The link above goes to my Etsy shop. This is the story about how my Etsy shop began and why I decided to try Social Media to improve views and sales.
I had wanted to try an Etsy shop when I was 16. I found out I had to be at least 21. For a while I had forgotten all about Etsy until I was 18. Why then? Well, I discovered when you have no previous job experience, it is sort of hard to find a job.
But I knew I was good at one thing. And that was sewing. I started with hotpads.
Once again, the above link goes to Etsy.
I made close to 200 for a church thing, then I had realized that I could sew the hotpads and sell them. I started building inventory when I was 17, knowing that I wanted to try Etsy when I was 18.
It was a while before I realized that pillowcases could even be an option.
This was not my first one, but my first ones where gifts. And I find this blog much more worth while as an advertising tool.
I started with about...5-10 pillowcases. The first one I messed up, I believe I still have that one in my room somewhere.
I re-watched the tutorial and it clicked. It is now much easier then almost anything else.
Fleece scarves were very much one of my friend's idea. She said they were easy and sold well. That proved to be correct.
This one was sold to a friend. The person in the picture is my sister.
These were a stroke of genius. I sold 5 or 6 of these, they are actually doing better then what I set out to sell. But I am not complaining.
Knit scarves never even crossed my mind until someone gave me knitting needles. Then I thought about my Great Grandma. She knew how to knit, surely she would teach me.
She was reluctant at first, as she had tried to teach my Mom, Nana, and a couple cousins. But as she showed me it suddenly started to click on in my head, like the pillowcases.
I learned close to the end of last year. It's only been 3 or 4 months, but I am already making patterns.
Once again, thanks to a friend, I realized I could sell those too. They are a little more expensive, but I plan on selling them for less.
I made this one at my Great Grandma's house. I believe it is 40 stitches wide. I find knitting very relaxing, a lot more relaxing then sewing.
The Fringe blankets were my mom's idea. She saw them in Jo-anns and thought they might be a good idea. They were more of an experiment, and so far, I am not planning on making anymore, unless they sell.
I like them, personally, but I am really hoping they sell. My room is starting to get a little messy. (=
The cat toys were sort of an accident. A friend ordered a custom made fleece throw. When we cut off the salvage my mom started to crochet them with her thumb. She can do it with her thumb, but not with a tool. Mom looked at me and commented, "These would make good cat toys." I looked at them again then looked it up on the computer. Since fleece was deemed safe, we decided to give them a shot.
They are our most popular item so far.
At $1 a piece, they are fairly cheap. A lot of the cat toys are more expensive, but since we were just going to throw these away anyways, $1 seemed like a reasonable price.
Social Media
Well, I first decided to use this because Etsy suggested it. But I wasn't sure which social media site to join. For a while I ignored the subject, hoping that I would figure it out. First I decided on Twitter. (GodsGraceSewing is the easiest way to find me.)
Twitter was confusing at first, the 200 character count annoyed me. But it made me think and type creatively. That has helped my views on my Etsy shoot through the roof. The most views I had ever gotten was 43, with Twitter it shot up to 50+.
Then I thought about Tumbler. I decided not to go with that. It isn't my favorite site and I would rather not give them my soul. (I am weird, its how it feels to me)
Then I remembered that my dad had a Google blog. I really thought about that then remembered I had signed up for You-tube, therefore making the Blog available to me. I started a Google+ account then went right to the blog.
Thanks for reading!
Sam
