capes, and they can ask any design as they wish :) 

 

Although I first made these for girls, I could do boys too. The design could be a 'superhero theme' or .. just about anything. It only takes a bit of imaginations to create and personalized it :)

More dresses!

No?! ... more dresses? ...
Oh yes! oh yes.

 

See, there were two people wanted the denim embroidery dress I put in the boutique, the manager emailed me asking if I have enough fabric to make it in smaller size (34), the dress is in EU size 38 actually, and I don't have anymore fabric to make more similar but smaller size dresses, so I asked if they would just alter the dress and make it smaller.

 

As I currently working in another project (I wrote story books for children in my country), and I need to finish 5 new series, I took my time and organized them carefully .. we also went to visit Turin during Easter long week end, we loved the city and it's my source of inspirations (for the new story books series) .. so it's true that it's not how long you stay in one place, but what really matters is how the place inspire you, at least for me it works.

And, oh yes, we are so occupied with our moving next summer. There are things we need to tackle, like new school registration, site visits, dealing with annoying régie (landlord), etc .. so I think my sewing activities will getting slower during these next couple of months.

 

sarong dress

songket dress

Okay, back to dresses .. I'm using traditional woven fabrics (like sarong and songket), I took my time, I really enjoyed my slow pace creations, as I could rethink, remake, re-drape in no hurry. I could finish the dresses meticulously to get the neat results, and I'll keep them for the next events, for special customers or for next season's pieces to bring to the boutique, whatever the occasion, I'll have a beautiful stocks in hand :) 

A dress A day, keep the doctor away :)

cotton silk embroidery dress

who says? ... me!, évidement!

 

Lately I made some lovely dresses in black and white (or sometimes a bit of red). Maybe I got influenced by those beautiful dresses the top designers showing us in Paris Fashion Week and London Fashion Week? .. well actually, I just want to make something "neat" classy with more skills and sewing exercise needed ..

 

And, once it's finished ... it's sold! (I have to find excuses not to sell some of them because I plan to bring them to the exhibition -- and well, I love the dress so much, I don't know if I will let it go!) haha .. my deepest secret confession ;)

The 3rd dress I made with batik fabric was reserved for a friend in Germany, she bought 2 batik dresses before, and she wanted this dress too. So, I had to let it go :)

this dress was sold and sent to Germany.

 

Talents de femme 2015

 

Around December 2014 I got an email from Soroptimist Internatiomal Women Association, Mont Blanc committee, a call to submit a candidature for their exhibition on March 2015. As this will be an exhibition in Megève, FR and it's my first doing it outside Switzerland, I was a bit reluctant .. I weighed a lot.

 

My concerns are:

 

1. Douanne (custom). I have to past the border and have to declare all merchandise which are my creations to both Swiss and France douanne. I have to ask them how and what forms to fill in, how much tax to pay, etc.

 

2. The registration fee is not too expensive 180 Euros for 3 days exhibition, I think it's not much, comparing to exhibitions I've done in Swiss (like Unicrea or Palexpo, that we, as a small homebased homemaker felt too much).

 

3. The trip from Genève to Megève take about an hour, and the event start on Friday, which means I must look for a childcare options on Friday, I think the team in Parascolaire will be able to help me on this as usual (for the little one), her big sis is now more independent and we could ask her help too, and of course, husband got to take a day off.

 

4. Making more creations, and carefully choose the designs, fabrics, etc. I don't know what kind of public will come to this event, as it's a women associations I might see more official, women, people who come to the ski resort (as Megève is also a wellknown ski resort).

 

So I came to decide, I submit my candidature, and on January 18th I got the result: I got selected.