Sewing to Sell: Book Review and Giveaway
I absolutely love seeing blog friends succeed in such awesome ways. Just recently, Virginia of Gingercake Sews released a book called “Sewing to Sell” and I was given the chance to review it and share the details with all of you. Don’t forget to enter the giveaway at the end!
Virginia has been in the business for a while with her simply adorable patterns. I have used several of them and they are awesome. So, when she told me she would love for me to check out her new book, I was very happy to do so. Sewing to Sell is a book that I wish would have been around 5 years ago when I jumped into the world of selling online. Oh boy, this would have saved me from so many mistakes, so many missteps and so many embarrassingly bad moves. This book walks the reader through the many steps of starting a handmade business. People don’t realize how much goes into those “little” etsy shops. They take time and research. This book has all of that information in one spot.
Virginia discusses everything from finding your product style, branding, marketing, finding customer base, legal issues and my favorite… photographing your items. I love that she shows tips and tricks throughout the book. Once you have created your items, you need to make sure you know how to market and photograph and get the product out there… and she tells you how to do this!
Okay, so my absolute favorite part is that she has 16 patterns in the book that are copyright free, meaning you are free to sell the finished products in your shop. That is an INCREDIBLE value! She is so generous to do this and her instructions and diagrams are spot on. The patterns include a zip pouch, grocery bags, pin cushions, iPad covers, and bibs and burp cloths. I love making baby gifts to give to new moms, so I knew right away that I would use her pattern for those. They are such an easy and fun gift and I can churn out several in under an hour or two.
This is such a detailed book and took me several hours to read through, and it will be a fantastic resource to have on hand. Seriously, I wish this was around several years ago because it would have simplified my entire business process.
The fact that she offers patterns and tutorials inside of this book is huge. The next thing I make will be the iPad covers for my kids…. Santa is apparently bringing them each an iPad (mini) for Christmas.
One thing I have noticed over the years, is that the colors of my products tend to be fun, bright and perfect for kids. This is definitely part of marketing and product recognition. Virginia goes over all of this in her book. She discusses how to make sure your products are cohesive.
With a soft chenille backing, these bibs are so comfy for babies and are also fantastic at wiping up messes. They just get softer over time.
Instead of velcro tabs, I love using simple plastic snaps. 
I also made a stack of burp cloths. These are not only good for babies, but great for general household messes. It is also a great way to use up scrap fabrics!
Look at that soft chenille.
Don’t forget how important it is to add your labels to each and every product you create. This is what will set you aside and also allow the customer to remember where they purchased it from.
How sweet is this little gift for a new mom? Stack several of these up and she will be good to go!
Make sure to follow along and visit these other great blogs to see what they think of the book! Thanks for having me along, Virginia!
Want to win your own copy of Sewing to Sell? Simply leave a blog comment (leave your email address please!) and I will randomly choose a winner on Friday, November 28th.
Purchase Sewing to sell HERE. There are digital versions and regular versions!
