Category Archives: Quilts & Quilting

How to Add & Sell a Pattern on Craftsy

Hi there Sewhooked friends!

As you probably know by now, I am an independant pattern designer, sharing patterns both here and on Fandom In Stitches, selling on Etsy and Craftsy and with the occasional pattern published in a magazine.

While I started designing years before Craftsy existed, it is the existence of Craftsy that kicked my ability to design and share both my free and for sale patterns to a wider crafty audience. What is most helpful to me as an indie designer with limited resources is that Craftsy is free for me to use. FREE. If you are a Designer, you know how hard it can be to scrape a living selling patterns. There are a million patterns online and many, many of them free. Making money in this industry is hard, but thanks to Craftsy, it’s a little bit easier and I can keep on doing what I love.

Without Craftsy, I would not had a venue for Paper Piecing Vintage, the 2014 Sewhooked Block of the Month, an event that I’ve not only loved creating but, here’s that word again, sharing!

Many of my readers are also Designers and I know at least a few of you lovely people that have indicated you would like to share your patterns but you don’t know where to start. I have some super useful information directly from Craftsy that will help you get started!

Want to design, but don’t know where to start?

We have some great resources over on Fandom In Stitches to help get you going!

I’d like to add that you do not have to sell patterns on Craftsy to share patterns. You can opt to share patterns for free. For my Designer friends that work on fandom patterns, FREE is always your best choice. Keep in mind the moment you start selling fandom-related patterns, you violate laws surrounding derivative work and risk copyright infringement.

Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through.

In addition to wonderful online courses and craft supplies, Craftsy also has an independent online pattern store that lets anyone upload and sell downloadable e-patterns with no fee!

How do you add a pattern to Craftsy and start your pattern store? It’s easy!

1. Make sure you have a Paypal account. All pattern transactions happen through Paypal, and Craftsy requires that you have a Student, Premier, or Business account in order to sell patterns.
2. Put your pattern in .pdf format. You can’t upload any patterns to the online pattern store unless they’re a .pdf file format, so if they’re currently saved as a Word doc, .jpg, or other file format, you must convert it to a .pdf before you upload it to Craftsy. (See Fandom In Stitches for some easy ways to do this.)
3. Include a photo. All patterns must have at least one photo to accompany them, but you can add up to five photos. Colorful, interesting photos tend to work the best for catching our members’ eyes!
4. Fill out the pattern description. We will ask you some basic questions around your pattern making it easier for Craftsy folk to find your pattern and know what your pattern is for. Make sure you have info about your pattern handy for this step.

For more information on how to sell a pattern through Craftsy, or to get started, visit Craftsy today!

Be sure to stop by Sewhooked on April 30 for a sneak peek of my block in the upcoming Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks and for a chance to win fun prizes!

PPV Prize April 2014

Share your Paper Piecing Vintage photos with the Sewhooked flickr group in April and you’ll have a chance to win a copy of Quilts From 100 Blocks, Fall 2013 (includes a pattern designed by me!) as well as copies of my patterns Poppies from the Past and My Kitchen Window!

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Featured Pattern: Bluebonnet to Hand Embroider, just $2 on Craftsy!

Hey Peeps!

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Spring must be in the air, because my Peeps pattern, first released spring of 2013, has been getting a lot of attention over on Craftsy!

Thank you to everyone that has downloaded this fun (and totally free!) pattern.

Need some Peeps? Get them here!

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Find all of my for sale patterns

(and many of my free ones!)

on Craftsy,

including 72 single block designs

that will be $2 during March.

In April, all $2 patterns will be $2.95.

Share your Paper Piecing Vintage photos with the Sewhooked flickr group in March and you’ll have a chance to win Bonnie Hunter’s awesome book String Fling as well as a copy of my pattern Aces High!

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Sign up for Paper Piecing Vintage
and get a new pattern in two sizes each month during 2014!
That’s 24 patterns for just $12!

Pretty Pretty Pinwheel

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As I’ve been working my through tidying up my Free Pattern page, it occured to me that it has been some time since I’ve shared a free non-fandom pattern.

Well, we can’t have that, now can we?

Here is a sweet little pattern that I’ve dubbed Pretty Pretty Pinwheel. I think you’ll find fun and easy to piece.

Once the units are made, it goes together like a four-patch. If you chain piece the similar units, you’ll find it goes even faster!

Download the 6 inch Pretty Pretty Pinwheel for free from Google Drive!

The pattern is three colors plus a background fabric. Each color is indicated by a different texture. To make it piecing easy, I just penned in where the colors go.

♥ Jennifer O

Where did my retired patterns go? Read all about that here.

Posts on this blog may contain affiliate links to help cover the cost of my website. I thank you for your generous support. ♥

Big Linus Heart

Paper Piecing Art: Beginner and Beyond

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Way back in 2011, I was invited to be an instructor for STITCHED, a subscription-based online classroom community that offered workshops by experts in different craft-related areas. The entire shebang was conceived of and hosted an extraordinary artist, Alma Stoller.

My own workshop Paper Piecing Art: Beginner and Beyond, was geared to take students step-by-step through the paper piecing process.

I shared every tip and technique that I myself use when paper piecing. Now, over a year after the completion of the STITCHED 2012 Workshops, I offer my own class here, free for you.

If you’re already a paper piecer, you might pick up a trick or two; if you’re new to paper piecing or have tried before and it didn’t quite click, I hope this helps you on your paper piecing journey!

Jennifer’s Tools:

Paper Piecing Art uses Waiting for Rain, a pattern designed by myself especially for the workshop.

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You can find Waiting for Rain in my Craftsy shop for just $4.

Looking for a text-based tutorial? I have that here! Questions? Comments? I’m always happy to chat in comments!

Remember to stop back by tomorrow for the Paper Piecing Vintage February update! Have an extraordinarily happy Friday!

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Sign up for Paper Piecing Vintage now!

Have you Joined the Paper Piecing Vintage Facebook Group?

TTMT #244 – Finish It In ’14!

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Sewhooked

Paper Piecing Vintage
Mustachio!
Topsy Turvy Trees
Finish It in ’14 (blog post)
2013 To Do List ReCap
2013 Finishes
Paper Pieced Pattern A Day Garden Party (2012)

Fandom In Stitches

As You Wish
Such A Sew & Sew
There and Back Again (TABABOM, The Hobbit BOM)
Liljabs
Not All Who Wander Are Lost (NAWWAL, The Lord of the Rings BOM)
Fandom In Stitches Facebook Group
Project of Doom Facebook Group

Also in this video:

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Featured Pattern: Bicycle!, just $2 on Craftsy!

2013 To Do List…Recap (at last!)

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At the beginning of the last few years, I have recapped the UFO projects accumulated at the beginning of the previous year to see how much progress I made on each one. These lists do not include new projects that popped up over the year, though newbies often make an appearance on the following year’s list! When 2013 began, and I made my 2013 list, I was working full time outside of my home. After half a year of burning the candle not only at both ends, but in the middle too, I realized the life I was leading was not working for myself or for my family. When I left my full-time position, I fell right back into Sewhooked and, most importantly, back to my family.

2014 UFO List coming soon
2013 Recap – You’re here!
2013 To Do List
12 for 2012 recap post
12 for 2012 Project List and 2011 Follow-Up Post
2011 UFO list
2010 UFO list and the follow-up post

Definitions of some initialisms used in this post:

UFO = UnFinished Object – a project that has been set aside and allowed to collect dust. Chances are it’s existence has been forgotten until it’s pulled out of whatever dark hole it was stuffed into. While there, it probably multiplied like Tribbles, leaving many more UFOs than you remember putting there in the first place.

USO = UnStarted Object – a project that has yet not made it out of it’s incubation period. Often comes in the shape of a stack of fat quarters, a jelly roll or other similarly delicious fabric apparition. Can also appear as a pattern or book with little hearts doodled on the cover. Hopes to be a…

WIP = Work In Progress – Always in danger of becoming a UFO, a WIP is a project that is currently being worked on, and will hopefully become a…

FO = Finished Object – What all projects dream of being. The object of much blog activity and excitement and a good source of personal pride. The Ultimate Destination of a UFO and WIP.

Project – 2011 Five @ The Hive block of the month, designed by Sue Carter January 2013 – Need to add top & bottom border, quilt and bind. Have border, backing and binding fabric.

Status – FO and Gifted! Discussed in this TTMT (6:40 or so). Quilted by my friend Osie and given to my in-laws last year.

Project – Harry Potter Alphabet Quilt, designed by me. January 2013 – To be quilted & bound. Have back/binding fabric.

Harry Potter Title Font Alphabet Quilt

Status – FO! I talk about it in this TTMT. Quilted by Osie. She practiced pebbles on this and I LOVE the way it came out! I’m keeping this beauty for myself. I started designing and piecing the blocks in 2005 or 2006 and they sat in a shoebox for years.

Project – Hand applique wreath. January 2013 – Needs to be bound with green fabric (shown).

Status – FO! Done and gifted to my best friend, Jewells!

Project – Harry Potter swap block quilts (1 & 2) January 2013 – Quilt 1 needs a border, back and binding. To be quilted & bound. Quilt 2 needs to be pieced, quilted & bound.

Status, HP Swap Quilt 1 – WIP. Border added. needs to be quilted and bound. Have batting & backing fabric.

Status, HP Swap Quilt 2 – FO. These were blocks that didn’t quite fit the layout I worked out for the HP blocks. This one was pieced, free-motion quilted, bound and donated to The Linus Connection

Project – Vintage quilt top. January 2013 – To be quilted, possibly by hand. Needs a back & binding. I’m thinking muslin for the back. Status – UFO. No change. 😦

Project – Vintage churn dash & reproduction fabric snowball quilt top. January 2013 -Needs borders, back and to be quilted & bound.

Status – WIP. Has borders, backing and batting. Needs to be quilted & bound.

Project – Green/Purple 10 minute block quilt. January 2013 – Needs borders and to be quilted and bound. To be saved for a baby gift.

Status – WIP. Borders added, have backing and batting. To be quilted/bound.

Project – There and Back Again signature blocks January 2013 – To be pieced into a top. Will need fabric for sashing and possible center piece. Status – UFO. No change. I’m missing a block from one of the designers, so I have put off working on this.

Project – Misc 2 1/2″ & 4 1/2″ half-square triangles. January 2013 – To be pieced into a quilt top. Have taupe fabric for solid blocks to include in piecing.

Status – FO. 4 1/2″ half-square triangles pieced into quilt top. Free-motion quilted and bound, donated to The Linus Connection April 2013. Blogged about here. Still have lots of 2 1/2″ half-square triangles.

Project – There and Back Again (TABABOM). January 2013 – Needs a back and to be quilted, bound.

Status – WIP-ish. Have backing, batting and binding. Not yet quilted.

Project – Project of Doom Signature Quilt January 2013 – Finish the hand embroidery in the border, needs a back and to be quilted & bound. Will read “The Project of Doom 2011 Participants.”

Status – WIP. Embroidery finished, quilted by Shannon Shaw of Rock Creek Quilts. Needs binding.

Project – Embroidered block quilt top. January 2013 – Needs a border, back and to be quilted, bound. To be saved for a baby gift.

Status – WIP. Borders added, have back & binding. To be quilted & bound.

Project – Topsy Turvy Trees January 2013 – Needs a back and to be quilted, bound. Status – No change.

Project – Orphan block collection (mine and many many collected from others) January 2013 – Make into a quilt (or several!) for The Linus Connection.

And now it's a star again! #linusconnection

Status – FO/WIP – Finished one quilt and two quilt tops for donation to The Linus Connection and still have more orphan blocks! The second quilt needs a border, backing, quilting and binding. The third (star) quilt needs a backing, batting & binding.

Project – Flannel quilt top (I have NO idea when I pieced this, most of these fabrics have been gone from my stash for years!) January 2013 – Needs a back and to be quilted, bound, to be donated to The Linus Connection.

Status – FO. Quilted & bound, donated to The Linus Connection. Blogged!

Project – Monkey fabric from Jewells January 2013 – NEW PROJECT – Make into a quilt for The Linus Connection.

Status – FO. Made into a quilt top during Retreat 2013 and donated to The Linus Connection. Donated to The Linus Connection. This is only ph0to of the top I could find and it’s on the wall at the very beginning of this TTMT. I won’t lie, watching this video brought on the tears. My beloved Tackett is giving me some serious snuggles at the beginning which reminded me of why I miss him so much every day.

Project – Australia fabric from Cat January 2013 – NEW PROJECT – Pick a pattern and make top, hopefully king size!

Status – UFO. (Actually, USO…UnStarted Object!). I’ve picked a pattern I like, and that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I need to find an accent fabric and cut this puppy out!

Project – Fabric collection from Kristel, won from one of her TTMT drawings. January 2013 – NEW PROJECT – I would like to make this into a new bag for myself! Fancy that!

Status – Not even a UFO. I picked a bag pattern and then changed my mind. I’m considering sharing the love and passing this on as a prize.

Summary – Not bad, not bad! That’s seven completed quilts, one quilt that just needs a binding, several completed tops and a couple of projects that just need to get a little closer to done. I’m always equally surprised by A) how much I finished and B) what I forgot completely about.

Now, to work on my 2014 list!

Feel like being challenged to work on your UFOs in 2014? Pren, from The Convivial Crafter, a long time crafty friend of mine, has started a crafty support group Facebook group for just that reason! Her goal: One finished UFO per month! Totally doable, right?! Join UFO Project 2014. There are drawings and stuff!

Piece with me! Paper Piecing Vintage BOM, $12 on Craftsy!

Busy Bee!

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It’s been crazy cakes around my house this week!

My high schooler is back to school, doing what 16 year olds do and my college freshman hit the road and is now back in the dorm, ready for her second semester as a college woman. How did my kids get so grown up? This is a mystery I will never solve!

Paper Piecing Vintage has been amazing so far, with lots of beautiful blocks and fantastic participation in the facebook group.

The crazy mistake I found during this week’s Talk To Me Tuesday has now been rectified. Whew! Now I just need backing fabric to finish up this little quilt of orphan blocks for The Linus Connection.

As You Wish, the Princess Bride quilt and stitch along that I’m organizing on behalf of Fandom In Stitches, starts next Wednesday and has been keeping me busy every minute in between!

Quilting is my job and my hobby, what can I say?!

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Fanciful Fairies (Paper Pieced BlockSet)

6 Blocks to Paper Piece, just $7 on Craftsy!

Name That Mustache – Mustachio!

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Welcome to the final Name That Mustache post!

It’s been a month of fabulous and funny mustache names!

Thank you to every single person that submitted a name. Whether your submission was chosen or not, I loved reading them all and sincerely appreciate your ideas!

Today, I have our Week 4 WINNERS to announce!

Each winner receives a free pdf copy of the mustache pattern he or she named, a free fat quarter and his or her name included in the new version of the pattern!

If you were chosen as a winner, please email sewhooked@gmail.com with your mailing address so you can receive your prizes.

In the case that a name was suggested more than once, the first commenter to suggest that name wins the prize.

Mustache #10 – “Reginald” – submitted by Gwen

Mustache #11 – “Clarke” – submitted by Michelle Thompson

Mustache #12 – “Gus” – submitted by Gwen (two in one week, way to go, Gwen!)

Get the entire Mustachio! set from my Craftsy shop!

Once I hear from today’s winners, Mustachio! will be updated with the winning names. If you purchase Mustachio! from Craftsy prior to the name update, you will receive a notification from Craftsy that the pattern has been updated.

Just want one mustache? For the first time ever, all twelve mustaches will be available for the first time ever! The first nine are already on Craftsy! The last three will be up as soon as I hear from the winners.

But hey, why not buy the whole shebang and help a good cause? During the month of November, I will donate $1 to Movember for the sale of each Mustachio! pattern set!

Don’t forget to vote for your favorite quilts during the Blogger’s Quilt Festival! You’ll find my entries under Wall Hangings and Bed Quilts.

Stay tuned for a Crafts of Halloweens Past flickr roundup and winner! Another big thanks for all of your recent participation! See you tomorrow for Talk To Me Tuesday!

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