What Delilah Did

Hoop-La

The past week has been a particularly jam-packed one; mostly full of excellent things. I want to try and keep track of everything here on the blog, partly because some of you might be interested to know what it is like to be in the early(ish) days of building your own craft business, but also because I don't want to forget it - things are happening so quickly these days that I sometimes forget to enjoy them; this way I will be able to look back later and remember what I was doing for all these weeks and months and years. So in the absence of a diary, please bear with me as I ramble...

The weekend saw my trip down to Hoop in Kent to celebrate the launch of the book and it was so much fun. It is something I never would have been brave enough to do on my own, and I was so glad that Vanessa invited me and gave me the opportunity to celebrate everything I have been working on for such a long time. I was really touched to meet the ladies who made the trip to meet me and get their books signed, especially because I am such a new author. However when I got home I realised that in all the excitement I had clean forgotten about the little gifts I brought along to give away to my earlybird visitors! I have managed to track down most, but there is one lady I don't have any contact details for: your name is Beverley if I remember correctly (and if I have that wrong, I definitely remember that you have a daughter called Sophie who works in a fabric shop and that you passed your driving test last year...) - so please get in touch if you read this, as I have something for you.

The workshop was really good fun (see the photo above - that's me in the middle) and I so enjoyed getting out of the studio for a change and meeting some other crafters in person - Antje, Lorraine, Lucy, Hannah, Mary and of course Vanessa: it was a pleasure. All in all an excellent way to spend an afternoon and I very much hope to have occasion to return to Hoop in the future; it is a charming place to while away a few hours. It made me wish even harder that we had a similar place in my little corner of Norfolk, as the shop had a whole community growing around it and I would love to have somewhere similar nearby to run (and attend) workshops and hold regular evening stitching groups. If only I had more hours in the day I would open one myself...

Delilah x

Photo courtesy of Vanessa Lingwood from Hoop Haberdashery.

The Best Logos In The World Ever? Probably.

                         

                                

I wanted to wait until I had finished re-designing my website before I shared these, so that you got the full effect, but since things keep stopping me from working on it I decided I couldn't wait any longer.

 

 

I am so in love with them! They make me smile every time I look at them. The fabulous Julianna Swaney made them for me - I have been enamoured with her work for so long and I am over the moon to have some for my very own. You can see some of the working sketches on her blog here, should that sort of thing interest you (it does me).

 

I have made do with my own little scribbled banner up to now, but with the book and all the new things in the pipeline for this year I really wanted things to look more polished. So I have stripped the website right back (above) and treated myself to a few little business-luxuries like the logos to start the ball rolling. I have designed some little postcards to send out with orders too and am getting some proper business cards made, all of which should arrive next week. I am so excited! Small things.

I also have a tonne of new things which I think are all going to be ready quite close together. I didn't plan it that way, but I have been trying not to rush things because that way I end up hating them. Plus one of my biggest aims for this year was to regain a bit of a work/life balance, so things are taking a little longer. I think they are going to be much better for it.

Whilst anyone who knows me will tell you that I still have a very long way to go when it comes to stamping out the workaholic mentality, in comparison to how things have been for the past few years I have been making epic leaps and bounds. We're talking occasional whole days off: making time to cook, swim, find my dream kitchen (here), become obsessed with Game of Thrones (obsessed I tell you), and spend time with friends old and new...

But the thing that I forgot about life is that it has a habit of biting you in the bum if you let it. It is unpredictable and uncontrollable and, whilst these can be the very things that make it so awesome, for a control-freak like me it can be a little hard to swallow sometimes. I think the point I missed was the idea of balance. I was craving life so much that I forgot I need both. The certainty that work brings - that if I put in enough effort I can affect the outcome that I want - is something I really can't live without. The one thing that I can control. The knowledge that when things go a little pear-shaped elsewhere I can fall back on something solid. And so for the first time in so long I am relishing the fact that I have a mountain of work to keep me occupied. I can't wait to share the results.

Delilah x

New Bag Kit + Update

Afternoon all. The sun has disappeared behind a bunch of big fat clouds here today so I thought it was a good time to brighten things up and show you my new bag kit. I can't get my camera to do the colours justice, but they look awesome in person: minty aqua + chartreuse + mink. I always think the more unexpected combinations look the best. This one is in the shop now; I plan to add a coral version in the next few weeks too.

Peeking out of the top is my new favourite book - Lily Vanilli's Sweet Tooth:

It's almost the exact same colour as the aqua thread. I am a bit obsessed with that colour - I admit I wanted it before I even looked inside. If you haven't seen this book yet then you should absolutely get it, it is so good. We did secret santa gifts at Christmas and I bought a copy of it for the friend I picked out. I was so close to keeping it for myself but I was good and wrapped it up. Anyway, when we all opened our presents another friend had bought the exact same thing for me so I got one after all! Serendipity. I haven't had time to make anything from it yet, but the photos and recipes all look so beautiful that I can't wait.

Speaking of good recipes, I recently made up another batch of these:

It's been an age since I made them and I forgot just how yummy they are, and super-easy to make. Try them, you'll like them.

Oh, and I also just found out that my book is being released on 4th July! Exciting. I think it is coming out on 6th August in the USA too, so there won't be much longer to wait if you are there. I'll tell you more when I know.

I'm taking a few days off this weekend as I will be busy turning 24* and have all sorts of hijinx planned with my friends and family. I absolutely cannot wait. The shop will still be open for patterns but my last Post Office run will be tomorrow morning, so any kits ordered after that will be posted on Tuesday when I get back. Oh, and Royal Mail have treated us to yet more price rises, which means I will need to look at kit prices/delivery again before April...so if you want to take advantage of the current prices then now is the time.

Have a fantabulous weekend.

Delilah x

*I wish! It's the big 3.0. Hmph.

Two More (Non) Sleeps!

It is so close I can hardly bear it...only two more full days of work before my day-job becomes a half-a-day-job so that I can concentrate on my stitching - I am so excited I think I might explode before February arrives!

Aside from lots more textile-related things, I fully intend to use the newfound hours for a few little luxuries which have been absent for the last year or two such as sleep, swimming, biking, walking, baking and catching up on my reading - as you can see from the picture above the pile of books on my bedside table is reaching mountainous proportions and actually contains two Alice Hoffman books meaning she is literally writing them faster than I can read them, which is frankly rather ridiculous. And that is not to mention the pile of unread magazines just waiting to be cracked open on the other side of the bed.

Just two more days... Must hold it together...

Happy (excited) Sunday!

Delilah x

London

Hello there! It has been a very busy summer and I believe I have some catching up to do...starting with London.

I finally made it down to Liberty where my hoop display is now up (rather later than planned) - hurrah! It was very difficult to get a decent picture, but hopefully you can get the idea. Not so happy-making however is that somebody already appeared to have stolen one of the hoops! I would have thought that cross stitch fans and thieves were rather at odds with one another but apparently not...

It was quite exciting to see my work on sale in what I consider to be the most beautiful shop in the world. A big goal ticked off. I have to say it stuck out like a sore thumb, but I am reliably informed this is a good thing. And the kits are selling really well, so a very big thank you to everybody that has already bought one.

All that wood panelling just kills me! Sigh.

Back soon,

Delilah x

!!! LIBERTY !!!

So this was the Very Big Thing...LIBERTY!

My favourite shop in all the land, AKA Liberty in London Town, is now stocking What Delilah Did - hurrah!

The kits are available there as of this week so if you find yourself in that neck of the woods I defy you not to visit: Haberdashery Department, Third Floor. Whoop!

The opportunity I was talking about before was that I attended the Liberty Best of British Open Call in April. I was terrified, but as you can see I got through, and two months later here we are! I am a very, very, very happy lady.

All the samples I stitched are going up in a special display in the next couple of weeks and I cannot wait to see it all finished. I will be taking a trip down to London to see it when it is ready and intend to take lots of pictures to show you.

Hurrah hurrah!

Delilah x

The Very Big Thing

And so...what has felt like no more than a week to me has turned out to be considerably longer. Apologies. Hopefully once you see what it is that has kept me hidden away for all this time you will find it in your hearts to forgive me...

As you can see from the picture above, I have been rather busy. Something big happened. Something very, very big! At least very big in my little world. And that Very Big Thing was the push I needed to turn what has until now been a hobby (albeit a quite all-consuming one) into a proper, fully-fledged business. Eek! And in case setting up a business happens to be something you have yet to experience first hand, trust me when I say it is blinking hard work! Especially if you already have a full time and a part time job on top of it. But I felt so limited with the way things were that I really didn't see another way. And then of course came the Very Big Thing, so there really was nothing else to be done...

An opportunity came along to show my designs to some people that have the potential to change things for me quite a lot, and I took it. It would have been foolish not to. But I didn't really expect anything to come of it - I secretly hoped of course, but didn't really believe that something would happen. But the people liked my designs so much that they ordered a whole heap of them! And ever since I have been buried in fabric and thread and lots and lots of work. Honestly, buried.

Busy turning all of those piles of things into:

Brand spanking new lovely kits...

 A tonne of them!

The first few have gone to Millie Moon, a sweet little boutique haberdashery/sewing school run by two sisters on a very steep hill in Frome, Somerset. If you live nearby you may already have seen them! They ordered a bunch of stitched sample hoops for their windows too so I am itching to see them in situ but alas it is so far away that I haven't been able to get there yet - I am hoping they can send me a photo though so I will be sure to show you if/when they do.

As for the rest, they are finally all packed up and ready to send off to their new home.

Together with oodles of samples. Hours and days and weeks have been spent stitching them all up, but I am so excited to see them on display.

It makes me incredibly nervous to send them off with a stranger and hope they arrive in one piece. Please cross your fingers for me that they get there safely (and toes. And while you're at it any other body parts you are capable of crossing if you are particularly flexible!).

I doubt it has escaped your notice that I haven't yet actually mentioned where it is that they are going to... That is because I have a rather silly but potent superstitious streak in me that leads me to believe if I let it slip before they are all in place something awful will happen. Ridiculous I know, but I just can't bring myself to do it. But it shouldn't be much longer. And the next time you see them they will hopefully be in their beautiful, stylish and very famous new home!

HOW EXCITING!!!

Delilah x 

Shop Update + Free Worldwide Delivery + 10% 0ff Discount!

  

The cross stitch kits are now in the shop! Hurrah!

There are two starter kits: Jester and The Sparrow, which are perfect for beginners.

  

The Sparrow (above) is probably the easiest and smallest of all my designs so if you have never tried cross stitch before he would be a very good place to start.

There are also four standard kits for the more experienced/braver fellows amongst you: The Guardian, The Wizard, Key No. 3, and the Cassia Cameo.

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And as a special Christmas treat I am offering free wordwide delivery and 10% off everything in the shop until this Sunday 12th December. Just enter the code "MERRY" in the box when you checkout and you will receive 10% off your entire order.

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Enjoy!

 

Delilah x

Playing Shop

So the moment has arrived when I finally get to show you what it is that has kept me so busy all this time...

This was my display at the fair and I have to say that I was just so, so, so in love with it. It was such a lot of work as I have never done anything like it before and had to start from scratch, but to see everything come together at the end made it all so very worthwhile. And the little flags just topped it off perfectly - I heart them so much it actually hurts a little bit!

I was amazed at what I was able to beg, borrow and steal for my display (a huge thank you to everyone that helped) - it really is quite remarkable the things you can magic into existence with when you put your mind to it. And I had the great pleasure of meeting some extremely nice people, a number of whom were kind enough to part with their money to buy my things which was really rather exciting!

Anyway, now for the pictures. The quality is not great I'm afraid as the lighting situation is just abysmal at the moment, but I did the best I could...

 

 

 

 

 

 

You do not be particularly eagle-eyed to notice that I have finally gotten around to making up some cross stitch kits - 'hurrah!' I hear you cry! About time too. They went down a treat and I hope to have them in the shop at some point this week so I will tell you all about them when that special time comes.

That's the lot for now as I really must sleep, but I promise I will be back very soon with lots more to show you...until then,

Toodle pip!

Delilah x

Phew!

 

I am back from Clutter City and absolutely exhausted! I'm now off to enjoy a nice roasted chicken for lunch as a well-earned treat but I will be back later with lots more pictures to bore you with...

Delilah x