Youtique Craft Show

That was me Saturday. It has been quite some time since I have done a show. Feels like it anyway. This show was set up my the Michigan Artisans. It was their Youtique show. Love that name :) The Youtique is a shopping event with the community in mind. Each event has a featured charity and a silent auction chock full of goodies from the vendors. I hope to be a part of their shows again.

My table was on the teeny side - about 3x3. I practiced my set up for a 4x3. But no biggie.

The box with the embroidery is set up the same as I practiced. I do need something to actually show them all. I do not think that could have happened in this space though. I was thinking maybe a hinged set of cupboard doors with a screen instead of the solid door panel to hang them from. or even something taller to set up next to - or instead of - the table.

The bags were just "spilling" out of a storage box thingy. It sort of worked. Looked better when on a larger table though.

I decided to use the chairs off to the side. It almost worked...almost. The pic below shows the bag chair...which looked better later on with some rearranging.

The other side of the table had the pillows. I have an old suitcase that I propped open with two filled pillows set inside & the rest waterfalling over the lip. No close up pic, but you can see it up in that first shot.

Anyone have any ideas for pillow displays?

Luckily, there were some hooks on the wall behind the chair (it looks black in that pic above). I hung a couple of the large bags. That did work :)

Michigan Artisans on Facebook

Changes to Come

I missed last week. It totally got hijacked. And it ended with a flop of a craft show. I get positive feedback on the bags themselves. And have had many customers (online and off) come back to me to say how much they like what they made...but I can't make a table display to look pleasing to save my life...or makes sales :P I really need to work on that...and photos. I am this close to throwing in the towel...but I just can't.

So I decided not to make any new bags except backpacks & clutches to replace sold ones. Instead I am going to start making different things. What things? Well, I enjoy making so many different things, but I will still center around fabric. Need to use the fabric for something, LOL! Heck, just look at all this fabricy goodness...

Most likely candidates are quilts, table runners, placemats, coasters, pillows, fabric baskets, fabric gift bags...home stuff. With some felt stuffies & art thrown in when I need to change things up for my own sanity...I mean creativity.
So my shop will become a smorgasbord with the new year...assuming I can get creating enough. Time is still a concern. I would like 4-5 of each "item" before I put them up. *sigh* We'll see. Wish me luck!

September Challenge: Days 26 and 27

Day 26 was a biggie. The parts for these clutches were already cut out, which is the only reason I was able to complete them in one day. Actually, there was another reason. I wanted to have a nice line up of clutches for the show Sunday. Ready? There are 5 of them :)




...But that is not all :) I was feeling ambitious and cut out some more mini backpacks...and I got one completed before I called it a night.

Day 27...nothing. Nada. Zilch. I was at the Artisan Market for MICE (Michigan Indie Crafters of Etsy) and was too tuckered out when I got home to make anything.

Semi-Wordless Wednesday

What I made at last Sunday's Artisan Market...

melty brain

one eyed yellow and mango monster dude


at home WIPS...

tentacle from large squid guy

one eyed green polka dot octopus-like monster

Looking for Opinions and Tester

I have made some new checkbook cover/wallet thingies because of a custom order recently. I am pretty happy with how they turned out. There are still some kinks to work out, pretty minor and only with ways to make assembly easier. This is the first one I made. The topstitching had some flubs (I needed to use a larger needle), the label is not in the best place and I ironed it after the snaps were put in which left some "shine" on the material.


So this is where the "tester" portion of the title comes into play. I am looking for someone who is willing to use my checkbook cover/wallet thingy, flubs and all, in exchange for giving me some feedback....like is the size ok, does it need more or less pockets/slots, is there something that should be added or deleted, etc.? If you are up for it, I will send it out to the 1st taker. Thanks :)

And now to the "opinion" portion of the post. Remember the windy craft show that ended in rain? Well, there was a casualty. I am not 100% sure what caused it, I think it was ink running off the tags onto the fabric. Luckily, the color matches the bag. I took a couple pics of the "stains", they are difficult to see on the picture of the whole bag....unless it's zoomed in.

Opinion time...do you think these could/should be sold...as one-offs or oopses at a bargain price? I hate to just toss them. Personally, it would not matter much to be since it is rather subtle. Plus, after a few uses I'd probably wind up doing something like that to it anyway. But I want to know what you think. Thanks :)

Craft Show, Wind & Rain

I had my first 2 day craft show this past weekend. I was worried about getting the tent filled up enough & looking put together. Luckily, I was able to get some ideas for props during my vacation the week before.

We were Up North until the Thursday before the show. That Wednesday, there was a pretty big craft show just down the road a ways from the resort. I knew I wanted a coat rack type of display, but I wanted something for the wall area. There was a woman who had some lattice work suspended from the tent bars and she had clipped her items to it. I also some about 3 booths with some shutters (minus some or most of the slats) set up with planks like shelves. I was not able to find shutters in the one day I had back home to shop around for props. But I did find a trellis that I used for "walls".

I wish I had some pictures of my tent...they are stuck in my camera until I can find the right cord to download them into the computer. I brought along my little point & shoot, but it did not have a flash drive...internal memory only. Oh well, I'll post them later.

The show went well, albeit windy. My tent kept scooting over with the larger gusts. ***much thanks go out to my neighbor, Urban Vintage Girl, for helping me re scoot it back into place***

The second day I had some weights...but that was no help with the downpour. Just minutes before take down, there was a giant gust of wind followed by a sheet of rain...big, hard, heavy, and very very very full, rain. Everything got drenched in just one brief moment. Literally...it was only about 3 minutes before everything was soaked. Luckily there were some women hiding under my tent that helped yank all the bags off the wall & toss them onto the table. Thank you ladies!

Back home, I laid everything out on my tables & racks to dry. I only had 2 bags that got soiled. The ink from the price tags ran...but it is only a tiny spot & the color matches the bag...so I may still sell it at a discount. My son couldn't even find the marks until I pointed them out. I'll show you some pics for some opinions later this week or weekend.

Now...onto the days post-show.

I spent Monday night and part of Tuesday in the hospital. All the big bad was ruled out and the cause is still unknown. And I am feeling better, but will be taking it easy for a little while. So I will not be around so much for the next couple weeks. Neither will I be sewing a whole lot. I have a couple swaps I am participating in that I will be doing and a few small projects to work on. But I will not be pushing myself to get lots sewn like I had originally planned.

So have a great rest of the summer - I'll still pop in a post here & there - see you more regularly in the fall.

oh...and I did sell more than I have before - woo hoo!!! Still considered not much by many crafters I am sure, but as a newbie to in person selling - I was pleased.

Stuff I Made and More Stuff to Make Stuff

Before I start...I am having a Christmas in July sale in both my ArtFire and Etsy shops until next Friday the 24th...15% off all non-clearance items.
Next weekend I will be at a two day art show in Redford. It will be my first 2 day event - hope I can stay awake. So if you live in Metro Detroit - come on by and say hi :) You can read more about the show here.

Okay, got the promo out of the way :) Secondly - I will be "on blog vacation" after this Saturday (but may not post again before that time)...so I'll see you later this month.

Now for the real start of the post:
I say stuff in the title because one, I don't want to list it and two, I don't always know what I will be making with it until it is done :)
The first is a Pink Floral print handbag (one of my Janet bags). I love the handle on this one - it's real fluffy.





And I made a matching zippered pouch ...none of these are ironed yet, or even have that last opening inside sewn shit yet...but the sun was out so I nabbed some pics while I could.

And a few more zippered pouches. I am trying to make sure to have a matching accessory, whether a keyring, pouch or whatever, for every bag.


I am also making some headbands. My cousin is a runner & has very long hair. She found some headbands that do not slip out, but they were rather pricey. So I offered to make her some. These are the first four. Two of them have a velvet underside, which is the type that is great for no slip. The other two have ultrasuede. I am going to have her try them out to test the slippiness. I know I love using that stuff for the underside of straps on bags for the non-slip quality...but not sure how it'll work with the hair.


And I have some more "test strips" cut for some more headbands. I also have 3 there on the left that are some really cool ribbon...I will make these last, when I have the headband assembly more down pat. I have been having trouble finding the right needle & tension combo...and have lots of scrapped tries in the garbage to prove it.

And lastly - some more fabric. My youngest picked out the Firetruck fabric when we were at the store. I asked him what he wanted me to make with it. He said he didn't know, he just liked it for something. And since it sounded so much like myself - I bought it. I think some of it will become a Lego pouch.
The skull prints, well, I just love skull prints. I am trying to work in more fun and/or kitcshy (how the heck do you spell that anyway?) fabrics and styles into my line. There are lots of embroidery & painting sketches I have done with that in mind...can't wait until I can get going on them.


Oops...I was wrong - I have this fabric too, from a swap on Craftster. If you are a fabriholic too, feel free to come on over & check it out. if you are not a member yet but want to do some swaps, join now & build up the posts so you have enough to play along during the next round.

Craft Show Complete

Yesterday's craft show went pretty well. My Serenity bag was a huge hit and did not make it home with me... and I went home to design 13 more different embroidered messenger bag ideas :) The blue floral Bizarro clutch found a new home too. I think I need to post my new stuff here more regularly since 2 of the last 3 sold...and the one that did not wasn't even on display. And that's just one of the changes I decided to make.

I took my son with me again. He told me parents he was bored, yet while we were there he was talking about improvements for next time. But still, it couldn't have been too bad for him if he wants to go again. Some of his ideas were merely things for him to fill the time with, but he did help me towards some other changes I will be making.

I did leave the show with lots of new ideas though. And not just show improvements. I have decided that I will be changing my shop. I am not giving out all the details yet...especially since I am still banging some of them out. It will involve more clear cut "lines". Casual -v- "dressy"...which can be in the eye of the beholder, but it'll help me narrow down what I offer. Within each I'll have a small, medium and large bag...all different designs of course. I can't not have a variety of styles. But they should have a more cohesive flow. And it will involve lots more embroidery and buttons :)

I can say that it involves a HUGE sale.

I want to get all the items that won't mesh with the new flow, so later this week I will have a $10 and $20 clearance section in my shop. So if there's a bag of mine you've had your eye on but it was too pricey at the time...now it won't be :)

One last goodbye...No pics of everything since some things that sold were not listed yet :)

Vendor Apron

I made a vendor apron for my last craft show. I wanted something with a pocket for cash, notepad, calculator & pens. I also wanted to make sure the cash pocket was front & center with no way of falling out as I moved around. So I zippered it shut.

I was going to do a simple cotton apron like the one I use in the kitchen, but it needed to be a tad more durable. So I used a denim fabric for the base & one of my fave florals for the pockets. Topping it all with a burgundy bias tape strip along the edges & matching fabric for the ties.

I love how it turned out. Everything fit in perfectly & the money stayed put! Too much unfortunately...but that was not due to the apron so much as the show being a bust. Here's to next time!





See the pins? "Make Art" and "Art for art's sake" from Barrel of Monkeys...my son wanted a bunch, so I got a few also. They go well with the apron I think :)

Craft Show Season is On!

Show #1: check! But since Mother Nature forgot it was Spring & sent us freezing cold weather...it didn't have such a hot turn out. And strangely enough, the majority of the patrons were male...not too many of them in the market for handbags :)

No matter...there will be more. If nothing else, it's a day away from home and therefore no cleaning or whiny...I mean beautiful loving...children to attend to nonstop...I mean with a full heart and love :) Actually...I miss them when I'm gone. Yes, I am one of those moms. But I do appreciate time off.

I also managed to get my feltie goth bear fixed. Started an embroidery project. Sketched out my next 5 feltie/stuffie/softies. And spent 7 straight hours with my oldest. I took him with me :)

I didn't take any pics of my table, but I do have some pics of some newer creations. The tote has an odd zipper. It can "stand up" or get "tucked in". Was this on purpose? Not exactly, but I do like the options it gives for a little extra room for storage. After all, how many times have you gone to put stuff in your tote & needed that extra inch to close it up? Or is it just me?





The backpack was fun. It started out as something entirely different...which didn't work. In truth, this one has a boo-boo too. The strap attachments at the bottom don't go in the same direction. One side goes into the back bottom crease while the other goes into the side bottom crease. Does it really change anything? No. There is a slight twist in the one strap from the side...more of a curve really, Makes no difference when it's worn.




Question is, do I take it apart to fix the one strap end? or sell as a "one off" at a lower price?

Do you think it makes a big difference?