New Pattern: Kells Corners

It's now October and this year seems to be flying by! I've been working on ways to use up my ridiculously large stack of craft papers and various bits and bobs. I've already come up with some hand-stitched Christmas card ideas but that's for another time.

I've also added a new Celtic pattern to my shop. This one has a very different look to the others. It is based on a little geometric motif at the corners of a portrait of St Matthew in the Book of Kells. 

Kells Corners

It fits perfectly into a 7-inch hoop but would also make a great cushion cover or a design for a tote bag.

You can of course stitch it in any colours you like, and that little space in the centre is the perfect place for a button.

When you've stitched it, you can either frame it as pictured at the top or turn it around and frame it so that it looks more like the bottom picture.

You can buy the pattern on Etsy and Payhip (remember, if you live in the UK you won't have to pay EU VAT if you buy through Payhip).

www.hawthorntreedesigns.com

Etsy prices - EU VAT update

I wrote in an earlier post how EU VAT is affecting sellers of digital products, no matter how small the business is. To recap, any business, regardless of its size, is now obliged to charge EU VAT to customers that live within the European Union.

 

In January, Etsy announced they would put systems in place to deal with this tax. Last week the system was introduced and so if you live in an EU country, you will see that my prices have increased. The price that you see will have increased by the EU VAT rate in your country. For the UK, this is 20%.

 

The price is calculated and added automatically and Etsy will take care of the tax. Unfortunately, because I'm not selling directly to customers in the UK, the tax still applies to sales to UK customers.

 

This is completely beyond my control and Etsy are only doing what the law requires them to do.

 

If you buy from my Payhip shop, EU VAT is added at the checkout.

 

There is a strong campaign to get the EU to introduce a reasonable threshold that will mean small businesses no longer have to charge this tax. If you would like to know more about how EU VAT will affect you as a business owner or customer click the link below.

 

http://euvataction.org/

Etsy Shop back to Instant Downloads

This is just a very quick post to let you know that the designs in my Etsy shop are once again available as instant downloads. This is because Etsy have now admitted that they are liable for EU VAT and have relieved us of the burden. Hurrah!

 

I'm currently stitching the second of two designs which will be launched later this month. They are inspired by two things: an ancient bronze shield and sun worship in ancient cultures. I'm very pleased with how they're turning out and I'm very excited about sharing them with you.

 

Time to get back to the needle and thread!

Instant downloads are back!

As you know I had to temporarily close my Etsy shop after they disappointingly decided to make individual sellers responsible for EU VAT. This is the opposite to what HMRC state but until they sort it out between themselves my patterns will be delivered from my Etsy shop by e-mail.

 

However - I am very pleased to announce that I have opened a brand new shop on Payhip which you can find here. Not only do they take care of all the EU VAT hassle for me, you can purchase all of the patterns as instant downloads so everybody wins! Hurrah!

 

I will eventually be adding more patterns - I can now carry on with the plans to release new patterns throughout the year and I am really excited about them. Here's a sneaky peak at the one I'm currently working on.

 

 

(c) Karen Eley/The Hawthorn Tree 2015

Esty shop open again

The good news is I have reopened my Etsy shop but the not so good news is that due to Etsy's disappointing stance on EU VAT I can now only offer the patterns via e-mail, rather than instant downloads. I know that this is a pain in the rear end for you and me but until Etsy offer workable solutions I'm afraid it has to be this way. Very soon I will be opening a new shop on a platform that deals with all the VAT and allows instant downloads. It will take me a while to sort the files out but as soon as it's up and running I'll tell you all about it.

 

I suspect that platforms such as Etsy will eventually have to change their business models as EU VAT will eventually apply to anything sold within the EU, digital or physical and this will effect anyone who trades within the EU. If third party platforms fail to comply with EU VAT then people will simply stop using them. It would be nice though if they showed more of a sense of urgency.

 

That's all for now but this whole issue is an ongoing situation so this will not be the last you'll be hearing about it.

 

In the meantime, happy stitching!

Etsy Shop Temporarily Closed

In my last post, I mentioned the new EU VAT regulations that will take effect from 1st Jan 2015. I thought it would be possible to carry on as normal as I only sell through 3rd party market places. This was after assurances from HMRC (the UK tax office) that if you sell through such a website then it will be up to them to pay the VAT and not the individual seller. However, there is conflicting and confusing information about whether this is true or not. Etsy have stated on their blog that as individual sellers are paid directly by their customers then they ARE liable for the tax. They have not yet decided what they are going to do to help sellers comply and so until then, we cannot decide what we will do either. One possible solution is to send the PDF files manually via e-mail, as this means they will not be subject to the tax laws. My Folksy shop already operates this way and so is unaffected. I have reluctantly decided that until Etsy makes its position clearer and offers possible solutions that the best thing to do is close the shop for a short while and have a think.

 

I am very sorry for the really short notice but this has been really badly handled by the authorities and the vast majority of sole traders who will be affected did not find out until about 6 weeks ago. As I said, the implications of the legislation are still being debated, even by those who are enforcing it, so you can imagine how stressful this is for those of us who need to know what to do. As soon as I work something out, I will let you know here on my blog. You can follow me on Twitter and find me on Facebook to get in touch and keep updated.

 

Here's the good news. My Folksy shop is as yet unaffected as they have no instant download facility. Patterns are delivered manually via e-mail and so the tax laws do not apply. You an find my popular Lindisfarne Celtic Geometry and Art Nouveau Rose patterns there, as well as others. You don't need to register with Folksy to buy anything there, you can simply pay with a credit or debit card without logging in.

 

The legislation will eventually cover ALL goods, whether they are digital or not so I need to look for alternatives. I have already found some potential long-term homes for my patterns and my plans to release new designs next year are unchanged.

 

Of course, a lot of this stress and hassle would be avoided if the EU put a reasonable threshold in place to remove the burden for sole traders and small businesses. Let's hope that 2015 brings some wisdom and common sense to those in charge (!) and I wish you all a happy, prosperous and creative year. 

 

To end with, here is a sampler I stitched a couple of years ago. I don't usually do pink so I'm not sure what came over me but I'm quite pleased with the results.

 

 

Time to Reflect

 

 

As I write this, we're just a couple of days away from the Winter Solstice, the shortest and darkest day of the year. This is always an important turning point for me as it means that the days will soon be growing longer and lighter again (very good for us stitchers!). It is always a time to reflect on the passing year and looking forward to the swiftly approaching new year. This time I have been reflecting on my first months of trading and making plans for my business in 2015.

 

I've already learned a lot about what has worked and what hasn't. I'll definitely be working to improve my photography and I will be opening a Flickr account to share more of my behind-the-scenes stuff, as well as my inspirations.

 

I'm very excited about the patterns that I'll be releasing next year. There are some Celtic designs inspired by ancient artwork; some designs inspired by the natural world, including my favourite bird, a colourful finch and his mate; there are some fun and quirky ones too. I haven't yet finalised the order in which I'll be releasing them but as soon as each one is ready, I'll be telling you about it here.

 

I'm also planning to create some one-off pieces. Not necessarily to sell but just to share my love of embroidery with like-minded people and to grow as an embroiderer. Although all of my patterns are either cross stitch or blackwork, I enjoy all kinds of embroidery and I want to make time to really enjoy the craft and learn new things. I'll be sharing my progress on Flickr when my account is set up.

 

The best thing about this year has been the contact I have had with other designer-makers on Twitter. It's lovely to know there are so many creative people out there who enjoy sharing ideas and giving each other encouragement. I am very happy to be part of this community. Working on your own at home can be difficult at times so it's good to know you're all out there.

 

You may be aware that from 1st Jan 2015, the EU have decided that anybody selling digital products to EU countries will have to pay VAT to whichever country the sale was made in. This is mainly aimed at large companies who choose to funnel their taxes through the countries with the lower rates. I have no sympathy at all with such companies and it's about time they were made to pay tax in all of the countries that they trade in. The problem however is that there is no threshold being applied so no matter how small the business, VAT will have to be paid. Businesses will also be required to collect customer data and store it for 10 years. This is extremely difficult for small businesses and will add a huge administrative burden as well as a financial one. It won't affect me as I only sell through third parties but I was planning to eventually trade independently. That will not now be possible. If you'd like to show your support for small businesses you can do so by signing this petition:

 

https://www.change.org/p/pierre-moscovici-a-unilateral-suspension-of-the-introduction-of-the-new-eu-vat-laws-for-micro-businesses-and-sole-traders

 

To end on a more cheery note, tonight I'll be watching my favourite Christmas film It's A Wonderful Life. Last year it inspired me to make an embroidered piece to hang in my room. So all that remains is to wish you all a Merry Christmas and thank you to everyone who has supported me.