Craft Fair Essentials

I thought it would be really helpful to record all the helpful information I got from my fellow crafters when I was getting myself sorted for the fair last week.... yes, it's a craft fair tutorial..! I couldn't think of a good way of illustrating this one so here's a picture of a pin cushion which was the first thing that I sold at my first ever fair.. What you need to take: Stuff to sell (well of course!) - take as much as you can, and don't forget to practice your stall arrangement if it's your first time. Seeing my 'practice table' helped me feel a lot more confident about the whole thing. Price labels - I grouped my items and used general labels so as not to clutter up my small table too much. Wrapping stuff - I used pre-cut tissue paper - and sticky tape in a dispenser. Carrier bags/other bags/your packaging of choice - I just grabbed a load of bags we have saved at home. Cover for your table - I chose a cream throw so that all my colourful fabrics stood out beautifully. I also spent aeons ironing the thing - which is very important! In future I am going to try and find something that doesn't crease... Large bulldog clips - or something similar to hold yor table cover in place - I didn't have these and could definitely have done with them, to make sure nothing slipped. I expect that they would be absolutely essential at an outside fair on a windy day. Large sign or banner - to tell the world who you are. Lots of lovely business cards - and remember to give them out! I totally failed here - but next time will try a lot harder. I got so busy chatting to people that I forgot all about giving them my cards. Small sign telling people more about your work and your inspiration - I used an old photo frame that stood up nicely on my table without taking too much space. I found it really useful because it acted as a conversation starter with customers. Display stands of your choice - to create more space and some different levels on your table. I used boxes under my table cover which worked pretty well, but hope to invest in some more fabulous display stands when I can. Props to dress your table - if you've got a large table then I think it's really worth while using a few bits and pieces to create a stronger brand image. I used crochet hooks, knitting needles and lovely colourful pins, vintage thread and buttons to add to the crafty vibe. Paperwork - basically whatever you need! For this particular fair I needed just my insurance details, but if you're using electrical stuff you need your safety certificates and you may need your table booking information too. Receipt book and/or sales book - to record your transactions. Pens and paper and a visitors book/mailing list for people to sign is also a really good idea. Box or money belt (!) for your cash - a money belt would be particularly useful if you are doing a fair by yourself - that way you know where your money is at all time. If a money belt sounds like a really unattractive idea, pop over to Kitschy Coo's blog - she has a fantastic tutorial for a Craft Vendor Apron. I would have made one if I'd had the time before the fair. Float - how much you need really depends on the price of your goods - it helps to have prices with whole numbers! I took about £50 in loose change and a few £5 - in the event I barely needed any of it, but it was good to feel confident that I had enough. Something crafty to do during quiet moments - this can be a great conversation starter too. I had several conversations about crocheting flowers. Refreshments - your hot drink of choice in a flask, a bottle of water, some non-messy sarnies (Jane of Hooked Yarn shared her experience of a very messy coronation chicken sandwich!) and biscuits to share with your fellow vendors. Don't waste your profits on buying food and drink at the fair! Trolley/case on wheels - to get your stuff from your car to the venue. I used the one that came free with my sewing machine - the 1st time I've used it! Tissues, wet wipes, first aid stuff and make-up. Bin bags - for any mess you create - this is also useful if you're outside and you need to keep your stuff protected when it rains. And: Research cheap convenient parking - and print out a local map to get you there easily, if you don't have satnav. Dress in lots of layers - that way you're prepared for whatever the weather - even though we were inside on Saturday I was pretty cold and wished I'd worn thicker tights! So, I hope that's useful to you, I'm sure I'll be referring back to it now I've caught the craft fair bug... I've compiled all this information with a huge amount of input from: Toadybobbins (blog and Folksy shop) Big Blue Bed (etsy shop, folksy shop and blog) Gloria (dichro-findings shop and blog) Hooked Yarn (blog and shop) So a great big THANK YOU! goes to them.

UK Handmade Winter 2009

I'm rushing around trying to get everything ready before I go off on a bit of pre-Christmas partying in London tomorrow, so I haven't had much time for posting. But I'd really like to point people in the direction of new winter edition of the fantastic online magazine for UK Handmade. The editors' mission statement begins:

"UK Handmade is a design led online magazine committed to showcasing and promoting the best creative talent the UK has to offer. Artists and designers from across all of the art disciplines have a place here including photography, feltmaking, jewellery, fashion and art."

A really worthwhile aim!

I'm lucky enough to have a tutorial in it for these cute little elves' hats (page 86), and there are loads more brilliant seasonal craft ideas and articles. There's a wonderful sounding recipe for Christmas cupcakes, and article about all the goings on at Rothley Craft Farm, instructions on how to make a beautiful Christmas flower arrangement, some reviews of Christmas craft and baking books, an article on the Bloomsbury group, and more.... It really is a fantastic read. UK crafters are a talented lot - take a look at the inspiring UK Handmade Flickr group if you need any evidence! It's a great place to look if you are short of a few Christmas presents.

Amigurumi Crochet Bunny Pattern

This pattern can now be found here at my new blog - Very Berry Handmade.

Paper Hearts!

I've been experimenting with a few crafts for Christmas decorations that we can add as step by step projects to our Christmas website. We've created Christmas Matters to celebrate all the joy, fun & creativity of Christmas. There's tons of Christmas-related stuff to be found there - recipes, craft ideas, film reviews, book reviews, music reviews, stories & lots of information about the traditions & customs which make it such a fun time.

These paper hearts are definitely going to be included because they look so pretty & are great fun (although a bit fiddly until you get the hang of it) to make. Some people believe they were invented by Hans Christian Andersen - you can see some examples of paper Christmas decorations at the Hans Christian Andersen museum in Odense. The sweet thing about them is that they fold out to make a little basket, so that you can put homemade biscuits or yummy chocolates inside.

It's traditional to make them with paper which is glossy on 1 side - I expect that is because that makes the weaving a lot easier, but there is nothing to stop you experimenting with different papers & even fabric. I bet they would look fantastic with origami papers, gorgeous handmade papers & even fabric - for instance they look great made with felt.

Step 1
Download this pdf template, print it & cut it out.

Step 2
Fold a piece of paper (making sure that the template will fit) and place the short, straight edge of the template up against the fold. Draw round the template and then cut round on the line. Repeat with another piece of paper.

Step 3
Mark & cut lines on your 2 pieces of paper as indicated on the template to create 3 strips on each piece. You will end up with 2 pieces that loook similar to those pictured here. We have marked letters and numbers on the strip to aid the following explanation - you don't have to do this!





















Step 4
Now you are ready to start weaving. You need to have a bit of patience but persevere and it will all come right in the end! Bring the 2 folded pieces of paper togther, corner to corner & slide strip 3 between the folded pieces of strip C. Don't push it all the way into position - leave yourself room to push strip B between the folds of strip 3 (see picture which will hopefully make this a bit clearer - huge thanks to Sandy for the pictures!).

























Step 5
Continue with your interweaving of the strips. You will have to do a bit of bending and shuffling but it will all work out, I promise! See the picture below for the final stages of weaving.

































You should end up with something like this:


























Step 6
Create a hanging ribbon for your heart. I made 2 holes at the middle of the top on either side of the heart & the threaded through a piece of raffia and knotted the ends - this means you can easily access the heart basket to put goodies inside (and get them out again!).

Once you have made a few of these (and practice definitely makes perfect with this one) then you might want to try some more complicated designs. There are some fantastic ones on this wonderful website with a section all about Danish woven hearts..

I hope you have fun making some of these lovely decorations.

Elf Hat Christmas Tree Decoration -It's Tutorial Time

These felt Christmas tree decorations were pretty much the bestsellers when we started selling craft kits on Ebay last year (we've moved over to Etsy now - a much nicer place to be). You can buy a kit containing all you need to make one again this year but I thought it would be fun to offer the pattern as a resource for people who want to go & get their own bits & pieces for the project (or of course, you can raid your stash!).

Depending on how you fast you sew, this really isn't a time-consuming project & the results are really pretty. I reckon a beginner could make one of these in an afternoon so there's nothing stopping you! We use them to hold a big handful of sweets or chocolate money & then hang them on the tree.

You will need:

1 piece of felt about 12x25cm for main body of hat

1 piece of felt about 1.5cmx20cm for the hanging loop
embroidery thread
assorted buttons and beads to decorate
2 larger buttons to attach the hanging loop
needle & a couple of pins







Step 1
Cut the larger piece of felt so that it will form the shape of a cone when rolled. In the picture the 2 short sides are 12cm in length & the inner angle is about 130 degrees.

















Step 2
You don't have to do this next step, but I find it very helpful to mark a line 1cm along the curved edge to the central point (see picture). This reminds me not to sew any beads or buttons on that area which will be covered when you roll the hat into the cone shape.















Step 3
Sew on the buttons & beads in a random pattern all over the hat using 3 strands of the embroidery thread. Remember to leave 2 clear areas on opposite sides on the rim of the cone for sewing on the buttons for the strap/hanger (you'll do this after you have sewn the cone shape).

















Step 4
Roll the felt into a pointed hat shape, overlapping the edges where you have made your pencil line. Pin (if it helps ) & sew along this edge on the right side of the hat using overcast stitch - I like to use a contrasting thread here because it looks so cute.






















Step 5
Sew on the larger buttons on opposite sides of the hat about 1cm from the edge.



Step 6
Cut slits, a little shorter than the width of the buttons you have just sewn in either end of the piece of felt for the strap/hanger.


















Step 7
Fasten the hanger on to the buttons & tada! You're done...

I think some ric-rac edging and a little bell would make fantastic additions to this little hat if you have the inclination.

There's lots more Christmas decoration, food & celebration ideas and resources at our Christmas Matters site. Enjoy!