Now that my boys are a little older, and in preschool, it's amazing to have so much time for designing cute toys for all of you. However, there are still a lot of other demands on my time, and I don't see any volunteers for doing my laundry and cleaning my house! I also like to make time to take care of myself, whether it's going to a yoga class, spending a bit of time reading or sewing, or visiting with friends. All that is to say, it's been very difficult to fit in some other projects that have been nagging at me for a few years now.
One of them is this blog. While I've never considered myself a writer, I wanted a blog so I could share ideas, thoughts, tips, and stories with interested customers. For a while now, I've wanted to make more tutorials, especially video ones. I'm a very hands-on learner, and it's always been a struggle for me to write out pattern instructions for something that is so very tactile as making a toy. If I'm showing someone how to do something, chances are good I will take it out of their hands to do it myself as I explain, because I think more clearly when my hands are working. However, I don't know anyone who can help me with making videos (even if it's just to stand behind the camera), and I just can't seem to find enough hours together to figure out how to do it all myself. It's very frustrating. I want to help you more, but first I need to figure out how to help myself!
(The blog also needs a major redesign. That may actually be something I can accomplish this year)
The other main thing I've wanted to do is to provide more information on how to make my toys. The tutorials I talked about above would be part of that. I've also had many requests for more detailed patterns - more photos, more exact instructions about placement of body parts, more details on how to attach things, weave in ends, all kinds of stuff.* Just thinking about trying to put all that into the 50+ patterns I've written over the past 7 years makes me want to go back to bed and stay there. For a long time. However, it might be possible to come up with something more like an FAQ sheet, with some generic photos or illustrations of the things I'm asked about most often. It would also include a list of links to all my tutorials with a brief summary of each, and links to photo sets of the most popular patterns.
Once I have this FAQ sheet done, it would be included as an extra download with all my patterns on Ravelry. And I'll find somewhere to put a free download link for everyone else.
As I'm sure you can see, this would all take a lot of time, even if I don't manage to make the video tutorials. I can give you no estimate on when I might get it done. I just wanted you to know I'm listening, and thinking about what you've asked for, and trying my best to make it happen.
*As I've written many times before, I love how my patterns allow some people to express their own creativity, but there are just as many people who want to make it just as they see it. I feel like it's time to help them out.
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3 comments:
I love your patterns and find them quite easy and straightforward to follow. The photos you include give a good indication of where to place limbs etc. Please keep up the designing. I'm always itching for a new design. Thank you so much.
Hi Barbara,
First, let me say I love all your designs, there is such a sweetness and cuteness in all your designs. They definitely reflect your sweet and loving personality.
I love learning new techniques and thank heavens I am patience and will do something 50 times if I have to until I get it. I don't think you would scare any of us off if you used a new technique that was somewhat difficult.
I am so happy for you that Mr. Mittens is so involved and helpful. Kudos to Mr. Mittens for all he does for us too!
Carla
Love your patterns, Barbara. And, for the most part I can understand your directions very well . . . a fact sheet might be nice for general information as you said here.Last week I thought that i needed help figuring out the stripes on the Scraps Chap rabbit, but once I really looked it over and saw that I can get a pretty good guess by counting rows on the photo of the rabbit I was just fine.
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