Sewing skipped a generation in my family. Growing up we didn’t have a sewing machine at home and I never saw my mother sew. The first time I sewed was in Home Economics class in 8th grade. I was terrible at it and got a C- on our final project due to wonky seams on…
How to Get Your Print Patterns Into Stores (the Easy Way): Cut Loose Press
Walking into your favorite local quilt shop and seeing your pattern hanging on the display wall would certainly be a thrill. For many sewing pattern designers, the idea of selling print patterns is very appealing. It means your designs will be sold all over the country and bought by customers who might not ever read…
The Prevalence of Free Eastern European Softie Patterns Online
I've finally embraced Pinterest. I set up an account a few years ago and was using it a little bit, but I didn't really grasp it's utility, both for collecting and storing creative ideas and for promoting my own work, until very recently. These past few weeks I've been working on a whole series of…
Use CreateSpace to Self-Publish a Craft Book and Get National Distribution
I have a friend who’s had a long and successful career in the craft and design industry. She’s hit every marker of success: she has a fabric line, a booth at Quilt Market, teaches nationally and online, and has a huge blog following. Last week she turned in the manuscript for her fourth book. And…
5 Tips for Writing an Ebook That Sells
When you write an ebook you have the opportunity to really explore a topic in depth, much more so than in a blog post or tutorial. It’s a satisfyingly fast way to get your ideas out into the world, and you retain complete control over every aspect of the content. Writing an ebook is a…
The Insider’s Guide to Starting an Online Sewing Pattern Business
I love to sew. I used to dream about building a business that allowed me to sew every single day. For years, I worked in my studio sewing handmade soft toys and sold them at craft fairs and online. I made a little money – enough to cover expenses and have a little left over…
How to Recruit, Manage, and Get the Most Out of Pattern Testers
It’s Sunday afternoon and you’ve got a few hours to yourself. You decide to finally tackle that handbag pattern you bought a few months ago. The fabric has been stacked up in a corner, waiting for you to get to it and today is the day. An hour or so in, though, you get tripped…
Reflecting on What Makes Designs Sell
I have a pattern in issue 29 of Mollie Makes. It’s a punk and pretty topsy turvy doll (I call them Roxy and Rachel). The idea for this doll came from the magazine’s editor and it was fun to have an assignment. I spent some hours studying British punk girls and the fabrics they wear,…
Forecasting the Future of Craft Publishing
In early 2005 I became a craft publisher by starting a craft blog. Between then and now I’ve watched the industry change in radical ways. Favorite magazines folded (remember Adorn? Domino? Now Stitch Craft Create is no more). Big companies bought out smaller, craft-exclusive publishing houses (most recently F+W bought my former publisher, Interweave). More…
The Economics of Selling Sewing Patterns
How much is a sewing pattern for a stuffed animal worth? When I sell a single sewing pattern to a big company, such as a book or magazine publisher, or to one of the big pattern companies like Simplicity, I can generally expect to get $250 for that pattern. Then, six months or a year…