About this project
$8,117
125
Thank you for all your support!
We are ready to start our business and REVOLUTIONIZE this art form!
Even after this Kickstarter campaign ends on Dec. 17th, 2013 you can find us and see all the new kits we come up with at www.chaoticstitches.com
Social trends are immediately turned into kits. Chaotic Stitches is the first cool cross-stitch kit that can stay cutting-edge by capturing trending #hashtags and social cues. Our design system and manufacturing channels make today's hot topic into tomorrow's kit.
Our Story
After cross-stitching for years, we finally got tired of having to choose from a selection of boring patterns. So, we decided to design our own patterns and kits that are more trendy and edgy! We want to make cross-stitching cool and show you it is not just for your grandma. (BTW, we love granny. Just not her patterns with cottages and flowers.)
Cross-stitching is a fun way to express yourself through a unique form of art. It doesn't have to be boring. Our kits give you the opportunity to get in tune with your crafty side and express yourself in a new medium.
Chaotic Stitches Cross-Stitch Kits
Our kits include everything you'll need to cross-stitch. We provide you with the cloth, needle, thread, hoop, pattern and instructions! They are cool enough to give as a gift or hang on your wall. Oh, and super easy to make. We have 3 company phases planned (see below).
We are always coming up with new ideas and patterns based on what we find on the Internet. Hashtags "#" are very popular these days and we are in tune with your favorite hashtags and turning them into cross-stitch patterns!
UPDATES
Very excited that USA TODAY picked up on our story
close-up detail of our "&" finished cross-sitch
We loved making this Kickstarter K pattern. Thanks to everyone who is supporting us on Kickstarter. It is really cool to know you are out there.
Rewards
The 24 Kit Choices
This is the most exciting part. We LOVE making edgy patterns. Some are hilarious. We design each pattern using only one color of thread for the kit. We like the look of one color. It's simple. The 5x7" kits come with white, black or green backgrounds.
Kickstarter exclusive mini-kit.
One of the rewards, our Kickstarter Special, is a Kickstarter "K" kit. You will get the pattern, instructions, thread, needle, and cloth. This kit is the perfect size for your desk or wall.
*NEW KIT* Reward! FOCUS CAMERA
Our FIRST 8x10" kit
Includes instructions, cloth, 5" hoop, thread, and needle.
About Us
Vivi, 22, is a college student studying graphic design. Julia, 15, is a honor scholarship winner who wants to study Forensics. She is also a certified rescue scuba diver. Nico, 13, has studied Java and App development via Internal Drive courses at the University of Miami. Our team knows the reality of working hard and getting the bases covered. We are ready to make this happen. #GetSh&tDone
We have a great mentor, Ericka Basile. She founded a successful craft kit company in 2000. The company, Easy Quilt Kits, employed 11 people, had 27 product lines with distribution in the US and Japan. It was sold in 2002. Ericka is also a resident scout for Good Morning America. She will advise our Chaotic Stitches team on how to scale for mass production. When Vivi said she wanted to start a cross-stitch kit company with Julia and Nico, it all started coming together.
Ericka can introduce us to amazing places to sell our product. The coolest part of our learning was when we went to hear Ericka speak in NY at Maker Faire this year and the topic was on Post-Crowdfunding Conundrum: Where Do We Go From Here? You can read about it in the Maker Pro Newsletter. So, we've been really listening to advice on how companies succeed after they raise funds on Kickstarter.
The world is ready for us to show them what we can do. We need you. We have to prove ourselves.
Our passion is creating the designs and making them into kits. Our energy and vibe is "Chaotic".
Why we will succeed
This campaign is very exciting and we are on pins and needles hoping you will help us make this dream a reality. We are prepared. Our secret sauce is that we are a team with the same demographics as our customer base. We totally 'get it' and know what is on trend at this very moment. We can make patterns fast; when new ideas in our society pop-up we are ready to jump and make the ideas into kits.
We've been working on this for about 4 months. We attended a crowdfunding course last month and it solidified our passion. We were the only 'kids' there. Amongst all the crowdfunding teams with amazing app ideas and hardware gadget start-ups, our team was given the most praise for delivering concrete goals. That felt good.
So... What is cross-stitching?
It is seriously just making x's with thread on fabric. We give you the fabric, thread and needle. You use the hoop to hold the fabric. (or you can do it without the hoop). You push the needle into the fabric (it has holes in it) and then push it back out, making little x's.
What do you do with the finished product?
You can buy a frame and hang it up, or leave it in the hoop and use that as a frame. Some people just like to pin it, unframed, to their wall.
What we will use the funds for?
The funds raised in this Kickstarter campaign will allow us to order raw materials and professional packaging so we can prove we are in this business for real. As soon as we see a new trend or #hashtag we can jump on it.
Our Production Plans
Phase I: Prototype Phase Right now we make the kits at the hobbyist level. We buy the materials at major craft stores at the full retail price, we print the kit instructions on our home inkjet printer, and we assemble and ship the kits ourselves. The kits are packaged in clear poly-bags purchased from U-Line.
Phase II: Wholesale supplies We want to create the best customer experience - this means we have to keep the quality of the kit components high. If people want to give the kits as gifts then they need to look really good. We want to offer the best thread, cloth and professional packaging. We need to buy our raw materials at wholesale prices instead of retail prices (ex: at Michael's or Joann Fabrics).
We can not buy the kit parts from wholesalers because they make us buy the raw materials (thread, cloth, needles) at high volume minimums. That is why we needs funds. We want to have all the kit components prepped in assembly lines. Then we will just add the pattern and ship them. We have already scouted raw material wholesale sources and delivery times. We have found retail professional packaging with hang tags.
Phase III : Expand product line and fulfillment channels We will roll-out new patterns as fast as we see the trends. Before we get aggressive with new patterns, we want our back-end (our supply chain, order fulfillment, etc.) nailed down so we can concentrate on what makes Chaotic Stitches awesome; creating new designs all the time. Hashtags "#" and trends move at the speed of light. We need to, as well.
We want to change the world and this means getting our products out fast so we stay current. Our advisory team has big-box store connections and we can sell kits to these national accounts. We just need the funds! Please help us.
Thanks for everything!
Yours truly,
Chaotic Stitches Team
Thank you everyone!!!
Risks and challenges
We've got this.
This is serious for us and we have tried to take all of the risk out of this project.
The biggest factor that would slow us down is cutting the fabric for the kits. We can handle about 200 kits a week right now. If the campaign starts to explode we will bring in temp help and increase to 800 kits a week. We have rotary blades and cutting mats ready to get the orders out. We can cut through 4 layers of fabric, so our production output can move fast. Long term we plan to buy the fabric pre-cut from wholesale resources. Then our output will be screaming fast.
We will be monitoring pledges and create a new tier if it gets to a point where we can not guarantee delivery.
Thanks so much ahead of time for reading this. Please back us and tell your friends!
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Funding period
- (28 days)