Making a Caravan

   This month, I'm working on developing my own crochet pattern, which is something I've never done before. I was inspired by this crocheted caravan that has been circling the boards of Pinterest for the past year:

   Unfortunately, the creator did not publish a pattern for this incredibly detailed piece. This creation was so amazing, however, that I decided to take on the challenge and see if I could either replicate or modify this caravan. 

   I began with the actual shell of the caravan, using off-white and pink yarn for the outside and only off-white yarn for the inner walls.

   I then just crocheted rows upon rows, building up the walls and sides of the caravan until they looked roughly like those of the original picture's. It took me way longer than I expected (especially because I tried to make the walls larger to incorporate all the possible furniture).

   I realized that I needed something to allow the caravan to stand up and hold its shape on its own, so I cut out oval-ish shapes from a tissue box that I can sew between the inner and outer walls of the caravan shell.

   

Here are the pictures of the process of sewing in the cardboard cutouts:

   This project seems to be taking a lot more time consuming than I expected (it's taken around two weeks just to get to this point), but at least I am done with the shell of the caravan! I was originally planning to sell the finished product on my Etsy account, but I really do not want to go through all that work again. I still have to stitch the walls of my caravan together, and then start working on the furniture, windows, and decorations, but these details should (hopefully) be much more fun and less tedious.

Writing Shop Policies

   Etsy Shops require a set of store policies to abide by and help customers understand what to expect if they were to order a product. Shop policies on Etsy are divided into different sections are thus must include information regarding payment (including form of payment accepted, such as PayPal, Etsy gift cards, and/or credit cards), shipping (when to expect the product to arrive, how/where you ship, and how items are packaged), and a refund policy. My shop policies below were inspired and guided by this guide to writing Etsy Shop policies.

My Shop Policies:
Welcome: Thank you for stopping by WestwoolCrochet! Each one of our products is handcrafted and made-to-order. We hope you find everything to your satisfaction!

Payment: Payment is due at the time of checkout. We accept Credit Cards, PayPal, and Etsy Gift Cards. Orders shipped to Texas will have 8.25% added for sales tax.

Shipping: We only ship to the US at this time.
                Our products are made to order and generally take 4-5 business days to complete.
                We offer two shipping options at the time of checkout (please note that these options only reduce delivery times. It does not reduce the time needed to complete your order):
                         USPS First Class: $3
                         USPS Priority Mail: $7
                 Tracking is included in the price, and you'll get an email with tracking details when your order ships.

Refunds/Exchanges: We offer a 100% money-back guarantee or exchange on all products. Just notify us that you'd like to return or exchange the item within 30 days of receipt, and we'll send you instructions.

Additional Polices and FAQs: We take pride in our work. We personally create every product that we sell. All work takes place in a smoke-free environment, and each piece is inspected closely to ensure the highest quality. Because our items are hand-crafted, no two are exactly alike, and the color/texture of item may vary slightly. Thank you for stopping by Westwool Crochet! We welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions.