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Jewelry Making Ideas - Jewelry Making Resources - Jewelry
Making Instructions
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Creating And Selling Your Own Craft Patterns - Writing Craft Patterns
for a Living By Annette Graf
Starting a home business is challenging. You may not know what you would
like to do. If you are a crafter you may have already started selling
your crafts at craft shows and online. But have you ever thought of
creating and publishing your own craft patterns and reselling them. Here
are some tips to get you started...Crafters are creative and talented people who thrive on the thrill of
seeing the finished product. As a crafter myself, I enjoy seeing the
talents of other come to life at craft shows and patterns that I
discover in magazines and books.
If you are a crafter and have always wanted to get your ideas published
here are some ideas and suggestions for writing and getting your ideas
sold.
My favorite craft is to crochet, but I also make candles and soaps. I
like following the directions on some of the many craft patterns out
there but a lot of times I will be creative and make up my own. I have
started to compile my patterns into a notebook and share them with
others.
In order to get started you must first write down everything you know
about the item that you have created. First start with what materials
are needed. For example if you are creating a crochet project, write
down the type of yarn you used, the size of the needle and any other
materials that were needed. If you are doing a general craft, make sure
to specify what the materials are such as glue, paper, etc. Try to be as
detailed as possible to make it easy for crafters to locate the
materials they need at the store.
Once you have a list of materials required, start out listing the basic
steps and instructions for your craft project. For example if you are
creating a candle craft make sure to provide safety tips and
instructions, along with suggestions on how to prevent errors. A good
suggestion is to review other craft patterns you have read to see how
they were prepared.
The next phase is to write out your craft pattern in detail, providing
step-by-step instructions. Make sure your information is clear and
precise and to the point. Try to provide photos or illustrations of your
project that makes it much easier for the reader to follow.
Once you have the pattern written down, test it out to make sure that
you are able to follow all of the instructions. Even better, ask a
fellow crafter to review it to see if the pattern is easy to follow.
The next step is to get your pattern published. There are several
magazines and Internet sites that are looking for patterns. You can
learn how to submit your work through publications such as Writer's
Market or the magazine Writer's Digest. If you have a subscription of
your favorite craft magazine, check out their requirements for
pattern/author submissions. If they don't have anything listed contact
them via phone or email and ask if they are accepting new projects and
what their guidelines are. Some may require a photograph along with the
finished written craft project so be sure to be prepared.
The amount of money a publication will pay you for your patterns will
vary. You can even consider publishing your patterns yourself if you
want. If you decide to take the step into self-publishing your patterns,
check out the self-publishing books on Amazon or through your local
bookstore. Also ask other crafter how they have started in the business
of creating and publishing their patterns.
Crafting is a big business and with a little creativity and inspiration
you can become a published crafter! http://www.bookdrawer.com
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