Hey gang! As most of you know, we’ve been busy like bees here at PG getting our booth ready for the 2023 Great Wisconsin Quilt Show next week. Amy, Jess, and Judy have had their noses to the grind stone for the last several weeks preparing our retail booth space for this massive annual quilter’s event. Each year they set up the space ahead of time here in our warehouse, complete with inventory and samples so they have a solid assembly plan for the actual show. My intention was to grab a few photos once they got it all put together so you could see it ahead of time, but apparently I wasn’t fast enough when I heard Amy say, “I’m going to go start packing everything up…” earlier today. That girl obviously meant business because here we are an hour later and it’s like there was never a booth there at all. She’s clearly got this bull by the horns – and then some!

If you’ve never had the pleasure of attending The Great WI Quilt Show, you’re really missing out! This spectacular annual three-day event is designed to celebrate quilting and fiber artists of all levels and abilities. It is is presented by PBS of Wisconsin and Nancy Zieman Productions, and is something I look forward to every year! Attendees are invited to explore hundreds of educational opportunities including short lectures, hands-on workshops, and stage presentations – all led by top educators. There’s also an 85,000-square-foot vendor mall featuring the latest notions and fabrics for sale, raffles, live music, and a 10-category juried and judged quilt contest exhibit featuring hundreds of quilts to keep you entertained. Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? The best part is, proceeds from the show help support PBS Wisconsin programming and other community outreach projects. It’s a win-win and SO much fun!

Despite not having any photos to show you, you can still get a sneak-peek at our booth space by watching the replay of our CommentSold sales from Tuesday, August 15th, and Thursday, August 17th, 2023. Let me just point out that our booth is so large that it took not one, but two episodes of CommentSold to cover everything that we’re going to be offering at this show – and that’s not even including the Bernina area! I highly recommend taking a look if you haven’t yet. Remember, you can watch the replay through the Primitive Gatherings CommentSold App or in the “LIVE” area of either of our Facebook pages.

Since we’re on the topic of CommentSold, I should mention that I’ve been noticing a lot of comments both here on the blog and on our Facebook pages asking what CommentSold is and how to get involved with it. Considering it’s been a while since my initial post on the subject when we first started participating in CommentSold, I thought I’d do a little recap for anyone who’s still not on the bandwagon. As you know, social media continues to transform the way consumers shop online every day. Businesses everywhere are using social media channels to connect with, and sell merchandise in new and unique ways, including what is referred to as “comment selling.” In a nut shell, comment selling works by combining social media and online shopping, allowing people buy right from comments on Facebook or through the app, without ever leaving their easy chair. Simply put, CommentSold is a direct, secure, and frictionless way of shopping that makes it dangerously easy to make a purchase. Products featured could include sale items, things we just have a few of, or be seasonal merchandise for example. “Silver” was the theme of our first sale for instance – everything up for grabs was either gray or sliver. There was fabric, quilting books, notions, and more, all up on the auction block to name a few.

Sound like something you want to get into? Signing up is easier than ever now that our custom designed, Primitive Gatherings CommentSold app is up and running like a well oiled machine. We have found that the app is by far the easiest way to shop our CommentSold sales, so if you haven’t downloaded it yet I highly recommend that you do. I explain where to get the app and how to install it for FREE in a previous post which you can read by clicking HERE. No smart device? No worries! You can also watch through the Primitive Gatherings Facebook page or through the STITCH with Lisa Bongean group Facebook page.

Depending on which of our Favebook pages you’re on, videos could be located in a couple of different places. It’s a bit tricky to find if you don’t know what you’re looking for, so I had Heidi put together a nice visual to show you they’re located on each page. This first set of graphics shows where to look if you are on the STITCH with Lisa Bongean Facebook Group page…

Please keep in mind if you log on early for a show, you may need to refresh your browser at start time if the broadcast does not show up in the watch menu on its own. HEADS UP! If you are on the regular Primitive Gatherings Facebook page, things are going to look slightly different. Please follow these steps if you are watching through the regular Primitive Gatherings Facebook page:

After you locate the LIVE show or replay video you’d like to watch, simply click on the correlating thumbnail to start the video. PLEASE NOTE: You will need to create an account before you’re able to make a purchase through CommentSold. For customers watching through Facebook, you do this by typing the word REGISTER into the comment section of the video. The system will then prompt you to complete your registration. Once you’re registered – you’re in! Now all you need to do to make a purchase is type SOLD along with the letter or number associated with the item into the comments, and it will be added to your cart (app users simply click the item’s bubble to add it to your cart). When you’re ready to check out, the system will automatically generate an invoice which will be sent to you via email or Facebook Messenger. You then have three hours to submit your payment and complete your purchase. It’s that easy!

Ready to sign up? You can also click the link below to register ahead of time if you prefer. If you’re still not sure whether or not you want to participate, no pressure. I would suggest tuning into watch one of these sales as it’s happening to get a feel for how it works. If you then decide it’s something that works for you, follow the instructions above to begin the process.

I sure hope this helped clear up any confusion you might have about CommentSold. If I’ve said it once I’ll say it a thousand times… If it’s an option for you, definitely use the app! It works so well that it simply doesn’t make sense not to – just sayin’. Either way, hopefully now you’re all set to join the fun! Our next episode will be tomorrow – Thursday, August 31st at approximately 2:15 p.m. central standard time. I say approximate since we’ll be on directly following LIVE with Lisa Bongean, which airs at 1:00 p.m. on YouTube. I’ll be covering any clarifications that have been made so far on the Joyful Gatherings QAL, my progress on Twilight Stars, and our usual shop news and other shenanigans. Then, it’s party time on CommentSold with a special guest host who also just so happens to be my sweetheart. All I can say is… this ought to be good. Hit the STITCH icon below to watch. See you all there! ~Lisa