We had a grand time in Chicago in September at the Sew Pro Convention; Lynn and I went with our friend and production guru Rae to soak up the collective knowledge of attendees and instructors, and figure out where we can improve what we’re doing here at The Stitch.
There were a couple key takeaways for us:
- Find our voice and be ourselves. We’re the only “us” out there, so we need to focus on our strengths
- Be consistent and diligent in content creation (and quilt and pattern creation)
- START A NEWSLETTER (see shiny new sign-up bar up there ^^^)
- Have fun!
In between learning about newsletters, intellectual property, accounting, and pattern production, we managed to squeeze in a little fun, too. A lot of that fun happened in a parking deck, because apparently being weird in parking decks in On Brand for us. We were staying in Rosemont, and they were undergoing a renovation of sorts to recreate famous works of art with a Rosemont twist on them. So we played along, posing in front of these paintings and posting on Instagram. Here are all the pictures compiled into one 30 second video for easy viewing:
Given the fine art theme, after some live brainstorming on the October Virtual Stitch-In, we decided to take a stab at interpreting Whistler’s Mother. Upon reflection, though, we thought perhaps Whister’s style was… not quite ours. So we give you “Yeah, But His Grama Was a Quilter”:
You can totally imagine Whistler’s mother rebelling against this crazy cacophony of color and turning to grays and blacks for her palette, as reflected in the famous painting. His grama, on the other hand, is neither afraid of color nor texture. She takes risks and simply goes about being her authentic awesome self, to the very tips of her Kaffe Fassett shoes.
And on her lap, while she watches our show, is a tiny version of our Belinda quilt pattern, of course. This quilt is hand stitched onto her to give it some dimension. The effect is such that my husband, upon seeing it, said, “Why is it lumpy in the middle?”, which brings us to #5 on the Lessons Learned list:
5. Know your target market
As part of the Sew Pro Stars Blog Hop, we’re hosting entries for the grand prize fabric bundle and patterns! To enter the giveaway, use the Rafflecopter widget below:
Check out the rest of the participants in the Sew Pro Stars Blog Hop to see what other prizes they are offering, and what lessons they learned!
Monday Nov 14
Lisa Peterson – lisaandlorelai.com/
Sherri Noel – Rebeccamaedesigns.com
Andi Stanfield- truebluequilts.com/
Tuesday Nov 15
Vanessa Behymer – vintagebarngirl.wordpress.com/
Pam Cobb & Lynn Rinehart – www.thestitchtvshow.com (hey, that’s us!)
Sherry Shish – www.poweredbyquilting.com
Joanne Kerton – www.canuckquilter.com
Lisa Nielsen – thequiltjam.blogspot.com/
Wednesday Nov 16
Carmen Ross – seecarmensew.com
Anne Beier – www.hudsonvalleyquilts.com/
Jessica Caldwell – www.desertbloomquilting.com
Pamela Morgan – mysweetlittlestitches.com
Thursday Nov 17
Maryanna Powell – www.marvelousauntiem.com
Cathy Smith – Www.aquiltingchick.com
Lissa LaGreca – lovinglylissa.com
Paula Mamuscia – creationsbypaulamamuscia.wordpress.com/
Friday Nov 18
Becca Fenstermaker – prettypiney.com
Holly Stockley – www.lighthouselanedesigns.com
Teri Seal – daymoonquilts.blogspot.com
Trinia Braughton – www.penguinfeats.com
Deanna Wall – www.stitchesquilting.com/
November 15, 2016
LOL…yall are crazy and fun and it was great meeting yall. I love your project!! It’s perfect!
November 15, 2016
Could that quilt be any cooler? I don’t think so.
November 15, 2016
Oh my! Love your quilt and love your takeways from the conference. The be yourself one is a biggy for me, and the knowing your audience. I’m taking deep breaths and building up to a newsletter, and typing this I can hear Pat’s Sloan’s keynote saying “stop think, start doing”!
November 15, 2016
Looks Awesome! I remember seeing you guys taking those pics on our way to dinner! love it!
November 16, 2016
You guys were so much fun at sew pro! I love your project, it looks amazing!!! xoxo
November 17, 2016
What a great project! The art in the parking garage was so cool, and you guys rocked it!!
November 17, 2016
It was great meeting you both at Sew Pro. Can’t wait to start receiving the newsletter.
November 17, 2016
Loved the photos you took- very clever.
November 18, 2016
Such a great quilt!
November 18, 2016
Love you guys and how you stay “On Brand”. It’s awesome!!! You guys are beyond creative!!! I love you site and totally enjoy following your social media feed too!!! Keep rocking it!!! It was great to meet at Sew Pro!!!
November 19, 2016
Oh, man, I wish I’d had more opportunities to talk with you guys at Sew Pro. You are so damn funny. I followed along with your art photos on Instagram with delight, so I’m extra happy to see your FABULOUS Sew Pro-inspired project–it’s perfect! (Especially your “target market” tie-in in your post. I lol’ed.)