While She Naps

New Pattern: Animal Rattles 2nd Edition

I'm very excited to have a brand new pattern in my shop today! This one is a continuation of my original plush animal rattles with three new designs: a bear, a bunny, a puppy. You can sew one of these rattles in under an hour and they make a super sweet handmade gift for a new baby. I have also restocked three-packs of the rattle inserts to go inside.

These inserts make a really nice strong rattling noise that doesn't get muffled by the stuffing.

The Animal Rattles 2nd Edition pattern is available right here. And guess what? Hemostats are back in the shop, too, just in time for fall and holiday crafting!

Thank you so much, guys! Happy sewing.

*Note that my Etsy shop will be in vacation mode from Monday, August 26-Friday, August 31.

Things I Love About Sewing: It's Open-Ended

Close your eyes and think back for a minute to Junior High and High School. Think about all those classes you took, all that homework you did, all that stressful cramming for math quizzes and biology tests.

Now try to remember a project you did for school. Not just any project, but your favorite project. Something you got really into, you worked super hard on, and you were really proud to present on the day it was due.

Got something? Okay good.

I'm going to bet that the project you have in your mind right now was open-ended. Most likely it was on a topic of your own choosing and maybe it was even structured in a unique way that you devised yourself. You probably created materials for the project, maybe even did some original research. It was, I'm betting, creative in some way and wasn't like anything the other kids in the class presented. 

Am I right? I'm betting I am because these kinds of projects, the open-ended, complex, creative kind, are the projects in school, and in life, that mean the most to us. They are the antithesis of filling out a worksheet. They are wide open, an outward expression of our inner self, an original creation uniquely our own.

The feeling of accomplishment that comes with that sort of project stays with us. How long ago was it that you turned in that assignment? 10 years ago? 20? 30 or more? And the pride is still there.

Sewing for me is a creative medium through which I can get that feeling every single day. Ideas for what to make spin inside my head while go through my days changing diapers, cutting apples and cubes of cheddar cheese, sweeping the floor, folding 25 pairs of kid's socks, packing snacks, unpacking backpacks, and in the minutes right before I fall asleep at night. 

When I sit down and begin to transfer those ideas into my sketchbook, and then sew them from fabric and thread that fantastic feeling of open-ended creativity returns to me. It's a natural high. The satisfaction of holding the finished toy is like nothing else. Getting to this feeling is one of the reasons that I love sewing.

Adding Seam Allowances to Pattern Pieces

When I'm in the process of designing a sewing pattern I design without adding seam allowances to the pattern pieces because I need to see exactly how the pattern pieces come together. But when I cut the pattern pieces from fabric I add a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Here is how to add a 1/4 in seam allowance quickly and easily!

Freezer paper is a vital tool in my design process for a whole host of reasons, but one of them is the ease with which it allows me to add a seam allowance. After I sketch my design I trace it onto freezer paper and then draw all of the pattern pieces there. I cut out all of the pattern pieces from the freezer paper and then place them shiny side down onto the wrong sides of the fabric and press with a warm iron to adhere them temporarily.

Why use freezer paper instead of tracing paper or cardboard? With freezer paper you can skip the step of either having to pin the tracing paper pattern pieces the fabric or tracing around the cardboard templates with a pencil or a disappearing fabric marker. Freezer paper saves time! Once you've cut out the fabric, just pull the freezer paper off. It won't leave any residue and you can reuse it at least a dozen times before it will no longer adhere. (For more on using freezer paper to create sewing patterns look at this post from my Elements of Soft Toy Design series).

So if my pattern pieces don't have a seam allowance included, how do I add it? I eyeball it! Softies are small so a 1/4 inch seam allowances is sufficient. Once the freezer paper is adhered, I just cut the fabric a 1/4 inch away from the pattern pieces! Really it's easy to eyeball this. Because the pattern pieces are adhered to the fabric and not just pinned in place I can feel confident that I am cutting a true 1/4 inch away with no slippage.

When I teach softie making there are always people in the class who are comfortable eyeballing the seam allowance like I am, and there are those that want or need more of a guide. For the non-eyeballers among us I recommend a seam gauge.

This handy little ruler-like device is readily available in any fabric store and helps you easily and accurately add a seam allowance.

You've got two options for using the seam gauge. You can add the seam allowance to the paper pattern before you cut it out if you'd like. Just set the seam gauge to 1/4 inch and run it along the edges of the pattern piece, making a dot every now and again. Connect the dots and you've got a 1/4 inch seam allowance. Cut out your pattern piece around this new line, adhere it to the wrong side of your fabric, and cut directly around it.

Another option is to cut out your freezer paper pattern pieces and then add the seam allowance on the fabric itself. Adhere the pattern pieces to the wrong side of the fabric and then, instead of eyeballing a 1/4 inch seam allowance, run your seam gauge around the pattern piece making dots with a disappearing fabric marker or chalk every now and again. Connect the dots and you have your cutting line.

I like patterns that show you the exact stitching line. Whether or not the seam allowance is included doesn't matter to me, but I want to know where, exactly, the designer wants me to sew the pieces together. Some patterns say, "a 1/4 inch seam allowance is included," but don't show you the stitching line. I don't love this because even if I'm following the 1/4 inch mark on my machine's throat plate, or using the side of my presser foot as a guide, there is no guarantee that I'm stitching exactly on the stitching line if no stitching line has been drawn in. I want that exact information.

So there you go! Adding a 1/4 inch seam allowance is quick and easy.

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Like this tip?

Check out my new book for lots of information on designing and sewing your own soft toys!

Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction, published by Lark Crafts in 2013.

Sewing With Fleece: Tips and Tricks for Making Great Softies

Shelley the Snail pattern available right here.

Fleece is an amazing fabric for sewing softies. Here's why:

• it's machine washable
• it's easy to find in almost any fabric store
• it comes in a huge variety of colors and patterns
• it's super soft and huggable
• it's durable
• it's forgiving of stitching mistakes

Despite fleece's many fantastic qualities I avoided it completely for years.

First, I was convinced that fleece was too stretchy for softies. I like to stuff my softie parts pretty firmly and I felt sure that if they were made from fleece they'd stretch out of shape and be super lumpy.

Second, I thought sewing through layers of fleece on my sewing machine would be too difficult. The fabric would be too thick and bulky to cram under the machine needle, and then the layers would shift while I was sewing leading to inaccurate seams.

Hobby Horse pattern available right here.

Now that I know that I can easily avoid both of these problems I totally appreciate the wonders of fleece for softies.  

 

Here is how to avoid common problems and increase your success when sewing with fleece:

Fleece has grain direction that needs to be respected. The difference between the level of stretch on the warp threads versus the weft threads on fleece is dramatic. To demonstrate, pick up a piece of fleece (or use your fleece sweatshirt or scarf) and stretch it in one direction, then in another.

Not stretchy! And look how pretty! I love rainbow fleece.

When you pull the fabric parallel to the grain (with the warp threads), there is virtually NO STRETCH at all!

Perpendicular to the grain (with the weft threads)? Crazy amount of stretch!

On every pattern piece I draw an arrow to indicate how to place th pattern on the fabric.

The arrow should be parallel to the grain. If you are a softie pattern designer be sure to draw grainline arrows on your pattern pieces! Fleece or no fleece, grain direction is important!

Softie parts cut parallel to the grain will not stretch out of shape when stuffed, even when stuffed really firmly. Problem 1 resolved!

Problem 2 was the thickness and shifting of fleece layers when you take them to the machine. Want to know the trick? PINS! Pins are your very best friends. Pins are tiny little fingers that hold fabric in place when you can't. 

Just look at all those wonderful pins! I was being conservative here. You could use more!

I am not kidding you when I say that I place a pin every 1/8 inch when I'm sewing with fleece. And remember to place your pins perpendicular with the edge of the fabric with the pinhead extending off the edge. This way you can easily pull the pins out as you sew.

Placing all those pins and taking them out is time consuming, yes, but it is so worth it! Neat and accurate seams that don't need to unpicked? Yes, please!

The next time you are thinking of sewing a softie and you want a fabric that is soft, comes in vibrant colors, is washable, cheap, durable, forgiving, and EASY TO WORK WITH, choose fleece! It's awesome.

If you have other issues or questions about sewing with fleece or choosing fabrics for softies fire away in the comments! Let's share our great tricks with one another.

 

Beautiful Toys Made By You!

1. Bunny Lovey made by lots of pink here

2. Bear Lovey made by stitch-craft

3. Elephant Lovey made by courtney darling

4. Pig Lovey made by casa di donna

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Of all of my patterns, the Lovey Dovey continues to be the most popular. It has been totally thrilling to see lovies popping up on craft blogs and knowing that they are currently being snuggled by babies in different parts of the country and even the world.

I've started a Pinterest board featuring toys people have made from my patterns. Each pin contains a direct link back to the blog or website from which it came. And I also regularly feature customer work on my Facebook page (I also post about new pattern releases to Facebook friends first if you'd like to be in the know before everyone else).

I think what makes the Lovey Dovey a good pattern is the following:

1. It's easy and quick to sew.

2. It comes with four varieties so you can sew different lovies for different babies.

3. It allows you to make a special gift for very little money (see this post in which I did a full cost analysis of buying a lovey versus making one yourself).

These are all factors I take into account when brainstorming new pattern ideas. I love variations on a theme and it really is fun to take one idea and expand it into three or four motifs.

I've got lots more pattern ideas on my list for the fall, including some more tween and baby toy patterns, but I'm totally open to your ideas, too. Please feel free to leave a comment or send me an email if you have an idea for me!

You can find the original Lovey Dovey pattern here and the Lovey Dovey 2nd Edition pattern here. And join me on Facebook right here! Thank you so much for your enthusiastic sewing and support!

Beastie Bags - Cute Handbags To Sew for Kids

And now presenting my brand new pattern: Beastie Bags! This pattern comes with four fun designs (a lizard, a bear, a piggie, and a chick) so you can make different bags for different kids. And they are the perfect size for holding handfuls of treasures or to wear as an adorable fashion accessory.

I'm kind of in love with their behinds.

Step-by-step photos, full-sized templates and clear written instructions in language you can understand make this pattern super user friendly. Get it now for $6.50 in my Etsy shop. Thank you!

Softies For Sale Series: Getting Your Stuffed Animals Designs Manufactured

It's been a while, but here we are with a brand new Softies For Sale Series post! You may recall if you've been following this blog series that I've been exploring all of the different ways I can think of to make a living from designing and sewing plush toys. This series is 15 posts strong already and if you'd like to get caught up, here's what we've explored thus far (click on each link to take you to the full post on that topic):

1. Series Introduction

2. A Talk with Veteran Toy Designer Carol Cruise

3. The Cottage Industry License

4. Doing Craft Fairs

5. Selling Printed Patterns Through Wholesale Distributors

6. Contributing to Sewing Books

7. Teaching a Class (in-person)

8. Selling Art Toys

9. Selling On Consignment

10. Showing Your Work in Galleries

11. Joining Together With Other Makers

12. Building a Community of Collectors

13. Pursuing New Avenues as Your Business Evolves

14. Doing Custom Work

15. Animation with Softies

Shawnimals website. All images by Shawnimals and used with permission.

Today I'm very excited to bring you an interview with Shawn Smith, the creator of Shawnimals. I contacted Shawn because he has a thriving plush business that includes both handmade toys and toys he's designed and had manufactured in China and then distributed to stores in the US.
Moustachio in blond by Shawnimals

I know that having toy designs manufactured is a dream of many indie plush makers. I get emails every week asking if I know anything about the process, how much it costs, how to get started, and who to contact. Until now when I got these emails I would respond saying that all I knew was getting toys manufactured is expensive and that there is a large minimum order required (in the thousands of pieces).

What makes indie plush makers consider manufacturing? Well, sewing hundreds of the same toy by hand to fill a huge wholesale order can be "unfun" as Shawn says, but turning down the order can be bad for your business. If you could just focus on design work and have your toys sewn in a factory you'd be able to meet these wholesale orders easily, and take on even more. And you never know, with national distribution your toys could really take off like Ugly Dolls have done, launching your tiny, indie toy company into an international industry.

Shawn has been incredibly generous in our talk, sharing his knowledge and experience with toy manufacturing, including lots of useful and practical details. If you've ever dreamed of seeing your toy designs widely distributed, or fantasized about not have to sew every single piece by hand to meet a wholesale order, I think you'll enjoy this interview. 

Giant Wee Ninjas and Wee Ninjas by Shawnimals

Shawn and I talk for about 20 minutes. Here's the interview:

 

Interview with Shawn Smith

In our talk Shawn refers to DKE Toys, an independent wholesale distributor of designer toys. Shawn also talks about independent toy testing labs such as this one.

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What did you think of Shawn's experience? Do you have any follow up questions for him? Does hearing his story make you reevaluate your plans or push you toward taking the manufacturing plunge? Please share in the comments.

 

Book Recommendation: The ABCs of Making Teddy Bears by Linda Mead

I feel like there is a whole intimidating world of artist teddy bears makers out there that I can't compete with. They have conventions with juried competitions and participate in super active message boards and only use the finest materials to make their bears. I admire this community, though, for their high standards and their engagement with one another around sewing what are essentially stuffed animals.

A few years ago I bought The ABCs of Making Teddy Bears by Linda Mead (Martingale, 2000) to try to better understand the lingo of artist teddy bear making and to see what all those jointing techniques and specialized materials were all about.

Linda Mead, you rock!

This book has 14 bear patterns, none of which I've made, but the 50 page front section has proven to be so incredibly useful that more often than not this book is on my work desk and not on the bookshelf.

Diagrams and photographs illustrate more clearly than any other book I've seen exactly how to draft a bear's head gusset, insert glass eyes, trim the fur at the muzzle, thread joint, and so many other topics that are applicable to any soft toy pattern designer.

If you are intrigued at all by making teddy bears, or if you'd like to know more about mohair or cotter pin joints or growlers, this book will take you there and beyond.

I highly recommend it. And Linda Mead, I'd love to chat with you if you're out there somewhere!

Kids and Cross-Stitch

Our kids have daily and weekly chores. And they have an allowance. The two are connected, but not contingent upon one another.

In our family when you start first grade you begin to take on personal and household responsibilities. Every morning, after you wash up and get dressed but before you come downstairs for breakfast, you have to make your bed. That's the daily chore. And there are weekly chores, too.

In first grade the weekly chore is refilling all the canisters of toilet paper in the bathrooms. In second grade you do the toilet paper plus take the recycling out to the garage every evening.

This year, the first grader took over the toilet paper job, so we added folding and putting away her own laundry to the third grader's chore list. These jobs have to be done automatically, without help, and without a fuss.

The allowance begins in first grade, too. $1 a week that year, then $2 a week in second grade, on up. Allowance is given out on Friday afternoons before Shabbat dinner. And at the start of first grade I make you a special wallet to keep your new pile of cash safe and organized.

The kids decide how to spend their allowance money. Most often they use it to buy toys or candy or other things we don't buy them: rolls of patterned duct tape, BeyBlades, keychains, Tic Tacs, that kind of thing. They stand in the store thinking carefully about whether or not it's worth it to spend all their money on something, evaluating the price versus how much they want it, and they see how expensive things really are. Often they decide not to get anything and instead to keep saving.

This weekend Roxanne, who is just about to start third grade, decided to spend all of her allowance money. Spending all your money at once only happens when there is something really special to buy, something you won't regret later when your sister has $8 and you're flat broke.

So what did she buy? Cross-stitch supplies. She chose 13 colors of floss, a pack of plastic bobbins, a two-pack of rings to hold the bobbins, a pack of needles, a hoop, a piece of 14 count monk's cloth, and a book of cross-stitch patterns. Total cost? $28.

Roxanne made this for Stella, who loves outer space.

I don't cross-stitch so this didn't come from me. She learned at camp this summer and she really got it. She can follow the patterns independtly and she is so happy that she gets to teach me a needleart.

This was a gift for my birthday. It hangs on the bulletin board in my studio.

When we got home I helped her wind the bobbins and I put all her things together in a bin. I used a cross-stitch font to make a special label for the top, too.

Her most ambitious project thus far: an Israeli flag that is now hanging above her bed.

When she isn't reading, or eating, or reading some more, she's cross-stitching. Right now she's making herself a bookmark with the word "READ" on it.

A kit like this would make an excellent gift for the right 8-year-old. When doing crafts with kids I always recommend buying real, high-quality materials. I think most kids would need some instruction to learn the basics of cross-stitch, but after that would be able to stitch to their hearts content independently. And there are some really wry, sarcastic patterns out there that I think this snarky 8-year-old will appreciate immensely.

Things I Love About Sewing: It Connects Me To History

This post is part of a series. Read them all here.

Me in 1984.

I spent six summers of my childhood at Camp Ramah in Palmer, Massachusetts. The first summer I was just turning 8 and was the youngest camper. Most of the kids in my bunk were from Massachusetts and the first question they asked me was, "What town are you from?" I remember not knowing how to answer that question.

When you grow up in suburban Maryland you aren't really from a town. You're from a county. I grew up in Potomac, Maryland, part of Montgomery County which is a huge and sprawling area with a population of 971,000. There is no clear town center, no town hall or town green. As a child it was really hard to connect with the history of Potomac, or with Potomac as a place at all.

Ever the serious middle child. With my sister, Rachel, and my brother, Matt, at my grandparent's apartment in 1985.

Clearly Potomac has a history. Everywhere has a history. In fact, Potomac was first settled by white people in 1714 and before that had been an Native American trade route. But if you live in Potomac, this history is really hidden and hard to access.

I remember being intrigued by the camp kids' question and longing to have a real answer. To me a town implied a founding, leadership, and history. I've now lived in the Boston area for 13 years, and in Wellesley for 8, and I love the obvious outward signs of this area's significance in American history and my town's place within it.

With my cousin, Jacob Brostoff, in Bethany Beach, Delaware, in August of 1984.

I was a history major at Johns Hopkins and a 6th grade social studies teacher before I became a mother. I am by no means a history buff now, but I do still like to feel connected to a tradition and to learn about what and who came before.

When I sew I know that what I am doing is connected to historical roots. I love this post by Nancy Zieman, one of my sewing heroes, about her sewing heritage. If I do have a personal sewing heritage, and I must, it is many generations back. But it is enough for me to know that Nancy has one, and perhaps you do, too. This connection to history is something I love about sewing.