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…
Penny the Fish: A Free Pattern
Penny is a soft and huggable fish. She’s fun and easy to sew and would make a great summer birthday gift for a child you know, or maybe for yourself (it’s okay to play with stuffed animals even when you’re a grown-up). The finished fish stuffed animal is 10.5″ long. To make Penny you’ll need:…
How Social Media Can Humanize Your Brand: A Case Study of McCall’s
Edited 9/18/15: The social media manager at McCall’s is Meg McDonald. A month ago I saw this tweet in my feed and got a little surge of excitement: Yippee, we’re on Twitter! — McCallPatternCompany (@McCallPatternCo) April 26, 2014 That same day I came across the brand new McCall’s Instagram feed. So why the surge of…
Welcome to the Brand New Home of While She Naps
I did it! I moved my blog from Typepad to WordPress. Hooray and welcome to my new space! May was the 9th birthday of While She Naps and felt like the perfect time to invest the time, energy, and money into creating the right sort of home for it. All 1,300 posts have migrated over,…