As many people realize, one of the most important components of opening a new business is PROMOTION. I was totally psyched when I opened my Etsy shop. After the excitement wore off I realized I had to figure out how to get my shop seen amongst the thousands of shops on Etsy. That's when the obsessive internet reading began; these are some of the tips and useful info I've come up with...
First things first, The Storque will become one of your favorite websites if you are new to Etsy. I'm kind of embarassed to admit the amount of time I've spent browsing the articles. But hey, I'm learning.
You must learn how to optimize your Etsy shop for search engines. I found the article Optimizing Your Etsy Shop for Search Engines extremely informative.
Tagging the items in your shop is actually very important . The tags serve as the keywords used to find items when shoppers search for products. Check out this article for other excellent tips.
Handmadeology is a useful site created by Timothy Adam, a veteran Etsian who was able to quit his full time job and concentrate solely on his Etsy shop.
Use the forums to create a voice for your shop and network with the other shop owners. It is quick and easy to drop a single post on a thread and run, but you are likely to be ignored. Instead, spend a few minutes encouraging other shops, they will return the favor. (great advice from Denise at Satin Dolly).
This has kept me busy for a while so I'm sure it's a great jumping off point for anyone else new to promoting their Etsy Shop. Best of luck!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Investigative Shopping Report
What is investigative shopping you ask?? Basically I search for garments that have similar construction to garments that I've made or want to make. Then I try them on and attempt to figure out how they were put together.
I had two goals this week...examine the construction of the strapless dress and the paperbag waist. First up is the strapless dress for which I found ample specimens. My main area of interest was the bust piece. I wanted to see if there was any boning and if so how it was attached. On the first dress the boning was self encased and simply sewn to the lining on the princess seams, front and back. This being my first investigative shopping report I didn't take pictures initially. Oops!
The second item is actually a bustier style stop, but it still had boning. It looks as if it was sewn inside the princess seams, front and back. See for yourself below. Any thoughts??
As for the paperbag waist, I found one skirt that barely qualified. See exhibit b...
It looks as if the waist was done with inverted box pleats and then a waistband was topstitched over the pleats to hold them in place. Pictured below is a close up of the exterior and interior waistband.
I had two goals this week...examine the construction of the strapless dress and the paperbag waist. First up is the strapless dress for which I found ample specimens. My main area of interest was the bust piece. I wanted to see if there was any boning and if so how it was attached. On the first dress the boning was self encased and simply sewn to the lining on the princess seams, front and back. This being my first investigative shopping report I didn't take pictures initially. Oops!
The second item is actually a bustier style stop, but it still had boning. It looks as if it was sewn inside the princess seams, front and back. See for yourself below. Any thoughts??
As for the paperbag waist, I found one skirt that barely qualified. See exhibit b...
It looks as if the waist was done with inverted box pleats and then a waistband was topstitched over the pleats to hold them in place. Pictured below is a close up of the exterior and interior waistband.
I personally like the paperbag waist more emphatic. I mean if you're going to make a statement, go all out and end it with an exclamation! Though, I do like how they topstitched the waistband to control the top.
That's it for this week's Investigative Shopping Report! I would love to hear your input on either style.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Designing the Studio
I have the extreme fortune of designing my sewing studio from the concrete blocks in. Right now it is a completely gutted 8' x 12' room with a nice sized window that will look out onto a garden. I have spent the past few hours researching sewing room ergonomics and have decided on a final layout. What really got the ball rolling is that I have to choose where the electrical outlets will be installed. Oh yeah, those. Here are some of the images and sites that inspired my final decisions (yeah right).
The Domestic Diva has a fantastic blog entry on sewing room organization and design. She talks about everything from room planning software to cutting table ergonomics and offers many great tips. In fact I fell in love with an image on her site that is from Anthropologie. The paint job will perfectly complement the hand carved door from India that will serve as the entry way to the room.
Susan Wright from New Mexico State University wrote an excellent article on Designing A Sewing Center complete with measurements for a storage cabinet.
After perusing and digesting the plethora of information at my fingertips I was able to quickly sketch out a u shaped room layout. The sewing station will be under the window and have enough room for a straight needle machine and a serger. To the right will be a desk for the desktop computer and printer followed by a floor to ceiling book shelf that covers the remainder of the wall. The pressing station will be to the immediate left of the sewing station so I can iron while seated. Following the pressing station will be a cabinet for housing patterns, fabric, etc. In the center of the room will be a large cutting table approximately 34" or waist high, 60" wide and 72" in length. Of course, the base will consist of a variety of drawers, nooks and crannies for storing tools and notions. This table will also serve as a station for the laptop computer which I use most of the time.
Below are some practical elements that will be incorporated into the design. Oh and I did decide where the outlets will go, which of course was the purpose of the hours long research project.
The Domestic Diva has a fantastic blog entry on sewing room organization and design. She talks about everything from room planning software to cutting table ergonomics and offers many great tips. In fact I fell in love with an image on her site that is from Anthropologie. The paint job will perfectly complement the hand carved door from India that will serve as the entry way to the room.
Susan Wright from New Mexico State University wrote an excellent article on Designing A Sewing Center complete with measurements for a storage cabinet.
After perusing and digesting the plethora of information at my fingertips I was able to quickly sketch out a u shaped room layout. The sewing station will be under the window and have enough room for a straight needle machine and a serger. To the right will be a desk for the desktop computer and printer followed by a floor to ceiling book shelf that covers the remainder of the wall. The pressing station will be to the immediate left of the sewing station so I can iron while seated. Following the pressing station will be a cabinet for housing patterns, fabric, etc. In the center of the room will be a large cutting table approximately 34" or waist high, 60" wide and 72" in length. Of course, the base will consist of a variety of drawers, nooks and crannies for storing tools and notions. This table will also serve as a station for the laptop computer which I use most of the time.
Below are some practical elements that will be incorporated into the design. Oh and I did decide where the outlets will go, which of course was the purpose of the hours long research project.
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