CreativFestival Spring 2009

CreativFestival is the largest retail craft show in Canada. I've visited as a customer in the past, but this spring I took the plunge and had my own booth.

My friends Sherri Hisey of Border Creek Station Pattern Company and Jean Boyd of Patterns by Jean Boyd occupied the booths on either side of mine. Our husbands were all there to help, as well as visiting with each other!

Sherri peeks during booth set-up day

My Botanical Art Quilts booth, view #1. My new Tree Frog Peekaboo quilt on the right was a big hit!

Botanical Art Quilts booth, view #2. I had patterns, kits, beads, and many other products related to my designs for sale.

An action shot of Jean Boyd in her booth. My daughter Sarah plays hookie from helping me to browse through Jean's beautiful memory quilt samples.

Sherri Hisey demo's her techniques to make her gorgeous designs.

Despite the economy, we all had an incredible opening day. The shoppers were lined up to start, and we didn't slow down until 5:30 pm. In fact I sold out of several items by noon!

The next two days were slower, but we still did well. All in all, it was a great success.

How to Photograph Quilts Outdoors

My new pattern, Tree Frog Peekaboo, is a single bed size quilt and matching wall quilt. I needed to photograph the bed quilt for the pattern cover, so my hon came up with this great idea!

Materials: 2 sheets of rough plywood (cost - $15.77 each)
- 1 cotton painter's drop cloth (available at hardware or paint supply stores)
- wood tacks to attach the drop cloth to the plywood
- deck screws to attach the plywood to the deck railing
- a deck (if you don't have one, ask your hon to build one for you or build it yourself)

Tip: photograph on a bright overcast day - avoid direct sun, hot spots and shadows.
Bring your dog with you so you can take a photo like this: