Once you FIND the right kind of market for your products, what can be easier than selling in person? The buyer gets to physically see and touch the items, chat with you, the Maker, and have a safe buying experience. It's a great way for a Seller to get to know their local market, and even test new products to gauge the interest in them.
In 2019 I did four Handmade Markets and let me tell you now, they were a flop for me. I had no idea what I was doing and looking back, I realize I didn't know my brand enough to know that my choice in Markets really needed to complement my brand.
When you're developing your Collection for the Market, it's really important to consider the following:
Price Point
Unless you're a highly specialized shop, or already have a great following of people that always buy from you, you want to have a range of price points! It will help you gauge which range sells well for you, and it could vary from Market to Market! I'm learning I need to have more products I sell in the $30-$60 range.
Uniqueness
Having a unique product or selling point really helps you stand out! I've found the Spindle Ghosts I list below were an attention grabber because they were something different. And I found that my Steampunk Santas were so intricate, you may even call them showstoppers, but they really caught people's attention!
Simplicity
Although having some showpieces on display at a much higher price point is ALWAYS a great idea, keep your eyes open for patterns or ideas that look simple to make, but have a wow factor! Not so easy but I'll share some with you below!
Display
One rule of thumb I learned the hard way - do not overcrowd your display! Overcrowding can lead to overwhelm with potential buyers. They get decision fatigue, which usually results in no sale. It also keeps your display fresh throughout the market day - if someone returns the next day, they may see an entirely new collection of your items and see something else they'd like to pick up!
Okay, with that all being said, here are my top picks for Fall Markets!!
My Top Five Pattern Picks for Fall Handmade Markets
Pattern Pick #1 Gertie Picks a Winner
This pattern by The Goode Wife is a must have for markets. She's eye catching, fast to whip up and each one looks a little different, bursting with personality. The original pattern has Gertie holding a Pumpkin with a cheesecloth apron but here's where you can get creative. I've made Gertie's sporting little wired glasses, I've put a broom in her hand, given her a shawl, there are many possibilities to make her unique.
The pattern calls for an orange fabric for the pumpkin. For this, since she's a primitive styled doll I like to take some coffee-stained muslin, and an orange, green and light brown watered down acrylic paints. Taking a big paint brush, I'll paint the fabric with the colours marbling into each other, giving it a lot of interest. I like to use that as the fabric base for my pumpkins.
I also prefer to sew the hat out of muslin, then stain it with watered down black paint and give it a crumple before it dries to give it character.
**FYI this pattern can only be purchased within the USA, it is a mailed paper pattern!
Here are some ideas to inspire you of what you can do with this pattern:
Pattern Pick #2 Spindle Ghosts
This is the first year I've come across the Spindle Ghost pattern by Tammy Franck of Rock River Stitches and it caught my eye immediately. I think you should always have something lower priced (like the $20 range) at the markets, and these Spindle Ghosts would fit that bill nicely. Again, they are super easy to make with a quick machine stitch on the body, then the eyes get hand embroidered. You could offer these for purchase as singles or group them in a bundle for a savings.
I actually bought Walnut Crystals specifically for this pattern (I wanted to test them out!) but to me, it's honestly not worth the money, I would stick to a coffee stain for the cheesecloth, it works great.
Also, the pattern suggests using old antique weaving spindles for the bases, those are really hard to come by and are not the sturdiest. In place of that, I made mine using a 1/4" dowel. I bought these smoke stack pieces (you can get them here), and my brother in law has a drill press and he drilled out small holes for my dowels. I glued those in place, then for extra stability I glue the smokestack piece onto a wood slice. I then stained the whole thing in a walnut stain. I'm happy with how these came out and they were a great seller!
I'm planning to make them again for 2024 markets, however in addition to the plain ghost, I'm going to try a style with a witches hat, another one holding a pumpkin (Tammy has another pattern for that here), but I want mine to light up (I have an idea forming).
You can download the pattern from Rock River Stitches, and while you're there, check out her other patterns. I think Tammy has a great collection of patterns that would work well at markets.
Pattern Pick #3 Witch in the Moon
The Witch in the Moon is by Stephanie Baker of Old World Primitives. This is another one of those patterns that is simple yet show stopping, however this one requires a few techniques/tools to speed up the making process. It is also not for the novice sewer, and I say that because around the face contours you really need to be able to maneuver the fabric under your needle to follow the complex line. If you are comfortable with that, I would also suggest using a very small stitch for strength! Be sure to clip all corners for the best results!
It's the stuffing of the Moon that is the trickiest. I make sure to arm myself with a good set of tube turners, hemostats, and That Purple Thang. I've found it works best if I start at one end of the moon, turn out maybe half of the curve and then start to stuff. Then my stuffing tools don't need to reach quite as far!
I also make sure to take the small metal rod that comes with the smallest turning tube, and use it to really press out the features of the moons face - that's why it's important to use a small stitch because you could accidentally blow out the seam! And a final recommendation is to use a fine quilters cotton, or very fine woven muslin - the finer the weave, the stronger your stitch line will be and less likely to blow through the stitches with a stuffing tool!
Pattern Pick #4 Harriet Hollows
Of course I'm going to shout out one of my patterns! Harriet Hollows has been my #1 seller for a couple of years now. She is not complicated, she is easy to batch, and there's a variety of things you can do to make her just that little bit different! I
would say with this pattern (after making it hundreds of times), take care to mark your mouth and eye locations before sewing those pieces - it will give you the most accurate placement of the beads and mouth stitch line without having to think about it (time saver). Also, definitely mark where the head should be placed on the body - if you place the head too far back it won't look right! I'm including some inspiration photos below of some different things you can do with Harriet, beyond the pattern!
Pattern Pick #5 The Eleventh Hour
This sweet Witch Hanger is fun to make, fairly simple (I'll share with you my pattern notes), and eye catching. Pam Gracia of Soft in the Head is the designer, and you should take some time to check out her pattern collection, there are lots of adorable mice patterns!
With The Eleventh Hour, I would say the trickiest part is the arms and hands. Make
sure to get the gauge wire Pam recommends or they'll end up too flimsy! Also, the first few I made I didn't make the hands large enough, this is a part of the pattern I want to focus on this year so that I can get it really repeatable. I also like using witchy lace fabrics for her skirt, however I learned I need to either make her a black slip when I do this or paint her body black so the muslin doesn't show through (which is a technique I use on my Harriets!). The Eleventh Hour witch is another pattern where you have a lot of options of what to put in her little hands. I like doing mini bouquets of dried wheat or dried flowers, the original pattern is with a broom which looks fabulous. I'm going to play with some other ideas this year!
So I guess now it's time to get making!
It's never too early to start making for your Fall Markets! I find on Etsy, people are already searching and buying fall decor as early as June/July, so I like to be ready with some online offerings!
What are your favourite patterns to make for Fall Markets? I'd love for you to share in the comments below!