I made a gift this weekend for a cousin who just had her second baby. I started with an adorable Ed Emberley for Cloud9 elephant fabric that I bought on a whim last year when it came out because it was too cute to pass up. (I love the Lions and Tiger print from that…
Archives for March 2014
5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Guest Posts
You should guest post on someone else’s blog. Giving away your best content helps you develop great relationships with other bloggers and brings in new visitors who, if treated well, could stick around and become your customers. And guest posting helps with SEO (search engine optimization) by creating decent backlinks that help your blog come…
Can You Copyright a Sewing Pattern?
Let’s say you buy a sewing pattern from an indie designer, or maybe from one of the big pattern companies. You use it to make something really beautiful. You show it to a friend who exclaims, “You should sell those!” Can you? You look more closely at the copyright statement on the pattern. Maybe it…
Rainbow Bean Bags How-To: Free Sewing Pattern
I have a fun DIY toy pattern for you today. Use some scraps of fabrics in a rainbow of colors to make a set of bean bags. You can whip these up in an afternoon, and kids can help if they want to. There are so many ways to play with these. Play catch Have…
User Testing for Your Blog or Online Shop
Standing in front of the mirror wearing my new jeans, I fix my hair just so, ready for a night out. Feeling pretty good I turn to my husband and say, “How do I look?” Why do I ask this question? I think it’s because there’s value in feedback, especially feedback on things we can’t…
On Learning a New Skill (as an Adult)
I do not cut or sew in a straight line. I don’t use a ruler. I don’t use a rotary cutter or a cutting mat. For me sewing is not about making perfect stacks of 3” squares in coordinating hues. I sew to make three-dimensional shapes from fabric. Puzzling how to achieve those shapes, how…
Podcast Episode #16: Meg Freeman and Dorie Schwarz of Kids Clothes Week
In this episode of the While She Naps podcast my guests are Meg Freeman and Dorie Schwarz. Meg and Dorie are sewists and bloggers in their own right, and together they are the women behind Kids Clothes Week, the popular online challenge to sew clothes for your kids 1 hour a day each day for…
New Pattern: Plush Taxidermy (Plus a Relaunch)
I’m excited today to release my new plush taxidermy pattern! Come take a look… I feel pretty firmly that it’s a good idea to make a unicorn mount to hang over your bed, don’t you? And a deer for the guest room. Download this pattern now in my shop. +++++ I’m excited to be relaunching…
Blogging Tips Round-Up
I've been collecting some really excellent articles and links to share with you. Each one of these pieces is relevant to creative entrepreneurs and those of us who run online businesses. I hope you find something here that interests you! 1.Work Habits: First up are some articles by James Clear. James is a weightlifter and…
Book Review- Seams Unlikely: The Inspiring True Life Story of Nancy Zieman
In March of 2004 I left my teaching job to be home with our newborn daughter. She was tiny and fussy and I was going through an identity crisis, having abruptly transitioned from an exciting, interactive profession I’d done for many years to being at home, alone during the daytime, learning to be a mother….