Selling Tips and Tools for Oliver + S Children’s Sewing Patterns

Oliver+ S patterns are designed to serve retailers as a high-profile and unique feature product.

They also serve as a starting point for add-on sales. Once your customer selects her favorite pattern, she can conveniently choose fabrics and notions from your shop as well. Selling just one pattern can quickly become a lucrative sale for your store! 

(Want to give this a try before placing an order with us? Print out copies of our free Lazy Days Skirt pattern. Place them by your register or offer them to your customers with children or grandchildren. And watch as your customers purchase fabric and notions from you to make the garment.) 

We have assembled a list of key selling tools that will help you and your team educate customers about why Oliver + S sewing patterns are a must-have.

What Unique Features Do Oliver + S Patterns Offer?

• Oliver +S patterns are breathing new life into a classification (children’s sewing patterns) that is ready to be re-energized! The collection is designed to be both uniquely retro and completely modern—the perspective is up to your customer.
• The patterns feature updated, easy-to-understand directions written for novice, intermediate, and experienced sewers. Each pattern is ranked by difficulty according to the number of scissors it’s been assigned, from one scissor for beginning sewing to four scissors for more challenging or involved patterns.
• Every pattern includes special hints that cover simple ways to make creating your garment quick, easy, and enjoyable. We also provide web-based tutorials on the techniques required for sewing from our patterns.
• Each design comes with a paper doll cut-out and an outfit to match the pattern purchased. They are great for children (and adults!) to collect.

Special Tips for Quilting Shop Retailers

• What percentage of your customers have children or grandchildren? Most of our quilting shop retailers tell us about 80%! Your customers may not come in looking for children’s sewing patterns, but once you introduce the collection they’ll be hooked.
• Assist your customer in her selection of your shop’s fabrics and notions to complete the project. If you carry buttons, trims, and notions, creativity will run wild!
• Our most successful quilting shops display an assortment of finished garments on children’s display forms or hangers. As with quilts, showing the finished project is a wonderful inspiration for sewers. (If you are in need of a resource for the children’s dress forms, contact us for a referral to our favorite vendor.)
• Each season we assemble a trunk show to showcase the Oliver + S patterns in a fabric collection we like. If you’re interested in hosting one of the show, please contact us contact us for terms.

Merchandising the Oliver + S Collection in a Retail Environment

Garment Display Options - Window and Vignette Ideas

Anywhere you put a finished Oliver + S garment, it’s almost certain to attract attention. Here are a few ways to display samples in your store:

• On mannequins or dress forms: Obviously, seeing the garment on a little figure can help your customer visualize it best. If you have space, dress forms can be displayed in a window, on a table or counter, or near a wall. And they’re lots of fun to accessorize, too.
• On the hanger: Hangers can be hung almost anywhere, and many shops display finished samples above the fabric shelves or along a wall. Think about other innovative placements as well. If you have a column or post in your shop, several hangers can be attached to it on different sides or angles for maximum effect.
• On a quilt rack: Quilt shops often have a quilt rack on a wall or in a window; pick out a cute hanger or two and use the quilt rack as a display tool for your Oliver + S samples as well.
• Clotheslines: Especially for summer, what’s cuter than a little clothesline strung with adorable children’s clothing? This could be strung up near the ceiling, across the store, or against a wall. And what a great way to showcase a favorite fabric collection, by making each of the samples a different print or colorway from the same collection.

Pattern Display Options

• Here at the studio, we use wooden boxes and trays to keep our patterns orderly. Discarded wine or produce crates are terrific for holding patterns. Our local wine shop holds the smaller sizes for us; they’re great left plain or painted with bright colors.
• Children’s lunchboxes are the perfect size for patterns. We like the vintage metal kind, but you can find cute contemporary boxes as well.