Clubland updates

After more paper/printer/alignment issues than anticipated, yesterday the last ever TangleClub Deluxe edition of the Mulberry Digest was finally printed, enveloped & stamped.  The first batch will be posted today with the next to follow on Monday, so TangleClub Deluxe members will be receiving their final Mulberry Digest very shortly.  In the next week or so, I will be adding some new, completely different TangleClub options to the TangleStore.  I’m just finalising all the details, at the moment. 🙂

In the meantime, I have re-launched the DIY Weaving Club!  I added an old/new zine to the TangleStore yesterday – a reprint of the DIY Weaving Club Handbook, now condensed into an 8 page, A6 fold-out zine.  Although I have not done much weaving of late (DIY or otherwise) I decided it was a shame that my old projects were languishing unloved and out of print.  I’m really loving the simplicity of this fold-out format for framing single, focused ideas; so my plan is to use this format to re-issue selected features & projects from my very first zine series, Telaic Fantasy (which have not seen light of day for over a year!).  realistically, though, it is unlikely that any more in the series will be released until the New Year.

Although I have some new projects underway that will hopefully be completed in the near-ish future, I will otherwise be taking a break from ‘creation’, while I focus on fulfilling orders, preparing stock for craft fairs and generally trying to keep on top of everything between now and Christmas.    Wish me luck! 😉

I’m back!

The move was horrible, let’s not talk about that.  But I am in the process of catching up on all orders placed over the last few weeks, and should be mostly on top of things after the weekend.  Thank you, everyone, for your patience!  I will be including extra niceness with all orders from the house-moving period, as a thank you for bearing with me.

Now, on to fun and exciting new things 🙂 .

First and foremost, the long, long awaited and very overdue 4th issue of Telaic Fantasy has finally been unleashed on the world. I’m very happy with the way it has turned out, after playing with a new layout, and (to conform with the rest of the series) keeping it to A6 (/quarter-size) format.  I am thrilled to report that TF4 includes an exclusive interview with the awesome Diane Gilleland of the Crafty Pod, found poetry from my vintage craft/weaving book collection, along with reviews, extracts from literature AND template, yarn and instructions to weave your very own Oddball companion. Check out the Etsy listing for more details & extra pics.  I’ve also put together a special bumper package, combining TF4 with membership to the DIY Weaving Club, so if you’re not already a member, join us!

If weaving doesn’t float your boat, however, I have more fun in store for you. For the last month, an innocent little link has been lurking to the right of your screens: Going Postal.  What is is it all about?  Well, it’s a super-cool mail art project, of course!  A meta-mail art project, if you will.  Click on the link for full details, but in brief, I’m asking anyone with the inclination to do so to create an ATC (using any medium they prefer), the only real stipulation being that contributions must have a postal or mail art related theme.  In some way.  If you send me an ATC, I will send you in return a (free) mini-zine featuring your artwork alongside at least 2 more contributors to the project.  (And if you just want to admire everyone else’s work, the mini-zines will be available at nominal cost in the Etsy store).  Eventually, I will compile a Going Postal super-zine, including selected contributions to the project, and various other editorials, miscellany & fun stuff; but I think the mini-zine project will run for a good while before the super-zine sees light of day, so there is plenty of time to get your creative thinking cap on, and, um, get creative…!  [ACEO above right by Hazel Fisher of Hazel Fisher Creations – check out her Etsy store!]

These two ‘news items’ are just the tip of the iceberg – look out for even more new projects & zines to appear, perhaps slowly, but steadily, as I unpack my workroom, and dig out the ideas that I packed into boxes just a couple of short weeks ago…  Well, with a name like TangleCrafts, it was never going to be straightforward, was it…?

‘New’ Telaic Fantasy #2 – postcard recycling/mail art kit

It’s felt like a long time coming (to me), but I have finally caught up with myself, and re-formatted Telaic Fantasy #2 into the new, bigger A5 size.  Now that all the back issues have been updated, that means I can focus on getting a new issue ready.  Actually, I have something pretty cool in mind for TF4, but because it involves allowing for somebody else’s schedule, it means the new issue won’t be out until the beginning of July (ish).  Don’t worry – I will have lots of other new stuff popping up between now and then!

For now, here’s a preview of the revised TF2:

The free postcards now come tucked into an envelope bound into the spine, and the postcard labels themselves are printed onto (recycled) gummed paper (I recently learned that gummed paper is better for the environment than self-adhesive, as it is water-soluble, and doesn’t clog up the works at the recycling plants).  There is also an additional page of labels for you to photocopy, cut and paste, so you can recycle as many postcards as you like :-).  Ever fancied trying a spot of mail art?  I’m not sure about the realistic possibilities of a tapestry reaching its destination in tact, but it’s surely a concept worth experimenting with!

There are lots more features crammed into TF2, not to mention the fact that it doubles up as a handy notebook, with lots of custom printed pages for you to scribble down your sketches, notes & ideas. TF2 is available to buy as a stand-alone zine, or as part of a membership package for the D.I.Y. Weaving Club.   As always, the first 10 issues will be signed and numbered.  Check out the listings at my Etsy Store for full details & all options available!

Another addition to the postcard recycling kit is this cute illustration that I hand-carved using my new-found lino-cutting skills ;-).  I’ve used it to stamp onto the envelope that contains the free postcard & postcard cutting template.

Today is a happy day, as it marks the beginning of my revised working hours at the bookshop.  From today onwards, I will only be working afternoons, allowing me to squeeze in precious extra time every morning to keep on top of all the crafty stuff.  Too-many-ideas-and-not-enough-time will I’m sure remain my mantra, but hopefully those extra few hours a week will make a difference.  🙂

The new D.I.Y. Weaving Club is up and running!

Taking a ‘kind-of’ break while I moved house enabled me to think about how I could improve the formula for the D.I.Y. Weaving Club.  With the first batch of 3 month subscriptions just come to an end, this seemed like the perfect time to make the change.

In short, you don’t need to subscribe any more. Instead, you have 3 options:

• a one-off Basic Membership Pack, which includes a weave-able Membership Card & an exclusive Membership Book.  This gives you lifelong membership to the D.I.Y. Weaving Club, with email updates.

OR

• a Membership Pack which includes card & book (as above), plus an issue of Telaic Fantasy zine with accessories for a D.I.Y. weaving project, and a randomly selected mixed yarn pack.

OR

• if you don’t want to join the club but would like the latest meanderings & projects from ‘Telaic Fantasy’, you can buy any of the zines alone.

TF has grown quite dramatically!  It is now half-size (A5) rather than quarter, and includes at least one D.I.Y. weaving project inside (the old D.I.Y. club had separate kit & zine, but I decided integration was the way forward), plus random accessories.  Extra bits have been added to TF1 & TF2 so they are more chock-full than ever.

Want to know more?  Check out my Etsy Store!  You’ll find detailed info on the contents of each Membership Pack & zine.  New zines and Membership Packs will be added over the next few months, possibly at a slightly irregular schedule, but there’s definitely more to come, so please check back!

D.I.Y. Club Bundles

Just a quick update to say that I did, as promised get all club bundles into the postbox on Saturday – unfortunately, I only realised at that time that Derby doesn’t have a Saturday collection later than 3pm, and seems to no longer have Sunday collections at all (believe me, I checked a lot of post boxes)!  Anyway, everything is finally on the way, & I know my Saturday deadlines, for next time.  On the plus side, unless anything has gone horribly wrong, UK subscribers should get their bundles today.  Overseas may get lucky and have them by the weekend, but perhaps the beginning of next week would be a more realistic expectation…

Subscribers will notice that the new Telaic Fantasy zine is much bigger than previously, doubling in size as well as increasing in page length.  This is partly because I have decided to incorporate the monthly club kit into TF, which makes the zine feel much more ‘complete’ to me (don’t worry, you still get the random free accessories & extras, too!).  I’m in the process of re-formatting TF1 and TF2, to match, and adding extra bits in, into the bargain.  Future issues will also be in the new format, and looking at everything I’m trying to squeeze into the next 2 issues could get very fat indeed!

In fact, it’s all change all round for the D.I.Y. Weaving Club for future months.  I’m going to put up full details in the next couple of days (I’ve not quite got all the pics I need together yet) but I’m very excited about the new format.  There’s all sorts of fun new things to look forward to!  Watch this space – I’ll be giving more details very soon!

Another update

Sorry it’s so quiet here, at the moment.  The move is less than 2 weeks away, & I am now slightly stressed about getting everything packed up in time.  I can’t wait for it all to be over, and to be safely installed in the new place!  There shouldn’t be too long before ‘normal service is resumed’, though, as the nice man is coming to connect the internet the day after we move in.

I’ve decided that for the sake of my sanity, I am not going to attempt to get any orders out after today.  Please feel free to continue placing orders through Etsy as normal, but nothing will be despatched until the first week of May.

This theory should mean that the D.I.Y. Weaving Club subscriptions will still be running to schedule – but hopefully, I think they will be ready to send out next week, just before the move.  Early, instead of late, for once! (Update on the update – despite best intentions, club mailings will go out according to original schedule, first week of May.)

I’ll probably still pop back for some posts at sporadic moments over the next 2 weeks, but will be back in full flow, as soon as May hits.  I’ve got changes planned for Telaic Fantasy and the D.I.Y. Weaving Club, a brand new D.I.Y. crafts zine, and TheTangledPress will also finally see some ‘action’!

Keep me posted with your weaving progress, in the meantime, & spare a thought for me, surrounded by boxes… 😦

DIY Weaving Club: Updates

• April DIY Weaving Club bumper bundles are in the post today!  (So UK members should get their bundle tomorrow, and overseas in about a week.)  I’m really pleased with this month’s bundle, so please let me know what you think when they arrive, and how you get on with any weaving you might do!

Click here if you’re not a DIY Weaving Club member, but would like to join!

• Subscriptions are now being taken  throughout each month for despatch in the first week of the following month, so subscribe from April 1-April 30 & receive your first club bundle in May; subscribe from May 1-May 31 & receive your first club bundle in June (and so on).

• From now on, all new members will receive a weave-able club membership card with their first monthly club bundle!   (Current subscribers will receive a membership card if they re-subscribe after the initial 3 month period.)

What are you weaving?

Okay, we all know I’m moving house soon & have forbidden myself from beginning any new weaving projects 😦 – but what’s your excuse?

I just had a lovely email from one of my Etsy customers, Angela Baty, showing me the cute little pouch she wove (left) after buying a DIY Play Your Cards Right Kit.   She used a self-striping knitting yarn, which is a great idea if you have some lying about, as it saves changing yarns every time you want a new colour (and saves tucking in so many loose ends).

If you’re very patient, you could try weaving with a patterned sock yarn, but it would take FOREVER to weave!  But if you do have the patience, and you packed the yarn firmly, you would have a very sturdy little pouch at the end of it!

So what are you working on?  I’d love to see photos, whether you’ve woven something from a TangleCrafts kit or followed one of my freebie patterns.

And please let me know if you come across any anomalies in the instructions, whether it’s a typo, or just plain wrong!  One of my DIY Weaving Club subscribers, Arteth Gray, found that the glue I suggested wasn’t strong enough to hold the comb/board loom together while she wove.  I suggested instead using gaffer tape to hold the comb in place (not very pretty, but very strong & practical); but Arteth said “I tied the comb on with some embroidery thread, and that seems to be working well” – so there’s another tip for you!

D.I.Y. Weaving update

Apologies for my recent silence – I promise that despite a lack of blog posts, TangleCrafts has been a hive of activity lately.  The Etsy store has been doing a roaring trade, and it has kept me on my toes staying on top of all the orders. If you have signed up for the D.I.Y. Weaving Club, rest assured despatch of the first month’s instalment is iminent! I have spent most of today printing and packaging, and I will be visiting the postbox no later than Saturday, so your bundles of weaving goodness will be with you very shortly.  Hurrah!

[N.B.  If you missed the deadline signing up for the March D.I.Y. Weaving Club, don’t despair!  You can still buy the first zine, Telaic Fantasy #1, or you can still sign up for April (and beyond) D.I.Y. Weaving Club, including a different mystery kit.  If you just want a taster of what you might be missing, get a one-off Bumper Bundle to try it out – you won’t get quite as many goodies as a club member, but it’s still lots of fun!)

I have also added 2 new items to the Etsy store: a Weaving Bowl, and a Postcard Recycling Kit.   If you follow my blog, you’ll know I occasionally have the girls round for a ‘Crafty Day’ (the most recent one, we all pitched in to make some ‘unique’ wedding invitation cards for Trish).  I laid out a prototype weaving bowl on my first Crafty Day, and 2 of the girls dived straight in.  It’s just a fun thing to leave out in your home.  When somebody stops round for a chat, they may or may not feel inclined to weave something, but hey, it’s nice to have the option!  I love the postcard recycling kits – just add the labels to front & back of a postcard-sized piece of card and you’re ready to begin!   It’s a great way to introduce a crafty friend to the joys of weaving…

I’ve also added some new pics to the ATC and Play Your Cards Right kit pages, as I have been playing with the packaging, and it’s all changed.  Well, the content remains the same, but I’ve re-done all the booklets, and the packaging is now pre-printed (still by me) with integral pockets, rather than using labels and envelopes.  I told you all that ‘research’ into ELF really was research!  To be honest, I’m not sure if I have decreased my workload with the new packaging or not, but I’m much happier with the way it looks, so I’ve achieved something, at least…!

Last but not least, the next issue of ‘Telaic Fantasy’ is in the final stages of preparation.  Watch this space next week for a bumper issue!

So you see, I meant it when I said I’ve been busy – and that’s not the half of it!  As soon as TF2 is ‘on the shelves’ I’ll be back with some more free projects for you, as well as notebooks (yes, notebooks!), and some more new kits which I’m really excited about.  It’s an ongoing process, and a seemingly neverending flow of new ideas.   I’ll never be able to squeeze enough extra hours  into each day to get throuigh it all, but I can have fun trying!  See you soon…