2016 - well it could be any earlier number but this year once again we attended the WA Craft Show. Many weeks of preparing - ordering new goodies - topping up stock - packaging - thinking - planning etc. Then on the Monday we go get the van if it is available early and on Tuesday we load it - well Ian does all the hard work - I just stack boxes and pack boxes and all of that stuff. This year we have a lovely new stand for our Cottage Garden threads and 3 lovely new stands for the different Eleganza weights. you probably cannot imagine how much easier that is making my life. Because we don't have a shop we don't usually have stands mostly becasue we don't have room. Our 4 giant stencil stands only come out for this show.
Then on Wednesday (after I had been for a hair cut) we drove the van to the showgrounds and with Oliver's help and 2 trolleys. unloaded everything in 2 hours. That was our best ever unload. SO we spent extra time with Ian making up all of the stands and I was able to stock the stencil stands before we left. That is rather a large task and a boring one so it was good to get it out of the way.
On Thursday it is set up day officially but we could never manage it in one day. Remember there are but two of us and apparently we are actually mere mortals. To add to the day I had pulled a muscle in my back a couple of days earlier and Ian had done something to his foot which was very painful so we were able to whinge to each other. There is nothing like dropping a tiny spool of thread on the floor and spending time wondering how to retrieve it. It's a big stand and we try to make it as good as we can.
There are all of those stencils - we sure have plenty.
People ask all the time why we do not do any shows on the eastern seaboard. I am trying to show by this that it is one awful lot of work and for a week before basically our mail order stops and for a week afterwards (from today) the shop is closed for personal shoppers. It takes me the entire week to get everything back into order - to count - to reorder and all of that boring stuff. We just cannot do any other shows. I will take my magic suitcase when I go away or we will trade if I am teaching etc but sorry folks that is it. There are only the two of us. I am on a mission to get into my studui every day to play.
Was the show good? Of course. What went well so I can learn .
Textile Art Supplies
We sold heaps of ArtFoamies - Opulent Paints - Sun Dyes
Fibres
Lots of all of the fibres but especially hand dyed silk laps - these are so fabulous and you can lift layers off to work in water soluble or spin or layer for scarves and add to felting etc etc
Fabrics
Loads of hand dyed flimsies (prefelts ) - of course -but also lots of felted wool stacks and velvet etc etc
Hand Threads
Everything but lots of Cottage Garden floss - Eleganza - Painters Threads - Jacinta's silks etc
Machine threads
Muchness of Victory rayon and also Spagetti and The Bottom Line
Miscellaneous
Load of our needles in their special own containers and buttons and braids
So very happy and I have lots of new ideas to play with. Many people asking for on line and hands on workshops. We shall see.
Then when the show was over we packed it all back into the van and drove it home and unpacked - not without our fabulous and tireless works - Grey and Marion - Kazuko - Jaslyn and Oliver. All done in a couple of hours and it rained as soon as the van doors closed and stayed that way until we opened then. Then it started again the minute we finished. Must have been our day. Topped our evening off with a visit to Three Coins for a fabbo dinner.
today I have boxes and stacks all through the house and will soon start my next phase of work.
Hope you are having a great week too! Thanks to everyone who came to the show.
4 comments:
Oh Dale and Ian, hope the recovery goes well. I for one know what a nightmare it all is.thinking of you and the evening red.
I've stumbled across your post Dale on a Google blog search .... and wow. I met you, did some freehand embroidery workshops with you many many years ago. I've not fed that 'creative urge' for sooo long I've probably lost it in work commitments family etc.
Was fabulous to have a read of your blog and lovely to know you are still as passionate about all things fibre as you ever were !! And you don't look that much different either !! I'm not sure where the WA Trade Show was but I'm going to have to find out for next year. I've still got my trusty Bernina and once unpacked out if the container dusted off and oiled I hope to get my creative flow happening again. Thanks so much for the read. Julie Davies (Cirkovic)
WOW Julie - I remember you! Lovely to hear from you - the show was at the Claremont Showgrounds - every year same sort of time. That trusty Bernina will swing into action any time. One of the things about the show this year was meeting up with lots of lovely people I hadn't seen for some time....
It sounds like a major military operation but your stand always looks so attractive and inviting, so all that hard work does pay off. I do hope your back and Ian's foot will soon be feeling more comfortable, and that your attendance at the show didn't make them worse.
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