Flosstube 104

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This week’s Flosstube video is a fairly quick and uneventful. I’ve recovered from strep throat that I had the week between Christmas and New Years and now preparing for our trip to Florida to visit Mom and Jerry.

Even though 2020 was a strange year and full of uncertainty, our business grew leaps and bounds!  I believe stitching was a comfort for many during the pandemic. Not to mention retail therapy is a real thing! I mean who doesn’t love getting something new delivered to their home? Kevin and I are grateful to everyone who supported our business by purchasing our patterns.

We not only kept busy shipping orders but we did several things to improve our business.

1. In March after the Nashville market, we rented a dumpster and purged the other side of the studio to make room for the pattern business.
2. Kevin hired someone to insulate & finish the workshop side of the studio which was being used for storage since 2001.
3. A window put in (there was no natural light on that side)
4. New entry door…I’d wanted one for YEARS….the old one was ugly and had rust on it.
5. Several trees removed around the studio.
6. A new roof and eavestroughs.
7. Kevin moved all the patterns to the other side of the studio which is way more efficient for packing and shipping orders. There’s also room to have more inventory.
8. Kevin was laid off in July and is now retired from the sheet metal building trades and is working full time helping me run the business. Kevin’s responsibilities include building inventory, pulling, processing and shipping orders which has freed up 1-4 hours a day for me.
9. I released a total of 104 charts and patterns in 2020!!

Plans moving forward for 2021 are as follows:

1. Whimsy365 – about 4 years ago I challenged myself to do a sketch every day for a year. I’m still pulling from those sketches to create art, punchneedle and cross stitch designs. Well, I decided to challenge myself to do it again in 2021.
2. Now that Mr Whims has taken over the processing and shipping orders, it will allow me more time to create art and tutorials.
3. Create LARGE paintings and sell them.
4. We plan to have a pattern release the end of Jan/first of Feb, March, May, July and September. We are flirting with the idea of having a small release each month from July thru December…..we’ll see.

That’s it for this week. When we return from Florida, we’ll get back on a weekly Flosstube schedule.

Wishing you a healthy, happy and safe 2021!

Blessings,

Teresa

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