How to Create a Three-Panel Booth for an Arts and Crafts Fair

Booths at arts and crafts fairs are set up in a variety of ways. While many booths are composed of one or more tables to display items such as baskets, jewelry, candles, and gourmet foods, other booths are composed of panels for hanging purses, scarves, quilts, and framed paintings. As a craft exhibitor at an arts, crafts, and gifts fair during last year's winter holiday season, I needed a backdrop for hanging my knitted and crocheted items including totes, scarves, and vests so I decided to create a panel booth. In this DIY guide, I will explain the process of building a three-panel booth for arts and crafts fair.

First of all, a panel is defined as a flat, rectangular material between parallel posts. The panel booth must be designed to fit within the typical 10x10 booth space. In this case I have chosen a three-panel booth where each panel will measure 6-feet long by 4-feet wide. The required materials for designing the panels are listed as follows:

Panel Booth Materials and Stores that Sell Them

Home Improvement Store

* 30 polyvinyl chloride plastic pipes (2-feet long with one-half inch diameters)

* 18 connectors (one and one-half inches long with one-half inch diameters)

* 12 - 90 degree elbows (one-half inch long with one-half inch diameters)

Fabric Shop

* 9 yards sturdy drapery fabric cut into three sections

* 50+ drapery hooks

Dollar Store

One dozen or more clip ties or Velcro straps

Steps for Creating the Three-Panel Booth

1. Create the height of each panel by connecting three pipes together using two connectors.

2. Create the width of each panel by connecting two pipes together using one connector.

3. If you are not a sewer, have a tailor or seamstress measure the amount of material including the hem needed to cover each 6-feet long by 4-feet wide frame, as the pipes will slide through the hems. A tailor or seamstress will then sew about a two-inch hem on the sides of each of the three rectangular fabric sections leaving the corners open.

4. After the three sections of fabric have been hemmed, slide four extended pipes into the hemmed slits of each fabric section.

5. Attach four elbows to the corners of each of the panels to connect the lengthwise sides with the widthwise sides.

6. After building each panel, hammer each corner to secure the connections.

7. Secure the open fabric corners using drapery hooks.

8. Then with the panels placed in a row, connect the adjacent pipes of the three panels using clip ties or Velcro straps.

9. Finally, prop up the three-panel booth so that it resembles a science fair display board.

Now that the booth is created, it is helpful to draw a blueprint to determine the manner that your items will be organized within the three-panel booth. In doing this, you will find that you will need additional supplies such as hanging racks with knobs and wooden hangers that work well with drapery hooks. Above all, detailed planning is the key to a successful booth display which becomes easier after the first time that you have built your reusable three-panel booth that can be assembled and disassembled.