New and needing OOAK display help!

[LovePitterPatter]

Just wanted to start off with a quick hi! I was referred to this team after posting in the forums about how to display a few categories of my OOAK items. I'm excited to find this group as I LOVE craft fairs even though I only get to do 1 or 2 a year.

My question is: does anyone have any advice on how to display boppy covers and burp rags? I have a boppy to stuff inside one of my covers, but the others are all OOAK and they need to be out so people can see the fabric/color combos used. If you don't know what a boppy is, its a "c" shaped pillow that is used for breastfeeding moms. It goes around the mom's waist. This is a new item I've been making and I can't find any pictures of other peoples' craft fair displays with boppy covers in them!

The other item is burp rags in mostly sets of 3. Last year I tried to just use a small stitch to keep them together but they got unfolded and messy constantly! This fair is HUGE and really busy so it was hard to stay on top of folding before another customer wanted to look. It started looking like a picked through garage sale! Not good!!

This year I'm thinking I'll fold them in the sets of 3 but then hold them together with some ribbon or string so people can still see the fabrics. I'll have 1 out so they can see it unfolded and hold it, etc. But what is a good way to display these bundles?

My other items are soft blocks (big and easy to display), some soft toys, and lots of blankets. All of my items are OOAK and the blankets will probably be hung from clotheslines or the frame of my tent so a lot of the vertical space is taken.

Sorry its so long winded! Just hopefully giving you a picture of my set up :)

Thank you SO much for your help!!

-Megan

[TheSalvagedEdge]

Could you get a portable clothing rack and hang them from hangers? It's easier to rifle through hanging stuff than piles.

[Former_Member]

Hmmm...for the boppy covers...this may sound odd...what about some sort of pipe or tube laid on its side...a sono tube might work...the covers could be wrapped around it and the shoppers could flip thru the different patterns.

[TigersandDragons]

It's not possible to display every fabric, so don't stress yourself out about trying to accomplish that. You can help people if they ask for a specific colour.

When I've seen sellers who make fabric items for babies, they often place them in baskets, or vintage suitcases so that people can look through them without making a mess all over the table. Tying the cloths together with ribbon to keep them neat is a good idea.

The boppy covers could be clipped with clothes pins to hang from strings or metal grids. Some people use room dividers or quilt stands, laundry dryers.

One display item that might be of interest to you is tiered baskets, usually 3 baskets all set on a long pole. I've seen tabletop ones, and those that are tall and stand on their own.

Also I like the idea of using vintage doll cribs and cradles to hold the toys or baby items. You can paint them white or a bright colour.

[SomeKindOfPretty]

Maybe doing rows of a clothesline? Then using clothes pins to hang the empty covers and rags. I would use these against your walls and then you can have more folded on the tables.

[Former_Member]

I love the clothes line idea. Especially if you made one entire wall filled. Where customers could walk right up to the wall and touch the fabrics and chose the burp cloth they wanted.

You could easily store the extra in large totes under a table. Remember to raise that table up by adding pvc pipe cut to length for each leg. Even if you only give the height another 10 inches it helps.

[LizArti]

How about displaying the one stuffed boppy pillow and having a display board with either photos of the other patterns or fabric swatches for people to chose from? Just make sure to have signage stating that they are available to buy at the show.

Sorry I have no ideas for the burp clothes. Maybe some sort of tiered shelving?

[CarolBradleyDesigns]

How about a spinner rack for the burp cloths? If you have them tied together with a secure bow, you could use the bows to hang them on the rack.

You'll need to keep an eye on people who pull several off a rack to get to a cloth set near the rear of the rack. 90% of people will hang the removed cloths back up.

[LovePitterPatter]

Thank you for all the suggestions! I think I like the clotheslines/ hanging rods the best, but how do I go about making the line taut enough to not get dragged down by the weight of everything? If I used more of a dowel rod or something, how would I secure it to my tent? These logistics things always trip me up!

[TigersandDragons]

Experiment, try things out way before the show.
Ask a handy person you know for help and suggestions to figure out the logistics.

[ecarlateboutique]

I am constantly looking for unique ways to display my items. My pillows are pretty much straight forward and I use black cubes that disassemble and are put together without tools.

I go round and round with my tea towels. I want them to be seen easily, while seeing the different screen prints I have. I have a old crib that is metal with the rods going across. I hang this on it's side so there are many layers for hanging the tea towels that can be easily seen from afar.

I would like to suggest Pinterest for inspiration. They have many fun an unique ideas that can be used for display from ordinary items.

[TheSalvagedEdge]

You can buy these metal hanging rods for closets. They fold down to three bars. I just gave mine away to a girl who sells table cloths. You can hook it to the tent easily.
Like this
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/chrome-double-hang-closet-rod-commercial-grade/1015040...