DESIGN CHALLENGE: LYRA Posted on 28 Apr 02:00 , 0 comments
Lyra is a piecing pattern designed by Debby Maddy. I was contacted by Kaye who has this quilt coming up quite quickly in her quilting que. She is quilting it for the shop who has plans for putting together several kits. Needless to say, we always want to do our best when quilting shop samples and, for Kaye, even more so with the potential for kit customers wanting not only the kit fabrics but also the same quilting as well. Which brings up a great marketing idea for all of you readers out there who are professional longarm quilters.
Consider this when presented with an opportunity similar to which Kaye has been blessed. Ask the shop owner to to include a postcard with the following information and images:
- on the one side of the card print a photo of the shop sample that really shows off your quilting
- on the other side include your contact information AND a coupon with a "discounted kit quilting price."
You can decided how much to include (like batting at a discounted price, no charge for thread, etc) in your kit discount beyond the discounted cost of quilting their quilt exactly the same way as you quilted the shop sample. Your project is already all set up, all of the design decisions, all the collecting of project patterns and re-sizing is already done, all of your quilt groups are in order after completing the shop sample so why not make the most of it
And so, back to the original question. Kaye sent me an email asking for design suggestions. The pattern is very similar to the ONE BIG STAR piecing pattern that has been so popular over the last few years. I'm sure you've seen more than one of those come under the needle in your studio. I went straight to the catalog and started collecting images from 1167 ONE BIG STAR COLLECTION. Before you know it the quilting mock-up was complete with the design audition ready for customer approval.Wishing Kaye the best of luck with her latest quilting project and I'm hoping she is able to offer a "discounted kit quilting price" to several of her customers. It looks like a win-win situation all the way around for everyone involved ... shop owner, longarm quilter, and quilt piecer.
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... and ... be innovative with your craft ...