Addicted to fabric

Even before I began the Trizanh brand of purses, I have always been obsessed with fabric. I would find myself walking through the fabric section looking at all the different types of fabric bolts and imagine what amazing crafts and creations could be created. I usually found myself in the quilting fabric section because I think I was a quilter in my former life.

The array of color pallets from the bolts and how they are display in a rainbow of fabric is fun to look at. Since I don't quilt, I have always found a reason to buy quilting fabric to make random things. Now that I use quilting fabric/cotton prints to line the Checker collection with, I have a good reason to always look at the current inventory and the sales table.

When I opened the business account for Trizanh, I went on a shopping spree to buy all types of prints and colors but I had to stop because I needed to use up my current stock of fabric before buying more. I recently went over my stock of fabric and now it's time to go shopping again. I'm so excited to visit the local quilting/fabric stores to see what they have in stock for this crazy fabric hoarder.

Holiday season is upon us

Yet another year is coming to an end as the holiday season is now upon us. Shopping for the perfect gifts, parties at work or with family and friends, and plenty of eggnog to go around. Christmas is one of my favorite holidays because I love the festive decorations and music but most of all I enjoy the gathering of friends and family.

May it be Christmas or Kwanzaa or Hanukkah... or whatever wonderful celebration it is that you celebrate, happy holidays to all. Don't let the pressure of finding the most expensive or perfect gift get in the way of having fun with the ones you love.

Shopping local versus made in China

When I first saw this at the store, I thought it was a new trend of selling locally made goods. Upon further inspection, I thought maybe it was handmade in the USA, which would have been sad because there are so many talented artists that make these items locally. When I saw that it was hand made in CHINA, I was speechless.

I went home to see how many I could find on Etsy that were in the local area. A search for "knitted headbands" in Seattle, WA came up with 7,114 results. The prices ranged higher and lower than the $16 price tag listed in the photo but I estimated that an average locally made headband costs around $20. For about $4 more, a purchase of a locally made one supports a Seattle artist and it was made with care. Paying for the $16 handmade headband from China just fuels the market of outsourced goods and all the politics and issues surrounded that.

There are some headbands on the Etsy listing that I saw that were double the price of the one pictured above and for some, it might not be worth spending that much. However, consider what the materials were used for the item and the work. Maybe the yarn used is higher quality wool or an even softer fiber. Maybe the design of the headband is eccentric and time consuming or an original or unique design. Maybe the headband is adorned with beautiful embellishments.

With that said, don't be so quick to assume that anything handmaid is going to be expensive. One might find a beautiful locally made headband for $16 instead of a handmade one from China.

New adVentures in Pike Place Market!

A store that I currently sell at, Ventures, which is location in Pioneer Square is relocating into Pike Place Market! Pioneer Square is already a huge tourist attraction but the store operators felt that they were located if a slighly off the radar for more foot traffic.

With this new move, the wonderful staff at Ventures advised me to make more inventory and be ready to produce purses since I've been doing steadily well at the current location. New and exciting sewing adventures await as the summer continues.

See you all at the Market this fall!

New adventures with Ventures!

Trizanh is now sold at Ventures, located in Pioneer Square on First between Jackson and Main. I'm working on getting more shops to take my stuff so check back for updates. Thanks again to all the fans and customers of Trizanh!

Coupon Commotion week at JoAnn!

I'm gearing up to go on a shopping spree at JoAnn next week. With TWO, count 'em t-w-o, books of coupons, I'm stocking up on supplies and materials to make my new collections. Included on the list will be materials to continue the Sudoku path and stuff to experiment on making other styles of unique handbags. Spring in just around the corner and Trizanh will be in full bloom!