Search results (title) for: "fiber"

The Great Etsy Office Move of 2009: Our Quiltsy Quilts

2009-12-03T10:15:00-05:00

Thank you so much to the Quiltsy Team! Last summer, we commissioned this set of custom quilts to spell out "ETSY.COM." It's the first thing people see when they enter our new office, and it doubles as a movable wall for this now very cozy meeting room.

These quilts, like the Etsy community, spell out a big, bold vision. And when you get close up, you see so much distinctive variation in texture and detail.

The quilters also added a label on the back with all of their shop names, so Admin and guests can put a name to the stitching.

Team leaders kimbuktu and Pamelaquilts coordinated the project. Pamelaquilts figured out the pattern and process of the banners, and did the coordinating between all the members who worked on it. kimbuktu encouraged the Team to take on the project, was the mediator between Etsy Admin and the Quiltsy Team, and collected the panels, finished them up, and shipped them on to Etsy.

Pictured here is ForQuiltsSake, who remarked that she didn't have a big enough place in her house to photograph the entire "E" panel!

Teamwork is a beautiful thing, and we can't thank the Quiltsy Team enough for their hard work and craftsmanship.

We also want to thank Charles, our former coworker who masterminded this project!

Find Items by the Quiltsy Team | More Photos on Etsy Labs' Flickr

Come Craft With the Etsy Labs and Rawfish

2009-10-22T16:16:00-05:00

This week we're hosting an open Craft Night, as we usually do on the last Monday of each month. Instead of an organized project, this week we are throwing the doors of the Etsy Labs wide open and letting you dive into any project that strikes your fancy.

Bring along any project you'd like to develop during this week's Craft Night. (Might I suggest working on your Halloween costume?) You are also welcome to start a brand new project using our tools and extra supplies, or finish a Craft Night project from a past week.

As a special spin on this month's open Craft Night, Laila of rawfish fame will be on hand with her Lendrum Double Treadle spinning wheel, shown at left. She will demonstrate the twists and turns of a variety of techniques for creating artful handspun yarns throughout the evening.

When: Monday, October 26; drop in any time between 4 to 8 p.m. ET.

Not in Brooklyn? Be sure to tune in to the Virtual Labs at 5 p.m. ET to catch the demo!

Where: Etsy Labs at 55 Washington Street, Suite 512, Brooklyn, NY

Upcoming Events at the Etsy Labs in Brooklyn:

11/1: Church of Craft meeting
11/2: Sewing Pincushions with Elizabeth & The Catapult
11/7: Sock Monkey Workshop with Fresh Art
11/9: Needlepoint with AMH Design
11/16: Bag-making workshop with Bags for the People
11/23: Rolling Ball Book Ornaments with Esther K. Smith

A photo of from last week's Craft Night at the Etsy Labs.

Looking for further fiber inspiration?

Stella Pixie Hat | Tatami Socks | Frog Suit

Will we see you on Monday? Let us know in the comments below.

Moonrover Knits Up the Vote

2009-09-14T10:30:00-05:00

How many people who don't even knit were excited by this handspun yarn vote? There is something so inspiring about this material: more than a supply — it's the stuff of raw creativity.

Now the votes are in, and moonrover has stepped up to lead the pack of very talented spinners and dyers on Etsy. This was an especially tough vote, given that yarn is an obsession for many Etsians. Congratulations to this winner, who — along with some of the top picks — will be featured in the Members' Choice Gift Guide.

Nominate Items for Next Week's Round
We'll be looking for items honoring Oktoberfest! Beer steins, beer-themed items of all ilk, German and Bavarian inspired items are all welcome (or should I say Wilkommen?). Show your favorite seller some love and post a link to an item in the comments below. If you're a seller with an appropriate item, you may nominate it yourself.

Voting Posts | Voter FAQ

Vote! Which Yarn Gets You in a Knitty Mood?

2009-09-08T14:00:00-05:00

Calling all knitters and yarn freaks! We need your helping in picking some of the best handspun yarn on Etsy. We asked our readers to nominate their favorite handspun yarn. Now it's your turn to vote!

Next Monday we'll announce the winner, which, along with some of the top picks, will be featured in the Members' Choice Gift Guide and here on the Etsy blog. Show your favorite sellers some love and get out the vote!

Voting Posts | Voter FAQ

Craft with Etsy and the MAD Museum with Sabrina Gschwandtner

2009-07-30T15:10:00-05:00

Why stay in and craft all by your lonesome? Craft Night at the Etsy Labs on Gold St. may be on hold until September 14 when we move to our new office, but fear not — many crafty opportunities abound! Etsy has joined forces with the Museum of Art and Design to present a weekly series of hands-on workshops we're calling DIY Thursdays. Drop in between 6-8 p.m. each Thursday in August for some down and dirty, do-it-yourself fun in the museum's studios. The workshops are free with pay-what-you-wish admission to the museum. Click here for directions

Not a New Yorker? Don't fret, you can still join in on the fun online by joining us at 5:30 p.m. ET on Thursday in the Virtual Labs for a live demo of the project. (Click here to see what time 5:30 p.m. ET is in your hometown.)

The series kicks off on Thursday, August 6 with a workshop lead by artist Sabrina Gschwandtner, founder and editor of KnitKnit. Sabrina will demonstrate a few simple ways to combine textile art and jewelry into one beautiful project: crocheted jewelry. Sabrina will be teaching how to make earrings (design by Julie A. Bolduc) and boutonnieres that are perfect for summer weddings, picnics, and barbecues. Materials will be provided.

Sabrina Gschwandtner is an artist who combines photographic and textile media in works that bridge the fields of contemporary art, craft and social history. She has exhibited her work internationally and was included in two exhibitions at the Museum of Arts and Design in 2007. She is the author of "KnitKnit: Profiles and Projects from Knitting's New Wave" (which you can also buy as a book-on-tape. Listen while you knit!), and has lectured extensively on the revival of handcraft in popular culture. She received a BA in art/semiotics from Brown University and an MFA from Bard College. She is the recent recipient of an International Artists Studio Program residency in Sweden.

Upcoming Events with Etsy:

8/02: Church of Craft meeting (2-6 p.m.) — This is the last event we'll be hosting on 325 Gold Street!

8/13: DIY Thursdays at MAD: T-shirt reconstruction with Megan Nicolay

8/20: DIY Thursdays at MAD: Fabric collage and embroidery with Astulabee

8/27: DIY Thursdays at MAD: Paper piecing with Aaron McIntosh

9/14: Grand Opening Craft Night at Etsy Labs' new space in Dumbo, Brooklyn (Details to come.)

A snapshot from the Museum of Art and Design's studios.

Looking for further fibery inspiration? Try these links:

Guest Curator: Sabrina Gschwandtner | Trends: Fiber Jewelry

Will we see you Thursday, ready to crochet? Let us know in the comments below!

Etsy Finds: Light and Sweet

2009-07-21T12:00:00-05:00

When the temperature rises and sticking to a sweaty seat seems inevitable (a perpetual issue for this city dweller!), I reach for cool and timeless materials like linen and eco-friendly organic cotton. There's something so comforting about surrounding yourself with soft and breathable clothing, bags, accessories or home accents. Today's collection of Etsy Finds will leave you reveling in the delicate and blissful textures of natural fabrics.

Organic Cotton

Grey, Purple Tunic, Horses print

By dearpony, $59.

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Petite silhouette miscellany sack x3

By whimsyandink, $5.

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Organic Cotton Yarn Mini Tote

By KoboH, $14.

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ORGANIC WATER LILY SKIRT

By Enuwbe, $69.

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Sage Organic Cotton Kids Hoodie

By KayaNow, $49.

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Virtuous Baby Quilt

By mountainashdesign, $199.

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Drawstring Skirt (hemp/organic cotton)

By gaiaconceptions, $65.

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Organic Cotton Fleece Plush Puppy

By woodponddesigns, $25.

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Organic Cotton PILLOW CASE - 3 Colours

By SweetMemoriesQuilts, $24.

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Organic Cotton Panties

By xylemclothing, $16.

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Organic Cotton Wrap Carrier Sale

By slingsandsacks, $70.

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Seasons Flipside Cushion - Teal

By showpony, $38.

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The Old Oak Tree Organic Cotton Tshirt

By littlechook, $20.

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Hemp Skirt medium grey

By AstraeaApparel, $59.

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The Letter Clutch (in hemp and organic cotton)

By moop, $79.

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Moonpads Organic Cloth Menstrual Pads

By epicerma, $28.

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Green Grey Contour Owl

By OdeliaLa, $23.

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Eva in Organic / made to order

By desirapesta, $125.

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Nova Polo Shirt in Leaf Green

By Salts, $36.

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Swordfish

By chakrapennywhistle, $50.

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5 Reusable Organic Sandwich Bags

By Bebeloosh, $24.99.

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Organic Half Sun Hobo.

By Beesnetta, $69.

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Organic Cotton Mini Riva Dress

By consciousclothing, $95.

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Organic cotton Pink Snake with white tongue

By reine, $30.

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Linen Lovelies

Pretty Birdie's Hemp Linen Mini Dress

By stephanieteague, $160.

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Cincinnati Floursack Towel

By visualingual, $15.

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Crochet Natural linen Placemat

By LinenMe, $19.99.

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dress sportif

By modaspia, $150.

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Ruched Bottom Bag in Green Apple Linen

By jennyndesign, $83.

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In Touch Clutch (tm) in Wallflower Greens

By downstairsDesigns, $25.

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Greenwich Necktie

By supperclub, $35.

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Wedding Cake Topper

By cottonbirddesigns, $98.

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Maple Seed Pod Bib

By Jewelweeds, $24.

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Custom Handmade Fox Toy

By birdandlittlebird, $68.

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Vintage Rose Linen Fascinator

By quirkybeauty, $27.

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horizon tea towel - natural/pool

By elisabethbentz, $13.

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Mustache Pin

By neawear, $30.

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Modern Milk Maid Bonnet, Linen

By ropa, $22.

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Linen terracotta boys pants

By adatine, $25.

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Typewriter Pillow

By TrackandFieldDesigns, $9.

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Chrysant Pillow Cover

By Kainkain, $16.

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Olive Linen tunic

By larimeloom, $145.

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natural linen smock tunic

By hodgepodgefarm, $98.

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Vintage lace needlebook

By Ravenhill, $18.

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Butcher's Apron - Aqueduct

By SaraSmedley, $32.

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Linen and Cherry Embroidered Hat

By karmologyclinic, $30.

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Gosta Cycling Cap

By galstudio, $27.

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Coral- Flocked Linen Pillow

By utiledulci, $50.

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How do you keep cool? Leave it in the comments!

Looking for more Etsy Finds? Try these links:

Gift Guides | Search for Items Tagged "Organic Cotton" | Search for Items Tagged "Linen"

Need a daily fix of Etsy Finds? Sign up for the Etsy Finds e-mail! Conveniently delivered to your inbox!

Etsy Finds: The New Old School

2009-06-23T12:00:00-05:00

There are many things in life that you can teach yourself: sewing a hem, making delicious hummus, and playing the harmonica are some accomplished examples. The do-it-yourself ethos runs deep and strong here on Etsy, but there's another facet to this creative treasure trove. Today's Etsy Finds are devoted to the traditional craftsmanship of yore, as viewed through a modern lens. These trades have traditionally been passed down through guilds and apprenticeships, keeping the handicraft skill sets alive and well to this day.

Ceramics and Pottery

Whether it's thrown, molded or cast, ceramics and pottery are a delight to observe (and carefully touch!). To learn more about this often utilitarian art form, check out our recent Facts and Fancies series on the subject.

Swiss Lamp in White

By jillrosenwald, $775.

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Blue Teapot

By lawatson, $175.

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Lace Bottle

By holepot, $1000.

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White Porcelain Fruit Bowl with Holes

By isabelleabramson, $350.

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Glass

Glass is one of the most ancient and time honored crafting traditions. Blown, stained or mosaic, glass making is a complex art form. Learn more about how glass is blown here.

Aqueous Stars

By leibenaller, $1250.

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Vivid Orange Blown Glass Vase

By corporanglass, $375.

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Damselfly

By TobyUptonGlass, $425.

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Biodiversity Sculpture

By AustinArtGlass, $575.

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Woodworking

Is there a more noble profession that that of the woodworker? The range of creations that can be hewn from a single tree is staggering. Furniture and musical instruments are but the tip of the iceberg.

Mahogany Butcher table

By attiladesign, $3200.

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Bamboo Electric Guitar

By liceaguitars, $1750.

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Large Flickering Lone Star Oak Table

By woodmosaics, $8500.

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Roll Top Desk - Available for commission

By janiesmash, $8600.

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Jewelry

These one of a kind pieces are sure to wow. Goldsmithing is a craft I wouldn't mind learning, if only for the decorative advantages (ahem, new rings weekly!).

Holding Hands Necklace

By margauxlange, $495.

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Papallona

By masaoms, $180.

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Large Spheres Knots Necklace

By SNoU, $625.

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Perelandrian Ring

By nanopod, $350.

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Leatherworking

Leather is such a malleable, yet durable, material. These pieces are sure to last a lifetime.

Grape Leaves and Tendrils Deluxe Cuff

By sunnyrising, $119.

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Leather in Antique Brown and Brass

By moxieandoliver, $750.

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Custom Red Retro Platform Pumps

By zerkahloostrah, $500.

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Nenjuu Leather Bag

By JMBCanada, $450.

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Fine Art

Etsy's Art Category holds countless aesthetic wonders. These gallery-worthy pieces are just a sampling.

Grace.

By jdmphotographs, $200.

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Original Oil - Made of the night

By thisisalliknow, $1600.

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Further West Metal Sculpture

By NoClassic, $285.

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How Is One.....

By olivamoon, $475.

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Fiber Art and Textiles

This collection encompasses the worlds of crochet, needlecraft, quilting, with some mixed media fiber art thrown in for good measure. The intricacy and attention to detail is awe-inspiring.

Beret21

By dadaya, $128.

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Moist Mother Earth

By TheFaerieMarket, $8000.

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Textile necklace nO.395

By kjoo, $280.

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Fallow Fields - Rag Quilt, Reversible

By wiccked, $599.

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You need not look very far to see all of the quality craftsmanship on Etsy! What's your favorite medium?

Looking for more Etsy Finds? Try these links:

Gift Guides | Facts and Fancies Series | Trends | Gift Ideas

Need a daily fix of Etsy Finds? Sign up for the Etsy Finds e-mail! Conveniently delivered to your inbox!

Quit Your Day Job: diffractionfiber

2009-06-15T13:45:00-05:00

Beth of DiffractionFiber has had the creative bug and an entrepreneurial spirit since day one. After getting locked into an administrative assistant job that wasn't serving her creative passion or degree in theater, Beth drew up a plan with clear steps laid out in order to quit her day job and become her own boss. Keep reading to find out where she gets her best business advice and why she thinks she can work a much longer day now that there's no alarm clock to wake her up!

How did you originally get into the business of making things?
Well, funnily enough, I’ve always tried to be in the “business of making things.” I grew up with wonderfully supportive parents — a mom who crafts and a dad who has always run his own businesses. I suppose it was inevitable for me to want to combine the two.

When I was tiny, probably around five, my mom would go to craft shows to sell her wares. She'd set me up with a tiny little table of my own, and I’d sell these itty bitty wreaths with tiny bears glued to them. Then when I was in elementary school, being the entrepreneur I am, I approached a consignment shop and worked out an arrangement to rent (free of charge, mind you) a shelf in the shop in exchange for handing out flyers around town. I made all sorts of choker necklaces and little origami-like creations. I think I sold two things in the couple of months I had a shelf there. I was a precocious little thing!

More recently my artwork became a means to escape my day job as an administrative assistant for a bank. Instead I could do something I loved that fulfilled me creatively and that I was passionate about. I have a degree in theater, which I realized wasn’t for me soon after entering the professional world (far too many conflicting personalities and far too little control over your end product).

So there I was, stuck in this day job, all the while thinking there has to be something better out there for me. I rekindled my love of knitting initially as a creative outlet, which in turn led me to return to photography and then to sewing.

When you first started selling on Etsy, did you have dreams or goals of eventually quitting your day job?
Absolutely! From day one. I was originally planning on selling knitwear, but realized I’d never be able to produce a product fast enough for it to be a sustainable business. I soon opened my first shop, Diffraction, which combined my original photography into jewelry. Diffraction was a great first step, but even with a unique jewelry line you are still competing against so many talented designers in a flooded market. DiffractionFiber was created as a sister site, almost as a diversion. I really had no idea it would take off as it has. I found myself sewing pieces and didn’t want to drown in pillows around our home, so I listed them in the second shop to keep Diffraction true to its original intent and brand.

Did you do anything to prepare ahead of time?
I am an expert list maker (sure, I usually lose most of my lists, but I am an expert at making them!), and I can be practical to a fault. So first off, I figured out how much money I’d have to make each month to eventually match what I was making at my day job. It gave me something tangible to attain: not just to increase sales, but by how much. I was able to plan how much of my business I thought would be revenue from Etsy, from craft shows and from wholesale. I decided when my revenue was equal to that of my day job for three months I’d put in my two weeks notice and make my long-held dream of entrepreneurship a reality.

I found independent health insurance, which is incredibly important to me. I squared away my business with all the proper licensing with the state and IRS. And I set up all the wholesale accounts I’d need for buying my supplies in bulk. I read up on marketing, on creating a business plan, and I talked to SCORE counselors (which is an invaluable resource for business professionals). I’m addicted to the Modish Biz Tips blog. I also watch the TED conferences, which provide practical, thought-provoking marketing advice and inspiration. I find that the more I read and learn, the more confident I am about my business, about talking about it in a professional way, and on making it a success. But like I said, I’m infinitely practical at times.

What are the most effective ways you have promoted and marketed your Etsy business? What's your best marketing tip?
By far my greatest success has stemmed from creating a unique product, first and foremost. If you don’t have that, no amount of marketing will make you a success. If you can’t point to a reason for someone to buy your product over all the others out there, you are lost in a sea of competition. I’m not saying you need to reinvent the wheel, but there needs to be some component of your product, of you, of your packaging or service, that they can’t get elsewhere.

That said, with my unique widget in hand, I started approaching blogs. And not just “Hey, check out my shop," but an authentic correspondence about one product or series. I wrote personal emails to one blogger at a time, no copy and pasting! I certainly owe bloggers for my success!

What have you found to be an unsuccessful promotion?
Ironically enough, my own blog! Maybe more as an outlet than anything at this point. Also, Project Wonderful hasn’t been very effective for me, and that 10 cents here and there adds up. I try to think about what works on me as a consumer, what are the ads or promotions that get me to buy or to even perk up my ears at a product...and side bar advertising isn’t it. My suggestion is to turn the table and think about how you buy.

Walk us through your typical workday.

I typically wake up around 8 a.m.: no alarm clock for this girl!
I check my email first thing in the morning, answer any convos and check for sales.
I spend a bit of time in the forums, reading blogs and contacting blogs while eating breakfast.
Typically I’ll get started on sewing mid-morning.
I try to carve out a portion of the day for working on a new product or idea that’s been floating around my head.
After lunch I have the best light in my living room to photograph anything I want to list that day.
And really, it’s just a lot of sewing and cutting throughout the day.
My wonderful husband comes home around 6 p.m. I love to cook, so I make dinner for the two of us.
In the evenings, I package up any orders that are to go out the next day and schedule the pick up through USPS.

What do you enjoy most about not having a day job? Is there anything you miss?
Working on my own schedule! It is amazing how much more energy I have during the day not having to wake up to an alarm clock! At my day job I had very little work to do throughout the day, and yet by the end of it I’d be exhausted. Now, I work 12 hours a day and yeah, I’m tired, but I feel good! I feel a sense of accomplishment. (Not to mention the very odd personalities and grumpy people I worked with.) I certainly don’t miss that! Just the human interaction is missed. I find myself babbling as soon as my husband gets home from work about who knows what.

What's the hardest part about running your own business?
The hardest part for me is keeping things in perspective: knowing that’s it's okay that I didn’t make a sale today, because for the month I’m on track for my goals. I tend to get sales in rushes, and it’s in those lag times that self-doubt can creep in.

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself? What advice would you give someone else?
Just to know from the beginning that it really is possible! And sure, it’s going to be hard, but it’s also going to be rewarding. For anyone considering it, I’d say go for it! Be smart about it, especially in this economy, but it really is achievable if you have a plan and set goals for yourself. There is a wealth of information on the internet, so use it!

What goals do you wish to accomplish in the coming year for your Etsy business?
I’d like to expand my wholesale accounts, and, of course, create all of the ideas I have buzzing around in my brain! Many more pillows, personal accessories and some wearable creations will soon be appearing! I’m already looking towards my very first holiday season with DiffractionFiber, which I’m sure will be a whirlwind!

Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Just a big ol’ kiss on the lips to Etsy. There is no way I could be where I am without it. Etsy is such a unique platform for creating your own success! So thank you thank you thank you!

Thanks to Beth for sharing her story. Have your own questions to ask? Come on by and chat with Beth tomorrow (Wednesday, June 17, 2009) at 7 p.m. ET in Etsy's Virtual Labs.

You can see some of her fiber work in the related items. Check out previous Quit Your Day Job posts here.

How-Tuesday: Make a Felt Mushroom with My Little Mochi

2009-05-19T13:40:00-05:00

Myra Masuda, the brains behind My Little Mochi, knows that crafters love mushrooms. She promises that this cute little guy is easy-peasy and quick-as-a-breezy. Download the pattern and complete project instructions here. Enjoy!

Materials:

Red and white felt scraps
Scrap of sturdy cardboard
Red and white embroidery Floss
Brown crochet thread or cord
Polyfill stuffing
White acrylic paint
Hot glue gun
Paint brush or stick with a Wide back tip
Ultra fine glitter (optional)

Instructions:

1. Transfer and cut out the pattern pieces from white and red felt and cardboard. You will need a large red felt circle, a small cardboard circle and a strip of white felt.

2. Making the stem: Tie a knot at the end of a length of white floss (I used red floss here for illustrative purposes only) and use a needle to string it through the bottom corner of one end of the white felt.

3. Starting from the end of the felt with the floss, begin rolling the felt into a coil. Make sure to keep the end of the floss outside of the coil.

4. After you're done rolling the felt into a coil, insert the needle into the middle of the coil and out through the bottom outer corner of the felt strip.

5. Re-insert the needle into the felt coil to stitch the end closed. After the last stitch, insert the needle back into the coil and out through the center of the coil, and tie a knot at the center to secure it in place. Set the stem on the side.

6. Making the cap: Tie a knot at the end of a length of red floss (I used white floss here for illustrative purposes only) and sew a running stitch along the edge of the red felt circle. Pull the thread to form a little sack.

7. Firmly stuff the sack with polyfill. Note: the more polyfill you use, the higher the cap of your mushroom will get. I used all the polyfill shown in the materials photo at the top which was a nice sized handful of polyfill.

8. Insert the cardboard circle into the sack, over the polyfill. It's okay if some of the polyfill peeks out the sides, but try your best to keep the polyfill in place with the cardboard circle.

9. Pull on the red floss again to tighten the red felt over the cardboard leaving a small opening of the cardboard visible. Note: the opening should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the white felt stem coil for a nice tight fit.

10. Use your needle to secure the gathers and tie a knot. Hide the thread end by reinserting the needle into the felt and out through the middle opening. Clip excess thread.

11. Apply a dab of hot glue to the exposed cardboard on the cap.

12. Insert the stem onto the glue on the cap at a 90 degree angle and press firmly but gently in place.

13. Use a knitting needle (I used a bamboo skewer) to push any exposed stem edges back into the cap opening.

14. The dots: Pour some white acrylic paint onto a paint palette and dab the back end of a wide paint brush handle into the paint. Apply the paint to the top of the stem to form dots. Depending on the type of felt you use and the look you want, you may need to apply two coats of paint for each dot.

15. If you like, you can add a short length of brown crochet thread or cord to the top center of the cap for a hanger, but it should also be able to stand up on its own. And that's it! "All pau," as they say Hawaii. Easy right?

I sprinkled ultra-fine glitter over the white dots while the paint was still wet for a shimmery effect, which was really hard to photograph, but looks so great in person.

Thanks to Myra for sharing! Don't forget to head over to her blog, My Little Mochi for more fun.

More crafty project downloads can be found in our How-Tuesday series on the Etsy blog! And did you know that you can buy Supplies on Etsy?

Etsy Finds: Felt So Good

2009-05-04T12:00:00-05:00

So, Etsy has the most amazing stuff that you just can't find anywhere else (if you didn't already know). I had no idea of the range of styles and creations that could possibly be created with a material such as, oh, let's say felt. If there is one medium that produces the most wacky, beautiful and unique things, it is totally felt. Here are some recent felt sculpture discoveries.

Bunny Rabbit 42 Feltidermy

Girlsavage has the feltidermy (faux taxidermy made of felt!) market on lockdown. Check out this wee one! $45.

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gift boxed sushi set

Felt sushi?! Yes, please. By treaclezoo, $75.

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Brown Felted Bowl

I find felted bowls to be elegant and thoroughly modern centerpieces. By reyaveltman, $55.

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Isabelle Guesnon - Felt Sculpture - Littlebird Dreams

This sculpture makes me so happy. If only we all had little bird friends to help us fly! By Feltathome, $65.

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Plush Sandwich

I must admit that this felt sandwich is my favorite of the bunch. A lucky baby will be sucking on this very soon. By Stichedup, $25.

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Desktop Topiary with Yellow Bird

Ooh! This felt topiary reminds me of Edward Scissorhands. By FeltFarm, $55.

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Wolli Snow Mountain Toy Box

Aww. This soft felt toy box keeps all of baby's toys out of sight (and looks great doing it). By BabiesBreath, $125.

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Yellow/White Hand Felted Fantasy Flower

Here's another centerpiece idea: make your flowers last longer with felt! By QueenHeronCreations, $22.

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Frida Kahlo Mouse

The details on this Frida mouse are just too spot on. The unibrow! Amazing! By TheHouseOfMouse, $40.

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Corn on the Cob

And finally, more felt food. This corn looks good enough to eat. By GoBuggy, $36.

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Looking for more Etsy Finds? Try these links:

Search for More Felt Sculpture | More Posts on Felt | Needlecraft Category | Art Category

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Quit Your Day Job: kittygrrlz

2009-04-06T16:45:00-05:00

Bobbi of kittygrrlz was able to quit her day job as a full time librarian in order to take on the growing success of her fiber line on Etsy. Though she is putting in more time and work than she ever did at her regular job, Bobbi finds being her own boss much more rewarding. Keep reading as she shares her best and worst marketing tips and learn why she swears against taking any product photos before noon on a sunny day!

How did you originally get into the business of making things?

When I was in high school, I actually worked for my friend’s parents who were crafters. I stuffed bear legs and painted little wood parts! It was a lot of fun and my first experience with crafting for a living. My business started in 2004. I was a librarian at a college library. I enjoyed the job, but it lacked some of the creative aspects that my previous jobs had – I had been a Children’s and Young Adult librarian and there were usually programs and crafts involved. I was looking for a creative outlet. I started making jewelry. In November of 2004, I did the DIY Trunk Show in Chicago and I learned how to knit there. By the next year, I was selling hand knits, and the year after that I learned how to spin. By early 2007, I was selling hand spun yarn and hand knits. Business-wise, though, I started with the idea it was a business and not a hobby. Even when I was first making jewelry I did all of the official things – registered my business, received my tax id number, set up a website, etc. Oh, and I should add that it was a fellow librarian who first introduced me to Etsy!

When you first started selling on Etsy, did you have dreams or goals of eventually quitting your day job?

I don’t know if I necessarily went into it thinking I would quit my library job and craft full time, but I definitely went into it with the mindset that it was a business. I liked my librarian job, so wasn’t looking for an escape from a miserable existence, but was definitely searching for a fulfilling creative outlet. I began selling jewelry and at that point didn’t quite “feel it.” But, once I started knitting, and definitely when I started spinning yarn – well, then I KNEW I had found my place and KNEW it could lead to something bigger. Something just clicked with the spinning and that is when things really started to take off. I’d say at the end of 2007/beginning of 2008, I knew that it could potentially become my full time job, which worked out really well, because it was at that time I found out my job would be ending in June of 2008. Thus began 6 months of debating and figuring and in the end – I became a knitter and spinner full time July 1, 2008!

Did you do anything to prepare ahead of time?

Since I had gone into it initially as a business, the transition to full time was a little easier. I had already established myself as a business and had been doing things accordingly. Plus, I did have 6 months to plan and figure out what else I needed to do to make it work full time. I had saved up some money and applied for a ton of shows that year, since I still had the additional income from the day job coming in to pay for them. I also spent a bit more on advertising during that time and accumulated a nice stash of fiber and materials for spinning. This was a blessing because my inventory is very low right now and that surplus has helped me keep my shop from becoming totally empty.

What are the most effective ways you have promoted and marketed your Etsy business? What's your best marketing tip?

Ravelry has been a dream for spinners and yarn dyers! It is a perfect place to advertise because it is exactly our target market – knitters and crocheters! I do advertise heavily there. I have also done other advertising, though since I’m now on a much smaller and stricter budget do stick mostly to Ravelry and other “free” ways to get my name out there. Knitters aren’t my only customer base, so there are other things I need to do to try and reach more of those customers. My advice to others is to find advertising that truly reaches your target market.

This was my advertising plan:

The first year or so I stuck mostly to Etsy. I did lots of Showcases, promoted in the Forums, maybe blogged a bit, and sent in promotional mini-skein key chains to those who asked for items for swag bags or giveaways. The second year or so, I started to advertise outside of Etsy – Ravelry, Knitty.com, and some of the Cooperative Advertising opportunities via Etsy. And now, I’ve scaled back and try to do focused advertising and some promotional giveaways here and there. For example, I recently contributed to the Phat Fiber Sample box for the months of January and February.

What have you found to be an unsuccessful promotion?

Oddly enough, I don’t usually do well with sale promotions, though my newsletter subscriber specials do usually bring in sales each month. But, regular Etsy sales – like the SNS (Saturday Night Special) thread – were never very successful for me. I’m also not a big fan of social networking. I am in all the usual places – Flickr, MySpace, IndiePublic, and now Facebook – but don’t feel I have enough time to really invest in them as promotional tools. I love Flickr, but I use it mostly as an archive of my yarns. Ravelry also has forums which are great, but I just can’t afford to spend a lot of time there. In the end, it is more cost-effective for me to simply pay for advertising than to frequent their forums.

Another thing I’d like to mention, and I hope this is okay to bring up, but something that I just didn’t feel worked for me was having my own outside website! I had it from the beginning, before Etsy, but finally gave it up last fall. Since I am not a web designer, I felt it sucked away a lot of my time, energy, and stress, for a very minimal return. While I watched my Etsy sales soar last year, the sales on my own site were stagnant despite similar advertising. So, when I had some technical issues in October that I just couldn’t resolve, I decided to give it up. I still have a landing page, but it is a nice portal that now links to my Etsy shops, blog, and Flickr. It contains the pertinent information I had on my site – my show listings, contact link, and newsletter subscription link – and is much easier to maintain. This allows me more time to focus on actually listing and selling my items on Etsy, which is where I seem to thrive.

Walk us through your typical workday.

Initially, I had dreams of having a very structured work day (I DO like organization), similar to when I had my day job. But, right off the bat, this dream shattered. I fought it for awhile, knowing that all the advice says to have “structure,” etc., but now that I have let go of this unrealistic expectation, I get a lot more done. The following is what I do in a day, but the day may be from 6am – 12midnight, or from 12noon – 6 am! Whatever is working for me that day or week!

Post Office – I make one trip daily (except for Sundays) to the Post Office, usually early in the morning, though this has started to get a bit later. I always try and get there before noon, though. I live within 3 miles of 2 of them, so this is never a problem. I print all my labels online via Paypal or USPS.com, which also means I can go at 2am if that is what suits my schedule.
Taking pictures and doing listings. I try and list every day. The best light in our apartment is right around mid-day, so I usually take pictures around 11-12, edit them, and then list my items. No matter what my daily schedule looks like, I try to stick to this because of the lighting. Sometimes, on cloudy days, I may take pictures earlier, but on sunny days – never before noon!
Prepping fiber and spinning yarns. No matter when my day starts, I always try and get in at least 8 hours of prepping fiber and/or spinning time. There are some days where the time is minimal due to other things going on – maybe getting ready for a show, listings that take longer than normal, replying to emails or custom requests, etc. Then there are other days where I may spin for 10-12 hours. Also, I try and spin at least one yarn every day, which means I work 7 days a week.
Other duties as assigned! I spend time each day going over my spreadsheet, updating it with sales/purchases, inventory, etc. I check my email throughout the day, reply as needed. I’ve found that it is better if I do this in chunks instead of as they come in – I sit with my laptop right next to my wheel which means I can refresh my mail often. At first, I would read and answer emails as they came in, but found the constant interruptions weren’t very efficient. Now I will reply only to urgent issues and all others during my “breaks."

What do you enjoy most about not having a day job? Is there anything you miss?

The thing I enjoy most about not having a day job? Everything! I love not having to drive to work (especially in Wisconsin winters), I love being able to work when I want to (though don’t let this fool you – I still have to work, but if I want to work at 2am then so be it!), and I love that I can do something creative, something that I love doing, and that I can make things other people want to buy. The thing I miss most about my day job? The steady paycheck! I also sometimes miss my coworkers and our birthday lunches.

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself? What advice would you give someone else?

Definitely have more money saved and definitely be more prepared for taxes! Also, I wouldn’t have spent so much time beating myself up over the fact that I couldn’t get back to my original day-job work schedule. While expert advice is great, you still need to find what works best for you, your situation, and the way you work.

My advice? Don’t do it! Just kidding. Sort of. This is a tough economy and I hope anyone who is thinking about taking the plunge really makes sure they are ready for it – it is HARD WORK. I work much more and much harder than I ever did when I had a regular job. Also, be prepared for the fact that it IS work. It might be something you love doing, but will you still love it if you HAVE to do it to put food on the table? No matter how much I love spinning and knitting – if I don’t do it, I don’t make any money, which means I can’t pay my bills and that definitely changes things.

One little thing I still do – even after 800+ sales – I still get excited when I sell something! I still run and tell my boyfriend – I just sold some yarns! :) And do my little “YAY! I sold something!” dance. Why? Because I feel keeping that joy and excitement of selling is crucial to keeping it from becoming “a grind,” from becoming too much like a regular job. It helps me keep perspective and keep things fun.

What goals do you wish to accomplish in the coming year for your Etsy business?

Each month I hope to sell more than that month of the previous year. That’s just a simple numbers goal. I hope to continue to make enough to do this full time. I’d like to come up with some new styles of yarns. But, really, my goals are simple and that is to keep doing what I’m doing and grow a little more each month.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

I’m very grateful to have an outlet like Etsy to sell my items. If it weren’t for Etsy, I don’t think I’d be doing this full time. So, THANK YOU, Etsy and THANK YOU to all of my wonderful customers!

Please join Bobbi for a follow-up Question and Answer session this Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 at 3pm EDT in the Auditorium room of the Virtual Labs (the VL schedule is magically in your local time). See you there!

You can find some of our previous Quit Your Day Job posts here.

How-Tuesday: Patchwork Style Pot Holders

2009-03-31T16:35:00-05:00

Sneak peek alert! Patchwork Style hits the shelves April 14th, but we're happy to share one of the many beautiful projects found within its pages early. Download the complete project instructions here or follow along below, courtesy of Patchwork Style by Suzuko Koseki.

There are two kinds of patchwork items: the kind that can take you hours of painstaking hand-piecing, and the kind that you can make quickly and easily with a sewing machine. Either one can be extremely attractive.

It feels more natural to use the same pot holders for a long time, but now I can't bring myself to get rid of these! If you're going to use an item every day, you might as well have fun making it.

Materials for Pot Holder A
Fabric scraps for collage (solids, prints; the patterns and colors are up to you)
Fabric for front and lining (linen): 11 7/8" x 7 7/8"
Quilt batting: 17 3/4" x 7 7/8"
Ribbon: 3/4" wide x 3" long

Materials for Pot Holder B
Fabric scraps for collage (prints, velveteen; the patterns and colors are up to you)
Fabric for front and lining (felt): 13 3/4" x 5 5/8"
Quilt batting: 13 3/4" x 5 1/8"
Hemp cord: 7 1/2" long

Materials for Pot Holder C
Decorative patch (I)
Fabric for front (felt): 5 7/8" x 5 7/8"
Quilt batting: 15 3/4" x 5 7/8"
Cotton thread (red)

Materials for Pot Holder D
Fabric scraps for collage (prints, felt, ribbon; the patterns and colors are up to you)
Fabric for front (felt): 7 7/8" x 5 7/8"
Fabric for back (linen): 7 7/8" x 5 7/8"
Quilt batting: 17 3/4" x 7 7/8"
Bias tape: 1/4" wide x 4 3/4" long

Instructions

1. For all pot holders, place the top fabric on three layers of quilt batting. For pot holders A, B, and C, position fabric patches and stitch them to the top and batting layers according to the diagrams. Free stitch additional lines through all three layers according to the diagrams.

For pot holder D, cut out the fabric flower pieces using the template. Place the flower on the top fabric and stitch around the outline of the flower to secure in place. For the flower center, cut a piece of felt and affix it using spiral stitches. Sew the ribbon and patches in place according to the diagram. See Figure 1.

2. For all pot holders, place the front piece on the back fabric, wrong sides together, and sew zigzag and straight stitches around the edges. Make the loops from the specified materials and sew them on as shown. See Figure 2.

For more projects, check out Patchwork Style by Suzuko Koseki! It hits the shelves on April 14th, 2009. Special thanks to all the folks at Trumpeter, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston. Head over to www.makegoodbooks.com for more titles in the Make Good: Crafts + Life series.

Check out this How-Tuesday video for more potholder ideas!

Etsy Finds: Needle in a Haystack

2009-03-23T10:13:00-05:00

Embroidery isn't what it used to be. While I love the more traditional instances of the craft, I've grown to admire those who can take a seemingly basic technique and creatively transform it into a different medium. Each of the finds below incorporate embroidery in an artful way that made me look twice. If you like my picks and are looking for more needlecraft, search for Items on Etsy tagged embroidery.

Handmade Pin With Free Stitch Work

By danitashop, $32.

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Original Embroidered Collage 5 x 7 - Dreamer

By selflesh, $25.

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LINEN TUNIC with mustard wool stitching

By pamelatang, $82.

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An Old Pair of Scissors. embroidered drawing

By lapommestories, $35.

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Custom Little City Hoop--Your Dream House

By LittlePinkHouse, $80.

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Lilac and Sunshine Cone Sculpture

By SecretSnowbird, $35.

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Hello Critter

By MelissaSue, $65.

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marge's cottage

By mummysam, $65.

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Red Hair Black Comb Hand Embroidered Wall Plaque

By Samskiart, $40.

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Looking for more Etsy Finds? Try these links:

Artistic Endeavors | Guest Curators | Trends | Search for Items Tagged "Embroidery"

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Handmade Portraits: Artstew

2009-03-06T18:28:00-05:00

MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

(music by Michael Chapman, Steve Gunn, The And Group, animation by JuliaPott)

Back in the 1970s, Holly Stewart, aka Artstew, was a single mom trying to raise two daughters. Holly decided to forgo art school to support her family, ultimately paying the bills and gaining respect within her Oklahoma City community by becoming a police officer. Even as she put in her time with the force (15 years!), she was always drawing.

It wasn't until Holly quit the force and moved to Kansas City, Missouri to attend — and subsequently work at — the Kansas City Art Institute that she discovered the world of art beyond drawing. When she found silk screening and dispersion dying on polyester, everything else fell by the wayside. Holly came to a place where her high powered job, with all its perks and money, kept her from expressing herself as an artist. That's when she gave up everything to make her art.

Holly spends her days in her funky, cozy apartment in the Midtown - Westport area of Kansas City, her cat Chicken by her side, as she experiments with dying polyester. She couldn't be happier.

Watch our other Handmade Video Portraits and subscribe to our Youtube Channel!

Artistic Endeavors series | Mixed Media Art Category | Fiber Art Category | FAST Team

Artistic Endeavors: Knitta, Please

2009-03-05T17:01:00-05:00

"The apartment I moved into has a tomason," said Rachel, my friend Tom's girlfriend. "A what?" I asked, thinking it was some sort of poltergeist. "It's this old, weird metal thing sticking out of the wall," Rachel explained. "I'm not sure, but I think it used to be a fixture when there were gas lights." "A tomason," my friend Tom, a book editor, followed up, "is a word coined by a Japanese artist Genpei Akasegawa. It’s in this book I’m publishing in June called 'Portrait with Keys' by Ivan Vladislavić." According to Wikipedia, Genpei Akasegawa used this word to refer to useless street objects that happen to look like conceptual art.

Tomasons are a little more banal that ghosts, and I've found them much easier to spot, now that this unlikely word is in my head. Tomasons now appear before me on my daily walk to work. Before I hadn't noticed them; they'd flowed together in the continuous stream of my peripheral vision. It occurred to me that they are part of what makes up our general experience of grit and urban decay. An army of tomasons stands silently at attention, arming the city with strong stuff like metal poles and concrete abutments. And then one day, out of the blue, a steel door handle is decked out in a brightly colored knit cozy.

Last week, tomasons were the focal point of my conversation with Magda Sayeg, a Texan knitter cum artist who visited the Etsy Labs on Monday Craft Night. Her project, Knitta Please, started out as spontaneous fun — an urban intervention transforming formerly unnoticed corners of the drab streets of Houston into warm and fuzzy bits of art. The door handle to her boutique was the first tag. Magda, who goes by PolyCotN (sounds like the hip hop version of punk rock's Poly Styrene of the X-Ray Specs, eh?), and her crew would sneak out and "bomb" Houston with their unfinished knitting projects, thrift store baby blankets, and left over balls of yarn. Armed with these fiber cousins of spray paint cans, they'd sneak attack an unsuspecting tomason and suit it in a multi-color knit cozy. Wrapping it with yarn and, in a sense, tarting it up for all manner of pedestrians turned out to be a thrill, so much so that they've been keeping it up since 2005. Now the knit cozies are popping up all over the world.

Like spray graffiti, knit graffiti seems to be infectious. During her visit to the Etsy Labs, Magda told me a bit about the worldwide appeal. Magda was in New York between trips to London and Milan where interviews, talks and art happenings are taking up more and more of her life. Her next project is writing a book about how to start your own crew. Imagine different artists developing their own take on the emerging public art form... a Westcoast/Eastcoast rivalry, distinctive tags from famous virtuosos emerging from the underground. Why is it spreading? Magda points out that this sort of tagging is accessible to anyone who can knit, and we all know about the incredible resurgence in knitting at the turn of the 21st century (just ask the folks over at Ravelry.com). In part, her original impulse was creating some elbowroom for females to be part of street art and to comment on the macho culture of graffiti. Knitta Please appropriates the territorial hip hop rites with a smile. "Yarn is badass!" Magda insists.

For all the tongue-in-cheek anti-authority naughtiness of Knitta Please, Magda doesn't want Knitta Please to unravel. According to her, "There are rules." She's wary of people taking up the idea and making choices she wouldn't make. For instance, she's not so into the idea of tagging sculpture: "Other people's artwork or trees...why tag those? Those things are already beautiful." Her interest remains rooted in calling out the ordinary, almost to the point of invisible, objects in a city, things that offer up dreariness more than anything else. I was struck by her description of paying a visit to one of her older New York tags to see if it's still wrapped at the Delancey Street side of the Williamsburg Bridge. "It's now probably so dark, I don't think I'd even be able to find it," Magda wondered. Like an unintended smog-detector, the knit cozy probably returned to its tomason secret identity, cloaked in the gritty, shadowed city.

When pressed about "the point" of Knitta Please — feminist performance art? DIY post-consumerist rebellion? Why doesn't she spend her energy knitting blankets for the homeless? — Magda shrugged, "Not all things have to have a purpose." Other graffiti and street art projects can take on more overt political and environmental issues. In recent years, activist knitters, from such organizations as the Revolutionary Knitting Circle, knit in public, at rallies and peace protests. Some graffiti artists are now using wheat paste (such as WK Interact), moss, or even power sprayers, which "the authorities have no idea how to handle because the graffiti artists are actually cleaning the surface," Magda chuckled. Knitta Please's project in itself is pretty pure and simple — but it's open to interpretation and that's part of the fun.

Magda is pleasantly surprised that Knitta Please has caught on organically around the world. She's thinking about moving on from her day job running her boutique and taking on larger projects (she recently wrapped an entire bus in Mexico) while working with communities and art organizations. While visiting New York, she was on phone calls with Maker Faire organizers, as well as in talks with a Brooklyn public art organization that wants her to tag a whole street's length of parking meters. She'd love to have a Knitta Please World Congress some day.

Previously, Magda and her husband ran a gallery in Houston. She described the place as "empty, quiet, and kind of sad." Street art allows an artist to reach people and impact their lives, making an impression and asking for a reaction. Magda recalls an old man reaching out and touching the cozyied bus in Mexico and laughing.

Magda and her crew started the project with the intention of having fun and simply creating a more joyful experience. Knitta Please first gives these tomasons a hug (or makes them wear a silly outfit, depending on how you see it), and then with the bright yarn beckoning in the sunlight, this knit-graffiti asks us to reconsider our way of seeing and experiencing the city. At the end of the day, even the most curmudgeonly person would have to admit, Knitta Please's project is disarming. Her favorite tag, she says, was a Christmas gift. "I tagged my friend's light pole Christmas eve. She woke up to it. It was really special — I know that sounds dorky, but it was. " Knitta please, there is such a thing as a graffiti knitting Santa Claus!

Further Resources:

Knitta Please
Political protest turns to the radical art of knitting
History of the built landscape, books by John Stilgoe
Revolutionary Knitting Circle
Ravelry.com

Magda is magdasayeg on Etsy. Some of her favorite items are in the collection below.

Artistic Endeavors series | Artwork for Every Room Showcase | Art Gift Guides

Etsy Finds: Yours and Yours Alone

2009-03-02T10:29:00-05:00

Sometimes I need to know that I own something no one else in the world has. Whether it's an antique photograph or a one of a kind dress, it's comforting to know that I won't be running into anyone else with the same flair. My art collection follows the same mentality. Original fine art is a treasure worth investing in. There's something so authentic and raw about seeing every brush stroke, every fingerprint and knowing that someone's hands molded that singular object. Here are some exemplary handmade art pieces to get your collection started.

Candy

By tushtush, $55.

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The Amount of Tea I Drink in a Week, green version original encaustic painting

By jamieribisi, $160.

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helicopters original oil painting

By katep, $250.

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Sperm Whale, ceramic sculpture

By lsheely, $150.

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breaks my heart...

By joettamaue, $225.

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The Blush

By naomilayne, $99.

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She's Stuck but There's Time

By beacon11, $500.

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Dark Place

By landfall, $65.

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Hey Suburbia, We're In Love With You - Original Painting

By copperinc, $25.

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Doesn't it feel good to know it's yours and yours alone?

Looking for more Etsy Finds? Try these links:

Artistic Endeavors Series | Guest Curators | Search for Original Art

Need a daily fix of Etsy Finds? Sign up for the Etsy Finds e-mail! Conveniently delivered to your inbox!

Guest Curator: Sabrina Gschwandtner of KnitKnit

2009-02-18T15:10:00-05:00

This week's Guest Curator is artist, writer and curator Sabrina Gschwandtner. Sabrina's work bridges the fields of conceptual art, handcraft, activism and social history. Her book KnitKnit: Profiles and Project’s from Knitting’s New Wave was published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang in 2007; the audio version was just published by Knitting Out Loud. Sabrina served as Artist Consultant for the Museum of Arts and Design’s “Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting” exhibition, and is currently an artist-in-residence on the 6th floor of the museum’s new building on Columbus Circle in New York. Visit her there from 11am to 6pm any Thursday between now and April 23rd, 2009.

I’ve been interested in the intersection of fine art and traditional handcraft since I started my ‘zine KnitKnit in 2002. Here are my picks for supporting, living with, wearing, using and making great stuff!

Handmade Nation Sublime Stitching Embroidery Pattern

Faythe Levine turned her life upside down to make a documentary about the indie craft movement. I supported her film, Handmade Nation, by buying this embroidery pattern. By indiecraftmovie, $4.50.

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Color Study 308

I’m a huge admirer of Sherri Wood’s quilt work. I hope to take one of her improvisational quilting workshops one day, or maybe commission her to make something from the boxes of old clothes and family fabric remnants I’ve been holding onto. By Daintytime, $1400.

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Antique Black Glass Buttons Floral Design Marcasite Style Edging and Back Molded Glass Shank

I’m always looking for unusual buttons to use in craft projects. By SalvageNation, $18.25.

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Artist Canvas Zipper Pouch

This canvas pouch is perfect for storing crochet hooks. By callieco, $15.

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sailor boy 90 yds 5.8 oz

I recently took up spinning and it’s HARD. I have new respect for artisans like Island Sweet, a painter who I imagine spins while looking at the Atlantic Ocean from her cabin in Newfoundland. By islandsweet, $40.

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Reclaimed Cloth Linen Napkin with Hand Embroidery

This embroidered handwork by Karen Ruane reminds me of Louise Bourgeois’ fabric on fabric book Ode a l'Oubli. By contemporarystitches, $28.

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Horizontal Letterpress Frame Mat in Water

I fell in love with Sycamore Street Press’s letterpress mats when I saw them at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn last summer. My husband and I bought two to use for our favorite wedding photos. By sycamorestreetpress, $15.

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Practice Kindness 6 Dollar Gocco

Some of Lisa Congdon’s work makes me sing Linda Perhacs songs in my head. I like the idea of buying this card and giving it to people who need a reminder. Is that passive aggressive? I live in New York City and people are constantly pushing me on their way to get somewhere really fast. By lisacongdon, $6.

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annie hall hat

I love how this ‘70s style crocheted hat by Cal Patch of Hodge Podge Farm keeps the winter sun – or paparazzi flash bulbs - out of your eyes. By hodgepodgefarm, $68.

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New Crochet NAME Doily with 2 Rows of Letters up to 12 Letters

I wrote a book on knitters, but I’m also really into crochet. This mom will crochet your name, or your name + someone else’s name into a cream-colored doily! By crochetingbyrose, $28.

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Visit Sabrina Gschwandtner at these upcoming events:

KnitKnit Audio Book event
10am, February 20, 2009
Brooklyn General Store
128 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Knitting Out Loud audiobook authors Sabrina Gschwandtner and Lela Nargi will discuss their books with publisher Kathy Goldner.
www.brooklyngeneral.com

KnitKnit Audio Book event
Noon - 2pm, February 21, 2009
Knitty City
208 W. 79th Street, New York, NY 10024
Knitting Out Loud audiobook authors Sabrina Gschwandtner and Lela Nargi will discuss their books with publisher Kathy Goldner.
www.knittycity.com

“New Directions: Fiber Arts” Panel Discussion
2:30 – 4pm, February 21, 2009
The Museum of Arts and Design
2 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019
Join artists Norma Minkowitz, Suzanne Tick, and Grethe Wittrock for presentations of their current work and a conversation about new directions in the fiber arts lead by fiber, film, and performance artist Sabrina Gshwandtner.

Looking for past Guest Curators? Check out our archive.

Artistic Endeavors Posts | Fiber Art Items | Fiber Art Posts

Artistic Endeavors: Melabo's Favorite Sculpture

2009-01-24T17:19:00-05:00

Today's Artistic Endeavors curator is animal oddities sculptor melabo. We love her work and her taste, and we think you will too.

I have put together a group of quirky small-scale pieces that could easily infiltrate a home. I looked for good-natured artworks that could be tucked into a space. What I am trying to figure out in my own work often draws me into the work of others. Thus, I'm naturally attracted to all things clay.

I’m also a sucker for whimsy and humor in art. Character and story development engage me. Color and pattern, and more color and pattern, never hurt. Lots of the pieces I picked out make me think of toys and play. I try to keep my process joyful — with varying degrees of success during cold winter months — so it's reassuring to see happiness in the small objects of other Etsy artists.

Ribcage with Heart

This is a perfect valentine for the literal minded. By xlessthan3, $7.

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Lonely Planet

This one is a favorite. It reminds me of the little prince all alone on a planet. It's such a whimsical little figure, and the tree looks off-hand and breezy. By nongmok, $35. Find more clay sculpture.

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Maddison

I enjoy this creepy little man. I love the outfit and the expression on his face. I've been wondering about the potential of polymer clay, and this shop has been inspiring on that count. By doubleparlour, $60. Find more polymer clay sculptures.

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Paparazzi Attacks Mobile

This mobile would give a homeowner an excuse to use the word "paparazzi" more frequently. What are these laser cutters all about? Seems like a tool with lots of potential. I love all the shadow puppets on Etsy, and I thought this mobile concept was another nice use of cut paper. Graphic. Slick. Funny. By SaltyandSweet, $30. Find more artful mobiles.

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Imaginary Conversations (Add Your Own Message) Paper Wreath

More 3-D stuff made from paper. I like that the interiors of the cones are in color. By haru, $85. Find more sculpture made of paper.

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Terra cotta horse

A horse is a horse, and this one is straight to the point. I have a soft spot for animal art, regardless of the fact that I'm not really an animal person. Perhaps a terracotta horse can't love you back, but you will never have to pay to board or feed it. By carolynsjing, $100. Find more sculpture in the Ceramics & Pottery Category.

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orange flower bowl no5

I know very little about glass, but after working with clay for so long the transparency of the material is very appealing to me. This bowl would make a jaunty hat. By gulguvenc, $75. Find more scupture in the Glass Category. [NOTE: this piece is actually made of recycled plastic bottles. Thanks, neile!]

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The Flight of Icarus

Being a ceramic dork, I like seeing all the processes used in the pieces in this shop. The molds and decals are used in a dark, moody way, rather than the kitsch-fest that often is unavoidable — as I can personally attest. The wall pieces have curious narratives and strange environments. By avahaney, $175.

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small spiky bowl

This is a new shop and I am really responding to all the texture. They make me think of all things aquatic and outer-space. By lindayeargintaylor, $45. Search "organic ceramic sculpture."

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Turquise and pink - standing porcelain pillow sculpture

Stepanka is a favorite. She uses the porcelain like canvas for her innocent muted line drawings, subtle glazes and sometimes translucent clay. Her forms are called "pillows," giving the hard clay an implied softness. By stepanka, $400. Search for "assemblage sculpture" in the Art Category."

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Mudia2

These pieces would make your walls feel as adorable as your head in one of dadaya's felt hats. These pieces are over-embellished chaos with so many colors and textures. It's over-kill goodness. By dadaya, $100. Find more fiber art.

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Looking for more artwork? Stay tuned for the rest of the Artistic Endeavors series.

Art Category | Sculpture Category | Ceramics Category
More Art Related Posts | Art for Every Room Showcase

Artistic Endeavors: Sushipot's Favorite Mixed Media and Fiber Art

2009-01-23T14:40:00-05:00

The Artistic Endeavors series continues with the uber-talented Susanna Scott of sushipot showing off her favorite mixed media and fiber art pieces on Etsy.

This list of mixed media art, discovered among the vast plethora of work on Etsy, echoes what I've stated in my shop profile: my inspiration comes from all things old, chipped, cracked, worn, dusty, used, found, buried, designed, loved, pieced, intricate, aged and transfigured.

HALF OFF steampunk CONSTRUCTION, RESCUED WOOD

An iconic found object assemblage; there is a wall in my home lusting after this piece! By dolangeiman, $325.

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her heart lay bare original collage

Annie's daily collage studies are well designed and spontaneous. They would be delightful in small groupings. By curbsidetreasure, $25.

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Antique Japanese Boro Indigo Cotton Futon Cover Futongawa

An amazing antique futon cover from Japan. It's exquisitely aged — Japan meets Gee's Bend! By kimonoboy, $400.

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green landscape

Truly a bit of mixed media fine art. Everyone needs a landscape in his or her art collection! By racheltrobertson, $175.

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SALE 50 percent off Paper and Coffee No.2

This piece has been dwelling among my favorites for over a year. I'm a sucker for grids, graphs, and of course, coffee. By marinarios, $140.

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rust pool, necklace

This is another great piece of functional sculpture. This necklace could double as a breastplate! Fiber art meets whimsical function. (And who can resist all those vintage buttons?) By SCRAPdannymansmith, $140.

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wood pecker collage

Beautiful and raw, this piece from studiobeerhorst is lovely in its simplicity. $30.

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Standing in a Net of Your Stories - embroidered art book

This is a new shop on Etsy and I'm so happy to have discovered it for this list. These narrative embroideries are top notch and a fresh twist on traditional fiber art. By IvivaEmbroiders, $145.

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Interior with Lady. An Original Collage

I discovered Jacqui's work while compiling this list and I'm in love. Her gentle aesthetic is captivating and each collage contains a compelling narrative. By herselfsurprised, $25.

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A Podfull of Flower Forms

Who needs a bouquet when you can have a pod full of wonderful forms that never wilt? Quirky sculpture at its finest! By bunnywithatoolbelt, $50.

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antenna mi

This is an exquisite mixed media piece exploring the poetic sensibilities of an innocuous television antenna. A must-see, must-read-the-full-description mixed media discovery! By robindanely, $125.

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Looking for more artwork? Stay tuned for the rest of the Artistic Endeavors series.

Art Category | Mixed Media Category | Fiber Art Category

Trends: Fiber Jewelry

2008-12-11T16:35:00-05:00

Jewelry comes in many forms. You may be familiar with the traditional compositions of silver and gold, but there's a new trend on the scene that's shaking up what you once thought about adornment: fiber jewelry. Whether it's crochet, woven, embroidered or felted, jewelry made from alternative materials is on the rise, and it's quite avant garde. (And beautiful!) Check out our collection below to get a taste!

Trends | More Jewelry Posts | Search for Fiber Jewelry | Jewelry Category

Shop Live: Brett Bara's Picks

2008-12-04T14:06:00-05:00

In case you missed it, last night we kicked off Shop Live, with holiday gift ideas from Brett Bara, host of PBS' Knit and Crochet Today and Editor in Chief of Crochet Today. Besides all the cool crocheted picks, she showed us samples straight from the magazine and gave us a glimpse into the creative collaboration involved in putting the magazine and TV show together, including what she looks for in submissions and her take on the trends. Brett was also kind enough to share a Crochet Today subscription discount offer with you, dear Etsians.

Check out some of her picks for the yarn lovers in your life, in the related items below.

Thanks to Brett and all who dropped by! If you were there, let us know what you thought in the comments below. Tune in tonight at 7pm (EST) as BurdaStyle shows off top picks for your fashion-forward friends and family.

See the complete Shop Live schedule here.

High End Etsy: Fiber Arts

2008-10-09T16:05:00-05:00

What does one gain from raising one's own alpacas? Bonnie Samuel aka bonniesamueldesign.etsy.com knows the value of homegrown fiber, the material she works with to create unique knit and woven pieces. "My knowledge of the nature and structure of natural fibers — from the impact of animal husbandry on quality production to the end product — gives me a unique understanding of certain fibers in design." But it's not just the intimate knowledge of raising animals — she has also trained in how to sort and grade her annual clip. "Working with natural fibers brings the beauty of nature's palette and textures to your work."

Bonnie approached Etsy's blog, the Storque, with her story and with those of other high-end fiber artists on Etsy. These artisans steep their fibers in their deep skill and knowledge, and their high-end items' price points reflect that. We invited them to explain what's behind the drape of a sumptuously woven shawl or the details of a painstakingly crocheted art necklace.

[Jesse James & John Brown, two of Bonnie's alpacas]

Etsy offers a grand opportunity to both emerging and established fiber artisans. Since its inception, Etsy has evolved through layers of quality each in turn attracting buyers at the emerging level.

Truly talented fiber artists – weavers, dyers, textile designers, skilled knitters, art quilters and those reviving traditional fiber crafts in new dimensions – are now establishing shops on Etsy. The traditional “art” market is out of reach for many artists because of costs to enter the market of galleries, agents and promotion, while Etsy, however, offers wide internet exposure for little cost. Indeed, this trend may be changing the way art is marketed and sold as Etsy increasingly becomes the place to find and purchase unique and finely crafted, high quality art pieces in many mediums.

We’ve chosen just a few fiber artisans of the many talented on Etsy to showcase here...

Hedda Vatter aka HeddaVatter, who lives in Rapina, Estonia, creates wearable beauty in crochet.

As a romantic, I love crocheting and lace. I learned to crochet in school when I was eight years old. My favorite materials are high quality cotton crochet thread, linen and worsted for the woolen lace.

I am inspired by Irish lace in all of its richness and beauty. I try to bring the elements of the old lace into modern day using the lace for accessories and jewelry. I also add beads to Irish lace which makes it even more gorgeous. I have added felt, Irish lace and mond stones to my jewelry – the result is an interesting contrast. Red mélange crocheted necklace (pictured above) is inspired by Irish lace. The cotton thread is hand dyed, making the necklace unique.

As I was studying in art school, textile was my favourite subject. After graduating, I studied three years of calligraphy and two years of decorating. I acquired my higher education in library science. Most of my life I have worked as an artist. The last three years I have worked as a self-employed entrepreneur/artist. I have sold my work in Finland, Sweden, Italy, Germany and in France. And of course, I have made handcrafts for myself, my three children and for my home.

Scarfguy on Etsy is Fred Ullom, who is an accomplished weaver from Ohio.

As a career mathematician and computer scientist, my initial interest in weaving was as a science. It is, after all, an exercise in applied binary mathematics. When you look closely, all cloth is "pixelated". Beginning as a diversion from the stress of a high-tech career, I soon discovered that creating something tangible with my hands was much more rewarding than the abstraction of creating lines of programming code. There is no greater enjoyment than to take an idea and turn it into something real: a piece of cloth, a scarf, a garment that stands on its own, and provides warmth, softness, and pleasure for its owner. Unlike most fiber "artists", who are artists first, my greatest struggle has been to allow my creativity to flourish. I retired early from the high-tech world and now weave full-time (although at a leisurely pace). I don't often take inspiration from my surrounding as many do.

[Scarfguy at the loom]

My structures are usually just mathematical "play" with twill progressions. My color combinations are usually spontaneously sparked by fondling through my yarn inventory. I have a passion for exotic natural fibers. I'm always searching for the finest Merino wools, cashmere, silk, yak, and the elusive arctic muskox (qiviut).

Artmixter is Marion Barnett’s shop on Etsy, which features imaginative fabric art.

I am Marion Barnett, a Scottish artist living and working in Norfolk, England. In creating my art quilts and other fiber works, I work predominantly with lutradur, a non woven polyester fabric that is versatile and easy to use. I even wrote a book about it, 'Lovely Lutradur', with Dijanne Cevaal. I have a passion for layers and texture; as lutradur is semi transparent, it is an ideal medium for such work. Most of my work has pattern and texture combined over several layers of cloth, with some areas of cloth cut back to show clearly what is lying underneath. Colour, too, is an essential part of my art; I dye or paint much of my own cloth, cottons, silks and lutradur, and use a wide range of paints to get the effects I want. It’s very rewarding when people are drawn to touch the work; textiles are a very tactile medium, and I encourages people to pat and stroke the cloth and the finished works.

Rebecca Burgess' fiber art and skills fulfill a mission. Her Etsy shop is ecologicalartist.

My work, my passion, lives within the relationship between restoration ecology and sustainable art materials. I seek to create art whose strength lies within its process: a process that is restorative for the native plants that I harvest for dyes, for the women ranchers I buy my wool from, and is, most importantly, restorative for me as the composer and creator. I use local natural resources in a manner that supports the thriving and regenerative cycles of those resources. The end product is equally important for me, in its quality, attention to detail, and how well it functions.

[ecologicalartist at work with some natural dying]

I envision a growing world of artisans and interested folks, making beautiful art from naturally dyed yarns and batts, and wearing naturally dyed organic clothes. As this happens, our culture will become both aesthetically and ecologically richer. While I enjoy the larger vision, I personally am restored by the feel of soft angora moving through my hands and onto the spinning wheel, or counting my warp threads in preparation for my loom. The value of having one more happy and restored person on the planet is an immeasurable gift in itself.

designbynihan is the Etsy shop of Nihan Altuntas, a very creative designer and handknitter from Istanbul, Turkey.

I’m Nihan Altuntas, a 27 year old Turkish woman, whose passion is creating and designing. I’ve been crafting since I was old enough to pick up a crayon. My favorite childhood toys were boxes, yarns, pieces of cloth and all kinds of paints… I should add that I’m thankful for the support of my family. When I converted my jeans into bags or painted my canvas shoes, they never said a word!

I majored in cinema studies with a minor in marketing. During college, I got back to knitting to relax and to express myself. I never liked pattern books or reproducing brand sweaters. I would design authentic knitwear by improvising with needles, sometimes not even knowing what the result would be. The appreciation and approval for all of that hard work is the basis of my motivation to improve myself in this field.

I’m inspired by almost everything, even a simple button. I can suddenly decide to knit a sweater suitable for that button. My favorite material is cashmere, but the most important thing is to be able to discover the perfect match of the yarn and the pattern.

“Design by Nihan’s” success on Etsy is a combination of my talent, marketing and business knowledge and my personality too. I try to bring customer preferences and original patterns together. All “Design by Nihan” customers have an opportunity to choose the color and material, since all of the products are always knitted according to the customers' measurements. Each item is totally unique to its owner.

Dottie Scher, aka ccdzs, whose excellent crochet skill reflects her heritage.

My mother was an old fashioned Southern Lady who taught me the age old art of handcrafts as we were growing up. I started knitting when I was five and needlepoint, embroidery, tatting, pottery, sewing soon followed. When I was 15 I found a book of crochet motifs and I was hooked, literally. I love the way the work flows and how quickly something can come together in my hands. This is an art that has been passed down through the generations of my family.

I work "during the day" as a Child Protective Services In Home Services/Foster Care Supervisor. My days are long and quite hectic. When I get home, after homework, supper, baths and smaller people's bedtime, I can sit down with a hook and thread and just shut out everything else. Crochet is my refuge, my special place where everything is simply the hook, the yarn or thread, the colors, the texture.

When I'm designing my own patterns, it's all about texture and counting stitches. The doilies are designed with their appearance from a distance in mind. So much of the design is not apparent unless you look at it from across a room or down a hallway. I love the symmetry and the geometrical design. I have been heavily influenced by Patricia Kristoffersen, a renowned crochet artist. Many of my framed pieces are based on her designs. But I also feel I learn from anyone's designs and thus can bring my own ideas to bear, such as my two nautical sunbursts.

Constance Rose aka constancerosedesigns

I have been a textile artist since the early 1970s. Prior to becoming a weaver, I was a custom clothing designer, silk painter, papermaker, beaded jewelry designer, knitter, crocheter and handspinner. I've had a lifelong interest in fabric and thread/yarn, so I've explored any number of ways to create them and work with them. I started college as an art major, then veered into and graduated in psychology. Making art, although my first love, was always something "else" to do; that is, until I retired, recently, from the work world as we know it to focus on my art. Although I've taken an art class here and there over the years, essentially I am self taught, propelling myself toward whatever felt like the next technique for me to learn.

I've always been inspired by nature, as well as art of other times and places — including the florescence of Art Nouveau and Victoriana, the stylized and repetitive geometrics of Art Deco and ancient Egyptian designs, Native American and ethnic tribal patterns, and the Arts & Crafts and Craftsman styles in functional and decorative arts and architecture. My recent work creating woven shibori has been a way for me to pull together all of these design genre.

My work today is about TEXTURE — the tactility of cloth and fiber surfaces, what textiles feel like in your hands, as well as visual texture, the orchestration of patterns and colors that your eyes see. My work is also about PATTERN — line, shape, form, and directionality inherent in the woven cloth or imprinted or dyed onto the fabric. And it is about COLOR — how color lays on or becomes part of the cloth, how colors interact together, the patterns that areas of color create on a piece. My textiles explore the fusion of these components on handwoven fiber structures. Most recently I have begun creating Art Cloth — non-wearable fabric, wall and space hangings — combining loom-controlled and handstitched shibori, and surface design techniques on handwoven fabrics.

Thanks to bonniesamueldesign for putting this post together! If you want to find more great fiber work, check out items tagged EtsyFAST team. You might also want to read more Storque posts tagged "Fiber".

Quit Your Day Job: Maryjanesattic

2008-10-06T12:53:00-05:00

Not long ago, I learned of a shop opening in San Francisco, California called Urban Fauna Studio. Its owners are Blas and Jamie, the husband and wife team behind MaryJanesAttic here on Etsy, and they made it their mission to open a brick and mortar venture. This exciting project would not only expand upon their own Etsy success, but they also decided to help out other similar Etsy shop owners through consignment in the store. Because of their recent selling success on Etsy, Blas was able to quit his regular day job to fulfill Etsy orders and expand their home business into the new brick and mortar shop. Keep reading to find out why they hold Etsy so near and dear to their hearts and what made them want to share that passion by helping out other Etsy artists.

When you first started selling on Etsy did you have dreams or goals of eventually quitting your day job?
Yes! Blas and I had been dreaming of opening our own store for years. We couldn’t really decide what to sell and how to sell it, at first. With a lucky twist of fate, we focused on handmade fiber art and supplies. We joined Etsy at the beginning of our handmade selling career as MaryJanesAttic. We were not quite sure how it would affect our sales, but it turned out to be an incredible resource for testing products, finding new customers and networking with other artists. Our Etsy business has been contributing to our income for several years, but only recently has Etsy enabled us to open our first brick and mortar store. We only felt it fitting to use our store to highlight other Etsy artists and that’s how Urban Fauna Studio was born. Urban Fauna Studio was our way to sell our handmade goods, commercial fiber art supplies and handmade items from over a dozen different Etsy artists!

How long were you selling on Etsy before taking the plunge into selling full time?
We have been selling on Etsy since 2005, and we made the decision last year to dedicate most of our time to selling online and in person. We open Urban Fauna Studio from Friday to Monday, and from Tuesday to Thursday, Blas packs Etsy orders and makes products.

What was the deciding factor resulting in your pursuing Etsy as your full time job?
Well, we looked at other success stories, we networked with other Etsy sellers, and that taught us a lot about what it means to find your happiness. We were told by several sellers that there never is a “good time” to start a business. That was really a deciding factor for us, the realization that our dreams would never be met waiting for an ideal time or a bigger number of Etsy sales. We had to pursue our business with full dedication! We also were in career transition. I was finishing graduate school and my husband was between jobs. We really needed to make our handmade business work for us. It had to be more than a hobby in order to pay the bills and put food on our table, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Did you do anything to prepare ahead of time before taking the plunge?
We did do some preparation. Since we already had our business licenses and tax papers we knew we had to work on our business plan. I looked at the Small Business Administration web site and learned about how to start writing our business plan as a brick and mortar. We have also worked hard to develop an identity with a distinctive logo and web presence.

We started wholesale accounts with various distributors and manufacturers so that we could have raw materials to use in our products. Now in our store we carry items on consignment and wholesale from other Etsy artists. As the business has grown, we have found that we have less time to produce handmade goods, so our brick and mortar store was created to carry handmade goods from trusted Etsians. We carry goods from Etsy artists such as: travelingrhinos, thespunmonkey, girlontherocks, redsheep, sighfoo, knittydirtygirl, theweekendstore, vozamer, nutandbee, craftyscientist, buttonarcade, alyssaettinger and more!

We also made decisions to invest in Quickbooks and Point of Sale Software that would enable us to watch what we sold and inventory all our items both on the Etsy shop and in our brick and mortar. We understood it was important to track which items were selling and which were not.

What are the most effective ways you have promoted and marketed your Etsy business? What's you're best marketing tip?
I think some of the best ways to promote our Etsy store was to start a customer newsletter, start a blog (or two or three!), submit your products for review by other popular blogs and magazines, participate in Etsy Street Teams (we belong to the SF Etsy Team, Etsy FAST and The Needlefelters Team) and vend at local craft fairs. It is the combination of all these things that make up our promotional strategy, and we believe it gives us a chance to get higher visibility among a wide variety of customers.

Our best marketing tip? Encourage feedback and word of mouth! We believe each of our customers is valuable and we tell them that each time they purchase from us. We acknowledge the value of their opinions and ask that they continue to keep us and other handmade artists in mind when shopping for products. We believe when your friend tells you about that “cool indie shop around the corner,” it’s worth loads more than any newspaper ad could communicate. A customer’s satisfaction is important, so always see that as your #1 marketing strategy.

What have you found to be unsuccessful promotion or something that's just not working for your shop?
We have found that print coupons and ads don’t always come back to us. We attached discount codes and vary rarely did they get used. We also found that doing regular sales in the Etsy shop were not very effective. Instead we price our items at what we believe to be fair price points and stick to them. Our customers have been loyal to us because of our affordability and consistency, not because of any fly by night sales.

Would you walk us through what a typical workday might entail being your own boss?
Oh boy, we wish we had something you could call typical! Honestly, it can change from day to day for us. But we do have some routine on days the shop is open to the public:

Get up, answer e-mails and check Etsy shop.
Pack orders
Walk dogs
Drop off packages at post office
Grab coffee and go to store
Do inventory, stock shelves
Answer e-mails and order products as necessary, attend to customers
Pack second round of orders
Close shop, drop off second round of packages and home again to walk the doggies!

What do you enjoy most about not having a day job and is there anything you miss?
For Blas, he can say that he will NEVER miss having a boss full time. He enjoys being his own time manager. It makes us both feel empowered to be able to make our business decisions together without any other outside influences. He does miss the collegial atmosphere of having many co-workers. It can be isolating in many ways to own your own store, but the nice thing is you can get some interaction by popping over to the Etsy Forums and Teams, which are just a click away!

If you could go back in time before you took the plunge, what advice would you give yourself knowing what you know now?
Prepare your press materials sooner. Make more efforts to promote your products and your business on a regular basis. Systematically collect and record customer suggestions and comments about products. Inventory! Inventory! Inventory! If you don’t know what sold and how many, you’ll never know exactly what the moneymakers are.

What advice would you give someone else thinking about taking the plunge to sell full time on Etsy?
Take it slowly, in stages. Don’t give up. You will make mistakes. We all make mistakes, and the best we can do is grow from them. Surround yourself (online and in person) with friends and colleagues who support what you do and share common goals. It’s important to have a support system. We would never have gotten this far if we did not have the support from lots of fellow crafters and business people.

How's it going so far? Are you supporting yourself?
We’re doing well. We are getting incredibly good feedback both online and in person. It means a lot to us that our Etsy customers see the potential our business has to offer!

What goals do you wish to accomplish in the coming year for your Etsy business?
We want to sell more of our handmade kits and increase our product offerings by 30%.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Etsy has been a lot of support and inspiration for us. Thank you! You are helping us pursue our dream jobs. We are incredibly thankful for all the people that shop here and the crafty friends we have made along the way.

Thanks to Jamie and Blas for sharing their story and business with us! Check out the related items below to see some of their items. You can find some of our previous Quit Your Day Job posts here.

Etsy Finds: Bike Spinning Wheel

2008-09-13T10:39:00-05:00

I just saw this wonderful spinning wheel — using a bike wheel! — by ford4him. My family has a sheep farm, and I once sheared a sheep, spun the wool (it was smelly), and knit a hat. Within a few days, I had lost it. Even though I miss that hat to this day, I think back on that time I spent sitting at a spinning wheel with fondness, as it's a mix of being very focused and very relaxed.

To spin wool, you have to set up the wheel and feed the wool while stepping on the pedal. You must also make sure you're holding the wool with just the right amount of tension. It takes a while, but it's something you definitely get better at with practice. Using a bicycle wheel seems like a brilliant idea: it's got bearings for smooth and efficient spinning. It also looks very modern!

Need a daily fix of Etsy Finds? Sign up for the Etsy Finds e-mail! Conveniently delivered to your inbox on the daily!

How-To Make Natural Dye with the Etsy Labs

2008-08-29T14:05:00-05:00

This week Kim Hall, a teacher here at the Etsy Labs and an Etsy seller (nottene), came by to show us her technique for dying natural fabric with organic ingredients. Kim has worked with many different dying and printing methods, and we're honored to have her as an instructor! If you've always wanted to dye your own fabrics or yarn, this is a great video to get you started. If you try out this technique, make sure you take some pics and post them in our Show and Tell Flickr Pool.

MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

Here is the basic recipe for this method:

1 tablespoon Turmeric OR the crispy skins from 5 yellow onions OR 1/2 red cabbage
4 cups water
2 tablespoons salt

Boil 1 of the dyestuffs with the water and salt for 15-30 minutes (15 for tumeric; 30 for cabbage; and until the water is reddish for the onion skins, it's variable depending on your onions).

Meanwhile, presoak a few small pieces (6"x6") of natural fabric or a small skein of natural fiber yarn in warm water to remove starch/detergent/soiling.

Strain the vegetable matter out of the dye and return the dye to the pot. Add the presoaked material and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes. Your material is finished when it is one or two shades darker than you think it should be. Cool, rinse thoroughly, and dry the fabric or yarn!

Natural dyeing tips:

Chop up your dyestuffs smaller for a stronger dye.
When you prepare the yarn for presoaking and then dying, unwind it from the skein and loop it around your thumb and elbow to form loops and tie off in at least 3 or 4 places to keep it from tangling in the dye bath. Make sure the ties are not too tight or you will have tie-dyed yarn!
After you've boiled and strained the dye, try adding some cold water to reduce the temperature before you add your presoaked fabric or yarn. This lower temperature can help the pickup of the dye into the fabric.
Cotton and silk can be boiled thoroughly when dying, but wool should be gently simmered to prevent felting.
When your dye time is finished, you can leave the material to cool in the pot for stronger color. Remember the material will dry one or two shades lighter than what you see at the end of the dye time.

There are so many organic ingredients that you can use to dye, have fun and experiment! Perhaps you have another recipe to share? Go ahead and post it in the comments below!

Handmade Portraits: MV Knits featured on YouTube!

2008-08-03T20:25:00-05:00

Today, August 3rd, 2008 YouTube has featured one of our Handmade Video Portraits on their front page! Please watch our portrait of shepherd Susan Gibbs and then subscribe to the Etsy channel on YouTube and Itunes to keep up-to-date on the latest Etsy videos.

Check out the Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm's blog and flickr site. You can also check out the Etsy Labs flickr site for Calder Martin's photos from the shoot.

Watch the rest of the Handmade Video Portraits series and leave a comment! Let us know if you find the stories inspiring and enlightening.

Northstaralapacas: Alpaca Granny

2008-07-11T14:51:00-05:00

When Maple of northstaralpacas sends out her Etsy packages, there's a little treat included in addition to the luscious handspun yarn and cozy handknit hats. The unexpected surprise that awaits each customer? A photograph of the specific alpaca from which the item originated. The handmade movement has always been about the person behind the product, but northstaraplacas and other fiber artists on Etsy are taking this one step further: crediting the animal behind the product, too.

Maple appreciates the gift these animals provide her, and in exchange, nurtures them, above and beyond commercial responsibilities. On her blog, Alpaca Granny, Maple tells the story of one baby alpaca (cria), named Spot for the light patch on the top of his head, who was having trouble nursing from his mother, Ariana. Maple saved this little guy by bottle-feeding for his first few weeks.

Just this week, Maple posted a triumphant update about Spot's progress: "He will have absolutely nothing to do with his bottle and is a little aloof to me now. I'm so amazed that after 3 weeks he is figuring out the instincts that he should have had at birth. And thank you, Ariana, for being so patient with him."

It's inspiring to see this symbiotic relationship succeed. I hope Spot will reciprocate the love!

Handmade Portraits: MV Knits

2008-07-11T11:00:00-05:00

MP4 | Youtube | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes

(music by Barry London, Charlie Parr)

After quitting her day job in Los Angeles and moving to Martha's Vineyard, a quiet island off the Massachusetts coast, Susan Gibbs aka MVKnits had a great idea. She started Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm and figured out how to make a living making yarn. Why not use the local food movement's model of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and apply it to a yarn harvest? Shareholders pay for a share in the yarn harvest as a way to support a local farm (or in this case, a local farm supported through the internet) and in return they get weekly updates, photos from the farm, an invitation to the shearing and ultimately a share of the yarn.

Check out the Martha's Vineyard Fiber Farm's blog and flickr site. And check out the Etsy Labs flickr site for Calder Martin's photos from the shoot.You can watch more of our Handmade Video Portraits and we'd be so thrilled if you'd subscribe to our free Etsy iTunes podcast.

Old School Etsians: mmmfiber

2008-06-18T11:00:00-05:00

Etsians are what make our world go 'round over here at the Etsy Labs offices. The site has now been up for 3 years and we want to give a shout-out to some of our first sellers. mmmfiber is member number 113 (and the actual 1st Etsian is 96 since Rob, Chris, and Haim — Etsy's original founders — are numbers 93,94,95 and 1-92 were test data). She creates deliciously cozy woolen items.

Please introduce yourself and talk a bit about what you make.
My name is Adrienne Shaffer, I live in beautiful Portland, OR and my company is Mmm…Fiber!
I make knit, crocheted and needle felted accessories such as scarves, scarflettes, brooches, hairpins, shawls and more. I love fun fibers and bright colors, which I think definitely comes through when you visit my shop.

Hearken back to the old days of Etsy...Any fond memories?
I joined Etsy the day after it opened. I had begun selling scarflettes in an eBay store a few months before with some success, but felt as though my hard work was getting lost in the sea of inexpensive, mass-produced goods that are the staple there. Not having the capital to build my own website, finding Etsy, for me, was the perfect fit. Being one of the first sellers was fun. All of us were learning and growing together, trying to find our place in the crazy handmade world. I remember obsessively watching the “top sellers” and “top items” lists and was a little sad to see them go, but I think in the long run it was a good thing for me not to worry so much about rankings and just focus on my work. I do really hope that Pounce (or some other app) can feature a purely random items generator, as the “random” page is one of the things I miss the most about Version 1.

How has what you create changed over the past few years, if at all?
I started out selling only basic crocheted scarflettes and they are still one of my top items, but have since branched out with many new scarf and scarflette designs, wraps, shawls and capelets, and also discovered a love for needle felting.

Do you have an anecdote that crystallizes how you feel about the Community on Etsy?
Not really an anecdote, but just a general observation about how really wonderful and amazing the Etsy community, and the general crafting community, has been. I’m a bit of a shy lass, and was very nervous about selling my creations and competing with other more established crafters. What I found was a warm and accepting extended family, best exemplified in our PDX Street Team. Our Etsy shops brought us together, but we have since forged a very strong bond of support, respect and the desire to help each other succeed. It’s incredible.

Do you see yourself on Etsy for the long haul?
Etsy is still the perfect venue for someone like me. I have a full time job and not a lot of time to build, maintain and drive traffic to my own separate site. Etsy’s format has worked well for me and I do see myself sticking around for quite a while.

What have you learned about selling?
I’m not much for market research, trend watching and the like. I tend to make what I enjoy making and hope that others will like it as well. I think if you are confident in your work and believe in what you are doing, that will shine through and is something that buyers of handmade really look for.

Good customer service is the key. Take care of your customers with friendly communication, quality work, reliable shipping and good follow-up and they will keep coming back to you.

It is incredibly important to focus on the business and marketing side of the equation, which I know is hard for some people. Do one little thing to market your shop every day, even if it is something as simple as wearing one of your items to the grocery store or post office.

What do you want for the future of Etsy?
When I opened my shop, I had no idea that Etsy would grow like it has! It’s been an incredible ride. The growing pains have been many, but so have the great leaps forward. I think the Admin team has risen to the challenge and are doing an awesome job taming the wild beast! I’m always amazed at the new things the engineers and others come up with, so I leave the vision and innovation in your capable hands. Everything I could ask for in the way of improvements has happened or is in the works, so, thanks!!

Read our other Old School Etsian pieces.
See who else on Etsy has a Birthday today!

For the Birds

2008-06-06T13:47:00-05:00

Etsy seller Bugtussle has come up with an interesting way to give fabric and fiber scraps a second life.

I have been making "bird giving balls" for years now and giving them out as gifts to friends. I have a flock of sheep, and some of the fleece was not good enough to use in my yarn, so as not to waste anything I thought it would be nice for the birds, since I saw them taking some of the scraps on the barn floor after shearing to make a nest.

After finding nests around my farm with fleece in them, I decided to purchase a grapevine ball, which I thought was the natural way to go about it. I put my discarded fleece into it and added ribbons to see what would happen. To my surprise, I started to see ribbons in a nest! I could not believe it! So then I decided to add different colors of fleece and add more nesting material stuff such as excelsor, etc. People are always amazed at how birds actually use this.

Her Bird Giving Balls are very compelling as a sort of interactive lawn ornament, doubling as a way to upcycle the offshoots of your crafting projects. It's like a co-production creative project with our winged friends!

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