Stitch Silly: Tell me a little about yourself.
Little Asian Sweatshop: My dad calls me a comic book because by day I'm a good little corporate cube-farmer...but by night I transform into a one woman Sweatshop! No crime fighting though...although, I personally like to think that by making the world cuter and prettier and better accessorized will one day bring about world peace :D
I've been sewing since I was little. My mom didn't really "believe" in Barbie dolls, so I would sew outfits (OK, they were dresses) for my brother's Transformers. I can only imagine how many years of therapy he's going to need to undo that! Haha! Since I'm short, I started hemming my own clothes when I got older, and from there, I started making simple little outfits for myself (mostly skirts and little tops).
Then, in college, I discovered cosplay! My best friend is an artist and she would come up with the most ridiculous (but amazing) costume designs. I quickly learned how to make my own patterns to turn her designs into reality. As I was the only one who knew how to sew, I would usually be making costumes for our group in the weeks leading up the conventions...sometimes, basting hems and finishing up trims even as we're pulling up to the convention center! Everyone used to joke that I was a "little Asian sweatshop".
Since I'm now a little too old to cosplay (well, cosplay *much*...haha), I've focused my passions into making whimsical hats, cute hair accessories and fun little bags and dresses.
SS: How did you get started with Etsy?
LAS: I've been a huuuuge fan and long time shopper of Etsy. It's odd, despite spending so much time on Etsy, it never occurred to me to open my own Etsy shop! I mostly relied upon word of mouth and friend referrals for my business. Finally, it was my best friend (and fellow Etsian -Paigey Pumphrey) who convinced me to start my own Etsy shop. I've never looked back!
SS: What is your favorite part of being your own boss?
SS: What are your 2 favorite products in your shop?
LAS: My absolute favorite item is my Luck Be a Lady Poker Card Fascinator I came up with this idea because my best friend is getting married in Vegas this November and I wanted to come up with something cute to wear for the trip. As I was trying to come up with a Vegas themed outfit, it occurred to me that it would be so adorable if I could have a poker card rose in my hair. Before you knew it, I had cut up all the poker cards we had in the house...and voila! Success!
My second favorite is my Terrifyingly Cute Monster Fleece Hat It was Snowmaggdon (the huge 2009 snow storm we had on the East Coast), and my husband had cabin fever (which was preventing me from sewing!). To distract him, I had him look up trailers for the "Where the Wild Things Are" movie that was slated to come out that year. So the 40" of snow and umpteen hours of YouTube videos inspired me to make this hat.
SS: I remember Snowmaggdon well! I was 9 months pregnant at the time and praying I wouldn't go into labor during the storm. Thank fully my son waited until the roads were safely cleared until he made his arrival. Those are some great hats.What is your greatest success since joining Etsy?
LAS: This sounds so corny, but I feel that my greatest success with Etsy has been all the amazing people I've met! Although I was a cosplayer and there is a huge and very supportive cosplay community, I've always feel very alone in my sewing and crafting (although, that could have something to do with the slightly competitive nature of cosplayers), so I've never known what it's like to share ideas and techniques. Since I've opened up my Etsy shop and joined the various teams and forums, I've been pretty overwhelmed by how willing complete strangers are to help make my shop more successful! I'm glad to say that these strangers rarely stay strangers for long :)
SS: What do you most want to improve?
LAS: I think the one thing I need to improve the most is bringing my ideas into production. I have so many ideas (I have reams and reams of product sketches and ideas), that sometimes I get overwhelmed. Currently there are about 16 new products in various stages of production sitting in the Sweatshop. I would like to figure out a way to become more focused and get what I'm currently working on perfected and onto Etsy, before allowing myself to start a new product. Of course, this is a mantra that I've been chanting for a while, so no one hold their breath!
SS: What is your ultimate goal for your Etsy shop?
LAS:To become the next Martha Stewart! HAHA! I kid (kinda). My ultimate goal is to just have fun (which I do!)! Sewing and crafting is so enjoyable and oddly relaxing! Being able to sell my products just seems down right decadent!
Of course, I wouldn't say "no" to being able to sell out my store every day!
SS: How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie center of a tootsie pop?
LAS: I actually tried that once. I think I got to 14 licks before I just couldn't resist and had to bite down! HAHA!
So you're hooked and you want more of the Little Asian Sweatshop? Check her out on:
Twitter: twitter.com/
blog: LittleAsianSweatshop.
Facebook:facebook.com/
and of course...on etsy:LittleAsianSweatshop.
We are always looking for different shops and items to feature here on Stitch Silly. Please contact us if you are interested in being featured in a future post.
Thank you so much for interviewing me! It was so much fun!!!
ReplyDelete