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.
Did you know that I moderate a private Facebook group for doll and toy designers? It’s The While She Naps Softie Designers Forum and we have over 200 members. I love this group so much. It’s a place to ask questions, get new ideas, and support fellow makers. If you design sewing patterns for softiesRead More →
Today on the podcast I’m talking with two incredible women with creative businesses. Mimi Tsang, owner of hello shiso My first guest is Mimi Tsang. Mimi is the designer and owner of hello shiso, a company making fun and modern accessories for girls. She is based in Berkeley, CA. Thanks to a mom who hadRead More →
Twitter can feel like an overwhelming place. Tons of short updates scroll by so fast that it’s impossible to read every one. How do you know what to focus on? What can you get out of Twitter that you can’t just find somewhere else, minus the headache? And why would anyone want to know whatRead More →
The eyes are the first thing we notice when we see a stuffed animal or doll. Adorable eyes can make even the simplest shape appealing (and, conversely, unattractive eyes can kinda ruin an otherwise awesome toy). Many softie makers embroider eyes, or paint them on, or cut them from felt and stitch them in place,Read More →
Online video instruction is an ideal way to teach sewing. Watching an expert do the work, and explain how it’s done, is the best way to master a hands-on skill. When you want to learn something as tactile as sewing, nothing is better than being able to actually see someone stitch a seam. Putting thatRead More →
Penny is a soft and huggable fish. She’s fun and easy to sew and would make a great summer birthday gift for a child you know, or maybe for yourself (it’s okay to play with stuffed animals even when you’re a grown-up). The finished fish stuffed animal is 10.5″ long. To make Penny you’ll need:Read More →
Edited 9/18/15: The social media manager at McCall’s is Meg McDonald. A month ago I saw this tweet in my feed and got a little surge of excitement: Yippee, we’re on Twitter! — McCallPatternCompany (@McCallPatternCo) April 26, 2014 That same day I came across the brand new McCall’s Instagram feed. So why the surge ofRead More →
I did it! I moved my blog from Typepad to WordPress. Hooray and welcome to my new space! May was the 9th birthday of While She Naps and felt like the perfect time to invest the time, energy, and money into creating the right sort of home for it. All 1,300 posts have migrated over,Read More →
Gale Zucker and Kristin Nicholas. Photo of Kristin Nicholas by Rikki Snyder. In this episode of the While She Naps podcast my guests are Gale Zucker and Kristin Nicholas. Kristin is a knitwear and stitchery designer. She worked as the Creative Director for Classic Elite Yarn in Lowell, Massachusetts for 16 years before venturing outRead More →
UPDATED February 17, 2019: You can now purchase a copy of the Spool Bird pattern in two sizes from Michael’s Etsy shop for $5 right here. In 2008 Michael Fulkerson was working as a sewing teacher at Spool Sewing, a fabric store in Philadephia. The store owners asked Fulkerson if he could create a patternRead More →