Heart & Sew

Carole Mullner, shown here surrounded by the critter friends she creates, credits "Frog Fever" for her successful move toward original pattern designing.

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As seen in CRAFTS magazine,
December 2000 / January 2001 Issue

"Profit$" by Maria Nerius

Heart & Sew
Carole began to craft seriously when her daughter was in junior high. A "stay at home" mom, she found she could only vacuum so much and needed something else in her life. "I started making some of the worst stuffed animas and continued to sew and sew while stockpiling this ugly stuff," Carole laughs. Finally she felt ready for the show circuit.

Naming her business Heart &Sew, she started with local weekend craft exhibits. but after six months, she just couldn't do it anymore. "It was brutal!" Carole recalls.

Eventually she graduated to street fairs and home boutiques, met more craft professionals and began to network. then she discovered the Women Manufacturers Network, a group of craft-oriented professionals. "I joined and quickly learned more ways to promote and grow my small business." The professional support worked, and soon her business began to flourish.

Frog Fever
Her business was on the right track, but if something really wonderful was going to happen, Carole knew she would need a "better mousetrap", something original and unique to attract buyers.

"In 1995, I found my mousetrap", Carole says. "I fell very ill with acute double pneumonia. During a high fever, I 'saw' my first original stuffed critter. It was a frog. I honestly wanted to get better quickly, just so I could draw him!"

Carole soon recovered and managed to draw pattern pieces to sew the frog who appropriately was named Frog Fever. The experience was a giant leap for her, and she realized that she had a talent for designing her own patterns.

"Frog Fever gave me confidence to stretch my creative talents. I feel tremendous success and satisfaction from designing my own patterns", Carole explains.

The Move to Wholesale
In 1996, with the encouragement of the Women Manufacturers Network, Carole exhibited at her first wholesale show.

"There were several of us exhibiting in the same booth. We called ourselves, The Newbies, and I couldn't have survived without their support", says Carole. She received 30good orders at the show, and immediately knew her business would have to grow to meet the wholesale demand.

"I finally found a company, The Stuffing Place, and owners Betty and Charlie Grady were a godsend", she says. Soon Carole was their extrusion machine to blow the stuffing into each critter's fabric skin. She doubled her work output, and shortly after was able to add more shows to her schedule.

"Every day is a learning experience for me on both the creative and business sides", Carole says. One thing she's learned is that success doesn't come without sacrifice. She explains, "There are times our home looks like a factory, but my family seems to understand how important my work is to me. The business of crafts isn't always a smooth road, but the journey is incredible." €