As the year begins to turn to spring, the calendar of events and selling opportunities start to really open up for Crafters and a real chance to sell their wares. Clever hacks for Crafty crafters can be found in many ways which means there are plenty of money-saving tips out there for creators to take advantage of. A quick look at the crafting calendar will illustrate that there are many shows going on through the springtime for you to showcase your products in. One thing that you need to make sure of is that you and your stall are covered for insurance. It’s always a good idea to see where the cheapest craft stall insurance UK is available.

So, in what ways do you need to be prepared for this busy time of year?

First of all, you need to be very careful about where you decide to sell your products, all the beautiful new products and designs that you have been spending the quiet winter months of January and February creating. However, it’s not just a case of simply picking out a few venues and booking a stall. You have to be very careful in where you set up. The really difficult part is knowing that the pitch price you are paying is going to be recouped through sales. Well established and popular events are a good bet but because they are so popular you can rest assured that the initial fee to book a place is going to be considerable. The best approach is to do a bit of research. Take some time to go along to the shows a year before you commit to them. You can see how the other stall holders sell and whether your products will fit into what’s already available. For example, if you see a lot of wood turners, and this is your line of work, is there space for you to take part or will you just swamp the market? Are you doing anything different from what the other producers are offering to make you stand out? This can be applied to card makers and knitters alike. Paying for a stall is one of the most expensive outlays that a crafter can have so it’s vital that you get this part right.

Secondly, try to ensure that your stall is of one look or theme. A mish-mash of images and messages about who you are and what you do is very off putting to the potential customer, and confusing too. Make sure that your banner and accompanying material all match up. The same is true for the tablecloth that you choose. Whilst this may seem a little “corporate” for many crafters it should all be remembered that income is a very important part of what we do, along with the love of doing it! Having a unified image and message stays with people and makes you look a lot more professional, it will also attract people to the stall.

Thirdly, a great money saving tip is to bring a selective product range. It’s best to approach this with a “greatest hits” mentality. It’s expensive and time consuming to just bring everything that you have made and then proceed to display it all on the stall table. It also opens up the possibility for accidental damage by yourself and members of the public. It’s why the cheapest craft stall insurance UK should definitely be considered to protect your wares and also the stall itself.

A word should be said about insurance in general at this point. One of the best ways to save money is to have this in place before you really start to take up the art of craft selling via stalls. It can be a long and gruelling circuit and making sure that you are adequately covered for any eventuality will mean that if something untoward and unexpected were to happen, you’ll have the peace of mind that everything is taken care of and you can concentrate on the task of creating and selling over everything else.

Another way that you can look to save a lot of money is to consider the possibilities of bulk buying, it’s something that you really do need to consider. Now is the time to really take advantage of being able to get in a lot of materials for your work. When you buy in bulk it immediately starts to bring the retail price down for you. Position it with suppliers that you should get some discount for taking a large amount of product from them. It also means that you will not need to be constantly replenishing the stock you have.

Spring brings with it plenty of sales opportunities for the crafter. There are many events in place where you can exhibit and produce pieces for. The main event is clearly Easter. There are so many themes that you can explore. When you think about Easter there are fun images of bunnies and eggs but there are also flowers and the religious aspect of the holiday that can be explored depending on your audience. Throughout the Spring there are three patron saints celebrated. St Patrick, St David and St George, and all are possible opportunities to create products for.

Never forget that you are also the best money saving element of your business. You can sell your product better than anyone in craft stalls because you know it inside out. Whilst it’s true that you will need the cheapest craft stall insurance UK to protect you, it’s money well spent to give you the time and space to produce new wares and to sell them to the public. It’s a truly rewarding working career and experience for you to discover.

The chainsaw represents a huge leap in our ability to manage and fell trees, shortening the process considerably and thanks to modifications such as guide bars, it’s much safer these days for those using them. Nevertheless, extreme care is required with this equipment because of it’s sheer speed – or it could result in severe damage to yourself and those around you. (I thought I’d better add that just in case anyone feels inspired by this blog and rushes out to buy a chainsaw).  

Not everyone knows that the chainsaw can be used to create exquisite pieces of art. Whilst it might seem like a purely aggressive, and singular use work tool, a series of artists down through the years have taken the chainsaw and turned it into the paintbrush of carving and sculpture. As we have mentioned before, using a chainsaw is still dangerous without proper care and attention  and for anyone trying to show off their products and work at an event, they’ll need insurance for craft fairs as a given!

The earliest recorded examples of the art of chainsaw sculpture began in the 1950s. The tool was established as part of general forestry care but it soon became clear to artists that its potential as an artistic carving tool was limitless. The precision it could give, and the speed at which it could be delivered, was too hard to resist using. Ray Murphy was the first artist to pioneer using the chainsaw. He started out by simply carving his name into the wood  with his father’s chainsaw. Nine years later, the artist Ken Kaiser really began to explore with the instrument. He proved that the chainsaw could be a tool of great artistic productiveness by carving fifty pieces for a show called the Trees of Mystery.

Inspired by these workers, other carvers began to put aside the more traditional tools of the wood worker and turner. A great slew of artists saw the potential of using the chainsaw to create art works and, due to the speed and ease of their creation they were able to hire or buy trucks and load up their wares. This enabled them to drive around the USA, moving from show to show, exhibiting with ease. Setting up their stall with a simple block of wood, they would set about creating something marvellous. Given the nature of the work I’m guessing that these early chainsaw carvers were prudent enough to have had some kind insurance for craft fairs in place to deal with any kind of accident or incident that could have happened!

It wasn’t until the 1980s that the movement became really serious and quite competitive. The long established Lumberjack World Contest was the place that really embraced the art of chainsaw carving. Along with all the other competitions of tree felling and climbing it seemed only natural that chainsaw carving should be a part of the championship. Due to the fact that the Lumberjack contest was widely televised throughout the USA, chainsaw carving was suddenly brought into the world’s focus. Soon carvers were popping up all over the States and not just in the Northeast and West. Carving proved so popular it broke away from the lumberjacks events and formed its own world championship in 1987.

Carvers would pick up ideas and techniques from each other and adapt them into their own set of skills. This resulted in a surge of creativity, perfect for pushing the work of this growing artistic community to new heights. The most important part of this movement was the creation of the Cascade Chainsaw Sculptors guild. Their newsletter became legendary in how it was able to unite and draw together the new and upcoming chainsaw carvers with the established ones.

Britain was not to be outdone. With an already strong, tightly knit community of wood carvers in place the introduction of the chainsaw was greeted with enthusiasm. Nowadays, the English Open Chainsaw championships brings in huge crowds, and you can bet your bottom dollar that the organisers and competitors have insurance for craft fairs in place!

The UK started to send competitors to the world championships and Duncan Kitson had the honour of the being the first. British artists also hold a few records over their North American counterparts. For example, Matthew Crabb’s statue of the Virgin Mary is the worlds largest chainsaw sculpted wood work, standing at nine metres tall. Other noted British chainsaw wielding artists are the father and son team, Harry and Danny Thomas. Harry is particularly well known and renowned for his work creating bears and Danny is now following in his footsteps. Perhaps the most impressive feat by Harry was his creation of a chainsaw sculpture of the late Queen Elizabeth the Second.

The art of the chainsaw carver has been made considerably easier by the work of the Finns. Finland is known for its vast forests so felling and forestry management is of paramount importance to them. The Finns have developed different blades or “guide bars”  that have smaller ends which enable the artist to create cleaner lines and more details. They are also a lot safer to use than a regular blade guide bar. Such detail with a regular chainsaw would be completely impossible.

This makes the pioneering work of Murphy and Kaiser back in the 1950s, working with a regular chainsaw, even more incredible in the context of what we have today to work with. With major manufacturers like Stihl, Canon to name but a few, its plain to see that this is an art form that only has more and more potential to grow and provide us all with truly inspirational and awe inspiring works of wood and wonder. The future looks to be assured and very bright and creative indeed! 

Jewellery is given and worn around the world to celebrate significant events in life, as a token of love and affection and as such tells part of its wearer’s story. In some cultures jewellery will indicate the number of children or position in society that a person holds. In other cultures rings are exchanged during a wedding ceremony. Little girls are often attracted to glitter and sparkles like bees to a honeypot! Throughout history, specific pieces of jewellery have been tenderly passed down from mother to daughter, carrying with them precious memories and the importance of family ties. This is not to say that men are excluded from the jewellery market; in some countries men rather than women are more richly and colourfully adorned! That being said, in the UK it’s usually excited young men rather than girls who are scouting nervously for engagement rings to place on the fingers of their betrothed! And round about now, with two significant days coming up which celebrate women, it would be savvy to take advantage of this fact in your marketing strategy.

Of course I’m referring to March 8, International Women’s Day and Sunday March 19, Mother’s Day.  Each of these celebrate women and offer ideal opportunities to sell beautiful and unique hand made items to be given as gifts.  Interestingly, they both originate from quite different roots and a cursory glance at these might help you to prepare for them.

International Women’s Day grew out of efforts in the early twentieth century to promote women’s rights, in particular the struggle to form trade unions and to achieve suffrage. There is a story, most probably not true, of a rally of female textile workers being brutally repressed and subsequent rallies commencing to commemorate this. In any case, rallies slowly grew to worldwide status and, in 1975, the United Nations General Assembly decided to designate March 8 as International Women’s Day. It thus has socialist origins, but more recently has taken on a more commercial mantle in countries such as Argentina and China where the increasing focus is on gifts and flowers bought by men for the significant woman in their lives.

The goals of IWD certainly offer an excellent marketing springboard for small hand made jewellery businesses. While some are more political, e.g. calling out and challenging discrimination and inequality around the globe, others are about celebrating women’s achievements and acknowledging their potential to influence change. How could you maximise on this acknowledgement of women’s contributions to our communities, and at the same time bring smiles to a few often unrecognised heroines? Maybe you could promote IWD on your website or at upcoming craft fairs. There are legal requirements for selling handmade jewellery UK so make sure you are up to date with these as you plan ahead. They include regulations around advertising and how you can describe your products, tax implications, rules around online sales, hallmarking goods containing upwards of a specific amount of silver, statutory requirements for customer refunds and of course insurance. As specialists in craft insurance we can ensure you are covered in this area of legal requirements for selling handmade jewellery UK.

Mother’s Day here in the UK comes from a completely different tradition and is a wonderful opportunity to treat much valued mums with a stunning and distinctive piece of hand made jewellery. The celebration of Mother’s Day in the U.K. has merged in the last few decades with its counterpart from the United States, but ours does in fact have a different origin, and indeed this can still be seen in the changeable date of celebration each year. Our Mothering Sunday has its origins in the days when many girls in rural communities went into service at the big houses in nearby towns. They worked long hours and their time off did not always coordinate with other family members who worked on the land. So, on one Sunday a year, girls in service were given the day off to go home to their families. This day always fell on the fourth Sunday in Lent, three weeks before Easter; hence the date change each year. Girls often gathered wild flowers to give to their mothers as they walked home and we see the continuation of this delightful tradition in the giving of flowers and gifts to our mothers each year.

There is a poignancy to Mothering Sunday, or Mother’s Day. It can be painful for some; maybe due to bereavement and the loss of a much loved mum; maybe due to the deep and often unspoken longing for children which have never come; maybe through the many complications of family life such as blended or adoptive families. Family life is messy, and mothers are usually at the centre of it. Yet maybe it’s exactly because of this, not despite it, that we should celebrate motherhood. Through the centuries it’s often been women, and especially mothers, who have held not only their families but also their local communities together in challenging times. Much of their work is unseen and is most definitely unrecognised by both national leaders and often by their own children! However, their daily practical love is invaluable and the impact they have on forming the next generation is inestimable. Mother’s Day, or Mothering Sunday may be the only day in our modern world where mums can be spoilt. And what better way than by gifting a beautiful piece of handcrafted jewellery. Customers will be looking to buy something special, knowing it is  individual and created with care. You can offer your consumers products which will not only be beautiful in themselves and appreciated as such, but which speak of the value to the woman to whom it is given. So, ensure you have the legal requirements for selling handmade jewellery UK in place and head out to snap some sales and bring joy and sparkle into the lives of some hard working mums!

Take a deep breath in through your nose and aaaaaah, oh yes, spring is on its way! As the days become longer, daffodils wave their cheery yellow heads and birds sing heartily while building their nests, we can almost smell the change of season in the air. After the long dreary winter days and the heavy grey skies, these signs that the natural world around us is awakening are more than welcome. If you can make time, why not take a walk in your locality? Even in the midst of a big city, we can see signs of emerging new life. Look up at the trees and note the new buds forming, maybe some fresh green leaves appearing. Look down and between pavement slabs there might be tenacious weeds poking their heads up, determined to take up residence for another year. Look around and see jubilant displays of colourful bulbs, white daisies dancing on patches of green grass and maybe some early blossom preparing to make its blousy entrance. If you can get out into the countryside or a park, pause to take in deep breaths of the spring air, allow the warmth of the sunshine to soak into your bones and take some moments to do some cloud watching.

Spring is full of hope and new life as well as longer and warmer days, and with Easter falling near the beginning of this, we have a wonderful opportunity to go all out on some nature-inspired Easter gifts. Don’t hold back, let your creativity and imagination run wild, it’s time to celebrate the good things in life which are free and reliably gifted to us each year. Whatever our economy may be doing, those tiny green buds will still open up, and however troubled our world may be, the daisies will appear on cue each spring. So, pull out all the stops and create some inspirational designs which will sell like hotcakes this Easter.

One idea you might like to adapt to your craft is the concept of the ever popular Easter basket. These always bring a smile and encapsulate happy memories of childhood Easter egg hunts for many, thus having a nostalgic value of their own. Simply filling a small gift basket with some of your products can add an Easter twist and so add value to the products themselves. Those of you with chocolate businesses may already sell gift baskets as part of your Easter range, but if not, an attractive basket filled with your delicious chocolates is bound to be an eye catcher.

Baskets need not be confined to edible goods. Bath bombs or soap make a luxurious gift pamper basket, and the theme could be continued even further with egg shaped products. For parents wanting to keep a cap on the sugar content for their children, placing small toys in a  basket, nestled amongst a cloud of tissue paper would be a tempting alternative to a commercial egg. In fact, with a little imagination, many craft products can be packaged in a basket and marketed as delightful and unique Easter gifts.

There are a few practical points to consider. When it comes to choosing your basket, the cheapest is not necessarily the most cost effective. First impressions count so it’s worth choosing baskets which will show off your products to their best. Do some research, and maybe even have a range, from budget and pocket money items to indulgent gifts, which will tempt your customers to splash out and celebrate the season.

There are also a few regulations and laws on selling gift baskets. Some of these are only applicable if you are selling other people’s products alongside your own. It’s important to understand statutory rights too, in relation to customers’ rights to refunds. As specialists in craft insurance, we can help you with product and public liability insurance and the laws on selling gift baskets in relation to this.

So how can your gift baskets reflect the season? This is where you can take inspiration from the natural world all around you, which is so abundant at this time of year. It is almost as if nature is shouting out to us to celebrate and take delight and joy in the beauty all around. Take some time to immerse yourself in nature, whether this is a relaxing ramble in a peaceful location or sitting with a mug of tea in an outdoor spot, watching the clouds pass by and simply breathing in the fresh spring air.

As we observe the natural world more closely, we cannot help but be inspired by the intricate design we find and its subsequent beauty. Look closely at a flower; the geometrical shape, the blending of colours, and the smooth, soft surfaces. Look up and take in the sheer size of a tree, and then the intricacy of its buds and leaves. Immerse yourself in the vast spectrum of greens we see all around us. Green is the most restful colour and contrasts perfectly with the blue sky, which in turn contrasts impeccably with the white of the clouds. We’d all be exhausted if the grass was red and the sky was purple!

Many engineers take inspiration from nature for their designs. Did you know that the Fibonacci sequence, a mathematical number sequence used by mathematicians and economists is perfectly formed in each sunflower head? The order of nature is calming and pleasing to look at, even if you think in numbers!

So, as Easter approaches and spring is definitely in the air, get outside and soak in some natural inspiration from the world around you, check out the laws on selling gift baskets and design some beautiful Easter creations of your own!

Working for yourself, either as a sole trader or as the owner of a limited company, will require you to keep a number of financial records which will need to be submitted at your financial year end. If you are a sole trader this will mean ensuring that you file your previous year’s tax assessment after the 6^th of April each year and that you make the payment by the 31^st of January the following year. You’ll need to take into account all your sales and expenses, even the craft stall insurance for one day that you use when attending craft fairs, If you operate your business as a limited company your year-end will have been determined when you first set up your company. If you are VAT registered you will already be filing VAT returns on a quarterly basis, based on when you became VAT registered.

There are a number of important steps that you need to take to ensure that you are adhering to your financial year end obligations. If you don’t feel confident in submitting your own year-end accounts you can work with an accountant or a bookkeeper to have these completed for you. However, it is still important that you check the assessment before it is submitted to HMRC.

Sales

This includes all monies that you make from selling your products. These could be ones that you sell through an online platform such as Etsy, Not on the High Street or through your own website and social media channels. You also need to include all sales that you make through attending crafts sales (as a quick aside, you should make sure that you have craft stall insurance for one day when you attend events like this to keep your protected against any accidents and incidents). It is important that you correctly account for your sales, especially if you have some customers paying you in cash. In these cases it is often best, even if you are a sole trader, to have a bank account that you use solely for business purposes. This allows you to keep your financial records nice and simple and you can always refer back to your bank statements if you want to ensure that you have included all your sales and expenses.

As a sole trader you and the business are classified as one entity and therefore all the monies in your business are yours to use as you wish. When operating a limited company you and the company are separate entities and the company will either pay you a wage and perhaps dividends as the director of the business. If you use software such as Stripe for online and card payments, you will be able to pull yearly reports to help you with completing your sales figures for the year.

Expenses

You need to ensure that you are keeping accurate records of all items that you pay for your business. This will include all the materials that you use to create your products and the packaging materials. These are often known as the cost of goods sold. Other expenses can include craft stall insurance for one day to make sure that you are covered for an incidents that may occur, as well as other annual insurances that you may have. If you market your business, you should keep any receipts for posters, business cards and flyers that you have created.

Other examples of expenses that you can claim include milage, parking and even a working from home allowance for the use energy that you use. There is a flat fee that you can claim for these or a more complex calculation if you have a room in your home dedicated to your workshop. Some expenses that people often neglect to include are any pension contributions that they make, donations to charity and also the fees that they might pay to an accountant to manage their end year financial returns. For a full list of expenses that you can include, there is a section on the HMRC website that details these to ensure that you are deducting expenses that are permitted.

Profits

This is the figure that you are left with once you take your sales and deduct all your expenses for the year. It is this amount that you will have to pay tax on. It is the profits that will help you to determine how viable your business is. If you are selling products as a second income or as a hobby, you may not be too concerned about the figure that you have at the end of the year. However, if you are looking to move into your craft business full time and make a good income from it, you will want to ensure that each year your profits are increasing.

Tax and National Insurance

These are two types of tax that a sole trader will need to pay and the amounts owed will depend on the taxable profits at the end of each financial year. The amounts have to be paid by 31^st January each year. It is possible to pay the amounts before this date and to have money paid on account. A good accountant, bookkeeper and HMRC can help you with this if necessary. If you have a student loan from when you attended university you will also need to make a payment based on the amount of profits that you have. You can find out what the current tax, national insurance and student loan thresholds are by visiting the governments HMRC website. Once you have submitted your year end assessment, you can print or download a copy of these to keep in your accounting files, along with any invoices that you create, and all receipts that you have for your expenses.

Once you have fulfilled all your year end obligations, breathe a sigh of relief, stick the kettle on and go back to the infinitely more joyful activity of creating beautiful art and craft!

Stained Glass is a craft and art form that is steeped in a long history, with its earliest usage being dated back to the Ancient Romans and Egyptians. During these times small items such as jewellery were made from coloured glass. These items were seen to be of high value and were most often owned by those in the higher classes. In England the most common and earliest forms of stained glass came in the form of the windows that were created in churches and monasteries. Some of the earliest examples in the country dating back to the 7th Century and many churches still contain stained glass windows today.

The popularity of stained glass rose in medieval times and as more people practiced this art form the creation of the windows became much more sophisticated. One example of the manufacture of stained glass in Europe is Chartres in France. They produced stained glass of the highest quality, and the Cathedral in Chartres contains a spectacular rose window with an intricate glass design. During this time the designs were much more gothic in their aesthetic. This slowly moved over to a more classical design. Chartres is now home to one of the oldest stained-glass companies in the world and they are inspiration for a number of modern artists and crafters who also use stained glass in their creations.

During the reformation period, stained glass windows were smashed, and, in their place, plain glass was erected. This led to a loss of a number of traditional methods of staining glass that would not reappear until the 19th Century. In this period there was a return to gothic styles and the use of stained-glass windows dramatically increased once more in popularity.

In the 1930s another French artist, Jean Crotti wanted to bring more light into his artwork and he started to experiment with glass. He went on to develop gemmail or gemmaux which using layers of coloured glass fragments fused together, not with with lead, like they had been in past, but instead with a clear glue like substance. This led to an incredible number of wonderful pictures to be created using this technique. It is a method that has been used to create new versions of famous painters works, such as Braque and Picasso.

One of the many reason that stained glass artists are so special is down to the way in which the glass is created and moulded. In order to create the final item, a design must first be established. This is where an artist will put their concept on paper. It may be a rough sketch of how they want to individual elements of the stained glass to be arranged, or it could be a drawing or a painting that is created and then reimagined in glass. These larger images are known as ‘cartoons’.

These ‘cartoons’ are then turned into a scaled outline of the final image. This allows the artist to use the lines to create the cutline that is a template for the design. Lead or copper can be used to draw lines between the sections if this is the look that is hoped for. In other situations, the different coloured elements will be placed next to one another and then glued together in the gemmail method, into one continuous image. This creates for a softer, clearer image and is much like the way in which suncatchers are created.

Once the cutline has been created it is placed on a flat surface and the pieces of coloured glass are placed on top of it. These pieces are arranged to create final image. If the glass is being cut a steel wheel or diamond tool will be used to carefully cut the glass to its desired size and shape. There are instances where the artist will blow their own glass to be used in their designs. This is much more common in items that are made in 3D. If the image being created is in a flat design, lead or copper strips are placed around the edges of image. This helps to hold the glass pieces in place. The metal is then soldered together to make a solid edge. The resulting window or image is now ready to be hung.

As well as traditional stained-glass windows and artwork images, it is also possible to use stained glass to create a number of other items such as wall tiles, mosaic items, even items created using a variety of glass pebbles. In some cases, these can be as small as a mug coaster, or they can be as large as a sculpture. The possibilities are almost endless when it comes to using glass as an art form.

Legal Requirements for selling handmade crafts such as Stained Glass

Stained glass is such a unique art form that takes a great deal of skill, time and patience and it is one of the reasons that artists that work with this medium are so highly thought of. Depending on the size and the type of the items that are made an artist can easily sell their creations through a number of different channels. It is of course incredibly important that when looking to sell items such as this that you ensure you are aware of any legal requirements for selling handmade crafts. This may include disclosing the materials that are used in your creations, any after care requirements and clearly labelling your items as home décor. Other factors of course include ensuring that you have the right insurance cover in place and that you have any safety certificates in place.

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Agenda 2030, High Level Political Forum and “The Future We Want” are likely to become household buzz words as the UN’s plan of action for “people, prosperity and the planet” gains momentum. These include goals such as “to end poverty and hunger in all their forms and dimensions”, “to foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies which are free from fear and violence”, “to create conditions for sustainable, inclusive and sustained economic growth” and a pledge that as they “embark on this great collective journey”, “no one will be left behind”. Strategic partnerships and stake holders will work together in an  “integrated manner by pooling financial resources, knowledge and expertise.” The theme of the January 2023 Partnership Forum was “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels.”

This sounds like weighty stuff and decisions surrounding the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030 do indeed take place within the top power houses around our globe. So, how do they relate to us? What can we do to take some of the concepts and implement them into our own businesses? And how in particular can small crafting businesses run with these ideals?

Our world is made up of many small communities and while ending all poverty and having zero hunger (goals 1&2) might seem somewhat unrealistic goals for us to tackle within our own businesses and communities, we can certainly develop practices and habits which will make an impact on someone. And, if this is extended to many small businesses and then to consumers, the impact will be larger.

As a small craft business owner you will be very aware of the raw products you use and indeed sourcing locally produced products is a selling point which you should advertise. However, there are some products you will not be able to procure locally and you could look to buy these from businesses which are registered as fair trade. Coffee beans and cotton are two obvious commodities whose production can cause real harm to those who harvest and process them. Not only can the hours be long and the conditions poor, but the chemicals used can be very detrimental to those in contact with them. Choosing to buy fair trade will be more expensive and this price increase will have to be handed on to your own customers; use your fair trade policy as a selling point and you may be surprised at how this will draw rather than deter buyers.

Incidentally, if you own or are starting up a business selling handmade goods you will need to know about the regulations surrounding safety, including clear labelling. As you check out laws on selling handmade crafts UK  a good place to begin could be the local Trading Standards office if there is anything about which you are unsure.

Number eleven of the Sustainable Development Goals is to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” In the U.K. most of our communities have a rich history, with crafting woven through the centuries, telling us stories about the place and its people. Local communities have not sprung up in isolation and having a good understanding of the history and heritage of where we dwell will help to build strong and resilient communities. From the knitwear of Scotland to the willow weaving of Somerset, each of our regions will have distinct crafts which reflect both the geographical and political nature of those areas. Crafters are in an ideal position to keep these traditional crafts alive and enable our unique and regional heritage to be celebrated. There are many ways to display these crafts; perhaps in conjunction with local or regional museums, maybe at craft fairs or possibly at historic or re-enactment events. These are all fantastic opportunities not only to sell your own produce and showcase your particular skill but also to educate the public on the wonderful crafting heritage passed down to them. If you are considering branching out into any of these exciting opportunities this year, remember to check out laws on selling handmade crafts UK and ensure that the correct public and liability insurance is in place. It might seem overwhelming at first, but a little investigation into the laws on selling handmade crafts UK and the right advice you will be able to navigate what you need to have in place for your business. Give us a ring and we can make sure you are covered and all set for these next adventures! As you bring alive a community’s sense of place and history, you’ll help people to identify more with the place in which they live, feel a sense of pride in it and gradually become more committed to investing in it, at the same time forming the kind of relationships and networks which build resilience.

Another of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals which might be easier to consider implementing is number twelve, which aims to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.” This is one in which, as a small, locally based crafting business you have many advantages over large multinationals when it comes to sustainable and ethical production of your goods. Sourcing raw products locally reduces travel miles, and for those materials or ingredients you cannot find nearby, you can choose fairly traded products. You have control over your packaging; you can recycle boxes for shipping, use old newspapers for wrapping and paper bags for craft markets. You can work using recycled materials; sea glass for jewellery, recycled fabric or even an assortment of plastics. You may make products which will encourage your customers to walk more lightly on our beautiful planet, for example fabulous beeswax wraps or trendy fabric shopping bags. Furthermore, your products will be durable and last for years.

Small is definitely beautiful when it comes to working ethically and sustainably so make sure you advertise this well as you promote your business. Take inspiration from the colours and textures from the natural world. And enjoy the process of creating stunning, durable products with skill; this is in itself a reflection of the wonderful world in which we live.

Quilting has been around for centuries, and it is a way in which material is used in patchwork sections sewn together to make another item. These items can range from a traditional bedspread through to quilted table runners and coasters. There are a number of ways that you can establish yourself as a quilter and for some people this may include moving into the sale of your finished items. You may be wondering what the answer to questions such as Do you need public liability insurance for a craft stall? is and it is important that you explore all of these important business requirements when you first start looking at producing items for sale.

As a craft, quilting has made a spectacular return over the last couple of years. This has been in part been due to the rise in a number of high-profile crafters that have shared their knowledge and skills with wider audiences. One such example is the late Melanie Ham.

Melanie was an avid crafter from a very young age, and it was in fact her mother who taught her how to quilt. With her husband away in the forces in America and Melanie bringing up two young children, she turned to crafting to help her build connections with others and she founded her You Tube channel. As well as sharing step by step guides on how to make a number of quilted items, Melanie also shared tips and instructions for other crafts such as crochet and macrame. Over time her You Tube channel grew to 800,000 and she regularly shared updates across all of her social media channels. In 2020 Melanie was diagnosed with an aggressive, rare cancer and she passed away in January 2022. Her You Tube channel still remains for people to learn the art of quilting.

Quilting can be traced back as far as medieval times and there are examples in the Victoria and Albert Museum of items from Europe, the Far East and India. This textile method of sewing layers of material together come from the Latin word ‘culcita’ which means cushion or bolster. It is thought that this referred to the padded texture of the items that were created.

The earliest forms of quilting were used to make bed covers, and this remains a popular quilting option today. Many of these items would be passed down through the generations and would become family heirlooms. Today people often make smaller items using quilting that can then be sold at craft fairs and through other platforms. When looking to sell your items at fairs you need to be sure you know what the requirements are in relation to questions such as Do you need public liability insurance for a craft stall?  and whether you need to have any particular labelling on your items. It is important that your items are advertised as home ware and that they are not marketed as toys, unless you have the appropriate safety certificates.

In medieval times items of clothing were also made using quilting and the most popular items were jackets and overcoats. These would be worn on special occasions or used for wear underneath armour to help provide some protection from the metal against the body.

Quilting can be undertaken using a sewing machine or completed by hand. In the case of English Paper Quilting, individual sections of material are taken and tacked around a small hexagonal, triangular or square piece of paper. These pieces are then sewn together by hand. Once the pattern has been completed the entire piece is then machine sewn onto a backing material and batting and wadding may be used as a middle layer to provide some padding.

When quilting by machine it is possible to not only join together each element of the quilt but to also combine the batting, wadding, and backing material together with ease. Once the quilt is completed, some sewers like to sew intricate designs onto the right side of the quilt. This topstitching helps to add an element of design to the quilt.

If you are looking to find a way to sell your quilted items, it is important that you think about the cost of each item that you make. Smaller items for example may be quicker to make but you may sell them for a lower price. Large items such as bedcovers will take longer for you to make and will cost more for people to buy. Be sure when you look at pricing to include your materials, times and sundries. At Craft Insurance we can help you up to answer the question “Do you know the answer to Do you need public liability insurance for a craft stall?” Then you can factor in any costs associated with insurance and marketing your stall or other costs linked to items that you buy for displaying your items on your stand and packaging them up for people to take home.

Popular items that people like to buy that are quilted include bags and purses, coasters and table runners as well as small clothing items like skirts. Seasonal items such as Christmas stockings and even easter bunting and other decorations can be made using a quilting technique. It is important to ensure that you pick the material that is most appropriate for the final item that you are going to be creating. If your material is delicate make sure that you give your customers information on how to care for and wash their items to help avoid damage occurring. This also gives an added element of customer care that will help to keep your customers coming back time and time again and will also encourage them to recommend your business to others.

What springs to mind when community is mentioned? A village hall buzzing with jumble sales, meals for the elderly and toddler groups? A cosy roomful of friends chatting over tea and cake as they craft away the winter evenings? A running club? Maybe an online community? Or, perhaps we think of community more in terms of intangible concepts such as friendship, support, a sense of belonging and shared fun.

There is no doubt that when we look back through history it is the strength of local communities which have kept our predecessors going through times of turmoil; even in the recent twentieth century, the cohesion of our communities during the economic depression of the 1930’s and the war years of the 1940’s shines out in the midst of these dark periods.

Equally, it is eminently arguable that with easier travel, advances in technology and the disintegration of the multigenerational family unit, that people are more isolated. This in turn has led to increased loneliness and impacts on both mental and physical health. However, there seems to be a resurgence in the desire for local connections and the crafting community has been at the forefront of some of this. With our emphasis already being on producing locally made products using locally sourced raw materials and selling in local craft markets, local is a theme that runs through crafters’ veins.

You may already be part of an established local crafting community, and if so we’d love to learn from your experience. However, if this is something which you could integrate more into your life, we hope the following ideas will both inspire you and offer some practical suggestions of how to strengthen community within your own area.

Taking that first step towards building community can require courage, especially if our character leans more towards the introvert than the extrovert. Having a clear understanding as to why living alongside others is important is therefore a strong motivator. We’ve mentioned before that many people feel isolated and lonely these days. We are not designed to live in a bubble; we thrive best when interacting with others, when we feel a sense of belonging, and we know we are accepted and have friends around who care for us. When we are confident someone will give us a call or knock on our door if we don’t show up, and when we can share our anxieties and concerns with friends over a kitchen table with a comforting mug of tea or at our local pub surrounded by others facing similar dilemmas. It’s good to laugh together and celebrate together; to walk side by side during the tough times and party together during the high times.

Crafters have a number of natural meeting places out of which friendships can develop. One of these is through attending craft fairs.  A sense of camaraderie often develops as you set up, maybe grabbing a drink for a neighbouring stall holder or watching over each other’s tables during the much needed toilet breaks. If there are two of you running the stall, it’s fun to take the opportunity to wander around and chat to other exhibitors, gathering inspiration and making connections.

As you begin to plan ahead for  this year, remember to put your public liability insurance craft stall in place. There is always so much to prepare just prior to a fair, it is well worth sorting this out ahead of time. As a family run business which specialises in craft insurance we would love to chat with you to find the best package for your unique business. So, pick up the phone and let’s get your public liability insurance craft stall in place.

Another fantastic way of building crafting communities is around the use of shared space. Art studios, craft quarters or community workshops have been growing in number and popularity. This is exciting as the potential that they contain is huge. Many small craft businesses are a one person show, and this can be lonely. By joining together with others in a shared work area, not only can friendships can be formed and support networks grown, but through collaboration a multitude of creative projects can be birthed. This could be workshops for local people, where they can get to know others and learn a new skill. Or it might be a weekly club, where a consistent group who all share the same craft get together to share skills and swaps ideas. It might be an annual art exhibition within your locality, giving opportunity for individual workshops as well as the communal ones to be opened to the public. These are great ways to form connections with other like minded individuals. In this way, an established crafting community is ideally situated to blow on the embers of neighbourhood cohesion and light the fire of community spirit.

Of course not all crafters work alone and many of us have already established our own  communities as the business has grown. Here at Craft Insurance we champion local businesses for many reasons, not least of which is the beneficial impact they have on their surrounding neighbourhood. By employing local staff, using locally sourced raw products and selling at local venues, local businesses not only provide a boost for the local economy but are also a hub for friendships and support.

The final mention goes to those crafters who use their skill and open up their homes informally to gather together like-minded craft lovers. Over warm drinks and an indulgent sweet treat or two, conversation flies as fast as the knitting needles and many cosy evenings are spent with problems shared, patterns swapped and hearts refreshed.

With some potentially tough times ahead for us all, maybe we could resolve to do our part in establishing or strengthening groups around our craft to build strong, cohesive communities who will weather the storms together.

And don’t forget, as you begin to book craft fairs for the year ahead, be sure to get your public liability insurance for your craft stall in place.

Did you know that the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal for education is

“To ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”?

As crafters, we all know how enriching it is to learn and master a handicraft and, for many of us, that experience was gifted to us at a young age by a forward thinking adult. Indeed, for some, what started as a childhood hobby became a passion and then an opportunity to make a living which has itself represented a lifelong learning opportunity to us.

There’s no denying that connecting children and young people with traditional techniques and skills to teach them to create handmade items enhances their education and makes it more inclusive. Many a creative genius experienced struggles with academic subjects at school and yet their creative talent was undeniable. The opportunity to learn crafting skills and techniques as part of a balanced curriculum offered a place for them to excel along with their peers.

Nowadays, it does seem that in our schools craft education plays second fiddle to a system geared towards theoretical knowledge and digital learning. Added to this the instant dopamine rush of social media and online gaming available to young people and there is a real danger that the benefits of learning craft techniques and the joy of experimenting with materials will be lost to many.

Our current generation of young people are being taught to value speed, efficiency, and technological advancements when working with your hands is slow work requiring patience, concentration, and practice. Speed, efficiency, and technological advancements are all good things but we also need to consider that we have a crisis of mental health being experienced by the young. So shouldn’t we also be offering them the kinds of activities that don’t contribute to the general level of panic? There are so many mental health benefits that come from slowing down and focusing on doing something peaceful and tactile, and creating a tangible product with your hands boosts confidence and self-worth. Crafting provides an antidote to this fast-paced world of instant gratification.

The good news is of course that there are many young people who know this already and are active on YouTube and other social media platforms, making a name for themselves by posting videos of themselves in action, whether they are drawing, painting or crafting. They know that combining handicrafts and Youtube is a match made in heaven!

So what’s to be done in general about passing on traditional skills and techniques to the next generation in order to ensure their survival? (I did mean the survival of the skills and techniques, but they won’t do the next generation any harm, that’s for sure). Maybe you are interested in connecting young people with traditional art or craft techniques, but you’re not sure where to start or how to do it in a safe, genuine and responsible way. Perhaps the techniques you use are potentially unsafe (I’m thinking chainsaw carving as an example). Thankfully, the digital world has opened up possibilities for us to share our skills. Having your own YouTube channel means that you can share your love for your trade and even go viral! (More on how to start one later).

We’ve put together a few suggestions below for artists and crafters looking for opportunities to give the next generation a helping hand into the wonderful world of craft.

Craft Fairs

This is where craft fairs can come in handy; they provide a place where young people can explore creative activities and develop new skills. If you’re running a craft stall however, it’s essential that you make sure you have craft fair public liability insurance. Craft fair public liability insurance will protect you from any legal action taken against you if something goes wrong.

If you are offering young people a free learning opportunity in the form of ‘having a go’ at your craft fair stall it’s also a good idea to get parental permission. And with parental permission (you’ll need to have a consent form for parents/carers to sign, at hand) you could even film and show young people learning on your social media to help spread the message.

Make sure that whatever activity you plan, it is age appropriate, safe, and involves minimal supervision from adults. Then, with parental permission and craft fair public liability insurance in place your young participants are safe, any damage to property is covered and you can go right ahead and impact some young lives for the better!

Crafts Council

Another way to pass on your skills and encourage the next generation is to get involved with a charity (such as https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk) that helps young people who have an interest in craft and making. The many activities they support offer multiple opportunities to join in and help safeguard traditional handicrafts for the future.

Become a YouTuber

An obvious way to connect with young people AKA ‘digital natives’ is to speak to them in the place where they hang out! In order to become a YouTuber you will need to create a Google account, if you don’t already have one. Then, you can have as many YouTube channels as you want on that one Google account. Here is how to do it:

1. Go on the Youtube app and click the profile icon. Click on ‘log in with your Google account’  and add your details.

2. Go on Youtube and watch other people presenting the same material that you want to and study how they make their videos and tutorials. Find a style of presentation and editing that you like. Now you can forge your own signature style as you start to upload.

3. Make your film to showcase your skills. The easiest way to do this is with a smart phone.

4. Edit your film. The easiest way to edit your video is with your smart phone. You’ll need to download the IMovie app (this only works for IPhones, other apps such as CapCut work for other smart phones) to edit your videos as it’s the easiest way to edit your content. If you are unsure of how to upload your videos onto Youtube from your phone you can select ‘upload video’ through the ‘plus’ icon at the bottom of the screen.

5. Try and comment a lot on other people’s pages. Find connections with established YouTubers where there is common ground and comment on what they are already doing. Ask these people for ‘shout outs’ for your videos (so they mention what you are doing to all of their followers) and that will increase your reach. Pick someone with around 100,000 followers, if it’s more than that they probably won’t bother getting back to you.

6. If you want more reach (more people clicking on your videos) YouTube shorts is how to do it. Shorts are usually twenty – thirty seconds and they are what the majority of young people are scrolling through, (similar to Tik Tok). You can edit these down from longer videos and give some useful info along with a link that takes the viewer to the longer video.

7. And finally, look on YouTube to learn anything on this topic. Literally anything about learning to become a YouTuber is already on YouTube!

Do share with us if there is anything that you are already doing for the next generation by passing on traditional techniques, we’d love to hear from you!