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.

        

Many sewing businesses are local in nature, serving a specific geographic area.  Most owners of these smaller-scale businesses never think of having their own websites, but here are a few of the many reasons a website could help your business.

Reason #1:
It sets your business apart.

You probably already know one or two (or even more) sewing businesses in your area, right?  All of them, even those based out of their homes, are competing for the same customers.

A website is a great way to set yourself apart from the local competition, and if you have a sign in the front of your store or home, all you need to do is add your website address to start getting traffic.

But what can you do with a website, right?  You can:

• Sell your products or take orders.
• Let people know about you and your business.
• Answer frequently asked questions.
• Explain how to care for your products.
• Offer promotions and discounts.
• Conduct seasonal events, contests, and promotions.
• Display seasonal products and inventory.

The list is endless, but the main thing is having a convenient way to find out more about your business.  Most people start their searches for products online.  It's important to take advantage of that fact.

Reason #2:
It positions you as the area expert.

Perception is reality, and in small areas especially, a web presence can be a very distinguishing factor between you and the competition.  The business that seems most successful will often be the business that acquires the most customers.

Reason #3:
It's relatively inexpensive.

Online marketing can be the most cost-effective means of getting the word out about your business.  In comparison to things like yellow page ads and local radio and television commercials, a website can be very inexpensive.

Reason #4:
It's a great networking tool.

When you put your local business online, other area businesses will notice, and that's a perfect way to start building your local network.  A big portion of your business can come from incoming referrals, and you can get the added benefit of joint marketing efforts.

Reason #5:
It can reduce mailing costs.

Do you send expensive promotional pieces by mail?  If so, your website can serve as a place to post new promotions and discounts.  You could also start an email newsletter to automatically update customers of new specials.

The possibilities for your new website are only limited by your imagination.  The most important thing is to establish an online web presence and start taking advantage of this 24/7 medium!

This guest post was written by Amber Riviere, a web designer with BrownBugProject.com.  You can follow her work through her blog and through her newsletter, Inside Brown's Brain.

        

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:

• Full time eBay sellers who want to grow their business
• Part time eBay sellers who would like to go full time
• Small businesses or individuals that have not sold on eBay
• Current or former members of the US Armed Forces

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."

The second issue includes some excellent illustrated tutorials for beginning, intermediate and advanced level sewers (or seamsters), such as how to do a blanket stitch, box stitch reinforcement, edge stitching and knife pleats.  In addition, this issue includes an article about pilates for sewers, a fascinating look at sewing themed tattoos, and an undercover expose on a fur costume convention.

Check out the current issue for free online at ModernSeamster.com, but be forewarned - in addition to an irreverant attitude, the magazine also comes with some unnecessary foul language, copious amounts of alcohol, and some gratuitous nudity (really, I'm not kidding).

Although it will be a terrible shame to see Sew Simple cease publication if the rumors are true, I must applaud the publishers of Modern Seamster for having  the guts, and the obvious love for sewing, that it takes to startup a magazine in this kind of business climate!

        

If you're wanting to open a business or have come up with an idea for a new product, one of the most important things you have to think about is what to name the business or product.

The first thing that comes to mind in naming a business or product may be a "cutsy" name, like "The Sewing Monkey", or "Busy Beaver Alterations".  While the names may be cute, they are also ones that customers will NOT remember when trying to find you in the telephone book.  For a business, many times if you'll work your own name into the title, like "Alice's Alterations" or "Cathy's Crafts", the customers won't have a problem remembering you, and it will be much easier to get a business license, if needed in your state, as well as shorter names cost less when placing advertisements in newspapers.

Product names should tell the customer exactly what it is to be used for.  When we invented the "Shape-A-Dart" tool, we'd considered calling it a "dart shaper", a "dart re-align tool", a "bust dart shaper" and a few other names.  And, as we always recommend to people, we mulled over the names for a week or so, brought it up in conversations with friends and family members to see which one really "felt" best to us and what we figured would best tell what the tool was for.  We ended up with Shape-A-Dart because that's exactly what the tool is used for --- shaping the dart on the commercial pattern to the correct cup size.

Keep in mind, whether working on naming a new business or naming a new product,  if you choose a name that has a "different" spelling, is hard to pronounce, or is very similar to a product/business name of a competitor, you may run into more difficulty than you're wanting.    Keep it simple, keep it straight forward and above all, don't try to come up with "the most oddball name of the year" because you will be making the biggest mistake of the year for yourself.

        

We have talked many times about reuse, redo and recycle, and I'm beginning to believe an entire craft show product line can be made out of recycled items.  Our customer waiting area has more "recycle" items for sale than "new fabric" items, and our customers are loving it!

The purse from placemats, were originally intended to be made from Dollar Store placemats, which is a great idea for an inexpensive, fairly cheap purse; however I'm quite sure you can find dozens of placemats for next to nothing price at yard sales or at Good Will stores, which would give you a greater profit than buying the placemats.

A great tutorial on making the pleated purse from placemats comes from Dollar Store Crafts, and it looks so nice as well as easy to make.  Looks like I'm adding something else to my "to do" list!



Then we have the Sleep Over Sac that comes from The Home Ec Teachers Daughter, and it looks like it would be perfect for those summer camp outs and sleep overs that your kids may be doing thoughout the summer.  This is a great tutorial.


While you're working on purses and bags, don't forget our own tutorial on making purses out of old jeans!  This could be a summer project for the kids while they're home from school!  One of my granddaughters and her friend decided to do just what I mentioned a few summers ago.  They made themselves decorative purses out of recycled items --- carried them around everywhere, and before the summer ended they'd made over 50 similar purses for their friends, and their friends' friends.  How about that!!  Way to go Lindsey!!



Whether you're gearing up for the fall craft shows, adding new items to your customer waiting areas or just making bags and purses for yourself and your family, be sure to check out links we've given you.

        

A few days ago I read in our newspaper where there is a push to charge customers for bags at the grocery stores and regular shopping places like Wal Mart, etc.  Apparently the plastic bags are not only filling the landfills, but floating everywhere in the world, getting caught in the fences around the land fill areas, catching in the trees, along roadsides, and so on.  (Look around in your own area and see how many of those plastic bags you see lying around where they shouldn't be).   Then the paper bags are reportedly using up our "tree" resources, and are not being recycled either.

Well, I'm here to tell you that groceries and anything else you buy costs more than what I usually have to spend, therefore I'm NOT about to shell out any more dollars, or even quarters, to BUY the plastic or paper bags to put my groceries in!

At PatternsThatFitYou.com we have a free tutorial on making a scrap tote bag.  This bag could be used to carry your groceries (make up several and use up some of your scrap stash at the same time) - and nobody will be charging you to use it!


You'll probably have several of your friends and customers also asking you to make some for them.

At cyatutorials blogspot, I found another type of simple grocery tote bag and a great tutorial for how to make it.  This will give you a second style of tote bag - and it has directions for long handles for over the shoulder or short handles so you can just carry it like you do the regular plastic bags.



I see a lot of people using their own grocery tote bags now, and they haven't even started charging for the plastic or paper bags.  You could get ahead of the game by offering your customers these handy grocery totes now.

        

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.

Business started really picking up after that so Smith brought in her first employee, childhood friend Michelle Luciano.  The duo expect that bag sales alone this year will be at least $300,000.

Their company creates unique handbags, many with antique equestrian and dog images, but they also create accessories like belts and dog collars, and home decor items like pillows and napkins.  Since Luciano came on board, the business has opened its own store, and increased the number of boutiques that stock their designs from 35 to 50.

The gorgeous handbag designs are customized with vintage trims, recycled pins, and are available in all sorts of colors and fabrics.  As the business has grown, it has also evolved from using patterns made from grocery bags to acrylic pattern pieces, and instead of the one seamstress Smith originally used, the company relies on the talents of about a dozen Amish artisans who use treadle machines and hand stitching to create the bags.

Read more about how Rebecca Ray Designs has grown in the Cleveland Ohio Business News, or visit their website at http://rebeccaraydesigns.com.

        

***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 1^st.