Craft Fayres 2025 and the future

 Looking forward to Crafting in 2026

Adding to my last post, here are some thoughts on my crafting for 2025, and looking forward to 2026.

Let me start by saying my sewing and card crafts are first and foremost a hobby. So although I read up on the do’s and don’ts of craft Fayres for layout and pricing, (see Made Urban for great advice if you are crafting to sell) it is often difficult to follow the good advice. I do not need to make a profit, and am not really looking to spend a lot on props for the table. I only do local church and village hall Fayres. This has an effect on the pricing of my items. 

My bags are from £4 to £10, so for example my Tote bags sell for £5 for the smaller Christmas totes and £6 for a larger tote. These are fully lined using a metre of fabric in total, as well as the handles. Compare these to Etsy at an average of £14 - £24 and I  realise my prices need to go up. Flat bags are simple and quick to make and I price these from £2.50 for purse size, £3.50 for std make-up bag, and £4 for larger ones. Again too cheap. 

My craft bags were the most expensive item I sold, until the napkin rings) at £9.50 with 4 pockets and lined these take over a metre in total of fabric to produce. 

Shopper bags are £6 and the Christmas shopper bags have a transfer patch on the front. Both are lined.

Over the past 3 years I have also made expanding bags, cross body bags, bottle bags, box bags, gift bag and drawstring bags. 

At Fayres I receive good comments on my bags although more interest is shown in the sewn gifts. Is this because they are cuter or more unusual?? Also bags are being sold everywhere and you can pick up pretty cheap bags in stores like B&M, as well as recycled plastic shopping bags in large sizes for £1.50 to £3.

So for 2026 I have decided to streamline the production and concentrate on 

Craft Bags - New Design 

Tote Bags - New Design

Flat bags - standardise the sizes and keep these at a great price

Cross Body - New Design

Drawstring gift and storage bags small stock and geared toward storage and craft bags.

So I have lots to think about and plan for next year. 

I would love to get other crafters reasons for making and/or selling their items and comments on my makes. If you would like to comment on my blog, please press the follow button at the top of the page, and let’s make a happy group of crafters on line that share ideas and their successes. 

Now for gifts and Cards

I started out doing craft Fayres selling my paper crafts. Cards, Boxes and gift bags as well as scrapbooks and memory albums. I also tried selling cards and scrapbooks on Ebay and Etsy, with a small amount of success. 

Isolation Journal posted Dec 2020

Folio Album posted Feb 2021

As you can see back in 2020 I was still concentrating on paper-crafts , it was not until my husband was diagnosed Oct 2021 I started sewing again. By 2023 cards and paper-crafts were getting difficult to sell as a lot of people had started crafting during lock-down and were making and selling cards, journals etc. It gave me an opportunity to try selling the bags instead, and it worked out well.

Then last year I started taking a few cards to the Fayres and they sold well, and this year I sold 19 Christmas cards at Fayres as well as 32 birthday cards and 5 commissioned cards (these are sold at a premium of £5 each). 

I will continue to make cards and those taken to the craft Fayres will be restricted to 3 styles so I can display and do point of sale info, as they are more unusual styles .

They will sit alongside the 3 gift items I will make. 

Cards I make for a Craft Fayre will be the more unusual styles so that people buying are getting something unique. I find they sell better and at a more realistic price. I sell my cards from £1.50 to £3.50 each.

Sometimes if I make a new design that is unique to me I will make them a limited edition of 12 and this helps lift the price to £3.50. I realise that if I was selling them in a gallery they would probably sell for £9.50 each but I do not live in an area where this sort of price structure would work. Commissioned cards I only make for friends as the time they take to make is not reflected in the price, they are usually elaborate multi-layered and have a lot of embellishment. They have included pop-up cards, 3 layered pop-open box cards, and open book cards 

These are a work of love not profit, and I enjoy making them as they stretch my imagination to come up with the designs to the recipients likes. 

So there you have it: what I have made in 2025 and what I am going to make in 2026 (always open to change and flexibility of course). 

Happy Crafting

Dee

Don’t forget to press the follow button - to comment , or if you wish to send an email my details are on the right hand side in post settings. 

Christmas Fayres 2025

Christmas Fayres 2025

As promised I will report on how I did this year at the Christmas Fayres.

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the biggest one because of family illness. However this was compensated by the amount of sales I achieved at the village hall coffee morning in November, which tripled on last years sales, so I am grateful to all who attended and purchased from me.

Also I had made a conscious decision not to attend 3 Fayres in my local town, as the organisers had decided she would not allow me to sell the jewellery in gift bags, as I did not make the jewellery, only the bags. 

This left 2 Christmas Fayres and the coffee morning, as well as a few sales to friends and family throughout the year. 

So here is the final tally : 

First the items that did not sell.

Cross Body Bags - despite selling a couple at the coffee morning last year I sold non this year and did not take them to the other fairs. But I intend to alter the design and try again, as I have sold 5 from the eight made.

Box Bags - A new item and I was very disappointed that I did not sell them. I think one went to a friend to put christmas gifts in but that was it. So despite having made 8 leatherette and 6 fabric bags these were a bust, and I will not be making more. The stock I have will be given to another charitable cause. 

Alternative Selection box flat bags - I sold a few last year but non this year so these will not be made again.

Expanding Bags, Shoe Bags - Only one sold at the Fayres, I love these bags and find them so useful for my cruises, and use one regularly for line dancing. I have another 9 made and will keep them in stock, but not making any more at the moment.

What did sell 

Shopping Bags - 3 sold. Not many considering the size and they are lined and include Christmas bags that can be re-used year after year. However I will continue them in some format when I have some large bundle of fabric that suits the project and is cost effective.

Square Christmas Gift Bags - 4 sold. These are a good size and I only charge £4 for them. `I have sold quite a few over the 2 years at craft Fayres so I will try to sell the remaining 10 I stock and then rethink them.

Flat bags Including Christmas - 6 sold from makeup to nightdress case size.  These will always be a basic stock item and I look  forward to. Making them to match other bags in the range. There was also one set of matching makeup bags sold.

Tote Bags - 3 Christmas tote bags were sold and I only have 2 Christmas and 2 standard tote bags left in stock. I will be making a new range of tote bags.

Drawstring Bags - 2 Christmas drawstring bags sold. These were only taken to the last Fayre and so was an acceptable number, and among the other bags. 

This is a total of 19 bags 

Gifts 

Christmas Napkins rings in christmas fabric bag - 4 sold . New item. These was the most expensive item on the table and so to sell 3 at the last Fayre and one to a friend, brought in good revenue. I have 5 more in stock which will be taken to next years Christmas Fayres

Scissor/sewing bag - 4 sold New item this year and I may continue then for another year.

Christmas Coffee spoons - 6 sold. These make a great gift for a colleague or to say “Thank You” and I will add more for next year. I think I need a better way of showing them . 

Jewellery & Gift pouch. 32  sold across the 3 venues . Definitely the best seller. They seem to attract people to the table and are sold at £5. People often buy multiples. 

19 Cards were sold plus 2 packs of 8 cards.

So there we have it. I have only managed to do 2 Fayres and the table at the Coffee morning this year. Still I am able to donate £550 to Friends of Bridgwater Hospital, and have enjoyed the challenge of making new gifts and bags. 

I have also learnt that you need to concentrate on a few designs that are unique to you, and with this in mind I have decided to expand my fabric cards next year, and I have an idea to give me a USP for my bags. I will be working on these ideas in the new year. 

Thank you for dropping by my blog. 

Happy Christmas to all the crafters out there 

Dee