Come Stitch With Me

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.

May I present the Janome JW7630?

Yep, you can pick up this bad boy at Wally World for just under 3 Benjamins.  That’s about what I paid for a similar 30-stitch mechanical model with the same body style from Sears way back in 1997.  I still have that machine and it is one of two machines I always carry when I am teaching a kid’s sewing class.

The JW7630 is similar to the Janome 8077, Decor 201x series and Magnolia 7330.  Features vary ever so slightly from model to model, but the machines are basically the same, except the 7630 costs less – from a bit of change to a couple hundred dollars. While I strongly encourage you to support your local sewing machine dealer, this is a great alternative for those of you without a Janome dealer nearby or who want a great machine at a more than reasonable price.  You can always buy the extra accessory feet from your dealer.

It sews beautifully.  Quiet, precise stitching, easy to use…what more could I ask?

Where the MyStyle 100 hesitated sewing over a thick seam (denim hem at flat-fell seam intersection – about 6 layers worth), the JW7630 sewed right over it with ease.  No hump jumper necessary, no skipped stitches – just slowing down a wee bit and pressing the black button on the machine to engage the “thick fabric” mechanism did the trick.  From a quilter’s perspective, this would make a GREAT travel machine – especially when compared to the Jem 760 price. It’s a tad heavier, but I’ll tote the extra 5 pounds to save that much money.  However, If I were an heirloom sewer and could only afford one machine, I’d give serious consideration to the Decor 2014.  Update: 6/25/14 – Saw the Decor 2014 on sale for $580 at a quilt shop in North Georgia today.  Very nice machine.  However, given that I’ve now seen the machine in person, I’d really have to be heavily into heirloom sewing to justify the almost double price versus the model found at Wal-Mart.