CRAFTfest: June 2012

I have signed up to take part in the the June CRAFTfest: an online craft event with, so far, over 150 stalls! 

I'm really looking foward to it. I'm hoping it'll be a great networking opportunity and I might even manage to get to grips with the dreaded Twitter!

Here's the poster:

During the event, CRAFTfest will take over the Creative Connections site to become one giant online craft fair. You will be able to see what people have for sale, chat with the makers and more.

If you would like a stall then you need to visit this site - but hurry, all stalls must be booked by the 25th May!

Getting so excited! Just hope I can get enough stock finished to make the most of the opportunity! It would be lovely if you could make it over to the site at some point during the week!

"Stuff"

My second fair was completed successfully on Friday. I said I'd share the new improved stall, so here it is...

I think the black linen shows off the bears (and other items) much better. Adding height to the bear display improved customers' perceptions of the little critters...

It will need further tweaking and probably a banner of some kind, bunting seems very popular this year... Anyway, lots to think on before the next fair. I am feeling far more positive about the whole craft selling thing and will be looking at places to sell on-line, although this may take some time (sooooo many options!).

After the craft fair (and an observation from Lorna) I have also decided it is time for an experiment - or perhaps that should be exbeariment - time to design and make a larger bear...

So - now that I have a project that motivates, interests and challenges me - life keeps throwing "stuff" in the way! Just to reassure you, this is not the self-inflicted "stuff" otherwise known as procrastination. This is the "stuff" that is unavoidable; the "stuff" that I have been putting off due to craft fair preparation. So I have been attempting to tackle the "stuff": I spent a long day getting my car back from its major surgery; I am slowly regaining control after the invasion of craft fair bits into our living space; and I am gradually catching up with the cleaning.

When I'd far rather be working on this...

This (if all works according to plan) will be a 10in (25cm) bear. I am practising with synthetic fur and attempting to make a non-jointed floppy bear. This will be a first and I am actually enjoying the excitement of creating something that could be a complete disaster! I've got the foot pads to sew before I can turn him right side out to find out if the work so far has been a success. As far as I know I have a quiet day tomorrow so I'll let you know how the turning goes...

My mum and sister have been having a creative/craft week together quilting, designing and creating. Check out Mum's blog to see how they get on (Work in Progress, Day Two, Third Day, Update!, Finale).

First successful craft fair

I attended a craft fair on Saturday at the Town Hall in Chipping Sodbury. I have been to a couple of local fairs with my bears and bits, but this has been the best so far. I have learned the importance of being selective about the fairs I do, as the approach of the organisers varies wildly. This fair "felt" like a craft fair. All of the stall holders were exibiting good quality, handmade items and it was evident from their attitude that the customers appreciated the standard of crafts on sale.

Personally, I have learned a lot about how to fill and set out my stall, as well as how to engage with customers. My friend Lorna came along to help out and had lots of fun arranging scenery for the bears...

 

...and here she is, behind the stall, discussing the tiny size of the bears with our neighbouring stallholder...

 

With a few tweaks we think that it could be a much more striking stall, so I intend to implement as many of the changes as possible in time for my next fair on Friday...

Craft fair preparation

As was perhaps to be expected, I have spent most of this week avoiding craft fair preparation. While I should have been making labels, price tags and checking that I have everything I need for Saturday, I have been largely preoccupied with another elephant. I was meant to be making the prototype of an elephant kit for sale - well I did make one and it turned out well (I think anyway).

Every stage of his construction was photographed carefully and the instructions were written. All would have been well if it hadn't been for the blanket.

 

And it wasn't really the blanket's fault. The problem was that I had to look up stitch ideas. This led me to Sharon B's Pintangle - a very dangerous blog to find at such a time. Suffice it to say that I would like to participate in TAST to expand my stitching skills and this site should bear some responsibility for the elephant that has been engaging my attention this week.

 

Inspired by the fabulously decorated elephants at the elephant festivals in India, this white felt creature is now quite heavily embroidered with flowers. 

 

I have got characteristically caught up in the detail and have, almost completely, failed to get anything useful done. 

Oh well, it is finished now and I have blogged about it. Hopefully it is now out of my system, so I may be able to get back to more pressing tasks. And maybe I'll get the kits ready for sale. We'll see...

Craft fair dates for your diary

I have finally chosen the craft fairs that I will be attending before Christmas. 

Craft Fayre

Saturday 26th November, 10am to 4pm

Chipping Sodbury Town Hall

Victorian Evening Craft and Gift Fayre 

Friday 2nd December, 5pm to 9.30pm

Chipping Sodbury Town Hall

I will be taking a selection of my creations to each fair:

teddy bears,

notebooks,

elephants,

Liberty hairclips,

 

and probably a few other random goodies!

It would be lovely to see you there!

Elephants marching through my dreams...

I have spent the last week covering notebooks. This is not, perhaps, the most inspiring of projects but very necessary as I would like to do a craft fair soon. The main drawback of taking miniature teddy bears to a craft fair is that my entire stock would only fill a space the size of an A4 sheet of paper: not really an eye catching display on the average table! So I have been busily making other fabric items that will take up that extra space. 

Don't get me wrong, I do like the notebooks. The overall effect is good and they have a nice finish to them. It's just that another project has been haunting me since it popped into my head and if it wasn't for my OH's very sensible veto on experiments until the table-fillers were completed, I wouldn't have covered any notebooks at all!

Yesterday I finally reached a satisfactory notebook count so was allowed to spend the afternoon on something else. So naturally the experimental project was given some time. Well quite a lot of time actually...

All year I have been making elephants: 

small felt elephants; 

 

 the YDC Mystery elephant for the March charity auction on eBid; 

and a small Liberty fabric elephant (as-yet-unfinished).

But there is another elephant: one that I have been drawing since I was a child. I don't know where it came from but this elephant has always been very close to my heart. So I thought I'd give it a go. After a few quick sketches, I cut out the templates and ultrasuede and started to sew. I was expecting that this attempt would be very much a prototype so that I could see how to change the pattern to get the right shape but actually I have surprised myself.

Apart from slightly bruised finger tips (the ultrasuede is quite stiff to work with), sewing and turning was easier than I expected...

the shape is good, although perhaps a tiny bit wide across the crown of the head...

 

and the trunk worked very well.

 Now all this elephant needs is a body...