Brace yourself for a wordy post! I've been full of photos lately, but I've had a lot of time to mull over a few things that I would like to share... (but I won't judge if you can't deal with lack of visual stimulation! Just skip to the end of this post...).
I've had a few weeks to decompress and process all of the experience of the Spring International Quilt Market, which just happened a few weeks ago in Salt Lake City. There were so many emotions, stimulations, people to meet, things to see, ideas to process after that crazy weekend that I'm just now beginning to articulate what I learned from Market and how it will impact my business in the future.
The most immediate impact that all of this will mean to many of you is that I have decided to no longer offer PDF patterns for sale on Etsy. I am doing this for a variety of reasons. Care to hear?
1. I want to support the local quilt shop. When people know that they can purchase PDF patterns online for a few dollars less than in shops, it makes them more inclined to shop online instead of in their local shop. Although this is good news for me, since my cut of the profit is higher, it isn't in line with my "shop local" philosophy.
2. PDF patterns are tricky, because they are easier to forward to friends via email. This isn't great news for me, since it means that my patterns could be passed around and I wouldn't be compensated for all of the time and creativity it takes to develop a sewing pattern.
3. In the future, I plan to offer limited edition PDF patterns on Etsy, but they will be smaller, easier projects and will not compete with the paper patterns available in the shop.
4. I'm not sure if this should be a number, but I am still offering the printed patterns for sale in my shop, and at the same retail price that I suggest to quilt shops. If you have a quilt shop in your area that sells my pattern, by all means, purchase it there! But for those of you who have no other way to get my patterns, come on over to my shop to purchase.
On that note, as many of you may know, I redesigned the look of my patterns just in time for Spring Market, and had them professionally printed and assembled. (Goodbye folding and assembling patterns myself at the kitchen table -- YIPPEE!!). The professional printing has caused me to reevaluate the price of my patterns, so you may have noticed a price increase. This new price reflects the going rate for purse patterns these days, and is the price I need to maintain in order for designing patterns to pay off financially. I'm as thrifty as the next person, but believe me, the difference in printing and the quality of the pattern makes the price totally worth it.
Here's a peak into the redesigned patterns:
pattern cover
pattern back
image of the pocket tote and classic messenger patterns
inside the pocket tote pattern
Thanks for sharing your philosophy on PDFs and printed patterns. It's great to know how you approach the market, which is full of many options. Pattern designers spend a lot of time making the product and instructions; hopefully customers can appreciate that you deserve a small compensation for a quality pattern. I wish you well, jill
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