Evolving and improving your craft stall

Good morning all, Happy Easter!

It's a wonderfully sunny day here in Wiltshire, but I thought I'd take time out to revisit a previous post regarding craft stalls.

As a relative novice to craft stalls there are many things I still have to learn.  Looking back at my stalls I've felt that they have evolved, but there are still many areas which I can improve on!

My post 'Top 10 Ideas To Boost Your Stall at Craft Fairs' had some useful tips on it that I collated from several books and websites, recurring themes which seemed to be practical and hopefully easy to implement.

This first image is of my first stall - unfortunately I had a very busy backdrop to contend with, no real branding and struggled with it being a bit busy.  I found it very hard to judge how everything would look as I didn't practice at home with the set-up first.  This is still something I need to learn (as I will attest to later!)

The next two pictures are from a slightly later stall (Lou La Belle 2.0!) - although I've learnt a few lessons - using more height and spacing out the products - which was thankfully easy due to the size and layout of the stall, I still have a lot of progress to make...  You can see my branding (crochet Lou La Belle letters) just above my poor Mumsie, who was very unwell but still came up to help me with the stall.  Love you Mumsie!

The next stall is from a Craft Fair only a couple of weeks later, but this was very difficult as I had limited options for height and much less space (and no Mumsie to help me!)  Despite this I got a lot of positive feedback and a few big sales here.  I also worked on my branding - particularly pushing my personalised crochet and other bunting with a pin board.  However I still felt very amateurish...

My next stall was only last week - with a rethink about height and the help of my fabulous brother, I managed to get some expandable trellis and attach it to the sides of the table, this freed up space on my tabletop for more products.

This is the 'cake stand' my brother made me - in MDF - and it is collapsible into different sections which slot together.  I am absolutely thrilled with it and it really showed off the Japanese-style Origami Bags to their full potential.  

However, I didn't have enough time to set the stall up and left not only my pinboard with all the personalised bunting on it, but also one box of products at home.  So there is still much to learn and when I look back at my previous post on the Top 10 hints for Craft Fairs, I have made some improvements in height, theme, props, labelling and branding, but have to work on the other elements and above all, practice at home so when I set up I feel more confident and in control!

I'd love to see or hear from you any ideas you have used - successfully or not!  I also have a number of inspirational ideas on my Pinterest board.

Happy crafting!


Lou x

French Style Top 5

Apologies all for a lengthy absence, due to illness and then a lovely holiday to recover!

I spent part of my holiday, as the heading may lead you to guess, in La Belle France...  A lovely few days in Dieppe with my parents was just what I needed, not only to be feeling a bit perkier but also to give me another creative jolt.

So I thought I'd start off with a quick top 10 of French style inspirations which I have and will incorporate in crafty projects!

1. La Tricolore 

OK, so the colours are the same as our beloved Union Flag, but it's very simple and stylish.  I use these colours quite a lot - and wear a lot of red and navy.  I've brought this into my craft in several pieces including these elegant cedar bags for protecting your woollens...

2. Art Nouveau

The first exhibition was held in Paris and from there we get the name.  Two of my favourite artists come from this movement - Charles Rennie Mackintosh (he warrants a post all of his own!) and Theophile Steinlen, a Swiss artist famous for his portraits of Paris life and also of animals.  One of his most famous works are the immensely chic Chat Noir series of posters.  Every member of my family has a copy of this somewhere in their houses...

Steinlen had a knack for painting animals, particularly cats, this is one of my favourites - a poster for a veterinary clinic.  Again it is done with such panache.

Being a little cat mad myself, I do use a lot of animals in my pieces and have a lot of fun with them, like these Easter Bunny bags (with added carrot, it helps you to see in the dark!) and these quilted Kitty Cat bags which I think are so sweet.

3. Linen

We found a wonderful little haberdashery in Varengeville-Sur-Mer near Dieppe called Lin et L'Autre - a play on words of l'un et l'autre (one and the other).  What a beautiful shop with some fabulous linens, trimmings and a shelf of delightful locally produced yarn (I had to shield my eyes from this to avoid adding to already massive stash!  They had these lovely decorative linen panels which quite took my fancy!

4. Shells and buttons

Another wonderful addition to Lin et L'Autre were the exquisite mother of pearl buttons and beads which they sold - Mum and I were very tempted to take some back with us, but managed to resist!  This is a close-up of the shell decorations on the above linen panels, so simple but very attractive!

5. Embroidery

As a formerly keen cross-stitcher (which I have little time or tolerance for now I've discovered crochet and knitting!) I have really enjoyed working on linen but I don't often find the British style of embroidery very inspiring. 

I have treated myself to this gorgeous new book - Made in France which may redress the balance - can't wait to get started on it!

Happy crafting!

Lou 

Spring inspiration!

After a manic few weeks, the first spring-like day that I have had free I thought I would visit the beautiful Courts Garden in Holt and share the wonderful spring flower and nature pictures I took there...

These primroses brightened up my morning - the colours were so soft and yet vivid.  

Beautiful carpets of bluebells, daffodils, grape hyacinths and snowdrops - classic spring flowers which were a real joy to see.  I find being in the midst of nature always brightens your mood and clears your head!

These two were more unusual to me - Siberian Squill (Scilla Siberica) - looks very similar to a bluebell but seems to me more elegant - this colour is apparently very in this year - I may go and look for some fabric in this gorgeous shade of blue!

The Snakes Head Fritillary on the right looked so delicate, I wondered how it coped in the high winds. The head gardener had asked everyone to check them for red mites which may be very damaging, so I had a close look but thankfully couldn't see any...

My friends on the wonderful Gardeners World Magazine forum helped remind me of the name of these lovely sun-drenched flowers - Hellebores.  I have some of these in my garden, but the large-scale planting here was amazing.

Lots of inspiration here for spring projects with these hyacinths and anemones.  The sunshine and vivid colours have given me a bit of a boost to fire up the imagination!

Happy crafting!

Lou x

Quality will out?

In my years of crafting (and my year and a bit of crocheting and knitting!) I can attest that there is nothing like working with a beautiful yarn or fabric.  My mum is a wonderful hand quilter who always uses good quality fabric - I have two beautiful quilts which she has made me and one is nearly 25 years old and the other I had just after moving into my house which was nearly a decade ago!  

I find it hard then to work with cheaper fabrics and went a little bonkers buying some wonderful hand-spun and dyed wool from Celia Gwynn recently at a craft fair in Sussex when visiting Mum (of course, Mum wants me to make a shawl for her out of it but I am desperate for once to keep it and actually make something for myself!!)  I will have to add in a picture later to show off this delicious wool, but at the moment it is safely nested away in my stash and will come out hopefully this summer for me to decide what to do with it!

Although not the best quality picture this lovely cotton yarn, Katia Degrade is a subtle and occasionally startling mix of blue, turquoise and cream.  I had lots of fun making this lavender sachet from it.

When it comes to making clothes or accessories that will lay next to the skin, I think it is a shame not to use the best quality wool or cotton, rather than acrylic, especially when it comes to items for babies. These baby booties made for my newest little cousin were made from Sublime Yarns Baby Cashmere Merino Silk and are as soft as you can imagine little Charlotte's feet are!

When I was in Cardiff Bay last September - OK hold on a minute - I have something to admit.  I am a geek.  Officially.  I was visiting the Doctor Who Exhibition and happened upon the Makers Guild in Wales at Craft in the Bay.  Seeing the wonderful work of the craftspeople there got me thinking about setting up my own little craft business.

The quality of the materials used made me decide to use the best quality fabrics, cottons and yarns that I could afford.  The decision to do this was vindicated by what I read in the fabulous book - Your Craft Business: A Step-by-Step Guide by Kevin Partner.  This told me everything I needed to know about pricing and materials and he explained how to always go for quality and not undersell your products. As long as you have a good idea how much it cost you to make it, the price should then reflect its value. If you start off too cheaply then people will not recognise the quality of your products.

This seems to be borne out by one of Etsy's three main principles listed on their homepage around being a marketplace for people with a passion for beautifully crafted items.  Online craft purchasing is on a steady incline and people expect quality and seem to be happy to pay for it.  I haven't yet dabbled my toe in the online market, but may do in the future, especially it if is the right market for me...

Some craft fairs have a mixture of mass-produced and crafted goods - I haven't yet done one of these but may be soon doing one in Bath.  I'm not sure how it will go but hopefully my stall will be able to hold its own against the mass-produced items.  I have seen a few stalls at craft fairs with people making beautiful designs but using cheap goods, maybe it is snobbery on my part (after all acrylic does wash well!) but I think if they have designed and spent time making something, it seems a shame to not make it the best that you possibly can.  

So for now, albeit my stash is growing at an alarming rate, I am always ready to add some striking new yarns to my collection.  These two have my attention at the moment - and surprise surprise they are both quality yarns...  Firstly (above) Rowan Lima yarn which can be bought (amongst other places) at Deramores and Debbie Bliss Angel Prints (below) which you can find at several shops including Wool Warehouse

Happy crafting!

Lou x

Crafts as therapy?

As quite a spiritual person with a long-term health condition, I have found more and more that my new-found love of knitting and crochet has not only reduced my stress levels, but also is very meditative.  I have always enjoyed crafts and spent many happy years before I left home sitting alongside my Mum making things, or completing some complicated cross-stitch design whilst she was hand-quilting a throw or baby blanket.

After the terrible rain and floods the UK has suffered this Winter, we couldn't fail to be joyful on seeing the beautiful bright fabric and hilarious addition of a felt carrot to these bags made by my Mum for my latest craft fair!

As a Nurse, I'm very interested in research and this article by the British Journal of Occupational Therapy caught my attention - reading the results and conclusion (even without having to read the whole article) it is clear that knitting in particular has stress-busting and relaxing benefits as well as being good for your brain - must be all that counting!

In fact, I find crochet even more tranquil than knitting - there is something very uplifting about selecting a pattern or a yarn and then making something lovely from it.  Add to this the repetitive motion of creating a row of double or treble crochets and it is positively captivating!  As the daughter of an Accountant, of course I love to count as well, and making a long chain to start a cushion such as this one to brighten up my home was very engrossing and yet also calming and comforting. 

Time and again we hear of the therapeutic benefits of crafts - I volunteer with an Alzheimers charity locally and the ladies are never happier (as am I!) than when we sit down to do a craft activity.  I have also joined some classes at my local haberdashery store which promotes friendship and solidarity in learning a new skill and trying it out.

This article by Crochet Concupiscence discusses the use of colour and its affect on mood.  The author talks very openly about her battle with her mental health and how crochet brought her back from the deepest depths of depression.

I also think the level of creativity needed to make something - whether it is your own idea or you are taking a pattern and adapting it - is very good for your brain as well as your self-esteem!  I came up with the idea of this heart from finding some old scraps Mum had given me and overlaying the lavender coloured tulle with the green fabric it became simply beautiful.  Add to that the gorgeous and relaxing scent of lavender and it was a win-win situation!

Finally there is much anecdotal evidence to say that people with long-term or chronic conditions profit from crafts not only from a self-esteem or mental health point of view, but also from the repetitive motion of knitting or crochet - this article by the Craft Yarn Council has some really interesting points of view from a wide range of people on the positive and often diversionary benefits of crafting.

So what are we waiting for!?  Happy crafting!

Lou x

Bath Artisan Market

Time has been so short and the Bath Artisan Market is on tomorrow, so apologies for the lack of posting!!

Here are a few of the things I will be rocking up with tomorrow...

Origami Needlecases

Scottie dogs (yap yap!) - Fully house trained!

Cedar bags for protecting your woollens...

Spring bunny bags with added carrot for Vitamin A!

Kitty cat bags - soon to have added fish, supposed to be good for you, after all!

A range of beautiful oriental style bags made in gorgeous Kaffe Fassett fabrics...

So, apologies for the short post but hopefully news to come about how I got on. If you're near Bath come see us tomorrow! 

Happy crafting!

Lou x

To copyright or not to copyright - that is the question...

Having got to the stage where I have begun to adapt crochet and knitting patterns to suit my own needs, my thoughts have naturally turned to thinking about publishing my own patterns.

On sites such as Ravelry there are thousands of patterns available for you to make and adapt for your own personal use.  The issue comes when you are looking to sell your finished products.  There are a whole world of technical and legal issues that arise from this and it's hard to know where to start!

Many crafters will publish their legal standpoint on using their patterns, whether or not you purchased it or downloaded it for free.  But what happens if there is no clear notification?  Do we make assumptions or contact the crafter to ask for their terms?

Some generous souls such as Nevada Mama and her wonderful doughnut pincushion and Josephine Wu and her gorgeous baby owls have clear policies that you can use and sell the finished products as long as credit is given and the pattern itself is not sold.

Having been a keen crafter for years I can completely understand the request not to make profit from someone else's hard work in designing a pattern.  I'm sure nobody wants to go to a Craft Fair and find their products gracing everyone's stalls, but perhaps is it question of degrees?

When considering what I would do, if and when I manage to make my own patterns and either sell or give them away, the first thing I will consider is making my copyright terms clear.  Some often quoted terms include:-

• no selling or reproducing of the pattern itself
• no mass production of goods (or perhaps setting a production limit)
• can be made for personal or gift use but not for profit
• can be sold profitably for charitable uses

But what happens in making a profit from something in a book or magazine?  This site from Creative Income gives some advice - contact the publisher if there is no definitive notification.  One way around this is to buy a magazine like Craftseller where not only are the projects there for you to make a profit from, they even give you a guide to how much to sell them for!

It's a very sticky topic without an easy answer - I don't think my patterns would make someone millions (otherwise I would retire right now!) but I would be interested to hear any opinions and stories about copyright...

Happy crafting.

Lou x