WOOLFEST 2016

I promised myself I’d write a blog about Woolfest; so here it is! It’s good to share and I hope you enjoy reading it, but I wanted to write it as a reminder to myself of what a fabulous time I had. When I’m having a confidence slump it will be good to read.

I had a wonderful support network of people to look after me. My partner Gareth came over to Cockermouth and helped me to setup along with my parents. My parents input was invaluable, as craftspeople themselves they used to do events and can rustle up some magic tricks with a few metres of hessian. Fast forward 5 hours and I was really happy with the results.

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Friday morning soon came around and a speedy breakfast at the B&B had me chomping at the bit to get over to Cockermouth and make sure I was organised. Soon people were flooding through the door and I was in my element chatting away. My first sale wasn’t long coming and it was a huge confident boost. There were times when I had a small queue forming with people buying my folk: I hadn’t expected that! By the end of Friday I had almost sold out of some size folk, so I had to rearrange my stand to fill the gaps.

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I had customers who bought one figure and then came back later to buy another. One lady e-mailed me overnight to secure a chap she had her eye on. She was back first thing Saturday morning to buy him and to take her children to see the Shepherd’s Life puppets.

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Highlights – in no particular order!

  • My first ever Credit Card sale – that felt like a milestone!
  • The amazing comments I received and the genuine surprise when people realised my folk are made from a few washed up bits of driftwood!
  • Friends, new and old popping by to show me their support
  • Meeting Carolyn Rawlinson’s daughter – such a lovely surprise.
  • The lady in her beautiful hand-knitted red dress who came back on Saturday modelling a hand-knitted cream dress!
  • The lady with the yarn-bombed walking stick who made a point to speak to my Mum. She said she couldn’t afford to buy one of my folk, but wanted to tell someone they were marvellous.
  • The lovely lady from the hospice stand who kept coming back to have a look. She bought one for her husband for his birthday but secretly told me it was a present to herself!
  • All the fellow beachcombers who shared their favourite beachcombing spots.
  • The textile student who asked if she could use my work as a source of inspiration.
  • The IT Analyst who was keen to hear my journey from working in IT to setting up my creative business. Something she was keen to do too.

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And a few thank yous – in no particular order!

  • A special mention for Ellie Langley for introducing me to the woolly business community, putting opportunities my way, and just becoming a great friend.
  • To all those in the woolly business community who have followed my journey and were so pleased to see me doing well.
  • My lovely friends at The Hearth Wool Group for being a fabulous bunch and being so supportive.
  • The friends who weren’t able to come but sent me messages before, during and after to wish me luck, check how it was going and see if it had gone well.
  • The Wool Clip team for selecting me for the Carolyn Rawlinson Memorial stand and were so supportive during the event.
  • My partner Gareth for letting me live and breathe my Woolfest preparations and being happy to live in general chaos!
  • And last of all, a big thank you to my Mum and Dad, for coming along and keeping me fed and watered and just being there for me.

I really hope I’ll be back in 2017!

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