New website now up and running

I have spent so much time worrying about the lingerie website recently, I have been neglecting the bears and the unit at the Craft Centre. I have made a few changes to the unit: last time I was in, I decided to move the central island unit, and to heft it up on top of the counter at the back. It actually looks really good there - sort of cabinet-like - and the shelves in it, which were wasted when it stood on the floor, are now at the perfect height.

It does leave a big empty space in the middle of the floor, but the advantage of this is that it's easier for customers to get in - they don't have to squeeze past the island unit. I'm not keen to put anything else in to replace the island unit, but I might try to build up the shelves at the side a bit - maybe bears-on-chairs on the floor - just to try to diminish the wide expanse of bare floor boards in the middle. Maybe a little fluffy pink rug?

I also had another go at the signage. I decided that my previous sandwich board is really a failure - much as I'm loathe to admit it; it is just too flimsy. Also, the patterned fabric someone makes it look less like a sandwich board - as does the tall, thin shape.

I made another one today - just a small one, in a more regular shape, and just plain white. It is made out of foam board and the edges are taped for neatness. It is also taped together at the top - for the hinge - and then I punched holes near the edges of each piece, and threaded ribbon through them to hold the 'feet' together.

I have used it to advertise the gift tags that I made here. The tags share a rack with the bag hangers I buy in, and I'm not sure anyone's really noticed them yet, so I had to do something to draw people's attention to them.

I have also made a sign to hang from the bottom shelf, stating that the bought-in toys are suitable for children. I forgot to photograph it though.

In the meantime, I have managed to get the new DGBVintage website up and running - finally. All that is left to do is the 'About' page. The new website, for the first time, has a link to this blog. I need to email Easyspace and ask them to put a link on the BigFeetBears website as well.

I have also added some more to the Poppy LaByrnham Collection - the incredibly beautiful, incredibly expensive items that I buy at UK auctions. There is a gorgeous peach satin bed jacket, apparently hand-made, with ruching detail around the cuffs and collar and over the bodice; a bias-cut pink silk nightdress, with a lace bodice; and the most amazing peach net nightdress (see last pic). It is stretchy and fitted, and the bodice is overlain with a second layer of net with sort of woven stripes to it, which is gathered and fitted over the bodice. 1930s? Perhaps 1940s?

I have also added another series of vintage slips - this time in a bust size 36. Do take a look - I will be adding more soon.

First attempts at dress-making

Well, I think I have succeeded in making two of the most unflattering skirts ever.

I found a pattern in the latest Sew Stylish magazine for a simple A-line skirt. I've always liked A-line skirts - I was under the impression (false, as it turns out) that they suited me. My first attempt was in plain pink cotton (on the basis that I didn't want to use nice fabric on my first attempt - it was bound to go wrong).

Sure enough, despite my having measured everything carefully, the waist turned out to be 2 inches bigger than it should have been. My mother reckons this is because I stretched the fabric as I was sewing the waistband. Anyway, the way the waistband was sewn, I figured I could thread a piece of elastic through it to tighten it up. That sort of worked, but now its a little too close-fitting, and the side zipper keeps falling down.

The end result of all that is that it looks like you're wearing a pillow case that's open at both ends. Not a good look.

I think the pillow-case look was at least partly a result of the type of fabric I used though. Since I didn't have any more of it (a good thing perhaps), I tried again with something else - a thicker, tougher, camoflage print fabric.

I was worried about it being too big at the waist again, so I took 2 inches off the pattern. However, the new fabric clearly wasn't as stretchy as the pink stuff I used first time round, and it turned out to be a bit of a sausage-skin job. So (getting rather frustrated at this point), I unpicked one of the side seams, and added an extra strip of fabric, which actually worked quite well.

I also tried to jazz up the design slightly by adding a flounce to the hem. This was shown in the magazine, but no pattern or instructions were given (but hey, how hard can it be!). I didn't have a lot of fabric left by that point, so the flounce wasn't very flouncy, and where I hemmed it, the fabric got quite stiff, so the flounce kind of sticks out in points...

Despite this, in the immediate aftermath of having made them, I was actually quite chuffed. It is nice to be able to complete something new, even if it is rubbish. And, having had a go at it, the idea of learning dress-making is becoming [slightly] less intimidating.

In addition to making unflattering skirts, I have been working on the new website design. This morning, I linked it to the old website (which is currently still up), and uploaded the new pages. If anyone wants to preview it (pretty please!), you can go to the old website, here, and, directly beneath the text on the right-hand side, there is a tiny little line. The line is hyperlinked, and it should take you to the new website.

It is quite a sombre look: I was beginning to dislike the dull colours of the old website, so I went for plain black and white, with a big black banner at the top of the page (think: 'stylish in monochrome' rather than 'oooh somebody died'). I'm beginning to wish I'd put something a little more colourful on it now - but there's no going back now (not the way I do it).

Anyway, if you find any typos, broken links or whatever, please let me know.

And do use my image map while you're there!

Full-slips, size 34

I'm still working on the new website, but it'll take a while yet, and I know from past experience that there's no guarantee all the links will work when it goes live. Last time, I uploaded the whole thing, then found the links didn't work and had to redo each one individually (there are about 30 on each page). Luckily I didn't have many pages then - now there are over 200, so fingers crossed it all goes well the first time around.

I really must find out more about cascading style sheets though. I remember discussing them with someone who knows a bit about web design when I got the first [hand-built] version of my bear site up and running. "You need style sheets," he said, "it'll make things a lot easier in the long run." Naturally, I ignored that bit of advice, and now I'm struggling. I have made things a little easier than it was the first time round by creating a template for every folder, with the menus and links all in place, but even then, I have to add pictures, add text, and then do all the twiddly bits - change the font; make this bit of text grey; make this bit of text pink. Later, I will have to go back and add Paypal buttons to each of the product pages.

Tis all a pain in the backside. I have spent all today and yesterday doing the full-slip product pages (sans Paypal buttons) - and I've got another five categories to go (whinge, whinge, whinge).

In the meantime, I have added some more slips to the old site - size 34s this time.

The styles are not as varied as the tiny sizes which I blogged about here, but there is lots and lots of lace, like the slip in the third picture. The second picture is actually a camisole and half-slip set - which seems to be quite unusual - partly because its a set, but also because of the flared skirt of the half-slip.

The first picture is the most wonderful A-line slip/nightdress. It is hand-made in satin, with a gathered chiffon trim to the hem. The design seams to be really simple, so I'm thinking of having a go at tracing the pattern. I hasten to add, it would be the first time I've ever traced a pattern, but learning dress-making (or lingerie-making) is a big ambition of mine.

The problem with trying to recreate this slip is that I'm not sure it would look particularly good in cotton or nylon or whatever. Part of its charm is that heavy, vintage-y satin - hardly the cheapest fabric, and hardly the best thing to use when you're first starting out. I have a similar problem with putting together new bear designs out of mohair.

Anyway, please excuse my silence for a little while whilst I concentrate on getting the new website finished.