Positive Yarn

Today I went to the Kent State University Museum in Kent, OH, with some of my favorite folks — several people from my local Embroidery Guild of America chapter and my own two little girls, who went through even the “boring” spots well-behaved. (I’m so proud!) I thank my friend Cindy, who gave my daughters beads for every room they went through, culminating in enough beads to make two beautiful bracelets. That seemingly small token kept the girls occupied when the grown-ups were taking a bit longer at the exhibits than they would have liked.

We went to the museum to view its fantastic embroidery exhibit, and it certainly did not disappoint. When I got home this afternoon, I jumped online to see whether the museum’s Web site had even more about “The Art of the Embroiderer.” For the record, it does — see here.

But I also discovered another interesting section of the site. The “Care of Historic Costume and Textiles” got me to thinking about shops who offer restoration and cleaning services. I ask of those of you who do this service, are you marketing it as much as you could? After all, this is an area of expertise that few professionals can successfully offer.

Are you using search engine optimiziation (SEO) keywords for your Web site, terms like “embroidery restoration,” “needlepoint repair,” and “antique needlework”? Are these kinds of terms sprinkled liberally throughout not only your site, but your business cards, signage and brochures? Even on your receipt copy?

Are you reaching out to local museums and needlework guilds and associations to make them aware of your service? Are you offering your expertise to speak at association meetings about simple ways they can conserve some of their older treasures? Are you reaching out to local media about how your shop offers this service, and some simple preservation tips for readers?

If you’re already doing this, or if you’re doing other creative marketing techniques in this regard, I want to know! Comment below or email me at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

OK, I promised photos, after all:

Here’s Jan at her demonstration station.	A sampling of the counted cross-stitch mingling with the quilts. We also had knitting, crochet, surface embroidery and a beaded entry.
This round robin sampler won second place… and all who participated (including yours truly — my harvest border is the last band) are receiving ribbons, too.	Here are a few of my treasures from the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo. The Clover needle threader I bought from Shaffer’s Countryside Quilting, because it’s just so strong and elegant. I was able to load size 8 perle cotton with nary a cuss word! The wristlet gadget, from Lacis, is to hold said perle cotton balls — specifically purchased from Fabulous Fibers (here’s a link to the tool on their site) for my goal of knitting Bag Lady’s tiny pendant purses, but I think it will also come in handy for my cross-stitch projects, too. The drill bit-looking item (made by W.H. Collins, purchased from Quilter’s Fancy) is to repair snags.
Yes, I know my photos of my wool applique ladybug needle holder are a little out of focus, but it’s by design. I don’t want you to have a clear shot of my blanket stitch! Keep in mind this was a make-and-take at the Expo done under conference center lighting, plus I was trying to rush through so I could get back on the floor to shop and return poor Judy (who was an excellent and patient teacher, by the way) back to her customers.
Also from Cindy and her team, I purchased a doll tassel kit… I played with it last night, but it’s definitely a work in progress.	Last year at Expo, Barb Callahan introduced me to the wonderful world of needle felting. This year, she showed me a fantastic way to weave — in an old cut up lace tablecloth, no less — using a surgical tool known as a hemostat. I can only describe it as a pair of long-necked tweezers, with a tiny grip at the end. It’s perfect to weave in and out of the holes, with your clamped ribbon in place, then draw back through whence you came and surprise — a perfectly woven row. I loved it! Here’s my make-and-take button: I tried to make it Easter-y.

There’s one more make-and-take at Expo I managed to squeeze in — but I’ll discuss in a future post.

I probably wouldn’t have bought the needle threader had I not used it at Judy’s table, or the doll tassel kit if I hadn’t seen it being worked on at Cindy’s make-and-take (in fact, I couldn’t get near to actually do it, so I decided to buy the kit and figure it out on my own). On the other hand, while I paid Barb for the button/pin that I made, I did not make another purchase from her. Not that I wouldn’t have loved to have done some wallet damage (her weaving looms are awesome!), but it was late in the day and my mind was on finishing up and getting back to the family for dinner. Naturally, I have Barb Originals as a bookmark, so I can always make a virtual shopping trip!

That brings me to my question for you: Do you find that make-and-takes at shows (or in the shop) are a good use of time and resources? Drop me a line either in the comments below or via email at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

The Medina Needlework Guild’s 28th annual Needle Art Show at the Brunswick Library is currently under way, and I think it’s going pretty well. Both my girls took first place in the junior category — although I must admit, they were the only entrants this year in the junior category. I won a third-place ribbon for my over-one pincushion rendition of a day lily, so I’m pretty psyched. Evidently, the round robin that a fellow EGA member entered won second place, and the judges decreed that all six of us who participated in a stripe of the final sampler will get a ribbon, too. Photos coming soon, I promise.

I had to get up early this morning to be a hostess with two other members, Jeanne and Jan. When I left the house, the rest of the family was sound asleep — even the cat. (The dog awoke to “walk me to the door,” but my hunch is that she, too, soon after drifted back to her natural state: zonked.) But Hubby and the girls came to the library right as my shift ended to take a look around, take in the fact that both girls are official blue-ribbon stitchers, and then take me to lunch.

Over Happy Meals, I asked my husband if it was OK for me to drive up I-71 to Cleveland to explore the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo going on at the IX Center. I think he was just glad I didn’t ask him to go with me! So once again I was on the road, ready to absorb the new trends and techniques going on in the sewing world.

The show did not disappoint. While I am woefully limited in my machine sewing skills, I found plenty of hand sewing-focused vendors to suit me. And the aisles hawking all that the Janomes, Berninas and Husqvarna Vikings, just to name a few, got me feeling pretty inspired, too.

Because classes were signed up for in advance, I didn’t get to check out any of the seminars. I did, however, get to see a stunning New Designer fashion show, as well as a display of 2008 Hoffman Challenge Dolls & Clothing, “From Knock-Out to Knock-Off: Gorgeous Gowns from the Silver Screen,” “5 x 4: Quilt Artists Meeting Their Challenges” and Robert Kaufman Quilt Quest 2008, among other fantastic sights. These displays travel to all the Sewing Expos around the U.S.: Atlanta and Tampa, FL have already taken place, but coming later this year are programs in Worcester, MA; Chantilly, VA; Kansas City, MO; Minneapolis and Chicago.

I also met some really wonderful people, such as Judy and Peggy at Shaffer’s Countryside Quilting, Sue and Honor at Sue’s Sparklers, Cindy and her team at Quilter’s Fancy, and Barb and Joe at Barb Originals.

More about my experiences at the expo, as well as photos of my make-and-takes, are coming later this weekend. Right now, though, I’m signing off from my computer to play with all the cool things I bought! (OK, photos coming of that, too!)

One of my favorite benefits I receive in return for helping The National NeedleArts Association with some of its marketing endeavors is getting the “scoop” on its news.

For example, TNNA sent a press release this afternoon discussing one of its members, Jen Funk-Weber of Funk & Weber Designs in Anchorage, AK. In 2007, Funk-Weber created a program called Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy, which encourages needle artists nationwide to stitch bookmarks to donate during Children’s Book Week to their local schools and libraries. Naturally, she encourages stitchers to work with their local needlework shops to coordinate their community’s program.

Needle and ThREAD’s 2009 Bookmark Challenge started today, and continues through May 7 (Children’s Book Week is May 11-17). The bookmarks can be done with any pattern, any material, any technique. Funk-Weber wants it to be a marketing opportunity for independent shops, and notes on her blog that most participants collect bookmarks year-round.

So, remember how I was bemoaning the fact a couple posts back that I wasn’t sure which direction I should take my local Embroidery Guild of America’s “charity project”? Funk-Weber’s bookmarks have got me inspired. Now granted, since no local shops are participating (!), at least to my knowledge, we will likely take our time and collect them all for our September meeting. I also told members that I’m equally happy to coordinate any other projects that catch their fancy, such as cool ties for soldiers or — as some other EGA chapters have done — Habitat for Humanity samplers.

But if you as a shop owner haven’t heard of Funk-Weber’s program and are looking to jump into spring with a quick and easy project for your classes, I highly recommend Needle and ThREAD. If nothing else, it might get your customers to use up their stash — and they’ll feel so emboldened by it, they’ll simply have to celebrate by coming into your store to replenish their supplies! As a bonus, what could be better for your local media than a feel-good story about a local shop and its loyal customers doing something positive for their community?

On a final note, I just wanted to shout out to Bonnie Dillabough, founder of the Warm Fuzzy Brigade (find a ton of projects just waiting to be done up and be helpful to those in need by clicking here). Bonnie, if you’re reading this, I owe you an email — and it’s coming soon.

I attended my local Embroidery Guild of America chapter yesterday afternoon and embarked on a sewing experience the likes of which I’d never seen before. I knew we were going to have a class on “hairpin lace crochet,” but I had no concept of what that was.

At the last meeting, I was told to either purchase a hairpin lace loom or fashion one out of a coat hanger. Since I had no idea how to do the latter, I opted for the former (it set me back about $4, so I figured it was one of my cheaper forays into new techniques — many of which, unfortunately, have me scurrying back into the comforting arms of counted cross-stitch).

During our “Show and Tell” segment, several members passed around shawls, blankets, lace-edged hankerchiefs and other pretties that were made from this technique. To be fair, a couple of members brought some examples last month, too, and while I admired the handiwork then, it was really being brought home to me at this month’s meeting because I knew I was going to learn it as soon as our business meeting ended.

The interesting thing is that the history of hairpin lace is very, very old — some believe even during Shakespeare’s time, the loom was the common folks’ way of making lace, which was a sign of wealth back then. Experts site Victorian-era patterns that refer to the technique as “Old-Fashioned.”

Our members brought in books from the 1940s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, and some of the older ladies distinctly recall making afghans this way during the salad days of being newly married or on their own. They brought in hairpin forks, as opposed to my more modern(?) loom. Stitch Diva has a great description and photos comparing the two types, although my budget-conscious version is from Coats and Clark, the Susan Bates Hairpin Lace Loom.

Our teacher is convinced it’s poised for a comeback — as evidenced by the range of lessons available on YouTube. So does Kate Pullen, a guest author on BellaOnline, and evidently some of the manufacturers out there creating modern patterns (or at least photographing vintage patterns with modern models), like the aforementioned Coats and Clark, Wrights, and Berroco.

I enjoyed learning how to create hairpin lace very much, and while my efforts today ended up becoming “Drake the Snake” for my fourth-grader this evening, I am definitely ready to do some more.

I’m interested in hearing from folks in the industry, though: Is the hairpin lace the equivalent of “comfort food” needlework in trying times, as it is comparatively inexpensive to get into, and is a quick and easy way to use up one’s stash? Do you see it making a comeback? Let me know in the comments below, or email me at positiveyarn@goochandgooch.com.

It’s getting to be old news, but it’s being reiterated nearly every day: Cheap is chic these days. In a CNN article this morning, even upscale consumers are finding that it’s much cooler to talk about how financially savvy you are than how financially sound you are — or as a consumer psychologist and professor quoted in the article puts it, “We have moved from an era of conspicuous consumption to an era of considered consumption.”

Now while no one in your core customer base will likely ever utter the words “Look at this $250,000 watch I got for $7,500″ (yep, that’s part of the article), it does make sense to appeal to their bargain-hunter side in your marketing program. Take a look at your inventory: What types of “champagne” projects can you get them to make on a “beer” budget? Is it time to promote a luxurious-looking shawl pattern, for example, that can be made up with lower-end fibers and still look great? To promote practical gift-making ideas, like a set of embroidered tea towels? To host a student fashion show where your classes can ooh and aah over their latest jewelry creations on display? Maybe turn up the upscale quotient of these programs by adding in a ritzy refreshment table, offering sparkling grape juice and chocolate-covered strawberries (which, if you do yourself, isn’t going to take as big a bite out of your budget as you might think).

On the evening of the event, have employees wear their most dazzling outfits — an old bridesmaid’s dress or a fancy sweater, just something that sparkles and isn’t something they’d otherwise wear to work. I recall a friend of mine who worked in a jewelry store when we were in college. For three days a year, she and the team wore tuxedo shirts and ties for a special “black-tie” sale that focused on selling their bridal sets and high-end jewelry. They stayed open late, and she said there was a unique energy that week — customers looked forward to the sale not only because of the good prices, but also because there was so much “special” stuff going on, with the extended hours, refreshments and gala atmosphere.

Perhaps you can also start helping customers pamper themselves for less with a display of eye mask patterns, sachets, manicure bags and other spa-like treasures that they can easily embellish themselves. With extras being fewer and farther between these days for many of us, make sure your customers know that your shop can still be their respite.

Potpourri

I want to recognize an organization called ZeroLandfill, which according to this Akron Beacon Journal article is “distributing 4 tons of samples from local architectural and interior design firms” to artists and art educators in Northeast Ohio. The program is considered “upcyling” because the art community can find treasure among what otherwise would have been considered trash in a landfill. The program might be expanded into other communities soon. Visit www.zerolandfill.net for more information.

I also just joined an online group called The Warm Fuzzy Brigade, which promotes needlework philanthropy. Bonnie Dillabough just founded the group and is looking for additional members to discuss projects, upload photos and generally, as she puts it, “create a movement that will warm our world.” As you may have read in my previous post, I’m on the hunt for good causes my local chapter of the Embroidery Guild of America can do a project for next season. Bonnie has a whole list of philanthropic needlework projects here.

I came across this article in the Brattleboro (VT) Reformer this morning, and was taken with both the simplicity and the thoughtfulness of one Katherine Paige. The knitting enthusiast has been making knit prosthetics for women who have had mastectomies. Using ultra-soft yarn and weighted appropriately, her version is said to be more comfortable and natural-looking than the silicone versions, which the article says can also run the wearer about $350. Paige, who gives away her finished products, is looking for yarn donations (the information is in the article). It should be pointed out that her local shop, Margie’s Muse, has been a supporter of her cause.

This got me to thinking about today’s economy. Maybe it’s just my perception, but it seems that people have been in a more altruistic mood these days. Maybe it’s a matter of those of us who are making relatively minor sacrifices in our own lives, start considering others less fortunate whose sacrifices are much greater. Perhaps it’s because when we’re living high on the hog, so to speak, it’s easier to imagine everyone else is, too — and thus the inverse is true. Whatever the reason, I personally view it as something positive to come out of this financial mess we’re all in.

As the incoming programs chair for my Embroidery Guild of America chapter, our group discussed whether any of the Group Correspondence courses (wherein we as a group pick a designated project from the EGA catalog, and participating members work all year on the project to send in to the designer for a full critique) were of interest. At the meeting, the answer was a resounding “nope.” After all, many of the members are accomplished artists in their own right, and those who could benefit from experiencing the intricate techniques (me, for instance!) are simply so busy in their everyday lives that they couldn’t take on the project within the deadline.

With that option off the table for the 2009-10 season, I suggested we do a charitable project instead. Two years ago, for example, we whipstitched edging on receiving blankets to donate to Akron Children’s Hospital for grieving parents who don’t get to take their angels home. The infant is wrapped in the blanket to be held one last time. With my two healthy daughters top of mind, this was personally a tough project for me to do, and many tears were shed as I plied my needle through the soft flannel.

I’m currently gathering ideas for ways our needlework can make a difference in someone’s life, and I know there are many wonderful causes out there. We may even return to the bereavement blankets; my goal is to put several options on the table so members can do as few or as many as they would like.

I realize my primary reason for this blog is to share with you good marketing ideas and tips, and to be honest, I believe there is some business merit in rounding up your best customers or a class and spitballing ideas about how you as a group (or even you as an individual, like Katherine Paige) can use your collective time, talents and treasure to help others. After all, local media enjoys breaking a “feel-good” story to stand out from among all the doom and gloom. And I truly believe that good begets good — an act of kindness can cause a ripple effect. People want to patronize retailers who reach out to their community. Suppliers want to be associated with store owners who are also upstanding citizens, and donating product for a good cause is an easy choice for them to make.

Most of us try to give unselfishly, both personally and professionally (I see many stores who run canned food drives, for example). My challenge to you now is to keep up your efforts in these trying times, and maybe even take it to the next level. The feeling you get in return is the best kind of profit.

If you have examples of how your store or your handiwork has made a difference, I’d love to hear about it. Please feel free to email me or comment below.