Checker Newsletter

The last time I wrote, I was on my way to the last day of Market – what a blur!  Everyone is multi-tasking.  Remember, we are there first and foremost to serve our customers.  But, to do that, the buyers also have to seek out the latest and the greatest and add those items to the Checker inventory.  And the sales reps have to learn how to use those products so they can show the customers who don’t make it to market how they work.

The vendors that we already have accounts with are continually delivering new products and fabrics to the booth.  Therefore, the inventory changes daily throughout Market.  You can’t attend Market without coming away with a whole new appreciation for our industry.

As far as trends….children’s clothing and aprons were everywhere!  I just became a grandmother so I can’t wait to get my hands on these new patterns – they are cute, fun and trendy.  Sewing for children is fun – after all, they never ask “do these pants make my butt look big!” 

Trendy and stylish aprons – including ones for children – were everywhere.  Consider having a class when all of those new Christmas fabrics arrive.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful to make your entire family matching aprons when you get together to make Christmas cookies this year?  And, if you don’t have that tradition – why not start it?  Talk about a Kodak moment!!

Machine quilting is also big!  Technology has caught up with the needs of the industry.  Quilting machines have now become affordable and the sewing machine companies have come out with models that make it possible for the home quilter to achieve professional results.  Books, videos, and threads were everywhere.  Patsy Thompson even did a commercial for her new quilting video in our booth.  She has just released some patterns for machine quilting – revolutionary!

Remember, our After Market Show is Friday, May 30th.  Our entire booth will be set up in the warehouse.  Rita will be demoing all of the new Creative Grid rulers – all eight of them.  We were thrilled that they were the talk of Market and will be featured as THE new gadget in some magazines in the near future.

And, I will be demonstrating my Pieced Applique technique.  We will also be demonstrating our new program with EQ6 where you can download entire collections of fabrics from our website into your own EQ6. 

The buyers also cleared out all kinds of inventory to make room for the new so take advantage of this opportunity.  There are literally thousands of discounted patterns and books to choose from – perfect for those of you who are getting ready for shop hops this summer.  And, don’t forget to look in the Fabric Frenzy – Brad has been really busy.  And, lunch is served – so stop by for a visit!  You’ll be glad you did.  But, remember, this is a wholesale show – you can only attend if you have an account with Checker!

Or, join us at the TNNA show in Columbus June 7th – 9th.  This is The National NeedleArt’s show that happens to be in our backyard.  Please check on-line  at www.tnna.org  to pre-register.  This is also a wholesale show with over 300 vendors.  If you are considering adding the needlearts to your shop, this is the place to be! 

Enjoy the slide show – if you hover your cursor over the picture, the descriptions will be displayed.  Remember – many of these are new items and have not yet been entered into our system.  And, many of the new items were entered before we got to market.  Check the new products entered since April 1st to get a more realistic view of all of the new products.  But check back often.  We are adding new items and vendors literally every day – and will be for the next couple of months.  Don’t miss out on anything!

Enjoy the slide show………