Hi, welcome to the blog. My name is Hillary Lang and I live in Chicagoland with son Oscar, daughter Phoebe and husband Tim. I love to design and create dolls and toys, quilts and ‘etc’. I started this weblog as a way to stay motivated and connect with the amazing online crafting community I’d stumbled upon. I’ve since started selling handmade toys and original patterns, and have contributed to craft books and magazines (press list coming soon). It’s all very exciting and constantly evolving, which is why the ‘about me’ page is so difficult for me to write and maintain. I’ve started a FAQ below, please feel free to email me any questions or just to say hi, hillarylang at gmail.com.
ok, here are some frequently asked’s.
Where do you find the time?!
This is the question I get asked most often. Finding time to be creative and to finish projects and follow through on ideas has always been a huge challenge. Now that wee wonderfuls has evolved from the craft blog of a stay at home mom to a small business, it has become even more tricky. Finding the right balance of work and family is a challenge for all working mom’s so I feel I’m in very good – and very stressed out – company!
One thing that has really helped me in getting stuff done is being set up for it. I have an excellent craft room with my sewing machine set out all the time, the ironing board always up, and a big craft table that my dad made me. My fabric is stored on shelves so I can see it all. This really helps me jump from project to project. I’ve never had this much room before and it makes such a difference. I’m not living out of my knitting bag anymore!
Can I special order a doll/quilt/toy/etc?
Right now I’m not doing commissions or special orders.
Where do I buy…?
fabric…
http://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/fabric
http://equilter.com/
http://www.fatquartershop.com
http://reprodepot.com/
http://sewzannesfabrics.com/
http://hancocks-paducah.com/
http://pinkchalkfabric.com
sonatine
matatabi
chocolate swirl
purl soho
http://kitty-craft.com/
for wool felt…
at joann’s or online, here’s some at a child’s dream come true
flannel..
at fabric stores or quilt shops, here’s some at equilter
wool…
quilt shops, here’s some at equilter
Are your patterns for sale?
Patterns are for sale in the shop and the make-a-long patterns are available here. Free patterns are also available here in the downloads section.
What about dolls and toys for sale?
Any wee wonderfuls originals for sale can be found in our etsy shop
Where to start if you want to design your own patterns
I started at the library. I’d never made a stuffed animal or doll before I started this blog. I checked out some vintage craft books from the library and just started following patterns and then after making a few was able to start altering them and then drawing them up on my own. Get yourself a pile of muslin and just jump in!
Creative Commons License:
So the deal is, anything I create is copyrighted by default. I feel the standard copyright laws are too rigid so I’m putting my site under a Creative Commons license. This means that others can modify, improve, recreate, etc. entire designs or elements of my designs to their heart’s content for personal use but not for commercial use. You can read more about the details, restrictions and requirements here. I think the Creative Commons licenses are a really great way to create a community of sharing and building on each others ideas without robbing people of their original work.
Sewing lessons or self taught? How long have I been sewing? Any recommendations of books or of a good sewing machine.
Unfortunately I’m pretty useless in this aspect. I learned how to use a sewing machine in Home Ec in 7th grade. Since then I’ve just been teaching myself, following the instructions in patterns and then now making my own patterns. Lots of trial and error! The only class I’ve taken is the basic quiltmaking class I just took. As far as sewing machines go.. I’m using a hand-me-down Bernina from my Grandma. It works really well most of the time. Everyone in my quilting class was very fond of Berninas. Other than that, I’m pretty clueless. And I don’t really have any one craft or sewing book that I use. Most of the time I just fake my way though and hope for the best!
