Zzzzips... An item that is produced in its millions every day and used in many clothing and household items... Suddenly they were extremely hard to find!
My shop of choice, Regent Home of Sewing doesn't stock small-length zips (10cm and 13cm) and it seems several online retailers don't either, or had none left in stock. I put the word out on Insta but no luck; suppliers I follow sell yarns and embroidery patches, the place I bought facemask mask elastic and nose wire, zips were seemingly nowhere. I found the perfect website to buy YKK zips in bulk but - extremely annoyingly - they're currently using DHL delivery only (not Royal Mail) as Covid is causing so many delays they are not using RM at the moment. The delivery price alone was a whopping £8.. Forget that.
Finally... I found somewhere, pricier per zip than the DHL place but only £1.39 delivery cost. The website was clear that staff shortages meant it may take longer for the order to be delivered... So when the zips turn up is anybody's guess!
I've crocheted the outer layer of the purses but without the zips I can't move on. The green silk threads I ordered last week also haven't arrived... Apparently they're being wound and so it could take upto 21 days... And the metallic DMC thread I ordered from Amazon around Christmas time still hasn't arrived. Oh well, bigger things going on in the world, I guess!
I recently had an enlightening video call with a small business digital helper called Peta, who I'd recommend for anyone starting or wishing to start their own business, or who has a small business and would like a steer in the right digital direction. You can find Peta on Instagram @digitalpeta or by checking out her website: https://peta-lawrence.co.uk/start-here/
Hopefully the above crafting items will arrive shortly (even one of them would do for now!).
Thank you for your valuable time 😊
Lingling