Chuletin Designs: Featured Artist From Etsy "RobinsFlight"

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Featured Artist From Etsy "RobinsFlight"

My name is Robin, hence RobinsFlight. I'm a stay at home mom of 2 kids, and I make crocheted bags and purses with fabric linings.
I learned to crochet when I was 8 from my grandmother, and to sew from my mom not long after that. I picked up crochet again about 10 years ago, and started crocheting bags probably 3 years ago. Eventually, I started adding linings, since they added so much to the usefulness of the bags.

I design all my bag patterns myself, often based somewhat on bags I see other people carrying, or in stores, or from a pattern on an crocheted afghan. Often a fabric I like will set the stage for a crocheted exterior too. The crochet is usually easier to design than the linings, though, since I like to add in lots of zippers and pockets. I'm usually working on a few projects at once, crocheting one while I'm with the kids, and working on a different lining after they're in bed, and a few more in the planning stages in my head. It keeps things interesting.

I started my etsy shop in April of 2009. Before that, I hadn't really sold anything, just given them as gifts.

That's a tough question. I have a few favorites- the buckle handle bags, the belted pleat bottom bags. My favorites usually are bags that were a little of a stretch for me when I first designed them, but they turned out really nicely, so I'm proud of the work that went into the design.

At this stage, Etsy is just a means for me to sell my bags. And I sell them basically so I can justify making more. It's all a creative outlet for me, something that's mine, that gives me a sense of accomplishment more immediate than raising children (although just about everything's more immediate that that!) So I don't have any hard and fast goals for Etsy right now. I'm excited when people like my bags, and even more excited when they like them enough to buy them.