Sunday, June 15, 2008

Renegade and Rain

Check it out. This post has a title. Both my husband and daughter have chided me for just numbering my posts, so, despite the anxiety of coming up with a title, I'm going to do it.
Anyway, back to the actual subject of this post. I feel a little like roving reporter. Here I am, away from home, and yet still able to write about the events of the day and have that"published" here on my blog. Ain't technology grand? Sad as it may be, we checked into our hotel with two computers in tow.
But I digress. I'm supposed to be describing how the Renegade Craft Fair went yesterday. Well, good...and bad.
The day started out really well.


Having traveled by plane to NYC, I was pretty limited in the amount display items I could bring. I brought one basket and two tablecloths and that was pretty much it except for lots of string. My plan was to create multiple lines for hanging things both vertically and horizontally.


I tried to make "curtains" of hanging fabric bundles. Luckily, I'd made quite a few fabric packets so when one sold, I could just clip a new one in its place. All in all I was pretty happy with the way my booth looked. And, I really liked my banner.
The day was warm, but, being from Texas, I was unfazed by the heat. I also met some fun people. Kathy Miller from Micheal Miller Fabrics came by and I learned that she and Michael Miller are not a married couple or siblings, but that their company name is a mix of his first name and her last name. Who would have thunk it?
I also got to meet several people who I know through flickr and some really nice folks over at Etsy. There were a lot of oohs and aahs over my work and I chatted with a representative of the Craft America Shows about what it takes to do wholesale shows. Things were going pretty well.
Then the thunderstorm came. Here too I thought my Texas experience would serve me well. Thunderstorms are not uncommon on a Texas summer afternoon, so I was calm in the face of the lightening and thunder. That is until the crackling of the thunder was so loud that it was essentially overhead. I also felt like I calmly but quickly went about taking down my stuff when the deluge of rain started. But when the wind blew my canopy away, I might have been less the tranquil. Many of my items were soaked in the rain and some were badly stained. My husband helped me to collect my stuff and we headed back to our hotel(just a few blocks away) in the rain.
After the rain had slowed some(though it didn't completely stop all night), we went in search of a laundromat. Luckily there was a 24-hour laundromat just a couple blocks away.


Abi was not impressed by the bank of washers and dryers.


Though all our formerly soaking stuff is now washed and dry, there are several items that are too stained to sell. So, Renegade will be a one day show for me. It was pretty fun while it lasted and I still have 3 days to play tourist in NYC. In the scheme of things, not much to complain about. All the non-stained, unsold items will be posted in my shop this Thursday and Friday.

12 comments:

julie said...

I'm so sorry to hear about the rain staining your beautiful work! I bet a lot of buyers on Etsy would still want less-than-perfect items :)

Anonymous said...

oh what a terrible shame :( you sound so calm over the damage to your work, i'd be in bits i'm sure. hope you enjoy the rest of your time there at least.

Unknown said...

Goodness what a busy day for you! All in all was it a worthwhile experience? Would you do it again? Kudos to you for working so hard on your business!!!

jacquie said...

So sorry about the rain sweeping away your shelter! You have a great attitude about your experience. I'll be checking out the etsy items! Enjoy NYC!

mikawendy said...

I'm sorry to hear about the rain and the stained items. Maybe for some of the stained items, you could fix them by appliqueing over the stained area, similar to how you did for that pillow you were making a while back when the color wasn't quite right?

Sarah said...

Aaaah I can't believe some of your beautiful fabrics and quilts were stained! I certainly hope the rest of the time there is wonderful to make up for it.

Alix said...

I'm really sorry that your big adventure didn't turn out as expected. As others have commented I do hope some rays of sunshine were found too. Please don't be disheartened and continue with your beautiful work and showing them off. And maybe only inside fairs from now on;-)*

susan said...

I got my fabric in the mail today and I LOVE IT!!!!! Sorry about your rain out. We had tons of rain on Kauai and some thunder but NOTHING like the thunder storms here. Last year I about stroked out! and tornado warnings, mark says they NEVER have them here, NOT, they do but they are so very very rare here in da UP. the biggest bummer is the rain here is absolutely freezing cold. on kauai it is warm, not a hassel you just get wet but here, well, let's just say, i dont like to get wet here. cant wait to see what you post for sale, just might have to pick up another piece or two...what kind of fabric is that, the weave is so tight. have fun in nyc!

Unknown said...

I hope the rest of your trip was worthwhile. NYC is so fun to visit.

How about a section in your shop - "Rained on" :)

The WoodLand School said...

Ugh ... sorry to hear about the rain and the stains. Enjoy your touristy time in NYC ... hope the skies stay clear for you.

Kathryn Laughton said...

What bad luck! Sorry to hear you had stuff damaged. But if lightening really was striking close to you like you thought it might have been, it's also good luck you weren't getting hurt. I would have loved to see your stall (before the rain of course!). I can't wait for the new items in the shop!

Our Hands For Hope said...

Arg....that's a lot of work to end this way...I hope the rest of the vacation went well.