Table filler
It’s the lower price point stuff that is meant to garner an opening sale. Table filler is the stuff that technically pretty much anyone can make (and does) and make fairly quickly from cheap materials. It’s cute and fills in the odd spaces hopefully without distracting from the more involved (and higher priced) items.
I’ve been to my fair share of craft bazaars and it never fails to amaze me that people wholly seem to expect that they are going to somehow cover the cost of a table on plain crocheted wash cloths or braided plastic key-rings, let alone walk away with anything that even remotely resembles a profit.
I understand the compulsion to make lots of small items that can be sold at a lower price point, but what I don’t understand is only using one’s time and talent for only table filler. As cute as these items might be, going home with less money than you started with is a pretty disheartening experience (I’ve so been there, I know this one.)
So what’s a hard workin’ craftswoman to do?
First, figure out why you’re sticking to the safe end of craftiness. Is it because those items look professional (straight lines often do) or maybe because you’re scared of making mistakes on larger items or that aliens will punish you if you do not use up all your worsted weight cotton yarn and plastic lacing?
some of my craftiness in action
The next step is to grow and keep working on new ideas. It takes time to develop new products, and it does take longer to do more intricate and larger projects. It also takes guts to say “You know, I think I need to charge $390 for this free form crocheted life sized wheel barrow in order to pay for time and materials.” (Or what-ever-it-is that you make.)