Would you buy any of this stuff? Help me prioritize crafts please :) UPDATE

[heartlikealion]

**Update at bottom of thread**

 

I'm dabbling with new crafts and not sure where to put focus. I think a variety is fine, but may need to narrow it down to what would actually sell/be appreciated if gifted.

 

Lanyards (for masks. Made with paracord. The lobster claws clip to the elastic on the mask)

Cloth coasters (if you like these, would you buy just one or two or a set... mix and match? I've made some that have one pattern on each side)

Cloth bowl covers (if you like this idea, what size bowl? Pyrex mixing bowls? Ordinary bowls that come with dish sets?)

Cloth bookmarks

Scrunchies (these are kinda hard on sizing because the fat quarters aren't very long and I'm afraid I should be using my longer cuts of fabric. Might be fine for a child or someone with very thin hair?)

coffee sleeve like this. Haven't finished mine yet... not sure if I got it right. The pattern prints weird and you have to tape it together. 

Cloth pumpkins (I haven't mastered this yet... I bought a huge needle but then it left huge holes! But the regular size needle has an eye too small for the yarn. What am I missing?. So I didn't thread down through the center of the pumpkin and that's why it didn't get quite the look I wanted). 

Sorry I don't have pics of everything right now. And the items don't have to have holiday fabric, but that's mostly what I've been doing. 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2021 by heartlikealion

[Spryte]

I think the pumpkins are adorable!

 

[heartlikealion]

1 minute ago, Spryte said:

I think the pumpkins are adorable!

 

the fabric with the pumpkins? 

[Spryte]

1 minute ago, heartlikealion said:

the fabric with the pumpkins? 

Funny - I do love that fabric! But I was thinking of the cloth pumpkins. I would totally buy some of those. Very cute.

[vonfirmath]

Of all of the things you mentioned, the thigns I'd be most likely to buy are the cloth covers (I'd be looking for things like Pyrex bowls that we use a LOT but don't have their own covers. Though I could see being convinced to get a set for cereal bowls (Corelle) for when my daughter doesn't finish dinner and sets it aside for later)

And the scrunchies.

The thing I'm buying currently the most from a local crafter are her masks. They are REALLY good and she stopped taking orders for a time because she got a giant order for 186 masks and I am anxious for her to open up again so I can get some solid color masks for my son, who is picky about what patterns he will wear.

[WildflowerMom]

I would buy the scrunchies and the pumpkins for sure.  For Christmas, what about snowmen in the style of the pumpkins?  

[heartlikealion]

3 minutes ago, vonfirmath said:

Of all of the things you mentioned, the thigns I'd be most likely to buy are the cloth covers (I'd be looking for things like Pyrex bowls that we use a LOT but don't have their own covers. Though I could see being convinced to get a set for cereal bowls (Corelle) for when my daughter doesn't finish dinner and sets it aside for later)

And the scrunchies.

The thing I'm buying currently the most from a local crafter are her masks. They are REALLY good and she stopped taking orders for a time because she got a giant order for 186 masks and I am anxious for her to open up again so I can get some solid color masks for my son, who is picky about what patterns he will wear.

The bowl cover pictured fits on a standard bowl or a 4 cup pyrex. I actually bought lids for all my pyrex mixing bowls, but I know not everyone has a lid for theirs. I own the 1.5 qt, 2.5 qt, and 4 qt. 

[heartlikealion]

I bought some cute plaid for pumpkins. I will try another and see how it comes out. I am thinking I may just need to skip the yarn and go with a few strands of thread through the eye of the needle so I can go down the center of the pumpkin without leaving a hole. I would use embroidery floss but I can't find mine. I've already made a dozen trips to the stores picking out things the past couple weeks LOL. Trying to use up some of what I have. I was making wreaths, but the pickings were so slim this year on what I usually buy (ribbon) so I got a bit discouraged. I might finish those, we'll see. 

[HS Mom in NC]

I would appreciate getting a cloth bookmark and if I didn't have glass tables the mug rugs (a.k.a. cloth coasters.)

[WildflowerMom]

Do you have an Etsy shop?   I would think about it… 

I personally am kinda crazy about Buffalo check and plaid.   Also, what about plaid or check colors in the state football teams?  Like red and blue for ol miss and such?   That would go over huge here in Georgia (well not ol miss, 😆).  Also, if you do the colors and not the actual licensed school print, it’ll be cheaper, but you can still get away with charging a good price for those items.  Coasters in school print (eta: not licensed either, I meant the school colors in plaid or Buffalo)  would be good, too.  Also, what about beer bottle koozies, similar to the coffee wraps, but in sports team colors? 

Edited September 23, 2021 by WildflowerMom

[TheReader]

What I bought and love, and would love to buy more of, are those bowl cozies that keep you from burning your hands in the microwave or even when serving hot soup into bowls. 

Hair scrunchies sound cute (there are headband patterns too). I'd buy those. 

 

[heartlikealion]

3 minutes ago, WildflowerMom said:

Do you have an Etsy shop?   I would think about it… 

I personally am kinda crazy about Buffalo check and plaid.   Also, what about plaid or check colors in the state football teams?  Like red and blue for ol miss and such?   That would go over huge here in Georgia (well not ol miss, 😆).  Also, if you do the colors and not the actual licensed school print, it’ll be cheaper, but you can still get away with charging a good price for those items.  Coasters in school print would be good, too.  Also, what about beer bottle koozies, similar to the coffee wraps, but in sports team colors? 

I’ve thought about it but I would need to have an inventory ready to go as I wouldn’t want the pressure of rushing to make orders on demand. Seems they take a good paycut and then if the person pays with PayPal I imagine PayPal keeps a cut on top of that from the “buying a good or service” option. 
 

My kids have a fall fest in Oct and a vendor table is only $25 but I don’t know if I gave time to make pt worthwhile to go as a vendor. If I did, I might put up a sign that 10% of proceeds go back to the school and then donate that. Some of these items are going to a church booth for a fundraiser. 

[heartlikealion]

2 minutes ago, TheReader said:

What I bought and love, and would love to buy more of, are those bowl cozies that keep you from burning your hands in the microwave or even when serving hot soup into bowls. 

Hair scrunchies sound cute (there are headband patterns too). I'd buy those. 

 

Oh yes that’s on my list of things to make as well. I’ve been holding off because it uses up my cotton batting. I started using felt inside the coasters to cut back on costs. 

[Bambam]

My DH would definitely go for the lanyards. He sorta made his own with just random cord we had around the house. 

I'd buy the fabric coasters. Especially since my coaster by my computer (regularly in use) has a black ring (mold? mildew? ?) on the white embossed surface. It's disgusting. I need to toss it, but I also know the next one will do the same thing. But a fabric coaster? I could toss that into the washer, right? And presto - it would be clean again? 

[heartlikealion]

7 minutes ago, Bambam said:

My DH would definitely go for the lanyards. He sorta made his own with just random cord we had around the house. 

I'd buy the fabric coasters. Especially since my coaster by my computer (regularly in use) has a black ring (mold? mildew? ?) on the white embossed surface. It's disgusting. I need to toss it, but I also know the next one will do the same thing. But a fabric coaster? I could toss that into the washer, right? And presto - it would be clean again? 

Yes you can wash it! One girl on YouTube recommended air drying, but I don't know if it makes any difference. It's like a mini pot holder in a way. 

[heartlikealion]

I'm seriously considering signing up for the Oct. vendor booth. Worst case I don't even break even but the school gets the money for the booth fee so not so terrible. 

Any idea on pricing? For any of the items? 

I still can't believe I paid so much for lanyards in 2020 and they fell apart. I think they were over $10 each. I wouldn't charge that much, though. I would potentially need to buy some more hardware, though. 

Edited September 23, 2021 by heartlikealion

[bolt.]

I would not buy any of that stuff.

Some people love crafts, and I hope you do, because as a *combination* of recreation/creativity plus a little profit on the side to spend on new materials... it might work. As a business where you might expect a significant monetary outcome: I'd say don't get your hopes too high. And don't "invest" too much at the start-up. Manage your expectations and you will probably love it, though.

[Soror]

4 minutes ago, bolt. said:

I would not buy any of that stuff.

Some people love crafts, and I hope you do, because as a *combination* of recreation/creativity plus a little profit on the side to spend on new materials... it might work. As a business where you might expect a significant monetary outcome: I'd say don't get your hopes too high. And don't "invest" too much at the start-up. Manage your expectations and you will probably love it, though.

These are not things I'd buy either but I'm not into generally into that kind of stuff(I have one tote for all my holiday decorations)

I think setting up at a fair is a good idea because those events attract people that are into those things.

[MooCow]

3 hours ago, WildflowerMom said:

I would buy the scrunchies and the pumpkins for sure.  For Christmas, what about snowmen in the style of the pumpkins?  

Totally!

[heartlikealion]

10 minutes ago, bolt. said:

I would not buy any of that stuff.

Some people love crafts, and I hope you do, because as a *combination* of recreation/creativity plus a little profit on the side to spend on new materials... it might work. As a business where you might expect a significant monetary outcome: I'd say don't get your hopes too high. And don't "invest" too much at the start-up. Manage your expectations and you will probably love it, though.

I want to make things like this for myself and as gifts but it would be cool to sell a few here and there. I don’t want to fool with shipping etc. I bought most of the fabric originally for myself/gifting. The cotton batting is for the potholders I will make myself but if the coffee sleeves come out well that may be used for teacher gifts. Between the 2 kids there are several teachers. 

[Wheres Toto]

Scrunchies tend to sell really well at craft fairs, even when they aren't particularly in style, and they are again now so I would bet they would sell well.    Fun fabrics, team colors, seasonal/holiday patterns tend to do really well.  Big bows for little girls seem to do well also.

The fabric pumpkins also seems to do well, and I like the idea of snowmen.    You can also make cloth ornaments, they seem popular as well.  

Those are the only things I would buy probably.  

[heartlikealion]

I dropped off a few scrunchies (not all the same print) for the church Germanfest fundraiser… their event is Sunday. Maybe I can find out how the items did for future reference. 

[regentrude]

I would not buy any of it since I don't like stuff and am not acquiring decorative items.

They're cute, just not something I need to add to my life.

[Melissa Louise]

Cloth covers. 

For fun craft I do a single form of sewing, sashiko. It's decorative, but you can make stuff with the finished pieces to sell. Bookmarks etc. 

[Emba]

3 hours ago, TheReader said:

What I bought and love, and would love to buy more of, are those bowl cozies that keep you from burning your hands in the microwave or even when serving hot soup into bowls. 

Hair scrunchies sound cute (there are headband patterns too). I'd buy those. 

 

Bowl cozies! I was thinking of this too but couldn’t remember what to call them! 
 

eta: saw some at a craft fair, didn’t buy them, and have never worked up the energy to make my own. I’d definitely buy some art a craft fair, and some for my sister, who like them too 

Edited September 23, 2021 by Emba

[73349]

I would buy sets of cloth coasters in sets of 4-6 coordinating but distinct fabrics to help keep track of whose glass is whose. I would consider seasonal but absolutely not holiday-specific (so maybe snowflakes, but not Christmas trees; maybe pumpkins, but not jack o'lanterns). I'd more highly prefer some that I could use year-round, offered in a few color families to look nice in different people's homes.

I would not buy bookmarks or scrunchies. I wouldn't want a cloth pumpkin even if it were free. I think a lot of people would buy a mask lanyard or a bowl cover; maybe offer a few sizes.

If I bought a coffee sleeve, it would be to fit a pint canning jar (probably wide-mouth because of the shape). People who want a reusable coffee sleeve will want a reusable coffee cup, and the travel ones come in such different diameters I'm not sure you could easily make one to fit the common range of sizes.

Edited September 23, 2021 by Carolina Wren

[Spryte]

As a business, I agree with managing expectations. I grew up in the street art show circuit (high end, juried shows), and it’s not a dependable source of income. Do what you do because you love it, and any extra sales are a bonus.

Have fun!

[MercyA]

I have purchased cloth coasters, cloth bowl covers, and mask lanyards. 

I appreciate bowl covers large enough to fit large mixing bowls. I use them more than the smaller ones.

I like handmade potholders and placemats, too. I'm a sucker for anything quilted.

I would prefer fabric I can use year-round or at least seasonally (for several months at a time).

[Teaching3bears]

They’re all nice.  I like the bowl cover and pumpkin best!  Bookmarks would be nice too.

[heartlikealion]

I’ll go through my stash and see what fabric I can use for bowl covers. I agree with year round being good. Some fabric I own is only for personal use (no one else would know but I wouldn’t want to sell it). Sometimes you don’t know that til after you buy it and see the note on the selvage. 

Tonight I finished the bookmark. It’s got one piece of thick interfacing but I might add another next time. 

I think I’m terrible at the pumpkins lol but I’m working on it. It’s a guessing game how much stuffing to use, how many lines to have… I separated the yarn and used 2 pieces and a thick needle and it was still hard. I flipped the pumpkin because the bottom looked better than the top but I think it’s decent. 

Edited September 24, 2021 by heartlikealion

[bibiche]

For the bookmarks, you don’t want them thick or they’ll deform the book. I doubt you need another layer of interfacing.

Are you using a particular tutorial for the pumpkin? There are tons of them out there. If you’re not happy with this one, maybe try another.

[heartlikealion]

29 minutes ago, bibiche said:

For the bookmarks, you don’t want them thick or they’ll deform the book. I doubt you need another layer of interfacing.

Are you using a particular tutorial for the pumpkin? There are tons of them out there. If you’re not happy with this one, maybe try another.

Good point on the bookmark. 

I haven’t seen an actual pattern for pumpkins. You just kinda guess size of fabric based on pumpkin you want and then sew the one side and baste stitch the others and tug for the top and bottom (then tie off). I’ve watched many YouTube videos. They make it look so easy. 

Working on a 4qt mixing bowl cover now. Gonna look on Etsy to see what people sell these things for. 

[Ausmumof3]

I’m like others most of this stuff looks nice but I don’t like a lot of clutter.  I might buy bookmarks or masks but that would be it.  
 

People do spend a bit on pet jackets and stuff like that.  Is that in your range of possibilities?  And nice quality reusable shopping bags is another thing.

[heartlikealion]

1 hour ago, Ausmumof3 said:

I’m like others most of this stuff looks nice but I don’t like a lot of clutter.  I might buy bookmarks or masks but that would be it.  
 

People do spend a bit on pet jackets and stuff like that.  Is that in your range of possibilities?  And nice quality reusable shopping bags is another thing.

I think you can get reusable bags cheap at the grocery store. 

The pumpkins are just holiday decor. I wouldn’t expect people to leave it out all the time. Not interested in making pet clothing. I only have a cat lol 

I can make masks but I need to experiment with new elastic I got. The last kind I bought was great for wearing but awful for sewing. I kept breaking needles. 

There are a couple methods for lid covers. One requires more fabric (the kind I made) but I tried another with fold over elastic to cover the unfinished edge and apparently even though I pulled on the elastic as I sewed, it left way too much slack. I did make one reversible coffee sleeve. 
 

I’ll definitely make more bookmarks. They don’t use a lot of fabric. 

[marbel]

15 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

I want to make things like this for myself and as gifts but it would be cool to sell a few here and there. I don’t want to fool with shipping etc. I bought most of the fabric originally for myself/gifting. The cotton batting is for the potholders I will make myself but if the coffee sleeves come out well that may be used for teacher gifts. Between the 2 kids there are several teachers. 

Are you using the heat-resistant batting for the potholders? It doesn't sound like it from the post. I would not sell - or use myself! - something as a potholder if it did not include heat resistant filling. Early in quarantine, I embarked on making potholders and small table pads with my stash of fabric and bought some Insulbrite. That stuff is not fun to work with! But you may do better than I did with it.

In general I think your things are cute but they are not the sort of thing I buy. 

Edited September 24, 2021 by marbel

[vonfirmath]

7 hours ago, bibiche said:

For the bookmarks, you don’t want them thick or they’ll deform the book. I doubt you need another layer of interfacing.

Are you using a particular tutorial for the pumpkin? There are tons of them out there. If you’re not happy with this one, maybe try another.

Yes the "thick bookmark" issue is why i rarely use anything but laminated paper bookmarks. I have a beautiful wood one  -- thin wood too -- and it is too thick to  use.

[heartlikealion]

1 hour ago, marbel said:

Are you using the heat-resistant batting for the potholders? It doesn't sound like it from the post. I would not sell - or use myself! - something as a potholder if it did not include heat resistant filling. Early in quarantine, I embarked on making potholders and small table pads with my stash of fabric and bought some Insulbrite. That stuff is not fun to work with! But you may do better than I did with it.

In general I think your things are cute but they are not the sort of thing I buy. 

Yes I will use it if I make them. I just meant I might go through my stash of cotton batting quickly if I made them. The stuff I bought even has a suggestion on the bag to make a potato bag for microwaving potatoes. I don’t microwave whole potatoes for cooking, though. 

[Dmmetler]

If you have smaller pieces, the cloth dish covers in different sizes would also work as musical instrument bell masks. That would probably be better on Etsy than at craft sales, or find a school band director who would like to do a bulk order. This would especially be nice if you could do a matching set, say, for a program or with the school mascot or something. 

 

Mask lanyards are very helpful, IMO. 

Edited September 24, 2021 by Dmmetler

[vonfirmath]

2 hours ago, Dmmetler said:

If you have smaller pieces, the cloth dish covers in different sizes would also work as musical instrument bell masks. That would probably be better on Etsy than at craft sales, or find a school band director who would like to do a bulk order. This would especially be nice if you could do a matching set, say, for a program or with the school mascot or something. 

 

Mask lanyards are very helpful, IMO. 

Our big brass instruments had bell covers last night at the performance (all matching) but the trumpets and smaller instruments did not.

 

[Dmmetler]

1 hour ago, vonfirmath said:

Our big brass instruments had bell covers last night at the performance (all matching) but the trumpets and smaller instruments did not.

 

All the brass should for COVID reasons. It is less helpful for woodwinds since they have multiple openings, but can help for clarinets and oboes as well. 

[Emba]

11 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

I’ll go through my stash and see what fabric I can use for bowl covers. I agree with year round being good. Some fabric I own is only for personal use (no one else would know but I wouldn’t want to sell it). Sometimes you don’t know that til after you buy it and see the note on the selvage. 

Tonight I finished the bookmark. It’s got one piece of thick interfacing but I might add another next time. 

I think I’m terrible at the pumpkins lol but I’m working on it. It’s a guessing game how much stuffing to use, how many lines to have… I separated the yarn and used 2 pieces and a thick needle and it was still hard. I flipped the pumpkin because the bottom looked better than the top but I think it’s decent. 

I like this pumpkin a lot better! I probably wouldn’t buy one, but I’m not big on seasonal decorating.

[heartlikealion]

1 minute ago, Emba said:

I like this pumpkin a lot better! I probably wouldn’t buy one, but I’m not big on seasonal decorating.

I found a YouTube video where they gave dimensions. I'm going to try that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JI0PBS29QA

 

[Emba]

One of the other things you mentioned that I would buy is scrunchies. I think you could also use a wide variety of fabrics for those, if you have other types of scraps/fabric besides quilting cotton.

[Tap]

Try velvet or corduroy for the pumpkins! It looks like the string is supposed to do all the shaping of the sides but if you find a pattern with a few sewn in sections, you can probably skip that step.

Light weight velvet for hair scrunchies is super cute too. 

 

[heartlikealion]

6 minutes ago, Emba said:

One of the other things you mentioned that I would buy is scrunchies. I think you could also use a wide variety of fabrics for those, if you have other types of scraps/fabric besides quilting cotton.

Ohh yeah I do have some duck cloth and crushed velvet. 

[heartlikealion]

Just now, Tap said:

Try velvet or corduroy for the pumpkins! It looks like the string is supposed to do all the shaping of the sides but if you find a pattern with a few sewn in sections, you can probably skip that step.

Light weight velvet for hair scrunchies is super cute too. 

 

Ha! I just posted about velvet. But I don’t know if they would look right on my pumpkins… I can test it. I would love corduroy. I don’t know if that’s hard to find or not; haven’t looked yet. 

[QueenCat]

If I had little girls to buy for, I'd buy seasonal scrunchies.

[heartlikealion]

Somebody in a crafty Facebook page told me to make sure the lanyards are lead free. 

is this a real concern? I mean would you expect the seller to have run lead tests on all their metal hardware? I don’t have time for this. 

[Danae]

On 9/24/2021 at 8:05 AM, heartlikealion said:

Yes I will use it if I make them. I just meant I might go through my stash of cotton batting quickly if I made them. The stuff I bought even has a suggestion on the bag to make a potato bag for microwaving potatoes. I don’t microwave whole potatoes for cooking, though. 

Someone gave me a bag for microwaving potatoes that they bought at a craft fair about five years ago.  I used it once, and as far as I can tell it didn’t improve anything over just microwaving the potato on a plate.  So I vote NO on that one.

edit: it had a note pinned on it about how it was a magic potato bag that could be used to make a baked potato in the microwave.  Which you can, without the bag. 

Edited September 27, 2021 by Danae

[heartlikealion]

12 minutes ago, Danae said:

Someone gave me a bag for microwaving potatoes that they bought at a craft fair about five years ago.  I used it once, and as far as I can tell it didn’t improve anything over just microwaving the potato on a plate.  So I vote NO on that one.

edit: it had a note pinned on it about how it was a magic potato bag that could be used to make a baked potato in the microwave.  Which you can, without the bag. 

That stinks! But good to know.

------------

This woman is pretty serious about following some USA guidelines for children's products etc. and it's making me second guess even selling lanyards. I don't want to add a breakaway clasp in the center when the lanyard isn't even one continuous piece (each end has a lobster claw). Good grief, makes you not even want to make anything for kids.