10 Best Embroidery Items to Sell at Craft Shows

Craft Shows

Almost every city in the United States has some kind of craft show. This is an event where traders set up booths and sell their handicrafts. The organization that hosts the event usually charges a fee per booth. Bigger and better-participating shows have higher booth fees than smaller shows.

There are many inventories online to help you find craft shows. For example, www.fairsandfestivals.net allows you to search by location and type to help identify potential shows.

I will also ask around. If you’re reluctant to ask someone who also sells embroidered items, consider asking craftsmen in various mediums to participate in good shows.

These are usually free to attend craft shows, but some charge a small entry fee – which I have mixed feelings about. As a merchant, this can be beneficial because, if a customer had paid to go in, he would probably be interested in making some purchases. But, I personally pay to go to the craft show.

Can Machine Embroidery Items Be Profitable In Craft Shows Or Not?

Yes. But you need to be careful about what you sell. Make it worth your time. Don’t be afraid to waste ideas that are too expensive or too expensive to create. And when you are pricing your product, don’t forget to consider the wear and tear of your machine (s) along with the additional cost of supplies.

Another factor to consider is inventory. Bring coffee! If you run out of products to sell, you won’t be able to make much money at the craft show.

Embroidery Items to Sell at Craft Shows

Craft shows can be a great opportunity to sell embroidery and make some quick money. Clearly, some are better than others. But, a well-organized and well-attended craft show can be a great chance to get your name and brand out there. Even people who don’t buy can pick up your card or follow you on social media channels and contact you later when they need custom embroidery.

So, what are the embroidery items for sale in craft shows?

This is what the machine embroidery craft show veterans have reported.

•  Personalized hooded towels

Have you ever heard of them? These are small towels with a cap on them – perfect for tying when the baby comes out of the shower. You can either buy them in advance or sew them yourself from one of the beautiful hooded towel patterns out there. You can easily add names or monograms to hooded towels for an additional fee.

• Embroidered toilet paper

I thought that the moment of embroidered toilet paper was something and now it is gone we (hopefully) are on the verge of an epidemic. But people actually buy rolls of toilet paper with bitter sayings written on the first square. Get in shape.

• Embroidered Christmas Ornaments

Yeah –  I realize that this is a periodic item. But there are more craft shows around the holidays, so it’s best to be prepared. If it doesn’t occur to you that you can make beautiful Christmas ornaments on your embroidery machine.

• Baseball Caps

A baseball cap that points to your area is also a big seller. Consider sewing area codes or even states by heart to mark the location of your city or town on a baseball cap. These are big hits.

Want to learn how to do it? Here’s how to embroider a hat or cap.

• Children’s winter hats with character faces

A woman I know actually makes her own hats and then embroiders them. They are cute and they sell really well in craft shows. Not in crochet?

 Alternatively, you can make or buy hats in wool and just add embroidery.

Okay – I’m a little bit biased but I think my monster face wool hats are cute. Consider adding seasonal designs such as Grunch or Frozen Snowman to some children’s hats during the holidays.

• Lip balm, hand sanitizer holders, and key fobs

Lip balm, hand sanitizer holders, and key embroidery are the best embroidery items for sale in craft shows. This is because they can be built quickly and easily inside and their price can be so low that they can be a great buy. I think this single early in-the-hop lip balm holder version will be the best seller. And, for hand sanitizer holders – I like a simple, scalloped edge version that can be personalized. There are lots of great in-the-hoop key fobs available, but I’m part of my own, simple and free in-the-hoop key fob design.

• Monogrammed table runners

Table runners are very easy to make. I mean – Jeez – they’re just a piece of cloth. But if you add a beautiful single initial monogram to one end – then you really have something. And something that can be a great seller in a craft show. 

• Mug rugs

Like a coaster but more like a rug. And seemingly, people like to buy them at craft shows. Fortunately for you, they sew very quickly which makes them a great craft show item. I like some of these hoop mug rugs on JRAN designs.

• Reading pillows

A reading pillow is a multi-purpose home decor for a children’s room. It lifts a child to bed, reminds them to read, gives them space to store their book, and provides some inspirational words. Not surprisingly, they are hot sellers in craft shows. There are many embroidery designs for reading your thread-together pillows on Etsy.

• Fun wash mitts

Just like hooded towels – here are some great stitching and even in-the-hoop wash mat patterns that you can add to your embroidery machine. Combine wash mats with hooded towels and you have a great new baby gift.

Secret Tips to Sell Embroidered Items at a Craft Show

Craft shows can never make you a billionaire, but it is a good source of income for many. And is there any secret to the success of those who make the cut? Yes – they are selling their products in all the shows they participate in. Boomer, that’s obvious!

But how do they get these sales? There are, of course, some secrets that help these highly successful craft show participants get huge sales on craft shows. They are here.

• Craft Show Plan

A craft show plan is like a business plan you make when you start a business – but on a small scale. If you go to a show with proper planning on paper, everything (possibly) will go smoothly.

Displaying at a craft show/fair or market is how many people start selling their products. So think about how can you present your product.

Write down what you plan to acquire, how you intend to acquire them, where you will buy things to make your product at a good price, how you will sell it, and how you will profit from the show. Intend to receive, even if you intend to give one. There are special discounts and all the other related questions you can think of.

• Try To Get Front Row

When you enter a show or fair as a buyer, you always have enough money for the first few stores. Then as soon as you reach the end, you run out of all your money and you buy far less from the last store than you did from the first few stores.

This has been my experience as a buyer. Be the first or the first. Check out a map of the venue of the show and at least find a place selling similar items in front of your competitor. Book in advance for this award.

• Prepared And Comfortable

Find space with terraces and tables and comfortable chairs. Don’t forget food and water. If you give up nutrition for the sake of selling, your health will deteriorate. You need the stamina to stay up all day.

This is obvious if you are comfortable – so wear comfortable clothes and shoes. This is important because you will be on your feet all day (or day) so you need to be comfortable in your shoes.

• Make Things For The Market

Acknowledge that different items are popular in different areas.

Make sure you study the market before making things for a particular market. Some items sell better in one place than others. This is the knowledge you can gain through experience and by talking to other craft show participants.

The locality is very important in craft shows because people from nearby areas are your customers.

Almost every craft show will have items like yours. How you stand out by having unique things or giving unique products a unique touch.

Check your quality before going to the show. Prepare transportation and storage efficiently in ad
vance.

•  Plan For Future Sales

Enter the address of each visitor – offer something in exchange for the privilege of getting their contact details, such as a cheaper entry or a discount in the future.

Even when a craft show doesn’t sell well, it’s still a great way to make a name for yourself. So have a business card ready. Give them all to different people.

Have a system in advance. I mean, you should be able to get an advance for future jobs. Say, you embroider. Have a system where people can give you an advance and you work for them later and they will pick it up when you finish your work on time. For this, collect at least 25% of the total upfront at the stall, otherwise, they will never come back.

Take a look at some of the best-selling items at a particular show, study, and then plan accordingly for the next show. Flexibility is a good standard for success in the marketplace.