It’s helpful to mentally create two separate work identities for yourself. The first identity is you as an artist and maker. In this identity you use your talent, skills, and experience toward designing and making things. The second identity is you as an agent for your work. As an agent your job is to package,…
Archives for June 2015
Round-Up of Sewing and Creative Business News This Week
Vanessa Vargas Wilson of the Crafty Gemini has a new YouTube channel with Missouri Star Quilt Company. It’s called Crafty Gemini Creates and there will be a new video released every Wednesday. I love that Missouri Star is bringing in diverse YouTube talent. On a side note, I’m writing an article about Vanessa for Artists…
The Pattern that Changed My Life: Shea Henderson
Each week throughout the summer we’ll hear from a designer about a pattern or book that caused them to head in a new direction and helped form their career. It’s the pattern that changed their life. A former middle school math teacher, Shea Henderson now owns Empty Bobbin Sewing Studio, a sewing and quilt pattern…
A Selection of Softies Made By You!
Today I’m showing off some softies made by you! I’ve chosen a few of the toys people have been making from my patterns because it’s just so fun to see them made up by different hands. Let’s take a look! Jess Breitschwerdt has been busy making faux taxidermy from both of my faux taxidermy patterns….
An Article About Penny Gold’s Quilt In Generation Q
I didn’t attend QuiltCon in February, but I eagerly watched it unfold on Instagram. Over and over again in my feed I saw an incredibly moving quilt. All white with stark black lettering, it read, “I am a woman whose child is dead.” This quilt stirred up intense emotions of sadness among the show’s attendees,…
The Pattern That Changed My Life: Cheryl Arkison
Each week throughout the summer we’ll hear from a designer about a pattern or book that caused them to head in a new direction and helped form their career. It’s the pattern that changed their life. When I invite people to share the pattern that changed their life I always make it clear that I’m…
Podcast Episode #51: Christine Haynes
On today’s episode of the While She Naps podcast my guest is sewing pattern designer Christine Haynes. Christine is a Los Angeles-based sewing author, teacher, and pattern designer with her own line of self-published vintage-inspired sewing patterns. She has written four books, How to Speak Fluent Sewing, Skirts & Dresses for First Time Sewers, The…
What Makes a Local Quilt Shop Great?
In September of 2011 my trusty sewing machine of 23 years, a Bernette 330 I’d bought at G Street Fabrics in Rockville, Maryland when I was 13-years-old, broke for good. When the terrible “grrrr grrrr” noise began every time I turned it on, I set aside $500 to spend on a new machine at a…
The Pattern That Changed My Life: Jenny Rushmore
Each week throughout the summer months we’ll hear from a designer about a pattern or book that caused them to head in a new direction and helped form their career. It’s the pattern that changed their life. Jenny Rushmore began sewing at age 30. Sewing has played a tremendous role in helping her to accept,…
Summer Activity with Kids: Making Cheese at Home
For the final project in 3rd grade Simon’s teacher gave the class an open-ended project. Choose a topic, research it, and present what you find to the class. (Kudos to teachers who trust kids to tackle something like this.) We spent a weekend considering topics – rocketry? the Apollo 13 mission? sheep shearing? Then a…