Melissa Leapman's Professional Development Summit for Designers

 Friday January 6 7:00-8:00 PM Eastern

Want to make your crafts biz failproof?

Flexibility, creative pivoting, and seeing the bigger picture are the keys to growing--and surviving--in our ever-changing industry.

Let the undeniable master visionary of the craft industry inspire you as we kick off our Professional Development Summit

Saturday January 7 9:30-11:00 AM  

 In a world full of blogs and content, you may often ask yourself if it is even possible to make money blogging anymore. 

Well, the answer is a resounding YES!

 In this class we will talk about how to define and find your voice (in a world where everyone seems to be shouting) and make your unique voice make money!  

Saturday January 7 9:30-11:00 AM

It can be challenging to find precisely the right yarn for a design. Select the wrong yarn and your work may never be discovered, and industry discontinued yarns can make your existing patterns obsolete.

In this 90-minute session, learn how to substitute yarn and fibers and how to leverage yarn choice to attract--and keep!-- your customers.

Don’t let yarn strangle your potential for success!

Saturday January 7 12:00 Noon-1:00 PM Eastern

Do you have endless articles, patterns, and other digital content that isn't being monetized to make you money 24/7? 

You're not the only one! Alexandra had over 2000 blog articles just sitting there earning tiny amounts of ad and affiliate income.

One night she had an epiphany and turned that dead content into an evergreen and endless source of monthly and future income.

Let her show you how to build your own seven figure blog and become the go-to expert in your own niche.

 Saturday January 7 12:00 Noon-1:00 PM Eastern

What if all the time and money you're spending on social media could become a longer term, more sustainable audience? Cue in the brand newsletter! 

Let's talk about the importance of newsletters and how to keep them interesting and useful for your most loyal--and valuable--customers.  

 Saturday January 7 2:00-4:00 PM Eastern

Want to publish that genius knitting pattern but overwhelmed by the many ways you could write it down? 

This session aims to teach you what you need to say, what you can leave out, and

how best to translate your creative knit designs to professional patterns instructions.

Note: This class does not cover knit design or pattern layout, but focuses on the language and formatting of a professional knitting pattern.

In class, you will learn the following:

• What information to include in a knitting pattern

• How to write for clarity and consistency

• How to edit and revise effectively

• How to develop your personal style and house style sheet

• How to work with a tech editor

• Software tips and tricks

 Saturday January 7 2:00-4:00 PM Eastern

You know what sells knitting patterns? Fabulous photos that stop the scrolling and create an immediate

“I WANT” reaction.

In this 2-hour workshop, professional knitwear photographer Gale Zucker will lead you through the full

process of producing, creating, and editing dynamic photographs for your knit and crochet designs. 

She’ll share tips and

techniques for using your smartphone to produce professional-looking imagery.

In the first part of the program, we’ll cover planning your photo shoot needs, choosing locations and

backgrounds, composition, lighting, choosing and working with models, and posing.

Our second hour will focus on the secret sauce that puts the zing into images: powerful photo editing. We’ll cover touch up magic that makes knitters stop, drop, and buy!

Saturday January 7 5:00-6:00 PM  

Does this sound familiar?

You work hard to create an innovative and interesting design. You hit publish on the pattern, and you hear crickets! That precious design you thought everyone would flock to, no one is buying. 

In this hour-long training, you’ll learn to: 

1) set a goal and get organized

2) find and create an audience of makers who are truly interested in your pattern even before its launch

 3) build excitement and talk about your design to connect with your audience without sounding (or feeing) salesy.

Get the step-by-step plan to build buzz and get your patterns into the hands of crocheters and knitters who need them!

Saturday January 7 5:00-6:00 PM Eastern

It can be challenging to predict how a beautiful hand dyed yarn will behave in a design or do in your new design, or to find companion colours to go with beloved skeins. 

In this class, Caroline Sommerfeld, the creative genius behind Ancient Arts Yarn, will demystify hand dyed skeins so that you’ll be able to identify how a yarn has been dyed, choose the right skeins and dye style for your planned design, and know how to put complex colours together to harmonize with each other. 

Tell your own story with the perfect yarn and colour! 

 Sunday January 8 9:30-11:00 AM Eastern

Selling online can be overwhelming. How do you choose where to sell? How do you decide where to invest your precious time? What platforms are “worth it”? (Short answer: THEY ALL ARE with the right tools!)

In this class, we will go over the variety of options for selling online, the pros & cons of having your own stand-alone e-commerce site, and what tools are out there to help you navigate online sales. 

With the tools you learn in this class, you will be able to increase sales, streamline your process, and grow!

 Sunday January 8 9:30-11:00 AM Eastern

Join beloved tech editor Kate Atherley for this intermediate level problem-solving session for designers who are tackling the big questions around garment size and grading.

Learn about strategies for deciding on a size range and how to ensure you’re using a good data source for measurements. 

We’ll also talk about how to translate body measurements to garment sizes and approaches for making the calculations. 

Bring your questions and have them answered by a pro! 

 Sunday January 8 12:00 Noon-1:00 PM Eastern

Understatement of the Year:  As designers, we live online.

Over the last couple of years, many online spaces such as Ravelry, Instagram, Payhip, and Facebook have made dramatic changes to their algorithms which has had a significant impact on all of us. 

As  a huge believer in everyone taking ownership of their own online real estate, Carol will teach you how to curate your own spaces and bring your people in to meet you on your terms. 

Sunday January 8 12:00 Noon-1:00 PM  

Adobe Illustrator is the premier software for graphic designers, but how can a knitting designer harness its power? 

This course will take you through the first steps to create professional quality knitting

charts with ease. Unlike knitting-specific software, Adobe Illustrator allows you to customize everything, meaning the sky is the limit for your unique designs!

 Learn shortcuts, tips and tricks

to take your charts from “meh” to “muah”!

In this session, you will learn:

• Perfect alignment and legibility

• Working with layers

• Stitch charts vs. color charts

• Shortcuts, tips, and tricks for working faster and easier

Prerequisites/skill level:

• Students must have access to Adobe Illustrator software

• Beginner level understanding of Adobe Illustrator (basic tools etc)

• Familiarity with knitting stitch and color charts

Sunday January 8 2:00-4:00 PM Eastern

 Facebook, Instagram, Google, web sites, print, oh my! 

Do you keep spending money on things to get the word out but feel overwhelmed and unsure what’s working or why?

 If so, this class is for you. 

We will talk about all things marketing to make your efforts more effective and to help you understand the results. 

This is an interactive lecture course, so bring your questions. 

Oz Barron has been in sales and marketing in multiple industries for more years than he cares to remember. From music and tech, and for the last 13+ years, with his lovely bride Kris, he's run the Ball & Skein, a full-service and very successful yarn shop in Cambria, California. 

No matter your focus, we all have so much to learn from him!

 Sunday January 8 2:00-4:00 PM Eastern

  So you've written a knitting pattern — or you know you want to ... now what?

In this lecture-style class, Amy Snell, AKA the Devious Knitter, will walk you step-by-step through the process of preparing your pattern for release and launching it into the world! 

We'll talk about resources and timelines, the roles of tech editors and test knitters  (plus how to find them and how to know if they're what you need), and best practices for layout and photography. 

Finally, we'll dive into the all-important sales process, including how to list on Ravelry, options for other sales platforms, and learn a bit about powerful marketing. 

Bring your ideas and your questions! 

 Saturday January 8 5:00-6:00 PM Eastern

When someone says "data" you probably think dreaded maths, but you won't need to know any pre-calc for this one.  

Alexandra has built two seven-figure businesses using the 'V' decision model to diversify her income streams.  

Let her show you some key metrics you might be missing from your own digital content. She will take you through an easy way to make data-driven decisions without allowing emotional issues (who, me?) get in the way. 

She will also share top tips for diversifying your income streams based on your own digital content, including her favorite tools to use for sustained growth. 

Finally, learn how to introduce physical products to your following, including methods that won't require you to ship every day!! 

 Saturday January 8 5:00-6:00 PM Eastern

Are you tired of only making sales when you release a new design? Do you want consistent and predictable pattern sales? Are you finally ready to get off the constantly-launching-new-patterns hamster wheel and boost your income? 

If you struggle with continuing to 

sell copies of your existing catalog and you are relying on constantly developing and launching new patterns, then this session is for you.

In this business-changing training, you'll learn how to:

1) talk about your past designs in fresh ways

2) create systems that bring in new customers consistently

and 3) leverage your existing catalog to increase your average cart value.

Stop thinking about selling one $5 pattern at a time. Ditch the constant launch cycle and start scaling your design business to generate recurring profits coming in every.single.day!