April 23, 2013

Quality education

Honestly, I did try my local quilt shop first. But, oh, I have a confession. I admit it … I went into one of those chain stores the other day. Occasionally it is just necessary as they do fill some needs. Quilt shops just do not nor cannot carry everything.

I needed to make a very large tote bag and I was looking for some really heavy canvas duck or denim fabric. Since JAs carries home dec fabric, I was pretty certain I could find something for my project. Sigh, there just is no atmosphere — well there is — it’s glaringly bright, cluttered, usually messy and full of lots of just stuff — unorganized stuff. Remember the November issue of American Quilt Retailer, the one on making your shop a “curated” collection for your specific customer? Well chains are not exactly an example of “curated.”

I found some denim and took a number. When my number was called I asked the sales woman to help me cut the denim from the home dec racks. I asked if it was all cotton as it was not marked. She didn’t know the answer, but we went to find the heavy denim on a wrapped bolt with the garment fabrics, which was labeled 100 percent cotton. So, I found what I needed and the service was fine, even pleasant. The total experience? Totally uninspiring.

Yet on this day, as in past visits (okay, so I have been there several times for things not found in my local quilt shop), this chain was packed. I overheard several conversations each between a couple of women, excited about sewing as they shared “how-tos” with each other. Their exchanges were over basic beginning sewing skills and they were eager to learn from each other recent experiences. They were helping each other pick fabrics talking about one selection over another.

I have another admission here — I’m a fabric snob of sorts. I know good fabric. And I also know as in any craft, your success will be proportional to the quality of the supplies and tools you use. These women, so eager to learn and sew, were they going to find happiness in their craft using fabrics not up to the quality carried in your shop?

The denim I purchased was pretty severely off-grain, whether woven or rolled that way. It didn’t matter too much for my tote, and I did what I could to compensate. But, had a novice purchased it to make a skirt, the skirt would not have hung properly.

Yes, people shop based on need, price, on convenience and, yes, on quality — if they know the difference. We should start a campaign to educate. Teach your customers skills to enjoy and teach them the differences in quality and why, in the long run, paying more for something will or can yield better and longer-lasting results. And this is actually more economical.

Check out this link: http://www.swatchandstitch.com/home_page/the-robert-kaufman-printing-process.html

Ken Kaufman CEO of Robert Kaufman Fabrics put together this video on how the fabric that you carry in your shop gets produced. The laborious process is eye-opening! It’s a wonder our fine-quality fabrics don’t cost the consumer twice as much as they do.

Let your customers know about this link. Share it during a “sit and sew” night or even have it running regularly on a laptop.

There are many places were costs can and are sometimes cut with lower-priced goods. But, watching this distinctly shows what goes into making quality goods and educates people why costs are higher.

You needed another goal to work on, didn’t you? There’s a market out there to earn. There’s a desire to sew — whether it is quilting, lifestyle home sewing or garment sewing. Education in many ways may just be what it takes to earn it. — Susan

PS — Oh, my big tote bag? Well it turned out okay — rather gargantuan — but okay.Good grief! A couple of sofa cushions would fit in this thing! Off-grain fabric or not, even with experienced skills, excellent tools and accurate math, if the initial measurements are wrong the project can be somewhat of a disaster. No problem — a new high-quality seam-ripper and a little time will whip it down to size!

March 18, 2013

Moving slowly is a good thing in business, too!

By now most of you know that I have sold American Quilt Retailer to Ranelle King. If you haven’t heard, I talk all about these exciting changes on page 4 of the newest issue of American Quilt Retailer mailed on March 6, 2013. Ranelle is now the owner and publisher of  American Quilt Retailer and I am still the editor.

I had decided about two years ago to sell American Quilt Retailer. It’s always been a wonderful little business, but approaching my 60 birthday (now coming so much sooner than two years ago!), I wanted to slow down a bit. At this age in life the days are flying by at warp speed, and since this is not an endless vacation here, there are still things to do and places to go!

Ranelle had heard I was interested in selling the business and she was interested in finding out more about it. She contacted me last August and asked if she could “shadow” me, to see how the business ran and to see if it would be a good fit. The more I worked with Ranelle, among many other things, I learned to admire and respect the time she took to make the decision to purchase American Quilt Retailer. She came to the office several hours a week for about three months watching, helping, suggesting and especially asking lots of questions. She invested time in looking at the possibilities. She wanted to get a clear picture of the operation and then make her decision.

An article in today’s Forbes magazine “Why Entrepreneurs Fail,” by Paul Brown, said “The reason entrepreneurs fail are as varied as the entrepreneurs themselves. However, there is one common denominator: They almost always move too quickly.”

The article goes on to cheer “acting” on ideas, yet to take small steps towards the goal you are acting on. Paul then introduces a four-step approach to action-taking:

1. Start with a desire.

2. Take a smart step quickly, while understanding and accepting the risk.

3. Reflect and then build on what you have learned from this step.

4. Repeat — take another small step.

Read the entire article and take time this week to follow steps one through four. As Paul said “you are constantly moving towards your goal, but because the steps are small, it is hard to get too far off track, and you end up risking less.”

Good business and life advice, take time, take small steps and move forward.

An update on my slow weekend — if you read my last “Missing pieces” blog post you know I’m working on slow projects participating in the Slow Cloth Movement.

So this weekend I made a small tapestry weaving loom and set to work. Here are the results of my slow Sunday afternoon. Weaving cannot be rushed and is only built one slow step at a time. — Susan

March 15, 2013

Who doesn’t want to slow down

March is National Craft Month and it certainly is encouraging to see so many people joining our ranks.

Crafting can make one happy and healthy, and I recently read that people will still spend on things that make them happy and healthy. What a great place to be!

I’ve been intrigued lately by a small but very interesting movement — the Slow Cloth Movement. Similar in concept to the Slow Food Movement, the Slow Cloth Movement was created and articulated by Elaine Marie Lipson in her Red Thread Studio blog.

In today’s instant, fast-paced, plugged in world the words “slow” and “movement” seldom go together. But in contrast to chain-piecing, speed cutting, slice and dice work, look at the current popularity of hexagon handwork — you talk about slow! Please read all of the detailed description of the Slow Cloth Movement on Elaine’s blog and like “Slow Cloth ” on Facebook for little daily does of “slow.” Simply put Slow Cloth means: finding joy, contemplation, mastering skill, embracing diversity, teaching, materials, quality, beauty, community and expression. Many of the things quilting is all about!

This winter I have been working on two small whole cloth quilt projects as possible crafts to share on the French General Chateau Dumas trip this coming June. The typical quilts of Provence called boutis are whole cloth quilts, so this seems an appropriate project.

This first project was a pre-printed whole cloth quilt from The Stencil Company. It was a nice slow delight to quilt on the pre-drawn lines. When the piece was done the blue pattern washed away leaving this wonderful simple texture. If you are a shop owner The Stencil Company does wholesale. And even though the process is slow, this piece took about a week’s worth of short evening sessions.

This second piece was designed with two quilting stencils also from the Stencil Company. I’ve traced them on a very pale blue fabric. The pencil lines will also wash away.

For my third sample I want to freehand something — leaves, flowers, feathers and let the quilting take off in a Zentangle sort of way.

My sister and niece came for a long weekend visit. Sally made and gave me a sweet needlecase done Sue Spargo style. Sue currently has a large following of wool felt embroiderers, all working slowly. Then my niece who is a busy mom of three children under ten, is a master knitter and weaver. She made and gave me these woven dishtowels — yes, dishtowels — almost too pretty to use!

So now in my personal slow movement, I want to weave. I’m heading towards tapestry weaving, a weft-faced technique, and am going to make my own loom.

Off to a nice slow weekend and I’ll slowly keep you posted on my slow progress. — Susan

January 30, 2013

Valentine’s for your customers

Our readers tell us they love our FREE-to-use patterns! Designed to be a sales tool, American Quilt Retailer started this popular feature way back in our first issue published in 1994! Those of you with a good collection of back issues, check out these issues:

Issues 8, Folk Heart Flag (15″ x 17″)

Issue 24, Hearts for you my friend (20″ x 20″)

Issue 48, Old Love (22.5″ x 22.5″)

Issue 54, Sweet Heart (43.5″ x 43.5″)

Issue 60, In Bloom (60.5″ x 60.5″)

  Make  a quick sample of one of these love-ly, heart-themed quilts! Cut some kits! Create a display! Bake some cookies! Then post photos of your sample, kits, display and cookies on our Flickr page here. Or, post photos on our Facebook page here. You may give the pattern away with the purchase of a kit. Offer it “free with purchase.” If you make kits, perhaps you could hold a drawing for one free kit. Let us help you sell fabric and notions. If you can’t find your old copies, we do have some back issues available here or you can purchase our FREE-to-use Pattern Set with a collection of 60 past FREE-to-use patterns here. Have a sweet time! — Susan

August 31, 2012

Ways to make your shop a standout!

The new issue of American Quilt Retailer is going in the mail as we speak! Sure am glad we’re not all going to sit on the living room floor tonight labeling each one. Although, thinking back, that was always a fun pizza-sort-of-night with the kids. Oh, well … I think we’ll just continue to let our mailing house to the job!

From the cover of this issue, you can tell the centerpiece tells about my trip with French General to Chateau Dumas in southern, France. This year as we dyed with the beautiful woad blue, we all used some shibori techniques — tying, folding and binding before dyeing — yielding unusual and unexpected patterns which you can see in the scarves on the cover. Why not try some dyeing and shibori in your shop? It’s fun, creative and something unexpected you can offer your customers — something different to make your shop a standout. Read this feature and give it some thought.

Here’s a quick preview of some of the other articles: Jim Salinas details six equally-important mistakes retailers often make that impact profits and growth — the things to not do! Kizer and Bender assign some “pre-holiday” homework — a check list of things to do now in preparation for the holiday retail season. Roseann Kermes offers an idea you might not have had — be a mentor! Giving comes back to you in so many ways. Callie Works-Leary will make your head spin as she details a “day in her social media life.” Dawn Farrier details another way to make an impactful, lasting impression — in your restroom! Hey, everybody needs one and every shop has one, right?  Linda Griepentrog helps you be a better show vendor. And, the pattern is called “French Bistro.” It’s a red and white check table mat with lots of marketing potential.

Let me say how nice it was to read all the comments from my post earlier in August. There are good, standout shopping experiences out there! Thank you to everyone who shared a story! Peg from Connect the Block will receive a fabric bundle for her story about Starbucks. I agree, Starbucks is right up there in consistent customers service, and I always wondered how they remembered so much. Hidden cameras!

Another bundle will go to Kelli Belden for sharing the story of her husband’s experience in Creekside Quilts In Clive, Iowa. We need to take good care of guys who think so sweetly to buy (and pick out) fabric for their wives! Creekside gets one more bundle for their superior service helping Kelli’s husband!

Now is there really need to say one more time how wonderful the French General trip is? I positively get goosebumps thinking about it. Want to come join us in 2013? Kaari and her helpers will be there, I’m going on week one, and Amy Butler is the guest artisan for both weeks! A link for signups is below, but don’t wait too long — week two is already sold out with a wait list!

https://www.frenchgeneral.com/chateaugetaway2013/signups.php

I love woad dyeing so much, I’m flying out to French General on September 15. Denise Lambert, the woad expert from France is coming for a woad workshop right here in the states. I think there are still openings for this — you can have a little taste of the French experience and dye something blue at the same time!

Look for workshop info here: https://www.frenchgeneral.com/

Hope you enjoy the new issue and find it informative! — Susan