The idea Creating innovative products for day-to-day convenience combines the financial benefits of being a first mover with the reward of creating a product that is used every day by many people. An example of innovation in day-to-day convenience occurred in 1938, when Lazlo Biro while working as a journalist, …

Although the benefits of corporate social responsibility (CSR) have long been known by community-minded companies, recent years have seen a dramatic increase in businesses focusing on their social responsibility, with everyone from organic food companies to clothes retailers realizing the advantages of being welcomed and accepted in the communities they …

The idea of a “unique selling point” seems to underpin the very nature of competition. It suggests that every product should have an effective, direct, and easily summarized “selling point” that appeals to the customer and is not shared by competitors. Yet surprisingly few businesses have actually employed this idea, …

General Electric’s employees started to listen more attentively to CEO Jack Welch’s simple speeches on the company’s values following its unprecedented restructuring during the early 1980s, which included divestments in over 200 GE subsidiaries and massive layoffs of around 135,000 people. The resulting company was considerably less bureaucratic, underlying the …

Sewing and quilting are among the absolute safest hobbies to engage in. Normally you should not face any gigantic explosions. You should not expect to fall perilously through the skies or off a cliff. You should not anticipate ferocious animals charging at you from the bush. It is unlikely that …

Scissors and shears (larger scissors) have been used for years to cut many different types of materials. The scissor or shear is made by connecting a blade to a handle and then crossing over a second set (blade and handle) so that when you squeeze the handles together, the blades …

Patterns are project design details, instructions, and piece by piece step by step drawings of the sewing project usually produced on thin tissue paper. The paper pattern with all its parts is folded neatly and placed in a pattern envelope for sale. Some of the more common pattern companies include …

Choosing the right fabric is always a bit of a challenge. Fabrics are made differently, woven differently, have different features, and in many cases require special consideration in terms of sewing with the different fabrics. For example, when sewing on woven fabrics you will use a universal or sharp needle, …

Elias Howe (1819-1867) created the first practical mechanical sewing machine in 1846 with a patent filed describing “a process that used thread from two different sources”… Top thread passed through a curved needle with an eye at the pointed end. The needle would pierce through the fabric, while another thread …

Perhaps the most versatile needle art is hand sewing and hand quilting. Not only does it offer highly practical applications, but it also offers great beauty and decorative applications. Clothing construction and embellishment have long been a primary focus of hand sewing. Home decorating, pillows, soft furniture covers, draperies, and …