Felting Critique Session

The Felted hangings in 2009.

The felted wall hangings in '08.

A year after I learned to felt, I made these felted wall hangings for our PAC 08 Open Doors Show. The flowers are actually felted into the piece. I thought they were very pretty, the colors were good. They were also original. Something no one else was doing. I backed the felted, embroidered and beaded and added antique sequins pieces using felt for the wall hanging and attached them to Bell Pull hardware. The work I did was neat and clean.

I had high expectations for them. Since they took an inordinate amount of time to create I priced them originally at $75.00 and $45.00. I sold one at that first show and traded one to one of my friends.

So, in Jan 09, I had another show at a coffee shop and hung the pieces as they were and sold none. In March, I took the pieces home and sold several of them to my family for 1/2 price. (I warned them ahead of time that I needed the money!)

In fall, I took them to the gallery and none sold. For the 09 Open Doors Show, I changed the hardware to pretty twigs and used matching yarn to hang them with. I did this so I could lower the prices to maybe, $50.00 and $35.00 but still none sold.

It's time to retire these pieces... The shoppers voted. They did not pass.

So why did they not sell? Price? Too expensive for a gift? Too cute? Maybe the colors were too bright? What is it about them that made them not want to go home with someone?

What makes a good item good and a not so good item not so good?