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Preparations: Supply List & Kits

Preparation materials supply lists and kids okay, so these air to these are really important aspect of a craft class obviously you know you have a lot of supplies that are involved generally ok, so we're going to we're going to just dive into this uh right now so supply lists are lists of materials for students to bring with them now this is a really good way of cutting down on what you are going to need to bring for your students ok and for example for quilting we have we generally have a big supply list ok um they're usually included for example in the class description sometimes if if you know if I'm teaching at a conference they'll include the supply list in their brochure even before the students register so you know what this supply list is going to be okay, so this is something you're gonna think about early on in your you know, planning stages this isn't necessarily something that happens right before your class this is something that you are going to develop when you are worki...

ng out with the venue and agreeing upon teaching there okay um you want you really want to make sure you avoid telling your students to bring items that you're not going to use okay, so you really need to think pretty carefully about what is going to be included in your supply list I'll give you a few examples in a minute and you want to make sure you bring a copy of the of your supply list is kind of like a side note, but you want to make sure you bring a copy of what you've asked them t bring just to kind of confirmed like you don't want to get into a situation where the student says well, you told me to bring this and you're like I don't remember told telling you to bring this and so you want tohave you know, prove not to like proof somebody wrong but just to kind of check on dh sometimes when you've handed your supply list over to the venue and they reprinted there's oftentimes there are some discrepancies that happened okay, so you're goingto make sure you want to bring what your original supply list wass and then think about it this way you're the venue especially if it's a shop like we mentioned an art supply shop giving a class in in our supply shop even better if if if the student is going to be able to purchase the supplies at the venue right that's obviously one of the big reasons why shop owners want tohave classes right so that they get those students toe purchase at their shop but of course they don't have tio right that's the that's the idea is that it's not like you have to buy them there you can buy them elsewhere if you want ok so here's a sample supply list this is a supply list for that same class that I gave in the technique based um lesson plans sample that's in the bonus the materials with when you when you are spp so this is very detailed ok so but this is kind of what I'm talking about so I you know depending on if I'm teaching in a classroom has already got sewing machines you want to make sure that either the venues of providing me a sewing machine or that the students bringing their own sewing machine ok and this is all connected like these first four for example if I'm teaching in a in a room that the machines are being supplied a lot of times the conferences will you know sponsors will sponsor a classroom of sewing machines they'll provide all of this for you okay but otherwise if you're teaching guild or teaching you know you've rented out a library space and you're having your students bring their own sewing machines they need to you need to make sure that each student is going to bring these four things this one obviously is optional and if it's something that is optional you want to make sure it's very clear that it's optional they're going to need to bring fifty safety pins that air size one sewing machine needles of a variety ten twelve inch squares muslin eight twelve inch squares, cotton and cotton or will bled sorry this is the batting so cotton cotton blend or will that it doesn't matter and then cotton thread rubber gloves which is funny and this is why there's a disclaimer because people are like why do I rubber gloves to a sewing glass? Okay, you use fingertips for control in free motion okay? And basic selling supplies this is there snips ok, so that is it needs to be very specific, okay? And we'll get to later we talk about kids as to why certain things I'm asking them to bring and why don't I provide certain things for them and that's something that you're going to want to work out on your own and you'll you'll sort of know if you're teaching a class for example like classes that christine would teach she probably her supply list is probably not very long if not not that you might not have one okay although don't quote me on that but if there's a situation where um where there's quilting involved we generally generally quilters ask for a longer supply list ok, so it's very craft specific um and now kids so this is I think this is going to be a little bit more applicable to more more people so kit way love kids a kid isn't prepared packet or bag with all of the materials student the student we need to make the project within reason so I have given kits and supply lists concurrently so just because there's a kid doesn't mean that there's you know I'm still not I'm still asking the students to bring certain things but I still might give them a kid very common for project based classes students love kids I mean who wouldn't love having this like beautifully presented thing in front of them waiting for them and that their table place ready to go right it's a very nice way to be welcomed as a student okay for us that could be a lot of work. Okay, so that's something you got you want to keep in mind that could be a lot of work and there's there's depending on your venue there's going to be a kit cost now you might work that out with the venue it might be included in the students the price of the students pay for the class that then then will be part of what you what you make or um like for example a clipping conference you might take money from each student you might and they will know that going in be like there's a ten dollars kit fee and then when they come into class they give you ten dollars and you give them their kid okay but some venues they're not going to be too that they discouraged that or that it's not a comfortable thing or they don't want that happening and so you just have to know going into it and work that out with the venue as you're kind of negotiating say I'm gonna have a kid and it's going to be ten dollars per person. How do you want me to go about getting that? Do you want that worked into my fee that I'll get? Or do you want me to actually take that money from from my students? Ok, so here's a sample kit now, it's funny cause I I using I'm using an embroideries I'm an embroidery kit sample on so you can tell me if you agree with what I came up with for an embroidery kit so far an embroidery sampler class the kit could include printed instructions, a needle, a small amount of fred square of fabric and maybe an embroidery about it right? And, you know, this could be very this is a great opportunity for brand specific thing, so you're printed instruction booklet or she could be really you could get you could invest some money and getting it printed out nicely with your logo and with your you know, like you could really and it and it looks it looks good, okay, but that's that's, of course, entirely up to you and the way that u percent the needle, for example, you could cut it, cut out a pretty piece of fabric and stick the needle into that fabric could have it part of the kit khun wrap the threat up nicely. Okay, so it's kind of all about the presentation if if that's important to you I think it's a nice touch um so other any questions about kits and supply kit supply lists so far, capitol comment that I often try to get sponsors for some of those pieces because I can block about them but if you don't really have a way to pay them back through right publicity it there's no right in asking a supposed would you be comfortable sharing like how that how that process works has worked for you in the past? Like how do you go about getting those sponsors? I go looking for them so I decide what product let's say in your list I might want, um the fabric so and let's say I want to do a printed patterned fabric so I might contact first of all, I try to locate who's in charge of marketing for that company or if it's a smaller fabric company or you know, if you're nothing industry, you can kind of figure out who to contact even if it's just the social even if you just go on instagram and tryto go in the back way so you just wanna have a contact and you just write up a little proposal this is what I'm doing this is where I'm going this is what the demographic is who's going to be receiving this how money I'm going to dio I'm looking for fifty sets of two fat quarters each or something like that and is there are you interested in sponsoring an exchange what I can do for you is you know I'll have your logo in the kid I'll have information to an entire right up on my block so you get an entire feature you know depending on how big that thing is or how much I feel I want to pay them forward they may end up with an ad on my blawg for bigger things so sometimes an example was I was doing a paper craft on guy wanted tio make a very blinking so I got a button company who does a lot of bling buttons was very happy to supply all the buttons and they get a really nice feature and everybody knows that they now have bling buttons so is this just rolled you know was good for them good for me that's really thank you for sharing you kind of have to have a sort of a social presence in order to make it worth their while so they wouldn't necessarily do it just for the asking they have to they have to receive something either everybody getting the kit is a blogger you know and they're probably going toe you know, really social what they received or you are and you have an audience that or you can help their ceo just by writing about it you know, that's a really good point it does it does help to have you have to like we were talking about before I have to do the work for them, you know, you have to convince them why why it would be good for them to get the media's scott like sixty dollars worth of bling button so we're only had like twelve but that's what they sometimes they're so happy to do it if I just want to be asked and how far in advance would you say do you need to start that contact in order to kind of depends on what it is or what the connection is there having the company is but maybe a month at least. Okay, yeah, that is great. Thank you for sharing that. I'm sure our audience is happy is has taken note of that that's good. Really good to get a sponsor for material um do we have any questions online? Lily? Yes. Great. So curious. So I was wondering how important is providing class materials for the class for their reference or for note taking or is it only about is it just about doing the exercise um that's a it's a really good point I think that people appreciate having something printed to take away with them even if it's not the whole like you don't have to tell them every like everything doesn't have to be excruciatingly detailed but it is nice to give them something to take away with in case they want tio continue the work at home, etcetera so I was suggest giving them something written although as long as you make yourself available by giving them your email or something like that that bill so that they know they can contact you if they do have any questions that's also a good way of it's all about making sure that they know what to do when they when they leave your class or at least know how to get in touch with you if they have a question great, right? You guys have any questions here so far supply list just I know a lot of I have I don't do this much, but I know a lot of people who will make a lot of additional kits and sell those at the venue because people want to take another one home and teach the friend or that's a great that's a great idea yeah and and that's something that can be worked into eventually if like for example, if you wantto end up selling your pattern like kate for your spandex um, you know, like, you could eventually sell that pattern. And so it could be worked into the students in your class. Get the pattern. But then you could have some more, um, to sell for other people, either at the venue of the store. And that could be a great way of starting out with a pattern design.