About

The Sewing Project is currently just an idea.  A good idea.  An idea that can happen if you help it become reality.

The basic idea:  Teach low income women the basics of how a product gets to market, from production to the selling point.

Why? 

• Because the process is complex, yet working through it with a hand's on approach creates an understanding of how the larger world operates.  
• Because there is a big world out there that can be accessed through the web.
• Because there is poverty here in Paducah and not enough well paying jobs.
• Because I've been doing this for over 20 years and want to implement what I have learned into a model that can be shared with others.
• Because it offers this specific community many, many benefits, aside from what the participants in the program will learn.
• Because it's a very good idea!

Goals:

• To provide low income women with technical skills that can be used for job preparation or the development of their own online home businesses.
• To tap into the creative resources available in Paducah, creating liaisons with the artist community, local businesses and the population at large.
• To bring churches, community organizations, art organizations and City programs together under one effort.
• To create a green process in product development, focusing on recycling donated goods into products which have market appeal.

What I Bring to the Table:

• I managed a crafts co-operative in Chicago for four years that was an economic development project housed by Uptown Center Hull House.
• I had three different brick and mortar stores in Chicago between 1992-2004.  
• Remember when you had to scan "real" photos to get an image on the web?  That's when I started selling online.  On eBay for about 9 years and then the last four on Etsy.
• A couple of years ago, I found that I was helping more and more of my peers understand social media and other web tools.  I'm no genius, but I am stubborn and I try to keep learning about what is happening in this fast paced, ever changing environment.  As a result, I started TAFA: The Textile and Fiber Art List which was launched in February of 2010.  TAFA's mission is to help its members find larger markets for their work.  There is a core group of active members there who are helping me strategize on how that can happen for the largest number of members.
• I have found that art, economic development and community empowerment have always been at the center of my interests.  As a creative entrepreneur (that's what people like me are called these days), I am always looking for ways in which art can help promote economic development in communities around the world.  Paducah has made a commitment to this in recent years and The Sewing Project fits nicely into what is already happening here.
• I grew up in South America, started out in Chicago with a focus in social service and have worked with recent immigrants for years.  People seem to like me and I like most of them.

The Climate:

Postal Woman Repairing Sack, 1920

Retail has not been easy in the last few years as we have faced pulling through the worst economy since the Great Depression.  My own retail business has barely scraped through.  I feel like a survivor!

At the same time, maybe even partially because of this, there has been a resurgence of craft-based businesses, especially as marketplaces like Etsy have committed themselves to educating newbies in how to manage an online business and keeping their fees affordable and fair so that anyone can try and see if they can make it.  Many have done very well while most have struggled.  Those who have succeeded have been able to do so because they supply a reliable product in the quantities needed to meet their demand while finding the price points that will support that product.  Most are lower end products, but trends have shown that there is still a pretty vibrant upper end customer base that now endorse supporting one-of-a-kind handmade goods. 

Most fair trade, co-ops and cottage industry models also cater to the low end price point.  When The Sewing Project reaches a point where it can develop its own product lines for the market, I envision focusing on higher end accessories and products for the home.  This blog will explore other projects, their products, and successes, looking at them for inspiration and hopefully, alliances.

The Sewing Project will also benefit from programs established by TAFA, especially over time as it matures as an organization.  We will have a built-in marketing arm that we can plug into as soon as we reach the point where we have something to share with the market.  Everything that I have been learning through TAFA will be of great benefit for The Sewing Project.

It will take two years of moving the program participants through the four levels of training before we reach a point where we will be able to have anything solid to offer the market.  By then, my hope is that our economy will have passed the worst part of this recession and hopefully, enjoy more prosperity and a recovery.  Having a stable middle class is essential for all of us who are in business and these past two years shows how closely connected we are with the world as a global economy.  During all of the years that I sold online, I had a steady 30% customer base from Europe.  This past year they were almost completely gone, even with the dollar at an all-time low.  This recession has been a global one and whatever we can do to help people achieve a livable wage, the better off we will all be.

Please take a look at the other pages for more information on programming and on how you can become involved with The Sewing Project.

I am looking for feedback from people who are interested in this concept, so if you would like to share something, please leave a comment here.  I will respond back here so that others can benefit from the discussion.  Make sure to check the box to receive email notifications if you want to know how others respond.