Aspiring Artisan: Sewingseed

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Tina and I live in Jacksonville with my husband and our two children. I’m a stay at home mom, so I have time to devote toward my craft and my Etsy shop. Although I did work outside the home for years as an office manager, I am fortunate that I don’t have to anymore. I love music and one of these days, I will actually learn how to play a song on a real instrument. Until then Rock Band and Guitar Hero will have to do. I’m a classic introvert, but am quite silly once you get to know me. I love to laugh and try to add humor in my designs when I can.

Chubby Gnome Pattern pdf or Kit

Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I have to admit, I spend a lot of my free time creating and stitching. It’s what I love to do. Other than that, I spend a lot of time listening to my daughter talk about her life at school, and trying to get my son to talk about his. He’s a teenager now and tends to be quiet anyway, so that can be challenging. I also love to watch comedies, cook and do all sorts of crafts.

What first made you want to become an artist?

I decided to start creating my own patterns years ago when I just couldn’t find what I was looking for. Many things were just really too involved or just too old fashioned. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great patterns out there, but I don’t want to take 2 years of my life to finish one. I’ve found that many stitchers get overwhelmed because there are too many colors and the stitches are just too spread out. I mean, who really has time to complete a project like that? So I wanted to create simple but awesome things that people would really be able to finish somewhat quickly.

Please describe your creative process.

Many times, I will get a vision in my mind for something and I will sketch it out. I work with a program that allows me to scan in my drawings. They are a big ole mess once they are imported, so it takes time to clean it all up. Sometimes, I find it’s easier to just draw it out on the screen from scratch. I’m uber picky, so I am definitely my biggest critic. A stitch that nobody else notices will bother me to no end. I always stitch my patterns myself to make sure they look good in real life and are actually fun to stitch. I’ve found that sometimes what looks good on a computer screen, doesn’t necessarily translate to looking good on fabric. Even still, I enjoy the process of creating. It’s cool when you start with nothing and then end up with this really cute design that stitches up fabulously.

Little Sleeping Owl Pattern pdf or Kit

Please tell us something about your subject matter, a little background into why you make art about what you do.

My subject matter is mostly animals because I love nature so much. I also am inspired by music and my faith, so you will see song lyrics and bible verses thrown into the mix.

Handsome Buck Pattern pdf or Kit

What specific steps you are taking to grow your Etsy shop?

I’m committed to creating new patterns to keep my shop fresh. I think it’s important to offer new things on a regular basis, no matter what you are selling. My goal is to add a new pattern at least every two weeks. It does take time to stitch each pattern, so that plays a big role in how quickly new patterns are added. I’ve also joined this amazing team, with the hopes of learning new ways to promote and grow. Facebook and twitter have never interested me, so I’d like to find other avenues.

Shoehuahua Pattern pdf

What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy?

The first thing I would say to a newbie is don’t list all your items at once, but spread them out over a period of time so that your items don’t get buried. Secondly, join a team. It’s a great way to meet other great artists, learn new things, and promote your shop. Lastly, sell internationally. I have a wonderful base of international customers and it is great to see how far your product is reaching around the globe.

How do you promote your work?

I am terrible about promoting. I don’t really promote, but I am hoping to learn effective ways.

In ten years, where would you like to be?

Hopefully, in ten years, my husband will be retired and we will be living in the Florida Keys, which is our favorite place EVER! I would love to continue creating and who knows, maybe by then I will have achieved global cross stitch domination :)

You can win one of Tina's awesome "You are my Sunshine" hoops!

To Enter:

1. Visit Tina's shop and leave a comment below letting us know which piece is your favorite.
2. Blog/Facebook/Tweet about this giveaway
3. Purchase something from Tina's shop

You can enter in as many different ways as you want!
Leave a separate comment below for each entry.
I will select a winner at random on April 19 using random.org

One comment per entry and don't forget to include your email address so we can let you know if you've won!

And the winner is.....

Viola!

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who entered

Visit Sewingseed on Etsy!