Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Stocked Market

I have a friend that sells hair clips made on piano wire.  They are beautiful and make many different hairstyles with ease.  She is coming for a visit soon to sell them at the annual Stocked Market at the Berglund Center, put on by the Junior League.

I have been sending her pictures of the baskets I make from clothesline and fabric strips and she has been telling me I should sell some at a craft fair. I was intrigued by this idea.  Plus, it gives me the excuse to keep making them as I experiment with color and shape.  I gave her one of my early baskets when she demanded hinted that she would like one.  Her hair clips don't take up a lot of space in the booth she has rented at the Stocked Market and she arranged for me to sell a few baskets from her booth.

Since then I have been making baskets like a crazy woman.  Well, she said in a humble voice, an exceptionally talented and organized woman with a touch of OCD.

Here are a few that I made with Christmas fabric.

 

You can really change the appearance by changing the thread color.

 

I bought a lot of little findings and things and have enjoyed combining them with the baskets.  I will bring scissors to remove them if potential purchasers don't like my choices!

 

It is a bit harder to make handles so I will have to charge more for them.  That is my big problem.  How much to charge.  I have seen little plain baskets for around $25.  And huge purses for hundreds of dollars.

 

There is about $5. worth of supplies, if I purchase fabric for a specific basket.  It is a little less if I use fabric left over from another project.

 

So I have to figure how much my time is worth.  And how much people are willing to pay for a basket.  Even one that is one of a kind and handmade by an ARTIST!

 

Can I charge more if I call myself an ARTISTE?

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