An excerpt from my series of profiles on the Wellesley Women Artisans website…wwartisans.com
Abby
Glassenberg is
not your average Wellesley mom. When photographer Lisa Neighbors and I (the
unofficial Wellesley Women Artisans crack reporting team) visited her in her
home studio on a sunny morning in late February, she opened up about starting
her home based business, her love of art, and her approach to balancing the
pressures of family and work. A self-proclaimed introvert, she is amazingly
open and real in her extensive online persona. She explains that she loves to
be alone, but she has historically relied upon her online relationships for a
sense of community around her craft. Since 2005 she has shared her creations
and her ideas on design, technique and the online culture of craft through her
blog, whileshenaps.com. More recently, the
Wellesley Women Artisans (WWA) community has also filled a void and provided a
venue to meet like-minded women.
Abby is building her
business out of her home in the College Heights neighborhood – she has a sewing
studio in her expansive master bedroom and an office set-up on her main floor.
She dedicates 25 hours a week to creating unique patterns for stuffed animals, splitting
her time between sewing, writing, and running the business. All this is a
challenge, but one that she has nicely integrated into her family life by managing
a relatively regimented household. She loves working from home because it allows
her little snippets of work, as time permits. (Every inch of her home is a
gallery, featuring her extensive art collection–I recommend conjuring up an
invite!) Asked about sleeping in and working out of her bedroom, she chuckled.
“The photo lights changed things–it now feels like we sleep in my studio. It may be time for a new
house!”
Abby created her first
plush toy when home with her first child. “We went to Book Babies at the
library and I checked out a vintage craft book. I made an elephant out of white
flannel with cherry button eyes. The next day, I made another. My husband asked
me what was going on? That was the beginning.” By 2007, Abby had a show at the
library featuring 53 animals. She recalls, “It was fabulous. I had all the
glass cases, including the Children’s area.” Right after the show, she started
making birds–in fact, she made birds for 2 ½ years and eventually wrote her
first book, The Artful Bird, which
includes 18 patterns. Published by Interweave in 2011 it was named an ALA
Booklist Top 10 Craft Book that year!
In this book, she found
her true passion, making patterns and writing technical instructions. Abby
explains that she reads cookbooks and technical manuals like other people read
novels. Her second book, Stuffed Animals:
From Concept to Construction, was published by Lark Crafts in 2013 and
named an Amazon Best Book of the Year. It’s no surprise she likes to educate
others–Abby has a master’s degree in education from Harvard and taught middle
school social studies in Mississippi and Massachusetts before becoming a
textile artist and the mother of three girls, ages 3, 7, and 9. Abby enjoys
teaching people to sew and opening their eyes to the joy of designing their own
stuffed animals.
She was kind enough to
reflect upon a series of probing questions:
Where did
you go to School? What was your major?
I grew up in Potomac, Maryland and went to Johns
Hopkins for college where I majored in History. Then I did Teach For America
and taught middle school French and Social Studies in the Mississippi Delta for
two years. After that I got a master’s degree in education and worked at a
non-profit serving under-resourced public schools in Boston for two years. Then
I went back into the classroom and taught 6th grade social studies
at Brown Middle School in Newton, MA, before becoming a mom, textile artist,
craft book author, and craft blogger.
How long
have you lived in Wellesley? From where did you move?
We’ve lived in Wellesley for nearly 9 years. We
moved here from a condo in Coolidge Corner, Brookline. Wellesley is a wonderful
place to live with a family. We are very happy here!
What’s
your favorite (or least favorite) spot in town?
We love the Duck Pond and the greenhouse at
Wellesley College.
What’s
your favorite activity in town?
We like to go to the library and check out books! We’re
also pretty fond of going out for ice cream.
What does
a typical day look like for you?
I wake up at 6:10 7 days a week and shower, then
get breakfast for everyone. My older daughters go to Sprague and the youngest
goes to Gan Elohim. I’m back home by 9:00 and then I go running. I start my
work-day at 10:15. It’s a combination between writing, sewing, taking photos,
answering emails, and everything in between. I pick my daughter up at 12:45 and
put her down for a nap. The big kids come home at 3:05 and then the rest of my
day is spent with them. I cook dinner 6 nights a week (I love to cook) and then
I work from 8:00pm-9:30pm every night, even weekends. I don’t watch TV so that
helps.
How do
you manage parenting and being an artist?
It’s crazy sometimes when I’m on deadline and the
kids need me, but usually I can balance the two. I love being home with them
and I love running a profitable business. I’m really happy with how things are.
When did
you start making artwork?
I’ve always been a maker, even as a kid. I bought a
sewing machine after taking Home Ec. in 8th grade. It was a Bernette
330 and I had it for 23 years. I now have a Janome. I started sewing every day
when I became a stay-at-home mom in 2004 and started my blog, whileshenaps.com,
in May of 2005. I had one of the first Etsy shops when Etsy was still in beta
(July 2005).
Describe
your work?
I have a creative business. I design and sell
sewing patterns for stuffed animals and dolls. I draft original sewing
patterns, make samples, write instructions, draw templates, take process and
product shots, do content marketing, answer customer emails, and write books. I
license patterns to Simplicity and have patterns published in lots of
magazines. It’s a crazy, full-time job of fun!
I am the President and CEO of Abby Glassenberg
Design so almost everything I do is alone. I do collaborate online doing guest
posts and blog hops and I have a podcast that airs twice a month in which I
talk with leaders in the sewing industry.
Where do
you get your inspiration?
I’m not a big one for inspiration. I just sit down
and work every day, whether I feel like it or not. I read a lot of blogs (over
200!) and I spend a lot of time on Twitter. I’m a big fan of graphic novels and
I read craft books like they’re novels. I love technical instructions.
Where can
people see your work?
You can see my work on my blog, whileshenaps.com.
You’ll find links there to everything I do including my blog archives – 8 years
worth of posts about how to run a creative business and how to design and sew
stuffed animals.
Why did
you join Wellesley Woman Artisans?
I co-founded the Wellesley Women Artisans with
Elizabeth Cohen a few years ago. It’s been terrific! For a long time I thought
I might be the only artist in town. It turns out there are lots of artists here
and it’s wonderful to connect and support one another on a regular basis.
What are
your ambitions for art in the community?
I’d like for people to know that there are artists
in their midst. I’d like outsiders to begin associating Wellesley as a town
that fosters art and artists.
Why is
the group important?
We live in a wonderful town and there are people
making art all around us. WWA is a place that nurtures that art-making and
helps to bring it out into the community. I’m so thrilled with what we’ve
accomplished so far and I can’t wait to see what the future brings!
What are
your personal and professional ambitions?
I hope to raise caring, smart, interesting children
and I hope to run a successful creative business. So far, so good.
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