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.
You’re standing on a stage in a crowded auditorium. In the audience are your most supportive fans. These are the people who buy your products and rave about them to their friends. They’re the ones who read your blog posts and Instagram feed faithfully and leave you supportive comments. And now they’re all gathered inRead More →
Lots going on in the world of sewing and creative business this week. 1. Stitch magazine emailed contributors this week to announce that it’s folding. Artists and Makers, another F+W magazine, will also cease publication. Print publishing in craft and how-to is in upheaval for sure, although Missouri Star Quilt Company’s print magazine, Block, seemsRead More →
This is the final installment of my summer series, The Pattern That Changed My Life. This series began last summer when we heard stories from nine women about particular patterns (or books or workshops) that changed their creative trajectories. This summer we added 12 more. I’m fascinated by these moments of transformation in our livesRead More →
In June Barack Obama sat down in Marc Maron’s garage to record a conversation for Marc’s podcast. Did you tune in? The episode was remarkable on a number of levels, most importantly because the President of the United States was talking to a regular guy in a regular space for a show that went straightRead More →
On Sunday I made a pot of not-too-spicy chili. I also wrote out a detailed explanation of each child’s schedule and packed the bags for day camp before packing my own bag for a trip to San Francisco Monday morning to teach at CreativeLive. I first talked to Elizabeth Madariaga, head of the Craft andRead More →
Each week throughout the summer we’ll hear from a designer about a pattern or book that caused them to head in a new direction and helped form their career. It’s the pattern that changed their life. Heather Lou is a Montreal based sewing pattern designer. She writes a blog called Closet Case Files and IRead More →
Today on the While She Naps podcast we’re talking about running an online fabric shop with my guest, Lindsay Prezzano. Lindsay and her husband Charlie own Hawthorne Threads, an online fabric shop offering a vast selection of curated contemporary fabric collections, patterns, and thread for the modern sewer.Charlie and Lindsay Prezzano, co-founders and owners ofRead More →
Monday morning I fly out to San Francisco to teach a class at CreativeLive. My class is called Email Marketing for Crafters and it’s part of a five-day series called Improve Your Holiday Sales. The week kicks off with Price Your Craft taught by Tara Gentile. Pricing your products isn’t just about covering your expensesRead More →
Each week throughout the summer we’ll hear from a designer about a pattern or book that caused them to head in a new direction and helped form their career. It’s the pattern that changed their life. Christa Watson is an avid reader and commenter here on While She Naps and that’s how we first connected.Read More →
I was out for dinner on Friday night when I ran into Sarah, a woman I know from synagogue. Her son was in my class when I taught middle school and we always chat a little when we see one another. This time we started talking about work. I told her that while I lovedRead More →