Tag: craft show

Craft Show

My sister and I had a booth at the craft show in Rose Hill, Kansas the 8th of October during their Fall Festival. She does embroidery by hand, which complements my tatting. She has been working on her stuff for months and months. I’ve not been so dedicated to the show items, getting sidetracked a lot. But it was a good show for both of us.

Craft show setup on wandasknottythoughts
Craft show setup

The craft show started later than we usually see, but we found out that was due to the big parade they had. There were some shoppers the first couple of hours but not a lot, we were somewhat concerned that the day would be slow. About noon one of the organizers went around announcing the parade was over, and the people familiar with the event understood things would get busier soon. Which it did. There was a steady flow of shoppers for most of the event after that. We spoke to a lot of people about our items during the course of the show.

Most of my tatting at the show on wandasknottythoughts
Most of my tatting at the show

There were a lot of people that looked at the tatting, a lot even knew what it was. There were a lot of “oh, my (insert older relative) did that but I never learned.” Some showed an interest in learning – I suggested to them if they would get a few people together I would be willing to come down to teach. One woman came by that actually did know how to tat! We had a lovely conversation about tatting and patterns. Unfortunately, I didn’t get her name. But it was enjoyable to speak to her.

One item that sold the best this weekend was my Hymnal Angel. I made them a bit smaller this year, cutting the paper three inches instead of five inches. And I used wooden beads for the heads.

Hymnal Angel for craft show on wandasknottythoughts
Hymnal Angel for craft show

Something else that drew a lot of attention was my button sunflowers.

Sunflowers for the show on wandasknottythoughts
Sunflowers for the show

These sunflowers are fun and easy to make. I mostly used 9/16-inch buttons with a few 13/16-inch. I love how the buttons look in the center. I found a package of brown buttons in different diameters made out of coconut shells that look great, much better than plastic.

I put together a quick pattern for the sunflowers. They are very easy. If you are interested in it you can find it on the My Patterns page.

Here are a few of the things that got me sidetracked prior to the craft show.

Lid pet kitty with ball of yarn on wandasknottythoughts
Lid pet kitty with a ball of yarn
Lid pet kitty with butterfly on wandasknottythoughts
Lid pet kitty with butterfly

My granddaughter loves these. I put a magnet on the back as well as the hanger. I let her have the ones she wanted.

I was on vacation a week before the craft show, which is how I got so many of the angel wings and sunflowers made. I’ll be sharing a few of the pictures I took next post.

“Yellow is my favorite summer color – it makes me feel like a sunflower.” Bria Vinaite

From Critters to Snowflakes

I’ve had to move on from critters to snowflakes, at least for a while. My sister and I will be in a craft show in October and I need to work on items for that. Now, if I would repeat more than one piece at a time with the same pattern I’d be better set for that. I have a hard time making the same thing over and over at one time.

Pinwheel in white on wandasknottythoughts
Pinwheel in white

I did make a few of my Pinwheel snowflakes in size 20 white. Of course, now I have to starch it. There is no way this will hold up as a tree ornament without starch.

Two-layered snowflake in white on wandasknottythoughts
Two-layered snowflake in white

I came up with this two-layered snowflake instead of using a pattern already available. I have a few others in this pattern in different colors, which are really cool looking. (I haven’t taken pictures of them yet). I like this. This one is made in size 10 thread.

8-point snowflake with cabone center on wandasknottythoughts
8-point snowflake with cabone center

While at Tatting Corner‘s Tat Days in July I took several classes with cabone rings, and now I keep seeing places I could use them. This is a simple snowflake with a 1/2 inch cabone ring at the center, made with size 20 thread.

(I do not get any benefits for mentioning Tatting Corner)

Blue snowflake with cabone ring center on wandasknottythoughts
Blue snowflake with cabone ring center

I like how this one came out. I used size 10 thread and a 1/2 inch cabone ring for this one. I even added beads!

I much prefer working in almost anything other than white. With white, any dirt on your fingers and hands is transferred to the thread. I swear, even if you clean your hands constantly, it ends up looking dirty. My sister pointed out that most of my sales have been ornaments in white, so I guess I need to keep making some. But those ones in color are so much fun!

Now what I really, really need to do is put the finishing touches on a bunch of pieces I’ve done. You know, sewing in the ends and cutting them off, starching if necessary, and blocking them. I’ll be excited about them when they are done and ready to go, but right now I’m in tatting mode!

Thanks to all of you that have been following along with my critter ideas on Facebook. I’ve had so much fun with them and seeing all the ideas about them from others. There will probably be more eventually. I still haven’t come up with a dog that I’m happy with.

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Wayne Dyer

Craft Show

The craft show last weekend went well.  I sold several runners and a few other smaller things which means I paid for the booth and a bit more besides which makes it a successful show. Moundridge Craft Show booth with tatted items from wandasknottythoughts
My booth setup
I didn’t get a picture of the booth before the show started.  I had already sold one of my table runners by the time I thought about it.
Moundridge Craft Show booth with my sister with tatted items from wandasknottythoughts
 This is my sister’s booth.  We have two spaces but put our tables together.
I think the green-over-black really made the tables look good.
I talked to several other venders from the show and they all had the same results we did: people were buying but not a lot.  That still makes it a successful show.
This year I had a small Christmas tree that I strung with battery-powered LED lights and covered in small, button-centered tatted ornaments.  I also had small button-centered tatted snowmen. Each one was a little different.
Tatted button-centered snowmen from wandasknottythoughts
A few of the tatted snowmen on the tree at home before the show.
I thought they came out well; everyone that saw them thought they were cute.  I put pin backs on a few but they can still be hung on the tree.  My sister asked for one to be put on a barrette and it worked for that, too.
Tatted snowman with buttons from wandasknottythoughts
Tatted Button-centered snowman
© Wanda Salmans 2015
For all that it is very simple I wrote up the pattern and have added it to my Pattern tab.
Thanksgiving cornucopia from wandasknottythoughts

This week was Thanksgiving here in America.  Here at home we’ve had enough ice and bad weather that we haven’t been able to gather with any of our family so far.  But we are thankful that we have family that are healthy and happy even if we can’t see them this week.

 I’m also thankful that I can share my enjoyment of tatting with others at craft shows and on this blog. Thanks to all of you for stopping by.
“Thanksgiving is a time to remember…
our blessings and make good cheer with all who we hold dear.”

Eleonore Edging

I made several edgings this year going for a certain look.  This is one that isn’t quite what I was looking for but not bad and works with the material I attached it to.  I’m not sure you can see just how well the green in the edging goes with the green in the material.
 Eleonore Edging © Wanda Salmans 2015 wandasknottythoughts
Eleonore Edging © Wanda Salmans 2015

I used Lizbeth Leaf Green Medium #684 and Ecru #603 in size 10.

 It’s interesting that much of the fabric I found this year have this shade of green in them.  I could almost use this color in every table runner I’ve been working on. And I have found a lot of fabric this year, so much that I could make runners for several years and never buy any more material except for backings.  This fun fabric is one that I picked up at the store that is going out of business.
I was having a hard time coming up with a name for this edging.  It doesn’t necessarily look like anything, I didn’t make it for any particular person, and I don’t want to name it by the color, so what should I name it?  Did you know there are places that generate names?   I tried a site called “Behind the Names: Random Name Generator and it gave me ‘Eleonore’.  It works.
I’ve been spending a lot of time getting ready for the craft show this coming weekend, sewing in ends, coming up with prices, and planning the booth layout.  I’m feeling pretty good about it right now.  We’ll see how I feel come Friday night. :-0
“A poet’s work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it going to sleep.”
Salman Rushdie

Table Runner with Queen’s Crown Edging

Do you remember way back in February I made the edging Queens Crown Edging?
Well, I finally got it attached to the material! Yay!

http://www.wandasknottythoughts.com/2015/02/queens-crown-edging/
Queen’s Crown Edging © Wanda Salmans

I like making edgings and seeing the tatting on the material, but I really don’t like sewing the tatting to the material.  This part of the process is a necessary evil to finishing a table runner.

The finished table runner is 11 1/2 inches wide and 46 inches long, including the tatted edging which is Lizbeth #693 Linen Medium size 10.  I think it turned out well.

I have several other edgings already tatted and ready to go on material.  My sister is very sweet and offered to sew the material for me as her sewing machine is always out.  I cut the material for several runners then she sewed them.  I will turn them right-side out, stitch up the hole left for that and sew the edgings on.  I feel it takes me forever to do the hand stitching but it is worth it.  I’ll be sharing more table runners in the next few weeks.

My sister and I are going to be in a local craft show next week.  We usually participate in this one every year because it is local, making it much easier for both of us to go.  Going to craft shows much farther away can get complicated with our jobs.  Sometimes we do well, other times not so well, but we both enjoy participating in the show because of the festive atmosphere, the customers and the other crafters contributing to an enjoyable day.  Last year I did well with table runners and I’m hoping to do so again this year.

Something funny about this edging: I made this one and two others and put them in a drawer when they were finished, planning on putting them on runners when the material was sewn.  In the course of tatting other things and life happening I forgot about them until I was looking for something else. I also changed my mind on what material all three edgings were going to go on. But they all look really good finished.Yay!
“Of course I talk to myself when I tat. Sometimes I need expert advice.”

Special Order

Be careful of what you ask for, or what you agree to.

I had most of my bookmarks on a board for display at the craft show a few weeks ago.  A lady looked them over and requested two of the same pattern, one in Oklahoma State colors and one in Bethel College colors.  She wasn’t in a big rush but would like them before Christmas.  I said “sure, no problem!”

Bethel College is a local college whose colors are maroon and grey.  I’m thinking that shouldn’t be much of a problem.  I didn’t have a clue what the colors are for Oklahoma State University until the buyer told me but I didn’t think it should be that hard to find them.  For Bethel I planned on going to the school store and checking out the colors; for OSU I thought I’d check on-line or maybe a sports store.

On-line I found that OSU’s colors are orange, light orange, silver and black.  No, that’s OSU orange, OSU light orange, OSU silver and black.  On their website they tell you specifically the colors and how to achieve them when printing. Oh. My. 

Surprisingly, Lizbeth #695 Bright Orange comes pretty close to OSU orange – at least as far as my uneducated eye can see.  So I made one bookmark in Black and Bright Orange.  We’ll find out if the buyer thinks it is close or not.

Bookmark in Fall Colors © Wanda Salmans 1999, 2014
The bookmark pattern is mine.  I originally called it “Bookmark in Fall Colors” because it was made in – wait for it – fall colors.  I didn’t have anyone to share it with back then so the name was an identifier just for me.  I posted about it here and included a written out version of the pattern.  Someday I hope to diagram it and post it a little more formally.
Update – pattern added to My Patterns tab 1/6/15
I thought the maroon and grey of Bethel College would be easier to match but I was wrong.  I didn’t have anything that really worked for maroon in my thread stash and I couldn’t find any thread locally that would work, either.  I did find sewing thread in maroon – actually labeled ‘maroon’ – that was a match to the school colors but I did not want to work in thread that small!  
So I made an order to Handy Hands for several shades of thread that I didn’t have that I thought might come close.  Such hardship to have to order thread but I forced myself ☺.  I bought three new balls of thread, #672 Burgundy, #673 Terra Cotta and #674 Garnet Dk, all in size 20.

The Burgundy turned out to be the closest of the colors.  The hat is from the school store so it must be the accepted color, right?  The spool of thread is the maroon I found at the store, regular sewing thread, and the ball is the Burgundy.  It is still a little bright but as close as I’m going to find any time soon I think.  I have started the bookmark in Burgundy and silver – okay, it should be grey but I think it will work.

I took a special order without asking enough questions and agreed without knowing enough!  And now I’m worried that I should have done the bookmarks in one color instead of two – the one at the show was one color.  I guess I should call the buyer and ask.  Or maybe make one of each in two colors and one of each in a single color and let the buyer choose????

I sure hope they like them!


“The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B.”
James Yorke




I am not affiliated with either OSU or Bethel, I was given no compensation for mentioning them or linking to them.  

Snowflakes

Let it snow!
I’ve been doing a lot of snowflakes lately.  I did quite a few that I knew I was taking to the craft show a couple of weeks ago, but now the show is over I’ve started making them for family and friends.  
A few of the snowflakes I made for the craft show
Some of these are patterns from previous years but seven (?) were made up this year, usually while
watching TV. Sometimes there was a plan when I started tatting, other times the shuttle went where it wanted.  Some started out going one way but took off on a tangent and ended up differently than planned (the one with four points, lower left corner, as an example). There are some that are not, strictly speaking, snowflakes, as they do not have six points, but done in white and hanging from a tree they give the impression of snowflakes.  Or at least look pretty.  
Every year I try to make one snowflake that will go in the Christmas cards.  This year there are a couple of versions of the same basic pattern.
The original version of this year’s snowflake, Sydney

The second version, with a slightly different pattern and different center
It’s amazing how small changes can make such a difference, isn’t it?
I’ve added the pattern for Sydney on my patterns page.
Snowflakes sold well at the craft show; I had quite a few and they were displayed well on the tree.  I didn’t put out any of my tatted earrings.  I didn’t have very many made up even though most are pretty simple patterns.  As there weren’t many and I was running out of setup time I didn’t worry about putting them out.  But I did wear a pair.  One lady was at our booth early without buying anything but came back later to talk tatting and other things.  She had noticed my earrings and asked if I had any for sale so I pulled out what I had and she found a pair she liked.  It’s not often I sell something I don’t even have out at a show!
Snowflakes and earrings: sometimes things unplanned turn out well ☺
“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” Jimmy Dean
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Craft show

The craft show was a success!
I was very happy with how the craft show turned out. A lot of people came to the show, many willing to spend money (at least at our booth!) I’m always happy when I sell enough to cover the cost of the booth at a show, and Saturday was much better 🙂

My booth a little before the start of the show.  I did a little rearranging and straightening before it started.
I displayed snowflakes and spool ornaments on a small tree. It drew a lot of attention; the picture doesn’t do it justice.
A view of the gym after things slowed down a bit.
Usually during a craft show I keep a small tatting project handy to work on during slow times, which also has a tendency to draw people over to see what you are doing.  This show I never had a chance to even get it out of my purse. I wasn’t always selling something – I spoke to a lot of people about who they knew/know that tats and the possibility of them someday learning themselves, even a few that actually tat.  I lost track of how many business cards I handed out to prospective students. ***happy dance***
This Thursday is Thanksgiving here in the United States.  We’ll be having family over to our house on Thursday when we’ll be having roast beef, but we’re cooking the turkey for another big family dinner on Saturday.  I’m looking forward to seeing family as well as all the food 🙂
While going through some of my old tatting papers looking for patterns the other day I found a small photo album that I used to keep small samples of my tatting in many years ago.  I found this turkey doodle with a date of 1992.  It’s cute, quick, and timely so I made a few for the holiday.  I think I’ll put a pin back on these and give them to a few of my family.  Or maybe use them for table decorations as place markers or something.  They are made with size 20 Lizbeth thread and are less than an inch tall.
May you all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
“Not what we say about our blessings but how we use them, is the true measure of our Thanksgiving.”
W.T. Purkiser

Wooden spools

I was at a thrift shop the other day and noticed in their notions area a handful of wooden spools with a variety of threads on them.  I love wooden spools – I like their look, they are fun to play with, and they remind me of time spent at my grandmothers house.  At 25 cents a spool, how could I not bring them home with me?
Usually when I do something like this the items end up in a drawer or box somewhere because, though I couldn’t leave them at the store, I don’t really have a use or place for them.  But not this time!  I had a sudden idea and ran with it.
I thought they would make cute Christmas tree decorations.  I added a bit of tatting that I already had, strung a string through the center and, presto! tree ornaments!
Yes, they are hanging on a Christmas tree.  No, I don’t have my Christmas decorations up yet. I’m going to have this tree at the craft show this next weekend, using it as a display for my tatted snowflakes.
I’ve been tatting a lot recently to get ready for this craft show.  I don’t feel like I have enough items for it, but I could be wrong. I’ve been getting everything together today so I can plan out the layout of the tables but ran into a snag when I found one of my tables was broken. My wonderful husband has done some repairs on it but I can’t use it until tomorrow.  Then I’ll find out just what I have and how I want it laid out for the show.  I’m hoping to have it pretty much together by tomorrow night.  Wouldn’t that be a surprise?
“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
Thomas A. Edison
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Seeing the light

Or at least that is the plan.
Every year my sister and I try to do one craft show together; she with sewing and hand embroidery and I (of course) with tatting.  We get two booths together at the local Christmas craft show and spend a day seeing the cool things other people make, visiting and – hopefully – selling a few items.  There are only a few booths that have electricity available and they cost a few dollars more, which we’d rather not pay, so I’ve been thinking of ways to bring light to our booths without the cords.  We’ve done the battery powered Christmas lights the last several years, which is great, but there should be other, inexpensive ways to bring more light to the booths if we can just think of them.
A light bulb ☼ came on for me about a month ago – the battery powered lights that are advertised for closets and under counters might just work. 

I bought a package of these push-on lights, and sure enough, they give off quite a bit of light even in a lighted room, especially if they are aimed at something not too far away. 
Then I thought that it would be a little more aesthetic to have shades over the lights instead of them being bare, so I picked up enough little shades for the lights I’d purchased.  The shades were very plain and had to be dressed up a bit – besides, people would be able to see these easily from a distance and be drawn over to our booth, right?  Which was the point in the first place.
I made an edging long enough to go around the bottom of a shade in DMC ecru size 30 as I had two shuttles already wound with it. I put it on a shade (without glue) to see how it looked, then placed it over one of the puck lights.
Oops.  The harp of the light shade hung down so low it hit the puck light, so the light shade sat crooked.
I had to come up with a way to hold the shade up high enough the harp was clear of the light.  I thought and I thought, and I played and I fiddled until I finally came up with something that works.   I’m sure there are better ways but craft sticks, buttons and beads are what I ended up with.  These are for the display only, not for sale anyway, right?  They just had to hold up the shade.
But the whole thing did sit kind of low on the table.  Maybe I needed something to make them taller?
That’s when I thought of the tin can. It had to be decorated, too, of course.
I sure am putting a lot of work into the display this year, especially as I’m not sure just how much light will be seen from these in a lighted room – but it’s such a kick to decorate those lamp shades!
“In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.”
Fancis Bacon
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