On Remembering

I was reminded recently about a project I saw an acquaintance take part in. She was asked to make a list of all the people over the course of her life that had had an affect on her, all the folks with whom she had made a connection. I'm not really sure why she was assigned this project, but I remember thinking that it was such a cool idea... to take the time to remember the folks who in one way or another had had some influence over the person she was now.

And then I thought....
            Hey- Why Not Now?
                            Since this is a traditionally nostalgic time of year, it seems the perfect time to write down the names of all the people who have made a difference in my life - from memory... without using a yearbook... or an address book... and no checking Facebook... or my contact lists...
just from my memory.
I'm going to include- childhood friends, most of whom I haven't seen in... well, for a LONG time,
             and teachers...
             and old crushes...
             and college cronies...
             and co-workers...

college in the seventies! 

I did my list chronologically, starting from as far back as I can remember, all the way up to the present. And all I can say, now that I'm done, is WOW, what a trip! And you know what? This exercise was a great way to end the year and it was a gas thinking about these folks, most of whom haven't crossed my mind for years, or even decades. I know some of them are dead now, and some very well might be. Some have changed their names, once, twice or maybe more than that....
(I just typed the name I last remembered it being.)

And to those who find their names listed here: I just want you to know that I remembered you today, and it made me smile. In some instances I thought of something that made me laugh out loud. OK, that felt a little weird, but either way, if someday you just happen upon this list while googling your name or something, please know that I remembered you right off the top of my head, with no prompting, because you permanently affected me... and even though we may not have spoken to each other in a long, long, time, it felt good thinking about you. And, if by chance you'd like to get in touch with me, I'd really like that. You can contact me here. 

Cathy Strohm-
Jill Scalpino-
Sharon Rose-
Valeri Barzetti-
Susan Ford-
Joy Finger-
Chris Wagner-
David Taylor-
Brenda & Hank Pickert-
Dagmar Leuze Budd-
Lynn Kellogg-
Mrs. Schnabel-
Beth Mullaney-
Mr. Forster-
Mr. Golob-
Milton & Harold Redlich-
Mrs. Brawley-
Bruce Toher-
Karen Smith Plecity Hanley-
Ron Wood-
Marie Self-
Brenda Wilson-
Barbara Wilson-
George Couch-
Carole Herge-
Kathy Dobbins-
Sylvia Barkley-
Hope Hopkins-
Steve Freeman-
Banks Smith-
Becky Thompson Flowers-
Pam Wilson-
Joyce Lipton-
Susan Lawson Budd-
Julia Lee Hanna Payne-
Mackie Sinclair Price-
Bowen (Snapper) Wakefield-
Betty Sumner-
Clinton & Rachel Hemmings-
Mary Bumgarner-
CD Malone-
Mr Lumley-
Ernie Tompkins-
Philemon Samuels-
Jean Howerton-
Solomon Hanna-
Jane Tesh-
Arthur Murphy-
Larry & Connie Adsit-
Crystal Couch-
Diane Godfrey-
Lee Byerly-
Vinnie Vasser-
Leila Ivey-
Carol Hamilton-
Arlene Roman-
Martie Groom-
Kathryn Maxwell-
Beth Lineberry-
Yvonne Swann Holbrook
Ed & Mary Ellen Jennings
John & Vicky Pruitt-          
                      

The 2011 Highlight Reel

It's that time of year.

Time to check out which this year's posts our readers responded to the most.

And there's really two ways to evaluate the response to a blogpost:
one of which is the number of page views
and the other is by the number of comments.

So... up first, 

our FIVE most viewed Blogposts from 2011

1) On Competition, published on 8/20/11, currently with over 7100 pageviews

For some reason, I've been getting a lot of questions about competition lately. "Are you worried that "Designer X's" new product will compete too directly with yours? Why would you want to collaborate with "Designer Z"? She's your competition? Questions like this catch me off guard every time. Maybe I'm naive, but I don't tend to view competition as a bad thing, or as something to be feared. Actually, here's FIVE really good things about competition: 
click HERE to read more 

2) The Wrist-a-Kat, a FREE Pattern Giveaway- published 7/30/11, with over 2000 pageviews 

You probably don't know this, but in just a few short weeks, we'll be celebrating the start of our 8th year in business as an independent pattern designer, due in large part to the fact that we have without doubt, the best and most loyal customers in the world. So... to thank you for your support, we have prepared a very special free pattern giveaway for you.
Click here to read more

3) FREE Stuff- published 6/3/11
with over 1990 page views

FREE... It's a powerful word.

Everybody loves to get something for FREE, don't they? And I'm no exception. But let's face it, not all the free stuff you run across on the web is good.

One of the best things we ever did was to put a few free patterns on our website.

Click here to read more.

 

4) The Problem with Joann's- published 3/13/11 

with over 1850 pageviews.

I don't know what the JoAnn's fabric & Craft store near you is like, but the one in Winston-Salem, NC is a total dump. It's filthy, poorly stocked, and the customer service is horrendous. This week I added two more bad JoAnn's experiences to the huge list I already had, and I think I just reached my limit.  Click here to read more.

5) PPC3- Fraternal Twins- published on 3/10/11 with over 1600 pageviews

The bags below are fraternal twins. They are NOT identical! Can you see the differences? They're subtle... maybe a little easy to overlook at first... But they definitely have the same roots, in this case... lineage and fabrication.
Click here to read more 


Next, our five most commented upon Blogposts                     (that didn't involve giveaways of some type)

1) The Problem with Joann's, published 3/13/11, with 81 comments so far

This blog obviously touched a raw nerve with our readers, and since the overwhelming tone of the comments was negative, I'd say the good folks over at Joann's corporate headquarters better get their heads out of the sand and start listening to the complaints!


2) PPC4- Kaleida-FUN,  
published 7/27/11, with 34 comments so far

So in our last post, we revealed the first working prototype of our new design , and even though we were pretty happy with it, there were quite a few items that needed redesigning & tweaking, most notably in the Flap and Zipper Panel area.
click here to read more

3) What's On My Heart,
published 8/12/11, with 33 comments so far

I was having a great day yesterday. I was working away in my little studio listening to satellite music, insulated and isolated from the outside world. Business was brisk, orders were coming in. I had visited my printer earlier in the day and picked up the new tags for my sew-in magnets, our very first product we're introducing in our own line of sewing notions! It's kind of a big thing to us. A little risky, yes, but a risk we think is worth taking. 
click here to read more

4) Inspiration on Paper-
published7/9/11, with 32 comments so far

So in our last post in this series, we explained that the inspiration for our new design was a spectacular trip we're taking to the Canadian Rockies in August. And pictured below, are our original sketches for our 'dream travel bag' to take with us.
click here to read more

5) PPC3- Mad About Mondo- 
  published 2/24/11 with 27 comments so far

Every once in a while I find fabric that resonates with me on a deep level... The very second i see it,  I can instantly envision on a pattern cover... Nicely framed with absolutely perfect accompanying fabrics...
click here to read more




So there you have it.
Our Blog highlights for the year 2011. Did you find YOUR favorite here?
If you've been with us for a while, maybe you remember some or all of the posts listed above, or maybe you're relatively new to us and were reading these for the first time? Either way, we appreciate ALL of our readers and we hope  you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane.


Thanks so much for supporting our Blog. We're looking forward to a really BIG 2012! There's some big changes in the works and we can hardly wait to start telling you about them, but in the meantime...

Have a safe and fun holiday week!

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Any thoughts or comments? 

 Please feel free to share them below.

Merry Christmas from StudioKat Designs

Merry Christmas from StudioKat Designs!

We can't send a card to each and every one of you, 

but here's the next best thing!

Thanks for your support over the past year and we hope each and every one of you all have a joyful and safe holiday!

Goals for 2012

(This post is part of a continuing series focusing on home-based business startups.)

In our last post in this series, we discussed some of our successes from 2011, as well as some of the things that didn't quite go as well as planned. And so now, with our assessment done, where do we go from here? Here's a sneak peek at what working on for 2012.

1) MORE Purrfect Handbag Notions- We've had a blast getting our new notions line going and you've had some good suggestions for how we should proceed. Stay tuned for our next new notions product AND we're also working on introducing another fun, exciting and "neutral" zipper tape!

2) Twisting an Old Favorite- Our first pattern release of the new year will be a twist on an old favorite. That's the only hint I'm giving you (until we start the Purse Pattern Chronicles series in January) because I want you to be totally blown away when you see it!  Bwah-ha-ha!

3) Advertising Modifications-  One of our goals for 2011 was to cut our advertising budget by at least 25% in favor of a more vibrant online advertising presence. I've spent the better portion of this year whittling down my advertising contracts to just a few strategic magazines, the result being that our print advertising budget for 2012 will actually be a whopping 50% lower than it was in 2010! While we will always maintain a print marketing presence, I'm still searching for more online opportunities, such as newsletters, blogs, forums and websites.
Got any good suggestions? I've found a few, but I'm up for including a few others in our marketing plan for 2012, so I would welcome your feedback!


4) Fun with QR Codes-  And finally, I'm excited about the prospect of incorporating QR codes into our promotional materials and in particular our advertising, especially when I think about how QR Codes will assist in the marketing of our upcoming new pattern, (oops... another clue).
What's a QR code?

Scan this QR code with your smart
phone to get a GREAT discount offer!

QR is short for Quick Response (they can be read quickly by a cell phone). You may soon see QR Codes in magazine advertisements, on business cards or on web pages. Once it's in your cell phone, it can give you details about that business or show you a URL which you can click to see a video demonstration of a product, or it may give you a coupon which you can use while shopping.  The other key feature of QR Codes is that instead of requiring a clunky hand-held scanner to read them, many modern cell phones can do this for you.

How does the cell phone read the code?
The cell phone needs a QR code reader, like this one from Beetagg.com. It takes literally 1 minute for someone with an iPhone or Android phone to install the reader and voila, you're in business.
So go ahead! Get the app then try it out on this QR code to the right to get a special discount offer from StudioKat Designs (our last and BEST discount offer of 2011).

Next year at this time, we'll once again analyze how well we met these objectives and share our findings with you here.
(And for those of you without a smartphone- just use the code QRSKD to get $5.00 off your order of $25.00 or more.)

But in the meantime, if you have any thoughts, comments or suggestions, I'd love for you to leave them in the space below!

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And per usual, if you've enjoyed this post, we invite you to pass it on to others in any way you see fit.

2011 - What Worked & What Didn't

(This post is part of a continuing series focusing on home-based businesses.)

So as 2011 draws to a close, it's customary for us to do a long, hard assessment of what we did right over the course of the year, as well at what didn't work out quite as good as we had hoped. Here's how it went this year.

First- the Good Stuff

1) Early in the year we bought a tiny portable video camera in order to film video tutorials, interviews and the like for the website and for our Blog. We've had a LOT of fun using it and learning how to use our video-editing software (we use Corel). Our most viewed how-to video to date has been our Bias Tape video, the fan favorite, the Anger Management video, but here's the deal, our videos of my grandson are consistently the most sought after, like this one. Go figure!   :)

2) Over the summer we invested in a very small & lightweight computer. I have a wireless network in the house and I love the option of blogging on the back porch if the weather is good, or answering emails at the breakfast table over a 2nd cup of tea on occasion, but my heavy laptop was NOT conducive to these activities. It's heavy, hot, and has a crummy battery life. (It's also a pain-in-the-neck to take thru airport security.) I toyed with the idea of a Ipad but decided instead on little Dell computer in order to have a real keyboard. Slightly larger than a Netbook, it's perfect for my needs. The battery life is great and it's SO easy & convenient to carry & use pretty much anywhere I want to, AND getting thru the airport is SO easy now, that I just leave the big, clunky laptop at home!

3) Probably the biggest & riskiest thing we did this year was to launch our new notions line, Purrfect Handbag Notions. Folks had been urging us to do this for quite some time & since there's an undeniable need for beautiful yet affordable handbag notions in today's market, it just felt like the right time for us. The first product in our new line was our innovative invisible sew-in magnetic snaps. The reaction was immediate, a little surprising and almost overwhelming, so we followed up that release with some beautiful metal hardware. We're marketing the snaps and metals online, directly to retail stores and also thru distribution channels like Checker and United Notions. BUT- we're deliberately NOT using distributors to market our signature black & white (Mondocized) zippers. The reason? Well first off- it's not cheap to get them made and since we love them so much we want everyone to be able to afford them, we're self-distributing them so that we don't have to pass that extra layer of cost on to you! We've gotten some criticism for this, but we're comfortable with our decision.

4) 2011 saw the release of two new bag patterns increasing our pattern line to twenty-five! Who would have thought? We released the Quattro  in March and the Baggalista in September, both of which are selling well.

5) In May, we published our very first eBook, RockStar Peacework. This project was VERY enjoyable because most of the samples I constructed to demonstrate the techniques in the book were NOT handbags, and that was fun for a change. I also liked learning how to use the Adobe software to make the dynamic pdf's. But here's the BIG BUT- while the sales of this eBook covered our expenses, and I was immensely proud of the final result, it wasn't exactly what I would call a profitable undertaking. So, the reason our eBook is mentioned last is because it's ALSO item #1 on the list below...

And now, the Disappointing Stuff

1) RockStar Peacework, while a critical success, was just lukewarm at the box office. Sure, it was disheartening, but I still think it was time well spent because the process was a nice respite from our usual routine and we learned a WHOLE LOT! Will we be doing another eBook? Probably... not soon... but yes, I'm sure we will do another at some point!   :)

2) I bit the bullet in Salt Lake City at the Spring Quilt Market and tried our hand at teaching a SchoolHouse event. School house sessions are conducted the day before Market opens. They're 30-minute sessions designed to be informative or educational for the retailers that attend, and there's probably about 20-30 sessions going on at the same time, so retailers can choose the topic they want to listen to. The hard part is that there is only FIVE minutes between sessions and the retailers have only that much time to move to the next session. That also means that there's only five minutes for the speakers to get their stuff set up and begin their class. This just adds to the stress, believe me! Here's how it went-
Strike one- public speaking is NOT my forte,so I guess you could say that was my strike one.
I was BEYOND nervous! (It felt like I was back in grade school doing a book report!)
Strike two- I had prepared a PowerPoint presentation to show on that old cumbersome computer of mine (reference above). It worked OK at home, but since I had only 5 minutes to set it up, I was all thumbs, and somehow (don't ask me how), my computer self-booted itself and took what seemed like 18 minutes to come back up. It was only about 4 minutes or so, but by then I was pretty much a TOTAL wreck. I'm not a quitter, so I did the program as best as I could have from there, but it wasn't pretty. For some reason, the projector I rented displayed the colors in my presentation all wrong. The red's were green, and the yellows didn't show up at all. ARGHHHH!  The absolutely best part of doing this was when it was OVER!

Yeah, it was discouraging but I promised myself I'd learn from the errors and miscues and do better another time.And lucky for me, Checker Distributors asked me if I wanted to do a schoolhouse under their umbrella for the Fall Market. Needless to say, I ditched the PowerPoint presentation in favor of story boards which solved the set up issues and it went MUCH smoother. (so I avoided strike three)        :)

So...there you have it. 

 The good, the not so good and the just plain ugly from 2011. 

Got any comments, or suggestions for improvement? 

As usual, I'd love to hear your comments and feedback!

What do YOU think we did well?
and how do YOU think we could improve?

(remember........say it nice!)

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 And stay tuned for our next post in this series 

when we'll detail a few of our goals and strategies for 2012.

Bank of America- WAKE UP!

Can we talk about banks today?.... Something infuriating happened this week and I just feel like I need to get this off my chest!

Let's face it, the reputation of banking as a profession is probably at an all-time low right now, and rightly so! 

The banks used to call it a robbery when bad guys came in and took their money, so what should we call it now that the tables have been reversed and it's the banks that are taking OUR money?

I don't know about you, but I've had it up to my ears with banks. Move over lawyers, bankers are about to usurp your long-standing title of the least respected profession.

They used our money for bailouts when the banks collapsed the industry with predatory lending. The result was that it's harder than ever to borrow money and record profits lie ahead for some banks. Too much is never enough when you're feeding sharks. And right now, the biggest and slimiest shark in the pond seems to be Bank of America, which I am most sorry to say, is where I do my banking, but not by choice.

When my husband & I first got married 35 years ago, we did our banking at North Carolina National Bank (NCNB). It was an enjoyable experience. They were a relatively small regional bank with personable service and we literally had no complaints. But they were gobbled up first by NationsBank (which I didn't enjoy working with) and then ultimately by Bank of America in 1998 (which I detest).

In retrospect, we should have cut our losses and pulled out of Bank of America a long time ago, but here's the deal... there never is a good time to do that, is there? Automatic deposits and transfers can make that process very scary & complicated, and once we started the business in 2004 and opened up a separate Corporate account, the complications became seemingly insurmountable, what with credit card transactions, PayPal payments, internet income, automatic tax payments, payroll issues, etc. etc. In short, we feel trapped. We're stuck with them, or are we?

Something happened this week that made me so mad that I just might be ready to bite the bullet and tell Bank of America to take their bank and SHOVE it!

As you've probably read, Bank of America has led the way in adding new fees & charges of late (which may partially explain why they are the 9th most hated company in the US). And their recent decision to begin charging a $5 monthly debit card fee has been well publicized.

As a longtime debit-card user this disgusted me, but I quit using my debit cards cold turkey, both for our personal & corporate accounts. So no one was more surprised than me when I opened my corporate statement this month, and noticed a $14 service charge. I could see no apparent reason for the charge, so I called the local branch and this is what I was told...

To avoid a monthly service charge, I must satisfy one of the following: 
a) maintain an average daily balance of  at least $3000, or....

b) use my debit card at least once per month.

Now wait a minute.........
I couldn't believe my ears. 

"So let me get this straight",  I asked him, "You want to charge me $5/month for using my personal debit card, but on the other hand, you are going to charge me $14/month for NOT using my corporate debit card????."

Am I the only one who finds 

this totally sneaky & completely underhanded?

When I posed this question to the branch manager he seemed to be at a loss for words. I'm glad I don't have to make my living defending an idiotic policy like this. In his defense, he refunded the charge, but once again, Bank of America came off looking like charlatans!

I read recently that Bank of America is trying to change their public image with a new advertising campaign, to which I would have to say,

"Get your heads out of that corporate cloud!"

It's going to take a lot more than a stupid ad campaign 
to change MY opinion of Bank of America!

But what about YOU?
What do YOU think the banks should do to make amends for the mess they have made?
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On Stockpiling

Some folks call it hoarding, but stockpiling is a WAY nicer word, don't you think? 

Either way, it's thought by many to be one of the primal instincts, like the drive to protect one's young, to procreate, and to survive...

Here's some beautiful African prints I saw at Market!

Experts say that that the hoarding instinct is hidden in the genetic code of all humans, mostly a recessive trait in modern times, but like night blindness or schizophrenia, it can't be ignored when it surfaces. The trick to keeping it dormant they say, is to refrain from activating the gene in the first place. Sometimes it's the uncontrollable circumstances of life that activate the urge to hoard, like the way the Great Depression turned a generation of impressionable children into pathological savers, for example.
But sometimes the urge to accumulate can be triggered by something as benign as....

• placing that first batch of home-canned green beans on the storeroom shelves, or...
• stashing that first freshly cut cord of wood in the carport, or even....
• the perfection of a neatly folded stack of color coordinated batiks.

OK- it's no secret that I LOVE fabric!  

(And I'll bet some of you do too!)

If I had to point to that moment in time that triggered MY urge to accumulate fabric, I think it just might have been in the Fall of 2007, the first time I felt the pure adrenaline rush of the Quilt Market. That's when I knew for the first time that I'm not the only one who:

• loves getting lost amongst towering rows of bolted cottons.

• loves touching fine silks, textured laces, and velvety corduroys.

• loves the thrill of a digging through a bargain table of reduced remnants.

• loves 'playing' in a stash of fabric, refolding pieces and stacking it according to color.

And here's the deal, don't tell anyone, but I actually have a few pieces of fabric that I love so much, that I don't know if I could ever cut into them, for any reason, or any project!

And I know I'm not the only one who strategically displays my new fabric on my cutting table for days before I cut it, just because I enjoy looking at it that much!.

And surely you know by now
That I love EVERYTHING by Laurel Burch

But now, as I sit here surveying my studio, littered with bags of free samples & remnants fresh from the Quilt Market, I simply have no choice! My love of fabric is beginning to overpower the storage units designed to contain it! There's no room for anything else! As much as I hate to admit it, it's time to schedule an intervention with myself because.  I've developed a pretty bad case of "fabric creepage", (otherwise known as the slow & steady migration of a fabric stash beyond the boundaries of its designated storage containers). In other words, it's time for a good old fashioned P-U-R-G-E, as painful as it might be!


It's been less than 2 years since my last stash purge (when I moved into this new studio) and what I would love to know is...

Is there any way to avoid "fabric creepage"?
Does anyone out there have a really GREAT system for controlling their fabric stash?

If you have any thoughts or suggestions,
I'd love for you to leave them in the space provided below!

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Please feel free to re-tweet or pass this post on to others via Facebook, StumbleUpon or any other way you see fit.  :)

Join the BlogHop Party Giveaway!

Welcome to StudioKat Designs!

Quilting Gallery has organized a fabulous BlogHop Party in celebration of their fourth anniversary and we are very pleased to be one of OVER 230 participating Blogs! The Party officially begins on Saturday the 10th of December (shortly after midnight) and ends on Dec 17th.
(A huge thank you to Michelle Foster for organizing this event.)

But first, since for many of you, this is your very first visit to StudioKat Designs...

Here's a brief tour of our website-

• Our 25 handbag and purse insert patterns are all designed with oodles of storage options to keep you supremely and stylishly organized. 
• Our monthly Handbag of the Month contest is a great way to get inspired and win FREE stuff!
• Join over 18,500 passionate subscribers who enjoy our FREE monthly newsletter ! Check out our latest newsletter by clicking HERE!
• Check out our line of handbag notions and supplies including our red-hot invisible sew-in magnets and our signature black & white mini-stripe zippers!
• Download our new eBook, RockStar Peacework, a quick and ultra easy way to make interesting one-of-a-kind handbag exteriors and MORE!
• Download our FREE patterns!

 And here's what WE'RE giving away!
Our give-away for this BlogHop is a Baggalista Kit, (a $47.00 value), which includes the pattern as well as:
     one 16" separating zipper
     one 12" zipper
     one 9" zipper
     two 7" zippers
     one link/buckle combo
     two invisible sew-in magnetic snaps
     enough Soft & Stable for one Baggalista
     and 63" of nylon webbing (not pictured)


To Enter Our Giveaway-
Simply leave an answer to the following question in the comments section below:

How old were you when you learned how to sew? Who taught you, and what was your very first project?


The winner will be randomly chosen from amongst the posted commentors on December 17th, 2011.

*** For those of you who routinely receive our posts by way of email, you must leave your comments here in the comments section of this Blog in order to be considered for the prize. If you send your responses to me via email, they cannot be considered as an entry for this give-away.***

 

The Party's Just Beginning!

I think you'll really enjoy meeting all the other Blog participants, ALL of whom are also offering incredible give-aways! I encourage you to visit as many sites as you have time for! Just click HERE to see a list of the participating bloggers. (Available shortly after midnight on the morning of Dec 10th. EST)

Congratulations to OUR winner, 

Lisa England of Ashland, KY and thanks again to all of the new friends we met thru this HOP!

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Do you know someone else who would enjoy this BlogHop Party? Please feel free to share this post with others on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon,or by any other means you deem appropriate!   :)

December 2011 Handbag of the Month

November just flew by and it's time for another 'Handbag of the Month Contest'! But first join me in congratulating Carol Haas of Dexter, MI, the winner of our November contest. She wins a $20 virtual gift certificate and her coordinated Quattro/PortaPocket Purse Insert combo will have a permanent place of honor on our website.

This month's contest features some fantastic & inspiring entries and don't forget, if you'd like more info about any particular entry, check out our newsletter (available in our archive on 12/7/11) So... without further ado, here they are.
When you're ready to vote, click this link, or use the link at the bottom of this post, to be taken to our official voting page!

A fantastic Baggalista

by Pat Leask of Ontario, Canada

A Japanese Indigo Baggalista

by Veronica Johnson of Tasmania, Australia

A Pieced & Quilted DittyRoo

by Sylvia Gerber of New Holland, PA

A Pieced DittyRoo

by Connie Watson of El Dorado, KS

 A Rainbow Baggalista

by Diane Rhodes of Monroeville, PA

A Romantic Boho Baguette

by Tina Norton of Ohio

A Picture PURRfect Quattro

by Karen Adams of Harrison, AR

A Hen House Quattro

by Janet Archer of Grafton, NH

* * * * * * *

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 feel free to pass this post on to others at Facebook, Twitter or StumbleUpon,
and if you want to leave a little applause for these ladies in the comments section,
I'm sure it would really make their day!

What We're Not

So have you ever noticed how sometimes it's easier to describe yourself based on what you're NOT?
 
Here's some examples....

Question- "I'm a sewing newbie, so which one of your patterns would you recommend for me as a good starter bag?"
Answer-  "Our patterns are really NOT for beginners."

Question- I'm looking for a quick and easy project for a Saturday afternoon. Which one of your patterns would you recommend?"
Answer- "Our patterns are really NOT quick and easy projects."

Question- "I'm looking for a basic tote bag with a lot of storage options. Why don't you have a basic tote bag in your line?"
Answer- "The patterns in our line can just NOT be described as basic."

Why would I limit myself this way? It's really pretty simple.

You see, prior to starting my pattern line, I did my due diligence, researching the pattern market as it was in 2004. I wanted to see what already was on the market, but just as important, I wanted to see what was NOT on the market. And what I saw back then, (and now for that matter), was a LOT of bag patterns that were described as quick and easy projects, with silhouettes that for the most part, are all very similar, differentiated mostly by various adornments or embellishing techniques.

So I made the very conscious decision to aim my pattern line at the intermediate sewer, the gal who was ready for a more complicated project that might allow her to stretch her abilities a bit. I decided right from the outset, that my goal would be to create bag designs with unique, fashion-forward silhouettes, loaded with interesting storage options. And we have tried our best to stay true to that end.


But still I get those phone calls... with questions like, "When are you going to add a diaper bag to your line? We'd love to see you give the 'StudioKat treatment' to a diaper bag!"

And the truth is, a while back I buckled and actually did try to do a diaper bag. My grandson had just been born and I guess I thought those grandmotherly juices would be flowing and with my daughter as my muse, the result would be the diaper bag of women's dreams... but it was a total disaster. Because here's the deal...A diaper bag was not my vision, and I felt absolutely no inspiration for the project. And as it turned out, Erica wanted no part of a diaper bag anyway, labeling them as too traditional. She just adapted an old book bag to meet her needs and let it go at that. Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

Now don't get me wrong- I love getting suggestions from customers and we've actually used SEVERAL, but this episode just served to confirm my point. I'm just really crummy at trying to do something I'm not committed to or inspired by.

So... if you're looking for a great diaper bag pattern, that's not what we do, but I can probably point you to a few amazing ones. And if a quick and easy weekend project is what you're after, I'll need to refer you to some awesome designers I know who specialize in just such projects!

And as for that perfect tote bag pattern, here's the deal...until the time comes that we feel that we can bring something to a tote bag that just hasn't been imagined or done yet, then tote bag patterns will just not be what we do.

Any thoughts?  I'd love for you to leave them in the space below!