This last Spring I gave a month’s notice that I had decided to retire! After more than five years as a part-time waitress at a local restaurant I knew I would miss the regulars who had become friends over the years. But after having my craft business on the back burner for over twenty years, we decided it was time to bring it to a boil.

I don’t know how I ever had time to work! We displayed and sold at about 20 shows this year. For most 2-day shows we were gone 3 days, for 4-day shows we always set up the day before. That left 2-4 days between shows for drying tents, making more of low inventory items, washing dusty table cloths, etc.   I repeat, I don’t know how I had time to work even a day or two between shows.

Hand painted scarves and wood burning.

Needle felted ornaments

 

 

 

 

 

 

My boss called in September, to see if my shows were over and if I might want to work a day or two each week during the off-season…… I “nicely” turned him down while wanting to shout “I’m retired, I don’t have time!” This while thinking of the shows I had left, including the 3 hour workshop I taught at one on processing flax into linen.  Still have two 1 day shows to do and a blog to learn how to run, as well as two on-line shops to stock!

 

 

Last week I finished spinning and plying these yarns

Now the 18 skeins are waiting to be labeled and listed or added to show inventory.

I also made a few batches of soy candles. I carry over 100 different scents.

Need to dye more roving, unique colors done in small batches, that I can replicate but not duplicate:)

If you are a knitter, crocheter, or weaver, you will understand my reference to the slight differences in dye lots. You may also notice that my skeins vary in yardage. This is because I wind all of my skeins with no knots, but may have several skeins of the same colorway or of coordinating colors. This gives you better quantity choices depending on the size of your project. I love playing with colors and seeing the differences made by combining various colors, in dyeing, in spinning and in plying.

In the future you will see many of our craft show products pictured in sections of the gallery. This way you can browse and if you can’t make it to our shows, I can list it for your purchase on my Handmade Artists shop, if it’s still available. My on-line shop listings aren’t taken to the shows with me to avoid selling the same unique item twice at the same time.

I’ve only mentioned a few details of the fiber and craft show part of our business and already feel this post is way too long. In the future look for more information about my husband’s art

my son’s needle felting and wire wrapping,

and my wood burning and other endeavors. When creating a business, it’s hard to know where it will lead.

We welcome questions and suggestions of what you would like to hear/see more about, so please leave a comment.