I taught a class with Meighan O’Toole on Friday night called Social Media for Aritsts and Crafters. A group of nine women from the Boston area gathered at JP Knit & Stitch, a beautiful independent quilt and yarn shop in the city, to talk about social media with us. Over the course of two hours…
Archives for June 2014
Summertime Hand-Stitching Projects
I think summer is the ideal time to begin new hand-stitching projects. It’s too beautiful outside to be sitting at the sewing machine all day. Instead it’s time to sit on the porch, or in the grass, and soak up the sun. If you’re like me, though, you also need something creative to work on…
The Pattern that Changed My Life: Sara Lawson
On a rainy evening in 2007 I walked into a used bookstore in Waltham, Massachusetts and picked up a dusty craft book. The yellow cover was torn in the corner and nearly all the pictures were black and white. The book was published in 1971, four years before I was born, but to me it…
Podcast Episode #23: Ann Wood
On today’s episode of the While She Naps podcast my guest is the artist Ann Wood. Ann works with found and salvaged materials, many of them vintage or antique garments. She’s interested in transformation, turning cardboard boxes from the fancy grocery store on her block into turreted castles, and ruined old petticoats and gowns into seas for…
“This is How We Do Things Here”: Developing Guiding Principles for Your Business
Should you say yes to being part of an upcoming blog tour? Should you have a Black Friday sale? Should you install Google AdSense on your sidebar? When you have an online business, or even just a blog, you begin thinking about these questions and hundreds more. There are big overarching questions like what kinds…
Studio Update, An Upcoming Class, and a Sew-Along
Did you know that I moderate a private Facebook group for doll and toy designers? It’s The While She Naps Softie Designers Forum and we have over 200 members. I love this group so much. It’s a place to ask questions, get new ideas, and support fellow makers. If you design sewing patterns for softies…
Podcast Episode #22: Mimi Tsang of Hello Shiso and Jahje Bath Ives of BabyJives
Today on the podcast I’m talking with two incredible women with creative businesses. Mimi Tsang, owner of hello shiso My first guest is Mimi Tsang. Mimi is the designer and owner of hello shiso, a company making fun and modern accessories for girls. She is based in Berkeley, CA. Thanks to a mom who had…
Twitter is a Good Thing and 6 Feeds That’ll Make You Like it More
Twitter can feel like an overwhelming place. Tons of short updates scroll by so fast that it’s impossible to read every one. How do you know what to focus on? What can you get out of Twitter that you can’t just find somewhere else, minus the headache? And why would anyone want to know what…
Casting Your Own Safety Eyes
The eyes are the first thing we notice when we see a stuffed animal or doll. Adorable eyes can make even the simplest shape appealing (and, conversely, unattractive eyes can kinda ruin an otherwise awesome toy). Many softie makers embroider eyes, or paint them on, or cut them from felt and stitch them in place,…
A Compilation of Online Classes on Doll and Toy Making
Online video instruction is an ideal way to teach sewing. Watching an expert do the work, and explain how it’s done, is the best way to master a hands-on skill. When you want to learn something as tactile as sewing, nothing is better than being able to actually see someone stitch a seam. Putting that…