A Product for a Different Price Point

So, the last time I was at the Open Door Art Studio, Ashley told me that they seem to sell more items that are small and lower priced.  Seems like the price of my Monster Bags continues to be an obstacle.  Courtney reassures me that $40 is a reasonable price, but she also says that most of their customers don't want to pay it.
Okay, okay.  I get it.  I need another product that hits a lower price point.  

Introducing MONSTER MINIS. Basically this is a scaled down, Mini Monster bag for just the few items that you absolutely, positively need. 

These little pouches are 3.5" x 5.5" -- just a little bit bigger than your standard phone or coin purse. You can even put a digital camera or PDA in them. Or if you prefer, you could hide a couple (ahem) "sanitary" or other personal items.

There's a skinny pocket on the back for your business cards or ID. But keep it minimal. These mini-purses are strictly for folks who like to travel light and move fast.  

I designed and constructed four of these over the weekend. The assembly line worked a little better and I averaged one hour each. Since the labor and materials are a fraction of the regular bags, I can price them lower. I listed these at $13 each. I have a few corrections to make on the design, but I will probably keep them under $15.  That seems to be the price that others are asking for similar wristlets/pouches.

The good news is that Courtney and Jon both seemed very excited about this design and the price, and want me to make lots for the store and the upcoming shows.

I'm not a normal person

So my husband and I went out for dinner last night. And when we
walked into the lobby of the restaurant, I saw a woman sitting on a
bench with the most AMAZING DIAPER BAG that I have ever seen. It was
a beautiful Asian-influenced red brocade. I could not help myself. I
trotted over for a closer look.

"Thats the most beautiful diaper bag that I have ever seen", I said to
the woman.

"Isn't it great?" she agreed. "And look, it converts into a backpack, too!"

"Awesome." I said. We admired the bag for a few moments. "Well,
thanks so much for letting me see it."

"Sure!" she said.

And I happily rejoined my husband. As we were walking to our table,
he remarked, "You know, a normal person might have noticed that she
had a baby before gushing and drooling over her bag."

She had a baby? Oh, that explains so much.

:-)

Monster Factory

Well, I learned a lot about art and manufacturing this week.  First and foremost, there are NO economies of scale in the art business.  Making eight Monster Bags all at once takes exactly the same amount of time as making them one at a time in series.

Here are the steps --

1) Select and cut the fabric.  Fleece for the skin and cotton or satin for the lining.  I need one piece for the body (inside and out), a block for the legs and arms, and two very long pieces for the straps.  I really love these bright colors for the skins.  And I get to use some crazy zebra and batik prints that I've been saving up, for the linings.

2) Sew together the straps.  Try not to fall asleep whilst zigzaging 72" long seams.  Reload the bobbin a lot.

3) Feet and arms.  This is slightly more entertaining than the straps since the final product actually resembles something like what its going to be.  This time, I stuff the little legs and arms with some cotton to make them squishier.  Fun.

4) Design and applique the faces.  Because the fleece is so bright, I've decided to put an extra layer of black around the eyes.  I've also experimented with the stitch and people seem to like the zigzag better than the satin.  Lots more bobbins to fill.  This step takes me all weekend to finish.  But just look at those cute faces!

5) Sew up the bodies of the bags.  Gotta make sure that all the arms and legs get completely sewn in place, all the curves lay flat, and all the corners are square. Pin, press, stitch, turn, press. Pin, press, stitch, turn, press. Pin, press, stitch, press again.   Good thing that the sewing machine and the ironing table are so close together.

6) Labels and hardware.  Each bag gets an ArtsiBitsi label.  Monster bags get a set of grommets for the backpack straps.

7) Thread the straps and tie.  I made myself a flexible threading tool for this step and it still takes time and patience.

8) Naming.  Each Monster whispers her name to me and I write it down, along with her story.  It's a very moving ceremony.

9) Graduation.  Yesterday all my little Monsters left home and went to live with Courtney, Ashley and Jonathan at the Open Door Art Studio.  It was a little sad for me, but they looked excited and full of the spirit of adventure.

Birth of a Monster

Would it be interesting to see the process of the creation of a Monster? It might surprise you to learn that it does not involve a dark tower, or stolen body parts nor even a serendipitous thunderstorm.

Here are some photographs of my studio after yesterday's cut-a-thon.   

This is my work table where all the pinning and cutting happens.   It features a most excellent, stainless steel table with an adustable height shelf underneath for my supplies.  It fits a nook between two closets, with set of big windows that look out across the woods. My kitties like to lay on the fleece (back left corner of the shelf) and watch the birds come to the feeder.  The feeder is only a few inches from the window, so both the kitties and I get a good look at the woodpeckers and nuthatches and tufted titmouses.

The other important station in my studio is the sewing and pressing table.   This is not ideal space, as it's a little crowded and underlit.  And there is nothing really to look at but the material that I'm working on.   Maybe I need to put a mural on the wall. Or some mirrors.   ... Or maybe I just need to concentrate on making straight seams.  :-)

BTW, that's just an ordinary Brother i6000 sewing machine.  It has about 60 different stitches, but I probably only use three of them.

So I am basically designing eight monsters at once -- an heroic feat which has not been attempted before.  By me.  

Aren't these fun colors?

Every monster needs a colorful fleece skin, and a coordinating lining.  Most of these will have some sort of funkadelic cotton lining. At this point, I am already starting to think of names and personalities to give to each bag.

In addition to the skin and the lining, I also need to cut the feet and arms and straps.   There is about ten feet of strap for each bag.  Here are all the straps, cut to length, but not finished.  When I set down to sew them, it will be a few hours of ironing and sewing.  And a lot of thread.  I'll probably have to replace the bobbin on my sewing machine three or four times.

Don't the straps look like guts?  Mwah ha ha ha.

We now return you to your program...

Sorry about that.  I don't know how that other political post snuck in here.  Seems like those guys have infected the entire country with their feuding.  Hopefully it will be over soon and we can get back to the important stuff... like sewing!

So, in the last two weeks, I have gotten completely sidetracked by other projects and have not even touched my sewing machine.  It is a deplorable state of affairs.  But I have some good news.

1) This is small and personal in nature, but the bag that I made for my conference worked out very well.  I'm still using it, in fact.  I love the brown/black/red color combination and the more professional feeling of the sueded microfiber and the top stitching.  It's so easy to drop stuff into and the tab with the pin never gets in my way, like the bigger flaps do.  It's a little large for everyday, but at the conference it was a little small.  I could just fit my program and my swag in there.  

2)  On a more professional note, the Open Door Art Studio selected me as one of their featured artists.  (http://www.opendoorartstudio.org/artwork.htm) I am ridiculously pleased about this.  It's so validating, especially when my sales are still not exactly overwhelming.

3) I had a wonderful "mutual admiration society" type conversation with Courtney at the Open Door Art Studio.  It turns out that her application for the Tiny Canary show was accepted. (http://www.tinycanary.com/)

Since I'm new to the crafting business, I didn't appreciate how exclusive this show is.  But several of my fellow etsians over at the Columbus Street Team were pretty bummed about not getting in.  So, I'm thrilled for Courtney, and for the ODAS, who do such great work.  And Courtney let me know that, as a featured artist, my Monster Bags were a critical part of her application.  

It is so helpful to talk to Courtney and get advice and feedback about the Monster Bags.  Etsy can feel pretty isolated.  People buy things (or don't) and often I never hear what they liked (or didn't).  I'm collecting "hearts" and "views" but I don't know why, or how to convert them to sales.

On the other hand, Courtney sees people face to face and watches how they interact with the art.  She says that the Monster Bags are very compelling from a distance -- people come directly to them.  And people like them up close too.  But that the price tag is offputting.  This is a pervasive problem: people want to spend Walmart $$ on handmade goods.  Courtney thinks that the price point is good though and we should stick it out.

Anyway.  Courtney wanted me to know that she needs a lot more Monster Bags for the Tiny Canary show.  And the North Market show.  And the Grandview Gallery Hop.  (whee!)  This is such a great partnership for me.  I get a lot of exposure and it costs me very little.  I like to think that it helps the good people at the Open Door Art Studio too.  So there will definitely be a lot more sewing happening in the ArtsiBitsi Studio over the next few weeks. 

Watch this space.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled crafting news...

for this unsolicited open letter.

DEAR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE;

Tonight you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get my vote.
Yeah, it's completely up for grabs -- all you have to do is:

1) Answer a question directly. How can I believe that you can
negotiate with other major world powers if you can't even answer a
simple question of your priorities? BTW, telling me that everything is
a top priority is ridiculous.

2) Don't try to make me feel fearful about that other guy. That's
small. It makes you sound like a life insurance salesman.

3) Don't fill up the space with empty rhetoric and cheerleading. I
don't need you to tell me what I'm capable of. Tell me what YOU'RE
capable of.

4) No tricks, innuendo or subtle double-talk. First, talking over your
time and interrupting are not sophisticated tactics. It just shows a
lack of self-control on your part. Second, I'm not half as dumb as I
look. I can tell when you are being calculating and frankly, it does
not inspire trust.

5) Be straight. You don't have to inflate numbers, exaggerate or tell
half-truths. I've had enough of that from the current administration;
and we've all seen what happens when we don't have good quality
information to make the hard choices with.

6) Be realistic. All your grand promises about tax cuts and
incentives, the war, abortion, gay marriage and health care don't mean
squat. Seriously. You can't do anything without congressional support,
and I don't need big flashy gestures anyway.

Be a steady, thoughtful and trustworthy leader on a daily basis. Plan
for growth and prosperity. Also, have a plan B. Listen to your
constituency and be caring, respectful and responsive.

So that's it. That's all you have to do.

Thank you for your attention.

Respectfully yours,
B