Thursday 12 November 2009

Tea-towels Galore!


Well, after weeks of working like mad to build up stock in preparation for our Craft Fairs, we can finally take a step back and admire all our hard work... and let me tell you, it's a nice feeling.

Tonight, we wanted to share some shots of our tea-towels {100% unbleached cotton, screen-printed in the U.K!} all wrapped up and ready to roll... we received fantastic feedback during our first outings and cannot wait to launch them online too!

We have four designs - Rhododendron {available in Fuchsia and Aubergine}, Japanese Anemone {available in Granny Smith and Olive}, Helicopters {available in Ketchup and Mustard} and Sycamore {available in Ink and Turquoise}...

...each tea-towel will be £11.50, or a set of two for £20.00.

Our online shop will launch in approx 2 weeks, but if you spot something you like, you can always drop us a line to enquire about early ordering at, info@abigailryan.com and get in before the crowds!! ;)

ryan&abigail@abigail*ryan


8 comments:

Trish said...

Oh my, they're BEAUTIFUL! Which my boyfriend just responded to with, "uh-oh" — as I began to reach for my wallet! I'm definitely thinking about inquiring for an early order... ;)
Congratulations Abigail and Ryan!

Welcome Home said...

Well done you two! All the hard work is definitely worth it, these are lovely! x

Camilla Engman said...

they look wonderful, Abigail. Congrats.

Julia said...

They look gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

They look great but £11.50 for a functional T-towel seems steep... Career folk will buy these to hang in their fancy kitchens, us students will need to make do with the 99 pence variety unless a discount is unveiled soon :(

Best quality material im sure and amazing hand drawn designs, but similar to the bags and the jewellery well out of the lower class price range as usual these days.

abigail*ryan said...

Dear Anon -

Thanks for your comment.

Neither my range of jewellery, or our new textiles range is designed to be aimed at the budget/student or discount market ... many products fantastically designed but manufactured in sweat-shops in China or India do this just fine already.

High end hand-made goods are priced the way they are for numerous reasons, and, at no point do we pluck prices out of the air just to make a quick buck.

Not everyone will be able to afford them, granted - but rest assured they are fairly priced and always in line with similar products on the market.

I was a student once too, and that means going without sometimes. One day you will be a career person too {maybe even with a fancy kitchen} and all your hard work will have paid off and you can buy what you like...

It's a hard lesson to learn that you can't always have everything you want to buy in life - I know for sure I certainly can't {as a self-employed designer things are extremely tight a LOT of the time} - but, it is important to understand that just because you can't have something, and afford to buy it, doesn't mean it is overpriced.

Many thanks for your input and I hope you take on board our comments and think twice before criticizing independent designers in future on matters of pricing purely because they are out of your own pockets reach.

:)

Kindest Regards,

Abigail @abigail*ryan

ryan@abigailryan said...

I'm sorry you feel that way, anon, but, as with so much in life, you get what you pay for. If you can't afford luxurious, high-end goods, you can't afford them...this isn't the fault of the maker, but the limit of your own budget.

In all of our businesses, we do everything we can to keep our prices affordable, and everything is priced carefully to incorporate the costs incurred by making the item. My bags, for example, are made from handwoven, pure wool tweed and italian lambskin leather...if these materials are beyond the reach of some, so be it. I would much rather make a thing of exceptional quality (in finish as much as in fabrication), instead of throwing together something in "pleather" and nylon, just to meet every pocket.

Sadly, these days, fewer and fewer seem to appreciate the difference between a homemade bargain, and handmade luxury. The time, care, effort, sleepless nights, endless discussions, trials and errors, false starts and restarts, blood, sweat and tears that go in to each and every one of our products makes them more than worth every single penny.

Right now, that may be many more pennies than you have to spare, but, simply put, that's just the way it is. Maybe one day that won't be the case, but, until then, maybe you should buy the 99p versions...and, incidentally, could you tell me where to find them? Ours cost a rather significant amount more than that before they've even been printed.

Vivienne Percy said...

Oh, I just had to comment - I have just received my first order of tea towels, cushions and wee hearts and christmas trees! The cushions are magnificent, gorgeous soft insides and the linen is of the most beautiful quality. The printed fabric is simply beautiful. The tea towels are also of beautiful quality, the cotton is soft and well woven. The drawings are divine, almost good enough to frame.... these are going to make beautiful gifts for Christmas and are presented with their own individual designer band and label, gift wrapped in lime tissue and tied with matching twine. Altogether worth every penny and a really different present idea. The little hearts and trees make a lovely stocking filler and show off the lovely fabrics at a very affordable price. So if a tiny gift is the order of the day, look now further. I am thoroughly delighted with everything. Thanks to Abigail and Ryan for all the hard work they have put in to this beautiful new range.