One of the great things about doing craft shows is that I get to meet people in person. Online shops are great for reaching customers across the globe, but craft shows are great to build deeper connections with local people. I can talk directly with customers about the products - the materials, the process, anything! I receive instant feedback on products and designs, and so it's not only a wonderful social arena, it's a wonderful learning opportunity for me. Additionally, I can speak to people about custom orders. Since the customer and I are both there in person, it's an easy and efficient way to bounce ideas off each other, consider colours, textiles, and design all in one go, instead of in 30 back-and-forth emails.

 
I recently completed a custom order for Trish, one of my favourite customers. She's been to all the Urban Craft shows, is local to the area, and loves and understands the value and beauty of handmade goods. Her first custom order was an apron for herself - my "Dishy" apron in different colours and in a bib-style. She did a great job of combining natural and 'chardonnay' - a beautiful yellow-green linen I had in at the time. She was so pleased with the result that she decided to get aprons made for her gallery as well - Wall Space Framing Gallery. It's an adorable gallery in the heart of Westboro, where they have various artist's work - mostly paintings, but also some jewelry and accessories. They showcase various artists throughout the year - definitely check out their website to find out more. Since they do a lot of framing at the gallery, Trish wanted to order some aprons that would protect their clothing as they are working in the back with all the glues, putties, and the like. We were initially thinking of creating a more complicated design, including a hand-drawn frame, for the final look, but decided in the end to keep it completely simple - modern and minimalist. I think the grey pockets on the black linen are really beautiful, especially with the pop of the bright white straps.
 
Here are the gallery ladies themselves in their new aprons, ready to get framing! What do you think?