Florafairweather 🌸

[JessicaFletcher]

Don't even get my started on spitspotcrochet! Didn't she used to be spitspitloves? I ordered an item off her once & I never received it. She was so difficult to contact, didn't reply to messages (or comments on her page!) then took ages to refund me. Other people said the same too. Never used her again

Yeah I've heard not very good things about her when she was spitspotloves. Perhaps that's why the name change.

I also find it odd she (spitspot) was advertising the cardigans only in the colours they happen to be on Ali express. She's now removed them and the post on her grid. I don't doubt she makes the majority of stuff herself but the cardigans seem a bit off.

Makes me really cross there are people putting hours into creating a business single handed and situations like this ruin it for them.

I run in some crafty circles, and alarm bells ring for me on the following... I think these are perfectly reasonable questions that any honest crafter would have no issue with answering

1. How do you deal with different tension. I am an experienced crocheter, yet I can make a square blanket of 100 rounds, and if my friend (equally experienced) made the same blanket I could guarantee there would be a difference in size and stitch shape/definition. Those 10 blankets you just posted a picture of are identical - also there's no way 4 people could make 10 blankets in a day, no matter how basic they are.

2. Who is the pattern designer of the cardigans you sell? I have scoured Ravelry, Etsy, and Google and can't find trace of a written pattern, but I can find many many other sites selling that exact same cardigan.

3. Why do you never show any progress photos? People who buy handmade blankets love to see pictures of the making process, its part of the appeal of paying extra for something handmade over going to mamas and papas to buy a blanket.

4. How on earth do you make a profit? One of those basic granny blankets is at least 5 hours work even for the speediest crocheter. You must be paying your freelancers pennies and buying some pretty cheap acrylic yarn to get away with shifting them for between 20 & 30 quid.

Ladies - there are lots of truly lovely people out there that make some pretty stunning blankets (FYI they'll all be posting loads of progress photos, its how they build their business), Florafairweather is one of very very few I've ever seen outsourcing "handmade" blankets - it totally defeats the object of buying something from an small seller on instagram.

Your points are excellent. I crochet fast and it would probably take me min 2 days to finish a baby blanket, if I worked on it all the hours of the day. It is possible that if she has 4 ladies who help that she could have 10 in a week but still the info coming back isn't really adding up here.

 

[K87]

My mother has been crocheting and knitting for years my Nan too , even in there prime with the craft they still couldn’t make one blanket in a day , they used to have a group of them knitting and crocheting and even then experience crocheting and knitters never made a blanket in a day , unless she has a knitting machine , I think people are annoyed because now a lot of others are selling the exact same and are saying they are wholesale

 

[BallsOfWool]

You can't machine crochet, any crochet you ever see will be handmade - even stuff on the high street. It just might be handmade by some poor soul on the other side of the world being paid pennies.

I once made a blanket a bit like a daisy blanket (different pattern same construction techniques) and it took me 4 days of sitting 12 hours a day crocheting (I was on a deadline for a babygift) - My wrists and brain wanted to die after I finished. I've been crocheting over 20 years so I consider myself pretty experienced.

 

[Rxqueen85]

I run in some crafty circles, and alarm bells ring for me on the following... I think these are perfectly reasonable questions that any honest crafter would have no issue with answering

1. How do you deal with different tension. I am an experienced crocheter, yet I can make a square blanket of 100 rounds, and if my friend (equally experienced) made the same blanket I could guarantee there would be a difference in size and stitch shape/definition. Those 10 blankets you just posted a picture of are identical - also there's no way 4 people could make 10 blankets in a day, no matter how basic they are.

2. Who is the pattern designer of the cardigans you sell? I have scoured Ravelry, Etsy, and Google and can't find trace of a written pattern, but I can find many many other sites selling that exact same cardigan.

3. Why do you never show any progress photos? People who buy handmade blankets love to see pictures of the making process, its part of the appeal of paying extra for something handmade over going to mamas and papas to buy a blanket.

4. How on earth do you make a profit? One of those basic granny blankets is at least 5 hours work even for the speediest crocheter. You must be paying your freelancers pennies and buying some pretty cheap acrylic yarn to get away with shifting them for between 20 & 30 quid.

Ladies - there are lots of truly lovely people out there that make some pretty stunning blankets (FYI they'll all be posting loads of progress photos, its how they build their business), Florafairweather is one of very very few I've ever seen outsourcing "handmade" blankets - it totally defeats the object of buying something from an small seller on instagram.

Exactly this! I am a small crochet business and I make blankets and other crochet goods. I had been following Flora for a couple of years and always thought her account is so lovely and her colours etc. But did always wonder how she made them so quickly! It takes me a good few evenings to make a baby size blanket.

I am so disappointed to find out that the blankets she's selling aren't made by herself yet she has such a huge following including some massive names in the crochet world. I've unfollowed her now.

 

[mechanicmum]

I'm surprised at the way you're dealing with legitimate customer complaints here @Florafairweather . In fact, that's worse than the facade of your insta feed

 

[Missblue]

Exactly this! I am a small crochet business and I make blankets and other crochet goods. I had been following Flora for a couple of years and always thought her account is so lovely and her colours etc. But did always wonder how she made them so quickly! It takes me a good few evenings to make a baby size blanket.

I am so disappointed to find out that the blankets she's selling aren't made by herself yet she has such a huge following including some massive names in the crochet world. I've unfollowed her now.
When you see your own items YOUVE made your self , reposted on social media with no credit to the maker and sold on is awful , why didn’t I say anything? Because said person has a big following, and would it have done more damage to me or them , it’s hard to know,
But it’s been going on over a year now buying and reselling

When you see your own items YOUVE made your self , reposted on social media with no credit to the maker and sold on is awful , why didn’t I say anything? Because said person has a big following, and would it have done more damage to me or them , it’s hard to know,

 

[K87]

When you see your own items YOUVE made your self , reposted on social media with no credit to the maker and sold on is awful , why didn’t I say anything? Because said person has a big following, and would it have done more damage to me or them , it’s hard to know,

Omg really what’s happened ?

 

[Cubalibra]

When you see your own items YOUVE made your self , reposted on social media with no credit to the maker and sold on is awful , why didn’t I say anything? Because said person has a big following, and would it have done more damage to me or them , it’s hard to know,

tit! You need to speak up!!!! Honestly this is awful! Really is!

 

[Rxqueen85]

When you see your own items YOUVE made your self , reposted on social media with no credit to the maker and sold on is awful , why didn’t I say anything? Because said person has a big following, and would it have done more damage to me or them , it’s hard to know,

Honestly I have found the crochet world to be quite ruthless!

 

[K87]

People need to start speaking out about it , I only realised flora wasn’t being completely honest when I see other Instagram pages selling the same stuff , to be fair I’ve seen a lot I’ve also seen a lot of pages with there own patterns but a lot of patterns what they are calling there own are just older vintage patterns modernised , it’s quite sad really that you do get the genuine people who do it for a hobby and are so delighted for every like and every purchase and then you get the ‘money grabbers ‘ who are just greedy and are out for what they can get , this then shons the real people who put time and effort in to there work in a bad light , mainly the bigger , more follower accounts seem to be more respected than the less real accounts who work hard , I think people think if they are kind to the massive follower accounts and support them they will then support each other and gain more followers , (out for what they can get ) where as the likes of pages that have not many followers seemed to get attacked

 

[Blossomboo]

Has it ever occurred to any of you that maybe when her shop started out way back in 2014 she did make everything herself! Her shop has grown, just like any small business hopes to do. There comes a point where there is one of you and too many orders/enquires for orders! Therefore you get help! She has explained she pays someone to help her make the blankets, this doesn’t mean the blankets aren’t handmade, she’s simply getting some help otherwise she’d have like one blanket for sale and you’d all be moaning her shop is always sold out. If you don’t like the price...don’t buy it or don’t follow. Simple!

 

[mechanicmum]

Has it ever occurred to any of you that maybe when her shop started out way back in 2014 she did make everything herself! Her shop has grown, just like any small business hopes to do. There comes a point where there is one of you and too many orders/enquires for orders! Therefore you get help! She has explained she pays someone to help her make the blankets, this doesn’t mean the blankets aren’t handmade, she’s simply getting some help otherwise she’d have like one blanket for sale and you’d all be moaning her shop is always sold out. If you don’t like the price...don’t buy it or don’t follow. Simple!

Her aggressive explanation on here is the first I'd heard of this. Her page is very misleading

 

[Cubalibra]

Has it ever occurred to any of you that maybe when her shop started out way back in 2014 she did make everything herself! Her shop has grown, just like any small business hopes to do. There comes a point where there is one of you and too many orders/enquires for orders! Therefore you get help! She has explained she pays someone to help her make the blankets, this doesn’t mean the blankets aren’t handmade, she’s simply getting some help otherwise she’d have like one blanket for sale and you’d all be moaning her shop is always sold out. If you don’t like the price...don’t buy it or don’t follow. Simple!

Help? As in a wholesaler then messaging customers pretending to be hand making them? I have photos of labels being left in her cardigans! If you google the name on the label it directs you to aliexpress!!! That’s not honest. I’m sure she states in her stories, which gets deleted after 24 hrs that she has had help. But if you are just someone who stumbled upon her page, you would think she has hand knitted all her blankets and items!

 

[Rxqueen85]

Has it ever occurred to any of you that maybe when her shop started out way back in 2014 she did make everything herself! Her shop has grown, just like any small business hopes to do. There comes a point where there is one of you and too many orders/enquires for orders! Therefore you get help! She has explained she pays someone to help her make the blankets, this doesn’t mean the blankets aren’t handmade, she’s simply getting some help otherwise she’d have like one blanket for sale and you’d all be moaning her shop is always sold out. If you don’t like the price...don’t buy it or don’t follow. Simple!

I make all of my goods by myself and I make them to order, people are happy with that and happy to know that I have handmade the item myself. If you get so 'big' that you can't keep up with orders then you have to change your business model. If you are going to source your blankets from elsewhere then just state that and then there wouldn't be an issue. Her page is very misleading.

 

[BallsOfWool]

Has it ever occurred to any of you that maybe when her shop started out way back in 2014 she did make everything herself! Her shop has grown, just like any small business hopes to do. There comes a point where there is one of you and too many orders/enquires for orders! Therefore you get help! She has explained she pays someone to help her make the blankets, this doesn’t mean the blankets aren’t handmade, she’s simply getting some help otherwise she’d have like one blanket for sale and you’d all be moaning her shop is always sold out. If you don’t like the price...don’t buy it or don’t follow. Simple!

I think if she was clearer about it and added a strapline like “handmade by the florafairweather team” then people wouldn’t be quite so up in arms about it - she could have even turned it to her advantage and showcased the ladies that make things for her. I had a scroll through her profile and website and it doesn’t make it clear that her products are made for her by freelance crafters.

And as for growing to the point of not coping, lots of handmade businesses have grown to the point that they have to close their order books for a period of time, and sell custom slots on a website. I only know of Frank&Olive who also got people to crochet for her.

The whole point of buying stuff off insta crocheters is that you’re buying direct from the maker. That’s why people are often prepared to pay a premium.

As for the price, she sells them ridiculously cheap & don’t even get me started on the price people sell things for on eBay, it totally undervalues the work that goes into a handmade item.

 

[mechanicmum]

I think if she was clearer about it and added a strapline like “handmade by the florafairweather team” then people wouldn’t be quite so up in arms about it - she could have even turned it to her advantage and showcased the ladies that make things for her. I had a scroll through her profile and website and it doesn’t make it clear that her products are made for her by freelance crafters.

And as for growing to the point of not coping, lots of handmade businesses have grown to the point that they have to close their order books for a period of time, and sell custom slots on a website. I only know of Frank&Olive who also got people to crochet for her.

The whole point of buying stuff off insta crocheters is that you’re buying direct from the maker. That’s why people are often prepared to pay a premium.

As for the price, she sells them ridiculously cheap & don’t even get me started on the price people sell things for on eBay, it totally undervalues the work that goes into a handmade item.

I agree with you, there's even a "who makes your clothes?" Campaign she could have got involved with

 

[K87]

If somebody is making for somebody else they should always always credit whether it’s there design or the wool used or if they have helpers it shouldn’t be told afterwards either , as soon as a item is put up on a platform whoever is involved in the making process she be credited , before the item is sold , that’s why copyright , watermarks etc where introduced so people where falsely advertising or given false information

 

[Cubalibra]

Well spitspot whatever the IG handler name is; told me that she bought a load from chicwish. She has now deleted her messages and blocked me! She also deleted all her post about the cardigan!

 

[K87]

Well spitspot whatever the IG handler name is; told me that she bought a load from chicwish. She has now deleted her messages and blocked me! She also deleted all her post about the cardigan!

I found them on a app called alibaba in different sizes and a lilac colour too , I see the spitspot post and she’s taken them down , she even said she had a pattern for them , but bizarre I’ve searched high and low for a pattern was going to get my Nan to make one there is no pattern !!

 

[Mum2two]

I found them on a app called alibaba in different sizes and a lilac colour too , I see the spitspot post and she’s taken them down , she even said she had a pattern for them , but bizarre I’ve searched high and low for a pattern was going to get my Nan to make one there is no pattern !!

Yeah same here she never sent me it? Strange I'm not here to witch about anyone iv only ever commented on this flora thread I cannot find a pattern anywhere so to me it's got to be wholesale which is fine just be honest. She hasn't even put anything on ig to settle a debate