May market, 2012

The very lovely Sheena from Sheena Cooke Photography joined us a couple of weeks ago at the market to take some beautiful photos of our makers and their products. 

Thankyou Sheena, you are wonderful! 

Our May market was chock full of gorgeous things, and gorgeous people.

It was freezing cold, but we managed to stay warm with an endless supply of coffees.

                                                                      Food For Your Skin 

A Piece of Cloth 

Jen!

Rachel Hine Salvaged textile treasure. 

Greediebird

Ruby Louise 

Ashleigh from Doreena and Bruno 

Midge and Judy

Mad Stitches

totally innocent 

Here we go Loopy Lou 

Fox and Ramona

Greenscape Terrariums

Thankyou to all of our wonderful shoppers who support handmade. 

We love you! 

Our next market will be held on Saturday the 9th of June.

Lots of new stallholders.....cant wait to see what they have on offer ! 

May Stallholder of the Month - A Piece of Cloth

Our stallholder of the month for May is Jennifer from A Piece of Cloth. Jennifer is one of those girls who has an encyclopedia for a brain. She knows so much about fabrics, where they originate from and what they are made of, that when discussing such things, I feel like a complete dumbass novice! She travels the WORLD - yes the world - to give us Aussies the chance to purchase original vintage fabrics from the 40's onwards! 
She is super friendly, loves a chat, and has the most sublime collection of gorgeous fabrics that I find myself drooling over her stall each month.And then what she does with these fabrics is also stunning. Her cushions are made with the utmost of care, and she is VERY particular about her quality. Nothing but the best goes into and onto her cushions. 
I am so glad I met this pocket rocket of a woman...I have learnt so much from her!

You can find her here, here, here and here....

website: www.apieceofcloth.com.au

Blog: www.apieceofclothstudio.blogspot.com

FB: www.facebook.com/apieceofcloth

Shop: www.clothandcompany.bigcartel.com

Here's her interview....enjoy !

Please tell us a little bit about yourself...

A Piece of Cloth is a textile design and vintage textiles sourcing business. Established in 2009, A Piece of Cloth travels the world to find interesting and unique textiles. Antique and Vintage quilts, fabrics, home wares, military and naval flags and ethnic textiles. We make these available for sale at markets, events and online.We also design and produce our own range of textiles and home wares under our brand Cloth & Company. We strive to use only vintage and reclaimed materials in our products and use Social Enterprise Organisations and local small businesses for our manufacturing.We are based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia

How long have you been selling at markets ?

I've been doing markets here and there now for over four years. I started off really slowly doing one every few months, now i'm doing about four a month along with textile shows and vintage fairs.

What inspires you? How do you stay current and have the edge over your competitors?

The smallest scrap of fabric can get me going or the line of the stitches, there is always something in a textile that holds possibility. A piece of cloth can be anything you want it to be.
My edge? I have been sourcing and collecting now for a very long time so I guess its my ability to go and find the things and make the contacts with other people overseas,  travelling keeps me inspired, its the thrill of the hunt and working with materials that are not usual to find here. My most recent inspiration is rediscovering the work of Anni Albers, I've gone nuts pinning images of her work into my Pinterest!

What do you make? What materials do you like to use? What is your biggest/most popular seller?

I make home textiles from vintage fabrics and also sell vintage fabrics. My vintage quilts and cushions made from reclaimed quilts and 1950s fabrics are the best sellers at the moment, but things change, so you need you need to keep developing and evolving what you design or source.

A tip for newbie stallholders?

Take things slowly when you start and work at a pace you can manage so you still love what you are doing.

A shout out for a market pal?

Rachel Hine from Salvaged Textile Treasure, she will be at Yarraville Market in May too.




Tell us, as a stallholder 1 thing at a market you SHOULDN'T do?





Copy another persons work or idea.




What is your business highlight so far?


When I trusted my instincts and the risk paid off....i'm still here!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

My dream is to be trading in my own shop/studio space filled with fabrics and textiles from all over the world, designing my own range of home wares and to be working on commission design jobs with other businesses and designers who want to use one of a kind textiles.

How can YM help you to achieve your goals?

To keep being as supportive as they are.

Why do you love Yarraville Markets?

Yarraville Markets is great for exposure and they really get behind their stall holders and support them. It's a great market thats well run.

Jennifer has very kindly donated a luxury cushion from the 'Kitschy Kitsch' range made from 1950s Waverly Glosheen polished cottons, piped in red and white stripes with a feather and foam filling. RRP $90. OH MY !! I want !! 
To go into the draw to win this gorgeous cushion, simply comment on our facebook page about "A Piece of Cloth", or come to the market on Saturday the 12th May and enter at Jennifer's stall or at the Yarraville Markets table !  And go and like Jennifer's new facebook page ! 


Thanks so much Jennifer - you are such a cool chick !! Love Ya! 

April 2012 Market !

The April market was, as always, a lovely day spent amongst lovely people and their lovely handmade things !

The weather was nice, the shoppers were nice, and the day was relaxed. Here's some piccys of the beautiful product available for sale at our sweet little market.

                                         
                                              ______________fox and ramona___________

                                                 
                                                    ___________Bushka Baby_________

________Yael Myerson Textiles______

  _________Annie Pops__________

         

_________Bloomfields by Di-Zyn__________

_______Yarraville Markets promo stand !!______

                                                          _______Ruby Lousie_______

                                                 ________Secret garden Candles__________

___________totally innocent____________

                                                             ______Midge and Judy________

                                                     _______Food For Your Skin_______

                                                    ________Luska's Lullabies__________

_____Handmade by Jacinta_______

_____Greedybird____

____Luana's Bead Jewellery____

____Tri Nature___

_____Mi Amor Candles_____

STALLHOLDER OF THE MONTH - Ruby Louise!

Our "stallholder of the month" for the month of April is Kathleen from Ruby Louise...Kathleen has been with us as a regular stallholder for just over 12 months.She is easy going, friendly and she always presents a gorgeous stall that is reasonably priced and always a little bit different each month so we don't get bored ! This chick works hard - so YAY to you Kathleen.

How long have you been selling at markets ?

 I started selling at markets in December 2010

What inspires you?

 I'm inspired by nature and natural forms, and feminine motifs. I also love vintage.  

 

          How do you stay current and have the edge over your competitors?

          I'm always looking for inspiration on             the internet and spend a lot of time playing with new ideas           and materials. I also only make pieces that I would wear myself, so there's a little bit of me in every design.

       
         What do you make?

         Jewellery - necklaces, rings, earrings, brooches ?

         

         What materials do you like to use?

         I love using Polymer clay, Swarovski crystals, Czech Glass, resin, Silver and Antique Brass 

What is your biggest/most popular seller? 

Definitely my mini flower studs - they're cute, inexpensive and come in loads of colours

A tip for newbie stallholders? 

Spend time planning out your stall displays. Use different levels to display your product to add visual interest. Also if you can find quirky ways to display your product you will stand out from the other stalls. Always have your business name along with a good pile of business cards on your stall as it's important to get the word out about your product/s.

A shout out for a market pal? 

My friend Anne from Pleasure Little Treasure makes the most beautiful fascinators from vintage mens ties. They are one of a kind (I have a few myself).

Tell us, as a stallholder 1 thing at a market you SHOULDN'T do? 

Do not arrive at a market with little time to set up. There's nothing worse than trying to set up in a panic (I speak from experience lol). Obviously it depends on how long it takes you to set up your stall, but I allow 45mins to 1 hour to set up, so it gives me lots of time to tweak my stall.

          What is your business highlight so far? 
          Did my first full Christmas trade last year and did my best weekend   ever!  

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? 

Definitely still making jewellery and hopefully doing it as a full time job. 

How can YM help you to achieve your goals? 

By doing lots of marketing and promoting of the market

Why do you love Yarraville Markets? 

Yarraville has such a fantastic village atmosphere and a great mix of customers. I see a lot of the same customers every month and have developed a loyal following, which is what it's all about. The people in Yarraville also appreciate handmade products. 

If you can't wait till the 14th of April for our next market, then you can find Kathleen's goodies at 

 www.rubylouise.com 

Check out her facebook and twitter pages over here -

https://www.facebook.com/rubylouisecreations

https://twitter.com/#!/rubylouisejewel

 Thanks so much Kathleen. Our giveaway this month is a gorgeous Ruby Louise pendant valued at $20. See image below. Comment on our facebook page anything in regrds to this interview to go in the draw...or sign up at the market for your chance to win !
 Thanks Kathleen ! x