I finally did my first craft show. I'm an introvert at heart and getting out there with people was a little intimidating. How would I handle a whole day of crowds? Well, it didn't hurt that I set up shop with my long time friend - and it wasn't her first rodeo.
Mindie with some of her knit creations - her specialty
It also seemed fitting that my first time out was for our high school
alma mater's marching band. It is a large, annual show hosted by the
student members of the Cambridge Springs High School Marching Band. They
were a great bunch of kids, hardworking and with such good attitudes.
They hustled our boxes and bins in and out of cars to our table space,
played holiday music throughout the day, served food and generally kept
hopping.
We set up our space together and it turned out to be a really fun day. Lots of friendly folk enjoyed strolling the aisles and taking in the festive spirit.
I was very pleased with how our space came together. We paid for three tables but requested only two be set up, that gave us room for racks to hang my quilts and her afghans.
It was a very positive experience and lots of fun to work together - still friends after 37 years!
Yes, that's a smile. I was actually having fun!
I'm glad she encouraged me to do this and I was so appreciative of the feedback from the show patrons. After spending hours and hours working by myself on projects, it's nice to hear encouragement from real people when they get a look at my creations. I was energized by comments on the quality of the work (a quality I strive to put in every stitch) and on my color and fabric selections and combinations (I often hope that what appeals to me isn't too far out of line with what others might enjoy). Getting "Favorited" in my
Etsy shop is gratifying but I don't necessarily know what made it a favorite. Conversational feedback was quite helpful.
I'm so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and participated in a worthy cause!
