When you run a tiny business in which you are the only employee you do everything yourself. You make every decision, you create all the products, do all the design work and all the writing, you do all the outreach, bookkeeping, marketing, and teaching...you do all the everything! It's fantastic! Except sometimes it's a bit scary and a bit lonely.
Every now and then you come to a crossroad and you aren't sure which is the best path to take. Sometimes a problem crops up and you need to get a second opinion before you present a solution. When you're in business by yourself it's really best if you have someone who can tell you the truth about what they are seeing and push you to take the next step.
My husband, my sister, and my friends have all been helpful over the years, but nobody understands the particulars better than a fellow owner of a craft business. And for me, truly nobody would understand them better than someone who has a softies pattern business.
Many months ago Stacey Trock became that person for me, and I became that person for her. What began as an email exchange regarding a business article we'd both read quickly developed into a relationship we call "business buddies."
Stacey’s business is FreshStitches,
a crocheted softies company. She's
written three books, she teaches, she designs patterns, she blogs. Stacey is a superstar and she's always learning and thinking ahead. Our
businesses are by no means identical, but they are similar in so many
underlying ways.
Our friendship has recently led to some neat opportunities. This month we are co-hosting WhipUp writing about our shared love of making beautiful things from humble materials. Catch our posts there each Friday.
And now we are so excited to share with you a softie pattern we have created together. Say hello to Pepper, a very special plush penguin. What’s unique about Pepper and what we’re both really excited about is that he's a 2-in-1 pattern: he can be crocheted OR sewn (or both!). Same Pepper two ways!
I'm not sure I've ever seen 2-in-1 crochet + sew pattern for a softie (or anything else?) before. Think of the potential for mixing and matching, you know? Sew Pepper and then crochet him some winter accessories or crochet pepper and sew him a hat and scarf. Develop your skills while making twin penguins. So fun!
Are you excited about Pepper? We hope so! He’ll be available in both of our shops on Wednesday, March 20.Three cheers for collaborations with amazing people!
