Thursday 8 March 2012

RoseHill Craft Show and more revelations

This morning I went down to Rosehill Racecourse for the 2012 Craft and Sewing show.
I spent soooo much money. And here's some of the goodies I bought; a purple and blue swirly aida that I just cannot wait to design something for.

Sorry for the poor images, I plonked the fabrics on my scanner as my camera batteries were flat and I couldn't wait to show them to you.
I also bought, from the same stand, a 'sherbert' hand dyed evenweave, 6 coasters and a half a meter strip of ribbon aida (the type you usually put on towels, but I'm planning something different for mine!).

I also made contact with some awesome businesses that have shown interest in my cross stitch designs.

Most unexpectedly, I learned something about myself at the show.
I try to do too much. So I've decided to specialise. I'm going to focus on textile designs.

I do love to bead, but I feel it should be a means of embellishments, not a major medium for me.
There are LOTS of talented beaders out there. But I got caught up in producing things quickly for the Artfest craft show. Now I know that's not me. I'm not about doing something that is almost mass produced. I'm about experimenting and doing things in unexpected ways and combining materials. Sometimes that takes a bit more time. It's not something that can be produced in quantities large enough for a craft market.

I'm a decorative arts designer, not a craftsman.

I don't know if any of that makes sense to you. But it does to me, and even writing it here helps to solidify my feelings.

Now if I can just save enough money to buy that $7000 long arm sewing machine that I want ... LOL

4 comments:

  1. That fabric is beautiful, I've not seen anything like that with the swirls before. I can't blame you for spending money, I'm sure I'd be terrible. Fabric is my new obsession, I've bought a ton of it recently.....I must do more stitching and less buying!

    I'm glad that you've decided where your interest lies. I think it's good to have a main focus, it's great to do something different every so often so please don't give up on your beading work as it is beautiful.

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  2. LOL, thanks Miamina. At least having no money now means that I have to get stuck in and work my tail off. I'm really glad I've refined my targets. I feel like I have more focus. I won't give up beading, I just won't make it something I strive to do for resale. And jewelry won't be the major focus of my work.

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  3. Oooh, Jenni, that fabric is wonderful! Can't wait to see what you produce using it. Gorgeous colours.

    I know exactly what you mean about trying to do too much....I'm exactly the same!

    Good luck with the focus now being on textile design, sounds exciting!

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  4. Thanks Rhona, I couldnt' believe my luck when I saw that stuff. I've sent an email to the stall to make sure he can get more so that stitchers can find it if they want to do my designs.
    I think I've made the right decision about textiles.

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