Busiest times of the year!

Thrown into the mix with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas is the bundle of craft shows I participate in at this time of the year. Okay, don't feel sorry for me - yet. I love doing these fairs. For one thing, it's nice to have people browse and purchase the items you've worked so hard on for months. A validation of sorts. But the preparation for these outlets contains a fair amount of stress. Do you have enough product? Will people like your stuff? What if the crowd is less than, um - crowd-ish? And after carefully preparing and setting up your display, your table looks like crap? Hmmm, so many things to think about.

Anyone who has worked retail realizes that packaging is key to selling a product. At a craft fair, presentation is equally important. I regard it as a skill in itself. I want my table to be pleasing to the eye, so I have to make sure I have attractive signage, baskets and bins to place my wares, and somehow try to make the whole dang thing cohesive. There are artisans out there who are really, really good at this. I've seen their setups and they create a "wow" reaction. I hope to get that good someday,

So this year I am doing a fair that requires tables to be covered to the floor on at least three sides. All of a sudden my makeshift tablecloths will not do. That's when I booked it to Marden's. My favorite go-to place for great fabric at really reasonable prices. What follows is my adventure putting together a table top that reaches the floor, constructed from 4 yards of sweet, neutral colored cloth that draped quite nicely.

 After I sewed the side pieces on, it was time to add the skirt. I slipped on the table cover and measured the length of skirt, being sure it would hit the floor. I mean, that was the whole reason for this project in the first place, right?

I actually had fun doing this. Of course, I'm a geek and get a crazy high doing this kind of thing. Here's what I came up with... and come see me and the rest of our crafty bunch at The Craft Fix, Buoy Gallery 2 Government St. Kittery Maine. Sunday, November 25th!