The post is part of an occasional series called "Awesome Handmade Toys." These posts feature toy makers whose work I think is particularly fresh and inventive. I also pin toys to my Inspiring Softies pinboard on a regular basis if you're looking for more inspiration. I'm a huge fan of self-discipline. I love self-imposed rules…
Archives for October 2012
Sewing With Bamboo Fleece
I have been playing around with a new-to-me material this week: bamboo fleece. I first heard about bamboo fleece from Gail at BrightLifeToys. Gail is an awesome customer of mine. She makes and sells toys from many of my patterns in her shop and she sews them all from bamboo fleece that she dyes herself….
Podcast Special Episode: Effective Blogging with Stan Smith
Everyone tells you that writing a blog is a good way to promote your handmade business. Write about what you’re making, show your works in progress, tell the story behind the creation of your products and you’ll build an audience. Those readers will develop a relationship with you and will, over time, become your customers….
Grow Your Handmade Business: Teach Sewing in Your Community
Have you ever considered teaching sewing in your community? Teaching is a great way to add a new income stream to your handmade business and it’s fun and interesting, too. No matter where you live there are people who would like to learn to sew on a sewing machine. Because let’s face it, sewing machines…
Finding Your Right People: Indie Plush Makers at Comic Con
Comic Con New York Comic Con is an annual convention for fans of anime, comics, video games, and toys. It’s held at the Javits Center and sells out with over 75,000 people in attendance. There are other comic cons in the US, including a huge one in San Diego, but New York is a pretty…
Awesome Handmade Toys: Snuggly Ugly
This post is part of a new periodic series called "Awesome Handmade Toys." These posts will feature toy makers whose work I think is particularly fresh and inventive. I also pin toys to my Inspiring Softies pinboard on a regular basis if you're looking for more inspiration. an original Snuggly Ugly Indira Villalobos-Starr is a…
How Writing a Tagline for Your Business Can Help You Define Your Mission
I got Kari Chapin’s new book, Grow Your Handmade Business: How to Envision, Develop, and Sustain a Successful Creative Business, for my birthday in August and read it cover to cover. This book is a follow-up to Kari’s first book, The Handmade Marketplace. Seven years into my handmade business I have lots of ideas for…
New Pattern: Rabbit in a Magic Hat
It's time for a little magic… Abracadabra…hocus pocus…shazam! Pull a rabbit out of a hat! I have a new pattern in my shop today. It's a neat hand puppet. To make it work, put your hand underneath the magician's hat and bring it up into the body of the bunny (the hat and the bunny…
Book Review: How To Make Stuffed Animals by Sian Keegan
How to Make Stuffed Animals is one of the only new softie books on the market this season (perhaps the only sewing-based softie book?). It was written by Sian Keegan, who has made a name for herself creating plush pet portraits, and is published by Quarry. 3D Pet Portraits of Long-Haired Pets by Sian Keegan…
Should You Have a Unique Online Storefront or Are You Better Off on Etsy?
Should you have a unique online storefront or are you better off on Etsy? I’ve been thinking quite a bit about this question. Over the summer I was interviewed by a reporter for Wired magazine about the future of Etsy and the company’s efforts to retain veteran sellers. The article was recently published and if…