Almost at the end of February. Where, oh where, have the last two months gone?
As mentioned in my last blog, I acquired ‘The Little Kit Company’
from my friend, Liz, at the beginning of last year.
from my friend, Liz, at the beginning of last year.
For 20 years Liz created the needlework charts from hand-drawn ones
by Maree Garstang of Masterton and stitched models,
wrote instructions for the designs and packaged these designs and instructions
with fabric, threads and needle and sold the little kits throughout New Zealand
at craft shows, to craft retailers, to museums and to city information centres.
by Maree Garstang of Masterton and stitched models,
wrote instructions for the designs and packaged these designs and instructions
with fabric, threads and needle and sold the little kits throughout New Zealand
at craft shows, to craft retailers, to museums and to city information centres.
Also as mentioned in my last blog,
all designs feature NZ birds, scenes and icons
and all are ONLY available as kits
and are to be made as either bookmarks or framed pieces.
All designs are now on my website - www.barberryrow.com/barberryrow.html
Three designs
Aotearoa Kiwi
Pohutukawa & Kowhai
Wellington
I’ve also created a dedicated Facebook page for them - www.facebook.com/littlekitcompany
and I would appreciate it if you would “LIKE” it.
And too, I’ve opened an Etsy shop - www.etsy.com/shop/thelittlekitco
although only the bookmarks are listed in it as yet.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Etsy - it is a site where crafts people who design,
make, and/or manufacture their own items can sell their products.
Each shop has a shopping cart and there are several payment choices.
I have to confess that prices in my shop are a little more expensive - only slightly -
as the website host charges a percentage fee.
Below is a list of some kits currently available from ‘The Little Kit Company’
SCENES: All Scenes: $ 19.50 each
Art Deco Napier Auckland Christchurch Dockside Café Dunedin
Farming Down Under High Country Hut Lake Taupo Lake Tekapo
Lake Whakatipu Map of NZ Marine Parade Napier
Mount Cook Pioneer Cottage Pohutukawa Tree Taranaki Farmland Wellington
BOOKMARKS: All Bookmarks: $ 17.50 each
Houhere (Lacebark) Kia Ora Kiwi Kokako Manuka
Mount Cook Lily NZ Kiwis Pohutukawa & Kowahi Red Billed Gull Sheep
Sheep Dog Takahe Tuatara Yellow Eyed Penguin
Traditional - Carving : Kiwi : Poi : Tiki
MISCELLANEOUS: These designs : $ 19.50 each
To view other designs - check these out on the website or Facebook
The most popular design is : Bookmark - Red Poppy. $ 22.50
I have added a couple of pages to the kit.
One page relates the history of the creation of ANZAC day
and Canadian medical officer, Colonel John McCrea’s
poem about the poppies he saw in Flanders’ Fields, France in WWI
and the second page relates how the red poppy was first created
as a symbol of remembrance by American teacher,
Miss Moina Belle Michael.
One page relates the history of the creation of ANZAC day
and Canadian medical officer, Colonel John McCrea’s
poem about the poppies he saw in Flanders’ Fields, France in WWI
and the second page relates how the red poppy was first created
as a symbol of remembrance by American teacher,
Miss Moina Belle Michael.
Also included with the design, fabric, threads, needle, instructions and poppy information
is an artificial red poppy.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this design is donated
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this design is donated
to the NZ Returned and Services' Association.
Unfortunately the computer charting programme that Liz was using in her computer
was not compatible with my system and so I’ve not been able to ‘download’
the charts and instructions into my computer.
Consequently I am having to “redo” them - one by one. To date completed ten - lots more to do!
As for “kitting” the designs - each design has a “recipe” sheet -
that is, a list of all the contents to be in a particular kit.
I have a special board that has thread lengths marked on it for measuring of the threads.
When I cut threads for a kit, I actually cut 25 sets at one time so that I always have stocks on hand.
So too, with the pieces of fabric for the scene designs and the banding fabric for the bookmarks.
I cut several at one time so that there is always stocks ready cut on hand.
Cutting of all the thread lengths and the fabric pieces takes quite a lot of time,
and then there is -
1. the printing and folding of the design chart & instructions
2. the adherence of the design photo to the inner packaging
3. the folding of the inner packaging
4. the assembly of all the kit items
5. placing all assembled items into the inner packaging
6. and finally, everything being put into the outer plastic or cello bag packaging.
Below is a pic of my ‘LKC’ cupboard -
Shelf one & two - boxes containing small cones of threads : 18 - 20 cones per box
Shelf three - box of small cones, box containing separate thread packages for all bookmarks,
box containing separate thread packages for all scenes & misc designs, packaging bags
Shelf four - cream printed packaging, extra rolls of banding fabric
Shelf five - black printed packaging, box of photos for all bookmark designs,
box of photos for all scene & miscellaneous designs, trays contain cut fabrics, needles, glue
templates for folding instruction & chart sheets, etc
Shelves six, seven & eight - large cones of threads : 5 deep
Shelf nine & ten - more large thread cones, spare boxed threads,
excess small & large thread cones & pre-folded ‘Red Poppy’ information sheets.
I hope you have gained a little insight into the process of creating a kit.
That’s all for this time.
Bye for now.
