Hand made - market round up

This is Hector the Giraffe...the one of the left. A little fellow I made (legitimately) for one of my favourite little guys - now a much bigger boy.

Some "Polly" softies I (again legitimately...promise) made a few years ago for a flurry of little girls that were born - I think these particular little sofites were made for (from left to right) Roxie, Charlotte D, Charlotte J and Mae. I think I made two more for Ruby and Taylor. Both softie patters from the book 'Softie - 22 friends for you to sew, knit and crochet'. 'Polly' is by Carly Schwerdt of Nest Studio and 'Hector' is by Kate Henderson of Two Little Banshees.

I have found that owning a sewing machine (well actually two), having basic sewing ability and a history of churning out only a handful of handmade dresses, softies and cushions and the like for Amelie and friends over the years gets you a whole lot of unjustified sewing credibility.

My friends quite frequently ask "That's a beautiful dress! Did you make it?" and I have to reply "No. But I love that you think I could/did." Sometimes these same friends say that they wish they could sew.

When I browse markets, I usually have a single thought running through my head the entire time...it goes something like this:- (After finding a unique market find) "Hmmm, how original! What a simple idea! (after inspecting said item carefully). Hmmm, won't buy it though...could make it myself." But I end up leaving the market with nothing...only some good ideas...that are rarely actioned. One day, feeling particularly exhausted and overwhelmed at the thought of my very long suffering to do list of promised projects to friends, I (after being encouraged by my accomplice friend) purchased a lovely little handmade owl softie from a market to give to a friend for her new baby. Thankfully this friend assumed (again thanks to my unjustified sewing credibility) I had made it or at least didn't ask so I wasn't forced to officially tell a fib in that instance...although the cat is now out of the bag...and it did give me an idea for those non-sewers.

Sew (groan...sorry!), if you're like me and love the originality, look and quality of handmade clothes but can't sew to save yourself or have no desire or time or energy to sew, head on over to Made It or Etsy - both online market places where you can find an abundance of beautiful handmade clothing and toys and just about anything, usually at reasonable prices at just a few clicks of the mouse. You will love having something handmade for your own little one and will be surprised at how many complements are received. Handmade items (whether legitimately made by you or not) also make some of the best and original gifts and usually become much loved and treasured by the recipient.

If you enjoy the process of traditional shopping and love only to stumble upon a good bargain by hitting the pavement, then you will love all the hand made markets that are popping up all over the place (locally) lately.....

My favourite is the Mahtilda Markets which is held quarterly at Eagle Farm Racecourse and includes a host of beautiful handmade things for especially for children. I bought the pillow case dress Little Miss A wore over the Christmas period from these markets...in my defence, I could not have made that dress for the money I paid for it. The next market day is Saturday, 12 March 2011 and then Saturday May 28 from 9am - 1pm - plenty of parking.

A new one that's popped up recently is the Billy Cart Markets at Brighton Rd, Sandgate - also a handmade marketplace for children's things. The market website explains that Billy Cart Markets is the idea of a mother of 3 who, like so many of us, got sick of the unoriginal mass produced children toys and clothing that is so readily available these days. The next market day is Saturday May 28 between 9am - 2pm.

The Mummy Tree Markets at River Park Place Lytton Rd (Colmslie Recreation Reserve), Morningside - not only includes baby and children’s handmake wares but also provides other unique products which are not mass produced or easily found in shops, including some lovely gourmet food (nothing better than taste testing original relish and dip recipes made with native fruits and the like). The next market day is this Sunday 27th February from 9am – 2pm.

The Boutique Markets at Portside, Hamilton website boasts that it is "A unique shopping experience featuring some of the best local talent in art, craft and design located in one of Brisbane's premier riverfront dining and shopping precincts!"...and I have to agree. The market also has a nice blog which has some great ideas in the 'make' section - got any easy recipe for play dough with the great suggestion to add glitter (hmm, why hadn't I thought of that?). The next market day is this Sunday 27th February from 8am - 1pm.

Happy marketing!