My first business cards.

This month, I will be entering my first show, the Art Through the Loom Ghost Ranch Show. Now I grew up going to shows and art fairs, fiestas, and festivals, gallery openings, etc. with my mom for her weavings (Cabin Textiles). These things are usually pretty tame affairs; it’s a bunch of fiber artists being polite in public, dressed nicely, and usually worn out from trying to get their craft done earlier in the day and silently wondering how early they can duck out without being rude.

So, I have no real anxiety about the 2 hours at the reception standing around in a skirt making small talk about the weather. No, my anxiety is about the details of pulling my pieces together. Business cards, sewing the tabbies, using my new vacuum, selecting the rugs to go, and how to display them.

These rolled rugs are waiting to have their tabbies sewn.

I finally have business cards and hanging tags. These were two important things. The business cards can have all my contact info, whereas the hanging tags simply have my name and business name on it, along with cleaning instructions. Each rug will get a hanging tag in which I will write the dimensions and price, leaving space for the Ghost Ranch bar code sticker. Of course, on set up day (a few days before the reception), I will forget my business cards and have to bring them at the reception. I think the Ghost Ranch staff keep a few business cards from each artist at the front desk? I will learn. Details.

Next is learning the sewing machine. I know. Some of you just had your eyes bug out. I grew up in a weaver’s house and never learned the sewing machine. I will probably do a separate post on this for comedy’s sake. Anyway, each of my rugs has tabbies at each end that need to be folded over and sewn. Straight lines, people. That’s all I need to master. Wish me luck.

These rugs are awaiting the sewing of the tabbies, a vacuuming, and tags.

I purchased a little hand vacuum specifically for my rugs. I have cats and dogs. I live on a little farm. Each rug WILL be vacuumed before leaving this house. So, the guest bedroom is pet free and the guest bed makes the perfect flat surface for vacuuming, measuring, and tagging.

What to take? Well……I have sock rugs and shag rugs right now. I am planning tentatively to take 10-15 rugs. I am also entering a show in August and I want to make sure I will have enough for both. The sock rugs are limited in number right now simply because they take so much prep. I have cut up and looped all the colored socks I had. I have a huge bag of light grey and white socks that need to be dyed before they can be turned into rugs – but that is unlikely to happen before either show. So, the Ghost Ranch show may get more shag rugs in the mix as I hold back more sock rugs for the August Rag Rug Festival.