Everything I know about soft toy design I learned in one of two ways: sewing toys designed by other people and experimenting with my own patterns. These are the two tickets to my growth as a designer. The more patterns I study, and the more times I try to incorporate a new technique into my…
Archives for September 2012
New Pattern: Cute Critters
I've been working on these little felt critters for the past few weeks and I'm pretty excited about them! Plush keychains are huge for elementary and middle school kids here. I see them on almost every backpack. I figured it might be really fun to design a pattern so that you and your kids can…
Happy New Year
We went apple picking on Sunday. It was the last day of the apple season at the orchard near our house. The baby found this apple on the ground and gnawed on it the whole time and during the car ride home, periodically saying, "Apple!" and "Mmmm!". The orchard was pretty picked over so finding…
How Patterns in Sewing Books Go Untested and Why That Should Change
It's Saturday afternoon and you've got a lovely pile of fabric, all washed and pressed, sitting on your work table and a few hours of time to yourself. It's time to crack open that new craft book and sew the adorable tote bag on page 33. As you start cutting and sewing the pieces together…
5 Simple Ways to End Procrastination and Jumpstart Creativity
Do you ever find yourself procrastinating from doing the thing you love most? Let’s say you’ve been really busy recently with a big project for work and now it’s finally finished. All the time you were working on the project you were longing for free time to sit at in your studio space and just…
Squeaky Snakes: A Softie Pattern In the Making
I'm fascinated by how ideas evolve. I little while ago I described how my turtle pattern changed over the course of five years, eventually resulting in Scooter the Turtle and today I have another example to share. Right after I finished the manuscript for The Artful Bird I began to experiment with designing new animals….
How Dreaming Big Will Help You Reach Your Goals
You’ve got a craft business that’s humming along. Your work is selling pretty regularly and your business is getting some media attention here and there. Things are going alright. Now, let’s pretend in walks some very nice, very trustworthy, and very generous person. This person loves what you do and says, “I want you to…
How to Keep Your Customers In Mind When Creating New Products
I got an email the other day from someone who was considering purchasing my Magical Molly & Bronco Ben hobby horse pattern. This potential customer asked me how much I thought it would cost to make a hobby horse using the pattern. At first my reaction was, “Come on, can’t you figure that out? It’s…
How to Explain Your Plush Business Without Turning People Off
"So what kind of work do you do?" This commonly asked question has stumped me for years. Even though people ask it often, I always seem to be caught off guard. I find myself verbally stumbling, trying to figure out the right words and phrases to encapsulate what I do. I end up throwing out…
Creating an Elevator Speech for Your Business
“So what kind of work do you do?” This commonly asked question has stumped me for years. Even though people ask it often, I always seem to be caught off guard. I find myself verbally stumbling, trying to figure out the right words and phrases to encapsulate what I do. I end up throwing out…