Time for another installment of Bear Hugs. (
Bear Hugs is my Etsy customer appreciation feature. It's trying to become a regular feature, but hey, I'm not a regular kinda gal.)
I became acquainted with
AuntCindysAttic on Twitter, and she’s the one responsible for the brilliant idea of customizing the labels on my
Monster Repellant. I really owe her a debt of gratitude (and probably some royalties.) She's full of great ideas -- like turning your favorite T-shirts into keepsake quilts. She's also fun to
tweet with. So, without further ado, meet Aunt Cindy!
I love hearing the stories behind shop names, tell me about yours.
Aunt Cindy's Attic is the name of my quilt shop – the one I plan to open when I win an obscene amount of money in the lottery I didn't have kids when I thought up the name, but had recently been around my niece & nephews and I liked the sound of "Aunt Cindy". I figured I could use the name for my Etsy shop until I win those millions.
How'd you start doing what you do?
A few years ago, I gave my niece a doll bed for Christmas…or her 3rd birthday -- she was born December 21st, so it's tough to remember which one it was. I painted an unfinished bed, crocheted a little afghan, and thought it needed a quilt. I had recently inherited my grandmother-in-law's sewing machine and some of her quilting tools. I thought, "Thousands of grandmas do this, how hard can it be?" I checked out some books on quilting from the library and got started. I finished the little quilt and, amazingly, had some hair left. I didn't touch fabric for another 6 months. I took a machine quilting class right before we relocated. After the moved, I was unemployed for a year. I had no children at the time. I checked out more library books, was invited to join the quilt guild by one of the quilting librarians & the rest is history. This year I'm guild president. LOL!
What's your favorite item in your shop right now, and why?
This one is so hard! I love my reversible purses because I designed them. I love the Nuzzle Me blankets because they're soooo soft. I also love my sock babies. I had one that my grandma made when I was little. I LOVED it & figured other little ones would love them, too! I'm really liking the t-shirt quilts right now, too. I like that people trust me with their memories. At first I didn't think I'd like them (they seemed boring). I love fitting the pieces together to get something that my customers love. I'm not a pattern person anyway, so this is great for me!
Tell me about your most memorable Etsy moment.
I loved selling hairbows to a mom in Norway. I loved it more when she ordered a second time. It was really cool.
Do you have any secrets of success to share?
Take time off when you need to take a break. We all need those sometimes.
What's your favorite "Tip"? (Doesn't have to be shop-related, it can be life-related, a cleaning tip, etc.)
If you're changing a baby boy's diaper, tear off a small square from the corner of your wipe BEFORE opening the dirty diaper. Place it strategically to prevent any "diaper fountains".
BTW, Aunt Cindy, I'm still trying to find that stack of my son's t-shirts I want to send you. I must have one of these quilts!