I want to start selling craft items and building my own personal brand but I have no idea what to make, or what sells. Do phone cases sell more than beaded butt plugs? I have no idea because I’ve never stepped foot outside to see anything myself, nor done any basic research.
We have some leftover beads from a birthday party, whats the profit margin on friendship bracelets?

Maybe I should do soap. Where do I buy supplies? How do you make soap?

I don’t really even have a passion for making anything, I just want to “do craft fairs”. Tell me all things you know so I can be the most informed vendor without getting my own feet dirty in the slightest, and just show up to make that $$$$.
🫶🏻

Are your scissors OK? Ask the TSA.
Are your needles OK? Ask the TSA.
Is yarn OK? Ask the TSA.

Or I have a better idea ask a bunch of people who are going to give you 33 suggestions apiece and then say something like “… But you never know…” when you do. You just have to check with the TSA. There’s a whole section of this on the website.

​

Maybe it's just that I've been more often online on Reddit and TikTok (I'm showing my age, but I was mostly communicating with knitters on Facebook and watching YouTube videos until recently) and never noticed it before, but EVERY SINGLE DAY someone posts about twisted stitches.

It's like every time I blink my eyes a twisted stitch is being made somewhere in the world.

I keep looking at my work like "AM I twisting MY stitches?!". I'm not, but I'm looking at them suspiciously every now and then because this looks contagious.

Whatever you're making, if you let your pets lay on/get hair all over your project, YES, IT'S DISGUSTING.

I was once gifted a baby blanket that looked like it had been a dog blanket for years. Fucking nasty, don't even lie to yourself, I wouldn't let that within 10 feet of my newborn.

If you haven't trained your pets to listen when you tell them to get away from your crafts, it's not cute, it's a failure on your part as a pet owner. I say this as someone with both cats and dogs that are fucking OBSESSED with me and who I spoil obscenely. They still worship at me feet or from like two feet away on their thrones pet beds like proper pets and don't climb all over me and my shit.

People low key bragging about their pets shedding all over everything like it's enviable or proves how much their pets love them, get real. It just means you're nasty.

I am making a 1930s evening gown. I have the requisite silk crepe, but it needs underlining to add a bit of body and weight and opacity. Every recommendation I've seen suggests cotton batiste.

So why is the damn stuff nearly impossible to find? Especially in colours other than white. Every example of batiste I've seen for sale is in white and is for embroidery and christening gown purposes, in weird widths and only comes in white. Do they expect us to dye our own fabrics? I wish we lived in the days of specialist fabric suppliers where they could just source the stuff for you instead having to hunt down the entire internet. I live in London by the way, so no chain shops, almost every fabric shop here is independent and yet every time I've asked about a certain fabric I'm looking for, staff is barely helpful - what you see in the shop is what you get.

I have similar problems with silk organza, though that's a bit more easily available in colour variations.

I have endless gripes about the lack of quality haberdashery too, specifically metal buttons, most metal buttons are plastic with a coating and they break and chip and discolour with time. And getting the right buttons in the right sizes is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Modern plastics are cheap and will chip as soon as you look at it, but outerwear needs something more hard-wearing.

I'm aware that this is an incredibly niche complaint, but it's making my hobbying so much harder!

The amount of times I opened a pattern and had to think about if I really want to make that item because the pattern was so hard to read is getting ridiculous. I get that designers want to make their patterns look fun, and whimsical, and thematic, but please think about how easy the pattern is actually to visually parse. I am not dyslexic but some of these pattern are doing their damn best to convince me otherwise.

The thin, tall, serif font does look nice and elegant. It’s also a bitch to try and read. No the bubbly and round font you use for all important text does not make the pattern look fun. All the text just starts blending together.

And don’t get me started on color choices. Some of us like printing our patterns out, some of us only have access to b&w printers. I love that you’re at least trying to establish text hierarchy through colors but please don’t, in black and white the text just starts disappearing. Also who in the world thought colored background was a good idea. Magenta text on a pink background does not a readable pattern make. Not even in color.

Anyway, I’m just glad all patterns that I struggled to read so far were either free or on heavy discount so I wasn’t too bothered. Not looking forward to the day I buy a pattern at full price and get to spend the first several hours making sure I can actually read it.

Somehow, I have an easier time reading scans of hundreds year old handwritten notes for uni than I do reading some of these patterns.

ETA: there’s a reason fonts like Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Calibri, etc are the gold standard. Because people can fucking read them properly

*I just started knitting yesterday, please teach me everything! And what should I make? No, I won’t search the subreddit to see if this exact post was made five times today already*

Anyone else sick to death of this type of post? I get it, knitting is extremely trendy, and it’s super fun to learn a new craft. But showing up to the knitting subreddit like it’s your first day on earth & expecting everyone else to be as exited as you are, and also handhold you through learning to knit, is exhausting

I know we have a bad rep for being unfriendly but tbh it’s just exhaustion. We have an faq and no one ever reads it. Or even bothers to search the sub to see that their exact question has been asked 100 times over and the answer never changes

1. Being lazy to learn how to crochet basic stitches. Double crochet, single crochet, half double, slip stitch, post double, shell stitch. Trust me everything is going around these stitches and you still aren't able to realize which stitch could it be. Pinterest, yt, free pattern websites and Google are your friends.

2. Etsy is prioritized over Ravelry, Pinterest and YouTube. Why would you pay 16$ for pattern to learn how to make cardigan which is nothing but double crochet+mesh stitch??? Girl 16 dollars is worth 12 balls of acrylic yarn.

3. Learning on expensive yarn. Learn on Acrylic yarn first. It's more affordable to learn stitches.

4. Not being good in basic maths. There are sizes of clothes and you can find how many centimeters you need for shirt based on your size. It's easy then to manipulate with stitches and material. Also you need to count your stitches and it will be good. You can find tutorials for these for free. As I already said Google and YouTube are your best friends.

5. Asking influencers in comments for crochet pattern for free. Ofc these people will try to promote their Etsy shop under your comment. Rather figure it out yourself.

6. Buying STITCHES you can learn for free on YouTube 😭😭😭 Very hard on this one

7. Not prioritizing practice. That's the most important thing. Practice before you make anything for yourself.

8. Giving up because project is messy. As I said practice practice and practice. You'll make it and it will be great, you just need a little bit of patience.

If you know anything more. You can write it here so if someone wants to start crocheting and they want to do some research, they can find it here.

Like how lazy and incompetent can some people be? They really need their hands held for EVERYTHING

In an attempt to stop the mindless scrolling, I've been searching for the best couch craft. Knitting seems to be winning so far - keeps hands busy and takes many weeks to finish a project.

To break it up a bit, I thought I'd try embroidery. I've seen lots of gorgeous floral designs on Instagram, and thought I'd check out a few patterns and kits. I was kinda taken aback to discover that most patterns are literally just outlines to trace onto fabric with some guidance on colours and that's it.

I also bought some kits and was frustrated to find that they don't include printed instructions, just a QR code to videos.

I guess my point is - if the 'patterns' are just some outlines with minimal instructions, why are people buying them? I could just as easily draw my own outlines onto fabric and sew that.

Right off the top, I dont mind buying patterns. I buy books and digital patterns both.

However, some people's prices are out if control. $9, $12, $14 fing dollars?

IMAO, crafy intentions writes the best patterns both in terms of the pattern itself (ease of reading, careful explanation, ect) and in terms of the quality of the final product (simply amazing, every one). She charges 6 bucks for all of them.

There is literally no excuse for charging more that she does (except maybe the t Rex skull, which is way overpriced at $20)

edit to add: this post was about amigurami specifically. a clothing item with multiple sizes is a different game and I cannot speak to it.

I figure a book is $30 - $40. it has 6-8 ]patterns thats $6 each

Someone local to me is running free embroidery workshops to make Christmas stockings & decorations - great stuff, teach the whole world to craft, THIS IS A GOOD THING (in my book at least).

Not so good is her blooming awful poster using obviously AI-generated finished decorations, the like of which are impossible to recreate - zooming in, is that a stitch, is it felt, what are those beads, who the heck even knows?!

Equally awful is her stinking attitude when I asked if she had any pictures of actual finished work or what attendees might actually be making; the usual defensive garbage about how she has no money, it's for free, why am I criticising her when she's just trying to do good works etc blah blah

Honestly I'm sick of it! I embroider, I sew, I run workshops, I run a gosh darn business & I cannot conceive of the disconnect that has to take place to run an actual workshop but then to churn out some slop to advertise it! Show your work! You have a phone, take some pictures! Don't come at me with your 'of course I have examples of my work, I've been doing this for 4 years' really then, show it to me lady!

FFS, stop letting this AI slop invade our handmade creative work & then acting like I'm in the wrong for going 'ahem, what?'

I have to go rage sew something now.

Etsy FINALLLLLLLLLY is taking a stance on AI. It's about damn time.

Though I feel like they aren't doing enough. Thoughts?

Here's the email from Etsy sent to all sellers:

"Etsy has always been a marketplace that stands for creativity and craftsmanship. On Etsy, unlike anywhere else, buyers can connect with the real people and stories behind the items they buy. As a seller, you’re what makes that possible. The care and personal touch you bring to your shop helps create the sense of connection buyers expect when they shop on Etsy.

As new tools change how people create and run their businesses, we know AI raises big, complex questions for creative entrepreneurs. Like many of you, we’re thinking seriously about what these changes mean for Etsy, what’s allowed on our marketplace, and how it impacts running a creative business.

AI will continue to evolve, but we’re committed to protecting what makes Etsy special. We believe:

• AI should support your creativity and craftsmanship, not replace them.
• Buyers should always be able to understand the role you play in every item you sell on Etsy.

That’s why we’re updating our policies to set clearer restrictions on AI use and introducing new features that help build trust on Etsy.

We’re updating our Listing Image Requirements policy. Your listings must include at least one unedited photo of the actual item against a real background. That photo can’t be edited or changed, and some exceptions may apply depending on what you sell. All photos must accurately represent what a buyer will receive. At the same time, we're introducing new restrictions on AI-generated listings, including prohibiting bot-generated listings and AI-generated functional guides, such as patterns, recipes, and instructions.

We’re also updating Etsy to support trustworthy AI use. We’re adding guidance when sellers add listing photos, investing in tools to identify misleading images and fraudulent listings, and adding a new reporting option so members can flag listings they believe use AI imagery in a misleading way. At first, reports will help us understand members’ concerns and won’t trigger immediate enforcement. We’ll also explore more ways to give buyers context about AI use on Etsy.

These changes are an important first step, and we know there’s more to address as AI evolves. Read the full update to learn what’s changing, what it means for your shop, and best practices for using AI in your listings.

read the full update

Prefer a quick overview? Watch our video.

Our goal is to provide clear guidance along the way, so you can move your business forward with confidence while keeping creativity, craftsmanship, and human connection at the heart of Etsy.

Thank you for being part of the Etsy community.

No seriously, why are they doing that ?

Ps : This is thankfully not an actual commercially available pattern. I made this pattern myself. When I was placing it on the printing layout template, I got reminded of outrageous layouts I came across before and decided to shitpost. Don't worry, surely no one is evil enough to create such a demonic printing layout..

OG Knitter: Maybe. Try it and see

OP: you're such mean and gatekeepy hag

People act like rowing out is the end of the world - coming up with all kinds of complicated solutions and work arounds, judging hard for not improving your tension etc. etc.

My hot take: it is not a big deal. It may not block out the first time, but it absolutely will work itself out in the end. Elizabeth Zimmerman herself writes about her realization that old-timey knitters did not have amazing tension, it's just that the imperfections in their work have evened out with time.

Yours will too. Let's all of us collectively let go of any judgment towards self or others on the subject of rowing out.

So I'm apart of a few crochet/knitting groups on fb. As much as I enjoy them, I am so. Fucking. Tired. of (what feels like) every other post being "I know this is AI but can someone find a pattern??". Did you even TRY to look up similar looking patterns? Or maybe think about how you could construct it?? Most of the ones I see are AI slop of things that really wouldn't be that hard to reverse engineer.

These posters need to take a step back, stop using chatgpt the do all their thinking for them, and learn the basics of their craft. What different stitches look like, how to do shaping, what shapes make up a piece, etc. It's a lot easier than it seems, they just need to put time and effort into it instead of using online forums like their AI chatbot to answer all their questions.

The pic in this post is the most recent example that got me fired up. First off, there are a few legit patterns out there for this scarf (they would know if they BOTHERED TO LOOK IT UP). Second off, even if there weren't, IT'S LITERALLY JUST A SCARF MADE WITH DC. Make a hole on one end, and then add the curly's to the bottom (which there are also tons of tutorials online for). Like, just one look at this picture and I don't even need a pattern. I know how to make it because I know the basics of how to construct a simple dc scarf.

I have 14yrs of crochet under my belt so maybe it's just me but it infuriates me everytime nonetheless.

Just unsubscribed.

I know, I know. Quality of projects was never high. Approaches were never conventional. PPE was dubious.

The kicker? She was filming while driving in her recent video. She’s done it before and I commented my critique.

Just wait until you park.

Driving is the most dangerous thing we do on a regular basis. It’s not worth the risk to yourself and others.

(If you need the reminder, don’t use your phone while driving.)

I have restarted the Loupy cardigan six times over the past four days I haven’t gotten past the 10th row I am losing my mind I literally busted out a sweater in a week last month with little to no issue after cast on and somehow between now and then I have completely gotten the yips and keep biffing this new project constantly does anyone else get like this

grateful for the patience this craft has taught me 😔

I'm getting a crazy number of ads for some new social platform called gist. I don't know what it actually is because I refuse to download it, but the ads make me think it's a bunch of TikTok kids trying to "teach" me crafting. No, I do not want to learn pottery from a 20 something who took a couple courses no matter how cute your outfit it. I want to learn from the Auntie who's been perfecting her skills for 30+ years.

I'm asking this just because there are many dramas in crochet world on Instagram and tiktok. Like these bigger influencers are attacking smaller ones? Do you know anyone who doesn't care about it?

I churn out projects like crazy (no kids, lots of leisure time) but I don't weave in the ends. I just throw the things I make into my "problems for future me" basket.

The problem is, when the basket gets full, I then have to spend a few days weaving in my damn ends to make more room in the basket.

That's all. That's the rant. It's all my own fault.

Can anyone relate?

Happy crafting!

Let me preface this: I’m not a religious person. I was raised Catholic. Long story short I’ve got beef with organized religion based on my own experiences. If you’re religious that’s cool that’s great, I don’t judge you for it. HOWEVER it does irk me when it gets shoved into things that have nothing to do with faith.

There’s been a few patterns and posts from pattern-makers that I’ve seen lately that just feel so weird.

Saying things like “Let God guide you in sewing this pattern”, like I’m sorry, aren’t YOU supposed be to be guiding me?? shit that’s why I bother buying patterns 😭 If you saw my toile, you would also know that no god had anything to do with that lmao

“I pray this pattern blesses you” was written 2 or 3 times in a pattern I sewed a couple weeks ago.

I saw some other post about “how to find god at the sewing machine” which ok I guess? I don’t get it but at least you’re not writing that up in the sewing pattern…

If you are religious and reading this I do not mean any offense at all. Maybe to you those things feel comforting and like a hug and I’m genuinely glad that it has that effect for you.

I have been through therapy, this isn’t actually derailing my day or causing THAT much upset, I just find it irksome.

edit: i have decided that if i ever make a sewing pattern or something i’m gonna hire some etsy astrology baddie to put random bits of advice in my pattern depending on where the moon and stars are.

Just ranting here. I love craft groups, subreddits, and pages. Love them. However. I cannot stand when people post mediocre projects and ask how much they should charge people for them. Google it. Look on etsy or eBay or Facebook Marketplace and see what similar things actually sold for. Do your homework and be honest about how your product compares. Im all for people selling their art and projects, but if you’re trying to sell a wonky bright Red Heart scarf that changes widths because you miscounted, don’t expect Burberry prices. If you have to hold it in a certain way so it stays upright and there are gaps in the yarn where you can see the stuffing, maybe practice a little more before you try to rent a craft fair booth for your amigurumi and expect to sell out. I don’t like selling my crochet because even though i consider myself an advanced level, I know how much time and energy and effort goes into truly quality products and to me, it just isn’t worth it. Thank you for coming to my TEDtalk