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.
As you may know, I used to be a teacher. I still have a lot of fondness for writing lesson plans and on the blog that translates to creating tutorials. Pictures, instructions, and a neat finished project – what could be better? Here are some of the fun tutorial posts and free patterns I've createdRead More →
Interesting people find interesting stuff. That’s my theory, anyway. The While She Naps podcast is developing into conversations with designers and crafters in the industry about the things they love, work-related and otherwise. I’ve got amazing guests lined up for the new year and I’m really excited to discover all sorts of new and amazingRead More →
Making art is all about solving problems. How can I form this shape? Which two colors will look best here? What material should I use to make this part sturdy? If you think about it, you are facing and solving hundreds of tiny problems throughout the process of making something. Every one of us developsRead More →
PicMonkey is a free online tool for editing photos and creating graphics. It’s easy and intuitive to use, and it’s more powerful than many people realize. I’m a PicMonkey superfan! Today I’m going to show you how to easily create a beautiful new banner for your blog or Etsy shop, for free, using PicMonkey. HeadRead More →
Throughout my childhood my mother was a newspaper reporter for the Washington Post (you can read one of her more controversial articles here). My mom is someone who wants to get to the bottom of things, to say what nobody else dares to say, to make change in the world with words. From her IRead More →
A few simple embroidery stitches can really add a lot of beauty and detail to your sewing project. For softie making I often use embroidery to create facial features: eyes, noses, mouths, eyebrows and lashes. Chain stitch is a nice outline stitch. It's a bit thicker than back stitch which allows it to stand outRead More →
2013 has been a fun, busy year for While She Naps. I've written 163 blog posts this year and had some amazing discussions with readers as a result. As the year winds down I'm going back through all that has happened with this blog and my business and I'd really like to hear from you.Read More →
I've been working on a new little guy. His name is Pip. He's a super huggable piggie! Sometimes he wears a winter scarf for extra warmth. I sewed him from velour, my new favorite material for making softies. It's just so cuddly. Still machine washable and durable, but with a smoother finish than fleece. TheRead More →
When you have an online business you end up using graphic design tools all day long. You're editing photos, creating graphic elements for blog posts, sprucing up your Facebook banner, designing a new logo, laying out ebook pages…the list goes on. If you could sit next your favorite creative business owners and watch them work,Read More →
When you have an online business you end up using graphic design tools all day long. You’re editing photos, creating graphic elements for blog posts, sprucing up your Facebook banner, designing a new logo, laying out ebook pages…the list goes on. If you could sit next your favorite creative business owners and watch them work,Read More →