Busy busy and new lines.

Spent last week finishing products for our two new lines and dying more fabric. Very soon we'll be introducing lines in our new colour RASPBERRY Hemp canvas.

After many teething problems our new Hemp kindle covers have come out perfect, and have been received well by our customers on Etsy. It fits so many gadgets, I'm hoping this will be our new best seller.We're waiting for some more leather closures to arrive (should be here today or tomorrow) and then we can make some more colours...can't wait!

And then there's our new DALSTON  Hemp canvas bag for men, which is very popular!!!
It's only made up in the charcoal at the moment, but I will be making more colours soon. And of course customers can make custom orders if they want a particular colour.

This week I'm very busy preparing a special order for Fiona, a contact we have made through Etsy.
Fiona and her husband are opening a life style boutique in Scotland. They will be stocking some of our HOXTON men's toiletries bags  in CHARCOAL, SKY BLUE and PEWTER GREY, when they open their wonderful new shop this month, along with many other unique items, which originate from many different  parts of the world. If you're in the Edinburugh area why not go along to LIFE STORY 53, London Street, and have a browse. With Christmas coming we could all do with some original gift ideas. Or you can follow the process of getting the shop ready and the opening on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/lifestoryshop.
This is a wonderful opportunity for HempLondon and Fiona has been so great to work with.

  

Just to add to my busy week, we're moving my sister into live with us this weekend, along with her daughter and her crazy little dog, until her new house is ready.

 Craft sellers - BEWARE INTERNET SCAM!!!

Last week I received an email via my folksy shop asking me lots of questions about one of my Hemp bags.  

Hello Seller
Am Philips James,I came across your item on Folksy, i will like to buy the item,is it ready for the immediate purchase, before i proceed with the payment i will Like to ask about the item…
1) Is the item still available for sale?
2) What is the present condition of the item?
3) Do you accept PAYPAL as your mode of payment?
4) what is the final asking price?
Kindly get back to me with your reply to my private email
hope to read from you soon.
Best Regards.


All the answers to the questions were clearly laid out on the shop, but I replied with an answer to each one. I then received an email telling me he was working at sea and wanted the bag as a present for his sister and needed my home address, Paypal email address and telephone number and he would send a courier to pick up the item as soon as the payment had gone through.

I then became very suspicious and looked on the Etsy forums to see if this was a scam, and found that this was a very similar email to that other sellers had received.

I contacted Folksy and they said they would suspend his account and this was not the only case to be reported. So if you get an order which follows the same or a similar pattern it would best to ignore it and report it as spam to your email provider. PLEASE DON'T GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION

So Sellers BEWARE!

Sashiko on Hemp canvas

I dyed this Hemp Canvas last week, and I couldn't be more pleased with the colour. It's a beautiful violet shade, but I'm having trouble coming up with the right name to call it on my shop which really describes it. (any suggestions would be welcome).

This is the first item which I have decorated with my new found passion Sashiko embroidery, which originates from Northern Japan and is pronounced 'sash(i)ko, it means 'little stab'. It was originally used for adding strength and warmth to recycled clothes household goods and work clothes.

 It was a craft handed down from mother to daughter in farming and fishing communities and has seen a revival in popularity in recent years. Sashiko can be used as I have here as on stand alone piece, or can be used as part of an intricate repeated pattern.

I can't wait to get on with next design.

About HempLondon

Our aims are to design and make unique hand crafted items, always keeping the environmental impact of producing items to a minimum. Inspired by the creativity of London, the city we live in, our designs are fashionable and practical. We cater for both male and female customers and are in the process of designing a range for babies and toddlers.

Where ever possible we will use organic, fair trade and environmentally friendly materials. During the making process we always recycle and re-use whenever we can and are very aware of our carbon footprint. Our favourite material is HEMP as it is eco-friendly comes in many different weights and textures. Hemp is hardwearing fabric which takes on colours and dyes easily; it hangs beautifully and feels great against your skin.

We have also started a pet range which we will be expanding. Inspired by one of our dogs who has allergies we decided to design a collar that would be comfortable, eco-friendly and minimise her irritation. Made from 100% hemp webbing which grows without the need for pesticides or herbicides, our collars are strong, durable and means your pet is not wearing any unnecessary chemicals. 

Why Hemp?
Hemp is a sustainable alternative and one of the most effective converters of CO2 to oxygen; cleaning the air, improving the soil and helping the fight against global warming. 

Also:
* It grows fast using very little water

* Is naturally organic, needing no pesticides or herbicides

* Every part of the plant is used

* Is more durable than cotton

For more information and keep updated with HempLondon and our products, make sure to follow us here on our blog, visit us on Etsy, follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook (coming soon).