Setting up for The Originals Ottawa Christmas Craft Show.

 Today was the change over day at The Originals Ottawa Christmas Craft Show, the day when artisans who signed up for the first four days of the show are replaced by those, including us, who signed up for the last six days. The vast majority signed up for the whole show, and this day was a day of rest for them.

 Our assigned booth, #305b, is, as promised, a 10' by 10' space with black drapes on three sides, and electricity hook-ups available.We set up by first laying the floor and then adding the shelving units. A table and two chairs were next. Julian, our eldest son, helped with the set up. It looks not too bad, and quite in character with the other booths.

 There are around 200 booths in the Exhibition Hall. This is a shot of deserted aisle #3. We hope and expect it to be packed with customers for the next six days.

This shot is of the left-hand side of my booth and some of the 80 or so baskets on display. There is a storage area near by where we can keep additional material.

We are hoping for lots of sales.

Adding tray baskets to my inventory

 Trays have always given me difficulty. Each tray base, depending on its size, needs up to 50 holes drilled through it. The self-taught techniques I used for drilling often left the underside of the base splintered and not at an acceptable standard. So, on Sunday, I asked my friend Hal Adams, an accomplished wood worker, how to prevent this splitting. He invited me to his home so I could see how to achieve holes drilled without the splitting.


It took about a ten minute demonstration to achieve success. The secret was clamping a sacrifice board to the bases to be drilled, and drilling through to that sacrifice board.

 For the rest of the day, I drilled away and prepared ten bases. Each was sanded and then given a light coating of beeswax. The photo above shows one base with its finished basketry work and the nine bases ready for me to complete them tomorrow.

A close up here shows the weaving and colours I used for this tray.

Once I have finished the nine more trays, my inventory will be around 190 baskets. I have left over laminate flooring I can trim to size before Monday next, and prepare as more tray bases. Perhaps the target of 200 baskets ready for the Original Christmas Craft Show will be achieved after all.

More baskets

 

Anne calls these "Utility Baskets." The colours are not as seen in this photograph. The upper basket has dark green cane (jungle green) not the blue it appears here, while the contrasting band is a lighter green. The basket on the lower left has bands of coffee brown and jungle green too. The one on the right contrasts scarlet and ivory.

It took me perhaps two-and-a-half hours to make each of these baskets. I will come close to reaching my target of 200 baskets in my inventory by the 13th, but lots of appointments and other activities will leave me less time to make baskets than I planned.

Tomorrow I might sell two or three baskets at my church's "Cookie Walk and Craft Sale." I usually sell a handful or less so my inventory will not be impacted much at all.

A productive day

Two weeks today is the start of the Originals Christmas Craft Show. For the past three weeks I have been working almost every day to increase my inventory in readiness for that show. Today, for example, I was able to make the two baskets shown above. On the left is a "Handy Basket" while in the right is an "English Shopper." I began working on the first at around 8 30 am, and completed the second before 7 30 pm. I did take a lunch and supper break, had a half-hour rest and took my car in to have the winter tires installed.

By the end of next week I should reach the total of 200 baskets in my inventory. Then I hope to see that inventory diminish greatly in the following week.

An "English Shopper."

This "English Shopper" is a little more elaborate than most of the baskets I make. The webbing for the handles is eight foot long. Anne used her serger sewing machine and sewed the ends together. It is currently the 170th basket to add to my inventory in readiness for the Originals Christmas Craft Show.I will be there from the 13th to 18th of December (setting up on the 12th). With two and a half weeks to go. I should reach an inventory total of 200 or so.

Planters: variations on a theme.

 In preparation for the Originals Christmas Craft Show, I designed and wove several baskets on the theme of planters. These are open weave baskets into which an indoor flowering plant could be placed. (Other uses I leave to your imagination.) The one above is vibrant in its Christmas red and green.

As shown in this photo, I had a lot of fun in mixing and matching colours, textures and flat and round cane.

More preparations for The Originals Christmas Craft Show in Ottawa.

This show is not your garden variety craft show held in a school gymnasium or church basement. It is a highly juried show in a huge exhibition hall with over 200 vendors of the highest caliber. http://www.signatures.ca/originals/find.html gives you some idea of the participants.

The photo above shows some of the preparations we have made for the show. In the background is the U-Line shelving we bought especially for this show. On the floor is the flooring required to cover the flooring of the 10' by 10' booth area at the show. And the table, newly purchased, is covered by material Anne sewed. And in the background are some of the 165 baskets in the current inventory that is to be expanded to over 200 before the show begins.

Up and running again.

Yesterday, I thought this Blog was no longer accessible since blogspot wanted me to re-create it. It would not accept John Toft Basketry as a name and so I have another blog, temporarily under the name John Toft Baskets. I will try to use this one now since the new one does not have my followers.

I am preparing for the biggest exhibition and sale of my life. Six days at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. The photo shows some of my latest creations in Handy Baskets and Rib Baskets. I will have an inventory of 200 baskets ready for the sale. I hope it is enough!

Originals Christmas Craft Show in Ottawa, December 2011

http://www.signatures.ca/originals/xmas11/default.html

The link above takes you to the site for the Originals Christmas Craft Show  to be held at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa in December. I have applied for and been accepted to take part in this show for a six day period. It is the biggest show I have taken on!

As you will see the link only gives the smallest of details. The site will be developed in the next few weeks or so as people accept places in the show. As a part of the acceptance process, artisans are asked to send in a minimum of six pictures of their work as well as photos of their booth design. Selected photos will then be added to the website and to informational and advertising literature about the show.

Here are some of the photos I sent in: