Kunsthalle Flea Market Adventure

Yesterday was the big day that I've been looking forward to for a month now - our first flea market attempt. I must say, I'm over the moon at how well it turned out! For those of you joining me from my other blog, I won't rehash the general aspects again, and for those of you joining me from the flea market, Welcome!, and I won't tell you all about the flea market either because, well, you were there! Instead, I'll just make some observations.

Going into the flea market, I had some pre-conceived ideas about what would be the popular items based on feedback from my Korean friends (since most of the patrons of the market are, of course, Korean.) I thought we'd sell one or two of the aprons & the handbags, and I thought I'd certainly sell the pair of girl's shorts and the "Be the Reds" top (ok...that idea didn't come from feedback but rather because that is my favorite!) In reality? None of those items sold. Not one. Some people looked at the handbags but even after I discounted them, they just moved on. The aprons got a few glances but that's about it. I don't even know if I saw anyone looking at the shorts or the top.
So what were people interested in? Probably the most-looked at item were the baby booties and the bibs. Though they didn't all sell, they sure got a lot of ooohs and awwwws. And then there were the pillow case tops. I had two, and my partner also had made two similar tops similar in style - all sold. The shirred dress - gone. The skirts were quite popular as well. One thing that I found really interesting (and exciting from our future business standpoint!) was that many of the people gravitated towards the western-style items. Naturally mine were all western-style but my partner's were also more western than Korean. But she had added a few items from a friend of hers- some very Korean items- and they remained on the rack. I guess different is good!
So my partner and I are already planning our collection for the August flea market. You can be sure that there will be more pillow case tops in a bigger range of sizes, more skirts in new, fabulous fabrics, and more bibs and booties in various prints....and we may even pull out some new tricks! ;) So if you're in the area, I hope you'll come on down to the Kunsthalle flea market next month. We'll see you there!

Almost Time!

As the day of the big flea market draws near, I thought I'd post a few photos of some of the items I'll be selling. In my last post I showed some of the small, "filler" items like booties & bibs, but what I'm really looking to sell are the bigger items like clothes. In addition to the aprons above that my partner recommended we focus on, I've worked hard to expand my range of skills.

From fancy pants to simple skirts, I've managed to make a fairly comprehensive collection of clothing for kids. Above are some shorts for boys and a some for girls. I'm particularly proud of the girl's shorts because I got a chance to use my new pleating skills (this style of pleated pant leg is really popular here in Korea at the moment...not sure if it's "in" elsewhere in the world.) as well as expand my pocket repertoire from plain ol' square patch pocket to pleated pocket, and I got so excited by that, that I had to add pockets to my simple skirts below. I give you the deep pocket (right) and the shirred pouch. I love them both all the more when I think of all the rocks and little nicknacks that can be tucked away in there!
And of course I had to add some tops and dresses since that's where I began my clothes-sewing journey. Below are a few.
And my absolute favorite item at the flea market? The "Be The Reds" scarf top! "Be The Reds" is Korea's battle cry at international sporting events such as the World Cup. I had picked up a couple of scarves at a flea market a few months ago for $1 knowing that I'd eventually find a use for them. I'm so happy with this little top that I wish it could fit Irene, but alas, two scarves supply just enough material for size 18 months so, sadly, she'll have to find some other way to show her patriotism. I particularly love the fact that it says "we are twelfth" - you don't often see team shirts/paraphernalia boasting that!

The Little Things

As I'm winding down my sewing preparation for the Flea Market next Saturday, I have started to focus on the little things. I wanted to do some simple projects to fill up my space and for people who are looking to buy something small - because that's what I do when I go to flea markets or craft fairs...rarely do I buy something big, but I really hate to go away empty handed! So I decided to make a few baby booties from a tutorial at Home Spun Threads. I know, mine don't look anywhere near as cute as hers but, like I said, it's more of a filler item and I don't have any bows or buttons on hand with which to embellish.
These booties are great because, not only are they cute, but they are also super-easy and I was able to use up some scraps of my favorite materials that I couldn't bare to throw away ( I have a drawer in my little plastic cabinet full off tiny scraps because you just never know...) I don't know if anyone will actually buy them but it's no big loss if they don't. I've also decided to throw together some bibs for the same reason - super easy and, in my opinion, super cute. I had some toweling left from when I made Johan's so I figured I'd use it up.
I especially like the middle one with the animals. In addition to being adorable, it's made with waterproof nylon that I bought in Japan to make cloth diaper covers for Johan. I've since given up on diaper covers since a) I've tried and failed to make them numerous times since Irene & Oscar were newborns, and b) if he's anything like Irene and Oscar, he's only got about 6 more months left of real diaper use before we move to wearing undies around the house. I digress... I think I'm ready for the show! Now I just have to work on price tags and presentation.

Do-do-do-DO!!!

A few months ago I was trying to think of something to make for my 4-year-old nephew, Toby. At that time I still hadn't been successful at many boy clothes and since I haven't actually seen him in person since just after his 2nd birthday, I decided to go with something fun instead. I figured he'd appreciate anything more than a boring ol' pair of pants anyways. I settled on a super-hero cape because what little boy doesn't want to be a superhero?! With some input from Toby's mom, I created this awesome purple & orange (his favorite colors) Captain T-Man cape. It's reversible, and I gave him a lightning bolt as a symbol because I hear that he's got a fair bit of energy.

I'm actually looking forward to Oscar (or Irene!) getting into the superhero phase so I can make another one!

My New Obsession

Pants!

I am currently obsessed with making pants. This is exciting because just a few years ago I was terrified of making pants. For some reason I had it in my head that pants were a "high level" sewing project. How wrong I was! My first few pairs were recycled projects - I used my old clothes to make the pants. By using a pair of the kids' current pants, I managed to make a pattern and make a couple of wearable pants for them. Nothing to brag about but they served the purpose. Above you can see Irene in her (toilet and in her) new sweats made from...my old sweats. I didn't add the stripe, in case you were impressed.

And here's Johan in a pair of T-shirt recycled sweats that I had made for Oscar when he was a baby. These were some of my proudest pants until now. So comfy and not too ugly!
Above is a pair of shorts that I made for 2-year-old Oscar from a pair of my old pants. Ugly. Uncomfortable. He never wore them. And of course there have been a number of pants involved with my pajama experimentation, but not until last week had I made a pair of pants I could be proud of. I present, the flat-front train engineer pant:

Ok, you're probably not impressed. I know. But I think it's a combination of the fact that I managed to make a pair of pants that aren't totally elastic-waisted (the front of the pants are flat, like big-people pants!), but I've also made them adjustable (the elastic in the back has button holes to adjust the size) and, most importantly, I love, Love, LOVE the seersucker stripes! This may be one of my favorite projects to date!

The Goods

So much has happened for me on the sewing front in the past week! As I've mentioned before, I have a dream of opening my own small sewing business. Nothing fancy but I think we can all agree that it would be awesome to be able to create and get paid for it! But due to my own insecurities, I put that idea on the back burner...sort of. For the past few weeks I've been steadily making a collection of items to sell at the monthly flea market here in Gwangju. While a week ago my main goal at the flea market was to have someone buy something. Really - I'd have been thrilled. But now it's suddenly become so much more important.
It turns out that there is a program in Korea where the government will give a $4000 grant to individuals who they think have a good business plan/idea. So my husband has come up with a plan and I am now business partners with a Korean friend here who also sews! Should our proposal be accepted, we will receive the money to spend as we like (on business-related goods only of course...but seriously...$4000 to spend on fabrics and notions and even a better sewing machine!!! Heaven!) And we will also be eligible for an even bigger grant next year. As of now, I think we do have a good idea. The things I make are more western style which can be hard to find here for a decent price (a flimsy pillow case top at Baby Gap here would run you $60) Not to mention the fact that I'm willing to custom make an item (you choose the fabric, style & size!). My partner's style is naturally a little more Korean but she has a lot of the technique that I'm lacking as well as the insight into a Korean mother's point of view. One of the things that she suggested we focus on is the aprons, selling them to day cares and even expanding into adult-sized ones. We'll see what happens, but for now I really hope we sell more than one item at the market!

Halter Happiness

Last summer I got fancy and decided to make some halter tops for Irene. If I remember correctly, it was my first time making something involving an actual pattern (found here under "Beach Party Top"). They came out surprisingly well if I do say so myself! The one pictured above was a real doozy to make - not because of the pattern itself but because I got over-ambitious. Each of the different colors/prints in the top are a different piece of material which I pieced together. It came out alright but trying to get them together without looking too sloppy was a nightmare! In the end, it came out a little too snug and a little too stiff-feeling so she never got much wear out of it after all that work!
My second attempt was much more enjoyable to make and definitely more comfortable for Irene. I found a really pretty, gauzy scarf at the store for about $1 and knew it would be perfect for a summer outfit. With a loose, lined bodice and a breezy, light-weight skirt, this top was made for Korea's sweltering-hot summers!