It was interesting, she asked whether I give discounts for bulk orders as we were first talking, and I hesitated for a moment. I do, for wholesale and consignment, but I wasn't quite sure how to handle it with a normal customer.
So I just put it out there - I told her how many pieces I require my wholesale customers to purchase and the discount that I give them, thinking it would probably scare her off. Obviously, it didn't! She didn't bat an eyelash and is actually going to wind up buying quite a few more than she originally mentioned. And I learned to dare to be open to talking about things like this frankly with customers, you never know when somebody is going to order ten pieces! (Pricing work to allow for consignment and/or wholesale is an entirely different ball of wax, of course, and one I would *really* rather not discuss - people get so grumpy when it comes to setting prices. I mostly try not to worry about what other people are charging, one way or the other...)
Hey, plaid! Not normally something I do, is it? (It's just a 2/2 twill, nothing complicated.) This customer, again, asked whether I ever do plaid, and, I normally don't, but I bent another rule for her - I generally say I do custom work based on my current designs (learned that one the hard way) - but, I thought, you know, plaid might be kind of fun, and said "sure!". And she ordered four plaid scarves! (All bamboo, she is vegan and doesn't want any silk, wool, alpaca, etc.)Anywho, I had fun poking around the clan tartans at Handweaving.net and made up my own kind of asymmetrical version. And I'm having fun weaving it! I thought the color changes would annoy me, but, so far, they aren't.
I'm using Robyn Spady's neat trick of working in the weft wends - when you're working with plied yarn, you split it in half, carry half of it back a couple of warp ends through the open shed you just tossed it through, then wrap the other half around a selvedge edge and bring that part back one or two warp ends past the first end. Then your tucked in weft ends don't bunch up too thickly at one selvedge, if that makes sense. Great tip from Robin's Tips N Techniques seminar a couple years ago at NEWS!
And, I'm looking forward to giving my second lecture in New Hampshire next week!
5 comments:
(And for the weavers out there, yes, I know it's not a 90 degree angle on the plaid - I used the sett that I really like for this yarn, knowing I'd get a steeper angle and that the pattern wouldn't be squared off. I like it this way!) (Am I being defensive? LOL!)
LOL, I think it looks great, after all it is a plaid and not a tartan in the true sense that weavers think of.
Congrats on the large order. How awesome!
YOU GO GIRL!!! Congrats on your order!!! ;) I think that the plaid looks great too!!! ;) Love purple!!!
Your plaid looks lovely and fresh, a modern twist on a vintage idea! It didn't even cross my mind that a vegan would prefer a specific fibre, always something new to consider, isn't there? Congratulations on the wonderful commission...busy is a bit of an understatement!
Congrats on that big order! What a nice compliment from your buyer!!
The plaid looks great. I'm definitely not the kind of weaver who looks for the flaws....I look for the successes, so I'd never have noticed the lack of right angles!
I already said this on my blog, but
no worries about Wednesday!! I could see that you were busy - and it was a morning where lots of things in the workshops weren't going smoothly. You did a great job on the workshop! So much to think about!! (Kristin did a workshop at the NH Weavers Guild about selling online. So apropos!!)
Have fun!
Sue
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