Choices and decisions; rambling on

Some choices are easy, and others are harder. I recently chose to sign up for the Visions and ReVisions class at the Crow Barn. Carol Soderlund is the teacher, and I already know how good she is, so it was an easy decision to make, except for the money. The class format is sort of independent study, and the size is very small, so my next choice was what to focus on. By chance I found out that a small piece of paper helped me narrow down the choices. I ended up deciding on polyester.

A decision I’m trying to avoid is whether I should just give it all up and try to find a regular 40 hour a week job. Lately I have been doing odd jobs for another quilt show vendor, so that will take care of the short run. Then the seasonal retail jobs are just around the corner. A motivational poster I saw once said ‘Not to decide is to decide.’ So until I can’t put the decision off any longer, I will chose not to decide.

One thing I’m starting to explore is more venues to sell my hand-dye and surface design fabrics. (Because, if I sell more, I don’t have to decide to give it up.) So far I have lost money at shows for garment sewers. Now I am considering putting my toe into the fine craft show waters. I have chosen not to do that before now, because I have been selling only yardage. So I need to come up with something that can be well-made quickly and easily from my yardage that will sell. I’ve seen some fine art painters that are selling works in a 5” – 6” square size. A small wall hanging that isn’t square is a possibility. (I found out when I made my first miniature wall hanging that the square format looks like a pot holder.) Another option is a jacket. There’s plenty of room to research the possibilities, and to go to a lot of craft shows to see what else is out there. (A tough task, but someone’s got to do it.) And I could include fabric in my booth, so that I could offer a jacket or quilt or cloth as art on commission.

Finally, I have chosen to spend some time talking to Morna of the IAPQ about her business coaching program. That call will be taking place next Tuesday, so when it’s over I will have another decision to make. At least she has a payment plan. Now I am going to chose to post this and not spend any more time on it. Thanks for reading!