SIX Reasons for Giving Handmade this Season!

I've always enjoyed giving and receiving handmade gifts. When I think back on my most memorable experiences involving gifts, more often than not, there's a handmade gift involved... either one that someone made for me, or one that I made and gave to someone else. And here's the deal... in case you haven't noticed, D-I-Y gifts are in vogue now! So this year, instead of rushing to the store and buying something just for the sake of having something to give, here's six GREAT reasons to give some handmade gifts this holiday season (whether you make the gifts yourself, or purchase them from a craftsman) ?

1. It's the Trend- Believe it or not, giving handmade gifts is all the rage right now! Blame it on the recession, or the burgeoning youth movement in the sewing industry, people are finding that giving handmade gifts is charming, practical, even sweet. People now realize that you can give quality gifts without really spending a lot. And further, when you factor in the thought and effort that goes into a handmade gift, it's actually more expensive than anything you can buy in a store. Like the commercial says, it's priceless.

2. It Can Be Cost-Effective- It certainly is possible to save money by giving handmade gifts this year, BUT sometimes, if you're not careful, the cost of your raw materials can really add up! You could in fact find out that your handmade gifts cost MORE than a comparable store-bought gift! So be careful!

3. It's Therapeutic- I'm sure I don't have to tell you that working with your hands, especially in art & craft projects is relaxing. As a matter of fact, art projects have long been considered as an effective therapy because it allows you to express your feeling without words. So... you could actually find that the process of making your gifts is a relaxing & calming experience, and who couldn't use a little extra calm in their lives at this busy time of year?

4. It's Different & Unexpected- A really great thing about giving handmade gifts is that it's generally unanticipated by the receiver. This makes the whole experience of giving the gift VERY exciting and fun! I LOVE watching someone open a gift that I've taken the time to make just for them. I can honestly say that NO ONE has ever had a blase reaction to a gift I've made for them, and how cool it THAT?

5. It's Thoughtful- Making homemade gifts is a very personal process, because it's a way of showing the special people in your life that you care. When I take the time to make a gift for someone, I try to keep in mind what's important to them and about them. What colors do they love, what are their favorite pastimes, what is their personal style like? In short, I know right up front that this gift is so perfect for this person, that there is very little possibility that they could ever find anything remotely similar in a store!

6. It Might Just Become a Treasure- I can't recall too many gifts I've received in my life, but I do know that it is near impossible for me to part with anything that someone has taken the time to make just for me. I still have the baby blanket that my grandmother crocheted for me when my daughter was born. It's wrapped in tissue in a very special box in the upstairs bedroom, right next to the box that holds just about every little gift my daughter ever made me, no matter how primitive. I like going up there and looking at these things from time to time. I like to imagine the excitement they must have felt while during the process of creating them for me, and I like remembering how special each gift made me feel!.

In retrospect, I doubt I ever showed the proper amount of gratitude when these gifts were given to me. Sadly, this is often the case. But when I look back now, my heart is filled with gratitude as I recognize the care, and the time, and the love that must have gone into making these extraordinary things. Do I still purchase gifts for family and friends from regular stores? Of course I do! But even though I don't always have the time to make all the gifts I'd like to, I always find it more fulfilling to do so, if possible.

So... how about you? 

I would LOVE to hear about a special handmade gift 
that you either gave to someone, or received yourself. 

Please share your stories in the Comments box below.

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On Learning to Shrug it Off

I stopped in a little convenience store the other day for a soda and I couldn't help but notice that everywhere I looked, there seemed to be a warning signs posted!

• WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE TO ANYONE FOR ANY REASON!
• ALL ORDERS ARE FINAL! ABSOLUTELY NO REFUNDS!
• NO LOITERING!
• RESTROOMS ARE FOR CUSTOMERS ONLY!
• ABSOLUTELY NO SMOKING ON THESE PREMISES
• ALL VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW
• NO SHOES, NO SHIRT, NO SERVICE
• WE DO NOT TOLERATE PROFANITY OF ANY TYPE
• THIS IS A CASH-ONLY BUSINESS
• NO CREDIT OR DEBIT CARDS, FOOD STAMPS OR PERSONAL CHECKS

I went away thinking that this poor little business owner must have had a REALLY long string of REALLY BAD days! Every time someone has done something to upset him, he has made a policy to punish all future customers... FOREVER!

And here's the deal...what business owner can honestly say they haven't been in this guy's shoes? Because let's face it, when someone does you wrong, it IS SO tempting to make a GREAT BIG policy that supposedly will prevent you from ever being done wrong again.

For me, it brings to mind the woman who bought 5 patterns by credit card over the phone. Over three months after the transaction, I was notified by her credit cad company that she was disputing the purchase. So I dug out my receipt and called her and she said that she did in fact remember receiving the patterns and honestly seemed horrified about the dispute. She then explained that while she was ill, her husband assumed the bill-paying duties and that he was the one who initiated the dispute. She promised to send me a check for the patterns... but that was over two years ago, and needless to say, it looks like that check will never come....

Or how about when the time I found out that there was a person actually SELLING one of my FREE patterns out on eBay...

Or the time one of my absolutely favorite sample bags was stolen at a trunk show in Louisiana...

I can certainly attest to how hard it is at times like these to step back, remember the BIG picture, and RESIST that primal, simplistic, angry and reactionary urge to punish EVERYONE for the actions of one dishonest, and thoughtless person.

Because you gotta know that when these bad things happened, my gut reaction was to quit sending out trunk shows, pull all of the free patterns off of my website, and refuse to accept credit card orders over the phone.

Because in the heat of that moment you're angry, and focusing only on that one awful person who did you wrong. Your thinking is clouded and your self-preservation instincts take over. In short, this is an absolutely HORRIBLE time to make a new policy.

So what should you do?

Well, it seems to me that you can really only have two choices:

1) you can become bitter and paranoid like that poor little convenience store owner, or...

2) you can find a way to shrug it off... to let it go, at least for a couple of days until you can cool off, and think clearly and rationally about what happened.

Remind Yourself that;

• Even though one customer did you wrong, there were 5000+ others that did not.

• You're so fortunate to own your own business. Life is good.

• You can't prevent ALL bad things from happening. No matter how many policies you institute, there will always be a despicable person who finds a way to do you wrong.

So learn to shrug.
Resist the urge to punish everyone for one person's mistake.

Your thoughts? Please leave a reply. 

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PPC4- A Soft Foundation

(This post is part of a continuing series focusing on the development of a new handbag pattern from its initial conception to it's release.)

We've gone SOFT... (and Stable that is!)

That's right! We were introduced to a new foundation material (called Soft & Stable) at the Spring Quilt Market this year and decided to give it go with our new pattern, the Baggalista, and I must say, I absolutely could not be more pleased with the results.

It's lightweight and easy to sew on, and that's great, but the thing I love the most about it is the beautiful way that it 'shapes' the bag. Soft & Stable actually helps maintain the bag's shape without being stiff. As a matter of fact, I really like the pleasing spongy feel that it lends to the exterior.

And here's another plus... the bags I've made using Soft & Stable maintain their intended shape, even under stress. No flopping under the weight of bag handles. As a matter of fact, we love the look and feel of Soft & Stable so much, that we're looking for volunteers to make up a few of our older designs in this new material. I would love to see what if any difference Soft & Stable might make but here's the deal... as much as I might like to, I just don't have the time to do it myself.

The DittyRoo

To kick it off, we'd like to begin with our DittyRoo pattern, which I think would be an excellent candidate for Soft & Stable. We'd like to find ONE person who has already successfully made up our DittyRoo and would be willing to make it up again with Soft & Stable. We likely would need to change the instructions and/or pattern pieces just a bit, because we really do not recommend a one-to-one substitution for the fleece (at least for our patterns) and would of course supply these modifications along with an ample amount of Soft & Stable to complete the project.

Interested in helping us out?  Here's what would need to be done...
1) Make up the DittyRoo again, in your choice of fabrics using our modified instructions and Soft & Stable as the foundation material.
2) Send your finished DittyRoo to us so that we can photograph and document the difference it makes in the overall function and look of the bag. (It will be returned to you within a week of our receiving it.)
3) We'll use the pictures in a future blogpost and/or an upcoming newsletter and you will be acknowledged as the tester. 

Still interested? Here's what to do...
SEND US AN EMAIL- including the following
1) Name
2) Address
3) Phone Number
4) # of years you have been sewing
5) PLUS attach at least one picture of a DittyRoo bag you have made. (This is of particular importance. Right now we are only interested in volunteers who have previous experience with this particular pattern.)

PLEASE DO NOT leave this information in the comment box below- that would be dangerous. We will only consider applicants who send their info to us via email to the following address: info@studiokatdesigns.com

And remember, even though we only need one individual to help us out on this project, our plan is to do the same thing with several of our other patterns as well, if this proves to be successful, so stay tuned to this blog.

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and stay tuned for our next post in this series, where we'll unveil the results of this test!

THE Case for Shipping

You might remember a post last Spring where we showed you a brand new case we bought especially for packaging and mailing our irreplaceable bag samples to and from Market.

Well, we loved it SO much, that the minute we got home, we bought another one for mailing some of our heavier and harder-to-pack supplies.

But we knew that we still needed to shop around and locate a more suitable way to ship the bases for our bag stands.

Why is that such a big deal?

I really love the bag stands we are using right now... (they're actually called wreath stands), because the bases can be completely separated from the poles.

But, even though this partly simplifies the mailing procedure because now the poles can be packed separately in a long, thin, cardboard box, that still leaves those heavy bases, which are VERY difficult to pack due to their shape. Even though I fortify a box as best as I can, I'm always afraid the bottom will fail somewhere on the way to the Market, which would leave me "up a creek" with no paddle, (or at least without any bag stands!)

So this year, I found the perfect plastic case for these bases at CasesAndMore.Com 

And get this- The case came filled with these little cubed pieces of foam which worked absolutely PERFECTLY as padded separators between the bases.

And I easily got TWENTY bases into this box!

This box has a briefcase-like handle, as opposed to the latches that are on the big cases, but since I'm really not sure that this handle was designed to support this much weight, so I'm going to seal the box closed for extra safety, and tape the handle to the box (so it cannot be used) for good measure.

So here's my booth, all packed up and ready to be taped shut and addressed, and even though this will be our eighth Market, it's really the very first time that I have felt totally secure about my packaging, and what shape my stuff will be in when we get there!

So, it's off to UPS they go...
next stop,  
Houston, Texas.

Is anyone out there planning on attending the Quilt Market? If so, please stop by Booth #201 to say hello!

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PPC4- With Flying Colors

So right about the time I was wrapping up work on the Baggalista, I got this email from Clothworks Textiles asking me if I was interested in making up a bag in some of their new fabric for display at the Fall Quilt Market. They were willing to give me my free choice amongst their winter catalog... so of course my answer was...

YES! 


My only problem?

I knew that with the time constraints that I could really only commit to making one bag, and the fabrics were all so beautiful that I had trouble making my choice. (Too much choice is ALWAYS my nemesis!) 

But I fell in love with this wonderful and whimsical block print that was just the right size for the Baggalista flap.
I paired with an absolutely stunning turquoise lining and a multi-colored dotted fabric for the balance of the exterior. 


It was only when the fabric arrived in the mail that I learned that it was a Laurel Burch design for Clothworks.

I shouldn't have been surprised, because I am a HUGE fan of Laurel Burch's designs. I first fell in love with her magical cat fabrics years ago and have featured several of her designs in some of my earlier sample bags.


Here's the details for these fabulous  fabrics, all by Laurel Burch for Clothworks Textiles.

Front & Back detail: Flying Colors II
Purse Exterior: Basic Color Dots
Lining: Basic Triangle Blue

These incredible fabrics, along with the rest of the Laurel's collection, will be making their debut at the Fall Quilt Market in just a couple of weeks.

So if you like what you see, you might make mention of them to the independant fabric store near you. From what I understand, they'll be available for shipment sometime this winter.

 I think these fabrics made our Baggalista look GREAT, don't you?

So...what fabric designer is an inspiration for YOUR creativity?

Please feel free to share in the comments box below.

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MORE Purrfect Handbag Notions

Most of you know that in early September we launched our brand new line of notions especially for handbags.

In mid-August we released our black & white striped zippers (in SIX different sizes), and our unique sew-in magnets hit the market in early September. Your response has been nothing short of amazing and we are so pleased!

So now... in direct response to your requests, we're very pleased to tell you that we are already EXPANDING our notions line to include some very good-looking metals!

You've told us that you love the look of the rectangle rings we generally feature in our handbag samples, so we've packaged them in a convenient set of four. You can choose your favorite finish, brass or nickel.

And if you like an adjustable strap on your handbag, then you'll appreciate the beautiful metal buckle we're featuring in our Buckle & Link Combo set, which you can also get in either brass or nickel.

All of these items are packaged with bar-coded StudioKat Designs hangtags, so if your local fabric store doesn't carry purse hardware, we'd love it if you let them know about our new line.

When I'm sewing, I usually select my finish based on the particular fabric I'm using at the time, but I've noticed that I tend to use more brass than nickel rings. So here's what I'm wondering now...
Which metal finish do YOU favor when you're sewing?
Nickel or Brass?

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and as always, we LOVE hearing your comments and thoughts,
which we invite you share in the comments box below!

Shelving 101

So, in our last Quilt Market post, I made mention of my new shelving units that I'll be taking to the Fall market, and HERE THEY ARE! 

Here's one how one of our 4ft sections of shelf looks when assembled.

Now before you say anything, I know these shelves may not look like much, but I LOVE 'em! And after I  give you a little background information, maybe you'll see why.

Dad cut a notch about 8 inches long into each piece of support wood.

We used standard sized pegboard for the shelves themselves.

Since we live in NC, we travel a LONG way to display at the Fall and the Spring Markets. With the exception of Pittsburgh, we have had to fly to Market and ship most if not all of our supplies. In the past, we've brought our own semi-collapsible metal shelves, but they caused all sorts of problem with packing and for all the trouble, they were only 6 inches tall, so it was necessary to further elevate our sample bags by placing them on boxes, on top of the shelves!

Two 2-ft shelving sections are aligned & connected by this piece of wood,
which will be attached from underneath with screws.

Then, we tried renting shelving from at Market, and they were great to use but VERY expensive. Can you believe that we have to pay over $140 per Market to rent shelves? (Yeah, that's a LOT of money for shelves so ugly they have to be completely covered up! 

So when we got home from Salt Lake City in May, I asked my Dad if he thought he could fabricate some shelves for me that could be totally broken down for easy shipping, and this is what he came up with.

And here they are, all broken down and ready to pack for Market.

Each 4ft shelf is comprised of two-2ft lengths of pegboard which are easily connected & supported by a piece of wood (~2 ft long) which is screwed into place.

Once they're all assembled, we've got four- 4ft sections of shelving, which easily spans our 2 display tables, and we'll cover them with extra purple fabric that matches our tables.

And here's the BEST part! The total cost of these shelves is only $22.12, and we can use them over and over wherever we travel!

So not only are these shelves easy to use and easy to ship, but they're also WAY EASY on the pocketbook!

So what do you think?
Did Dad hit a homerun with this project or what?

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October 2011 Handbag of the Month Contest

By now, you know the drill. It's time for another 'Handbag of the Month Contest'! But first join me in congratulating Helaine Eckstein of Bradenton, FL, the winner of our September contest. She wins a $20 virtual gift certificate and her winning Carolina CarryAll will  have a permanent place of honor on our website.

We've got an especially impressive group of bags to choose from this month, SIX of which are Quattros. That's pretty unusual! And remember, if you'd like more info about any particular entry, check out our newsletter (available HERE on  10/7) So... without further ado, here they are, in reverse order from the way they are displayed in the voting center. When you've made up your mind, click this link, or use the link at the bottom of this post, to be taken to our official voting page!

 

Here's Darlene's over-inspired Sidekick

 Sonya's plum quilt Quattro

Sherlyn's paper-pieced Quattro

 Marilyn's nautical Quattro

 Gertrude's handy Encore Purse Insert

 Deb's Fall-themed Quattro

 Jackie's delightful Quattro

 Karen's classic Quattro

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So there you have it... 
Are you ready to cast a vote for your favorite?

Click here to vote.

Do you enjoy our monthly handbag contests? Please pass this post on to others at Facebook, Twitter  or StumbleUpon, & feel free to leave a little applause for these ladies in the comments section below! I'm sure it would really make their day!

Floor Planning- 2011

If you've been following this Blog for any length of time, you know that I always set up & diagram my booth (as accurately as is possible) in my studio, prior to packing everything up for Market. But here's the deal, I'm CONSTANTLY tweaking my booth arrangement. When I walk the floor at Market, it's with a purpose. I always take note of the things I like about other booth setups and also the things I do NOT like for future reference.

Here's how our booth was set up in Salt Lake City in May'11

One thing that was painfully obvious to me in Salt Lake City last spring, was that we were starting to outgrow our booth setup. Of course I will resist the idea of going to a double booth as long as possible, because of the additional expense and equipment this would entail, but in my heart, I know the expansion is probably inevitable. In the meantime though, I'll keep modifying our furniture configuration to get  as much useful space as possible out of our square footage.

In Salt Lake City(on the right), I pulled both 8 ft tables out to the aisles, and stacked my boxes in the corner between them, in effect adding 2 linear feet to my display.  I enjoyed the extra space, BUT, I've grown increasingly dissatisfied with the stationing of our work table in the entrance to our booth. It seems like an ineffective use of the space, PLUS, I've come to the conclusion that it "blocks" a clear view into our booth, so I spent most of my spare time in SLC planning how I would change the arrangement in Houston, and here's what I came up with, below.

This is our floorplan for our display in Houston next month.

For Houston, I've gotten rid of the center work table, placing a 4 foot table perpendicular to each of my display tables. Our product displays can now carry over out onto these tables, PLUS, passersbys can now have an unimpeded view into our booth. The foot traffic pattern is still good. No one should feel 'trapped' because there's actually more room to move under this arrangement than our old one above and I probably won't keep that stool in our booth  unless things get really slow (which will help).

Here's the new table 'footprint' outlined on my studio floor. Of course this configuration is a little too big to fit into my studio space. So as you can see in this picture, the 4ft table on the right had to be scooted forward for my simulation, but that's OK, it's close enough for my purposes here.

Now, when I add the brand new shelves that my Dad made for me (more about these later), I can get a really good idea of how to arrange my sample bags so that they look their best, and be seen easily from many angles. And here's how my display will basically look when they ring that opening bell in Houston next month.

Just so you know, I was standing on a ladder in the corner of the roon in order to get this shot, and I STILL couldn't get them all in the picture, but that's OK, I drew a very detailed diagram, so that I can reconstruct this arrangement quickly when we get there.

You might notice that it doesn't look like I utilized much space out on the 4 ft tables, but I needed to leave room to conduct sales and also for my brand new notions display (more about this later as well).

All in all, I'm pleased with how this looks and so it seems, is my assistant. I have every reason to think this will work well for us, but one thing is for sure... we've just about maxxed out our single booth floorplan, and pretty much any expansion that needs to be made now, will probably involve going to a larger size booth.

So, what do YOU think about this new configuration? Any thoughts? If so, please feel free to reply below.