Industry News

Pati Palmer garners Consumer Trends Award for DIYStyle.net, a sewing Web site & vodcast

Business owner Pati Palmer, CEO of Palmer/Pletsch Publishing, has recently received the Trends in Action corporate award from Consumer Trends Forum International (CTFI), for being a consultant on the creation and development of the Web site and vodcast (video-on-demand) DIYStyle.net, which was established by Cindy Cummins, owner, creator and developer. CTFI, a non-profit organization that provides global trend information and resources to professionals, presents the Trends in Action award annually to individuals who turned a trend into action at their workplace or in the community. Palmer is one of two individuals who received the award this year.

DIYStyle.net was launched in 2007 and is a weekly vodcast for the online community targeted at the “upbeat, fashion forward” young woman. Each vodcast is a magazine-format program featuring segments on sewing, design and crafting and can be viewed on either the home computer or iPod. The CTFI award judges described Palmer’s entry as “new, different, unique, creative, trendy and out of the box.”

Palmer and her daughter, Melissa Watson, became involved in the launch of the DIY Web site created by Cummins after Melissa and her partner Allyce King, both college students, began developing a book related to the television reality show Project Runway. The accompanying Web site includes a blog, project pages, “superfast sewing tips,” and the vodcasts. Allyce is Cindy Cummins’ daughter.

Another key element of DIYStyle.net is the company’s partnership with The McCall Pattern Company, a major sponsor of the vodcast that signed Palmer’s daughter and her partner to design a DIYStyle line of patterns to debut in April 2008. After the vodcast went live, it generated 5,000 hits in the first week.

“The combination of the DIYStyle.net Web site and vodcast offered us a great way to reach our target market of young sewers,” Palmer said. “This is an industry of passionate individuals and DIYStyle gives them the opportunity to reach out to other sewing enthusiasts and share information.”

Reprinted from SQE Professional, June 2008