6 Items I Wouldn’t Sew To Sell At Craft Shows

As a sewist, there are many products I can make to sell. However, after years of sewing, running a handmade business, and selling at craft shows, these are the top items I stay away from.

This article isn’t to say you can’t sell these items.

It’s simply my personal preference (based on experience) that I’m sharing so you can think about the pros and cons before diving into a business idea.

 

1 – Children’s products

Reason: Regulations

Regulations are in place for consumer safety. So it makes sense that children’s products have some of the strictest regulations manufacturers must follow.

Regulations will vary depending on what you’re selling, but there are often strict requirements, and some products require testing to ensure they don’t pose a risk when it comes to flammability, choking, toxicity, irritancy, etc.

On top of the strict regulations, I would also want liability insurance, which adds another cost to my business, reducing profits.

 

2 – Bedding

Reason: Regulations

Similar to children’s products, bedding, such as blankets, sheets, pillows, and comforters have strict regulations (especially in Canada).

In Canada, Textile Flammability Regulations are what make me shy away. Bedding must comply with flammability standards, which may involve testing to ensure an item meets an acceptable flame spread time. And that test can be timely and costly.

Some fabrics (like certain tightly woven cottons) may already meet standards without additional treatment, but you’re still responsible for ensuring they comply.

 

3 – Quilts

Reason: Time & price

Sewing a quilt is time-consuming and must be priced accordingly. In general, it can be harder to find consumers who understand the value of a hand-sewn quilt and who are willing to pay the higher prices.

Although handmade business owners don’t consider Walmart, Pottery Barn, Anthropologie, etc., competitors, consumers are aware of the major retailers that sell quilts and will likely compare prices…not fully understanding the work that goes into a handmade quilt.

Material costs can be high to start with. Then you must add your hourly wage to the quilt prices.

It’s fine not to pay yourself for all your hours if sewing quilts is a hobby. But if you want to build a business and profit from your work, you must track ALL hours you spend on your business, and work those wages into your process.

It’s not impossible to have a profitable quilt business; it’s just more difficult.

 

4 – Sewing items

Reason: Target market

I’ve made some really cute items for my sewing room, such as:

• Fabric baskets (here’s my free pattern)
• Pin cushions
• Thread catchers
• Sewing machine covers

And of course, I have gotten the comment “You should sell these!” from friends and family.

However, the people who would buy those items are other sewers. And they’re capable of making these items.

I’m sure there would be some people willing to buy a sewing machine cover instead of making one themselves, but I believe the majority would simply think: I can make that, save some money, and customize it to my liking.

 

5 – Clothing

Reason: Difficulty and price

There are many successful and profitable handmade businesses selling clothes. So I’m not discouraging anyone from taking this path, I’m just sharing my experience.

I have sewn many articles of clothing and have even taken a bra sewing course, an item that requires a lot of precision for the right fit.

And I just don’t love that much technicality when it comes to sewing. There are a lot of time-consuming steps and techniques; interfacing, proper pressing, edge stitching, etc.

I also find it hard enough to get a garment to fit me properly. Trying to account for different shapes and sizes feels too overwhelming to me.

These steps increase the price, making it hard to compete with the average prices most consumers are willing to pay.

If you target the right market, those consumers will be willing to pay the higher prices. But those people can be harder to find at local craft shows. And when you sell clothing online, you must deal with a lot of returns since customers can’t try before they buy.

For me, there is also the factor of stock; for each item you make, you must offer it in multiple sizes.

Different strokes for different folks…but all this feels overwhelming to me.

 

6 – Customized products

Reason: Profit margins

Whenever I accepted a customization request from a craft show shopper, I regretted it.

I do believe you can build a successful business selling products that can be customized, but your business must be set up for it.

Meaning, you must factor in the price it requires for you to make changes to a pattern or product and set limits on:

• how many customizations can be made
• how many options there are for each customization
• how many back-and-forth/change requests are allowed

I was willing to take any sale that came my way. So when a craft show shopper said they liked my travel bag but “could I make it in a different fabric?”, I would say yes.

That required me to make a trip to the fabric store, send photos for approval, go back to the fabric store to buy the fabric, make the bag, then be left with scraps of fabric that didn’t fit my brand.

That’s the wrong way to offer customization.

Customization is popular, and one of the ways smaller businesses can set themselves apart from bigger companies.

But be strategic and cover your costs if you’re going to sell customizable products.

 

I hope you found my point of view helpful!