Cathy Cullis from November moon makes the most detailed mixed media dolls, little paper, fabric and yarn dolls with exquisite details and personality. check them out.

This one is (red shoes)’ is a mixed media artwork with fine handmade detailing – much of the papier mache unpainted as I really wanted it to be about the use of old pages from a book … Manipulating the page into a dress is an interesting process. One I’ve only just started to explore, really. I’m stitching the paper on to the doll, rather than using glue. I try to not use glue on my work, unless absolutely necessary (papier mache is an exception of course).

Miranda and Morton ‘arrived’ over the past few days. No matter how many dolls I make, I still like to take my time over them, adding the details so they are just so. …

‘grey girl house’ – I started on a doll – inspired by a beautiful grey linen I have in my fabric collection/stash. I knew I wanted her all grey, something enigmatic about that, … Grey is not a dull hue, I love how it works by itself and with different shades.

Jade Pegler’s work with paper and textiles combines a range of techniques including papiermache, bookbinding, hand and machine stitching, collage and origami – she lives in Wollongong, Australia – which is by the sea and not far from the big city.

She has a wide range of work – from fabric and mixed media, to wonderful whimsical drawings, to altered books and paper sculptures. There is something in her work that speaks of nature, the environment – is it her unbleached fabrics, worn and weathered papers, and organic forms.

these are stuffed drawings – more textiles

this is an inside out book

sculptural piece from a series titled desolation row made of papier mache, wood, wire, more paper, fabric and threads, in a show in Sydney titled IT”S PAINTING SO IT MUST BE GERMAN.

Also the drawings in her sketchbook as so wonderful – check out all her work at flickr and on her site here and here.

Whip Up is now taking article and tutorial submissions.

We are looking for tutorials and submissions that fit within Whip Up’s feel – read our Manifesto for more information. We are looking for thematic articles and tutorials to fit within the months themes – see monthly themes below – but also timely articles outside of these themes will be considered , such as exhibition and pattern reviews, craft memes, fun, frivolous and extreme ideas, etc that cannot wait and do not fit within the theme.

Submissions now being accepted for November, December and january

To learn more about how to submit an article read the submission guidelines here

the missability radio show is once again hosting a walking stick cosy competition – The Knitted Walking Stick Cosy Competition #1 was so successful that there will be a second round! There are instructions for making the cosy and patterns too. (caption Oxford Kitchen Yarns cosy from cosy comp #1)

independent craft show Bazaar Bizarre San Francisco 90+Vendors ✪ Workshops ✪ Local Music ✪ Free Goodie Bags for the first 300 customers | When: December 15th 2007 from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm | Where: San Francisco County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco (Lincoln Way at 9th Avenue) | Admission: $1.00

Once again the sampler has arrived on my doorstop, chock full of great indie craft products. This really is a great promotion tool for up and coming indie craft businesses.

Flora and Fauna Press is located in downtown Los Angeles. Christine Brandt, the owner, printer, and designer founded the press in 2006. I love the story of how Christine salvaged a rusty old letter press from a desert salvage yard and brought it back to life.

my kids were really impressed with maustudio and their notecards and badges – really super cute.

My kids also really loved jumble bugs – these are so fun – cards and badges with images of the the bugs were in the sampler but you can buy the bugs themselves too. very cool.

Check out this thread at the forum and add your current project to the list.

Towhee says: I just finished a vinyl totebag yesterday with Kaffe Fassett lining. No pattern, just improvisational sewing. It was like painting with scissors.

tatting my doilies made a softie knitted squid and now is working on a sea monster … beware the kraken from the deep!

mveian – I made a bread bag out of linen this week, – and love it already! Guess I have to make a few more when a change is needed. (with tutorial)

meggymac says I’ve fallen for Built By Wendy patterns. My first attempt was inspired by the shirt pattern in her book, Sew U. I’ve called it the Heather Ross Cowgirl Shirt

Aussie patches is a great artist blog with lots of interesting information, art and advice. check out this post where she discusses how to package your art/craft/designs to sell at craft fairs and stores.

First of all why package at all?

1. Professional appearance. I wanted people to focus on my items rather then be put off by the fact there was no packaging. Most people buying products expect to have some sort of packaging for the item – that is the day and age we live in. A consumer society where some things are just in our subconscious and we don’t often think of them.
2. People won’t buy gifts without packaging.
3. Protection of the item. Protection during shipment was very important as well as protection when the items are in stores. Just image how many fingers will touch your works. For me it was important that my mirrors and badges were protected as dirty fingers can really impact negatively on the items.

And some points to consider when packaging (read the full article here)

1. Your packaging should reflect and enhance your work without distracting from it. The items should ‘match’ and remain consistent as a way of reinforcing your brand image.
2. If you sell clothing or plush toys do you want your brand to be recognised with a sewn in label? Do you need to invest in ribbon labels? What about iron on labels, or sewn in labels?
3. Can the buyer see the product without needing a display item? I found that when people were looking at my magnets and mirrors they always wanted to see the back of them, so I needed packaging that could be see through.

[as one commenter said - please be aware of the environment when considering packaging - don't over package and please try and use recyclable or recycled materials in your packaging]

first annual Great American Craft Off! It will start Nov. 1 – This unique contest calls for American crafters to present a one-of-a-kind creation that exemplifies their personal vision of what America is all about – whatever that may be. The winner will be awarded a prize package valued at over $6000!

4th Handmade market next Saturday Nov 3rd in Raleigh, NC. – The Handmade Market: Because “MALL” Is a Four-letter Word
Shop for unique handcrafted goods and support independent designers at The Handmade Market in Raleigh, NC.

The Holiday Softie Awards – entries close October 31st!. check out the current entries and enter yours under one of these categories (make sure you check out the rules about entering) Categories are: Deck the Halls, Animals Dressed for the Holidays, Nightmare Before Christmas and Let it snow – other categories that need your entries are: Holiday Smorgasboard (food) (come on guys – where are all those soft food makers, Under the Tree (toys) – more toys – come on – come on, The Worst Gift I Ever Got (this could be really funny and fun), Doll Dress Up (come on you know you want to) Holiday version of a Softie from the Softies Book.

This month’s whiplash them is fibre & mixed media inspired jewellery – to find out more about how to enter – go to the whiplash page - to post your link go this forum thread and also see and comment on the other entries.

We are offering some prizes for this months Whiplash (last day to enter is NOV 15) one copy of French inspired jewelry: creating with vintage beads, buttons & baubles by Kaari Meng, Published by Lark Books and kindly donated for this whiplash series by the author Kaari Meng and to go with the book a really beautiful bracelet kit from Kaari’s store at french general.

I am really excited that Kaari Meng has generously agreed to give one of our whiplash entrants one of these books and this is what inspired the current whiplash theme. Mixed media jewelry, found jewelry, fibre and textured and free form jewelry. I love all that – so get your thinking caps on and let your creative juices flow to be in the running to get your hands on this great book.

Kaari has a store in Hollywood, where she sells vintage buttons and notions, French fabrics and linens and textiles as well as bath products and other romantic and vintage inspired homewares. Her shop, books and style have been featured in Martha Stewart Magazine, on Oprah and she has designed jewelry for Anthropologie. Has anyone been to her store – it looks just wonderful and her online site is pretty too.

This first image is a page layout from this new book French inspired jewelry (the last three photos are taken from the jewelry kits on the website but the first two of these are also in the book), while Kaari does not live in France (she lives in California) she travels a great deal and picks up wonderful finds from flea markets and out of the way village stores in France – what a wonderful lifestyle that would be. And this book reflects that romance and mystery and history of Europe. In the very last chapter of this book Kaari says that when in France she visits lots of churchyards and is inspired by the feeling of history in these places, the churches often have collections of old handwork and she is interested in the women and their quiet industrious lives from times gone past. This last chapter was inspired by recollections of these women with jewelry using religious iconography, mother of pearl, vintage beads, lace and old photographs. I really love the page layout of these pages too, with the jewelry and beads and buttons photographed with paper ephemera, textured linens and fading photographs.

Other chapters focus on flowers, gardens, vineyard, fancy court ladies, the orchard and the flea market. One of the other chapters though that really captured my imagination was Le Circe (the circus), with the page layouts consisting of various old circus memorabilia like magic cards, and tickets and advertising postcards, as well as the amazing array of fancy buttons and beads with comedic and colourful combinations. Most of the jewelry in this section is centred on the eclectic menagerie of the charm bracelet.

Technically speaking the instructions are pretty clear. Even for a jewelry gumby like me, no experience needed, just a keen eye for detail and a steady hand. There are lots of technical instructions in the front of the book, as well as explanations of all the materials needed – what sort of adhesives and stringing materials, advice on design, beads, findings and tools to use.

When I began to look into selling my sewing patterns, I was swimming in murky waters. I knew absolutely nothing, and I couldn’t find any straightforward advice on the web. Such were the questions that were piling up in my mind: How do I make the layout look professional? How do I print those large sheets? How much should I charge? How and where should I sell my patterns? How do I get the word out?

To those who have created a brilliant sewing pattern that they would like to sell, but have no clue where to begin, this little cheat sheet is for you. It’s not super detailed, but if I learned one thing during my journey into pattern publishing, it’s that other pattern designers are very kind, and will give you wonderful advice if you contact them. So please, feel free to contact me at montessorirevolution(at)gmail(dot)com if you have any questions. You might also look into Nancy Restuccia’s book, Publish Your Patterns!, which is jam-packed with useful information.

So you came up with a pattern – how do you get your instructions and pattern pieces on paper?

Guess what? Microsoft Word simply won’t cut it! You need to look into getting a page layout program such as Adobe InDesign. InDesign will allow you to design a page of any size (that includes those large, 22” x 34” full-sized pattern sheets.) You can make instruction sheets look top-notch, and can use their precise drawing tools to make your full-sized pattern pieces. Once you have your pattern designed, you can export it as a PDF file and send it to a professional printer. I highly suggest you download the following tutorial and become familiar with InDesign: here

Kinko’s costs an arm and a leg, and other reasons to get you patterns professionally printed.

Unless you want to pay a ridiculous sum per pattern to print off those oversized sheets at your local Kinko’s [aka - online ordering solution for digital print-on-demand - ed], you are much better off getting your patterns printed by a professional print shop. I ended up going with Tri-State Printing Co. by recommendation of a fellow pattern designer. They have a department that specializes in printing patterns for the sewing industry, so they know what they’re doing! Plus, folding is included – which I couldn’t imagine having to do myself, over and over and over … The down side of printing in this way is that you will need to order a minimum of 1000 patterns. This can be scary, but it’s worth it. The cost of your order will depend on the size of your sheets, if they are one-sided or two-sided, and if you want the pattern front printed in color.

Consider all of the hidden costs when setting the price for your patterns.

You will need to purchase zip-lock bags [or other sealed bags - paper bags perhaps - ed] for packaging (I use clearbags.com, model ZR69V), address labels, business cards, mailing supplies, etc. If you have your own website, that will cost a bit to set up and maintain. Also, don’t forget to factor in all of those big, start-up expenses, such as the purchase of Adobe InDesign. How much did you spend for fabric and notions when you were developing your pattern? In short, there are a lot more costs than just the printing of the patterns. Don’t sell yourself short because you think your patterns won’t sell for market price because you aren’t a “known” designer. The industry standard is to charge half your retail price for wholesale purchasers. The distributor price is then 70 percent of the wholesale price.

Thank heaven for Etsy – how to sell your sewing patterns

The easiest way to set up shop is through Etsy.com. Etsy is, hands down, the best way to get your products online without having to study web design. Plus – it has a built-in audience. I started up my Etsy shop in addition to my own website, just to tap into all of the crafty action over at Etsy.

Your Mom can’t be your only customer and other marketing tips.

Although I’m sure your mom, aunt and best friend would love to buy up all your inventory, you are probably better off extending your marketing reach past your family and friends! A good way to do this is to pitch your patterns to nationwide distributors, such as Brewer Sewing Supplies and Quilters’ Resource in the US, Quilt-Craft Distributors in Canada, and Highland Quilterworks in Australia. If one of them decided to carry your patterns, they do all of the marketing work for you! Finding wholesale customers is as easy as contacting your own favorite fabric and pattern shops to see if they would be interested in carrying your patterns. A bit of time on Google is all that it takes to locate the contact information of most online fabric stores.

Promoting your direct retail sales is a bit more work. If you have a blog, you should set up a mailing list (I use www.ymlp.com) to send out promotional mailings, offer discount coupons, etc. Get the word out in whatever way you can – set up a Flickr group where others can post photos of projects made using your patterns, participate in crafty forums like Whip Up’s, and don’t be afraid to promote yourself!

About the writer: Meg McElwee is a Montessori teacher who lives with her husband and two cats in rural Mexico. She spends most of her free time fiddling with fabric and keeping up her blog. She sells her Reading Pillow and Mei Tai Baby Carrier sewing patterns at montessori by hand.