This week I'm talking about how to turn your craft projects into pattern instructions that you can package, market, and sell online. Whether you sew softies or do another type of craft, creating patterns is a great way to add an income stream to your handmade business. Pattern sales produce small bits of income that can flow in while you are in your studio being creative.
In this series I’m focusing on creating patterns to distribute digitally as PDFs. On Monday we talked about how to choose a good project to turn into a pattern. Tuesday we explored breaking the project instructions down into manageable steps. And yesterday was all about layout and beauty shots.
Today I'm really excited to bring you a video workshop on the whys and what ifs of selling patterns. In this 26 minute workshop I chat with fellow plush maker and Etsy shop owner, Claire Chambers, about:
- Why crafters might want to consider branching out into selling PDF patterns.
- Whether selling patterns will diminish demand for your finished items.
- The timeline of creating a pattern and the basic steps involved.
- How to list your patterns clearly so that customers know exactly what they're getting.
- What your expectations should be for providing customer support.
- And whether you should allow customers to sell items they make from your patterns.
Claire had some great questions and my hope is that hearing us chat will help you in your own thinking about these issues. A big thank you to Claire for being an awesome guest! Here's the video. I hope you enjoy it!
