Well! I thought that things would calm down a bit after the
exhibition last week, but in fact life has become even more hectic since it closed. As last
year, the embroideries were wildly popular. Not only did I sell a lot during
the show, but I’ve collected several commissions which I need to get finished
as soon as possible
The Accidental Embroiderer at the North East Open Studios exhibition
The show was very well attended and as usual people were
fascinated with the machine and what it could do. Not many people in this part
of the world have seen these machines and they were amazed at the variety of
work that it produced. A note for all embroiderers who want to sell at shows –
people really love to handle the embroideries, and to rummage through piles of
samples. They make selections of their favourites and as often as not end up
buying them. Most of the things I sold were small, unmounted “sample”
embroideries, and although I didn’t charge much for them, I sold so many that I
ended up with a respectable profit.
After a while I began to get a feel for what people liked,
and tried to replace as many as possible of the ones that sold well. The owls
were madly popular and I calculate that I stitched and sold seven eagle owls during the
week. (I'm not sure if this is really an eagle owl, but it's what he's come to be called)
The Eagle Owl – top seller at the exhibition
Also popular was a large fish which I’d stitched over Mylar. People were
fascinated with the effect and I sold several of these for people to use as
bathroom decor
Mylar fish: now featured in several Scottish bathrooms