My First Craft Fair – Crochet Market Experiences

Event #1

Last month I crossed off a major goal for 2025 and it was a bit bittersweet, my first craft fair event. People always recommend attending the event as a shopper prior to signing up as a vendor. Although that is great advice my patience meter did not want to wait an entire year before taking the leap and doing a craft fair. Lesson learned, the first craft fair, would have not passed the shopper to vendor test. The traffic flow was painfully slow, maybe one person or family per half hour. Location was not only difficult to see from the street but also unsafe with holes and dips causing people to fall. For some odd reason they decided to set the vendors behind a fence that was in the dirt/ dead grass which made it seem like a private event to the average passerby. If the event was held in the front parking lot I think it would have had higher traffic and been a lot safer for guests to shop. 

Structured Hat vs Single Needle Embroidery Machine

Most embroidery on curved/shaped hats are created with a multi-needle machine. These are machines  where the hat is able to be worked inside of a curved hoop. As a single needle machine owner who does not want to shell out thousands of dollars it is time to test if it is absolutely necessary. Although I have seen some single needle embroidery done on a hat before they have been structured. Since a structured hat is more difficult, why not try it out. 

Print from the Back Tray on Your Printer

Over the past month I had been prepping for my first ever craft fair. In order to prepare there were a lot of things to create via printing, cutting and stamping. I  decided to create all of my hang tags and packaging cards by hand to save money using card stock. My go to type of card stock to use is heavy weight 110 lb for hang tags and bow packaging: it is thick and will often jam up the printer. Printers rotate paper to print on paper but card stock this thick is more difficult to bend. Another reason to use the back tray is when you are printing on sticker paper. Sticker paper often gunks up my printer if I am printing multiple sheets. Instead of getting frustrated and wasting resources reprinting, I have been putting the rear tray of my printer to use. 

How to | Combine Layers or Colors in Embrilliance Embroidery Software

When using an embroidery file one thing among many I look for is how many times I have to change my thread. If you have a multi-needle machine this is not even on your radar but some of us are still struggling. One of the perks of Embrilliance essentials is being able to switch up the order of each color/ section of embroidery. 

Pet Paw Cleaner Review | Best Way to Clean Toe Beans?

For the last couple of years I have been looking for a way to clean my baby’s toe beans without traumatizing him. Daily walks can be extremely dirty with muddy grass, dusty sidewalks, sticky almond seeds, and trash in general. We take off our shoes but our pet tracks all of the sticky, muddiness from outside inside on the furniture and even on our bed. Now there are pet shoes but my baby would rather die than wear those everyday. On rainy and scorching hot days absolutely he will wear his shoes out but weather permitting we allow his toe beans to explore the outdoors. 

How to Move Files to an Embroidery Machine

Most embroidery machines have a USB port to be able to access files from outside of the base designs. There is no way to move an actual file to the machine itself. All files stay on the drive and are read from the drive itself. I would recommend dedicating a USB drive solely to your machine. Keep all the files organized so you are not constantly clicking through several pages searching for the new file you saved. 

What I Made This Month | Amigurumi Crochet Haul

Anyone else feel anxious if they don’t have a project to work on? Lately, I’ve been making a lot of new amigurumis. I enjoy trying new patterns but there is also comfort in creating repeat projects knowing that they will actually turn out properly. There have been numerous patterns I’ve made and then said “never, ever again!”.

Using a Multi-Position Hoop for an Applique | Part #2

Previously, I went over how to create the file but now it is time to see if it will actually work. I am always curious as to how people embroider. Is everyone stitching out on finished garments or a single piece of fabric? In embroidery advertising I always see them stitch on a single piece of fabric especially for single needle machines. This seems so unrealistic to me unless you are only embroidering on garments you are in the process of sewing. Perhaps it is because embroidering on sweatshirts is a nuisance for everyone, unless you have the ability to use a magnetic hoop. If you are also struggling, I recommend the float method, hooping only the stabilizer, spraying basting spray on the garment and then placing it on top of the hoop. 

Multi-Position Hoop Appliqué file in Embrilliance Software.

Previously I stated that it was impossible to use a multi position hoop to create appliqués. The more time I spend working with my embroidery machine the more I realize the only limitations seem to be solely based in my mind. Why not try something first rather than shutting it down? 

Anabei Washable Modular Sofa Review | is it worth the hype?

Now that it has been about three months since we purchased our couch, it is time to let you all know what it is really like to own an Anabei. At the start of our search for the “perfect” sofa we had one main requirement that was making it seem almost impossible to attain, seventy inches and under width wise. Ideally washable so that we do not have to fear using the couch. Life happens no matter if you eat snacks on it or not. Plus having a lil pup we wanted him to enjoy it too, he loves a cushy ottoman.