Author: Teresa

Quilts, good books and dogs. Plus a cup of tea. Life is good.

Finding your inspiration

June 10, 2014

Finding your inspiration

What inspires you?  For me, it’s definitely being in nature – or in this case on vacation.  This picture is the view of Frenchman’s Bay from my room at the Bluenose Inn in Bar Harbor, Maine. Boy, was my sewing machine calling my name! Oh, how I would love to have a view like this from my studio.  Absolutely breathtaking!

At home, some of my best ideas come from taking the dog for a ride in my SUV.  Don’t laugh.  Our destination is usually one of the nearby parks for a walk, but I run through the myriad of neighborhoods in the area on the way to and from the park just to let my mind wander. For example, this morning I was trying to figure out how to best utilize the remaining wool felt project kits I’d cut for the Mustang Academy “survival sewing” class I’d taught back in May.  When I hit the QT, inspiration struck!   Why not offer this as a one hour class at the local quilt shop?  I’d already worked out the kinks while teaching the boys and the kits are already cut.  The shop owner had contacted me about teaching kid’s sewing classes while I was in Maine, so I now have a class to present when I touch base with her tomorrow.

Custom quilts & Etsy

May 19, 2014

When I first started my Etsy shop, I labored over my response to every inquiry about my custom quilts.   Only one in every eight inquiries resulted in a sale.  Curious, I started researching stats in the Etsy forums and other message boards online.  My conversion rate was in line with those of other sellers.  10-15% of your inquiries will result in a sale.

My advice to those about to start offering custom services on Etsy: DON’T SPEND A LOT OF TIME LABORING OVER INITIAL INQUIRIES.  You never know if it’s another seller doing some competitive research, someone in the thinking phase or a customer ready to buy. Of course, be sure to respond to each and every legitimate inquiry in a timely fashion.  I’d suggest taking the time to develop two or three *scripted* responses in advance so you don’t have to spend valuable time coming up with a response.

It’s also important not to take it personally when a project that you’ve spent much time and energy designing, sourcing fabrics and scheduling production time fails to launch.  Aggravating, certainly – but that’s business.  Back in January, I had an inquiry from someone about whether or not I could make a version of a discontinued Pottery Barn baby quilt in a very specific colorway.  It sounded as if she was ready move forward with the project, so I spent a lot of time doing math with only a picture from the internet and the finished size dimensions as my guide to come up with my pattern.  Unfortunately, the project did not move forward.

Six months later, I had the opportunity to turn that design into a baby quilt for a local customer.  It turned out great!  

 

The customer was happy and I’m hoping to hear from the mommy-to-be.  Meanwhile, I tweaked the design a little and am now making another version based on those changes.  It maintains the design, but cuts production time and materials costs so I can sell them in my Etsy shop.