stuff it

Morning all.
I've just nipped out to pick up a takeaway brekkie roll from Martha Ray and am now back trying to sort things before my 10.30 appointment. All go in my high powered world you know..... ha ha.
I looked at the bags under my eyes this morning in total horror, crepe-y and flabby and old and sad.... and it's only the first day of February, they shouldn't be like that until the end of August at least!

Studio day yesterday and I worked hard and got some pouffés done. I had a customer living in Britain who needed one for a gift (the gum tree one) and I needed to get it done so I buckled under and pieced it all together. As the tapestries were all out I thought I may as well make a few extra so now we have a cottage-y country one and a crazed floral one. Of course after all that hard work (making these pouffés is like a gym work-out) I ran out of filler and now we have one half filled and one totally unfilled, very disappointing!
Jethro has product tested them and they have received the tick of approval so they will be in store as soon as I pick up the filling later today.

I had a weird experience last Saturday with a young couple who asked the price on the tapestry pouffé in the window. When I told them the man got snitty and asked nastily why they were 'so expensive', I replied that they were cheaper than they should be and replaced it back in the window and walked away. Janita had some customers yesterday who she spent a lot of time with choosing cushions who then asked for a discount, when she said no they walked out. I am finding this sort of thing quite sad and depressing. Sad because we actually don't price  stock as much as we should and depressing because it's me that makes it all and it's not mass produced out of some factory employing underpaid workers (except for me), we don't factor in an 'on sale' margin or a wholesale price so that we can sell our products at a reasonable price.
Take these pouffés for instance, it takes me months/years of collecting to get enough pieces of tapestry together to start work. They are all broken out of their frames, cleaned up, pressed, stitched together, backed with heavy cotton canvas, finished and sewn together, bases attached, a bladder made and filled. Months and months of slowly getting to the point of them being ready to go on show and be sold, each one totally unique. Over the the years the prices of our recycled materials have risen sharply (totally my own fault as I create a demand and that flows on) and we rarely put our prices up to cover it- fool that I am.
In some ways you would think that with the handmade being fashionable and, in some ways, commonplace these days you'd think people would be a bit more understanding about the amount of work that goes into products but sadly no. On top of it it seems to be tempered with an 'I could do that' mentality to which we say 'go on, give it a crack (it's not as easy as it looks)' .
Friday's sermon ends here.
And if you have anything to add please have a good rant with my blessing.
Well, I'm off to meet with a lovely lady who brings in the most beautiful knitwear then I'm going to go stuff pouffés. Lordy, it's the start of February and the end of the week, how'd that happen??