Meet Us at Quilt Market

If you're heading to Quilt Market later this week, please make a point of stopping by Booth 1633 to say hello.

We have a wonderful new set of paper dolls for you, and we'll be happy to bring you up to date on the latest news about industry-wide activity on the gray market. 

We even have a special offer planned for our retailers who place orders at Market.

Fabric Selection

And, speaking of Quilt Market, have you worked a strategy into your buying plans to help improve your cross-selling of fabric and children’s patterns? If not, we can help.

In the September issue of American Quilt Retailer, we published a piece on selecting fabrics for use in children's clothing. The article is intended specifically for retailers looking to increase sales of fabric with patterns and is based on our popular Principles of Fabric Selection series of blog posts. You can review the information on the blog for more detail on the topic and to see lots of photos that illustrate each principle.

We'll have copies of the article (as well as our piece from the July issue of American Quilt Retailer on merchandising for children's clothing) available at our booth. We would be glad to talk with you about either topic—both to hear about your successes and to answer questions or offer advice.

Dealing with Customer Resistance

It's something we hear every so often. "I love Oliver + S designs, but I'm new to garment sewing. I'm not a good enough seamstress to sew them." 

Have you heard this in your shop too? If so, we have some talking points for you to use to help your customers gain confidence in their abilities and overcome their hesitation to purchase.

For all our patterns (and especially for our two new fall patterns, the School Days Jacket and Coat and the Jump Rope dress which are rated as three of four scissors in difficulty), we break down the construction into clear, easy-to-follow steps that will let your customers accomplish things they wouldn't have imagined they can do. 

We want Oliver + S to be known as the company that allows novice sewers to realize great, sophisticated results while improving their sewing skills and gaining tremendous confidence in the process.

It makes us happy when we see reviews of our patterns that highlight our successes in this area. This recent review of the Jump Rope Dress pattern makes the point well: "I just love these patterns - the instructions are so clear. I feel like I am taking a sewing class when I follow them. This dress was definitely one of the most involved things that I have made in a while. And, I think, the first time I made something with sleeves. But, I am really happy with how it turned out.... The instructions for this were great. I never imagined I'd be able to make it."

So if you hear your customers express hesitation about Oliver + S styles because they look like they will be more difficult to sew, share a few of these ideas with them to help move them beyond their reluctance to purchase:

• Oliver + S patterns provide the most complete, thorough, and detailed instructions of any patterns on the market. They break down the most complicated construction techniques into clear and simple steps that even novice seamstresses can follow.
• People always comment that, because of the instructions, sewing from an Oliver + S pattern feels like taking a sewing class.
• After sewing an Oliver + S pattern, you'll be amazed at what you've just made, and your confidence in your own abilities will be heightened.
• If you run stuck while working on the pattern, Oliver + S offers a discussion forum where you can post questions for and solicit advice from  other seamstresses who have successfully completed the garment.

And, again, as we mentioned in our July American Quilt Retailer article having a sample in the store that was sewn by an employee is a great selling tool. You’ll be able to show the wonderful result the customer will achieve, and the person who sewed the sample will be able to talk about the process and the ease of sewing thanks to the clear instructions and innovative construction techniques.

Do you have other ideas for how to get customers past their fears of their sewing skill level? If so, we would love to hear them. Please give us a call or drop us an email at the studio.

Sew Beautiful Feature

Does your shop subscribe to Sew Beautiful? If yes, you probably noticed Oliver + S featured in the most recent issue!

We're pleased to have been asked to put together a collection of samples for a multi-page photo feature on Oliver + S fall styles. 

You can view a PDF of the feature on our website  and subscribe to the magazine here.

Blogroll

This month's blogroll shows the work of some quick studies who have already finished garments from our two new styles.

• Here's a great little School Days Raincoat made from a fun Japanese fabric. And there are a couple good tips about sewing with laminates here too.
• Here's another great raincoat—this one in dots.
• From the same sewer, here's a wonderful Jump Rope Dress done in an Italian shirting fabric—which we think is a great fabric selection for this pattern.
• Here's one more Jump Rope Dress—this one done in a larger size for an older girl. The polka dot print and the shirtwaist style make this dress an instant classic. 

For More Information

Email: information@oliverands.com
Website: www.oliverands.com
Phone: (866) 231-9639