Corris Uchaf, Wales
Archive for March, 2006
we all gathered together
Mar 31st
So, we had a group hug, one or two nibbles and shared a glass of rose sparkling wine.
Cheerio Ann, there is no doubt as to your worth to the current success of King Arthur’s Labyrinth.
You will continue as the part time book-keeper – but you have done so much more for Ian. Glad he appreciates it in the form of either a keyring or a broach (we were not too sure which it was). Anyway, hope you enjoyed the afternoon…..
All the staff of the Labyrinth (even Hugh awoke from his slumbers, so you must have been delighted as well as surprised) and the tenants of Corris Craft Centre were there to wish you well.
The new Season becons and Jackie now controls the shop, Chris Coffi the canteen and Hugh the underground men (the “moles”). Will Steve ever get any redder than tonight, will Garden Jackie ever control Mark’s urge to utter, will Ryan ever be sober, will Sammy ever grow taller than the spindliest cat, and will Hugh ever see the summer or will he sleep through it … Life is never so interesting as that experienced in rural Wales.
So, a ship you have never seen so stable, flounders on.
Us crafters, how do we think? Is this an opportunity or an irrelevance to our businesses?
Only time will tell………….
The ends of March
Mar 30th
That fateful time rapidly approaches.
The ends of March. Caesar had it luck as he only saw the ides, and therefore missed the ends.
From now we shall be back in the shop hard at work designing and making our fabric wares, and hopefully making some sales, from 10:00 – about 17:00 7 days a week.
Not looking forward to the season. Its a very long hard slog, without a break. Roll n the end of October when some sanity returns to our lives (as does the cold, bleak midwinter).
:drink:
Sale
Mar 27th
We had a sale this weekend!
Spring must be in the air as local patchworkers and quilters are out in force. Good to see them – even better when we have something for them to buy. Helps keep the wolf from the door.
It has to be said though that this was one lucky sale. We were not in, but we had left a note on the door to say that we would come down should anyone who read the note want us to. Yep, there was a contact number. So that is what happened. The lady rang, we turned up and sale completed.
Anne, the Labyrinth Manager, retires on Friday. So, our whole year’s takings thus far went into her kitty for a present. As the saying goes – Hard to Get but Easy to Loose. Still, its in a good cause.
We are having a surprise leaving do for her on Friday. be there or be Square
Cold and Blustery Weekend
Mar 19th
It was a cold and blustery weekend, high winds and bitter air temperatures that just went straight through you.
We could not sew in our shop with its mass of single glazed windows and lack of insulation. In fact it proved to be colder inside the shop than outside.
We put in an appearance on Saturday, but no more than that.
Time to catch up with the Commonwealth Games, and cheer on Michaela Breeze and the rest of Team Wales. Loved that cheeky grin as she nailed her record breaking snatch, and was moved to see this strong, powerful girl almost reduced to tears as our Anthem played for her. Good for you Michaela, great lifting.
We are really enjoying these games, and watching the sports that we don’t usually get to see like squash, badmintion, netball and table tennis. The swimming and cycling have been up to their usual high standard and very enjoyable, with even the Isle of Man entering into the spirit of things which is great.
A Week Passes
Mar 17th
Well, another 5 days has passed.
No-one at home in Bumble Bee Quilting, we are preserving our strength for next month’s relentless onslaught.
The weather outlook is OK for this weekend. We shall be at work beavering away at our patchworks and quilts.
Lets see if the fairweather public comes out to play…….
A Frozen Weekend
Mar 17th
Us crafters nust be a hardy lot.
A freezing, snowy weekend in workshops with no insulation and inadequate heating, we were beavering away all weekend.
Frozen fingers and joints make for slow and painful sewing, but we were not put off.
As for the cheering flock of spectators, well, rather than venture out into the wonderful Welsh air, they seemed to have stoked their fires and remained firmly behind closed doors.
We are not crafters for ourselves, you know.
We need the audience, the cheering and the heckling (+ the odd large sale goes down well too, especially with the bank manager).
So, you lot, get off your chairs and rally round at Corris Craft Centre.
Exciting and thrilling entertainment for all the family of all ages and genders.
Free as well.
Contributions are voluntary but, like Santa, all contributions are reciprocated by a piece of craft you might be thrilled to have, even if its only a cuppa tea and and a piece of homemade Bara Brith for the hungry.
So, come on down to Corris Craft Centre, and discover the joys of crafting (and grafting).
What am I doing?
Mar 17th
I have been quilting for some years now, on and off, mainly whilst I was housebound as a single mum + 4 kids + elderly and increasing infirm Mother all at home. Quilting was a way doing something creative.
The kids have all flown, and Mum has passed on.
So, at the middle of last year a rare opportunity arose to sign a 3 year lease on a small craft unit at Corris Craft Centre.
A big venture, but with the promise of 80,000 visitors a year we reckoned we could make a profit if only 1/8 were actually interested in patchwork and quilting.
Hard work though. We are obliged to carry in the shop mostly what we make, and have to be open 7 days a week Apr-Oct. Very long hours/days/weeks/months.
Contractual hours in excess of the EU regulations ‘cos we can’t afford to employ anyone to help ease the pressure.
We create the designs, source the materials, sew the things we design, price and then hopefully sell ‘em.
I am the creative one and the inspiration. He indoors has only recently got to recognise what a needle and thread looks like and has no colour co-ordination at all. So its an end to end process, all Made in Wales.
There has proved to be a dearth of Welsh fabrics, so we are designing our own Welsh themed fabrics and hopefully we are going to get them printed in Wales at the Laura Ashley fabric printing factory in Newton, Powys. Finances allowing, as no grants or help is available anywhere from anyone for a small setup like ours.
But. he indoors has given me a web site (I did it!) and he created an online shop for me. So maybe there’s some (not much) hope for him.
So this is my spot to recount how things go as we approach our first creative full season as part of the Corris Crafters.
