In 2013 my book, Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction, was published by Lark Crafts. This book was my baby. The idea for it came to me way back in 2009 when I was searching for a guide to designing my own sewing patterns for stuffed animals and couldn’t find one. After months of looking…
Book Review: Handmade Houseplants by Corrie Beth Hogg
A few weeks ago my 15-year-old, Roxanne, and I checked out Handmade Houseplants: Remarkably Realistic Plants You Can Make With Paper (affiliate link) by Corrie Beth Hogg from our local library. This book was published in September of 2018 by Timber Press and we were excited to find it on the new releases table. Roxanne…
Love It or Hate It? The Pattern Cabinet and Table at JOANN
When was the last time you sat here? Maybe it was just a few days ago, or sometime this month? Maybe these chairs, that long beige table and pile of thick catalogs, bring back memories of sitting here with your mother or your auntie or your son, planning what you’ll make for a recital or…
How Digital Printing Will Impact the Quilting Cotton Market
Michael Miller Fabrics will begin printing the majority of its quilting cottons digitally in 2019. The shift from screen printing to digital printing is one that Michael Steiner, the co-owner and company president, has been contemplating for a while. “We’ve been printing a small percentage of our quilting fabric digitally for three years now,” Steiner…
Reflections on Today’s Home Sewing Pattern Market
I just finished reading Blueprints of Fashion: Home Sewing Patterns of the 1940s. This is my first deep dive into the history of home sewing in America and it’s made me reflect on the moment sewing is experiencing in our culture right now. The role of sewing in the lives of women has radically changed,…
MyBodyModel is a Body Positive Design Tool for Garment Makers
MyBodyModel, a web-based design app that allows users to create a custom fashion croquis, launches today. A croquis is figure drawing used in fashion illustration. Designers sketch clothing onto a croquis while working out a new look or collection. Croquis for fashion illustration are typically highly elongated bodies that aren’t representative of real women. Typical…
How to Get Your Own Fabric Printed
Custom fabric designed and printed for Craft Napa. Are you hosting a special quilting event? Are you a regional shop that’s a destination for travelers? How neat would it be to design and print custom fabric to mark a special occasion or place. Of course, Spoonflower has made this possible by offering on-demand digitally printed fabric to…
Curated Quilts is a New Print Magazine Made for the Modern Quilter
Curated Quilts is a new quarterly journal for modern quilters. Co-founded by quilt designer Amy Ellis and graphic designer Christine Ricks, the magazine is currently in its third issue. Amy Ellis and Christine Ricks, co-founders of Curated Quilts. Amy has already built a successful career in the quilting industry. She’s written five books, designs fabric…
5 Tips for Publishing a Craft Book in a Seller’s Market
When it comes to writing a book today, crafters are in the driver’s seat. If you’re a national teacher, have tens of thousands of engaged online followers, or can prove that your audience will convert into sales, you’re book proposal is highly convincing to publishers. Of course, a strong idea that’s fresh and on-trend is…
From Professional Baseball to Publishing a Quilting Magazine: The Unlikely Story of Quiltfolk
Quiltfolk is a new quarterly magazine for quilters. Each issue focuses on quilters in a particular part of the United States and includes over a dozen human-interest stories accompanied by luscious photography. The pages are off-set print on high quality paper with no ads. It’s a beautiful publication and an inspiring read for anyone interested…
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