The Day I Cried In Debenhams

 

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The day I cried in Debenhams...

Tomorrow night is the first Wakefield Retail Awards, and Created in Yorkshire has reached the finals! How fab is that? We've only been a team for nine months and here we are preparing a 'just in case' speech for, well, just in case we win! Yay! A great, and very justifiable excuse for a cheeky little night out. And to swap my daily uniform of jeans, a t-shirt and either pumps or Birkis depending on the weather, for something lovely, pretty and grown up! It turns out that our Boss Lady's on holiday and won't be able to make the event, so yours truly has been tasked with saying a few words if they're needed. And our local newspaper, the Wakefield Express, is organising the awards so you can be fairly sure there'll be some snaps in next week's paper. Dress pressure!

I have tried everywhere I can think of to find a dress. Actually, that's not strictly true, but I have tried absolutely everywhere that sells dresses a) in my size, b) suitable for an evening event, and c) in my budget, which in all honesty is not that much more than a fiver! I have ordered online but wasn't happy with the sizing, trawled every rail in the outlet village for a special dress at an extra special price, and today it was time for me to hit the high street.

In the past, I've had some unexpected and fantastic finds in the clothing department at the supermarket, so I dropped Beatrix and Jasper at school and started there. Asda was always a long shot, and turned out to be fruitless. Have you ever tried the Gok Wan range in Sainsbury's? I've seen some really nice pieces, particularly around Christmas, but I had no luck there either. So on to Next. Neither of the dresses I'd seen out of stock in their directory were in stock in store. And on and on and on and on I went, visiting every clothes shop in Trinity Walk that met my three criteria.   

At 10.15, I wandered into Debenhams, pushchair and all. (Did I forget to mention that I had Abel with me? And that he was a bit fussy, clearly having inherited the anti-shopping gene from both of his parents?) It was bonkers - there must have been close to 300 dresses to look at. How many dresses can you actually consider before you go dress blind, I wonder? Definitely not that many, so I took my chance and accosted a store assistant as she walked passed. Our little exchange went like this... 
Me: "Excuse me, do you work in ladies wear?" She did. "I could do with a bit of help; do you have five minutes?"
 Her: "Yes, of course! What are you looking for?"
Me: "Well, I'm going to an awards evening tomorrow (her eyes widened slightly, clearly recognising the panic of the last-minute dress purchase), the shop I'm part of has made it to the finals of the Wakefield Retail Awards, and I haven't anything to wear that fits and, and, and..."

That's when it happened: my eyes started leaking. Boiling hot blobs of salt water sploshed from my eyes and down my reddening cheeks. And they were the extra large tears that do indeed splosh, not the dainty type that well up in the corners of your eyes first, giving you chance to catch them with a well-timed Kleenex.

Me: "Oh, no! Now I'm crying! I don't know how this happened, I don't even cry when things die."
Her: "Stop, please don't make me laugh, because it will turn into tears and I'll be joining you! Right, don't panic. We will get you sorted. I'm going to get the keys for the Personal Shopper booth and take you in there. You can be calm, the little fella can run around and we'll get you a dress."
Me: "Thank you. I feel so stupid. It's just a dress. I don't know why I'm doing this..."
Her: "Listen, it's all going to be fine. The panic's setting in, but we're going to get you sorted. Go for a wander around and I'll come and find you when I've got the keys."
And off she went, all sympathetic eyes and really calm demeanour.

I trotted around with the pushchair for a couple of minutes and picked up two dresses from the teary blur around me before the calm, kind lady returned to collect me and whisked me off to a room about the size of my bedroom, complete with a sofa, scatter cushions and plush velvet curtains. We talked a little about what I like - I explained that I feel good about my small waist but everything else needs hiding or disguising - and I accidentally gave her a potted life history. Whoops! Have you ever done that? Found yourself inexplicably pouring your heart out to a stranger? It's not something I make a habit of, to be honest, but the calm, kind lady just let it happen, as if it's par for the course during her Friday morning at work!

I gave her a bit (okay, a lot!) of background to me coming out of teaching and how I ended up sewing and running a little business and then becoming part of Created In Yorkshire, and she explained that she'd also made some big changes to stay home to raise her son when she became a mum, and it helped that she knew where I was coming from. Then she told me her name was Sue and she left the room to collect a few dresses as a baseline and I felt like I'd been touched by the hand of serenity, seriously! You know that scene in Grease when Frenchie's guardian angel is singing 'Beauty School Drop Out' and everything looks all dreamy and soft-focus and she forgets her crazy pink hair mistake and the horrors of being a drop out? That private changing room was like that! Abel and I had a snack, played a few game of hide-and-seek behind the curtains and I was calm again, the tears of minutes earlier forgotten.

Sue's first run returned a bounty of four dresses to get an idea of shape, length and neckline and I tried them while she popped off to round up some more. It was fun! I don't remember the last time I had fun shopping for clothes, but it was definitely before I had three babies in four years, and probably when I wore matching underwear every day!

As Sue popped in and out with more dresses, some shoes to help with the overall look, and some jackets and cardigans for cover-up options, we had a few more little chats and I learned that she's already a big fan of Created In Yorkshire. She reminded me that if we win tomorrow, the people I will have to stand in front of are no different to the thousands of children and parents I stood before in my time as a teacher, and that all of the people there - even the big wigs from the more established finalists - were once children themselves. I just need to harness my inner speaker and bring her out again.

Without boring you with any more of the little details, something special happened today. Sue The Dress Lady really moved me, she gave me a different take on things and I came away with a bit of an identity, something which has been lost for a long time. She made me realise that I'm not my twenty-something, carefree self, that I'm not the suited teacher, nor am I the old island girl on the beach. But that's okay. It's okay to be a mum and businesswoman and a maker. It's okay to wear practical jeans and t-shirts every day. And it's definitely okay to wear something a bit more classy and grown up to an occasion, something that won't blow the budget like it would have eight or ten years ago, because there are other priorites now and my riches are somewhere else.

I did buy a dress in the end. It's a grown up number that I hope I'll get lots of wear out of. I wasn't swayed by the price, or the brand, or my own idea of what suits me, and I feel quite nice in it! There was a massive bonus of a 50% discount today, too, which I didn't know until I got to the till. Huzzah!

Today I cried in Debenhams. Today I was removed from the shop floor to a semi-padded room by Sue the retail angel and I almost enjoyed clothes shopping. Today Sue gave me back a piece of myself and I became a bit more comfortable with who I am now instead of missing the someone I used to be. Today I took a great step in accepting myself, and I liked it.

I suggested to Sue, in all seriousness, that she considers a career change to some kind of life coach, but in between time, I'll be sure to commend her customer service to the store manager and be ever glad of the help she gave me today.

(All the dresses pictured are from a selection available online and in store at Debenhams. I tried all of these and more on!)

And now I'd like to know. Did you ever get big help from somewhere or someone unexpected?

Songs of Praise at Wakefield Cathedral

 

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Hymn booklet

The Songs Of Praise experience

I'm home, safe, sound and all sung out! I spent the morning at Wakefield Cathedral with some lovely colleagues from Created In Yorkshire, Lynne, Dela and Sandy, and my friend Gemma.

I loved the Songs Of Praise experience today. I mean, I really loved it! 

Today was my first visit to Wakefield Cathedral, which means I can't compare the newly refurbished interior with how it was before, but I can tell you it's a truly magnificent building. Inside, it's as beautiful as you might expect, but it doesn't feel at all imposing our daunting. The main body of the  cathedral was packed to capacity, and I'd guess there were around 500 people, many of whom had chosen to wear red and white in keeping with the St. George's Day theme of the episode of Songs Of Praise, which will air on Sunday 28th April. A number of choirs from around the Wakefield area formed the largest part of the congregation, and bizarrely our allocated seats were among the bassists!

Me and Lynne Thompson of Created In Yorkshire

The warm-up hymn was 'Jerusalem' and true to form, my eyes leaked at the end of the first run through. I've always been the same; anything that saturates all my senses has me in tears! I cry at the theatre, watching fireworks, at the school Nativity, pretty much at any kind of show or performance!

Cathedral Interior

We sang, sang and sang some more, sometimes the same hymn seven or eight times on the trot. The title of the episode is 'Enterprising Wakefield' and among the song list for the day was a new hymn called 'In Our City', which talks of what it feels like to be part of a community that's on an active road to regeneration. It's also the point that you'll get to see a little close-up of Lynne and me!

I can't begin to tell you how amazing the cathedral sounded. I had no idea that three hours of hymn practice would leave me feeling so uplifted. The surroundings were so beautiful, the Musical Director was so very enthusiastic and the choirs were nothing short of brilliant. The last point is very important - our voices were thankfully carried along by our entourage of big bass men!

I won't talk any more about this now; I'll let you fill in any missing pieces when the show airs in two weeks! BUT, I have one very important piece of advice for those of you who fancy taking to the action side of the camera: if you're trying to keep your 'focused' face on, don't remind yourself about the emergency Creme Egg in your handbag! ;-)

Catherine x

Wakefield Cathedral

The confessions of a cobbler

 

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My name is Catherine and I'm a cobbler...

The mojo went. I don't know where to, but it definitely left the building. My best bet is that the baby stole it. Wherever it went, I can see it on the horizon and I'm trying to persuade to come back and stay a while. 

I thought that a special project for my own children might entice it back, so I'm experimenting; I've ordered the materials, and I almost have a pattern I can use. It's an idea I've been contemplating for a while and one I know that Beatrix and Jasper will love if I can get it all to come together, so why didn't I make it sooner? The truth is, makes for my poor babies have been repeatedly put on the back burner since I started Hop Stitch Jump, and even more so since I've been juggling the baby in the equation. I rarely seem to be able to coincide the time and the inclination to make for pleasure.

The irony is that I started making children's gifts as thrift measure, but now I spend my time at the sewing machine making for paying customers because they put food on my table, and I end up buying presents for my own little guys!

A beautiful castle on a sunny day - not embroidered by Mummy.

It seems I'm not on my own. I'm part of a couple of small business networks, one of which is Yorkshire-based and bursting at the seems with crafters of all disciplines, from metal workers to ceramicists, and fine artists to cake decorators. The members all say the same thing: once your hobby becomes your work, it's no longer your hobby! There's a wonderful landscaper and garden designer in the group who's embarrassed by the state of her own lawn and flower beds. There's a lady who makes the most beautiful cushions for children and who, thanks to an order book that's full until next summer, hasn't had time to make one for her own son. How about the fashion designer who spent the day before her holiday frantically sewing to make clothes for her own suitcase? And here I am, with a boy without a superhero cape, a girl who needs a new hairclip holder and a giant pile of their drawings that I keep putting to one side ready to create my own gallery of Doodlebroidery.

Little notes everywhere!

It really is true: the cobbler's children go barefoot!

So here I declare, publicly, that I will make my children a mail centre in time for Christmas. I will, honest! It will have a beautiful post bag, a plethora of letters and more than one place to deliver to. I will do it because they adore playing postie and I adore them. I'll do it because they love writing notes and drawing pictures for us and finding places to leave them. I will do it because it's the game that they play most nicely together and it will make them so happy. I'll make it because I owe it to my children. You know why I'll really be making the cobbler's children some shoes though, don't you? Yup, because I've told you I will, and I know you'll crack the whip!

If Daddy were a dinosaur. Again, not transformed
into Doodlebroidery by the cobbler!

Lovilee Jubilee!

 

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Lovilee Jubilee!

Small people rocking their Jubitees!
See what I did there? I crack myself up!

I tried and failed to avoid being part of the mass hysteria that is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations!  The world's gone crazy. I said I wouldn't. I did.

A couple of weeks ago I saw this gorgeous collection of London fabrics by Makower and my Jubilee juices started flowing. I had been toying with the idea of customising some t-shirts for the children - something that they'd get plenty of wear out of - but wanted to avoid the obvious Union Flag theme. (Note the more traditional use of "flag" rather than "Jack" here - I am clinging on to this amid all the craziness and Jacking around!) The London Icons print was my ultimate favourite and I restricted myself to a measly peasly half metre.

 

When Jubilee fever hit me, it me hard, and I decided we'd all have team t-shirts.  One whole day (give or take a couple of hours for feeding the new arrival!), a few sketches of crowns and some clipart stars and hearts later and...KERCHOW! I was back in the stitchy seat for the first time since my maternity leave began and I had made my first batch of funky family t-shirts! The Biggie Smalls have two each, and The Husband, Tiny Small and I have one apiece too.  I must confess to being really pleased with the end result!  Roll on the parties for Team Knowles to don our fancy pants tees all together - maybe we'll get our first family-of-five photo at last?

On Sunday we're having family over for afternoon tea on the lawn (more likely to be renamed the swamp if the rain doesn't let up) and we're heading to friends for a garden party on Monday afternoon. Let's hope for a return of the lovely weather we had recently.

If unusual tees like these are your thaaang, head over to Magpie Clothing for a look at Verity's tees - she loves to hand stitch and has a unique range of birthday/age t-shirts with not a number in sight!

How DO you DO that?

 

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It's all in the making!

Last week, I was approached by a fellow fabric crafter who was keen to know more about how Doodlebroidery is created. Here's how it unfolded!

Doodlebroidery Cards

I received an email early last week from a lady who had seen some of my Doodlebroidery that was given as a Christmas gift to her friend and wanted more information about its creation. I explained to her, as I do to everyone who asks, that customers send me their child's drawing either by email or in the post, and I embroider an interpretation of the drawing onto fabric. Sometimes the fabric is for framing, sometimes it's an apron or a shopper, and more recently I've been preparing some small pieces to be mounted in cards. Then it's all gift wrapped and sent out.

PING PONG! No sooner had I sent my reply email than another popped into my inbox from the same lady. "Thank you very much for your reply," it read. "I don't think I was clear enough in my question, sorry. What I meant was which embroidery machine and software do you use?" Erm, software? Embroidery machine? Are these trick questions?

Framed Doodlebroidery

I was really, really flattered that she thought my work wasn't actually all mine, but that it was created by an automated machine; it felt good that she has such faith my translation of drawings. The thing is, it's not automated, not one stitch! Every part of every piece of Doodlebroidery is created using a simple domestic sewing machine. There's nothing complex or sophisticated about my machine - a bog-standard Brother JS-23 costing less than £70. In fact, although it was brand new when I got it, it was actually a gift from my sister to our Mum (who is an avid knitter) to get her started with machine sewing.  It certainly isn't a fancy, computerised embroidery machine! 

Stitching by numbers

All of my embroidery is done using a free motion embroidery foot, my two beady eyes and my two steady hands. A free foot works in much the same way as a standard presser foot, but instead of having the feed dogs move the fabric along in a straight line, it allows you to move your fabric around between stitches so that you can determine the direction and length of the stitch. Free motion machine embroidery has traditionally been used in quilting to create nice squiggly patterns rather than a traditional diamond shape, but it seems to have had an explosion in popularity in the last couple of years with many stitchy people using it as a way to "draw with thread". I begin by creating the outline of the image or drawing it with thread.  Then I do any "colouring in" and I usually finish by adding any necessary text. The last step is to frame if necessary then do a bit of labelling and gift wrapping before sending off the parcel. And ta-daaah! A unique piece of fabric art, done!

Thank you very much Friend Of Customer! You gave me a great chance to reflect on my work and a boost in confidence that was much needed in the post-Christmas lull!

Wrapped and ready

Tip
Fancy giving free motion embroidery a go? You might find it useful to have an embroidery hoop to hand to keep your fabric taut and either lower your feed dogs or cover them with a darning plate.  :o)

Out with the old and in with the new - the one with loads of bits and bobs to talk about!

 

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Out with the old and in with the new - the one with loads of bits and bobs to talk about!

Well, it came and went - I trust you all had a peaceful Christmas and have had a happy start to the new year! 

Ours was lovely. We started on Christmas Eve with our (now traditional) trip to the panto with friends and a yummy lunch that I didn't cook; it was fabulous! The pantomime was a brilliantly entertaining version of Cinderella, performed by Far Out Theatre at Holmfirth Picturedrome. The stars of the show were without doubt Munter and Minger, Cinderella's ugly sisters, whose crazy flamboyance kept the kids giggling while their cheeky innuendo kept the adults entertained, too. There is something really special about a Christmas Eve performance that gets everyone ready for the festivities, and the offering from Far Out Theatre was so good that we will do our very best to get tickets for next year's show. Oh crikey, I mean this year's show don't I? Wowsers, 2012 already!  

An ugly sister, my best big girl, Prince Charming and Buttons.
Oh, yes they are!  :)

After the panto, we went next door to The Old Bridge for lunch. The party atmosphere in the theatre made for an extended show and we arrived for lunch much later than our reservation. Thankfully, the dining room was almost empty so the children were able to play and burn off some of the energy they'd be storing during Cinderella!  The last time we ate at The Old Bridge was the day after our wedding party and it was hard not to reflect on the differences between the two days: I seem to remember there being a great deal of sunshine, alcohol and grown-up conversations that moved smoothly and completely in the Summer of 2006, whereas the Winter of 2011 found me as sober as a judge, heavily pregnant with Number Three and scrabbling around on my hands and knees to play cars with kids while snatching snippets of conversation wherever I could!

My rascals with the bounty from their stockings <3

Christmas Day itself was the usual whirl of visitors and excited children, followed by dinner on our own for the first time since 2006. It was very strange to only be feeding four, but it was surprisingly peaceful and really lovely to have time to enjoy the day with our small people and the explosion of plastic that happened when we weren't looking! I didn't work at all in the week between Christmas and New Year, and so I brought in 2012 feeling quite refreshed and rejuvenated.We had a Noon Year's Eve party for the Small People and some close friends, followed by a lazy evening with a little sofa snooze while I waited for Jools Holland to do his stuff!

And here it is - 2012 in full throttle. Trimmings down, done! Back to school, done! Tying up the odds and ends for work, nearly done! Which just leaves the baby to get ready for. In four weeks, or thereabouts, we should be meeting Baby Number Three. It's so exciting for us all and although we have loads of stuff to get ready physically, we're definitely all looking forward to welcoming a new member of the family and ready to meet him/her.   I just have one little niggle...work.

Dinosaur hoody for a little man
who'sdelighted with it!

2011 was a great one for Hop Stitch Jump and Sock Monsters, and I even managed to do a little better than stay afloat. I learned some really cool stuff, launched some (I think) ace products, worked some ridiculous hours, and still got to spend loads of time with my Small People. I made at least 220 Sock Monsters (with some emergency last-minute help from some amazing people!), 40 superhero capes, about 80 pairs of hair clips, 21 hairclip holders, 15 dinosaur hoodies, 6 name plaques and 12 pieces of Doodlebroidery. Or close to that, anyway! All-in-all, it was harder than I expected but also more successful, so the balance was in my favour. Now my maternity leave is just around the corner though, I'm finding it tricky to stop all together.

An apron made for a Grandma
affectionately known as "Poppet!"

It's not that I've changed completely and want to work more than I want to be home with our new family, it's just that taking maternity leave from my own business feels really different from taking leave from another job. I've never lost track of the reason that I work nights or of the benefits of juggling fledgling humans and a fledgling business. When you are "employed," you know that your job will be held open while you're on maternity leave and that you are entitled to a proper break from work, but when you're "self-employed," and especially when you're a sole trader who has no employees to keep things ticking over in your absence, it's frightening to let go for a few months for fear of there being nothing to return to! Is it feasible that a business can be put on hold after a successful first year without there being serious detriment? For my tiny business that relies on social networking to communicate with customers and potential customers, how hard will it be to rebuild relationships with my followers and fans?

The Doodlebroidery created for the winner of my
December competition. Please see my FB page
for the original drawing and more examples.

The feedback I've received since Christmas from my customers and the people they gave gifts to has been phenomenal. It's so lovely to know that people like and enjoy my work.  Like most people I find it hard to sing my own praises and I pick over the tiniest imperfections in my work - the influx of positivity has come at a great time for me and Hop Stitch Jump. It's also given me a real boost and the confidence to think that maybe, just maybe, there might be a "proper" long-term future in this or something that evolves from this. I guess for that I'll have to wait and see! What I do know is that I'll be making the most of the days that I can work while on maternity leave (10 "Keeping In Touch" days as allowed by Government regulations) and hoping that when I return in the late Summer/Autumn I won't have to pick up from the very beginning all over again. Fingers crossed!

I've also had to do some serious rationalising and soul searching, and I know I'm going to have to consider the future of Sock Monsters.  It seems that since I first started making my favourite inanimate critters, their popularity has exploded exponentially.  Without eating too much into a topic broad enough for a blog entry of its own, there are so many "hobbyists" now who can make and sell sock creatures for prices much lower than I can charge. I am 100% confident that I source and use the very best materials. I am meticulous in my development and making and I pay for quality, from the socks to the super-safe stuffing, from the time I take to double-stitch by hand to colour-coordinated gift wrapping for every order. I run a legitimate business through proper channels and I incur expenses in line with that. Unfortunately, potential customers don't always see that and with times being as they are right now, price is often the only comparison that's made. Hmmm...food for thought for sure.

And there we have it - the end of one year and the start of a new one! Thanks to the great reception I've had so far, there is much promise for Hop Stitch Jump, but this year will bring its own, new challenges. Ooh-er missus, how will it all pan out? xx

It's Competition Time!

 

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It's here - your chance to win a unique piece of Doodlebroidery! 

Doodlebroidery is my name for the process of turning your child's amazing work of art into something you can keep forever. Essentially, I use free motion embroidery to apply the drawing to pretty much any textile item you want; onto canvas to frame, onto an apron, shopping bag or even a hoodie, and they make the perfect keepsake gift.  Stuck for a special present to give your husband or wife this year? I can even embroider drawings that have been sat in the loft for twenty five years!  If you want to read a little more about Doodlebroidery, read the last edition of the Hop Stitch Jump blog here.

Right, on to the fun bit!  The idea of the competition is that you submit a child's drawing that you would like to have embroidered and sent to you ready for framing in time for Christmas. Seemples!  (Guidelines for the drawing are below.) Once all of the entries are collated, they will be posted to a new entry on this blog and my very own little doodler will choose the drawing that she likes best. Then I'll embroider the winning entry onto cotton ready for you to frame, and it will be sent out in the post! Your very own, one-of-a-kind, entirely original piece of fabric art - what a prize! :)


And there we have it - a competition, a prize and the chance to spend an afternoon with a quiet, crayon-wielding child!  Happy doodling, and please share with your friends

Guidelines for Entrants:

• All entries must be received by email to catherine@hopstitchjump.co.uk no later than 8pm on Friday 25th November 2011.
• Entries should be no bigger than A4 in their original format (210mm x 297mm).
• Please include the following with your email:
• your child's drawing as an attachment in .jpg format. Your image can be either scanned or photographed at high resolution and then attached to the email.
  
• a description of the image - sometimes a little bit of interpretation can go a long way!
• the first name and age of the child who drew the picture.
• your name and postal address.
• By submitting an entry, you give me permission to use your child's drawing, including the finished piece of Doodlebroidery, in my own promotional materials.
• The competition is open to entrants worldwide. However, by submitting an entry, entrants from outside the UK agree to pay a small charge towards international postage.
• Winners will be notified by email by Monday 28th November 2011.
• The winner's prize will be dispatched using the Royal Mail Recorded service no later than their published last date (the Royal Mail website has been down for a few days, so I'll update this bit when it's live again!).