whileshenaps.com

Sewing, blogging, and creative business.

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Book Recommendation: The ABCs of Making Teddy Bears by Linda Mead

August 14, 2012

I feel like there is a whole intimidating world of artist teddy bears makers out there that I can't compete with. They have conventions with juried competitions and participate in super active message boards and only use the finest materials to make their bears. I admire this community, though, for their high standards and their… 

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Sew With Me

on rejection

On Rejection

July 31, 2012

  You gotta dream big. I’m pursuing a career that I invented for myself. I design and sew stuffed animals. That’s a wacky profession, my friends. There is no path to follow, no boss to tell me what project to work on, no obvious next steps. It’s up to me to drum up business and… 

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Filed Under: Being Self-Employed

where do you find the time

Where do you find the time?

July 25, 2012

Is there time to take care of three kids and to make things everyday? My answer is a resounding yes. In fact, the time constraints of motherhood are what spur my creative productivity.   In 2003 I had a whole summer off. I was a sixth grade teacher, married, living in an apartment we owned… 

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Filed Under: Being Self-Employed

Making Anzac Bikkies: A Review of the eMag Action Pack

June 24, 2012

Action Pack is an eMagazine published by Kathreen (of WhipUp) and her husband. The tagline is, “A Magazine for Kids Who Want To Do Stuff.” I love this tagline. I can remember the craving I had as a child to make something real. And I know as a parent that my kids can see right… 

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Filed Under: Book Reviews

Baby Butterfly Toy Pattern and Some Analysis of the Best Sellers

May 30, 2012

I am over at SewMamaSew today with a pattern I designed for this Baby Butterfly. This butterfly is made to be a stroller toy (or you could attach it to your diaper bag) to entertain your baby when your out and about. Long line at the coffee shop? Stuck in traffic? Give the butterfly a… 

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Filed Under: Free Patterns, Marketing, Sew With Me

Softies For Sale Series: Contributing to Sewing Books

March 22, 2012

For this installment of my series about turning your love of sewing softies into a career I want to talk about contributing projects to sewing books. Over the last few years I have been asked by editors at many different publishing houses to contribute to collective books that feature projects by many different sewists. Just… 

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Filed Under: Selling Your Handmade Softies, Sew With Me, Traditional Print Publishing, Uncategorized

Softies For Sale Series: The Cottage Industry License

February 24, 2012

If you make original softies and you want to turn your toys into a business, selling your patterns is probably a good use of your time and effort. Creating a good pattern and getting it ready for sale is a significant investment up front, but once it is made you can sell the pattern in… 

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Filed Under: Legal and Financial Issues, Patterns, Selling Your Handmade Softies, Sew With Me

An Interview With a McCall’s Pattern Designer

January 31, 2012

Following up on our discussion of commercial sewing patterns last week I decided to contact the two major pattern companies, McCall's (Butterick, Vogue) and Simplicity (New Look, Burda Style) to see if I could hear about their patterns directly from one of their designers. Simplicity is clearly the more web savvy of the two, with… 

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Filed Under: Featured Soft Toy Designers, Sew With Me, Traditional Print Publishing

Review: Books by Charlene Phillips

January 30, 2012

When I began teaching people how to use their sewing machines I was nervous that I wouldn't know how particular machines worked. After all, I only know two machines very well: the Bernette 330 that I bought when I was 13 and had for 22 years, and my new Janome 2160.  Fortunately I co-taught the… 

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Filed Under: Book Reviews

Curious About Mainstream Sewing Patterns

January 28, 2012

In 2005 I bought Simplicity 5825, a sewing pattern for a teddy bear with variations to make a rabbit and a dog. The pattern cost $13.95. I remember picking it out at Joann's and bringing it home. I was curious about sewing toys and I wanted to sew a teddy bear. I remember the thrill… 

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Filed Under: Getting Published, Patterns, Uncategorized

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Welcome! I'm Abby Glassenberg and I'm glad you're here. While She Naps is a blog about designing and sewing stuffed animals and running a creative business.
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