While She Naps

Benji the Bumblebee: A New Pattern

I've got a brand new pattern in my shop today!  I'd like to introduce you to Benji the Bumblebee.

I designed this guy in the middle of a very long, cold New England winter. His bright smiling face cheered me up while we waited for green grass and longer days. I made Benji for Stitch Craft Create magazine and he was all ready for publication in the Summer 2013 issue, the very next one to hit newsstands, when the magazine folded. So sad!

But nobody can keep Mr. Benji down. I had planned to put him in my shop right after his magazine debut, so he's just as happy to land there a few weeks early. I love this softie and I hope you will, too.

Okay, make a bee-line to your fabric stash, grab the pattern, and sew your own Benji the Bumblebee!

Awesome Handmade Toys: Jess Quinn

The post is part of an occasional series called "Awesome Handmade Toys." These posts feature toy makers whose work I think is particularly fresh and inventive. You can see previous posts in the series here. I also pin toys to my Inspiring Softies pinboard on a regular basis if you're looking for more inspiration.

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Jess Quinn is an artist who openly embraces the creativity of childhood. Pompoms, embroidery floss, bits of floral fabrics and ribbons combine together to evoke funny, colorful characters. Her softies amuse me and lift my spirits. Come meet Jess and her work.

Jess Quinn

Formally trained as a painter at Glasgow School of Art, Jess now lives in Bristol, England where she is a full-time maker and mom to three kids.

When motherhood left her little time for painting she says "instead of snarling at that pram in the hallway I took up sewing and knitting once more and I’ve been making fabric sculpted doll characters ever since. Life is exhausting but rich."  

Jess grew up in a creative household. Her own mom is a knitter and sewer and made all of Jess's clothes when she was growing up. Her dad taught furniture design.

Jess Quinn's work table.

Most of Jess's work is one-of-a-kind. Truly no two of these characters are the same. Jess loves bright colors and vintage fabrics.

Garlic Girl by Jess Quinn

I'm particularly struck by the wonderful facial expressions she's able to evoke with just a few lines of thread and some felt cutouts.

Buzzy and the birds by Jess Quinn.

Her dolls and toys have a nostalgic feel, but are still so modern. Here are a few of my (many) favorites.

 

 

 

Carnival Birds by Jess Quinn

Rag Doll by Jess Quinn

 

Dolls and softies by Jess Quinn

Dolls by Jess Quinn

She makes both animals and dolls from cloth, but she also works with shrink plastic and pegs and clay. Jess draws on mugs and shirts and wooden spoons. I think she could take anything as her canvas and make it charming.

 

Horse by Jess Quinn

 

Cat by Jess Quinn

I'm inspired by Jess Quinn's attention to tiny details and freedom to experiment with all sorts of materials. She has a signature style that is easily recognizable and her work is incredibly beautiful.

Check out Jess Quinn's blog to see what she's up to most recently and head over to her shop on Etsy to get yourself an original doll.

Twitter and Your Creative Business

 

For a long time I didn't understand what Twitter was all about. What could you say in 140 characters that was worth my time? I just couldn't figure out what Twitter was for. Would I enjoy it or just find it to be a waste of time?

Although at first I found Twitter difficult to grasp, I now really love it and recommend it crafters and creative business owners.

To help me explain why Twitter is awesome I got in touch with Blaire Windsor. Blaire's blog, Dirtsy, is about turning a craft into a business. I first connected with Blaire on Twitter (oh the irony!) and have become an avid reader of her blog.

Blaire knows a lot about how designers and makers can build a presence on Twitter. Our aim in this conversation was to shed some light on how Twitter might benefit you as a crafter and creative businessperson. Okay, here we go!

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Hi Blaire! Thank you for joining me in this discussion about Twitter for creative businesses. Let me start by asking how you describe Twitter to people who say, "I just don't get it."?

That's a great question, Abby. I didn't get Twitter at first either: I signed up years ago, didn't really know what to tweet about, and let the account sit.

Looking back now, not embracing it was a huge mistake on my part.

To get the most out of any marketing tool, I believe you have to understand the best way to leverage it and use it properly. I use Twitter primarily as a networking tool, and I'd describe it as the perfect social network to stay updated, connect and learn.

For anyone starting out on Twitter, I recommend coming up with a strategy first. Define your goals, then map out how you're going to reach them.

Photo by Rosaura Ochoa on Flickr

So Abby, what's your Twitter strategy?

I primarily see Twitter as a place to connect with people in my industry. I’m a sole entrepreneur and I work from home. I use Twitter to keep abreast of what’s happening in the sewing and craft world.

I follow all of the major players including the craft publishing houses, trade shows, retailers, and major and indie designers so that I can see what they're concerned about, what news is happening, and who they are working with. Many of my most valued relationships began as Twitter interactions.

I use Twitter to follow my interests. I follow start-ups that serve small creative business because I enjoy writing posts here on my blog about new tools for people like me. I follow a slew of content marketers because I’m interested in learning more about the connection between blogging and selling.

The articles all of these sectors link to via Twitter are often eye-opening and give me clues about better ways to run my own business and blog.

Okay, Blaire, how would you suggest a crafter get started with Twitter?

I'd recommend writing an attention-grabbing bio to start with. Bios are the first thing anyone who checks your feed sees and they're what compels someone to follow you back. Unfortunately, it's also the very thing most Twitter users ignore. Twitter bios are often unclear, boring, or worse- blank.

Think of your bio as the social media version of an elevator pitch: you've got 160 characters to define your business and convert readers to followers.

The best bios evoke a desirable emotion (be it shock, amusement or curiosity), tells the reader about your product and inspires action (usually a follow or a click). Putting in relevant keywords will also improve your chances of showing up in searches.

Once the bio has been written, it's time to start following people.

Photo by Coletivo Mambembe on Flickr.

Abby, how do you go about looking for who to follow?

Twitter really gets fun when you’re following great people! Start by searching for your favorite bloggers and makers. Most bloggers have a Twitter icon right on their blog which makes it easy and you connect with your favorite Etsy sellers on Twitter right from their Etsy shops.

I also enjoy following some of my favorite comedians, chefs, writers and musicians on Twitter. Just check to be sure that they are actually tweeting more than once a year before you follow them!

When someone I’m following will retweet something interesting posted by another Twitter user. I check out that person’s bio and then often choose to follow them, too. Keep in mind that following and unfollowing someone on Twitter is less personal than on other social media platforms. If someone is tweeting too much for your taste, or tweeting material that is irrelevant to you, you can always change your mind and unfollow them.

 

Photo by John Benson on Flickr.

Any last words of Twitter wisdom to share, Blaire?

Yes- automation. It's a huge time saver! One of the keys to Twitter success is tweeting often. I tweet at least once every two hours and it's impossible for me to log on to Twitter so much.

What I do is automate a lot of my tweets, then check in once every few hours to reply to mentions and thank those who have re-tweeted me. I actually lost my internet for an entire day last week and because I'd scheduled my tweets a day ahead, my tweets didn't suddenly stop. I was still able to share interesting articles, cool handmade finds and business tips with my followers.

There are many tools that can help you schedule your tweets: FutureTweets, HootSuite and Buffer are the ones I've tried. My current favorite is Buffer. It's so easy to use and their support is stellar (responses within minutes!).

If you're looking for something a bit more “all-in-one”, HooteSuite Pro lets you create multiple personalized streams. Since I tweet on behalf of clients and help with their publicity, I create streams with search terms that help me find bloggers to pitch to.

Of course there are pros and cons to everything, including automation. A huge event might occur and you'll seem obliviously tweeting to followers. For this reason, I recommend scheduling tweets for two days at a time.

Photo by wonderferret on Flickr.

Thank you so much for our talk Abby. It was fun to to discuss insights into Twitter. If you have any last thoughts on Twitter as well, I'd love to hear it. 

When I first set up my Twitter account I really didn’t understand how Twitter worked, no matter how much I read about it. I decided to just set up an account and give it a try for six months. If I still didn’t get it, or thought it was worthless, I’d end it. I came to see how valuable Twitter is for professional relationships and keeping up with my industry and now I wouldn’t run a business without it.

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Thank you, Blaire! You can find Blaire at dirtsy.com where she blogs about turning craft into business. When she's not blogging, she's preforming professional blog critiques and helping small business owners build a presence on Twitter. And I hope you'll come say hello to me on Twitter as well. 

 

So how do you use Twitter? Has anything here changed your perception? And if you dont' use it, why not?

9 Reasons Why You Should Have a Blog

Want to see something embarrassing? Here’s the first post I ever wrote on my blog:

Oh my goodness. Housewife? My head is now on my desk. But there’s something to celebrate here, too. The date. That was eight years and 1,065 posts ago. I’m still here regularly writing in this space.  Starting a blog was one of the best moves I’ve ever made and keeping it going was another.

But why? Why should you, or anyone, have a blog. And tied to this fundamental question is the equally important corollary: how do you hang in there.

First the why. 9 reasons to write a blog:

Make space for reflection and self-examination. The process of sitting down and formulating my thoughts helps me see myself more clearly. Countless times I’ve come to the computer without knowing what I would write about and somehow ideas bubble up that I wasn’t aware of. Once they’re on the surface I can act on them.

Keep a record of what you were thinking and what you’ve done. When I started blogging in the spring of 2005 I was going through a shift in my identity. I’d left the workforce and become a mother and was feeling rather useless (hence the “housewife”). Rereading is painfully embarrassing, but also such an incredible reminder of who I am and who I was. 

Get motivated to finish the projects you start. I often describe my blog as a hungry mouth that needs to be fed. It's hunger pains get me off the couch and into the studio to create something that will satiate it, at least for now.

Express yourself. My blog is my kingdom and I don’t need permission from anyone to say what I want, how I want, and when I want. There’s no editor here (although sometimes I wish there was). I go with my gut and explore what I find interesting.

Connect with people. I sew alone. I began sewing and blogging at the same time so for me the two have always been tied. This blog took something solitary and make it communal. There simply aren’t all that many people in Wellesley, Massachusetts who are really excited about designing sewing patterns for stuffed animals (ahem, I’m the only one). Hooray for the internet for making it easy to find likeminded people all over the world.

Create a living portfolio. When Charlie watches me as I come across a new blog he always laughs because I scroll through the first four or five pages of images saying, “What do you make? What do you make?” If I see something I like I’ll stick around. A blog is dynamic and ever changing. It’s what you’re producing today, last week, last month. In a glimpse I can see your creative life.

Show social proof.  Comments, likes, tweets, and shares are evidence that what we’ve said matters to people. That evidence feels good as personal validation, but it is also a demonstration to other, more powerful people and institutions that our voice and our creative output is being noticed. Use the numbers as leverage to get whatever it is you’re seeking: a freelance job, a book deal, a licensing opportunity. Use your blog to put your work in front of the people who matter.

Get better at writing and taking photos. Nothing beats practice. I’ve certainly written more words here than in college and graduate school combined and I’ve become a better writer for it. A craft blog is a type of hyper visual media that demands good photography. Take a great photo and make even a crappy project look amazing.  Take a poor one and you might as well have not made the project at all. My blog has made me into a photographer.

Be part of the larger conversation. I’m a keen observer of the craft industry as a whole and often find myself with something to say about what’s happening. On my blog I draw attention to what I think other people aren’t saying. I feel compelled to shine an honest and forthright light on what’s I see happening and I can do that here. 

And now to the other vital piece: how to hang in there.

Realize that your blog can change as your life changes. You don’t have to start over, just shift directions and keep going. If you go back through my archives to the early years (Oh no! You’re not doing that now are you?) you’ll see I was decorating cakes for about six months, and making a crapload of origami, and planning a flower garden that died. I was sewing tote bags and aprons and learning to be a mother. And then it became about softies.

Life isn’t a one-directional focused march and your blog doesn’t need to be either. Like with any healthy relationship, it’s okay to change.

Penguin and Egg Reversible Toy!

Guess what I've been working on?

Something is about to hatch.

Hmmm...Could it be a baby penguin?

Yep!  Hello little guy.

The pattern for this penguin and egg reversible toy will be ready soon...

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UPDATE!

The Penguin and Egg Reversible Toy pattern is now in my shop! Thanks everyone!

 

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 independent crafters became bloggers and the number of craft blogs skyrocketed into the tens of thousands. Blogs are increasingly saavy, rivaling the pillar of craft and homemaking media, Martha Stewart, in the quality of photo styling and project originality.

Independent publishers like me create content nearly every day, and it’s free to consume. A friend of mine recently asked me about blogs, specifically why use an RSS reader. My response? “Your RSS reader is like the best magazine you could ever imagine. You tailor it to your particular interests, it’s constantly refreshed with new content, and it’s free.”

I’ve created traditional print media for the craft industry, over the years contributing projects to books and magazines and writing two books of my own. Last spring I expanded my role as an independent craft publisher by selling my sewing patterns as digital downloads on Etsy and writing an ebook. A year into it I can tell you what many internet-based businesses already know: selling information is profitable. If you search Etsy right now for PDF patterns 95,552 items come up. Now that Etsy offers automatic digital file delivery that number will only increase.

What does that mean for print media? Craft projects are generally small. The pattern templates can easily be printed on a home printer. How many times have you bought a craft book for the single pattern that caught your eye? No more. Chances are that author now sells patterns individually directly, and instantly, to consumers.

Self-published posts and patterns aren’t edited necessarily and the authors aren’t vetted by industry experts. How do you know what you’re getting is good quality? The truth is patterns often weren't tested even when they were published by well-regarded print publications. Indie designers prove our expertise to the public ourselves by consistently publishing quality content on our blogs and building our personal brand reputations. We don’t need another media company to intermediate.

What’s next? The radical shift I see is the rise of video instruction. Nothing can replace the value of watching a master at work. Say you’d like to learn to insert an invisible zipper. Would you rather read instructions from a book, or watch a video? Zippers are tricky. If I know I’m watching an expert, and I know the video is shot so that I can really see what’s happening, I would much prefer to watch than read. 

Online teaching platforms like Craftsy and Creative Bug offer high definition videos of nationally known instructors demonstration their skills. The classes aren’t free, but they aren’t expensive either, and once you see the quality of instruction it’s hard to argue that print media is better.

“My favorite classes are the most advanced ones taught by the instructors who have many years, if not decades, of experience,” says Veronique from Verte Adelie, a self-described Craftsy junkie. “It's like being a little mouse in their studio and watching them work. It's just as if the internet suddenly allowed us to experience a very traditional master apprentice relationship in a way books never allowed.”

Jackie Ashton has taken several Creative Bug classes and explains the benefits of video instruction this way. “When I view a blog post or a book I'm usually doing a lot of guessing and back and forth, re-reading to try to figure it out. It's like having someone showing you how to tie your shoes, or trying to learn it from a book.”

It’s exciting to be a part of the new media landscape in craft, even as it’s sad to say goodbye to the familiar forms of media we grew up with. When it comes to craft instruction video is here to stay, first and foremost because it’s worth paying for. As for print publishing, it’s still challenging to print a dress pattern on your home printer and for that it will remain, although much emaciated. Digital self-publishing will pick up the slack.

I’d see some voids. Tech editors and graphic designers could market themselves to indie designers to help improve the quality of what’s being produced. Software products could make digitizing templates and creating page layouts as easy as PicMonkey has made editing photos.

Some holes have already been filled. There are great platforms for easily creating a professional online presensce and for getting self-published digital media to market (see my blog sponsors, Virb, Goodsie and Retailr, as examples). A blog makes it  easy to share high-quality free content with customers. Social media allows us to interact with the public directly.

That’s my forecast for the future of craft publishing. What do you see? I’m curious what you think the craft media landscape will look like in five years? And in ten?

Owl Girl: The Third Six Months of Softies Pattern

Are you ready? The third pattern in the Six Months of Softies club is out! She's Owl Girl by Paloma of Noialand and she's amazing!

I've admired Paloma's designs for many months and I was thrilled that she was one of the designers in the club because that meant I'd have a chance to try one out. These dolls are totally different from what I usually make. They're tiny and hand-sewn. I don't make all that many dolls generally so this was a totally pleasurable project to tackle.

I sat on the patio on a Sunday afternoon while my kids ran around the yard and stitched up this doll. Here's mine. Do you like her?

Hand stitching makes me nervous sometimes because it takes concentration to make it neat. My stitches may not all be perfect, but it was really rhythmic, almost meditative, to work on this and I enjoyed it immensely.

This girl is made to look like she's in an owl costume. It's so clever! She has a mask and a little hand puppet.

Her legs, arms and neck are wired with doubled pipe cleaners. I love all the details here: the tiny feather stitches and the little face on the puppet. I'm really pleased with my owl girl. She's going to sit on a wooden spool in my studio where I can always enjoy her.

We'd love to have you join Six Months of Softies. Once you start your membership you'll get all three of the patterns that have been released thus far and then one a month going forward. And guess what? My pattern is next! I can't wait to show it to you next month!

So come along on this fun softie-making journey with us!

Stuffed Animals Giveaway Winners

Wow!  We had a lot of entries in the Stuffed Animals giveaway. Thank you all so much! It was great fun to hear what kinds of softies you're interested in designing.

We had 159 entries and random number generator chose:

#3, Alicia, who said:

"so excited about your book coming out -- congrats! I'm dreaming of designing sea creatures and species-less creatures too! :)"

And #145, Heidi, who said:

"Yay it is finally coming! I can't wait for this book. I want to design my own dinosaurs (not just t-rex), and all kinds of local animals like squirrels, raccoons, deer, bears, etc. Congrats on another fabulous publication! I am crossing my fingers for an autographed treat!"

Thanks again to Shannon Fabrics, National Nonwovens, and 6060 Eyes for contributed supplies for this giveaway.

The book is available in stores nationwide, or you can get it right here for only $11.47. It's currently #1 in Hot New Releases in sewing!  Hooray!

Write Your Own Craft Book: An Event at Brookline Booksmith

Have you ever considered writing a craft book? Wondered about the ins and outs of getting a book deal? Been curious about the process of producing the manuscript and working with an editor?

On Monday, May 20, I'll be part of a panel discussion with several other craft book authors, and an editor at a major craft book publishing house, to talk about the process of writing craft books. 

We'll be discussing how to come up with and pitch a book idea, whether you need an agent, what we wish we knew before we started, what kinds of books publishing houses are likely to acquire now, and what advice we'd give to aspiring authors about selling a book idea and working with a publisher successfully. And there will be time for questions, of course!

If you'll be in the Boston area that day, I'd love for you to join us!

The panelists will be:

Kari Chapin, author of The Handmade Marketplace and Grow Your Handmade Business

Stacey Trock, author of Crocheted Softies and Cuddly Crochet

Jennifer Urban-Brown, editor at Roost Books

and myself.

The panel will be moderated by the amazing and inspiring Virginia Johnson, owner of Gather Here in Cambridge.

We'll have a signing afterwards with plenty of time to chat, too. I hope to see you there!

The Official Stuffed Animals Release Date Giveaway!

Today is May 7, 2013, the official release date of my new book, Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction!  I have been waiting for this day for a very long time.

Way back in the spring of 2009 I began dreaming of writing a book that would be a comprehensive guide to designing and sewing stuffed animals and now that book is on shelves in bookstores nationwide. I’m so grateful to you guys, my blog readers, for all of your ideas and support along the way. Many of you were here when I wrote the Elements of Soft Toy Design series a few years ago. Your enthusiastic response to those posts gave me to confidence to forge ahead with the book proposal and helped me prove to big name publishers that there was indeed an audience for a book like this.

To say thank you to you, and to celebrate today, I’ve put together two giveaway packages that I think will be delightful for any softie maker to receive. Here’s the scoop:

The Ram Package

Everything you’ll need, and more, to make the Ram from Stuffed Animals. Here’s a 30 second video clip that explains a bit more about the Ram.

Ram Featurette from Stuffed Animals from Abby Glassenberg on Vimeo.

He’s so fun to make and you’ll pick up some neat skills along the way, too. This package contains:

-an autographed copy of Stuffed Animals

-two pairs of 12mm safety eyes in light blue from 6060 eyes on Etsy

-one yard of Sherpa Faux Fur in Oatmeal from Shannon Fabrics

-one yard of wool-blend felt in white from National Nonwovens

-one yard of wool-blend felt in gray from National Nonwovens

-a pair of my favorite hemostats (the kind with the curved tip and ridges)

 

The Hippo Package

Everything you’ll need, and more, to make the Hippo from Stuffed Animals. I don’t have a special video clip for the hippo, but you can seem him really well in the trailer.

Stuffed Animals Book Trailer from Abby Glassenberg on Vimeo.

Learn to design a softie with an open mouth and do some needle sculpting while you make this guy. This package contains:

-an autographed copy of Stuffed Animals

-a wool felt ball and wool-blend felt scraps in blue and black to make the hippo’s eyes

-one yard of Cuddle fabric in silver from Shannon Fabrics

-one yard of wool-blend felt in cotton candy pink from National Nonwovens

-one yard of wool-blend felt in white from National Nonwovens

-a pair of my favorite hemostats (the kind with the curved tip and ridges)

 

Sweet, right? These are all top quality materials and there’s enough in each package to make many, many softies. Thank you so much to Shannon Fabrics, National Nonwovens, and 6060 for donating these amazing supplies. All three of these companies have been incredibly generous and supportive of softie makers and using their products is a total pleasure.

My goal with this book is to provide all the tricks and techniques you’ll need to design your own softies so leave me a comment telling me what kind of stuffed animals you’re dreaming of designing.

Please be sure that I have your correct email address and please only leave one comment. If you have a correction or something more to say, just email me directly. Open to everyone, including international entries. I’ll draw two names at random on Friday, May 10 at 1:00 pm Eastern and send you one of the two packages (I get to choose who gets what).

Thank you so much!

Free Teddy Bear Sewing Pattern: Pete the Bear

I made this bear today and I thought you might like to make him, too. Meet Pete the Bear! He's my favorite kind of softie to make: easy and quick to sew and you can make him from scrap materials.

Ready to get started? Get the free pattern download right here. Enjoy!

Love,

Abby

P.S. Why didn't the teddy bear eat his lunch? Because he was stuffed!

Leave me bear joke, okay? I'll give you a bear hug :)

 

Adding an Interactive Element to a Softie

Softies are fun no matter what, but they are even more fun when they're interactive. Yesterday I sewed one of my Squeaky Snakes from super-soft minky with a bright pink felt tongue. I love the coiled shape, but the pattern actually includes three snake shapes:

a basic straight snake

a curvy snake

and this coiled version. I sewed this one from giraffe fleece, but I think it actually looks convincingly like snake skin!

These are called Squeaky Snakes because they have squeakers in their heads! It's really fun to make the snake "talk" by squeaking it while you chase your kids around, threatening to gobble them up.

The baby stole my new Squeaky Snake and ran out into the garden with it. She made it squeak, refused to share it, and then laid down on the grass. Hard to blame her.

 

It's really easy, and fun, to add a noise element to your softies. Here are a few easy ways to do it:

• Insert a squeaker - Be sure it's near enough to the "skin" of the toy that a child can easily squeeze it. For the snake I used one of the squeakers I stock in my shop.

• Add a rattle - I like to pad the rattle insert so that you can't feel any hard edges when you hug the toy. Just push bits of stuffing all around it and stuff the toy firmly to hold the rattle in place. These are the most popular supply I sell in my shop!
• Insert a music button - Press the button and a short song plays. Toddlers can't get enough of this. Trust me! They'll press that button over and over and over. I'll have music buttons that play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in stock next week. I'm excited about them!
• Add a music box - Turn the key and hear the music play. These have a classic sound, but are a bit more complicated to insert. For a very special toy, though, I think it's worth it.
• Try a growler - Flip your toy upside down and hear it growl! These are traditionally used in teddy bears, but would be really cool in another sort of softie.
• Slip in some crinkly paper - Cut up a clean chip bag and slip it into your softie for that crinkly noise babies love.

Find more detailed instruction for using each of these in my new book, Stuffed Animals. Make a Squeaky Snake or add a noise maker to your own softie design. It's fun and you'll end up with a toy that your baby won't share, just like mine!

Photography Equipment for Crafters

When you negotiate a book deal part of the conversation revolves around what images will be in the book, how many there will be, and, perhaps most importantly, who will create the images.

There are a lot of different approaches to consider. Some craft books are text-heavy with just a few step-by-step images within the instructions supplemented by full-page beauty shots of the finished projects.  Others have computer drawn diagrams or hand-drawn illustrations showing key steps that are best represented visually. And still others rely on step-by-step photos to illustrate the text.

My first book has an opening chapter that explains all the basic techniques you'll need to know to make a fabric bird. My publisher flew me across the country to their studio and had a professional photographer take the photos that illustrate this section. Being in a real photo studio was fascinating. There were big rolls of backdrop paper, umbrella lights, and simple white foam core sheets to reflect light.

For the rest of the book they hired a professional illustrator to create watercolor drawings to illustrate key steps within particular patterns. I sent the illustrator photos and she drew these.

When I began planning Stuffed Animals I felt strongly that I needed step-by-step photos to illustrate the 16 patterns. I wanted additional photos to accompany the 52 lessons that break down how the patterns were created and really teach you how to design your own softies. We were looking at creating hundreds of photos for this book, in addition to those that would be taken by Cynthia Shaffer, the wonderful photographer in California who took the beauty shots of each project.

In order to make this happen I knew that I’d need to take the photos myself, in my studio, as I was working on each project. This was a pretty scary prospect for me. I had a digital SLR (a Nikon D-40), but I really didn't understand it very well. The last time I’d studied photography was in high school where I’d spent most of the time in class lusting after our handsome teacher, Mr. Foo. He drove a Harley to school and wore motorcycle boots. Mr. Foo, my love for you is still unrequited. Call me!

Needless to say I had a lot to learn.

After I signed the book contract I headed over to one of the last locally owned camera shops in the Boston area, Newtonville Camera, and asked for some help. I bought four things and with those four things I was able to take all of the step-by-step photos that you see in the book. Here is what I got:

1. A tripod. I bought a Benro tripod, but I think any sort of sturdy tripod will do. Play around with it when you get it home. I didn't realize at first how flexible it was. It can get seriously tall, lean forward, and swivel. I love it.

2. Studio lights. I bought two Smith Victor KT400 photoflood umbrella lights. First, I will tell you that the day I set them up was the day we went from feeling like my studio was in our bedroom to feeling like we were sleeping in my studio.

This is what you don't see in the shots of me working in my studio: the bed that's right behind me. Glamorous! This is also why we shot the trailer at Gather Here instead of where I really work.

Umbrella lights in your bedroom will do that. But, these puppies are amazing. That’s two 500 watt bulbs. I can take photos after dark and on cloudy days with no trouble. It's tempting to leave them on while I'm working because they flood the room with light and I love light. But, alas, that wouldn't be good for the electric bill. Natural light is still best, of course, but I love my umbrellas.

3. A lens. My camera came with a standard 18-55 mm lens that I still use all the time. In fact, I took the photos for the book with that lens because it hooks in with the autofocus on my camera so I could feel confident that my shots were in focus. But I bought a nifty 50 mm lens while at the camera store and ended up using it to take all the beauty shots for my self-published patterns. You can dial it down really low and get wonderful depth of field that really highlights the details in a handmade toy while gently blurring the background.

This plush rubber duck is one of my two dozen self-published patterns.

4. A lesson. I’m a thrifty DIYer and tend to always feel like I have to learn everything on my own. "Pay someone to help me? Oh, no, I'll just figure it out." You know what? This last piece ended up being the most important on the list. While at the camera shop I asked if they knew of a photographer who might be able to give me a one-on-one lesson in my home studio. Sure enough, the guy who helped me choose all the equipment said he'd be happy to do it. We set a time and he came over and it was incredibly valuable! Why? Because we were in my space, with my light, my camera and lenses, and my softie parts. I took tons of notes. I asked every single stupid question I ever had. When he left I knew I was all set. I had this thing under control.

I have a permanent photo studio set up on my workspace in our bedroom. It's a low table with a big piece of fabric taped to the wall so that it drapes down to create a seamless backdrop. I have a brick I wrapped in white fabric and taped up with surgical tape that props up a piece of white foam core to reflect light. Sometimes I change the backdrop to a piece of white poster board or various other big sheets of paper.

Do you need to go out and buy the exact equipment I use? No, of course not. In fact, I'm sure there's other, better equipment to be had. But if you're serious about creating craft tutorials, whether for your own blog, as a guest blogger, for magazine work, or to write a book, I think it’s worth saving up for some quality equipment and some know-how. There are great online tutorials, books, and online classes for taking better photos. Start there and play a lot, then get yourself a one-on-one lesson. It's worth it.

2 Great Sources of Supplies for Making Stuffed Animals

I realize that designing and sewing a stuffed animal may be a new sort of project for many people. If you sew at all you probably already have much of what you'll need to get started and, as I point out in the trailer, you can make beautiful softies from humble materials. But there are a few speciality supplies, like fur and eyes, that you might enjoy trying out. Here are some recommendations for where to find them.

In Stuffed Animals there's a fun pattern for a furry puppy:

When you make this guy you'll see how to design a toy with a turned head, which is a pretty cool technique, and you'll get to experiment with sewing with fur.

Check out Luxury Faux Fur, a shop on Etsy with a great selection of fur fabrics. Here you can buy just a 1/2 yard or 1/3 yard cut so you're not buying and storing more fabric than you need, and you can find fun, funky colors unavailable in big box fabric stores. For the puppy you could use some gray and chocolate brown shag, for example.

If you've never made a classic teddy bear, give it a try. The teddy bear was literally the very first stuffed animal that gained commercial popularity and it retains it's classic appeal today. Use the pattern in Stuffed Animals to see how the pieces come together, and then design your own unique bear using those basic building blocks.

I like safety eyes for teddy bears and there's a whole section in Stuffed Animals that explains how to use them. Most fabric stores carry only a limited selection of safety eyes, usually just 12 mm black and brown. Don't feel limited, though! Find every kind of eye size, shape and color you could hope for at 6060 on Etsy.

I just ordered 10 pairs of 12 mm safety eyes in a rainbow of colors. Aren't they pretty! Makes me want to sew. I'm thrilled that a package of eyes from 6060 will be included in the book release giveaway on May 7! 

It's fun to experiment with new fabrics and try out some new techniques. Supplies from these Etsy shops will get you started on your stuffed animal making journey. It's a fun one!

Awesome Handmande Toys: A Chat with Toy Designer Lauren Venell

The post is part of an occasional series called "Awesome Handmade Toys." These posts feature toy makers whose work I think is particularly fresh and inventive. You can see previous posts in the series here. I also pin toys to my Inspiring Softies pinboard on a regular basis if you're looking for more inspiration.

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Today we're in for a real treat. I spoke with plush artist Lauren Venell about her work making large scale custom plush for clients and galleries and having toys manufactured overseas.

Lauren Venell with one of her Sweet Meats

Lauren has done some really impressive work. Take a look at this giant, wearable Mr. Burrito and I think you'll see what I mean:

Mr. Burrito by Lauren Venell

How do you go about planning this type of project? And how many hours of work went into making all that rice? Lauren tells me all about it, and the burrito pillow that preceeded the wearable version.


Stuffed Full by Lauren Venell

Lauren creates plush installation art in gallery settings as well. This piece, entitled Stuffed Full, takes us into a butcher shop where all the meat is plush.


Example of packaging for Sweet Meats by Lauren Venell

Even the packaging is convincing.

Lauren also has toys manufactured ovderseas, first her Sweet Meats and now a new line called Deep Creeps.

Leonardo the Octopus, a Deep Creep designed by Lauren Venell

Hear how she ended up with an 18-wheeler full of plush and zero sales (ahh!) and how she turned it all around. There's a happy ending here, I promise!

Lauren and I had a terrific conversation. We speak for about 45 minutes. Listen to the interview by clicking below:

 

Chat with Lauren Venell

You can see more of Lauren's work here, and connect with her on Twitter, too. If you'd like to learn more about Lauren's experience with manufacturing I recommend reading this Q& A she did with Rena Tom last year.

 

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Have a question for Lauren or me? Or just want to tell us something? Go ahead and leave a comment here and one of us will write back. Thank you and enjoy the interview!

P.S. I'm working on creating a legitimate podcast. It'll be about indie plush and creative business practices. I hope you're as excited about it as I am. It's coming...

Ten Tips for Starting an Art Collection

 

Charlie and I began dating in the summer of 2000. A few months into our relationship we went to an art show, the annual School of the Museum of Fine Arts student and faculty sale, and bought a piece of art together. It was $300 and we split the cost. We'd fallen in love with this large painting on paper made by an alumna at the school and we couldn't leave without it, even though we weren't yet sure we'd fallen in love with each other. We hung the piece in his apartment and each of us fretted privately about who would get the painting if we broke up.

Our first jointly purchased piece of art. It's called "Tilting at Windmills" and it's by SMFA alumna Louise Weinberg.

13 years later that piece is still hanging in our house where we look at it every day along with the dozens of other pieces of original art we've bought together since then.   

When new guests come into our house they look around and just keep looking. There’s a lot to see in here. We have our walls painted white and we’ve collected mid-century furniture with understated clean lines so that the paintings and sculptures that make up our art collection are the focal point.

I think for many people collecting original art can be scary. How do you know what to buy? And where to go? Is it worth the money, and how much money are we talking about anyway? I've put together some tips to help an aspiring collector get started. Bringing original art into your life will improve the daily environment of your home. And it just may spark your own creativity.

First, a note of reassurance. Yes, you absolutely can have a house full of original artwork and have young children. Our kids are 2, 7, and 9 and they’ve been surrounded by art, much of it hung low enough for them see and reach, since they were born. There's original art in each of their bedrooms. In our house we have rules about respecting art. We just look and don’t touch. And that goes for the art they make as well as the art we buy.

The kid's table in our family room, with two paintings right above. One is by my aunt, Judith Mensh Ryan, and other by William McCloy, bought at a huge fire sale of his work in Connecticut while visiting my in-laws.

Okay, so how do you get started? Here are ten tips for beginning an art collection:

1. There are no rules. Don’t get too academic about things. This is your house, your money, and your taste. You can hang anything you’d like anywhere you’d like. Free yourself from rules you’ve read about decorating or art history or whatever. Just jump in. A lot of the work of building a collection is developing your personal aesthetic. What are you drawn to? Charlie and I share a love of abstraction, modernism, simplicity, and pseudographica (text that looks like words, but isn’t). We don’t always agree, but it’s thrilling when we do.

2. Don't buy for value. Buy what you like. I’m not talking about buying a Picasso here. The kind of collecting I’m referring to isn’t about trying to find a treasure that will grow in value and become part of your estate, or working through an agent to find pieces by a particular well-known artist. I’m talking about buying beautiful original art that you like. You’re the one who’ll see it while you’re eating your oatmeal each morning.

This is our biggest piece. It's called "Yoder" and is by Joshua Goode. We bought it from him in his studio when he was in grad school at Boston University. We lived right down the street and he carried it to our apartment, up three flights of stairs!

3. Buy big stuff. I’ve found that people are afraid to commit to a large piece and instead buy lots of little tiny things. It’s hard to hang lots of little things well. A big canvas makes a statement and fills a space. Get over your fear and commit to something big and dramatic.

4. Consider a canvas. You’ll save on framing costs.

5. Find an affordable framer that knows what they're doing. Framing is an art form in and of itself and unless you’ve been trained to do it, you’re better off leaving it to a professional. A bad framer can ruin a piece you’ve spent good money on by using glue, poor quality glass, or a cheap matte that will fade over time. Develop a relationship with a good framer who understands your style and will be able to help you choose a frame and matte that shows off your piece. We use a framer in an industrial part of Waltham that is among the scroungiest retail setting you’ll find, but their quality is amazing and the prices can’t be beat. It’s worth every penny.

6. Hang it low. I’m 5’2”. Charlie is 5’10”. Here’s how we hang art in our house. He holds the piece up and says,

“How’s this?”

I say, “Move it lower.”

He says, “Now?”

I say, “Lower.”

This goes on a while until he reaches a breaking point and refuses to go any lower. Then it’s perfect. Art should be at eye level. Eye level is low. Buy good quality hangers and get out the level. Don't be afraid to group things together or stack pieces one above the other. We have to stack now because we’re running out of wall space.

7. Go directly to the artist. Where do you find and buy affordable art? From the artists themselves. Wherever you live, whether it a small rural town or a bustling cosmopolitan city, people around you are making art. Go see them. Here in metro Boston many towns have open studio weekends in which artists invite the public to visit their studios to view and purchase art. Check out the colleges near you. Most colleges have some kind of art program and many have student and faculty shows and sales periodically throughout the year. We’ve bought fantastic student artwork and some of those students have gone on to enjoy very successful careers as artists. And bring your kids. It’s fun to see how art is made!

This is our latest aquisition. It's a vintage piece from the late 1960s, clearly strongly influence by Louise Nevelson. We bought this at ModHaus in Dorchester while looking for some end tables. The artist is unknown.

8. Buy it when you see it. We were at a show a few years ago and both of us were really drawn to this incredible portrait done in pen on a gnarled piece of driftwood. We turned around for a moment to discuss whether we should get it and when we turned back it was gone. Someone bought it from under our noses! Another time we visited the studio of a man who made geometric assemblages that were so incredible we were totally enthralled. But they were a bit over our price range. We hemmed and hawed and left without one, but we still talk about them longingly. Lesson learned: go with your gut and don’t hesitate.

9. Keep all the documentation. Save the receipt, the artist’s business card, and the label from the back of the piece. Every now and then a particular artist does rise in prominence and your piece may become valuable. Other times you’ll change your mind and want to sell a particular piece. In both cases it helps to know how much you paid for the piece and when. We sold a big canvas on Craig’s List last year for $50 and we don’t miss it.

This pink and white piece on masonite with antlers hangs above the fireplace in our family room. We bought it at the SMFA sale a few years ago. Pink was new for us.

10. Don't try to match your decor. Art doesn’t need to match furniture, or a paint color, or the carpet and upholstery. Art needs to move you. Don’t go to the gallery looking for a particular mauve or yellow stripe. Go with an open mind. That being said, if you have certain dimensions you need to work within, that can be helpful.

Visiting artists’ studios together as a family connects us to the artist and the art in our home. Our kids have met many of the artists and seen where the work was made. Bringing it home is exciting for all of us. Once it gets here, we inevitably we have to take something else down and move it. That move leads to another and soon we’re shuffling everything. It’s good to move stuff around periodically. When you come down to breakfast the next day the house will look new.

Building an art collection takes time. It’s like a wonderful, endless treasure hunt. And it does take a bit of money, but not a lot. Charlie and I don’t buy each other holiday gifts. Instead we pool the money we would have spent on each other and buy a piece of art together. When we’re sitting together we glance at the wall there’s something interesting for our eyes to rest on. Through the ups and downs of everyday life as a family we're surrounded by things of beauty and that makes all of our lives richer.

PicMonkey Tutorial: Putting an Image Inside Letters

I don't own a graphics program, not even Photoshop, and investing in one isn't in the budget this year. Instead I'm really enjoying learning to use free online programs to their utmost.

PicMonkey is one of my very favorites. You may know of PicMonkey as a photo editing program, which it is, but it's also an incredibly powerful tool for creativity. This post is part of a series of PicMonkey tutorials I've created. See the first one here and the second here. Enjoy!

In PicMonkey you can easily take one of your photos and use it to fill in some text like this: 

Use this technique to make an eye-catching blog or Etsy shop banner, a nice graphic for a blog post, or use it on your business cards. Ready? Let's get started!

First, import your "white" background photo into PicMonkey (Creating a white background to use with PicMonkey is really easy and useful. Get the quick how-to here.) Now add some black text. Choose a wide font and make it nice and big so there'll be plenty of space for the photo to show through. Merge your layers.

Go to Textures (that's the icon along the left side that looks like a mesh diamond) and click Your Own, then Open My Texture. This allows you to import your own photo.

Now you'll see your photo, but it'll be behind the black text.

To blend them, set the Blend option to "Screen" and play with the Fade, bringing it close to 0.

Lookin' snazzy! Resize and add some more text, then save it to your desktop.
Or take it a step further if you'd like by adding an additional texture. I chose this one from Weave.

It's looking all fabric-like now! I'll let you take it from here. The creative options are pretty endless.
After playing around a bit I think it's best to use an image that is easy to read even in small bits. Your button stash would be great, or grass, or clouds. Give it a try and link back in the comments so that we can see what you come up with!

Where to Buy Wool Felt for Softies and Some Studio Glimpses

As copies of my book are beginning to make their way out into the world I'm going to periodically share some of my favorite sources for the fabrics and supplies you might want to play with while working your way through the projects. First up, a material I used every single day: wool felt. I love wool felt, and it's more reasonably priced cousin wool-blend felt. It's vibrantly colored, it's sturdy, and it doesn't fray. I wrote a guest post for Craftsy a few months ago about how I cut felt shapes accurately if that interests you.

My local big box fabric store has a very limited selection of wool-blend felt, and doesn't carry 100% wool felt at all, so I source my felt elsewhere. All of the felt I've used for the past few years was manufactured by National Nonwovens. This company is based here in Massachusetts and many of the retail stores, both brick-and-mortar and online, that sell wool felt get it from National Nonwovens. The colors are lusious and the quality impeccable. Buy it retail at Wool Felt Central. They seem to have every color and the prices are pretty darn good.

National Nonwovens provided all the felt I used in the projects in Stuffed Animals. Way back when I was just starting to plan the project they sent me all of their sample cards in the mail. I spent a wonderful few days figuring out what I wanted. This was one of the most exciting activities ever and it was the beginning of a great relationship, too.

I've been sewing samples for National Nonwovens' Quilt Market booth ever since. I made butterflies when they did a spring theme and then I made hibiscus flowers for an island theme. This year Stuffed Animals' official release date is just before spring Market and I'm really excited that the book will be displayed in their booth! I won't be there, but my toys will hang out and represent me.This week I'm sewing projects from the book using National Nonwovens wool felt including:

the bumblebee, which is a toy I designed to demonstrate what you can do with just basic shapes (two spheres):

some fish, which are very simple softies that begin with just a coloring-book style outline and become the most basic sewing pattern:

and the elephant, a toy that demonstrates how to draw a great underbody gusset (I love a great underbody gusset!). This elephant is going to be pink! I'm super excited about him.

I'm putting together some amazing giveaway prizes to celebrate the book's official release date, May 7, and you can bet they'll be some National Nonwovens' felt in the mix, along with some other awesome goodies. The prize piles are growing so you might want to mark your calendar!

That's a peek into my studio right now. Today I'm putting the eyes on all the toys and then they'll go into the mail. I'm hoping to spot a few photos of them on display at Market on Twitter.

Why Saying Yes Will Help You Grow Your Business

What should you do when you’re presented with an opportunity to pursue a project that’s not perfectly aligned with the mission of your business?

Most business advice would tell you to say no. Turn it down. Don’t stray. You’re time is your most valuable commodity so don’t go spending it on things that aren’t mission critical. I think that’s good advice but I don't think you should take it until you’re running an established business that’s making real profits and has to follow a very specific strategy for future growth. When you’re starting out (and starting out can take many years sometimes) I’d like to suggest that you say yes to requests for your time and your expertise.

Say yes to those opportunities that show up in your inbox. Yes, you’ll review that new iPad app for crafters. Yes you’ll assist with an introductory sewing class at the community center. Yes, you’ll create a custom teddy bear for your neighbor’s daughter. Say yes and take it on.

I'm all in favor of taking the active role in the direction f your business, but now is a time to agree to the unexpected opportunity.

 

Photo by Larry Page on Flickr

If something isn’t directly related to your product line why should you embrace it? Because when you’re enterprise is still small it’s valuable to follow new avenues. You don’t know where they’ll lead and at the very least you’ll learn not to follow that particular one again.  Accepting opportunities means you’ll make connections with new people, figure out how long things take to plan and make, find out what you’re good at and what drives you crazy, and push yourself to delve into something you wouldn’t have sought out on your own. Most importantly, you’ll better define your boundaries.

Later, when your business is established and is turning a profit you’ll be able to give a confident no to some requests, and with good reason. At that point saying no will leave room for you to focus on your mission. Now, though, far more success will come your way if you deliberately choose to say yes and see where it leads.

I love the story Tina Fey tells about finding a folder with notes she’d jotted from a class at Second City. Her teacher had given some rules for doing improv comedy and one of them was, “The fun is always on the other side of yes.”She says she's adopted this mantra for her life and career, clearly with great effect.

A few months ago Wendi emailed me with the idea for a six month subscription club for softie makers. Her idea involved seeking out six indie designers and having each one create an exclusive pattern for club members. She asked me if I wanted in. Hmmm... Did I want to be a part of this?

I said yes, even though the model was entirely new to me. I helped Wendi brainstorm a list of softie pattern designers to ask and we got four incredible women to join us. Six Months of Softies has become really popular and it's been great fun to collaborate with this group of designers. But you know what? Not everyone on our list said yes. I’m really glad I did.  

When you choose to embrace a new opportunity, to agree to a collaboration, to try a new role, there’s something waiting for you on the other side. It may not be always be “the fun” but it is certain to be instructive. Tina Fey describes life as improvisation and she strives to say yes even when she feels she may be in over her head. I would certainly descirbe running a creative business as improvisation, too, and I know there is fun and profit to be had on the other side of yes.

Month 2 of Six Months of Softies: Join the Club!

Today is the release of the second pattern in Six Months of Softies! This month we're making an adorable whale designed by the amazing Jen Gubicza of Zooguu.

Photo via Zooguu. I love this picture so much. That was totally me as a teenager.

This whale is easy and fun to make and Jen gives you terrific step-by-step photos and instructions to guide you through the process from start to finish. The pattern comes with three size options so you can make a whole family of whales.

I chose to make a medium sized whale. Two, actually.

Josephine is very fond of these guys.

She's been "swimming" across the kitchen floor with them (in her bumblebee costume).

And giving them big hugs. Adorable. I love this pattern.

And I love Jen's work. Jen is an expert at selling handmade goods at craft shows. I interviewed her for this post about how to master selling your softies at craft fairs. Club members have permission to sell whales made with this pattern, as well as elephants made with the pattern from the first month of the club.

Come join us!  Six Months of Softies is a club for anyone who likes sewing toys. Six indie designer have created new exclusive patterns just for club members!

Here’s the designer line-up:

• Pauline of Funky Friends Factory

• Wendi of Shiny Happy World

• Annika of Bugga Bugs

• Jen of Zooguu

• Paloma of Noia Land

• and me!

Sign up today and get the first pattern right away. A new one will arrive in your inbox once a month. Subscriptions are $50. Are you in?