I’m not sure that’s true, but I am sure that lots of people do sell without declaring their income!!
You are right Bathsheba! I think the rule is that all earnings should be declared, although if they don’t exceed your personal tax code you don’t always get taxed on them!
It is always wise to let the tax office know as if they discover you are earning money you don’t declare you can get into trouble…as some online sellers have found out & had to pay quite large amounts!
If you make a dress for a friend and she gives you £20 for doing so, they see that as a gift , but if you do it often then you need to let the tax office know.
On a bright note, I manage to get 3 of my clients a tax refund, because running a small business they didn’t have the time to fill in tax returns accurately, didn’t know all the rules & couldn’t afford acountants fees.
I charged them just for the time I spent doing their books & tax return, so less than a tenth of what they would pay an accountant.
Doing that kept me from getting bored, when I had to stay at home to care for a diabetic cat after my mum died, so she couldn’t keep an eye on him!
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I looked into it at one time, Bathsheba, and found this site explained a lot :-
Decided against because, at the moment my jewellery making and card making are fun, and I would lose that if they became a business.
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So I could sell without declaring as long as my income doesn’t exceed £1000. Well that’s quite good to know actually, so thanks! But I guess I would still have to keep records in case the IR questioned it. And this is where it gets tricky, because how do I record my outlay on materials when I’m using fabric I bought way in the past and have no receipts or any sort of record of what it cost. And what about using scrap fabrics, leftovers from another project? How on earth do I record the cost to me of those scraps? Then there are other expenses - sewing machine maintenance and depreciation. It all gets too complicated for me, lol!
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Well it took me a long while, what with the heatwave stopping all work, and then being away at my son’s for a week, but I’ve finally finished the memory bear for my daughter’s neighbour, after she lost her dad.
Cutting apart the shirts, sorting and ironing the pieces
Head and arms sewn up
Turning the completed bear in the right way - this felt almost impossible, as the gap I’d left was really quite small. I thought I’d never get it all through the gap, but finally I have an empty bear waiting to be stuffed!
Stuffing the bear - legs and feet stuffed first, then the arms, head, and finally his tum. I embroidered a message on the soles of his feet 
Sewing up the hole in his back and doing the face. He’s finished!!! He has a slightly wonky muzzle, which I couldn’t correct without unstuffing, unpicking and realigning. Didn’t want to risk doing this because the fabric frays and it could all have gone belly up. So I decided his wonky muzzle gave him character! Lou, my daughter’s neighbour, was thrilled with him when I took him round this afternoon, and was in tears when my daughter pointed out the embroidered feet, which was a little extra that she hadn’t expected 
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How lovely, a wonderful way to keep her Dad close to her.
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What a lovely idea. He is beautiful, Bathsheba!
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This is lovely . We’ll done xx
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Oh that is simply adorable
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Oh this had me tearing up for a second! What a lovely special bear! And yes the “wonky” muzzle does make it so unique! 
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Thanks @PixieKnuckles. I have to confess I was feeling choked seeing Lou’s reaction - but I did smile inwardly as she peeled her false eyelashes off because she was crying 
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Thanks @Mags, I think these things are always emotional aren’t they? I’ve got plenty of fabric left over so I’m going to make her a little patchwork cushion as well, free of charge to make up for the time this one took me (and the wonky muzzle!!)
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You are a Star @Bathsheba , Ihad not heard of these memory Bears before , .What a good Idea .
My daughter took 2 of her dads shirts last year in memory of him .
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Thank you so much Eliza. There are lots of people who make these - if your daughter is interested she could look on Etsy, or just Google memory bears.
I have only just found this thread, but I am in awe of your skills. I can do stuff with gert big lumps of wood, but I can’t stich or sow to save my life.
Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you so much @Fruitcake. And I could not begin to create the amazing things you do with gert big lumps of wood!! I guess we all have our different skills, and I am in awe of yours, and of many others on here 
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