A selection of pictures from Mount Stewart

The calm before the storm first thing in the morning.

All set up, ready to go. Where is breakfast?

My table. I try on these smaller tables to hold back and not put too much stuff out but I'm not always too sucessful.

Pretty baguettes, really like this navy japanese fabric.

 

A few little zipper pouches.

My petite baguettes, with new chains. Love them, want one for myself.

Projects

I should be preparing for Mount Stewart craft fair but my mind is else where. Mainly at work :(, but occasionally wondering to other things. A sneak peek.....

9 Tips for Craft Fairs

I posted on Etsy forum about craft fairs and I thought I would post about it here as well in a bit more detail. I am no expert and do not claim to be, I do about 6 fairs a year, here are some of my tips.


1. Pick your fair carefully. Venues and timing makes a real difference. Christmas is a massive time for me but small fairs aren't quite as good. So I am better shelling out for the big fairs and doing less of them. Better return for my time.

2. Target your customers. Not every fair lends itself to the same sort of stock. I do 1 or 2 summer fairs and I always bring more mini clutches (purses) because people are more likely to make these smaller purchases.

3. Have a unique selling patter. I like to draw people in - for me it is talking about the fabrics I use, where they come from, why I picked them. It is less "hard selling" and more getting them to do more than lift a bag, set it down and walk on. It also means they are more likely to come back or check out my website. Talk lots about your items being handmade locally. People often assume that products are bought in and sold on. Local produce is big.

4. Practice setting up your table. This is my big weakness. I want to put every bag on show, but I can't the tables are tiny. I sometimes over clutter and need to take stuff back off. I always tell my customers I have loads more that aren't on show. It would be the first time a customer is behind my table poking in my stock boxes.

5. Business cards. Make them pretty. Thrust them on everyone - if they can't remeber your name they will never check you outwhen they get home. Make them useful -I have calenders printed on the back of mine and stumped up for a glossy finish. I know I usually keep a card with a  calender.

6. Lighting. This can really make you items pop. I don't shell out for electricity at every fair - £30 a day ($45) is just too much - but if it's free or a couple of pound I pay for it. It really makes a difference when it starts to get a little darker.

7. Try not to look like a market trader. I know it's cold and you want to wrap up but do you really need to wear your entire wardrobe - especially that raggy old jumper that is so warm. Invest in good quality thermals - socks, undershirts, even longjohns. Wrap a pretty scarf around your neck, pop a cute hat on. Wear your good coat when selling if your really cold, just not your hiking gear. Your image is everything, you are a crafter, creator, artist, you want people to buy the idea, the concept of your work. Bring your super warm stuff for setting up and taking back down when your customers are gone.

8. Bring food. This might seem obvious but you don't want to spend all your profit on coffee. Or worse still get there and realise there are no food outlets. I know you think "what sort of fair doesn't have a few food stalls for the visitors" but I went to one last year that had the food products separated in another tent 1/2 a mile from the craft tent - a big country estate fair! There was one coffee stand and no food stands within easy reach. I always pack a good picnic - rolls, crisps, bakery items, tea break nibbles and a big thermos, we don't always eat what we bring, but it's there just in case we need a pick me up.

9. Believe. This is the hardest thing to do with your own work. For my first fair my friend called in to keep us company for a bit and she was a master, very engaging, but she had nothing to lose if someone said they didn't like a bag, she didn't make it. Now it doesn't bother me as much. If someone makes a comment I don't take it to heart because I know my product is good and well made.

Craft Fair

I don't do many fairs at this time of the year, I'm not sure there is a huge market for clutches just before the summer, but last year I attended Mount Stewart Garden and Craft Fair. I would be truthful in saying I didn't enjoy it last year as it lashed with rain and was freezing which was unusual even for here in May. It wasn't that busy (although I think that was to do with the weather) and quite expensive so I was adamant I was not going this year, but I relented, mainly because it gave me really good contacts.

So I applied this year again, and I have been successful. It's on 22 &23 May so I really am going to have to get passed my sewers block now.

St George's Christmas Craft Fair

I will be attending St George's Christmas Craft Fair in Belfast this year again. Last year it was our first ever craft fair, so we are looking forward to going back.

It is on

Saturday 5 December: 9am - 5pm

Sunday 6 December: 10am - 5pm

If you are in the local area stop by and have a chat.

***Update - Having just looked at photo's from last year it has suddenly occurred to me I didn't have much stock and this year I have tonnes.****

Disappearance

While my disappearance should have been down to sewing my fingers to the bone for my next craft fair, but it has been down to the fact that life is even busier than normal. I finally got a weekend of last week to catch up on much needed sleep.

I have been sewing like mad this week, for Saturday and Sunday. I do I have a decent amount of stock, I'm just at this stage making bags I know are good sellers.

More craft shopping

From time to time I am a craft shopper. On Saturday my OH and I headed of to a craft fair on Londonderry in the Guild Hall. It was about an hour a little bit before we arrived so not to bad. The venue was fab and had a lovely feel about it, everyone we met was very friendly.

We had heard it was a good fair and were checking it out, as one to possibly apply for next year. It was lovely and a nice change being back on the other side of the stall. We drank coffee and ambled around. I spoke to a few stall holders I knew and they seemed to be quite positive, so a definite maybe.

I also made a few purchases and even bought something for myself from Hennies Beads.

craft book

I splashed out on Stray Sock Sewing, because it is super cute and I welcome a fun new thing to do over the Christmas Hols. As soon as I picked this book up I was hooked, it is full of fun animals just waiting to be made. The book is split into sections, there is a section showing a variety of animals having adventures and a section showing how to make some of them. It is fun feel-good book which I am looking forward to trying out.

This little guy is the very last picture in the book and I just love him.

Craft Fairs

So far I have been to 2 Christmas craft fairs in the last 2 weeks. Neither have been fabulous but certainly worth going to. The big upside is that I have created loads of stock, which I will be uploading to my shop over the next few days. It also means I have good stock for my big Christmas Fair in Decemeber.

One of the things I love about craft fairs is the opportunity to talk to my customers. Etsy is great but you don't get the chit chat, regarding what they would like. It allows me to see what bags and fabrics people pick up and touch. Often after fairs I feel the creativity flow and new things appear, one of which I will post about tomorrow.

Here is a picture of one of my latest tables.

At a lot of these craft fairs the tables can be.... lets say petite. I really struggle to not overload the table with bags and organise them in a way that makes people want to pick them up.

Still working at it.

& So 2 Sew

With my first big fair of the Christmas season 7 weeks away the time has come to start some serious sewing. My approach this year is very different, it is more structured and ordered.

At the beginning of each week I plan exactly what I want to have done by the end of the week and then break it up into smaller tasks. This has streamlined my processes and is allowing me to have a set work period every day. Some may believe that this stops the creativeness of the process, but really it allows me to focus on choosing fabric combinations. My bags are not "cookie cutter" but to fit the frames they do have to be cut to a specific shape so there are some limitations for creative freedoms.

Having tasks planned for each day means I come home from work, with my mind already switched on to what I need to do, so I spend less time ambling and more time working.

I am hoping this new approach will enable me to increase my productivity while keeping my sanity this year but I suppose only time will tell :0)

Watch this space for updates.

Oh do I hear those bells jingling....

While it is still August Christmas is just around the corner. Large shops, like Selfridges, have already started to launch their Christmas lines. As all crafters know, the festive season starts much earlier. I ordered some xmas fabric a couple of months ago for some limited edition purses, more of these in a later post, but it isn't just fabric me have to think about.

The big thing is supplies. The postal service goes nuts, so what usually takes 6-8 days can take 3+ weeks, this coupled with product demand means we need to start stock piling now.

My two big requirements are purse frames and fabric. One comes from Hong Kong and the other mostly from the US. So over the past few weeks I have been ordering in extra stock. I still have lots to order, but I like to do it in little bits.

The second big thing is stock. I have 3 confirmed big craft fairs between now and Christmas and lots of bags to make for them. It is always a dilemma of what type of item to concentrate on, experience has told me to makes lots of all types. My mini and medium clutches definitely are the most popular, so I am concentrating on them.

I also have to think about my shop. Last year I focused a little too much on fairs and custom work and didn't promote my store enough. As a result I didn't maximise my sales. Now honestly I'm not sure how I would have handled a truck load of orders last year, but things have improved a lot over the last few months as my business has grown. As a result I am confident that things will be fine this year. Now I just need to sew all those bags and maybe a few other little things :0)

New Bag

I have been toying with the idea of making a tote for a while. They are the most useful things, great for magazines, shopping or just for all those things a girl needs for during the day. This is my first attempt.

I am thinking of introducing these for Christmas craft fairs.

My Creative Space

My creative space is filled with these little pretties today.
They are waiting to get their frames put on them for a craft fair this weekend. I always feel I never have enough of these for fairs, so I made some more just for this weekend.

I made a batch of my new zipper pouches/ pencil cases. I still have some more of these to sew tomorrow. I am hoping these will do well as they are a slightly lower price point. The rest of my space is a little cluttered at the mo. We have plans to revamp the space in the next few weeks, watch this space..... sort of speak.

For more creative spaces amble over to Kirsty's place

Craft Fair - An update and a ponder

As regular readers will know I was attending a craft fair at the weekend. It was situated in the lovely grounds of Mount Stewart, which is a national trust property. It was an outdoor craft and garden fair, with the option of trading in a marquee. I opted for a marque stall.


To say the weather didn't work in our favour was a little of an understatement. It rained most of the first day and when it wasn't wet it was so windy, we thought the marquee might take off. This did not encourage visitors. The second day was so cold in the morning it was like a winters day in November, certainly not like a day in late spring. I spent most of the morning wrapped up in a fleece and my waterproof coat (even my husband was cold and he's a polar bear), clutching coffee. Of course our thermos flask decided it wasn't going to keep the water warm, so many trips to the coffee stand was required. It did eventually brighten and warm up a little.

Trading on both days was slow for all, with some of the traders complaining it hadn't been so slow for over 7 years. I would admit that although my bags would be considered a luxury item, I sold enough to just about justify being there. I did meet lots of lovely people (& many pretty dogs). I made a few contacts and even got an invite or two to a few other craft fairs.

It is one of the big problems about doing a craft fair for the first time, you don't know what to expect or what products will sell well. I feel that after people had paid a hefty £7.50 ($11) to get in, they wanted to look around and only make smaller purchases. I did go home on the Saturday night and make another 10 mini clutches to boost that group, which sold well.

Whether I would go again or not, I'm not sure. I don't really want to misjudge it on one wash-out of a weekend but I did put a lot of work in preparing and I'm not sure from that point of view if it was worth it. I am left with a lot of stock, which while it will not go to waste and many pieces have already been listed in my shop, is unusual. I don't usually like to have so much of my resources tied up in stock. Upside is I have already had a little rush of sales.

A return to Mount Stewart is one that I will have to ponder over for a while.

Craft Fair Target - update

I am about 15 bags short of my bag target with 5 days to go. Totally do-able. I do, of course, still have lots of frames to attach, tags to punch, shopping bags to stamp .......oh yes and a day job to go to and sleep to fit in. Wee buns, a bit like this bag.

Any excuse to post a picture and I just love this fab little cupcake number.

Sewing Crazy

I have been sewing crazy over the last 2 weeks, there has almost been "smoke" coming out of my sewing machine, thankfully not real smoke.

My bag total for the craft fair now stands at 142 plus my shop stock. My spare bedroom has once again turned into a bag holding area, although my kitchen, isn't as bad as in the run up to my big Christmas fair, as it's not quite a fabric warehouse...yet. I still have some bags to sew, but my stress levels have dropped because at least now I have enough bags to take with me. I have made some truly fab bags, sadly most will not reach my shop, for a while at least. I have taken a note of the really lovely bags so I can recreate them.

I am almost at my sewing capacity, although with every sewing-thon I do, I find new ways to improve my sewing technique and stream-line my process. Some people have the view, that "mass production" of handmade things steals the creativity, I find quite the opposite. I often get a bit stuck in a rut of working with materials that sell well, but when I am making larger amounts of bags I am more inclined to dig deep into my fabric stores to get variety. I also match fabrics in more interesting ways.

Well back to sewing, and then maybe if i'm lucky some sleep.

Craft Fair Target

As you all know I have been sewing like crazy over the last few weeks, getting ready for my up coming craft fair. I have decided to do weekly targets for the next three weeks to make sure I get a good selection.

This week's target is 40 medium bags
Bags made since Monday 20 medium bags

A forced break

As people who have busy lives do we sometimes get too busy even for ourselves. I had spend the beginning of the week manically sewing for this craft fair. I was well on track for making over 50 bags this week (my target) when I just got sick. I mean really just lie down in bed sick.

One minute I am standing in Marks and Spencer helping my mother pick yet more new glasses for a her Easter banquet and the next I was doubled over in pain. I'm not sure if it was something I ate or a bug but it wasn't good. I could hardly drive home. That was Thursday.

I decided I needed a break, and I felt rubbish, so I haven't been sewing all weekend. What it has allowed me to do is

• get better - at least I can hold food down - just in time for my mother's food extravaganza.
• catch up on on alot of backed up messages and emails.
• blog.

Preparing for a craft fair is hard work and becomes all consuming (more of that soon) and all too often things like this blog suffer. So my new craft fair (a bit late for new years) resolution is to try and take a bit of time to do the day to day things, at least a couple of times a week.

While it was good to have a break, I really can't afford to be sick again until after 17th May, not even a sniff or cough, otherwise I will never have enough bags made. My target for the forthcoming week........ 50 bags, I am on holiday what else would I do with my time :0)

Day vs Night - the struggle

As many may know, I am a teacher by day and a sewer by night. Most of the time my two lives don't cross over into each other's time. I very work hard during the day to clear up all my work so I can sew at night. At the moment when I really need and want to sew I can't as I am marking coursework to deadline.

What makes this extra frustrating is that I have just heard that I have been accepted for Mount Stewart Garden and Craft fair on 16th & 17th May (yipee), which is just over 6 weeks away. Now I have been making bags in preparation of the chance I might get to go but fortunately/unfortunately they have been selling quite well online in my shop. I am not sure whether this makes me happy :o) or sad :0( One thing I do know is there will be smoke coming from my sewing machine over the next couple of weeks. Well better go and finish marking GRRRRRRRH

Craft Fair

I did get them all framed and I survived the craft fair, as well, but only with a little help from some friends. It was the most fantastic 2 days, we had great craic, drunk lots of coffee and indulged in a little cake.


It was a very early start on the Saturday morning, about 6am, after a very late finish, about 2am. We got all packed up said goodbye to the dog and set off. We arrived at St Georges Market at about 7.30am and went and located our stall. We had a good spot, a little of the main path through the market. We set up.....



and waited...

After I had made my first sale I felt much better. The thought of going, putting all that effort in and selling nothing was very stressful.

After the 1st sale was the next and next. In total we sold about 50 bags on the first day, I went home very happy, but a little worried as I had only brought 92 bags with me, so I made some more that night. I was quite lucky I had some bags that were 1/2 made so just needed finished, while others had to be started from scratch. In total I was able to make and finish over 20 more. It's amazing what you can do when you backs up against it.

Sunday was not quite as busy but brisk enough. We sold another 40 bags, including all of the ones I had made on Saturday night.

So all in all it was definitely worth it. On Sunday my husband & I were able to chill out for the first time in weeks. I was asleep by 9pm.