Yes, it’s true. I’ve sadly neglected documenting the trials and tribulations of starting an Etsy shop because I (guiltily) thought I hadn’t done anything. But the tactic of ‘one foot in front of the other’ I normally have difficulty mastering (I’m more of a ‘feet flying madly out of control’ person) has actually worked. In amongst job searching and assignments (and yes, I am currently writing this because I should be writing an essay) I’ve made progress almost accidentally.

Firstly, I’ve ordered and received my fabric for the tops. Hooray! The fabric is a gorgeously soft bamboo jersey with a small amount of spandex. I ended up getting it online for a decent price (I love ordering online – when it comes in the mail it’s like getting a present from me) and the delivery was surprisingly prompt.

Speaking of price, I’ve done a groovy Excel spreadsheet to tally my costs and calculate a selling price, then checked whether the price was viable with another impromtu bit of market research. And, yay! All my numbers looked good (plus they added up to the right amounts… Ha! Attractive numbers…).

I’ve also drawn up some belt designs. I had a look in the local textile/craft stores; there’s not much in the way of plain, well priced belt buckles so I started trying to think of other belt fastenings that would suit the lighter look of fabric.

I sketch for pleasure in sketchbooks with thick white paper, but for clothes and accessory brainstorming I prefer black paper as it shows up coloured pencils beautifully and throws simple sketches into strong relief. I did these basic workings for some belts with a really soft white pencil; the excuse of using beautiful art supplies motivates me to actually get my ideas down.

So my next move is to purchase materials for the belts, then look at branding and product presentation. Step by step.