Rainbows and Owls and Lots of Lace!

Oh Deer

 

Some neon and deer print bags for your viewing pleasure. (I found this fabric at Ikea on a recent trip to help a friend pick out curtains.) I have been postering and passing out cards for the upcoming Patchwork Modern Handmade Festival and was inspired to make something extra springy and eye-catching. Just two more weeks to go!

Nice Rack!

 

At craft fairs, I tend to sell more of the items I have laid out on the table than the purses and tote bags I have hanging up. It could be because they are better displayed and easier to access so I thought I'd try something new for the Patchwork Modern Handmade Fair at Jack London Square on May 12. I just hauled this out of the closet and I hope it'll do the trick!

My 'Stache

Cat Fancy

Fold-over Clutches

I have been experimenting with some larger pieces of upholstery fabric to make some fold-over clutches. I've seen them with buttons and magnets, but I chose zippers natch. I'm not so much a clutch girl -- I never quite know what to do with them when I need my hands for something else. But these might just win me over.

Spring Into Patchwork

I got my acceptance letter today -- I'm officially in the spring Patchwork Modern Handmade Festival at Jack London Square in Oakland on May 12. YAY!!! Last year was a big success and I can't wait to do it all again. Hope to see you there!

Deja Vu All Over Again

 

So a few weeks ago I returned to where it all started, it being my love affair with craft fairs! My first-ever outing was in Martinez at the Support Women Artists Now (SWAN) Day Festival in March 2012 and my second time was just as good as the first, dare I say even better as I've learned a lot about craft shows in the past year.

Most important lesson: Don't put out every single thing you have! Especially if you're me and you went all crazy making a ton of stuff! Now I'm still working on this, but having a cleaner and more cohesive booth display really helps the customer zero in on whether there's anything there that they want to buy. It's also a much more eye-catching display to have fewer items well arranged, as opposed to a giant jumble of things. My photos above might still look like quite a jumble to some but I'm definitely improving.

Another thing I have learned is that you just never know what's going to sell. I made a bunch of pot holders because they've always gone quickly and I was completely out from last year's run of fairs, but only sold a few. On the other hand, all but one of my table runners was snapped up and I sold all but two of the roll-up tote bags, which I made about a dozen of before deciding that they wouldn't be popular. So go figure!

ALSO, and I can't believe I almost forgot this, I scored a ton of upholstery fabrics in bright colors and big pieces too! I was so excited I spent hours locked up in my sewing room going through it all despite being completely exhausted after spending all day at the fair. Don't worry, I gave the dumpster diversion project a generous donation even though they said that I was doing them a favor by taking them off their hands! I will be making some more colorful upcycled upholstery spring totes soon, you can count on that.