Showcase or Sell Travel Grant Helps Knottily Fibrearts Thrive at Fringe Fest

Jill Siever was a successful grant recipient of our Showcase or Sell Travel Grant for her participation in the Saskatoon Fringe Festival, where she was able to sell her work.

Jill Siever of Knottily Fibrearts loves to create. “If it’s handmade, that’s what I do.”

Whether it’s knitting, sewing, crocheting, or beading, it doesn’t matter. Getting to sell her creations to happy customers at tradeshows, craft sales, and festivals brings joy to Siever’s heart.

As a local business in small-town Saskatchewan, it can be hard for companies like Knottily Fibrearts to market and sell their products to a wider audience. When Siever came across the Showcase or Sell Travel Grant from Creative Saskatchewan, she was thrilled. “It’s really expensive to travel to a ten-day festival. Especially for a small startup business,” she says.

The opportunity to attend and sell her products at the Saskatoon Fringe Festival was a game changer. Siever was blown away. “I met lots of people, made lots of sales, and did lots of networking,” she says. “The atmosphere was just incredible.”

Though applying for grants can sometimes seem intimidating, Siever had a lot of help through the process. “Being able to work back and forth with Creative Saskatchewan really helped,” she says. “With their support, it was a really positive experience. They went above and beyond throughout the whole process to make it easier on me.”

In addition to helping Siever succeed in Saskatoon, the money she spent on lodging, dining, and payroll stayed and flowed throughout the province.

With such a positive experience behind her, Siever has since applied for another grant from Creative Saskatchewan and is excited for the future.