Finally I dig into my Tula Pink fabric stash and decided to make a couple of wallets. I bought the fabrics a couple of years ago and I always waited for the "perfect" project to make. But now I decided to stop waiting. Just took out a couple of fabrics, choosing combos and get on with the project! But choosing fabric combos are always the hardest part. So this time I get Chatgpt involved. And using the suggestion to make the wallet and I LOVE how they turned out!
I must admit, I used a lot of helps from AI (Chatgpt, Copilot and Gemini) to help me writing my Etsy product listing, and some more.
By now I think these AI know my business better than myself! Like when I posted my fabric and asking for combo, it gave me several options depend on what VIBES (!) I want to create and what colors are now popular in Etsy. It's like consulting the Gen Z for free.
I think AI is very good for us, boomers, gen x and millennial generation, who try to make a little bit of side hustle online but are clumsy with words, struggling to understand what SEO, and especially if you do everything on your own from scratch. By the time we sit at the computer after creating products and taking photos, our brain is tired. This is where the AI comes in handy. We just need to write the prompt and they will do it for us, with minimal editing needed. Win-win!
Anyway, here are the details of the wallets. What do you think?
I’m still in scrappy mode this week! After diving into making the adorable mini purses I wrote about in my last post, I couldn't resist the urge to keep
going. So, what did I do next? I dug more into my scrap bins and started
piecing together some more patchwork panels.
First
up, I whipped up a Rosie Keychain Wallet using some brown scraps, and I have to
say, it turned out pretty awesome. In fact, I'm so thrilled with the result
that I've got plans to make a few more Rosie Wallets. They're just too cute to
resist!
But
that's not the only thing that's got me excited. I've also made a couple of NunoSmall Wallets too! For
the pink and purple wallets, I used the same quilt-as-you-go method as the mini purses.
Now,
for the red wallet, I decided to go traditional by making two mini log cabin
blocks, using 1.25-inch strips, and then threw in an extra strip in the middle
to make it a perfect fit for the Nuno Wallet. And I’m super happy with the
result! Making patchwork quilt wallets has been at the top of my list.
In
the original pattern of Rosie wallet I did not use batting, but in this
patchwork version, I used low loft
batting and quilted it pretty densely to make the panel flatter. When you
want to make a patchwork or quilted version of a wallet, remember to change the
interfacing to lightweight interfacing. The interfacing will give more structure and also make the wallet more durable.
I shared my work progress and a few tips and tutorials on my YouTube Channel. Make sure to check them out!
For the past 2 weeks, I've been having trouble accessing my business emails which I purchased from Google Workspace. It was started when I created another email in Godaddy for the newsletter. After back and fro chat with Godaddy's agent and doing some reading, finally, I understand that we cannot create different emails from the different email providers. I wish I knew!
I apologize to those who tried to reply to the newsletter or email me regarding your orders and bounce back. If you like please resend your email. I also added a backup email so that I won't miss any important emails. Hopefully, now the emails will all be back to normal and I can focus more on the work at hand.
This week, I'm able to finish 2 table-toppers still in my fave pattern - the one from Suzuko Koseki's book (I call it moonshine and valentine). I've made and sold a few in different sizes in my Etsy shop. This time, I decided to use a red poinsettia print and a green cotton handloom combo. Added a mustard yellow stripe in the center.
Also, instead of hand quilting, I decided to do serpentine quilting on my Husqvarna Viking machine using the golden thread I got from the swap last time.
Another new thing I tried this time is instead of the usual binding, I did facing binding!
What is facing binding?
A facing is similar to a binding on a quilt, except that it's turned completely to the back so there is no visual line around the edge of a quilt. (source: We All Sew)
I love the clean look of these table toppers. Binding is great to finish a quilt but sometimes I don't want to spoil the look especially when the quilt has a different color on the outer border.
I used a 1.5" wide binding strip and also tried a 2" wide binding. The end result? I prefer a 1.5" wide binding as it gives a narrow binding on the back.
Serpentine quilting with golden thread
facing binding
I have a few more small quilts in the same pattern in the WIP stage that I plan to hand quilt. Now that I have 3 C-dramas to catch up on, I should be able to finish the quilting before the end of the year.
Even though it's been a pretty stressful week regarding the email things, but I'm happy to finish a few on my WIP list. Time blocking really helps! Last week, we went to a wedding party for the first time. My SIL's nephew got married. it was a small occasion but felt good to meet and greet people in person after almost 2 years!
The boys' board exam also just started and as the weather is getting cooler, the younger one needs a new set of winter clothes, so we went shopping!
And one more thing, I made a sofa cover! Upcycle from my old Kantha quilt. It's removable and I can easily take it out to wash and put it back again. Now, this corner looks cozier :). I still need to make the sofa's back cushion covers though. I am collecting ideas on Pinterest right now!
I've been having a lot of fun making a few bi-fold wallets! I tried out different fabrics, from quilting cotton to linen and denim.
It feels good to finally sewing wallets and stuff after so many months making face masks. I'm still making a few for family and friends and also offer face masks in my Etsy Shop. The Trio Spacious Face Masks is quite popular and it feels good to get nice feedback from buyers! Thank you !!
Besides that, last month I was busy with getting my tax ID done. Lucky me, my dear hubby is a CA so he's been a great help. I am totally blank when it comes to tax! Finally, all those are done and there's a couple of things I need to do regarding my small business. After getting my GSTIN done, I feel like I'm doing a real business. It's scary at the same time! I need to learn more and get all my papers organized! Wish me luck!
Back to the wallet, I'm working on the pattern right now. It's progressing quite slow, I am about 70% done with the editing, I just need to edit a couple of photos and add them in the pattern! There will be a zipper version and a flap version. I'm so excited to share the pattern. It's super easy! Once I'm done with a few custom orders, I'll be able to sit and finish the pattern. Hopefully, I can release it within this month.
The above photo is a few of the flap versions that I made and they are available in the SHOP now. And here's the zipper version:
ETSY NEW SEARCH POLICY
By the way, last week in the Etsy Q3 report, they said they are going to implement Personalized search. WHich means Etsy is doing what Google and others are doing. What does this mean? This mean:
1. Etsy is showing potential buyers search results based on their search history.
2. Every buyer will see a different result even if they search using the same keywords.
3. Etsy is showing more local shops. But if you sold one item to a buyer from a particular city, state, or country, your products might be shown in the search result of that particular city, state, or country. This happened to me several times last month, where I sold a few items to people in the same state in the USA within a week.
If you want more in-depth analysis you can tune in to Kara Buntin Youtube Channel. She's the best! I learned a lot from her video series and her class!
Now, what can we do as an Etsy Seller in India?
1. Do not change your keywords right now. Instead, observe your Etsy stats more and start working on your social media marketing. I shared about Basic Pinterest Marketing with Etsy India Sellers at our Monthly community meet last month.
2. Optimize your listing, especially those which don't get enough views or visit. Etsy search trend changes every week or so. Optimizing old listing or almost expired listing, do help in boosting in search placement.
3. If you're using Etsy ads, make sure to optimize the listing before put them in Ads!
I hope these little tips help! Competition is tough everywhere, but if you learn how to do it properly and hold on to your dreams, you will make it!
