One of the biggest advantages that self-publishing PDF patterns give us as designers is the ability to test the market in a very low-cost way. In June of 2009, almost seven years ago, I made a piece of pink patchwork, cut it apart, and sewed it into an elephant. You can see it here. Every…
Should Sewing Patterns Be Certified?
If you’re interested in becoming a sewing pattern designer it’s easier now than it’s ever been. You can learn the skills you need, create a design, test it, and then sell it directly to consumers without a huge investment in formal schooling, software, or printing and distribution. There are online classes in pattern drafting, grading,…
Small Companies are Nimble: Indiesew is Prepared for VAT Changes
Allie Olson is the co-founder of Indiesew, a curated ecommerce site offering “sewing patterns for the modern woman.” With Indiesew Allie and her business partner, Steve Herschleb, are working to promote independent sewing pattern designers and create community among women who love to sew their own clothes. Allie carefully chooses the designers and patterns that…
Market Research Takes the Fear Out of Getting Started
In 2011 I was at a crossroads. I had just turned in the manuscript for Stuffed Animals and I wasn’t sure what to do next. For a year I’d been writing a book which meant I was in the rhythm of creating a new pattern every three weeks. I’d learned a lot in the process…
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…
Pattern Updates
I'm working my way through my older patterns to bring them up to my current style. This means I'm sewing new samples, taking some new photos, adding additional links to helpful blog posts, and generally polishing each one until it's shiny and new. Darcy the Dachshund PDF Sewing Pattern I worked on sewing all new…
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…
Generating Design Ideas From Stories in the Public Domain
Classic children's stories are a wonderful source of inspiration for stuffed animal and doll makers. Many of the classic tales are now in the public domain which means that they either have expired copyrights or are ineligible for copyright protection. No permission is needed to use works that are in the public domain and that's…
Automating Your Etsy Shop: An Interview with Chris Marinic, Founder and CEO of CraftHub
Oh wow! One of my patterns just sold from my Etsy shop! Hooray! Except I’m at the playground with three kids and no laptop and after this we’re going to piano lessons and then a playdate. We won’t be home for at least three hours and when we do get home I have to cook…
Giraffe Sewing Pattern Coming Soon!
Here's what I've been working on this week: a giraffe! I love giraffes and there aren't very many sewing patterns for them so I thought I'd jump in and make one. This guy is of the "sit up and have tea at your tea party" variety. He's got a bag of polly pellets in his…