I was just wondering what - if anything - is selling this year and how are sales? I have yet to do a show this year due to serious health problems and wonder if it is worth the effort. I know a lot depends on area of country, but I am just curious. I know consumer spending is still off, but was curious as to what those of you who do craft shows have experienced this season or year. TIA

Don't know about this year but last year my best sellers were fleece hanger covers (they fit over plastic hangers), cupcake purses for little girls, fleece seat belt covers, embroidery lace ornaments and kid's fleece jackets.

Thanks for your reply. I would be interested in the directions/links esp. for the cupcake bags for little girls.

The cupcake purse is the following pattern. I also include matching kleenex holders for each purse, link also below.

http://www.createforless.com/Quilts+...pid146492.aspx

http://sewing.about.com/od/bagstotes...lopetissue.htm

The fleece hanger covers were on Hancock's website but have since been deleted. The fleece seat belt covers I copied from one I bought. If you would like the instructions, PM me your address and I will send them to you.

The ornaments were done on my embroidery machine using designs purchased from Embroidery Library.

http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/default.aspx

The kid's jacket is this pattern, the most user friendly simple jacket pattern ever! It's from Sew Baby.

http://www.sewbaby.com/shopbaby/prod...oducts_id=4041

This is great...thank you so much. Now, here's hopeing it is a decent buying season. I will probably do mostly fire company and historical society shows. Many of the larger shows I have done in the past few years have been cancelled or cut back on vendors.
Thanks again.

If fund raisers are any idea of how tight money is. The coffee and calendar sales are way down this year. Just wanted to let you know that.

Thanks...that is what I was afraid of.

I do a few shows a year( I have learned to pick my shows carefully) . Interesting my last fall show was tied for the second best $$$ in the over twenty years I have been doing them . That show was rightin the midst of three straight weeks of the stock market going down every day) .I just had one show in that last few weeks and for that show it was the highest $$$ for that show in the ten years of doing that particular show.
My biggest advise .. pick your shows carefully. When I first started I was not too careful , nothing is worse than going to a show with a good amount of $$ and time invested in your inventory and coming home with most of it.
My second advise pick what you sell carefully .

sales are really LOW thus far...heard many are talking about waiting for Christmas club accounts to come out in Nov...who knows..but I do know that even fund raiser sales are really down!

I'm doing my first show in NOvember. I've been making some novelty lap throws and kid quilts just to get my name out to the public. My real goal is to 'finish what your grandma started'.....that is quilting all those stored quilt tops that everyone has inherited. Any ideas on how to market that?