I made enough sales to cover my costs and I came away with three more orders!

Two 3/4 length jackets and a childs cardigan!

I have started the first order, and have knitted the back of a 3/4 length jacket and started the first front.

Both the adult jackets are to be knitted in black aran yarn which I have in stock and the childs cardigan is to be in pink, which I will need to order.

All of the crafters seemed happy to see me after my year off and some were asking where I had been and why I hadn’t done any craft fairs last year.  I got a bit upset when explaining that my mother had died and that I hadn’t felt up to doing any fairs, but they were all very nice and I got a few hugs, which made me feel a bit better.

I am now looking forward to my next craft fair on the 12th in Inverurie.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t get too many orders!

After sending them an email saying that I would be interested, they replied saying that it was normal practice for “new” knitters to do a sample project first, before they send out yarn for cardigans.  I agreed to this and the next day I received a parcel with yarn and a pattern to knit an aran hat.

The pattern had several pattern panels ranging from 4 to 12 rows per pattern.  After a couple of false starts, I finally got going with the pattern and finished the hat in a day.

When I saw the yarn colours that were to go into this hat, I didn’t think they would go well together, but I was really pleased with how it turned out!

I posted the hat off to them and the following Monday I received an email saying that they were very pleased with my “sample” and were wondering how many cardigans I would be able to do before September!

Now, my first Craft Fair this year is on the 5th of September and I need to get some serious stock done before then, so I told them this and said that I should be able to do two cardigans before September for them.

To my surprise they were quite happy with this and I received a parcel the following day with yarn to knit two 38″ Gents Aran Cardigans.

When I opened the parcel, I was expecting to see cream yarn to knit the “traditional Arans”, but boy, was I wrong!

There was two cones of aran, but the colours were far from traditional!

One is a Lime Green and the other is a very bright Orange!

I have been knitting the Green one for the past few days and I am sure I am going blind with the brightness of it!

Hopefully I will have the first one finished and posted back by next Monday at the latest.  They want to see the first one before I start knitting the second, just to make sure that I do it properly, so I will try and get some stock done while it is in the post.

White Aran Cardigan

I finally finished this white aran cardigan.  It is an order, but I just couldn’t find the motivation to get it done.

I do apologise for the photo, I am not very good at taking the time to set it up properly.  Or, I could just say that I am lazy.

This is the third time I have knitted this pattern and the second time I have knitted it in white. (not my favourite colour )

After casting off at the shoulders on the back, you then knit the 7 rows of rib for the neck band.

The front borders are picked up and knitted and then when you sew it together, you join the back neck and the front borders together.

I quite like doing it this way, rather than doing all the way from one front up and round to the other side.  A lot less stitches this way.

The pattern is from the “Sirdar – Arans For Living  (276) pattern book.

This pattern book can still be found in wool shops.

Oh well.  I really am interested to hear what your opinion is on pricing hand knits.

Although knitting is my hobby I found that I was running out of family to knit for, so I was faced with a dillema.

1. Should I stop knitting.
2. Give my hand knits away.
3. Should I sell them at craft fairs.

1. was no good.  I could never stop knitting!

2. I could give it away, but I would soon run out of money.

3. I sell my knitting at craft fairs so that I can buy more yarn and knit some more.

Most of the people who buy my hand knitting at the craft fairs tell me that I am not charging enough.  For example, I would normally charge about £30 for an adult aran jumper. (25% Wool)

Comments?

I managed to sell a couple of Neck Wraps and a scarf, but I also got orders for 2 Jackets, a cardigan and a jumper all in large sizes.

I’m not sure if this is a good thing or not as now I have to get these garments done and I don’t have time to knit up new stock, but then again, as I didn’t sell any jumpers at the weekend, my stock has not gone down.

The next Craft Fair is on Saturday and I will need to replace the Neck Wraps and scarf that I sold, but I should be able to do that as well as getting some of the orders done.

The worst thing about getting orders, is that I now have to knit certain garments in a certain order.  Without orders, I can please myself what I want to knit next.

I will try to put some more pictures online over the next couple of weeks.  The kids are off school on Thursday this week for the October holidays.  This usually means that I can get more done, as I don’t need to get them ready for school and things like that.

Shirley

Here you are at another craft fair, watching people walk by, sometimes several times, sometimes more. Occasionally, someone stops at your booth to look. Most of the people who stop pause only a few moments and continue their journey. Sometimes, someone picks something up, looks at it, and sets it down again. Every now and then, someone asks a question. You cheerfully answer the questions and get the opportunity to try to make a sale. A few times, someone buys something. You may or may not make a profit when the weekend is over.

Sound a little familiar? If so, I’d like to help you look at craft fairs a different way. What if you got a second chance with all those people who stopped and looked for a minute? What if you got three, four, or more chances? What if you got a chance to sell them something every month instead of that one time when they paused in front of your booth? Think your sells would go up? You bet they would.

The secret to craft shows is to stop using them as mobile stores. Think of them as opportunities to meet new people and build relationships. Instead of trying to sell to people who stop at your booth, get their contact information, including name and email address, so you can send them a newsletter each month.

Often, the best way to get their contact information is to offer something free. You can give away a free sample of your product, a small newsletter or article, or just about anything else, and most people will give you their email address. The key is that whatever you give them has to have value. If you are giving away a sample, be sure it is enough to be useful. If it is an article, be sure it provides information your audience wants. Offer your gift, and then ask for the information using something like, “We send out a monthly newsletter with tips and advice. May we add you to our mailing list?” If they are worried about privacy, assure them that you will never give their email address to anyone else, and that they can quit receiving email from you any time they want.

After the show, send a thank you email to everyone who signed up and include a special offer just for the people who attended that craft fair. Be sure to include the name or location of the fair. After the first email, you can send them the same periodic newsletter you send everyone. If you don’t yet have a newsletter, you should start one as soon as possible. By sending email to your list of customers every month, you can get more orders than if you have one shot at them during a craft fair with dozens or even hundreds of others.

The sooner you stop thinking about craft shows as a place to make sales and start thinking of them as a place to get customers, the better off you will be. A sale is a one-time event. A customer is someone you have a relationship with and someone who may buy from you repeatedly, sometimes for years.

Sharon Conley is a multimedia crafter and craft show addict. Together with her husband, a marketing expert, she is building a complete marketing plan for crafters. To learn more about craft show success, visit http://loveorda.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sharon_Conley

If you are creative, and your house is filling up with all those precious creations!.. Then why not take it to the next level?

You are obviously passionate and serious about your craft, as you do this for a hobby or stress relief from the daily grind! This also means that you create quality work, that is why, it has often been said, that your business should be based on something you are passionate about and have some knowledge for it to succeed.

Why not start by looking in your paper for a local craft show?.. It doesn’t have to be a big one, you quite often find local farmers markets, organized town picnics, or small fairs and church bazaars will have space available to rent. This is a great place to get your feet wet in craft shows. These local small shows, are not usually very expensive, and would give you a idea of which creations market the best.

You will also get the feel of the public eye, and it is nice to get praise for your work, and hopefully you receive some sales as well.. There is nothing more satisfying, then making that first sale!

Try to look and feel confident at your craft show, and smile!.. don’t be looking at the floor when people praise your work!.. Feel good about your accomplishments, and if you don’t make any sales that first show, don’t let it get you down. Make mental notes of which products got the most attention and which did not.. and make some adjustments for the next show. You will be so happy once you get that first sale under your belt..!

That is the day you officially become a business instead of a hobby!

Article by Diane Palmer.. http://www.make-crafts-for-cash.com is a website by Diane Palmer, with more than 15 years in the crafts business. Learn creative ways to make and sell crafts, online, craft shows, fairs and more.. Turn your craft hobby into a business!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Diane_Palmer

Are you a frustrated jewelry designer looking for new markets to sell your jewelry? Finding the right market for your jewelry designs can be frustrating process for some designers. Jewelry marketing doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it’s just a question of adding a unique twist to your current jewelry designs to give them additional buying appeal.

Let’s talk about that unique twist that can turn your handmade jewelry into truly special pieces that are sure to attract a buyer.

Here’s a good example from a recent craft show:

Two different vendors were both offering similar pairs of earrings at roughly comparable prices. The earrings were sample dangles made of semiprecious beads and sterling silver findings. They were priced in the $12.00 range.Both vendors had very nice displays that played up their creations. Upon first glance, the two booths appeared somewhat similar in appearance, BUT one booth was full of prospective buyers AND their was a line to pay!

The other booth looked like a ghost town. No lines, no prospective buyers.

What was the difference between the two booths that was having such a dramatic impact on jewelry sales?

Here’s the secret. The jewelry designer in the empty booth had mass produced, very ordinary jewelry cards with the standard information printed on them. Her cards were professional but eye catching. They did the job of holding her earrings, but were not good jewelry marketing material.

The owner of the second booth who appeared to be drowning in sales, had jewelry cards with a tiny dried flower delicately pasted to each one. This gave the jewelry a whole new appearance and value in the buyers mind. Many customers commented on the beauty of the cards as they stepped into the line to pay. This jewelry designer knew how to effectively market jewelry!

What is the take home message in this case? Sometimes it’s the subtleties that count when marketing jewelry. A few small changes to a jewelry card greatly increased the value of this designer’s jewelry in her potential customer’s eyes. This jewelry designer understood she could better market her jewelry if she did something to set her apart from the other jewelers out there. Could your jewelry presentation use an update?

If you want to sell jewelry, it may be time to add a unique twist to your jewelry designs. Don’t be afraid to set yourself apart from the crowd. People buy handmade jewelry because they want something unique and special that hasn’t been mass produced. Show them how special your jewelry designs are by giving them a special handmade touch and watch your sales explode!

Kristie Leong M.D. specializes in helping handmade jewelry designers find new markets for their jewelry. She publishes a blog and has website full of information on jewelry marketing at http://www.jewelry-marketing.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristie_Leong

From the feedback I have been getting in the time since I started this website, I’ve learned that many visitors are working long and hard at their crafts, but are still having a hard time realizing home business success.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers. There is just too much going on for one person to be able to solve all problems. However, let’s break them down into two parts and then try to apply basic business solutions to each part.

Here are a few selling tips to consider.

The Product

I’m a pretty good cook. I’ve won awards from my local culinary arts society and have even been invited to give a lesson or two. However, when I try to make a new recipe, especially from some of the most popular food and lifestyle magazines, I am usually very disappointed.

Why? In my opinion it is because something is usually missing, either from the ingredients or the instructions.

Now you’re saying to yourselves, “what’s this got to do with anything?” Well, most crafters are constantly searching books, magazines and web sites for free craft patterns. Like the “free recipes” noted above, however, I think something is always missing.

Simply put, the best crafters are not going to give away their best designs. Much of what you get for free can be helpful, but only if used as a starting point.

Even on my website, the designs I offer must be electronically condensed in order for the page to load in a reasonable amount of time. If you want to enlarge them, you most likely will be disappointed in the fidelity of the result.

You wouldn’t be reading this article if you weren’t interested in discovering some new selling tips for your craft.

So put yourself in the buyer’s position. Is she seeing the same craft over and over again at the same show? If she is, the only reason she will buy from you is if your price is lowest. You don’t want to find yourself in a price war.

Ideally you want to earn a premium for your efforts.

So let’s try to do something to differentiate you – to make a common pattern special – to make it you. Some selling tips to consider:
Oversize it or miniaturize it.
Use metal instead of wood, or wood instead of plastic.
Change the designs to make the craft prettier or more practical.
Instead of painting on a design or applying a decal, add a carving or incision that adds texture and dimension.

Use your imagination and sense of creativity.

Always use the best materials and methods of manufacture. If you shop carefully, you can get fine supplies either on sale or in the clearance bins. Many online sellers are offering the same supplies you see in the stores for 40% to 50% less.

The quality of your materials is one of the first things a buyer will notice. Don’t turn her off by using cheap, chintzy materials.

Do the same with your manufacturing methods.

Are your seams straight and even? Did you use a nice copper braid, even when glue would do? Is you paint or stain evenly applied and unstreaked?

For every craft, there is always some extra little touch that shows you’re a pro – that your product is worth more than the guy’s at the next table.

These steps might take you a little longer at first, but once you get the rhythm down, you’ll find it really adds little to the time and cost of making your craft.

Once you get this far, you face the more daunting problem…

Craft Marketing

When you are trying to sell a product, you’re up against a whole universe of retailers, not all of whom are crafters. There are millions of products for sale in all price ranges in all sorts of different venues. How do you sell yours?

In this age of mass production, where every store in every mall seems to be selling the same thing, people have an appreciation for the unique handmade product that required more than movement down an assembly line. If you followed some of the tips in the first part of this article, you are already a step or two ahead of the field.

So you have to consider how the product is packaged and marketed. Can you put it in a nice box? Can you make hang tags explaining how you made it, the materials you used and why it is unique?

Look around any store and notice how the pros package everything from breakfast cereal to TV’s. Follow their lead – they’re giving you free selling tips.

Professional marketers are trying to get their product to stand out from the competition. They are trying to make it appear different or special whether it is or not. They are trying to draw attention to it by their packaging and shelf positioning. Try to do the same thing.

If you are going to display at shows, set up your table in a way that every product is shown off properly. If you have an inventory, just keep one piece on display: hide the rest under the table. Keep you table neat and clean. Talk to your prospective customers. Try to get them interested in your craft. Try to get some feedback from them

Have a handout available with an explanation of the product or your production methods. Have a business card. Be prepared to take and make custom orders.

If you’re trying to sell your craft in stores or galleries, depending on the product, wrap it so it doesn’t get dirty or worn. Use attractive packaging, decorative ribbons, etc. so it stands out on the shelves.

Make it easy for the store owner to contact you, when necessary and be open to change.

If you’re selling crafts online, make sure you get some good pictures of the craft up in the ad. Use the space in the ad to explain why your craft is different or better. Plug your offline business and/or website.

If necessary, do as the stores do. Give away a free gift with purchase, hopefully some little trinket you can make or buy inexpensively. Try a “buy one get the second for half price” deal.

Or bundle complementary products together to create a perceived value greater than the cost of the parts. For example, if you’re selling a handmade nutcracker, package it with a can of premium unshelled nuts: if you’re selling a ceramic vase add a few silk flowers: if you make a guitar, give away a songbook. You will find you can often charge more for a well bundled package than you could if you were selling the pieces individually.

If you want to try eBay, Yahoo or Overstock online auctions, you will find that you can have the choice of selling in any of numerous different categories. Some of these categories can be quite competitive, others much less so. You might do much better in the less competitive areas.

Maybe you should use Yahoo rather than eBay, or vice versa, if one site is overstocked with what you have to sell and the other isn’t.

I also suggest you look at some of craft marketing books. Learning is a never-ending process and many of these have advice and tips you will find invaluable. Even if you know 99% of what the author says, it’s that 1% you didn’t know that makes the effort worthwhile.

Conclusion

Life is full of challenges but that’s what makes it interesting. If you’re finding building a successful home-based craft business especially challenging, try some of these techniques.

The more engaged you become, the more you learn. The more you learn, the greater your chances for success. If in the course of your study and development, you have one of those “ah hah!” moments that gets you past whatever was blocking your success, please write me so I can share it with my readers.

For more information on setting up and running a craft business or selling your crafts more profitably, visit Your Craft Business Guide.

By: Eileen Bergen, the editor of The Artful Crafter, your guide to making and selling original crafts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eileen_Bergen

As a crafter and a small businessperson, you can do your own craft marketing or pay someone to do it for you. It’s a balancing act. If you do it yourself, you must go to shows or run your own store or website. The more time you spend doing that the less time you can spend crafting.

Giving up some of the retail price of your craft items, gives you more time to devote to your art and generally a broader market reach for your wares. Gallery and shop owners advertise, promote your work and provide a place with regular hours where your work can be viewed by many more people than you can reach on your own.

However don’t think of these approaches as the only options of craft marketing. They are merely the two ends of the spectrum: from doing all your own craft marketing and as much crafting as time allows; to using all your time crafting and paying your marketers.

Along the spectrum are a myriad of other approaches, some very simple, some quite high tech. If you’re looking for a better way to sell your craft items, try thinking outside the box. Go beyond the traditional methods of craft fairs, galleries and retail shops.

Below are a few craft marketing approaches that have worked for me, as well as some intriguing ones I’ve read about, but haven’t tried personally – yet.

Breaking Away from the Pack

After three years of doing craft fairs and flea markets, I noticed several negative aspects. My work was being copied by other crafters who saw it at the last show.

I had to keep coming up with new ideas to differentiate myself.

I got tired of lining up alongside and competing against very similar products.

Plus I got just plain tired. Craft fairs are a lot of physical labor.

I needed a better venue and couldn’t afford to pay a retail shop or gallery up to 50% of my sales. I needed to think outside the box and break away from the pack.

Leverage Your Relations with Other Crafters

One positive thing I did take away from my years of craft fairs was a lot of new crafting friends who are also struggling with craft marketing. We help each other out as opportunities arise.

One very well established ceramicist participates in a huge annual expo that draws importers from throughout North and South America. He wanted something bright and colorful to dress up his booth and draw people’s attention, so he asked if I would like to display some of my oilcloth bags. We both did well and it was pretty exciting to think of my bags traveling to another continent to be sold.

My crafting buddies and I send each other business. They order business cards and signs from me. I recommend them and sometimes display their work in my little shop (no commission, no charge). When they have their own shops, I know they’ll do the same for me!

Brainstorm Tie-Ins to Local Organizations

Brainstorm how your products can or could tie-in to some organization. If you do any craft that lends itself to personalization, such as embroidery or fabric painting or silk-screening, think about approaching local clubs or businesses and offering items with their logo. With their permission, of course. Logos are copyrighted material.

A tote bag that folds up into a pouch had been a big seller for me at craft fairs. The unusual thing about my design is that the pouch is custom designed. I’ve applied pouch designs using three techniques: screen printing; or printing on fabric using either Bubble Jet Set or Lazertran Silk decals and my computer printer.

I have made these for my local garden guild who needed gifts to give to a visiting group and I have also sold them to a moving company who gives them to customers as a token of appreciation for their business.

Craft Marketing Tie-Ins to Other Products

While other crafters are talking to gift shop owners about placing their gift items alongside all the similar work of other crafters, think about where your products would stand out and, at the same time, enhance what the store primarily sells.

For example, if you do make jewelry or crochet scarves, offer to assist a dress shop with their displays by accessorizing the mannequins. A nicely put together outfit increases the eye appeal of the individual parts.

If you make oilcloth tote bags, make some up with bright tropical fruit and vegetable patterns and see if your local farmers’ market would let you place them for sale near the checkout. Add a sign: “Choose not to pollute – with our sturdy reusable market totes.”

Take your wine gift bags to liquor stores and see if you can work out a similar display deal. Your dried flower arrangements, decoupage trays or hand made candles would give a more attractive and real look to display rooms at a furniture store.

Barter for Space

Once I was approached by the owner of a card and gift shop in a neighborhood mall. She had seen and admired my crafts. She thought they would complement her store’s inventory and that my existing clientele would bring traffic to the store. She offered me a very modest salary and a small corner of the store in which I could display my products.

It seemed like an ideal match; but it was doomed from the start. [This was before I understood the importance of tie-ins and one person’s product enhancing – rather than competing with - the other person’s.]

My products dressed up the store. Traffic increased significantly. I honestly worked as hard to sell her merchandise as my own.

Then one morning, the owner came in and told me to remove myself and my crafts by the end of the day. My sales had been very good while hers had increased only marginally. It just didn’t seem like a good bargain for her. I had most of the benefit.

With 20/20 hindsight, it might have worked out if I had suggested working on commission rather than for salary. That way, there would be less suspicion about where my efforts were placed.

I still thought bartering for space could work and decided that, if I found another opportunity, I would accept no salary. I also wanted to make sure that our products didn’t compete. I came up with an idea but when I asked my friends for their opinions, they looked at me like I was crazy.

There is a small water treatment, garden and pool supply store nearby. Most of the time, the owner is out on jobs and his wife tends the store. But with young children at home, she frequently needs to leave at a moment’s notice and would simply lock up the store, posting a “Back in 10 minutes sign”. Customers were getting so frustrated that they were going to the competition.

I approached the couple and suggested I could open the store earlier, tend it until the wife arrived and stay until 2:00 so she (actually we both) could leave and run errands as needed. In return they would give me a small corner where I could display and sell my crafts. They loved the idea.

It has worked beautifully. I decorated my little niche like a garden to tie in to their pool and garden products – little wicker table and chair, a trellis on which I can hang some of my things, fake stairs going up along the wall (which I use as display shelves) with a trompe l’oeil door at the top.

OnLine Craft Marketing Co-Ops

This is something I haven’t tried and which I’m a little leery of. The idea is to join other crafters on a website devoted to craft marketing.

Online craft marketing is hard enough without having five or six other crafters’ works on the same web page. It’s sort of a miniature craft show, without providing you the opportunity to stand out too much.

But more of these craft marketing sites are springing up. I think many crafters simply don’t want to devote their efforts to online craft marketing, but want to see if there’s any money to be made that way.

There are many co-op craft selling sites that you can locate with a web search. One has the improbable name of “Stars and Infinite Darkness.” Other sites are “Wholesale Crafts” and “eCrafter.”

Whether online or off, if there’s a will there’s a way to improve your craft marketing. Be imaginative and think outside the box.

For more ideas and tips on selling crafts and for information on setting up a craft business, visit http://www.theartfulcrafter.com/craft-business.html

By Eileen Bergen, the owner of The Artful Crafter, a website devoted to helping crafters make and sell original crafts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eileen_Bergen