CWSG

Holiday Exhibition & SALE

Guidelines

 

 

General Principles

  1. All acceptable articles for the sale should be handmade, creative, original, durable and have good workmanship, reflecting the aims and purposes of the Columbia Weavers and Spinners Guild.
  2. Exact copies of commercial articles, no matter how well made, should be rejected.
  3. No items made from commercial kits will be accepted.
  4. All sales are final. Any other arrangement made between the artist and customer is separate from the Holiday Exhibition & Sale (HES).
  5. Columbia Weavers and Spinners Guild (CWSG) does not carry insurance on HES inventory. Participants who document lost or stolen items during the HES will be reimbursed at the following rates: Items valued under $200 will be reimbursed the sales price minus the participantÕs commission. Items valued over $200 will be reimbursed 50% of the selling price.

 

 

PARTICIPATION IN THE HOLIDAY EXHIBITION & SALE         

  1. Membership in Columbia Weavers and Spinners Guild is a requirement.
  2. You must be a CWSG member for a year prior to selling in the Holiday Exhibition & Sale.
  3. You must follow all guidelines, rules and deadlines for participation as stated here and made by the Steering Committee.
  4. You must accept decisions of the Steering Committee regarding commission rates, quality control, jury decisions, price recommendations and job assignments.
  5. You must sign up for participation as soon as possible, but no later than September 15.
  6. You must receive and respond to email/mail/phone messages in a timely manner.
  7. Steering Committee chairs will pay an entry fee, 10% commission and donate 2 door prizes.
  8. Participants who volunteer and complete Steering Committee jobs and work each Sale day (including set-up) will pay the entry fee, 20% sales commission and donate 2 door prizes.
  9. Participants who volunteer and complete Steering Committee jobs but do not work the Sale weekend pay the entry fee, 30% sales commission and donate 2 door prizes.
  10. Participants with 12 or fewer items will be considered Marketplace Participants. They pay half of the entry fee, 30% sales commission and donate 2 door prizes. They will be expected to work the Sale weekend (including set-up) and will be welcome to volunteer for other jobs.
  11. Participants who are unable to volunteer, but would like to sell, may do so by paying the entry fee and a 50% sales commission rate and donate 2 door prizes. This level of participation requires the approval of Steering Committee.

 

 

Materials and Methods

  1. No materials should be excluded if they are suitable for the article produced. In other words, even wire, acrylics, wood, fiber, grapevines, etc. could be used if they are required to express an artistic approach to the handmade method being used.
  2. Any method should be allowed which falls under the following categories:

Hand Weaving – Hand Spinning – Hand Felting – Surface Design – Basketry – Paper Making

Bead Weaving – Knitting – Fiber Constructions – Original Kits – Jewelry Exhibiting Fiber Related Techniques (must be put on a card)

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QUALITY, WORKMANSHIP & INTEGRITY

1.     Hand woven items should exhibit the use of proper fibers and sett. The beat should be consistent. The dimension of the pieces should be within standard sizes. The hems and finishing techniques should be appropriate for the item. The items should be wet finished, (pre-washed), unless inappropriate, and include size/dimensions and care instructions.

2.     Hand spun yarn should exhibit proper twist, consistency, quality fiber and appropriate finishing. The yarn should be labeled with fiber content, weight or yardage, care instruction and suggestions for appropriate use.

3.     Homegrown fiber should be clean, first quality fiber, free of vegetable matter and second cuts.

4.     Hand knit items should exhibit the use of proper fibers and technique, (no knots on the back side), appropriate gauge for the yarn used, proper finishing, (blocking), and care instructions.

5.     Hand made basketry should exhibit structural integrity and appropriate finishing.

6.     Hand made paper items should not exhibit brown foxing & be suitable for its intended use.

7.     Surface Design, as in silk screening, dyeing, printing, and marbling should exhibit an appropriate finishing technique, so that dyes and pigments are fast. Hems should match final color of item --not show up as contrasting/white stitching.

8.     Hand felted items should be well meshed, durable, appropriate for its intended use, and include care instructions.

9.     Wall Hangings must be ready to hang. The quality of construction will be subject to the same good workmanship criteria as any other article.

10.  All Jewelry items must display appropriate construction techniques as well as proper finishing. Overall integrity of the piece must be acceptable.

 

 

Judging articles FOR SALE

  1. Items not previously presented for sale must be approved at a Holiday Exhibition & Sale meeting.
  2. New participants to the Sale must have their work juried in. Returning participants must have their new work juried.
  3. Two experienced CWSG members, whether or not they are currently participating in the Sale, may serve as jurors. A completed Jury Form needs to be returned to the Inventory Committee Chair.
  4. The jury of items may occur before or after Guild meetings at HES meetings or at arranged times. For more information, contact Inventory Committee chair.
  5. The jurors have the authority to reject inappropriate items at anytime. Jury decisions are final.

 

 

INVENTORY PROCESSING and QUALITY CONTROL

  1. The Bookkeeping team will electronically send out inventory forms (MS Excel) to be filled out and returned by you no later than October 15. You are advised to over-estimate your inventory on this inventory sheet. (Include items that may not be started or may be sold before our Sale.) Items will not be added after the announced deadline.
  2. The Bookkeeping team has established a list of approved product names to describe your inventory. Only approved product names are allowed on the inventory sheet.
  3. Pricing of items needs to be in the appropriate range to ensure fairness for all. Suggested price ranges are available from the Bookkeeping team.
  4. You will be issued one barcode sticker (½Ó x 1 ¾Ó) for each entry on your inventory sheet. The product name, inventory number and price will be encoded in the barcode. Please leave enough room on your hangtag for the barcode.
  5. Each item for the Sale must have a Hangtag indicating your name, your address or contact information, the corresponding barcode, inventory number and the price (whole dollar amounts only) legibly written in soft lead or on a small white removable sticker, the fiber content, the care instructions and if applicable, the dimensions/size/yardage/weight of item. No staples or pins.
  6. Each item for the Sale must be Checked-in. Sign up for a Check-in appointment, arrive promptly, and have your inventory tagged, & packed sequentially. You do not need to bring an inventory sheet to Check-in. Inventory sheets will be printed by the bookkeeping team.
  7. After Check-in, each item will be subjected to the Quality Control team. They will conduct the final jury of each item into the Sale. They have the authority to reject items as they see fit.
  8. No items for sale can be previously worn, or used. All items for sale must be properly aired out. Any item with an unpleasant odor or heavily scented will be rejected.
  9. All items with proceeds to be donated to a designated fund (Scholarship etc.) will need to follow the above guidelines. Please submit your item to the volunteer in charge of fund submissions.

 

PARTICIPANT SHOPPING & CHECK-OUT

1.     Participants selling in the HES & CWSG volunteers may put inventory aside at the beginning or at any point after inventory has been placed on the floor for sale. These items will be sold at full price. Please note: If you put it back, you buy it (all of it) at full price. You cannot return it to the sales floor.

2.     Appreciation certificates/discounts for volunteers will be given for a 20% discount during the Sunday Discount Hour or at the end of their volunteer shift. (Note: There are no time restrictions for the museum workers.)

3.     After the public has concluded their shopping on Sunday, HES participants will be allowed to shop from the REMAINING inventory. They will receive a 20% discount on any and all purchases they make during this time.

4.     At the conclusion of the Participant Discount Shopping Hour, the Bookkeeping team will indicate that it is time to check out the inventory. They will have an inventory sheet printed for you and your inventory.

 

CHECK-OUT PROCEEDURE

1.     Get your inventory sheet from the Bookkeeping team

2.     Gather your inventory into a pile or an area

3.     Select a partner to check out your inventory. Your partner must be a HES participant and cannot be a family member or spouse.

4.     Read off the inventory numbers on each tag of your unsold inventory while your partner checks the ÒOutÓ column on the inventory sheet for each item indicated.

5.     Have your partner sign their name at the bottom of the inventory check-out sheet.

6.     Now switch, and help your partner check out their inventory.

7.     Report any discrepancies to the Bookkeeping team.

8.     Return your inventory sheets to the bookkeeping team so that they can be returned to the "Gray book".