Summer Sewing

 Preparing for the August Craft Fayre

As i have mentioned before on the blog, I am now sewing bags, it has become a larger  part of my craft life, as I sell my bags at a couple of craft shows a year, as well as to friends and family, and donate any profit to Bridgwater Hospital. My selection of bags that I make has expanded and contracted as I try different ideas to see how they are received. I am narrowing the items I make to an amount that sits nicely on a 6ft table, which is as much as I wish to take on. 

The Craft Fayres I attend are relatively small, sometimes this is reflected in the footfall, and other times the footfall is good as locals turn out for a family day with the craft Fayre being a part of other activities on offer. This can reduce your buyers, as they are not really there for the craft. Sometimes all the stars align and you have a great day. I do the Craft Shows as a an outlet for my bags which has been both a hobby and therapeutic, with the profit going to charity I can relax, enjoy the day, meet other crafters and hopefully learn a little as well. 

I have decided to take you along on my journey with my enterprise “Sew Useful Bags”. So when I am preparing for a show, launching a new project or learn something new I will share it with you. 

My 2nd show this year will be on August Bank holiday Monday. This is one of the Family Fun Days, I was telling you about. The grounds around the hall are used for games, Car Boot and charity stalls, while the hall is a Craft Fayre for the day. Only hand made stalls are aloud and the organiser is careful not to have too many of one type of craft. 

It’s a lovely day and I get to meet other crafters, see what’s new and an ideal opportunity to try new things before the busier Christmas Fayre in November. 

I will set out my dining room table as a trial for my stall and play with the outlet, this way I also get to check the labelling on my stock and do a stock check before packing up the bag ready to take.

This is the start of the process, several different layouts were tried and stands moved around to get the best view of the products. For me it is worth taking the time for this process as I am not great at the merchandising side of selling, in fact selling is not my forte. If I can talk to people visiting my stand I usually make a sale, but that is an art in itself. 

Back soon, to let you know how the Bank Holiday Craft fair went. 

Happy Crafting 

Dee