Recently I was contacted by a thread company whose threads I had heard of but never seen, but had been wanting to try. They told me a bit about their threads, invited me to join their designers program (no thanks – I am not in the business of promoting specific brands of threads on the front cover of my books…!), and said they would send me a sample.
I replied to them, thanking them and saying that I was looking forward to receiving the sample.
It arrived the other day. Hmm…
If you were trying to promote your threads to someone who had never seen them before, don’t you think you’d put your best foot forward? Don’t you think it would make sense to send them something that would knock their socks off with its amazing beauty, and make them drop everything because they just HAD to try it out?
Or, would you send them a revolting coloured waste-product brown colour? Something that immediately makes the recipient wonder why the thread company even bothered? Something they would not be able to find a use for in any but the most obscure circumstances.
You know, if they’d sent me something gorgeous, I would have stitched something up with it to show you all. I would have told you all the things I loved about it. You might then have also become enthused about the thread and rushed out to try it for yourself. But unfortunately for them, that’s just not going to happen.
Sometimes people make me very confused.
White Threads is the blog of Yvette Stanton, the author, designer, publisher behind Vetty Creations' quality needlework books and embroidery products.

You and me, both! I’ve experienced similar let-downs, and wondered just how much people think through some of their “marketing”!
Have you told the company?
No, I haven’t. I think it might sound a little ungrateful… But then on the other hand, maybe they need the feedback. I don’t know…