WIP – Handmade by Buffy

These are my current projects I’m working on.

WORKS IN PROGRESS

Pattern Designs

I opened a Spoonflower shop 8/25/24 to sell my repeat pattern designs. Customers can select a design and then choose which fabric or wallpaper they would like it printed on. It’s printed on demand and I receive a royalty on purchases. I’ve been adding new patterns almost daily so it’s been a great motivator to be productive. I’ve already made a few sales & have a growing following (design competitions help).

I had a test swatch made and I was a bit shocked at how large the scale of the prints are. If they are being used for sheets or curtains the size is great but for smaller items I’m wondering how they will translate? Perhaps I should offer multiple sizes for the patterns -as well as colorways? I think I am also used to designing for accessories so I’ve gotten used to smaller scale but I do love oversized for tapestry sized fabrics.

Enamel Pins

A project I started with my mother a few years ago, we came up with the concept of using 3 Sisters Gardening as a theme for soft enamel pins. My mother was a master gardener and seed swapper so she felt she had a great customer base to market my pin designs to. I think she gifted more than sold pins (ahem). I lost my business partner in October 2022 but our project continues. My goal was to always have a set of three as the series & I finally have the finished third pin in hand. The now completed set is now available in my Etsy shop.

I was going back & forth on the plating because pin 1 is in black nickel (& gold) but pin 2 is black coated nickel. Both look nice but for different reasons. So split the difference, we are doing half with a blackish metal & half a matte black. I have been so pleased with this pin company every time I’ve used them. The customer service is amazing & the quality is always consistent.

Embroidered Puzzles

I am testing some of my embroidery pieces as puzzles. Puzzles keep the embroidered stitch detail which helps with finding the right pieces. Tested in two sizes, 1000pc & 500pc. I like both quanities though I do have to say the 500 pc was much quicker to assemble!

Embroidered Puzzles

Really want to make these embroidered puzzles happen. Been talking to a vendor in China about doing puzzles wholesale & I have been working on files for three designs: 1000pc puzzle, poster and box for each. I had wanted to do a small run of three designs & test which art sells best before ordering more but of course it’s not that simple. I need to do some more circling around on this as I can’t have a basement full of 600 puzzles now can I? It’s the product development I love over the marketing & sales, so I’m not sure strategically I’m ready to jump in yet. It’s definitely a good learning experience.