Kongo Gumi & Bead Placement – In a “conversation in the Kumihimo Braiders International group, especially having to do with how not knowing the “language” of braiding leads to stunting the growth for new braiders.

For the curious, it had to do with the somewhat confusing use of warps when referring to the material placed in each slot of the MobiDai (Disk). Much can be attributed to the rather short history of Japanese braiding in the US. For a very long time mot involved were a part of the weaving community and so those attempting to educate us used some weaving terms because it might have been hopeless to teach us Japanese.

But what happens when you want to move on, or that blinding flash of the obvious moment when you realize there is so much more to be discovered and you lack the basic in language and skills to advance. This was the thought shared in KBI – so much is missed by those who come into the craft without access to the basics.

It is fine if folks, particularly the “Bead People” are satisfied with only using one of the many basic braids, the Spiraling 8-strand Kongo Gumi braid to make a cord or in many cases an embellished cord. However I sincerely wish those who teach would make it clear that they are only talking about a single braid of the thousands possible.

One of the reasons I started braiding was related to glass, beads, fused, diachronic, – pretty much all that glitters. The ability to coordinate or complement the colors in the glass using the rich sheen of rayon threads (still can’t afford silk) was pretty much irresistible.

After some conversation in the Kumihimo Braiders International, there was a consensus that, for English, we should use the term “Element” – whether a single strand or a gathering of multiple threads – We agreed that Naomi Speiser’s Manual of Braiding was likely the best resource for “details”

So what does this have to do with Bead Placement. Once I got my mind to move past how to “change” the Beaders use of a term that did not really help them in the long run, it got easier.

One member of the bead cord oriented FB Kumihimo group asked about a way to plan bead placement so she could design a beaded cord “her way”. Another mentioned wanting to begin moving on past the simplest structure (yes, I know there are four element braids, but they are often more difficult than you might think)

In my never humble opinion, the next step “ought” to be
http://itsalljuststring.com/books-etc-5/braid-publcations-502/
Shirley Berlin’s RED Kumihimo On A Card Booklet

Perhaps the most important thing this course of study will do is to enable you step back and realize that Braids can be utterly wonderful in their own right OR are an excellent vehicle to enhance a focal piece of beadwork.

Next it moves you on to the 16 Strand version of Kongo, AND has the color placement for 18 different color combinations. Not to mention lots of other useful information. Using inexpensive cotton YARNandTHREAD it is easy to make samples that can then be “translated” for pre-stringing beads onto your elements to create beaded areas on your braid (or if you must, entirely bead braids.)

Then WHAM before you know it, you will be looking at the samples and illustrations the “other three” best books for use with Disk and Plate wondering why it took so long to get here. Especially once you see the possibilities of the shaped braids like ZigZags, circles, ovals and loops found in CTB: Disk & Plate

P.S. I need to make some revisions for the 16 Element version – mean while you may find the
8 and 16 Element Kongo Gumi Record Sheets and “coloring page” aka/Record Sheet helpful in starting the process.

This one of the two parts where I where I allow myself to use more emotion than fact about the business viability of craft. Hereafter, it is about business and as such, as objective as possible

REMEMBER ONLY YOU can properly and completely perform the necessary due diligence to determine your costs – this article, like all on this blog, are a starting point, not the last word by any means. While I hope it is worth more, its value is exactly the same as what you paid for it – no dollars.

Although there are others, including the stress of deadlines, the uncertainly during off season (selling yarn from April to July can be pretty scary in terms of regular cash flow)

The largest consideration you will want to at least consider is taking something you love and making it a JOB.

Every says if you have a job doing something you love, then it is never work.

But that only works when you have someone else to do all the NOT FUN stuff mention in Pts 1,2, and 3.

When you have ALL the responsibility plus the laundry, the kids, the pets and every aspect of everyday life, the non-creative part of business and regrettably often the part that takes the most of your time for the least amount of joy – can suck the joy out of the creative aspects.

If you do not accept anything else I suggest and are determined to go for it anyway no matter how illogical cold analysis says otherwise,

Please don’t get yourself so far in financially that you cannot say “the heck with this other stuff” and go back to enjoying what you love. This means building inventory and supplies over time not getting into huge financial debt.

Up to you, but this series is going to be a work in progress for a very long time. REMEMBER ONLY YOU can properly and completely perform the necessary due diligence to determine your costs – this article, like all on this blog, are a starting point, not the last word by any means. While I hope it is worth more, its value is exactly the same as what you paid for it – no dollars.

Among the perennial questions in just about any group where people also sell their finished projects the question of pricing will not only come up but it will be brought up on a rather regular basis.

You may not be surprised to find I have some strong – some have said harsh opinions. My answer is usually if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. The reality of the business world and certainly the competition for “disposable income” in any economic time, much less one where folks are worried about paying their mortgage or buying food or medications or clothing their family do not make it less harsh.

Unless you have a patron – perhaps a spousal unit or even a day job – that covers your cost of living. If you want the life of an artist, best you start by understanding you may have to make some life style choices.

Because unless you are very very lucky, not only unique but manage to be discovered – the road to success is long and hard and increasingly paved with people who can afford goal number one so will be giving away what they do.

It was not until the first time the sale of my art made the difference between eating or not were beaded earrings outside a Dead concert. The reality of that experience along with realizing that my pricing meant I could not afford to buy the materials to make more, made the bus ticket home look like a very attractive alternative even if the job and the life waiting there were a lot less interesting. So the sooner you get smart about pricing, the better of you will be.

You can not price your work without answering as honestly as possible (and it took me a LONG time to be able to do this) WHAT IS YOUR GOAL?

Do you want/need the ego boost of calling yourself an “artist”?
Do you want/need to make “pin money” so you can buy more materials to continue your “art”?
Do you want/need to contribute to your support or that of your family?

Next up… Costing

Danger Budding Artist – My opinions have been deemed Harsh by people who take everything personal.
REMEMBER ONLY YOU can properly and completely perform the necessary due diligence to determine your costs – this article, like all on this blog, are a starting point, not the last word by any means. While I hope it is worth more, its value is exactly the same as what you paid for it – no dollars.

Maybe it was the reality of that first lemonade stand, the one where my Dad fronted the money for the first day of ingredients and agreed not to charge us rent for space at the foot of the driveway which happened to be a very busy bus stop (we were 5, 7 and 11) but it never ceases to amaze me how many costs those selling their work will over look.

I think it was Ben Franklin who paraphrased an older English proverb,
Look after your pennies and nickels
and your dollars will look after themselves
But is an excellent thing to remember when you are costing out what you will sell.

here are some of the pennies over looked. It might be useful to know the reference to my formula are for “things I have done before”. New Product development is different.

You bought a bag of 10 charms for $10 – so the cost per charm is $1 right?
Did you drive to a local store? Our closest store is about fifty cents worth of gas round trip
and since it was local and not delivered to our place of business, and was under $200
I would have to add the 65 cents sales tax.
Ordered On Line? so no tax or transport, well what about the cost of shipping?

My personal formula is an additional 15-20% for “obtaining” the materials. This averages out to cover lots of overlooked overhead related to building studio (as opposed to store) inventory. It has worked out over the years to cover, internet ACCESS ONLY, shipping, reorder, utlities and most if not all of the pennies and nickels.

Selling On Line?
Domain Name(s) and Web Hosting, fees charged by Etsy or Ebay, AND OUR TIME TO POST THE PRODUCTS.

PAYMENT PROCESSING: PayPal, etc and of course Discover/Visa/MasterCard all want their share aka/Discount
Depending on volume of sales, there may also be monthly fees involved and dear God, I sincerely hope you bought your equipment not leased it. This is really the last step, because most fees or as I call it, vigorish, is based on a percentage of the total sale (and don’t forget that when PayPal, Discover/Visa/MasterCard OR YOUR BANK CHECK FEES – they are also taking a piece of the cost of Postage)

DELIVERY/SHIPPING/HANDLING – The cost of packing materials, labels, printer ink for invoices, boxes or bags to ship in – Once again don’t forget to include the cost of the percentage/discount/fee/vig collected by PayPal etc when you are paid other than cash in your hand.

Rent/Table or Booth Fees – Local Craft Shows, farmers market or even “big events”
Business use of your home. We have areas within out home that are strictly limited to our business. The costs related to that space are tracked for both costing and tax purposes. Since we tracked show sales on an event by event basis, it was easier to know what the cost and the ROI was/is on each event. Sometimes depressing post event when you face the reality, but helpful in knowing “if we should go back” once the honeymoon repeats are over.

Government Fees Paper Work. It wastes several hours of my time each month to keep and summarize the records required by local, state and federal government – Your business license, record keeping for sales tax and other tax purposes are all part of the cost of doing business.

INVENTORY: Did you buy those charms using a credit card? well until they are sold, they are either costing you interest on your charge card or “cost of money” that might have been earning interest no matter how nominal in a savings or brokerage account.

IN all of the above, the only consideration of your time was in what it costs to do all the not creative business – things often euphemistically called “over head” – these are all EXPENSES and in the art/hand crafted world have not produced a single item you can sell.

Whether you are a master in your craft or just starting out, there is a good chance that all of the above are pretty much the same.

Where it gets different is Part 3 The valuation of your time.

P.S. We were allowed to “charge” (guaranteed by my Dad to the corner grocery) the cost of the lemonade ingredients each day, but had to go back to the store and pay the bill every day or no credit for the next day. Half of the profits “went into the bank” and the balance was split 3 ways. Although my older brother only did the going to the store twice a day, he got a full share because my younger brother and I were not allowed to cross the street so he made a vital contribution. An interesting lesson in valuing the service provided in a bigger picture.

Still a work in progress and one of the parts where most people tend to get most offended.
REMEMBER ONLY YOU can properly and completely perform the necessary due diligence to determine your costs – this article, like all on this blog, are a starting point, not the last word by any means. While I hope it is worth more, its value is exactly the same as what you paid for it – no dollars.

So if you did not start the day in your grown up panties and will tend to take this all too personally, probably best to leave now.

If you are NOT selling a finished item, but perhaps just a work for hire where the customer chooses the pattern and materials, you will need to add the price of the pattern AND that pattern should be delivered to the customer. Whether you choose to do this out of respect for the work of the designer whose shoulders you are standing on even if they are your own – both deserve the few pennies of profit that will be derived from your legal use of their product – the pattern without which you could not perform the service.

Please also be sure BEFORE you buy a pattern, that the pattern author has granted you permission to use it for the derivative function of a work for hire. You might also want to confirm that “free” patterns are also free for use in work for hire situations – some are free for personal use, but the pattern author

If you are so selfish as to be okay with stealing the work of another for your own profit, karma will catch up even if the person you choose to harm does not.