Petticoat Jane - The journey so far ...

I was looking back over the years at my blog and thinking that I need to start blogging regularly.  I have in the past struggled with finding things to blog about. I am probably not alone in this and suspect that it is a variety of writers block.

So, as I was saying I was looking back and see that I started my shop in 2011.  When I started, I had a 5 year plan.  As I had no finance to plough into start-up costs for a business, I decided that I should build up my business slowly.  This has reaped rewards on many levels; starting slowly has meant that I have been able to learn and develop ideas.

In 2011, I opened my first shop Pettycoatjand had two strands:

• original vintage clothes & patterns
• traditionally home made and hand finished one off designs with a vintage twist  

Although, I thought this made sound sense and the two halves of the shop complimented each other, it soon became apparent that the home made clothes did not sell well alongside the vintage clothes.  While my vintage clothes started to sell, I did not sell any home made clothes.  I decided the answer was to open a second shop

• www.etsy.com/shop/petticoatjane - selling traditionally home made and hand finished one off designs with a vintage twist 
• www.etsy.com/shop/petticoatjanevintage - selling original vintage clothes and patterns

Virtually as soon as I did this I started to sell my home made clothes with a vintage twist.

My daughter has joined me now and designs and sells under her own label FrannB Designs through www.etsy.com/shop/petticoatjane.  She has just left school and is designing a selection of little black dresses for the up and coming party season.  

As well as selling the Petticoat Jane range & the FrannB Designs range we have started to make small craft items for sale as little gifts for people.  The most recent addition are herbal moth repellent bags.

And I have been planning a new design to add to these:

Your comments and feedback would be greatly appreciated.  I am currently trying to improve and update my shop.

Passing on old hobbies and learning new skills...

I have always loved sewing and remember when I was about 6 learning to use my mum's old Singer hand sewing machine.  I used to make clothes for my dolls (not that I remember playing with my dolls much, just making them clothes). I find sewing relaxing and de-stressing.  I find the clothes I make last longer than those I buy. So when I had a daughter I wanted to pass on my skills to her.  She had very different ideas and had no interest in learning to sew.

I had always hoped that she would be interested in what I was doing when I made clothes or was embroidering. She never did.  However, she is now doing A-Level textile product design having learned to use a sewing machine at school and learning to make clothes during GCSEs.  She is interested in learning only what is necessary to get her through her exams.

This all started with an interest in fashion.  She was not initially interested in what a garment is made of or how it was constructed.  Now she is making her final piece for her A-level and has started to ask me to teach her embroidery stitches.  She has learned 2; Satin Stitch & Stem Stitch which she has used to write phrases on her piece.  Last night she asked me to show her how to hand sew an invisible hem.

Despite learning these new skills, she still has no interest in hand sewing.  She finds it all too time consuming.

Is this what has come from modern life and society - we all want things instantly, we have no time for pass-times like our ancestors did as a necessity to make their lives more comfortable eg. rag rugs, mending and improving our clothes rather than just rush out and buy a whole new set of clothes.  Will these skills be lost for ever?

I still sew and mend.  Not as my ancestors did as a necessity, but I have been known to make repairs to favorite items of clothing to keep them going as I can't bare to throw them out - for example I had a chiffon skirt that got a cigarette burn at a party and I embroidered a silver flower around the hole and then branches of silver flowers growing up one side of the skirt.  My daughter would have thrown the skirt out even though it was a favorite skirt.

I am pleased that my daughter has taken an interest in sewing and that I have passed on some of my skills, but sad that she does not find it the enjoyable and relaxing pass-time that I do.  Maybe she will take it up later in life, who knows what the future will hold.