whileshenaps.com

Sewing, blogging, and creative business.

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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

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

Book Review: Sewing School

December 28, 2011

Charlie’s sister, Jacquie, asked me what Roxanne would like for Hanukkah this year. Roxanne has been asking for a new backpack, so we chose one from Land’s End and had it monogrammed. It was deeply discounted so we got to choose something else to go with it. Books are always a huge hit with Roxanne… 

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Filed Under: Book Reviews

Project Upcycle: An Online Class on Craftsy Taught by Betz White

December 12, 2011

Betz White gave me the opportunity to try out and review her online class, Project Upcycle, offered through Craftsy. Craftsy offers online courses on all kinds of crafts. Once you sign up for a particular class you have access to it anytime and for as long as you want. The videos are in HD and… 

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Filed Under: Book Reviews

patterns and books

November 14, 2011

I have two things to share today. First, I have had the most wonderful time choosing books for my new Amazon affiliate bookshop. The bookshop has several categories, each filled with books I love. When you click through from my links and purchase a book I get a very small percentage of the sale. It’s… 

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Filed Under: Book Reviews

my work is on the cover

October 6, 2011

Over the winter I contributed a project to a book edited by Kathreen from Whip Up entitled Kid's Crafternoon Felting: 25 Projects for a Crafty Afternoon and today my copy arrived in the mail. My project is a set of five animal finger puppets and it is on the cover of the book.   I really… 

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Filed Under: Book Reviews

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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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