How things change

Just having a quiet moment in the front room before I get the paperwork up to date. I glanced across the room to a bowl that my other half made probably 20 years ago now.
We used to make and sell no end of rustic ‘ash glazed’ bowls and wall pots like this one in the picture. At the time this bowl would have been 45 pounds or thereabouts and selling these items at craft events was not very difficult . Today I doubt that we’d be able to give it away :grin:
Now as I look at the items we’ve just boxed up for tomorrow’s craft market we’ve got Christmas decorations for 3.50, robins for 4.00 and a selection of bowls from 7.50 to 20.00 etc etc.
Now we’re loving our life and so lucky to be still earning a living from our work but it is a different game selling stuff these days.
Anyway who else has pictures of yesteryear’s creative work ? Let’s see them.


Dave (and Dos)

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Oh my I love this bowl, is that me officially old fashioned?

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Me too…I’d have paid the old price too…but then I know I’m old fashioned…

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I also love rustic and the bowl is lovely

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Stunning bowl, I love it…

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Nice to hear those comments so thank you everyone. I loved those bowls that she used to make but they just stopped selling around the turn of the century.( Now that does make us sound old :grin:)
I would think that with the time spent hand coiling and then scrape shaping a bowl that size the price would be higher than most customers would pay today.
Would love to see some pictures from other folksy makers of their products that they made in the distant past. Have you had to change what you make over the years ?

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In my previous life before I tried my hand at painting, I did machine knitting. I had a regular stall in the local shopping centre , Wednesday craft market…at least 30 years ago…
Back then I couldn’t keep up with the demand and the cardigan I am wearing in the photo would have sold for £40…then the foreign imports came in…I move to craft fairs and sold for a similar price…today I would be lucky to SELL my items.
I recently gave up doing the knitting and crochet and struggled to get £5 each for any of the items (including my adult cardigans)…sad, but that is the way it is today…I am lucky to be able to paint now and love what I do…but yes, times change…x
.

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That’s great to see that article. Craft markets were good places to trade in the 80s and 90s weren’t they. Yes times have changed but it would seem that, like us, you have managed to change with the times and are still happy making and selling your wares. And we didn’t have Folksy then did we.

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I used to make all my own clothes (my Mum was a superb dressmaker but she did make for me to grow into and I was very thin and growing too slowly for her) from age about 13. I used to knit, crochet, sew, make leather bags, waist coats…
I made both my wedding dresses and also special, Easter dresses for my 2 girls. Loved these which must be early 1980s.

This is my second wedding dress 1995 (silk and incredibly expensive French lace) which I made and also my daughter’s dress (designed so she could use it as a ball gown at university). You will note she is much prettier here than on the right in first picture… caught her on a bad day before she grew into her lovely face :slight_smile:
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Don’t sew now as though my eye sight has improved long and mid distance so I can now offically drive without glasses again my very short vision is compensatingly naffed so threading a needle is such a challenge it’s not worth doing.

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20 years ago I was making Viagra analogues for Pfizer whilst at uni, I don’t think I have any samples to photograph and show you but they were an off white solid with almost zero solubility (why do I remember that of all things), unsurprisingly they didn’t make it to market. Things have definitely changed.

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That photo takes me back to the days when I owned a knitting machine. I never did completely master the art of using and eventually managed to sell it.

Isn’t Vintage now the name for old fashioned?:grinning: I used to make all my own clothes also, and a couple of bridesmaid dresses for a friend. I didn’t have the courage to make my own wedding dress as we had a lovely Italian tailoress living near us, she made mine, my three sisters and my sister-in-law’s wedding dresses and their bridesmaid dresses. I still have to sew, it’s my passion, and when it’s my turn to go to the sewing room in the sky I will be able to make all the angel dresses and wings.

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I LOVE your ash glazed bowl - beautiful. Are you sure there’s not still a market for these?

When I first graduated in '95, I set up a little studio and my most popular items were these little bottles that I sold in galleries around the UK for approx £25 and these large illustrated vessels that sold for between £150 - £300. (they don’t look that big in this photo but I can wrap my arms around the rounder pot - these are the last two I have left and I can’t bear to part with them)
Then I opted out to start my little family and had to put my big kiln into storage for a few years as we lived in a flat.

When I got back to things, I only used a small kiln, so ended up making lots of flat things, so I could get more in! That’s kind of where I’ve stuck…

My heart does lie in the large decorated pieces still though but it’s just finding a big chunk of time to handbuild, carve and decorate (It is on my list of things TO DO though)
I’m not sure if there is still a market for it though…I would have to test the waters.

Brenda @teabreaks - love your article xx
Joy @JOYSofGLASS - brilliant needlework! My Mum used to make all my clothes when I was little and I loved not having the same things as everyone else.

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I’m a huge pottery/cermics fan - and these are stunning @thedotterypotter. I can’t believe there wouldn’t be a market for them, though given the amount of work they must need, you would probably have to target them at the high-end. There’s a rather posh Gallery I follow just to drool at the artwork and they have no problem selling top-notch ceramics so there are definately buyers out there (https://www.imaginegallery.co.uk/section81884.html, not sure if I’m really allowed to post the link, but have a quick peep!)

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Thanks Helen :slight_smile: I’ve had a little look! Amazing work.
Yes, I am hoping to sell enough work before Christmas so that I can take a few months off in the New Year and try to make some of these bigger pieces again…I’m looking forward to it!

Those bottles are fantastic Sarah . I think that you could still sell those no problem. Like you Dos’s heart lies in the bigger one off pieces that she used to make but the reality is that we wouldn’t sell enough to earn a living.
We took time out when the family started happening and like you we bought a smaller kiln and made accordingly.

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@thedotterypotter Wow, those are wonderful! I’m sure there’d still be a market out there, but as Helen says, probably a higher end market as I can’t imagine they’d be cheap.