Janet Perry of Napa Needlepoint started doing needlepoint almost forty years ago. When Janet was 13 years old she saw a kit in a magazine and fell in love with it. Her parents took her to the only needlepoint store around and they happened to have the very same kit. Her grandmother, who was a "phenomenal seamstress" taught her the basic stitches that very afternoon and she says she hasn't been without a needle ever since!
Mostly self taught from books after that, Janet didn't take a class on needlepoint until at least ten years later. She attributes being "fearless about fiber and art" to her grandmother and to her mother, an artist, and says she loves to explore with different threads and decorative stitches.
Because Janet is disabled by MS, she necessarily runs her business part-time, and although she started the business in 1997 she still classifies it as a startup since she's constantly tweaking things.
Janet's main goal is to show people how fun, fast, easy and inexpensive needlepoint can be, and to do away with the common misconception that needlepoint is boring or expensive. Her All About Needlepoint website does just that, covering everything from supplies and threads, basic stitches, advanced techniques, tons of free patterns and projects, and even an "Ask Janet" page where she invites any and all needlepoint questions. Visit Janet's site where you can sign up for a free beginning embroidery course via email, and check out her Nuts About Needlepoint blog while you're at it.
Online auction site eBay has announced their eBay Sellers Challenge for online merchants with an entrepreneurial spirit. The challenge is open to anyone who wishes to start or expand an eBay business
Four grand prize winners will receive $25,000 business grants - one in each of these categories:
The runner up in each category will receive a $5,000 grant. Entrants are invited to submit a 60-second video describing how they plan to use the prize money, along with a business plan. Entries will be accepted through July 7, 2009.
eBay and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, an organization devoted to advancing entrepreneurship, will select two finalists from each category and then eBay members will be asked to vote for their favorites. Winners will be announced on August 11, 2009.
Get your free director's kit with tons of tips and advice on how to create a winning entry at the eBay Sellers Challenge page.
Amidst rumors this week that Sew Simple magazine is about the join the ranks of the numerous publications that have shut their doors since the downturn in the economy, I am delighted to have learned about Modern Seamster, a hip new magazine that combines the "worlds of fashion, sewing, music, art and culture, all through the eye of a needle."




Rebecca Yuhasz Smith started her Rebecca Ray Designs handbag business about eleven years ago, but says she feels like an overnight success, even though she's been working at the business for years. A couple of years ago she says her business made $24,000, but that all changed pretty rapidly when she won the Country Living Magazine's Pitch Your Product Competition in 2007.***I often buy old garments at garage sales or consignment stores just for the fabric so I do a lot of ripping and altering. Single sided razor blades are great for this task since you don’t have to be delicate, but whether using a razor or a seam ripper, they get dull pretty quickly. Try using an emery board to sharpen them. It’s usually pretty easy to find one when you need it, and it does the trick quickly, even on the inner side of your seam ripper.
***I tend to use my favorite tissue paper patterns over and over, simply changing necklines and sleeve styles to make various designs, but the tissue patterns tear so easily. I love to take the thinnest (and therefore least expensive) fusible interfacing and iron it on to the pattern pieces. They last forever this way and I save bucks by re-using them instead of buying more.
***I’ll buy fabric sometimes because it’s on sale and I love it, or sometimes (more often than I’d like to admit) I’ll find the perfect piece for an exciting project, then never get around to it, so the fabric goes on a shelf or gets used for something else. So, I’ve gotten into the habit of writing down the care instructions on the end of the bolt when I purchase the fabric. Carry a small notepad in your purse, write down the care instructions on the label while your fabric is being cut, then pin it to the top so you’ll have the info handy whenever you get around to using the piece.
***The time I get to spend sewing usually comes at night, after the kids have gone to bed, so I’ve taken to only buying pins with large glass or plastic heads. They’re so much easier to see in dim light, and they’re easier to handle too – so consider trading your standard pins in for some if you have any trouble with arthritis or your eyesight.
***Unfortunately, this is one I learned the hard way – if you’re making a garment out of several different fabrics (say an expensive cashmere coat with a poly/cotton lining), make sure beforehand that all the various fabrics and threads have similar care requirements.
***Always pre-shrink your fabric before cutting out your design. Cut all raw edges with pinking shears or serge the edges before washing to keep the fabric from unraveling.
***I used to keep all the stray or extra buttons I collected in a tin container near the sewing machine. For some reason the tin has become a kid magnet, so instead of dealing with another trail of scattered buttons, I’ve taken the hint from manufacturers and started sewing the extra buttons inside the garment.
***Like most people, I’m not one “standard” size all over, which makes it difficult at times to figure out what size pattern to buy. The rule of thumb is to pick the most “important” measurement for that particular garment and buy the pattern size that most closely conforms. For example, when buying a slacks pattern, the “main” measurement is the hip since that’s the hardest area to alter. You can more easily adjust other attributes like the waist and length. With tops or jackets, the bust measurement is the most important since it’s easier to alter the shoulder and waist areas.
***A great way to eliminate that annoying gap between the waistband and the top of the zipper is to make a habit of buying zippers that are 1” longer than a pattern calls for. Stitch horizontally across the top of both sides of the zipper and clip off the excess before adding the waistband to eliminate unnecessary bulk.
***A really cool trick if you’re making a fancy garment, something nicely tailored, or a jacket or vest where the front might drape open, is to finish the back side of your buttons with a bead. Sew on your buttons as usual, then with the last two to three passes of the thread, stitch a small matching bead on the inside of the garment.
Some of you are already aware that we’ve been working on something big here – well now we’re ready for the big reveal! Sew News magazine took a liking to our exclusive Shape-A-Dart tool that is used to quickly change the cup size of any pattern. It’s Sarah's own patent pending design and we're super excited that they’ve picked it up to talk about in their August issue, due out in mailboxes and newsstands in July. We just couldn’t wait to share this news with you!
In celebration, we’ve decided to give you a secret special. We can’t put the Shape-A-Dart on sale now that it’s going to be announced nationally, so we decided to give them away to our loyal readers (read on for the details)!
We’ve also been working crazy hard on getting our new video line of courses up and out to the public – well we’ve got the first full length one ready to go! Our new “Darts That Fit and Flatter” course is now available in both the standard print version for $14.95, and the full length video version for only $19.95.
http://sewnfit.com/pinnaclecart/index.php?p=product&id=1&parent=1
The classes show you in simple step-by-step fashion how to take any pattern you already own and change it up to make dozens of different designs and we’re having an introductory special of only $29 to get them both. Now, for an extremely limited time (just until the magazine comes out) we're going to give our loyal readers the special introductory deal, PLUS a FREE Shape-A-Dart tool (including FREE shipping)!
http://sewnfit.com/pinnaclecart/index.php?p=product&id=1&parent=1
Grab yours today – this offer is only good until the Sew News article comes out on July 1st.