Whimmydiddle 2014

I was so thrilled to be part of the 2014 Whimmydiddle craft fair in Scott City, KS this year. I went into this fair as a rookie, and I learned so much.

The items I have made in the last year have mostly comprised of projects I planned around the stash of yarn I had on hand or what has been given to me. Because I wasn't sure what types of handmades would be popular, I made a wide variety and watched what was touched, talked about, purchased, and even taken selfies with!  I feel I now have a more focused idea of what customers in that area are looking for. 

The Whimmydiddle is a one-day fair. My parents live about 6 blocks away, so I didn't have to sleep at the park in my tent or get a hotel room, which was great. I went down 2 days before hand, sifted through baskets at Mom's, and planned my booth layout. On the day before, I checked in, was given my spot assignment (which was a good spot - under a tree and with the wind at my tent's back), and set up my tent and tables. I waited for the morning to set up my merchandise and details. 

So at 7 that fair morning, I arrived at the fair and quickly realized that there was nowhere to park my trailer to unload my crates. My dad and husband helped me immensely- and we carried everything all the way across the park.  By lamplight, we set up and arranged everything. 

Here was my booth just after finishing setup. As you can see, I took my small loom to demonstrate weaving. I really tried to be weaving nearly all the time, so no one would miss it.  I had SO many comments, questions, and attention while weaving. It was great to show people something they had not seen before. I was also surprised by the children and men who were interested in my crafting. I love sharing my loves with people, and showing the art and detail that handmade items require hopefully raises appreciation for handiwork.

We also brought in my aunt Cindy's alpaca fleece. 

In the blue tubs beside Chris, we had raw fleece from four different alpacas, in different colors. It was fun to teach people more about alpacas and allow them to feel how soft their fleece is. 

I feel that there was not enough height to my display, and that more mannequins would have been nice. Many items are hard to imagine in use. A hand mannequin would be nice too!

By the end of the day, my back was sore from my weaving, I ran out of weft spools, and we were dusty from the wind. But we tore down, packed up, and drove the 6 hours back to Oklahoma that night. It was a long day, but I met some nice people, had fun, sold some stuff, and learned a ton. I'm already planning next year's fair!