One day back in 2005 I took my seven-month-old baby to the library for story time and while I was there I started looking at the sewing books. I ended up checking out a soft toy sewing book written in the late 1960s and later that day, when the baby went down for a nap, I flipped through it, found an elephant pattern that didn't look too hard and sewed it up in white flannel. I left the elephant on the bed to show to Charlie when he came home from work. He was duly impressed, if a bit bewildered, and I was happy and all was well and good, until the next day when I made another one. And then another. And then I sewed more toys from that book, and from more books, and then I started making my own toy patterns. And soon our bedroom was full of toys. Too many toys! And I figured I needed to start selling them to make room, and to provide a little cash so I could buy more fiberfill. I set up a shop on Etsy in the summer of 2005 when Etsy was still in beta and I did a few craft fairs.
In the seven years that have passed between then and now I have become passionate, possibly to the point of obsession, about soft toy making. And I have explored many possible ways to make money from my toy making habit.
Recently, I have begun to think more about how to grow a business from toy making. I know that there are avenues I haven't explored, and I know not all of them will work for me, but I think it would be beneficial to talk to those soft toy makers that have been really successful selling their work in all different ways. These discussion will surely help me to think about monetizing my own work in new ways, and maybe it will help you, too.
In this first post in the series I want to brainstorm all the ways to make money from making softies and I would love for you to add to my list. And then I will work on finding out more by talking with softie makers who have been successful at pursuing some of these avenues. I'll share what I learn and I'll also share my own experiences, and if you will share yours in the comments then we can build a great resource base for anyone interested in making money from sewing toys. Because one thing I have learned for sure is that it takes multiple income streams to make this work. My hope is that these posts will spark new business ideas for all of us. Softie makers unite!
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Okay, here are all the ways I can think of to make money from making handmade soft toys:
Selling handmade toys one by one. This might include developing a few designs and selling multiples of those or sell one-offs or taking custom orders. You might sell the toys online in brick-and-mortar retail shops or in galleries.You might take wholesale orders or sell on consignment. Another way to sell toys one by one is to sell them at craft fairs.
Selling patterns for toys. This might mean creating digital patterns and selling downloads online (like FunkyFriendsFactory among many others) or creating paper patterns and selling them online or in brick-and-mortar shops. You might publish an ebook of your sewing patterns or contribute to soft toy sewing books (selling patterns to pubishers). Or write a book of soft toy sewing patterns (again selling patterns to a publisher).
Become a designer at one of the big toy companies. (See this interview I did with Annie Hulden, toy designer for Ikea, or watch this incredible documentary short on toy designer Longia Miller who designed the pattern for Tickle Me Elmo, among other toys.)
Licensing. Licensing toys to companies that sell toys (like Land of Nod) or license sewing patterns to companies that sell sewing patterns (like Simplicty or McCall's). Design your own sewing patterns and work with a distributor (like Brewer) to sell to stores nationwide.
Teaching soft toy making. You could teach an online class or teach an in-person class either in your home or at a sewing center.
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Okay, that seems like a mighty list, but I know there are more possibilities. If you have some, please mention them in the comments. And if you really want to learn more about one of these areas or have a lead for me on someone you'd like to see me interview, I want to hear your suggestions!
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