Wink Designs

Butterfly Breeze Dress in "Little Folks" voile

Here are some more pictures of the Butterfly Breeze pattern in one of the larger sizes as the dress with ruffle option.

The dress pictured in this post had the body of the dress made in cotton and the sleeves/ruffle in voile - this time the entire garment is in voile, which gives the dress a lovely floaty effect.

The 25% discount offer to blog readers ends this Friday (and the shop will be closed for 10 days following as we're going away).  So grab a pattern this week and enter "Butterfly1" at checkout for the discount to apply.  In fact, I'm feeling generous this lovely Monday, so enter the code on any dress or skirt pattern(s) in the shop and the discount will apply! 

        

Happy sewing!

New "Butterfly Breeze" dress & top pattern

I haven't given up sewing and blogging although it might seem that way.  I've been hard at work churning out drafts and samples for this pattern and here we are at the finishing post.  Hooray!

This one I've called the "Butterfly Breeze" because it's a little bit fluttery and a breeze to make.  It's a classical peasant style pattern for girls which you can make either as a dress with a hemline ruffle, an all-in-one dress or a top.

           

I have lots of photos of the girls wearing their finished "Butterfly Breeze" dresses/tops and will post those soon but for the moment the pattern is here in the shop. (Enter code "Butterfly1" at checkout for a 25% discount until the end of March.)

This sample was made in Anna Maria Horner's "Loulouthi" butterfly print fabric.  The main body of the dress is quilting cotton and the sleeves and ruffle are in a coordinating solid voile (the colour is "Heather" from memory - looks pink but is a pinky-purple in real life).  Both from Pink Chalk Fabrics.

Thank you again to Dani for your editing and testing help which was excellent as always....

Merry Christmas

Signing out until the New Year.

Hope you and yours have a happy festive season.

See you soon.

Etsy shop stats

Image source: manvsgeorge "You Are Off The Charts - Line Graph Congratulations Card"

If you have an etsy shop and haven't yet clicked on the little "shop stats" link in your sidebar, I'd recommend you have a go.

Usually trying to understand blog and shop stats leaves me totally bamboozled but the format etsy provides seems much clearer.  Not only that, but the information on shop traffic sources gives you a direction to either build on what you've been doing or change it for the better.

For example, of the 1,600 plus views over July, I can see that Wink Designs top 5 traffic sources were etsy itself, the etsy "mini" in my blog sidebar, direct search entering my URL, Google search and Pinterest in that order.

Of the traffic on etsy itself, I can see that most is coming from direct searches in etsy's search engine, followed by specific searches for my listings, specific searches for my shop, category searches and traffic via customers who "favourited" my listings prior to purchasing.

The fact that etsy is my top traffic source means that I have to pay a lot of attention to the categories and keywords I enter for my listings.  And to help with this, etsy shop stats tell me what the top key words that people who viewed my shop are using for their searches.  "Girls dress pattern" is an obvious but "Wrap dress pattern" and "Reversible dress pattern" are also high up meaning that I have to make sure those keywords appear in every relevant listing.

The stats also give a breakdown of shop and listing favourites, orders and revenue by periods of a day, week, month, year and beyond.

There is an article on the etsy blog here that goes into more detail about shop stats and is a good read if you're planning to use it regularly.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Wordless Wednesdays.

Wink Designs at Pink Chalk Fabrics

I'm chuffed to report that Wink Designs patterns have been added to the gorgeous range at Pink Chalk Fabrics.  I was quick to jump on the opportunity as I've long been an admirer of Kathy's wonderful sense of style and her professional approach to her craft.

The Kaffe Fassett spring prints in this fat quarter selection have definitely caught my eye.  It may not be spring in these parts but, gee, who cares when it comes to fabric this pretty?!

Handmade help

Image: "Umbrella Quilt 2" by Syko.  Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sykossa/2241670538

The amazing list over at Make it Perfect is being updated daily with new handmade help details for the Flood Relief Appeal.  

You'll find a link to my madeit shop on Toni's master list because I've set up a special listing of my Wrap-Up Skirt for Girls PDF Pattern with the total proceeds of the sale of the pattern going towards the Premier's Fund.  I will re-list the pattern each time it is sold until the end of January and total accumulated proceeds will be donated to the fund.

Also, if you're finding it hard to spend time online during the school holidays to browse the fundraisers you can also make a cash donation whilst shopping at Woolworths.  They've pledged to match donations dollar for dollar if you donate before midnight on Thursday 20 January.  That makes it a great way to effectively double the amount you give....

Giveaway winner

Thanks for the comments on my "Always" giveaway post.  Many made me giggle and there were also some very wise sewing tips in amongst them!

So, the time has come to draw a winner and the random number generator says it is:

Commenter No. 9 - Eva - who said: "I always read your blog.  I like it alot".  Well, how can I argue with that?  Congratulations Eva, I'll be in touch to organise your prize.

I don't have a photo to post, so I thought I'd just show you my sweet desktop background.  It's a custom background made especially for me by Julie of On the Dot Creations (who has a great blog of etsy finds and sellers tips).  You can see how her love of polka dots comes into the design!  I've had it for ages but it still makes me happy every time I log in....

 

Hope you all have a happy week!

Criss-Cross Dress PDF Pattern

I'm excited to report that the Criss-Cross Dress PDF Pattern in Sizes 1 to 6 is now available in my etsy, madeit and craftumi shops.

 
This one is very special to me because my favourite of Cee Cee's baby dresses was made in a similar style and inspired me to start fiddling around with pattern making in the first place.

 
After lots of experimentation I decided to design the pattern as a reversible dress.  The obvious reason is that you get two looks from the one dress.  Also, the number of pattern pieces is reduced as there are no facings to deal with - just the same pieces for the outer dress and lining.

 
I also experimented with different methods of securing the dress and, as it turned out, the simplest one was without doubt the best.  Two sets of ties sewn into the side seams hold the dress in place, making it a breeze to sew.  No buttons, hooks and eyes or velcro are necessary.  Or you could also use ribbons in the place of ties for an even easier option.

 
The pattern comes with full pattern pieces for the dress, neckline bands and flower appliques.  Again, an easier option is to go without these features and use with one print for the outer dress and another for the lining.  In fact, I'd recommend you have a go at making a simple version of the dress first, just to get the hang of it.  You'll definitely want to make more later.

 
As with other Wink Designs patterns, the price includes a licence to sew the dress to sell in your online shops and craft markets.

Thanks to Lisa for doing such an outstanding job as always on the graphic design for me - I've made a pledge to her that I'm going to learn Illustrator myself for the next pattern.  Wish me luck!

Shop announcement & Easter wishes!

Just a quick note to let you know my etsy shop will be on vacation mode for a week.  

I'm also happy to announce that the lovely Ruth of sewlovefabrics on etsy has been listing the Wink Designs PDF clothing patterns in her shop.  In addition to my shop, they will always be available there, so if you are up for a spot of Easter sewing (and also want to ogle some lovely fabrics) head on over!

Here's wishing you and yours a happy, relaxed and joyful Easter....