Something that you do when you don’t have to answer to anyone else, something that you don’t have to do as someone else has asked you to do it, something you can do when you want – not when someone tells you that you have to.

‘Hobby’ is such a terrible word, when one thinks of a hobby it congers up all these terrible images that we won’t go into here, but let’s put it this way – images that do not refer to you.

I prefer to use the word ‘Passion’ instead of ‘Hobby’. ‘Do you have a hobby?’ someone might ask, that question makes hairs stand on end for me. Do I/don’t I admit it?! How about this… ‘Do you have something you are passionate about?’ ‘Do you have a passion in your life?’. Then you might say…. ‘Yes I do’….

Baking

Cooking

Sewing

Knitting

Flying

Reading

Researching English History

Looking after animals

Design

Fashion

The list could go on forever huh.

‘SO…. WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT?’

Well done Lucy!! Please let me know your address.

Thank you to everyone for taking part, your comments were lovely.

Speak soon!

Lucy xx

Firstly ‘Thank you’. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your encouragement and support during my first year in business. Without you guys we wouldn’t be what we are today, so ‘Happy Birthday’!

I cannot believe I have been trading for a year. I cannot believe my dream came true.

I am so pleased and proud of the opportunities I have been given during this year and what Lucy Loves Fabric has achieved.

Would you like to know what we have achieved?

* We have been fortunate to be featured several times in Sew Magazine and have built up a wonderful relationship with the editorial department and long may this continue. We also won ‘Shop of the month’ within the magazine!

* I worked with Kate Baxter of www.fabricofmylife.com when she wanted to use my fabrics for her set at Grand Designs. A real honour and of which bought a lot of business my way. Kate is an amazing Interior Stylist and I feel very fortunate for Lucy Loves Fabric to have been a part of her work.

* We have had many successful days at fairs. I love working the Lucy Loves Fabric stall at a fair as I get to meet such wonderful, creative people and be a part of their creative world. To this day the most amusing thing to watch on these days is when a couple are choosing fabric for their home… I love the boys choice, versus the girls choice and the discussion that unfolds.

* Our commission service is popular, we offer shift dresses too!

*  And then there is the Women’s Institute of course. All I can say is – I love these ladies!!! I have learnt so much from them and at every talk I feel SO welcome. My talk to the WI is called ‘Love to be creative’. I chat about creative topics in the media, I take along projects for them to try at home and we discuss experience’s we have all had in the creative world – it’s an interactive talk and I love it.

* Something that has become ‘my baby’ other than the actual business is my knitting club. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful group of girls coming along to my club every week. Beginners have quickly turned into pro’s and the skill of some of the girls is off the hook. We are a range of ages and everyone gets on really really well and I am so proud of them individually and the group as a whole. I thank each of them.

* During my year I have been toying with the thought and dream of owning a high street shop. I have trolled the streets viewing premises, only to remember early advice of ‘don’t grow too soon’ and I faced the frightening reality of rent and rates being through the roof. I couldn’t see me making the money I make now, let alone more. The other sad thing you realise when viewing premises at different high streets is how many there are to see, how many businesses have closed – it’s a scary thought. So for the time being I’m staying online…

* We have as you know, just before our birthday expanded to own our own studio/workshop space. This is where I am writing to you now. It’s fantastic, and once it is fully equipped and decorated I shall be having an opening party. And I hope you will come. The studio will be able to enable me to have visitors to view my fabric, as I know so many people like to see and feel before buying. I will be offering knitting classes and sewing classes. Maybe a creative bookclub and film night too. Sound like fun?

I think it’s fair to say I’ve had a busy year, and that my dream has come true. I loved my ‘city career’ but there came a time when I craved to work creatively, to be my own boss and follow my own dream. The toughest battle has been gaining respect that you are working, and that you have ‘a job’ and getting it appreciated how difficult a task that is. I learnt it’s very easy for people to think anything out of the norm isn’t real or important. That’s rubbish.

All in all I thank people close to me for all of their support. Especially my unbelievable husband, how I found him I don’t know… what I do to deserve him I don’t know. But without him I couldn’t have got through this year.

Now to the exciting bit of my giveaway for you amazingly creative people out there. All you have to do to enter is to tell me what your dream job would be. You will be entered into a draw that will be drawn a week today at 12 midday to win a metre of Anna Maria Horner – Good Folks – Buttoned up in Pomegranate worth £9.50. A very stylish and popular design shown below.

Thank you everyone again, tonight I will be celebrating.

Have a creative weekend,

Lucy xx

Here we are..

In just under a year of Lucy Loves Fabric being in business, here I am, my first day working in my studio.

Today saw me getting up at 6am as usual, doing my morning jobs of a quick tidy round, breakfast, put some washing on, reading the newspaper and of course showering and dressing. Here is the difference to my usual morning, rather than setting up on the kitchen table I gathered a pile of ‘must haves’ and in two trips I left the house and locked up behind me.

I left my house to go to work in my new work place. A cheeky, newly built workroom/studio in my garden. What did I make sure I bought with me??

This year’s Vogue and Selvedge issues. – For instant inspiration.

My sketch book. – I’ve been working on some designs of my own, next (business) year will be full of design work for me.

My trusty notebook which includes my business LIFE. – For constant scribbling.

My Commissions file. – To work on my current commissions, accounts and quotes.

Green test swatches for a recent commission. – Must decide out of my four choices.

Book – Textile Designs, Susan Meller/Joost Elffers. – For a pattern fix.

A pretty vintage cup full of pens. – Full of my favourites.

My Roberts Radio. – Can’t wait for Fearne Cotton on Radio 1 at 10am!

Blackberry. – For my phonecalls. (Obviously)

Laptop. – For more than Twitter I promise!

Coffee. – 1^st cup of the day is tea, then coffee until lunchtime then tea and water.

‘Bob’ my sewing machine. – I LOVE Bob.

An extension lead. (We haven’t run electricity down here yet). – It won’t be forever.

Don’t be fooled…. My little workroom is by far finished, we are built and I have my lovely white flooring down and I have a two and a half metre long desk. But so far all of my fabric is safely in its usual home in my other temporary workroom in the house. Once I find the perfect storage shelves (I have narrowed it down to three choices) they will speedily be erected and I guess we will be ready for our workroom soiree. Who would like an invite??

I must say it’s lovely having my own creative space, I already feel inspired.

Watch this space… I feel there will be a lot more to come from Lucy Loves Fabric.

Love you guys.

I’m so happy and fulfilled in my not-so-new career.

Make sure you stop by again next week as I’ll be writing about everything we have achieved, everything that you guys have helped us achieve. All the fun we have had…

Also we will be doing a GIVEAWAY to celebrate.

Will you remember to stop back???

LUCY

X

Check out what we have on offer in the Paisley front. Find it in the sections… Liberty of London and ‘Fabric’.

Lucy Loves… Fabric £4.50

Lucy Loves… Fabric (It’s silk) £6.50 p/m

Lucy Loves… Fabric £5 p/m

Lucy Loves… Liberty of London (Rowan) £9.50 p/m

I love paisley, don’t you??

]]> http://www.lucylovesfabric.com/2010/06/22/attack-of-paisley/feed/ 0 http://www.lucylovesfabric.com/2010/06/22/french-window/ http://www.lucylovesfabric.com/2010/06/22/french-window/#comments Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:43:56 +0000 lucy@lucylovesfabric.com http://www.lucylovesfabric.com/?p=623

(Image: Lucy Loves Fabric)

I know all of you photographers out there will be cursing my poor photography skills… but I hope you can appreciate an image I took on my little Blackberry.

I hope it captures a little of what I felt when I gazed on up. It was a first floor window, with a view onto a side street that went right on down to a beach in France.

After my Café au Lait I was wandering down a little ’shabby chic’ street thinking about how bitterly cold my ears were and what local restaurant I should pop in to for my Mussels and French Fries when I looked right on up at this BEAUTIFUL window (I know you can see it through my pants photography). Windows as wide open as they could go, pretty bright potted flowers for the owner to enjoy, just tipping over their pots to boast to their onlookers of their prime position in this gorgeous little home.

I stood there, contemplating who lived there, how old they were, what they did for a living. Were they male or female? Did someone live on their own or was it an equally attractive couple that lived there – just oozing their easy laid back style into their window frames and curtains.

I don’t know. And I never will know, but since arriving back from my trip.. I still think about this window. And I still wonder…

In the mean time check out the one I had made with our Liberty of London Paisley fabric found here.

Nice huh? I love it!!

Why not choose a fabric for yours??

Here are a list of our services. If you are interested in any please contact me lucy@lucylovesfabric.com or 07739718672. xx

Introduce Fabric into your home consultations.

Lucy Loves Fabric Shift Dresses.

Lucy Loves Fabric Knitting Club.

Commission Service.

Talks to The Women’s Institute ‘Love to be Creative’.

Please see below for details on each service. : )

Introduce Fabric into your home consultations:

A consultation in your home lasting 1hr-1hr 1/2.

After a brief chat before me coming to your home I’ll ask you a little about your colour ideas (if you have any, if you don’t – don’t worry), I’ll bring along a few fabrics that I feel you may be interested in. I will view the room or space you are looking to improve by bringing in fabric, we’ll talk about ideas to bring it into the home and colours and design. I’ll bring along Interior ideas and a look book for you to browse and we can create a look for your home and discuss how to make it happen. After our consultation I will go home and produce a pack of ideas discussed, more info on shops and designers that I think you would be interested in and would house the products you are after and the expertise you require. I will also send samples of Lucy Loves Fabric material that you may be interested in. This will all come in folder form for you to keep.

Lucy Loves Fabric can be hired for sewing projects that we discuss, if a job is too big for us we can recommend a world of seamstresses.

After the consultation if the client orders material from Lucy Loves Fabric within a month of the consultation they will receive a 15% discount on all fabric.

The consultation costs £25 plus an expenses charge which will be 26pence per mile return journey.

Fabric is a fantastic way….

* To update your home affordably

* To bring in colour

* To tie a room in with another room in your home

* To complement more permanent features in your home and allow them to evolve with the fabrics used

* To create nostalgia if you would like to use some of our vintage fabrics

Lucy Loves Fabric Shift Dresses:

We work with a highly skilled, local dressmaker.

You can now have a beautiful Twiggy style Shift Dress made from any of the Lucy Loves Fabric Material. Shift dresses never go out of style so why not make it totally individual in choosing your own fabric from us?

The charge for this handmade wonder is only £60 which includes the 3metres of material needed for making the dress. Choose ANY fabric in our store and just order 3metres, then contact me with your size request.

Shift Dress Size Chart

Size                 Bust                Waist              Hips

8 31.5’’                24’’                   33.5’’

80cm               61cm               85cm

10 32.5’’                25’’                   34.5’’

82.5cm            63.5cm           86cm

12 34’’                   26.5’’                36’’

86.5cm           67cm               91.5cm

14 36’’                   28’’                   38’’

91.5cm            71cm               96.5cm

Lucy Loves Fabric Knitting Club:

Held in Brentwood every Monday evening except Bank Holidays. Come and see us at The Crown Street Cafe, Crown Street, Brentwood. 7.30pm – 9.30pm. £3 per person… great fun I promise you!!

Commission Service:

LLF has a commission service. If you like our fabric and would like it made into something please just let us know. Curtains, cushion covers, blinds etc etc… We charge £8 per hour making fee when our fabric is used. But you can also come to us with a different fabric you have already bought, we then charge £10 per hour making fee.

Talks to The Women’s Institute ‘Love to be Creative’.

We do talks to The Women’s Institute around the East London and Essex area. Our talk is called ‘Love to be Creative’ when I talk about some interesting creative projects, along with creative news in the media. How to make your life a creative one and an interactive chat with the audience.