Krissyanne Designs isn't your average Etsy shop. All of the items in this shop, ranging from key fobs and zippered pouches to totes and backpacks, are so beautifully crafted it's hard not to wish list it all! I'm most impressed with the pleats in the all of the small pleated pouches - and the fabrics are adorable! Here are 12 questions with the crafter behind the shop, Kristin!
Your sewing is amazing. The pleats on your small pretty pouches are perfect - when did you start sewing?
*side note I think the brown sparkle animals pouch is the cutest accessory there ever was*
Thank you! I had such a hard time with pleats when I first started out, but I�ve (almost) got them down to a science. They are still a pain in the neck, but the end result is so nice!! (That animal fabric with the sparkles is one of my all-time favorites!)
I started sewing in the spring of 2010 (really). I was doing my crochet thing in 2009, and the item I made the most was purses. Crochet purses are fantastic, but there�s only one catch: If they don�t have a lining, they stretch like CRAZY! I had to start adding linings to my purses, or I was going to get nowhere with them� I sewed a bunch by hand, and then realized that 1. I wasn�t good enough a sewer to really trust my needlework and 2. It would be a LOT quicker if I had a sewing machine. So what did my wonderful husband do for me?! In June 2009, he bought me a sewing machine (awww)!
Now, you might be wondering why I said I started sewing in spring of 2010 then, right? Well...he bought me the sewing machine in June and I used it a little bit. And then in June my cousin taught me how to make jewelry, which was a LOT more rewarding than crochet (it doesn�t take near as long to make a pair of earrings as it does to make a purse) and I kind of set everything down. I don�t remember why, but one day
in May of 2010, I decided to make a clutch...and it all spiraled down from there. I haven�t made much jewelry (or anything else, for that matter) since I started sewing, because I love it so much.
Where do you typically get your fabrics for your projects?
I get fabric from all over the place. When I first started into the craft thing, I would spend a lot of time (and money) at the �local� Joann�s (I put local in quotes because it�s actually about a 35-40 minute drive from my house, when there�s no traffic) and just got a TON of fabric, not really knowing anything about it. I picked up what I thought was cute and left it at that. I still have a LOT of that fabric (I�m trying to get rid of it, but I�m not sure what I was thinking when I bought it!), but it�s all fat quarters so I can�t really do much with it.
I do have an addiction though, and shop around online a lot for fabric. Since Joann�s is so far away, and Hobby Lobby doesn�t have that good of a selection, a lot of what I have to get is online, and a lot of times, it�s actually from Etsy sellers. There are several sellers on Etsy (such as fabricworm, fabricartshop, to name a couple) who have great fabrics, put together great bundles, and have great customer service. The prices are sometimes steeper, but sometimes you have to pay for good customer service, and I�m willing to do that.
Which sewn item is your favorite to make? What is it about it?
Oh boy, today my favorite item could be one thing, and next week it will probably be something completely different! I change my mind so often it�s ridiculous. But I think my favorite right now is probably my small pleated pouches. I love the pattern (thanks, NapKitten!) and how they look afterward. I�ve also made so many that they are easier to sew than, say, a diaper bag, and give me the instant gratification that I love so much. Of my completed items, though, I love my backpacks!
You're a crafty Gill of all trades; sewing, crochet and jewelry! Which has been the most fun to learn?
Sewing has been my most favorite. I started with the crochet because my aunt had taught me when I was younger and I needed something to keep me busy while I listened to books on tape. When my cousin taught me how to make jewelry, I was
hooked, but slowly realized that jewelry is a hard market. It�s not only saturated with wonderful artists (all arts are), but when you are using high quality materials, the prices can get high and many people just don�t want to pay the price. It can also be very hard on the hands, and being a student, I needed to keep my fingers blister free, so I could be sure to still be able to write notes! When I realized how rewarding sewing could be, I realized I had found my niche. It�s what I use to de-stress and to keep myself busy when I get bored. It�s relaxing to me.
What is your most-loved jewelry item to craft?
Oh boy. I love rings. I really don�t wear jewelry so much, so I tend to go all out when I make jewelry, and you can really have a lot of fun with rings! Before I started sewing, I was getting into soldering and making rings completely from scratch which was just too much fun! It�s really hard on your hands and skin, but when you make something like that from scratch, you can really let your imagination run wild.
What spurred you to open your shop?
I opened my first shop because I had a bunch of jewelry that was starting to take up space in my wet bar of our living room (that�s where my jewelry station is). I don�t even remember how I came across Etsy, actually, but I decided to join and put my stuff up!
I decided to open my second shop when I realized that �Krissyanne Jewelry Creations� wouldn�t be a good home to purses and wallets. To be honest, I thought I was going to stick with my first shop and the second one would slowly die, but it�s actually been the other way around! I have been neglecting my jewelry shop because the only new things I�ve made are things that have been custom orders (family and friends, mostly) and I haven�t had the urge to make anything else.
How do you organize your crafting supplies?
I have to say this: my husband is a real trooper. We currently rent a three bedroom home where one bedroom is where we sleep, another is his office, and another is occupied by a friend of mine. That leaves me with no real crafting place... I started out in a small corner of the living room and thought that would be enough space, especially since crochet can be done anywhere you plop down (was usually in front of the TV or computer).
Then, when I started making jewelry, I had to find an area that could hold a table and all of my supplies. The most logical place was the wet bar in our living room because we didn�t actually use it. It had nice cabinets, nice shelves, and great counter space! Then I needed a place for my sewing machine...
In other words, half of the living room is devoted to my crafting. I have two tables by the wet bar now that hold my photography �studio� and my sewing machine, a pool table where I do my fabric cutting, and everything else is kind of all over the place. Before I did my craft shows last year, my husband (bless his heart) purchased some metal racks that I could display my items on. That is where I keep my fabric! Whew!
Is your personal crafting separate from your shop crafting?
No, I pretty much do all crafting at the same time. I don�t do too much personal crafting, unless I am making something that I plan on selling and then fall in love with it and decide to keep it (that�s usually how it works). I also keep items for myself that don�t turn out quite how I wanted them to, because I hate selling anything that has any sort of �imperfection� in my eyes.
Do you have any advice for crafters thinking of opening their own Etsy shops? Anything you wish you knew when you started?
Find your niche. Start somewhere, and if you don�t like it, do something else!
What do you love most about Colorado Springs?
Hmmmm...I�m going to have to say.. When I look out the kitchen window when the sun is starting to rise and I see a group of deer sitting right outside watching me watch them. Oh, and the mountains are pretty nice, too. ;)
What are your top 5 listened to songs right now?
I can only pick five!? I have to go with anything country.
What are you reading right now/read last?
I�m currently reading The Golden Compass, but just finished Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. I recommend Anna and the French Kiss to ANYONE (even though it is labeled YA).