Monday

November Client Quilts

This month I quilted 2 quilts for clients. I've been so busy prepping for a holiday market craft event in December that I can't take on many longarmer projects.


This is Debbie's Prim quilt. It is absolutely gorgeous. The pattern and fabrics are by Lori Holt and I love most everything she designs. It was an absolute pleasure to quilt this.


This is a very modern quilt made from modern prints. Sue who is the maker plans on gifting this to one of her daughters for Christmas. So happy that she has the whole month of December to get it done.


I used a pantograph that has lots of straight lines to complement the fresh fabrics used to make the quilt top. 

Sunday

Fall Craft Fair at All Saints Church

Each spring and fall my church holds a craft fair. Yesterday was the fall craft fair. It's a very popular fair. The people in charge only allow actual crafters to rent tables. No Scentsy, Pampered Chef, ThirtyOne, etc....none of that. Only crafters. The craft fairs are extremely popular. So much so that it makes the top ten lists of craft fairs in southeasters Wisconsin. The tables are difficult to get. You must fill out your table rental requests almost 2 years in advance to get in. I've been renting tables from them for almost 30 years. It's also my church so I love that.

Since the pandemic the church only allows about half of the crafters to rent tables. So we are spread further apart and from a vendor point of view, it's much nicer. People seem more willing to stop and linger since they aren't crammed so close together. It just seems more relaxing for everyone. However, the desire for homemade things seemed to have increased. There are more people attending than before and they are definitely purchasing. My sales have tripled which is really nice for me. The funny thing is that I don't really care if I sell much, I just like attending the craft fair. 

This year besides making the usual table runners, aprons, bowl cozies, and pot holders I made use of my embroidery machine to make things. I've learned over the years that it's not a good idea to wait until the last minute to start making things so I make crafts all year long. The week leading up to the craft fair is spent dusting off my display racks and setting things up to make sure everything goes together like I want. Price tags are pinned to products and signs are made to make items easier to find. 

Here are some zipper pouches I made.

Embroidered Zipper Pouches

I also made some mini zipper pouch stockings.

Mini Zipper Stockings

I used up leftover holiday fabric to make some reusable gift bags. 

Reusable Embroidered Gift Bags

I had a great time at the craft fair. Many of my quilting friends stopped by and even one of my clients came to say hi. I just finished making a quilt for him a month ago. It's funny that now the fair is over, I'm not sure what I want to work on next. I'm thinking about Christmas gifts or maybe finishing a UFO. It's fun to imagine what comes next.