While She Naps

Is Secrecy Necessary to Sell Craft Books?

On Monday evening I spoke on a panel at a bookstore in Boston with two other craft book authors and an editor from a craft publisher. We talked about how to write a book proposal, we discussed what editors are looking for, and we shared our experiences writing and marketing craft books. It was a terrific discussion.

The panel got me thinking about what goes in to creating a great craft book and what makes craft books sell. It also made me think about the issue of secrecy and the idea of “the big reveal.” Specifically, keeping the content of a new book under wraps while it’s being created so that it’s content will be “fresh” once it hits bookstore shelves.

I woke up this morning to find a newsletter from Interweave in my inbox. Interweave is the publisher of my first book, The Artful Bird, and, after being bought by F+W, they began sending out a special enewsletter to their authors. This one included answers to "Frequently Asked Questions From You." 

Here are they are. From the Interweave Author Newsletter, May 24, 2013:

Frequently Asked Questions from You
 
Q: When can I talk about my book in my blog/website/workshops, etc.?

A: We know you are excited about your book, and want to shout it from the rooftops. Be aware though, that books have a long lead-time—as much as 2 years from the time you sign your contract. While people might be excited to hear about your book, interest can wane when they realize how long they have to wait. It’s best to talk about your book in a slow reveal.
 
Once you have your contract, it’s ok to mention that you are working on a book and mention Interweave. Don’t talk about the subject beyond the broadest strokes (“knitting” “quilting”). As the months go by, you may want to drop little tidbits without giving anything away. “I sent in my book projects last night!” “I’m getting ready to go to Colorado for my photo shoot.”
 
Q: Can I show things from my book?

A: It’s not okay to show projects or photos—you want to keep these under wraps, particularly if you are featuring a new technique or design idea. You should feel free to show the box of yarn or the pile of fabric that arrived for projects, but not the projects themselves. If you are doing a photo shoot, it’s great to talk about your trip, maybe showing travel photos you took along the way. This will help build a sense of excitement among your fans as they follow your progress.

That’s one approach. In fact, it’s more liberal than some. An author recently told me she can’t reveal the topic of her new book yet, much less the cover or title, even though the book is coming out this fall.

Why bring this up? Because I think these words of wisdom are based on assumptions and not real data. Many (all?) of you are craft book buyers and readers, and some of you are also craft book authors. How does this strike you? Is this what you would say to your authors if you were a craft publisher?

There's a sharp contrast here to a recent announcement by Stash Books. Stash will be doing a blog series in conjunction with a newly acquired author about the entire process of creating a new craft book from both the author’s and the publisher’s perspectives. Here's their announcement, taken from the Stash Books blog:

We are launching a new blog series about the process of writing a book with us – specifically, with Stash Books.

When newly acquired author, Casey York, approached us with the idea of her writing a blog series about her own experience of proposing, writing, editing, and actually making the projects – we thought – what about taking that one step further?

What if we wrote about the process of writing her book from our point of view?

What happened when we received her proposal? What do WE do with the items she submits – from beginning to end – we plan to share the process of Crafting a Book!

Stay tuned for the first post in this series towards the end of this month!

This idea seems really fresh and new to me, and more in keeping with the behind-the-scenes approach taken by craft and lifestyle bloggers now.

The author, Casey York, emailed me a few weeks ago to tell me about the project. Here's an excerpt of her blog post explaining what she's doing:

Based on the attendance at Quilt Con’s book publishing panel, there is a lot of interest in book writing in the on-line quilting community, so I’m also excited to be announcing the beginning of a new series here in conjunction with the Stash Books blog.

“Crafting a Book” will detail the publishing process from the author’s and editors’ points of view. I’ll describe the my experiences putting together a proposal, what happens early in the development of the book, writing the manuscript, and other steps as I work through them. I’ll also be happy to answer any questions you have to the best of my ability, although keep in mind that my perspective is only one of many that go into producing a book like this.

Over on the Stash Books Blog, my editors will weigh in on their end of the process. I hope this series helps all of you aspiring authors out there get a better sense of the steps a book goes through on its journey from concept to finished product, and perhaps prepares and encourages you to propose your own projects in the future!

I really applaud Casey for approaching Stash with this idea, and Stash for taking her up on it.

I understand that book projects should be fresh, and that book ideas get old if they're overly discussed. I get that books have a two-year lead time and that’s a long tine for consumers to wait for a new title to be released. But is secrecy necessary, and is it best? Will you be less likely to buy Casey's book after reading about it for so long?

On April 1, 2011 I announced that I was writing a book about soft toy design. The book came out May 7, 2013, two years and one month after the announcement. If you were around then, did your interest wane? (You can tell me. I’m okay with honesty.) And how many of you were even around then?

I asked Lark, the publisher of my new book, about the question of secrecy when I was signing my contract. Here's what they said, "Regarding sharing info about the deal/new project: go forth! And going forward, I really trust your instincts with regard to your readers!"

As you can see, my publishers disagree.

+++++

Okay, so here's what I'd like to talk about with you:

The web moves fast and there’s a lot to see and read all day, all the time. Is it really necessary to not “talk about the subject [of your book] beyond the broadest strokes” as Interweave advises?

Is secrecy more important now than ever? Every one of us has to ability to show anything we want, any time we want, to an audience of many. Perhaps it’s more important in today's media landscape to remind authors to keep quiet?

As authors it’s in our best interest to drive sales. Is Casey shooting herself in the foot? Is Stash? Or is their bold move one that will bring you closer to both author and publisher, and bring your mouse closer to the "buy it now" button when the book is released?

20 Podcasts to Listen to While You’re Crafting

I love sewing, but there are stages in every project that can be tedious. Stuffing a softie, for example, or pressing seams open. When faced with these tasks it’s easy to make an excuse to set the project aside and go get a snack, or check Facebook, or really do anything but finish the annoying parts of the project. 

This is when I put on my headphones and listen to something interesting. Podcasts get me through many repetitive sewing tasks. In fact I look forward to these tasks now knowing that I’ve got something fascinating to listen to.

I also run 3 miles a day and I couldn’t do it without podcasts. I’m not a natural athlete and exercise has never been my favorite activity, but I’m convinced great audio can get me through anything!

Here are 20 of my favorite podcasts, as well as some notes on other places to find engaging audio recordings online.

Bullseye- This show is a curated guide to culture. Formerly The Sound of Young America, this show began as host Jesse Thorn's college radio show. It's now been picked up by NPR. Jesse is an incredible interviewer and through this show I've learned about countless awesome things that I never would have found on my own. I've listened to every singe episode Jesse has ever made. Yep.

After the Jump- Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge conducts fantastic interviews with all the indie designers and makers you want to hear from. I find myself cheering and smiling with every episode. This podcast is amazing. Go get it.

99% Invisible- Roman Mars sees the beauty in design everywhere he looks. This beautifully produced podcast explores architecture, design, and public spaces in ways you've never thought of. Lovely from start to finish.

Here’s the Thing- This is a WNYC show hosted by Alec Baldwin. I know nothing about Hollywood actors, but I now love Alec Baldwin. He's incredibly smart and well-read. Alec talks to artists, singers, actors, comedians, and public policy makers. He has a terrific interview style and an insider's perspective that is unmatched anywhere else. I love that he reads the commercials on the show, too.

The Moth- True stories told live without notes. This is like listening to the really good parts of This American Life without the twee.

Yarn Thing- I don't knit or crochet, but I love Yarn Thing. Marly Bird is an upbeat and down-to-earth podcast host and I enjoy hearing the stories of designers even if they aren't in my field. I particularly liked the recent show with the founders of Craftsy.

Risk!- True stories you never thought you'd dare to share. Risk! is definitely not for young ears. It can be raunchy at times, but it's also very real. It's like The Moth and This American Life, but wild.

Makers in Business- Liz Smith has a community television show in Lowell, MA, in which she interviews makers about commerce and creativity. This is the audio feed of her show. Liz has a very supportive and encouraging interview style and you get to hear the stories of creative people that live and work near her. The show just turned a year old!

Good Food- KCRW in Los Angeles creates this show. I love food and cooking and I learn a ton about unusual ingredients and how to use them from this show's host, Evan Keliman. Plus I drool over all the awesome restaurants in L.A. This is like The Splendid Table without the annoying parts.

The New Yorker Out Loud- A weekly conversation about what's in the New Yorker. Much to my mother's dismay (she's a lifetime New Yorker devotee) I don't have time to actually read the New Yorker. I love hearing from the reporters how they approached their stories. Look mom!  I'm kinda listening to the New Yorker!

The New Yorker Fiction- The New Yorker fiction editor, Deborah Treisman (who has the greatest voice and sounds like one of my college professors), asks an author to choose a favorite fiction story from past issues of the magazine to read and discuss. Get lost in terrific fiction.

The Tobolowsky Files- Actor Stephen Tobolowsky is a fantastic storyteller. He recounts stories from his life that are profound, moving, and hilarious. Stephen has had smallish parts in one million movies and he's got great stories to tell. Sadly I've listened to every episode. I need more!

BBC Radio 4 Bookclub- Want to hear J. K. Rowling? Or Art Spiegelman? Or Jeanette Winterson? Or any of your favorite authors talking with a super well-educated British audience about their books? This is the podcast for you. And there are thousands of episodes.

Gweek- Gweek is made by the editors of Boing Boing and hosted by the awesome Mark Frauenfelder. Learn about the best in new and obscure comic books, video games, movies and science fiction. This show is totally quirky and real and I love everything about it.

BackStory-Created by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, BackStory is hosted by three historians who examine a particular topic in American history in each episode. I was a history major in college so there you go.

Aloud at the Los Angeles Central Library- Live recordings of author readings at the library. New books you haven't heard of. Favorite authors you'd like to hear more from. Here you go.

Free Library of Philadelphia- Live recordings of author readings at the library. Same as above, just on the East Coast.

The Seattle Public Library- Can you tell I like hearing from authors? Yep. Everyone's creative process is fascinating to me.

Blogcast FM- A podcast about blogging. The host, Srinivas Rao, annoys the crap out of me, but there are some useful interviews here.

Radiolab- Another WNYC production, Radiolab is a beautiful, creative, informative show about the intersection between science and culture. Incredible work with sound. Always informative and entertaining. 

I have a subscription to audible.com. I think it’s reasonably priced and the readers and production quality are top notch. I get books for myself and for the kids. We listen to audiobooks in the car wherever we go. We enjoyed The One and Only Ivan recently and I loved listening to The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

You can get audio recordings of books that are in the public domain on Librivox. The books are read by volunteers so the quality is not consistent, but I’ve enjoyed some great books for free this way. I loved listening to Silas Marner and Frankenstein.

And, of course, I’ve recorded quite a few interviews with softie makers and experts on creative business practices. You can find my recordings here.

 +++++

Do you enjoy listening to any of the podcasts I’ve listed here? Have any other favorites? Please share in the comments. Great audio is key to great crafting, at least in my opinion!

Book Review: I Just Like To Make Things by Lilla Rogers

Two weeks ago I was at a coffee shop with my two younger daughters. I glanced at my Twitter stream and saw that Lilla Rogers has a book out.

Lilla Rogers. Photo by Sharon Jacobs.

I knew about Lilla Rogers because she’s the illustration agent for two long-time bloggers whose careers I've followed from way back: Jennifer Judd-McGee and Lisa Congdon. And Lilla is a friend of my friend, Mimi Kirchner. When I saw the title of Lilla’s book, I Just Like To Make Things: Learn the Secrets to Making Money While Staying Passionate About Your Art and Craft, I headed over to Amazon 1-click and placed an order.

As I’m sure you know if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, I’m keenly interested in the intersection of art and business (my Softies For Sale series was all about making  money from making toys) and I knew Lilla Rogers would be an incredible fountain of information on how to make a living as an artist.

Lilla is an illustrator and painter who began an art agency, Lilla Rogers Studio, when she became a mother. She describes the shift this way,

“The intense focus required to make a piece of art for a client on deadline became more stressful with a baby. The idea of being an agent was intriguing: I would be able to start and stop what I was working on more easily, and I would be able to spend more time with my baby. I would be able to help others. I would be able to make a living in a new way. I wanted to go from acting to directing.”

I love this part of her story. It’s the path of a woman, a mother, an artist and an entrepreneur. It’s a story that I can relate to personally.

And she’s written an incredible book. I have no intention of becoming an illustrator, nor am I looking to work with an agent any time soon, but I am keenly interested in making marketable art. I want and need to make art that sells. And my bet is that you do, too. Here Lilla tells you how. Her advice is down-to-earth. She’s encouraging, but she’s clearly got high standards and thinks that you should have them, too. What I admire most of all, though, is that she’s honest. There are no secrets, or there aren’t any more. Lilla tells them to us.

Here are a few parts of this book that struck me most deeply:

“If you think of the life of your career as having fifty birds, what would they be? Let’s let them equal fifty meaningful events or highlights in your career. They are out there, but like your birds, you just don’t know what they are yet…This book is going to help you find some of those birds.” Yes, please!  I’m a huge fan of actively seeking out those birds instead of waiting for them to choose you. I will take any advice I can get that will help me to find them. I need to work on my birds.

The title of Chapter 1 is so important: “People Buy Your Joy.” This could not be more true. And it drills down to the essence of Lilla’s thesis. As she says, “There is an easy answer to how to make more money, and I’m going to tell you! Make your work great. In any field, the better you are at your work, the more you can give; the more you can give, the more people want what you have, and the more money you can make.”

At the same time, she encourages us to be okay with where we are, even if we are not yet experts. “As an art agent, working with so many artists over the years, I have found that every stage has its joys. Enjoy every stage. Enjoy being a beginner.” Yes! Being new to something when others are already experts can make us feel defeated when we’ve only just begun. This book encourages us to develop our own styles, our unique voices, and to become our own, unique kind of expert.

When evaluating a new pieces of art Lilla says, “Every square inch of the piece should be of the same high quality. If you look from corner to corner to corner to corner, the whole piece should have the same level of professionalism throughout.” High standards, my friends.

Lilla has created various exercises in this book that may seem light-hearted at first glance, but are designed to help us pay attention and analyze our reactions to figure out where our passions lay. I think it’s easy to deceive ourselves into thinking that we should pursue a particular path (maybe we’ve been told that that’s where the money is or that’s what we’re good at), when actually we’d much rather pursue another.

There are interviews with art directors from all different sectors of the marketplace. Lilla asks them what advice they’d give to artists aspiring to license their work. I took the words of Sue Schlabach, the art director of Wild Apple Graphics (in the Wall Décor market) especially to heart. She says,

“If you don’t succeed the first time…submit again. Some of our most successful artists submitted to us several times before it was a good fit. Also know that if you aren’t selected, it isn’t a referendum on your talent – it just may be that your art doesn’t fit our current needs. Another reason to submit again!”

This piece of advice was a serious revelation to me. As you know, I licensed work to Simplicity over the summer (the pattern envelope will hit stores in May). I was invited to submit again in the fall and did so, but nothing was accepted. To me this meant that they were no longer interested in me. I was pretty devastated. But five minutes after reading this interview I submitted fresh work from my portfolio and yesterday I received news that Simplicity is licensing a new set of patterns from me for early spring 2014. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I would never had resubmitted if I hadn’t read Lilla’s book. I needed an insider’s perspective in order to understand how the industry worked.

If you make art and you’d like to make a living from it, get Lilla Rogers new book, I Just Like To Make Things. It’s fantastic. And on a side note, if there's a book that you love, take a moment to leave a review on Amazon. It's so easy and it has a huge influence on prospective buyers. Here's my Amazon review of Lilla's book.

 

The link above is an affiliate link. I bought this book myself and was not asked to review it

nor was I compensated in any way.

Pattern Review: Polar Bears by Betz White

One of the best ways to learn to design your own sewing patterns is to sew from other people's patterns. The more patterns you use, the more you learn. Sometimes I go long stretches just doing my own design work and forget that this is true.

Last week Betz White sent me a copy of one of her new Wildlife With Love patterns, Flurry and Fluff Polar Bears. Betz is an expert designer and I knew that sewing from her pattern would be a learning experience for me and I wasn't wrong. It's like professional development.

Over the summer Betz and I talked back and forth about her new series of softies. I knew she was working on them and was really eager for their release.

Before even tracing the templates or choosing the fabrics a few things jumped out at me when the pattern arrived. First, I love that the toys are shown in children's hands so that you can really envision how they'll look when the child you give them to is playing with them. And second, I love that Betz chose a diverse set of models for the pattern covers.These are real kids and they're not all white.

Okay, now a bit about choosing fabrics for these toys. Betz is well-known for her work with felt and she designed these toys to be sewn from felt. I love felt, too, but I also love fleece for making really cuddly, soft stuffed animals so I chose to sew these bears from fleece. I felt pretty confident that the pattern would still work and I was right.

Mama and baby polar bears I made using a Wildlife With Love pattern by Betz White.

These bears come together in a very clever way. Typically toy patterns are designed to have you sew the body, sew the head, and then attach the two. Here, the center seam in the body and center seam along the bottom of the head are left unsewn. The head and body are attached and then the center seam is closed. Interesting! Doing things in this order allows you to have more space to maneuver parts under the machine needle and makes sewing a small toy, like the baby bear, much less fussy. I love it!

The backs of two polar bears I made using a Wildlife With Love pattern by Betz White.

I found the instructions clear and easy to follow and the diagrams in this pattern are helpful right when you need it. The pattern pieces print full-size so you can get to work right away.

Sewing with fleece instead of felt meant that I had to make a double layer ear. The pattern calls for a single layer felt ear, but a single layer fleece ear wasn't going to look finished. And I had to be sure I was placing the pattern pieces on grain to reduce the stretchiness of the fleece. Otherwise, I had no trouble sewing Flurry and Fluff in fleece. I say go for it.

Mama and baby polar bears I made using a Wildlife With Love pattern by Betz White.

These guys don't have tails. You could take the ear pattern piece, trim down the sides a bit, and use that to make a tail if you'd like. Just insert it into the seam on the behind before sewing the body together.

I made my bears scarves using Betz's free tutorial. Who can resist a mama bear and a baby bear in scarves? Seriously cute.

The rest of the Wildlife With Love series includes a set of penguins and a set of seals as well as a series of felt applique patterns featuring the same animals. You could create really nice matching sets as holiday gifts. Applique a polar bear on a tote bag and then tuck the stuffed animal polar bear inside. So sweet.

Get Flurry and Fluff right here and check out all of the Wildlife With Love patterns and read more about them on Betz's blog.

Disclaimer: Betz White sent me a free review copy of the Flurry and Fluff Polar Bears pattern, but you know I always tell it like it see it when it comes to reviews.

Book Review: Storybook Toys by Jill Hamor

I first knew that Jill Hamor was a good toy designer when I saw the Lisa and Corduroy set she made on her blog. This doll and bear so perfectly capture the nostalgic sweet look of Don Freeman's illustration I was really blown away. It's simply stunning work and I've been reading Jill's blog, bybido, ever since.

Jill just published her first book, Storybook Toys.

Knowing the loveliness of her work I was eagerly anticipating this book's realease. Storybook Toys has patterns for 16 projects, evenly split between dolls and toys, and all of them are inspired by classic toys and illustrations from the 1930's-1950's.

Here you can see one of Jill's inspiration images: the front of a vintage birthday card with an illustration of a horse.

She's translated the idea of this horse into a sewing pattern, while keeping the childlike innocence of the original illustration.

What a fascinating and original concept for a book!. I love this.

I collect old toy patterns and I love them as much as I love my collection Japanese softie books. In fact, these collections have quite a bit in common. The old toy patterns and the new Japanese softie patterns share an essence of sweet innocence, unabashed cuteness, and a sparse simplicity in design. Jill has taken these traits and translated them into new designs that modern sewists will love to make and today's children will love to own.

This book would be well worth the $25.95 cover price for the front section alone. Detailed information on how to make yarn hair for dolls, including goldilocks curls and fancy updo's that would make any little girl swoon.

And templates to use for what I find to be the scariest part of doll-making, making the face. Jill  shows us step-by-step how to stitch the beautifully embroidered eyes you see on the dolls in the photos.

I read doll and toy books cover to cover all the time and I've read a lot of them, but there tips in this book I had never heard of before. Spray the face with water while you stuff to smooth out wrinkles? And draw the features on a plastic sandwich bag first so that you can move the around the face to see how they'll look? These are truly brilliant suggestions and there are more.

Huge kudos to Jill's publisher, Stash, for including full-sized pattern pieces and pullout pattern sheets, something so rare in doll and softie books. What a big difference it makes in the ease of starting a project when the pattern pieces are the right size.

I decided to sew the Roly-Poly Duck on page 109.

Describing the inspiration for this toy Jill says, "Though most often made of plastic, roly-poly tumble toys were commonly found in mid-century toy boxes. Ducks with little sailor hats were also quite popular, not just as toys but on greeting cards, storybooks, and other childhood treasures. I created this wool felt version of a roly-poly toy."

Here's mine:

This duck took me about two hours to make start to finish and it came together without a hitch. I put a rattle and a bag of glass pellets inside so that when you knock him down he makes a little noise and rights himself again. He's a cutie.

At the end of the instructions for this toy Jill suggests some variations on the roly-poly concept including a clown and a Santa or snowman. This caused me to do a Google Image search for vintage roly-poly toys and now I'm super excited about all the possibilities.

I wish that Stash had included alternate views of a few of the toys. There's a pattern for a puppy that is described as "a practical and fun toy for either a boy or a girl, a bedside protector at night and a pajama (or secret treasure!) holder during the day." I want to see this pocket in action, but we only get a front view of the toy. It's belly is the real star, but we don't ever get to see it. A few more inset photos that show off the specialness of some of these toys would have been welcome.

That being said, with this book you can happily make a whole range of classic toys such as a Goldilocks and The Three Bears topsy turvy doll, a Red Riding Hood puppet set, marionettes, and range of old-fashioned cloth dolls. Line drawings illustrate the crucial steps and Jill's instructions are clear and easy to follow.

Storybook Toys just might make you begin your own collection of vintage doll and toy patterns, too. Jill tells me she loves the old "mail-order" patterns. You can find them on eBay (I have happen to have that one) and her favorite vintage doll-making book is Modern Soft Toy Making by Margaret Hutchings (you can read my review of that book here).

You can find Storybook Toys by Jill Hamor here. I think you'll enjoy it. And follow Jill's blog, bybido, to see the toys she is sewing with and for her three daughters (people with three daughters are awesome, by the way).

Disclaimer: Jill sent me a review copy of this book, but you know I always tell it the way I really see it when it comes to craft books. The Amazon links in this post are affiliate links.

How Writing a Tagline for Your Business Can Help You Define Your Mission

I got Kari Chapin's new book, Grow Your Handmade Business: How to Envision, Develop, and Sustain a Successful Creative Business, for my birthday in August and read it cover to cover. This book is a follow-up to Kari's first book, The Handmade Marketplace.

Seven years into my handmade business I have lots of ideas for my future. I was hoping this book might push me to think big, plan strategically, and map out exactly where I'm headed. All kinds of good things have resulted from reading Grow Your Handmade Business. I developed an elevator speech, my incorporation papers arrived yesterday (!), and I'm getting ready to (finally) open a business bank account. See? I'm growing!

One of my favorite chapters in this book is about vision. Kari writes, "Your dream is to accomplish something with your new or up-and-running venture - but what is that something, exactly?" Gosh, that's a great question and one I've been thinking about quite a bit. I've been doing the hard work of nailing down a clear mission and, as a reward to myself, I wanted to come up with a great tagline.

Even more succinct than an elevator speech, a tagline sums up your business in just a few words. And you can slap it on all kinds of things like your business card, website, online shop, Facebook page, even t-shirts to wear at shows. We need awesome taglines, you guys!

Kari Chapin

Kari and I have been in touch and she offered to help me out with mine. We had a great email chat this morning and I want to share the process with you because I think it really illustrates the kind of exercise that her book can help you to do.

I gave Kari some background about my business, how it's changed over the years, and what I'm focusing on right now. We picked up from there and honed my mission and then we came up with an awesome tagline! 

Are your ready? Here we go!

---

Hi Kari! Thank you so much for helping me out this morning!

I've been sewing soft toys for seven years and my business has taken on many different forms over that time. I've sold my handmade pieces at craft fairs, I've shown them in galleries, I've sold them on Etsy, I've sold them wholesale and on consignment in retail stores, I've contributed patterns to books and magazines. You name it, I've tried it!

After my first book came I out I shifted from making and selling finished work to making and selling sewing patterns. I love writing patterns that really teach people new skills and show them neat techniques that they'll be able to incorporate into their sewing repertoire. I am formally trained as a teacher and taught middle school for many years before having children and becoming a designer. I really enjoy teaching still, but now I teach sewing! I have a popular "Get to Know Your Sewing Machine" class that I teach locally. I also teach a "Design Your Own Plush" class, and that is incredibly fun! My new book is all about teaching people to design their own patterns for stuffed animals.

That gives you a bit of background about my business. Basically, I design and sew stuffed animals and I can teach you to design and sew them, too!

Good morning Abby!

Wow, your business has really changed over the years. I love it when people can shift their focus and come up with new and valuable income streams. I'd like to ask you a few questions:

• What does your business card say?

• If we met at a party, and I asked you about your job, what would you tell me?

• What is your favorite descriptor word about what you do?

• Where do you plan on using your tagline?

I'm embarrassed to say that I don't have any business cards. It's on my to-do list, I swear!  I plan to use my tagline in my email signature, on my business cards, and on my Etsy banner. If I do open up my own online storefront, it will go there, too. The tagline will always be accompanied by my logo.

If we met at a party I would say, "I have a sewing pattern business." If you seemed interested I would then say, "I design sewing patterns for stuffed animals and I teach sewing." If you still seemed interested I would say, "I have a new book coming out in May that teaches people to design their own sewing patterns for stuffed animals. My first book came out in January of 2011 and was all about sewing birds." By this point most people are all set hearing me blab on about sewing.

I'm not sure I have one favorite descriptor word about what I do. A few that strike me are:

• stuffed animals

• sewing patterns

• teaching

So you consider yourself more of a teacher than a designer? And I would be very interested in talking with you if we met at a party! Invite me somewhere! 

I consider myself to be both equally.

Ok, good. Now that I have a clearer idea of WHO YOU ARE in your business, let's talk about who your business is a bit. What kind of work do you want to do most? Like when someone sees your card or logo, what do you want to sell them? Designs? Finished goods? Lessons? All of those things?

I'd like people to buy my sewing patterns, whether that means buying them via my books, via Simplicity, via my Etsy or Craftsy shop or my Craftsy workshop, or via the other online venues where my patterns are available for sale. I'd like to use my 3-D design skills to teach. I like writing books about how to make toys. I don't want people to think I sell finished goods. I want to be clear that I sell patterns.

One tagline I've been thinking about is:

Sew Your Own Toys.

I kinda like it's forcefulness. And if you say, "But I can't!" Then I say, "So I'll teach you."

I like that, but it just says what you want to people to do. Not what you can do for them. I could see, "Sew your own toys," and go and do just that without you. I want your tagline to express how you can help me sew my own toys. "Sew your own toys" is what you can show people how to do. But we need to get the YOU in there.

How about:

"Pattern Designer. Sewing Teacher. Toy Maker. Author."

My issue with "pattern designer" is that it can be misinterpreted as someone who does surface design (like for textiles). And "toy maker" could be seen as a woodworker who makes pull-toys, for example. It's tricky to be clear and concise with these terms, you know?

Okay, then you want to focus on pattern design, teaching and writing and it's important to make sure people know you work in soft goods only.

Yes, that's my focus. I can see pattern design, teaching, and writing as the main thrust of my business for many years to come.

How about:

Toy Pattern Designer* Sewing Teacher*Toy Maker*Author
Sew Your Own Toys

Okay, we're getting closer.

How about:

Plush Pattern Designer*Soft Goods Sewing Teacher*Craft Book Author

I like it. How about:

Plush Pattern Designer*Sewing Teacher*Craft Book Author

Oh, I love this. I'm so excited to order some business cards now!

I like it Abby. I think it describes who you are, what your business is about and what you have to sell. By using descriptor words like plush, and craft and soft goods, I would not be confused about what you could offer me.

And staying away from words like custom, means maybe you can discourage inquires about the type of work you don't enjoy doing. Also, it doesn't direct me to try to do something without you - it makes you the expert. I'd want to go to your website to look at your classes and check out your books.

You could even consider something like "Let's Make Toys!" which would include you in the process.

Gosh, I love "Let's Make Toys!" That's fun, and you're totally right that it includes me. I had never considered that as a factor in writing a tagline. But it's totally brilliant! Your tagline needs to position you as the expert and as vital to having your customer's needs met. Super.

Exactly. I love it too - Let's Make Toys!

And after I see all that you do (design, teach, write) you'd be the PERFECT person to help me.

---

So here's my new tagline, you guys:

Abby Glassenberg

Plush Pattern Designer

Sewing Teacher

Craft Book Author

Let's Make Toys!

What do you think? I'm really excited about it!

I found Kari's advice to be thoughtful and really sound and I've really benefited from thinking about the big ideas this book raises.

In May, Kari and I will be speaking together on a panel, along with an editor at Roost Books and another other craft book author, about how to write a craft book. If you're interested in hearing about the ins and outs of getting a craft book published I hope you'll join us at Brookline Booksmith in May. More information to come!

Thank you so much for your help, Kari. You can pick up a copy of Kari's book right here and visit her on the web here.

 

The Amazon links in this post are affiliate links.

Book Review: How To Make Stuffed Animals by Sian Keegan

How to Make Stuffed Animals is one of the only new softie books on the market this season (perhaps the only sewing-based softie book?). It was written by Sian Keegan, who has made a name for herself creating plush pet portraits, and is published by Quarry.

3D Pet Portraits of Long-Haired Pets by Sian Keegan availalbe in her Etsy shop

I featured Sian a while ago in this post about softie makers who do custom work. The book is 128 pages and retails for $24.99.

Originally scheduled for a summer release, the book was delayed due to a shipping accident that caused all of the stock to be destroyed en route to the warehouse. The book has subsequently been reprinted and is in stores and on Amazon now. 

I've followed Sian's work for years, and I've always admired the unique method she's developed for sewing yarn onto fabric to create fur. I've never seen another softie maker approach creating fur this way and I'm very excited that she spells out her special technique in the book where it's used to create a wonderfully wooly sheep.

This book is beatufully illustrated. I'm not sure I've seen a softie book with such lovely hand-drawn illustrations.

Sian could easily start a successful second business collaborating with other makers, illustrating their patterns step-by-step and drawing their finished toys. Her illustrations are clear, sweet, and really add a lovely sensibility to this book.

The pattern templates at the back of the book have to be enlarged 200%. To me, this is an inexcusable choice on the part of Quarry. These toys are not large and the pattern pieces needed to make them are therefore fairly small, even at full-size. In this day and age of readily available direct-to-consumer downloadable PDF sewing patterns for softies that include full-sized templates, craft publishers that persist in shrinking pattern pieces to fit the page are going to put themselves out of business.

I'm not sure why American craft publishers shy away from stacking pattern templates like the Japanese publishers regularly do. Here is a sample template page from Stuffed Toys Easy to Make (ISBN 4-8347-1922-7), a Japanese craft book I like quite a bit:

Overlapping pattern pieces aren't difficult to read or use and are certainly SO MUCH EASIER than having to enlarge pattern templates on a copy machine. I don't blame Sian for this, but I will say that if you get a book deal with a major publisher you need to insist that the pattern templates be full size before you sign your contract. Don't let them tell you it can't be done. It can.

Last week I made the Pug from Sian's book. Here he is as pictured in the book:

and here's mine:
I sewed him from fleece, even though the recommended fabric is cotton, because I wanted him to be super soft and huggable. He's going to be a gift for the baby and I love fleece for softies. I love the little bandana. These little touches are sprinkled throughout the book and are very special.

This guy came together quickly and easily and he has a nice shape and personality.

There is no mention of grainline in this book and none of the patterns have arrows indicating grain direction. And there is also no information on how much fabric or fiberfill each pattern requires. For the Pug the materials listed are, "medium-weight cotton fabrics, medium-weight wool fabric, felt, thread, a pipecleaner, and fiberfill." I think it's easier to plan a project if you know how much material is needed and you'll create a smoother, nicer looking toy if you place the pattern pieces on grain.

In the front of the book it says, "Sometimes the legs will splay slightly from the body after the animal has been stuffed. This happens if the animal has not been densely stuffed or if you are working with lightweight fabric. To fix this, pin each leg perpendicular to the body, and make several stitches to takc the legs closer to the body."

I'm not buying this. Here is my Pug after stuffing. He's sewn in heavy-weight fabric (fleece) and stuffed firmly (I'm a firm stuffer):

Why does it do this? Because this is the underbody pattern piece:

And this problem is really straightforward to fix. Here's how.

1. Draw a swayed line down the middle of the Underbody; notice that the line curves downward at the center is is higher at each side. Cut the pattern apart on this line. This curve pulls the belly inward.

2. Draw an oval-shaped dart at the top of each leg where it meets the body. The solid line is a fold line and the dotted line is the stitching line. These darts pull each leg inward, preventing splaying. And you sew them by machine before the body is sewn together, saving you from having to hand tack each leg to the body later. Hand tacking is time-consuming and tricky on a small toy, and it's bound to look a bit messy and not be as strong as a machine sewn seam.

In this process you've cut the underbody in two. You stitch the two together across the top edge before attaching them to the side body. And that's terrific because you can leave an opening for turning and stuffing in that seam. The opening in a softie should be in an unobstrusive spot because no matter how good you may be at ladder stitching the opening closed, the closure seam will be noticable.

In the Pug pattern given in the book the opening is between the head gusset and the side body, one of the most visible parts of the toy. By cutting the underbody in half and leaving an opening between the halves you locate an opening in the least visible spot: on the underside of the belly. Much better.

Be this as it may, this book is very pretty and has a sparse, modern feel that I admire. I'm eager to try Sian's yarn fur technique and I'm really inspired by her illustration style.

Disclosure: Quarry sent me a review copy of this book and the Amazon link is an affiliate link. The views expressed are all my own.

How Patterns in Sewing Books Go Untested and Why That Should Change

It's Saturday afternoon and you've got a lovely pile of fabric, all washed and pressed, sitting on your work table and a few hours of time to yourself. It's time to crack open that new craft book and sew the adorable tote bag on page 33.

As you start cutting and sewing the pieces together you can see that the strap is too short, much shorter than the strap on the bag in photo. You double check your measurements, but you followed the instructions exactly.

This can only mean one thing: there is a mistake in the book.

Has this happened to you? Maybe you've found two errors in that same book, or maybe more? And you start to wonder how did this book get published with so many mistakes?

-----

I began to think more carefully about this question yesterday after reading a blog post by my friend Rashida. Several bloggers got together and organized a very successful sewalong for her second book, Zakka Style. 24 different bloggers participated and they sewed every single project in the book! Ambitious? Yes. And fantastic publicity.

I think we can agree that book reviews have become a dime a dozen on craft blogs. I've reviewed my fair share here, and my own book enjoyed a blog tour, too, like they all do. The best kind of reviews are by people who actually make the projects from the book, so a sewalong of this scope is really amazing.

It is rare (if ever?) that a craft book gets a critical review on a blog. I once asked a publicist what I should do if I didn't like a book she sent me. She told me to hold off on reviewing it and kindly donate it to my public library and I do that all the time now. What it means, though, when we don't share real, critical reviews with one another is that we miss out on hearing from trusted people with expertise their real opinion on the books they see.

On craft blogs in general we share praise, and celebration, and I'm really glad we do. It's a lot of work to write a book, and the print book arm of the publishing industry is struggling. We should promote one another for sure. At the same time, it is undeniably helpful to know an expert's opinion of a book's real strengths and weaknesses before we decide to buy it.

Amazon is a place where more critical reviews live. The anonymity of Amazon allows people the freedom to write a critical review, but the problem there is that we don't know the reviewers. Do they have expertise in that craft or are they just angry and need a place to vent or inexperienced and thought the book would be one thing when it's really another? 

A critical review from a trusted person with knowledge and expertise is the most valuable kind of review for readers.

The Zakka Style sewalong organizers put together a Flickr group where everyone could post pictures of what they made. A discussion arose there about the mistakes in the book. Rashida did an excellent job engaging in the discussion, explaining how she tried to prevent any mistakes from occurring and relaying the information to C&T, the publisher of the book.

Zakka Style is a collaborative book. In it, Rashida asked various contributors to create different projects. Each project was written by a different author and her task was to edit their instructions and create a cohesive book. Not easy by any means.

One particular comment in the Flickr group discussion caught my attention. It was made by The Crafters Apprentice and she says:

I know mistakes might creep in, but they shouldn't. Why haven't the patterns been tested before being printed?

What a great question.

Are patterns in craft books tested before the books go to press?

When I signed the contract to write The Artful Bird I was a brand new author. I spent eight solid months sewing birds and writing patterns for the book and my publisher spent the next five month editing, illustrating, proofreading and designing the book. And then it went to press. Although I had made many birds leading up to the book deal, and then during the creation of the projects for the book, nobody else but me had ever sewn one. This got me crazy nervous so I gave my wren pattern to a good friend who is a terrific seamstress and she sewed it up and gave me some feedback.

But you know what? That was it. A single project of the 16 included in the book was tested by someone other than me, and only because I sought that out. My editor didn't encourage pattern testing, much less demand it. And I don't want you to think that my book is an outlier in this. I'm going to make the radical statement that almost none of the patterns in the majority of craft-based sewing books are tested. 

Why is this? The primary reason is money. When a book is acquired by a publisher a budget is set for that book. The budget has to cover everything that book will need to be published: the author's advance, the total number of pages, the fee for a professional photographer or illustrator if needed, the binding, the cover, the pattern templates, technical editing, design. Everything has to be squeezed into this budget in order for the book to be profitable. And the budget, at least for craft books, doesn't cover pattern testing.

Rashida mentions in the Flickr discussion that for her first book, I Love Patchwork, a technical editor sewed every pattern. In my experience that is very unusual. Rashida and I shared the same publisher for our first books. Although my editor said she was going to make an owl she never got around to it and she didn't have to. It wasn't expected of her. 

Don't get me wrong, the text in craft books is edited, hopefully very carefully, but if you've ever written a sewing pattern you know that it is very easy to accidentally skip a step or jot down dimensions wrong and these are the sorts of things that can only be caught by someone who tries to make each project following your instructions exactly.

When my second book was acquired one of the first things I asked about was pattern testers. I  was told what I expected to hear, that there was no budget to pay anyone to test the patterns, but if I wanted to find some volunteers to do it, I could go ahead and do it on my own. Gosh, yes, I certainly did want to!

So a year ago, via Twitter, I rounded up dozens of awesome sewists who sewed the patterns for each chapter as I finished them. I am so very grateful to them for all of their hard work and detailed feedback, especially since they all did it voluntarily.

In my opinion, craft publishers should at the very least ask their authors to find volunteer pattern testers. I've found that there are many generous, highly skilled people out there who are willing to help you make your book as good as it can possibly be.

So how can you know if the patterns in a book you are considering buying have been tested? Some authors will thank their pattern testers in the acknowledgements. But other than that, there is no way to know. Publishers do post Errata for their books on their websites, and you can check there if you are having difficulty with a pattern and suspect a mistake in a book.

A book full of accurate information and well-tested patterns that work every time builds trust between the reader and the author, and between the reader and the publisher. Pattern testing should become a routine and required step in the publication of craft books.

----

If you are a craft book author, I'd like to know how you handled this issue when you wrote your book. Did your publisher ask for it? Demand it? Help fund it? Did you insist upon it? Are the patterns in your book tested? And I want to hear how you think publishers should handle pattern testing going forward.

And if you are someone who purchases and uses craft books, do you assume that the patterns were tested before publication? Have you found errors? Do you think pattern testing should be part of the publication process? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this issue.

 

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!

Review: Books by Charlene Phillips

When I began teaching people how to use their sewing machines I was nervous that I wouldn't know how particular machines worked. After all, I only know two machines very well: the Bernette 330 that I bought when I was 13 and had for 22 years, and my new Janome 2160.  Fortunately I co-taught the first two group classes along with Lauren, the owner of the sewing center in town, and during the classes she helped me to see that in reality, all sewing machines are the same.

And in recent months I've come to see that armed with a sewing machine you have the power to do a whole lot more than I had thought.

Sewing machines are a most amazing home appliance. I guess I would compare a good sewing machine to a good stand mixer. Both are built to last and both do a job faster and more effectively than you could do by hand.

But more than that, both the sewing machine and the hand mixer have capabilities beyond the obvious. A stand mixer can become a juicer, a pasta roller, a slicer and a shredder. With a meat grinding blade your stand mixer become a sausage maker, and with a dough hook it becomes a bread kneader. A home sewing machine has a similar level of potential. You just need to know how to harness it. With the right foot your machine can make rufffles, shirring, cording, tucks, and cordded pintucks. Your sewing machine can darn socks, sew sequins, couch, and make felled seams. It's really pretty amazing, but how do you figure out how to make your machine do all of this?

That's where these two excellent books by Charlene Phillips come in.

Charlene owns The Sew Box, a brick-and-mortar store in Ohio that also has an online shop. The Sew Box specializes in sewing machine feet, notions, and self-designed sewing patterns. And Charlene knows the sewing machine inside and out. Her mission with her shop and with these books is to help you to make your machine do everything that it can do.

The Sewing Machine Classroom is full of tiny tips and tricks that will help you sew better, faster, and more efficiently. And it demystifies all kinds of things, like what all these needles are for. I learned something on every page.

For example, I often sew pieces together that have very narrow seam allowances, like 1/8 inch or less. In these situations Charlene recommends moving the needle position all the way to the right so that the fabric is still in contact with both feed dogs for even, smooth stitches. That makes so much sense! That one tip changed the way I sew every day. 

The Sewing Machine Attachment Handbook is all about the feet and accessories you can get for your machine and how they all work. Each two-page spread covers a different foot with close-up photos of that foot in action, a diagram of the foot, and a descriptive paragraph or two on how to use it. I will confess I spent a bit of money on new presser feet after reading this book, but I firmly believe that having the right tool for each job makes all the difference. And you wouldn't beleive all the cool feet out there!  Mind boggling. And if you want a particular foot, or 12 new feet (!), check out The Sew Box's online shop.

Your stand mixer does a pretty nice job mixing brownie batter, but why stop there when you can make your own vermicilli?

If you have a sewing machine, you should have these books. I am recommending them because I truly think they are a beneficial additon to anyone's sewing reference library.

I contacted Krause, Charlene's publisher, to let them know that I would be reviewing her books on my blog and they offered a copy of The Sewing Machine Classroom to give away. The giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. If you leave a comment here, I'll pick a winner by Wednesday, February 1, and Krause will send you the book. And if you'd just like to buy these books now, here is an affiliate link to The Sewing Machine Classroom and here is one to to The Sewing Machine Attachment Handbook.

----------------

Winner Announced:

Congratulations to MJ! You won the giveaway. Random number generator chose comment #1. I am emailing you so that I can get your mailing address.  I really hope you enjoy the book!