Sewing, blogging, and creative business.
I’m very excited to have finished this patchwork Progress Pride Flag quilt. The pattern is by Bobbie Gentili from Geeky Bobbin. All of the fabrics are scraps from my stash.
This was a fun project and the finished quilt is really bright and colorful. As part of this process, I also enjoyed learning more about how the design of the Progress Pride flag came to be.
On today’s episode of the podcast we’re talking about creative conferences with my guests Grace Dobush, an organizer of Midwest Craft Con, and Joy Uyeno, an organizer of The Hello Sessions. If you’ve ever considered organizing a conference or you’d like to teach at one or attend one, this episode is for you. Grace DobushRead More →
When my son, Simon, was five we bought a winter hat shaped like a shark at the Gap on a whim. It was made from gray camouflage fleece and it tied under his chin. The face opening was a red jaw lined with fierce teeth. Just a few months prior I’d had a baby andRead More →
I went to Quilt Market! If you’re part of the home sewing or quilting industry, even tangentially, you know that Quilt Market is the twice yearly industry trade show. Quilt Market isn’t open to the public and I think for a long time it was rather mysterious, but today people who attend the show postRead More →
On Monday evening I was teaching a class at a local sewing studio. My students were all local moms and they’d come to learn to use their sewing machines. I’ve taught this class twice a month for four years now and I always begin by asking each person to tell the story of their sewingRead More →
On today’s episode of the While She Naps podcast we’re talking about hand dyeing and patterning fabrics with my guest, Malka Dubrawsky. Malka Dubrawsky trained to be a printmaker, but while home with her children when they were young and without a press on hand, she began to work in fiber art. After several yearsRead More →
Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson released this statement on Thursday, the day Handmade at Amazon launched: We believe we are the best platform for creative entrepreneurs, empowering them to succeed on their own terms. Etsy has a decade of experience understanding the needs of artists and sellers and supporting them in ways that no other marketplaceRead More →
I love simplicity in design – a single shape cleverly manipulated becomes something unexpected. It’s so pleasing! Today I have a free softie pattern to share with you that I think encapsulates this concept. It’s called Circle Bird and it’s made of two circles. Let’s see how it works! You’ll need: 1/4 yard of fleeceRead More →
I have something really exciting to share with you. Today is the launch of my new venture: Craft Industry Alliance. I’ve been working with my business partner, Kristin Link (of Sew Mama Sew) over the last 10 months to found a trade organization for craft professionals and today we open the doors. Craft Industry AllianceRead More →
Today on the While She Naps podcast my guest is Rob Appell. Rob Appell is the host of Man Sewing, a YouTube channel of the Missouri Star Quilt Company. Man Sewing currently has 27,000 subscribers and it’s growing fast. Rob is a quilter and national quilting instructor who travels and teaches at many premier quiltingRead More →
I’ve been writing a blog that is, at least partially, about soft toy design for ten years now. When you do a Google search for “soft toy design” my site comes up first and this means I get a lot of emails like this one: Dear Abby, I came across your very fun and informativeRead More →