Archive for the ‘PiPN Student Reports 2009’ Category

I’m interning at Stitch Cleveland which is in Lakewood.  The commute is about an hour long and I can finally say that I’m used to the drive.  Of course the construction is a hassle but I think that’s one thing I’ll miss about the internship is the drive.  The first few days I was there, I pretty much got introduced to everything about the company.  How Stitch Cleveland came about, the backgrounds of my host, their passion, and what I could help bring to the company.

I have to say that I have the best hosts!  Right away they made me feel like I was at home and so comfortable.  It’s exciting to see how a small business can grow.  Their goal is to appeal to the younger crowd and get them interested in sewing, fashion, drawing and being creative.  I have to say that they have reached that goal.  I’ve never seen young adolescents be so drawn into sewing, crocheting and being creative, which is great because the younger crowd is the future.

My weeks there have been fun.  I’ve got to learn so much.  I’m a quiet person and they’ve helped me crack my shell by getting to know them and their cliental.  I’ve help assist a crochet class.  I have to say my favorite thing to do in the fiber arts field is crocheting.  I’m help making an Afghan sample for the shop, I have made a cosmetic bag sample and I’ve made an Amigurumi teddy bear.  I’ve sat in many classes that were taught.  I enjoyed partaking in the classes because its help me build new skills.  Some of the samples I’ve made our posted on their websites in my own little section called “The Intern Files.”  I hope you check that out as well.

Minus all the fun things I do, I also work on paper work, I’ve helped with bookkeeping, answer phone calls, help assist and cut tons of fabric which are almost as fun. HeHe  I’m enjoying the time I’ve been given and I’m sure I’ll miss it when it’s all over.  In the mean time I’m working hard, soaking up all I can and making projects I never thought I would.  If you love to sew or want to learn I recommend Stitch Cleveland!!!

Since she last posted, Jenn’s sent in some photos of the farm . . .

My first two weeks at Cestari, Ltd. have been a whirlwind so far, full of new experiences and plenty of learning.  I started this adventure with PiPN knowing only how to knit, unsure of how to purl, and totally unaware of what it might be like to live in the company of sheep.  Now, after the Seminar for the Fiber Arts at Akron University and a short two weeks at Cestari, I can tell you some of the differences between the worsted and woolen systems for making yarn, understand how spinning, twisting, and coning machines work, and have an appreciation for the bleating of sheep at such hours as eleven o’clock at night.

I have, so far, learned an incredible amount about yarn, and beyond that, about small businesses and what it takes to manage them.  Mr. Chester, my gracious host and the founder of Cestari, Ltd., and I have had extensive conversations about the hope and determination that it takes to succeed in life and in business.  The cornerstones of business are personal accountability and responsibility, and this family owned and operated business has plenty of energy and heart.

I thoroughly enjoy the welcoming and down to earth atmosphere at Cestari, where there is the yarn mill where I work, next to the law office that Mr. Chester operates (he is not only a farmer, but also a lawyer), next to the vegetable stand that the Chester family owns, next to their vegetable garden.  This internship often requires me to multitask, and I have been able to enjoy taking on many different roles, from tending the vegetable stand to helping customers at the mill, and from responding to email orders to packing and coordinating shipments.  On one occasion, when the stand had run out of onions and I had searched the storeroom and refrigerators in vain, I found Mr. Chester and inquired as to where we kept the extra onions.  He told me, “follow me, I’ll show you where we keep ‘em,” and proceeded to walk me down the dirt driveway, into the vegetable garden, kneeled down, and pulled one up out of the earth.  “This is where we keep ‘em!”  Of course we keep the onions in the ground, growing.  There is much to learn here indeed, especially for someone like me, who has lived her entire life in cities or suburbs.

It has been an exciting two weeks, and I cannot wait to see what the next will bring!

This is the first entry from our 2009 PiPN interns.  They’ve all left the comfort of Akron OH and have entered into their new environs as interns in our various host companies.  This is the beginning of the rest of their . . . . well, you know how that goes.

From Cyndy Hartline interning with Coats & Clark, NC
Last week of June 2009

Charlotte, North Carolina is a beautiful place. There are flowers blooming everywhere and all the buildings, apartments, businesses, malls and houses in the area where I live and work are probably less than twelve years old. Coats and Clark has been located in Charlotte for about eleven years and in this new building for five. The company has a long history that dates back to the early 1800’s.

The people I have met are so nice. My first night here, I had dinner at Wolfgang Pucks Bistro and our desserts were on the house to welcome us to Charlotte. Then the hostess gave us free appetizer coupons to use next time.

My neighbor and host, Nancy Thomas, is the Creative Director at Coats. We ride to work together and she makes sure I don’t miss anything (both at home and at work).  Nancy always reminds me to take pictures and explains why something is done a certain way. She has written seven books on knitting and crocheting. She is extremely knowledgeable on every aspect of this business.

In my first week, I have attended meetings where new booklets were being planned and organized, new colors were being designed and named and new products that are just in the beginning stages of being introduced. I have seen sketches from designers with swatches proposing a new product. I am lucky to be working with people that have been in the industry in for years in so many capacities.

I didn’t realize that there were companies that built booths for trade shows. I got to go to our booth to get it ready for a trade show in Orlando next month. We put all of our samples and finished garments where we want them, and then our contact tears everything down and sends it to the show and sets it up again.

The most exciting thing that happened is that Nancy Jewell, the manager of New Product Development Sewing Products has asked me to make a bag that will showcase our threads for a photo shoot. I have to make some sketches and if she likes one, she will provide all the materials from our fabric and thread department. She gave me a couple of ideas, one of which is couching – one of the techniques that I just learned in Fiber Arts class.

Nancy and Bobbie are encouraging me to knit. They gave me my own set of knitting needles and I take home yarn every day. Bobbie wants me to knit swatches, try some patterns and evaluate our website and cd’s through the eyes of a new knitter. This may become my final project.

I took a page from Jenn, Zoe and Kari’s book and go out every night, even if it is just to the pool. I went out with my supervisor, Bobbie Matela (who has edited hundreds of books) and her husband for dinner and a tour of Charlotte. I go visit yarn stores, malls (there are a lot of malls), and to events (most of the strip malls have live entertainment on certain nights) and shopping. I am really have a good time and learning a great deal.