“I am Back!”

Hello, I have not vanished—just walking around unfocused and unsure…national events and our calendar. We are in a limbo at quilting–the sale is over but we have a table at the FUMC Thanksgiving lunch on the 24th with lots of little items–so can’t really total our final sales yet. Most of us are working on personal gifts for Christmas or large projects that take time for next year’s sale.

I want to ask a favor–What would you like to see next year in the sale? We had items sell out–embroidered tea towels and micro wave bowls! (More have been made for the sale at Thanksgiving sale.) But next year, hmmm.

What is the best size of quilts for you? Most of the quilts offered and still available are lap or twin size. Larger quilts cost more to make and thus cost more to buy. But we have requests for “full” or “double”. What is your interest?

What seasons or holidays are you buying to use as home decor? I am not a long term planner and I usually am looking for the next holiday. Who knows what will happen in my life and I will be stuck with excessive stuff? Most of our home decor is for fall and Christmas. But do we need to branch out? What holiday/season would you like to see more items for sale?

Fourth of July? Christmas? Halloween? Easter? Valentines?

What “gender” ? Friends reached out and said they were looking for a quilt for a single man. I realized many of our items are “feminine” meaning floral or pastel–not all, some are neutral. But do we need some “masculine” items–i.e. plaids, stripes, browns, navy, grey or beige? Yes I know I am stereotyping but is that needed?

Masculine? Gender neutral? Feminine?

What sort items that are not quilts but made from fabric? As I mentioned before micro wave bowls were very popular. Here are some new ones made since the Oct. sale. There will be a few Christmas print ones at the sale.

Gift card envelopes sold well–very inexpensive. Our husbands wanted us to charge $5 each but for this year they are still $3 each….and there will be some KC Chiefs print ones.

But what else would you be interested in besides micro wave bowls/ gift card holders? Scrub hats? trivets? small bags? tea towels? rug mugs? stuffed animals? aprons? fidget boards? bookmarks? We have the fabric and the know how, just want to make items that are will sell.

Traditional patterns or Contemporary patterns?

I see the red and white one being more traditional and the the black and grey quilts more contemporary. But does it matter to you? A friend told me she only pays attention to the color or colors used.

Do vintage quilts belong in our sale? Should all of items be new or are you interested in items that have been slightly use or vintage items. Often we buy or are given items that we really don’t care for or don’t use. Does it bother you we include them at the sale for re-purchase?

My thoughts are that we serve as the conduit–We all know there are items hidden in the back corner of the linen closet unwanted. But by including it in our sale we will bring it to the attention of someone who will treasure it and two missions of FUMC will benefit. This beauty is 66″ x 87″ and $200–almost perfect condition.

The last question has nothing to do with what we offer for sale, but what is the best times to have a sale for you? How early to you like to shop? What days work best for you? Is a night event worthwhile? How many days should a sale be open? Of course, not everyone will agree but would like your thoughts.

Write me at jrelfoswald@gmail.com or add a comment to the bottom of this post. I look for to hearing your thoughts. The design below is my favorite embroidery pattern –I like the message. Wishing “peace and joy” to all of you.