Monday, June 27, 2011

apARTment art show recap

shelf of awesome
Hello, blog. Long time no...anything, actually. So sorry about that. I was so busy getting ready for the apARTment art show held on 6/17-19, and then took a *really* long time to recover. Ahh, 30. I sure don't bounce back like I did in my 20s! Seriously. It took me a good week to feel "normal" after working and crafting so much. Still, the show (where we turned my friend Hilary's apartment into an art gallery and sold the work of 15 people out of it for an entire weekend) was a success, though I had hoped for more sales. But isn't that the way it goes with craft shows? You always hope to do better than you actually do? Or is that just me?

apron and bags
So, here's my quick recap post. What you see in the top photo is the amazing display we came up with using Hilary's IKEA bookshelf, sans books. It was awesome. Directly above is part of my display, featuring one of my aprons and four linen-blend tote bags I cooked up. These were hand-printed by me in what was my first but surely won't be my last attempt at printing on fabric. They're fully lined with cotton and the perfect size. Nobody even looked at them *sigh*.

minis in frames on wall
In an effort to make my art a bit more affordable, I crafted some hand-quilted teeny tiny quilts in shadow boxes. I was hoping to make them more affordable, but they actually took a ridiculous amount of time, so I had to price them a bit higher than planned. Nobody even looked at them, either *double sigh*.

apron and frames
Here's a photo of more of my setup, including another set of three quilts in frames. I ended up wearing that apron around most of the weekend, since they look so much cuter on a person than on the wall.

zippered pouches open
I also made these linen / cotton zippered pouches with covered ends and more hand printing. I sold 2 of them, which made me happy. I think they're really nice, and surprisingly big. Still, they didn't get the attention I had hoped for.

2 hippos
What did get the attention were my hippos. These represent my first original softie design, which I would call surprisingly successful! I went through 3 rounds of muslins before I reached my final master pattern, but that's not bad considering I started with my own sketch (and I am NOT a good drawer). I relied on Abby Glassenberg's soft toy design series for help on drafting the gussets and adding darts, but this pattern is wholly original and wholly mine!

me with hippos
I see more of these in my future, as I've already received a personal invitation to apply to a local holiday craft fair. I may also consider developing the pattern for sale on its own, but am very wary of copyright infringement so am a little afraid to put myself out there like that. In the meantime, I am working on my second softie pattern, since I love these so much! And almost all of them sold!

Side note #1: I now wear glasses (see above). Boo.

Side note #2: In all of my hippo stuffing, I exhausted my ginormous supply of Morning Glory super premium fiberfill, so I ordered some more. It is crazy hard to get, so I ordered two 5# boxes from Amazon. I opened them up on Friday night and was horrified to realize that they've changed the formula. Instead of being a fluffy white cloud of amazing stuffing, it's now a dingy, pill-y mess of shedding fibers that migrate through my fabric (I like to stuff firmly). It's even worse than cheap Poly-fil, which is saying something! So, crafters, I beg of you: What do you use for fiberfill? Where do you get it from? I've already ordered a couple of different kinds online that I will try until I find one I really like. I need something that will allow me to stuff firmly without migrating through my fabrics, which are usually quilting-weight cottons. It can't be too poke-y, and it can't be too slippery that it won't stay where I pack it, like in the legs or other curvy, small places. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I am loving making softies, but now having a minor freak-out about sourcing materials. At least I have until November before my next show...

1 comment:

two hippos said...

I love those hippos!! And I think your bags look great, even if others didn't look at them. Thanks for sharing the show -- it's such a great idea. I wish I had a suggestion for you on the fill issue, but alas it's not something I know anything about. Good luck finding a viable option.