Last night’s Club Etsy was another great opportunity to meet other crafters and talk about the different goals everyone has for their Etsy shops. This week we discussed the ins and outs of setting up, maintaining an account and experimented with product photography. I set up the studio photo box and flood lights (available for you to use with studio time!) and a couple of attendees brought in products to photograph using our digital camera.

One thing I’ve learned about having an Etsy store is that quality photos of your products are just as important as the quality of what you sell. While it might be tempting to throw a towel on a bed and take a quick picture to get the process over with, you’ll be much happier and have better customer response if you take a little time to learn how to take a crisp, clear product photo.

Fortunately, Etsy offers a variety of valuable resources and tutorials for every aspect of your Etsy store. You can find articles, forums, videos and more by visiting The Storque, in the blog section of their website.

Here are a couple of photos taken at our club night yesterday. Don’t they look great?!

(above: http://www.etsy.com/shop/eroweboat)

If you didn’t make it out last night, you can still join our online Club Etsy group HERE. Add photos of your products, ask questions in our discussion forum and find out what special topic will be offered in next month’s meeting. We hope to see you at our next Club Etsy, Wednesday April 14th from 6-8pm!

Join us for our first ever Knit and a Movie night on Saturday, January 30th from 7-9pm! We’ll be screening the deliciously decadent Chocolat, so bring your knitting (or any lap project) and enjoy two hours with Johnny Depp and some crafting. Need we say more? Just $6 at the door, no RSVP required. We are also extending our Yarn Sale during the event to all attendees!!

(photo credit: Becky Sapp)

A lot of the crafters I’ve met first learned the importance of handmade skills when they were kids. Cheryl grew up in the Nebraska Sandhills, where she was taught by her family to crochet and sew at the ripe old age of four. She comes from a long line of crafters who seem to create magical environments within the sand dunes and prairie landscape. In the 1950s, Cheryl’s uncle took apart television sets and made dioramas out of them to put all around the house.

That imagination has certainly been passed along. After teaching workshops at Machine Project in Echo Park (including the talking amigurumi yeti in the photo), she was invited to take part in their show at LACMA. Cheryl crocheted 101 little birds at the LACMA entrance, and one gigantic crochet bird, nearly 5 feet tall, to sit beside his hanging friends. The event included an ongoing crochet workshop where Cheryl taught nearly a hundred people how they too could use their hands to create a magical creature for their world.

Cheryl came to The Urban Craft Center to add a few new skills to her repertoire. She’s picked up quilting, spinning and screen printing over the past couple of months. I am quite fond of her Yeti cards from our Yudu class. Adorable little beast, no? This design is a continuation of an image Cheryl created and had made into fabric. She’s started an Etsy shop, you can see it here, with more great items coming soon. For more information about Cheryl Cambras and her work, visit her website.

Be a part of the Urban Craft Pack, our new Wednesday night clubs in the studio. Drop in any time between 6-8pm, bring friends, food and drinks – we have coffee and tea! Club nights aren’t classes, but a chance to work on projects, share ideas, events and craft together. We look forward to seeing you!

1st Wednesday of the month
Stitch ‘N Bitch
Begins November 4th, 6-8pm, FREE
Bring your knitting and crochet projects and sit in the comfy orange couches at The U.C.C studio. Meet local crafters, enjoy a hot cup of tea or coffee after work while you work on your projects. It’s a great opportunity to look through project ideas in our library and share ideas.

2nd Wednesday of the month
Club Etsy
Begins November 11th, 6-8pm, FREE
Be a part of the handmade revolution! Whether you’re a newbie or an experienced Etsy seller, this club is an opportunity to meet other crafters who have or want to start their own handmade shop on Etsy. Explore tools in our studio to improve your store’s presentation. Share your experiences and bring in your laptop if you’d like some hands on advice!

3rd Wednesday of the month
Sewing Club
Begins November 18th, 6-8pm, FREE
Bring the unfinished projects out of your crowded craft room and into our studio. We have large cutting mats, sewing machines and lots of project ideas in the library. Sewers unite – craft together!

Thank you to everyone who came out to our very first free craft night this weekend!

We had a lot of guests getting to know one another and the projects they are working on. U.C.C member, Shannon, finished making this beautiful oilcloth shopping bag. Click here to see her Etsy store called SewKors. Look out for our next free craft night by signing up for our newsletter or checking updates on our facebook!

Since I started working at the UCC back in May, the level of ‘make’ in my life has definitely spiked. With remote crafty relatives eager to see what I was making, and after suffering the oh-so-tedious task of attaching pictures to multiple mass emails, I decided to start a blog to be able to share everything the easy way.

My blog Miss Make is an opportunity to share of all the stuff I get to make, big and small, simple and not so simple. The posts range from softies to jewelry to quilts to recipes. You’ll see some of the UCC’s products (mostly fabric) and how they look when they’re worked into bigger projects. I’ve gotten pretty addicted to making baby quilts – I can’t control it! – and I’ve even started an Etsy store called fox&hootie for some of my creations. So check it out from time to time…I hope it will connect me to some other crafters out there so we can share ideas, tips and inspiration!

Producer of L.A’s Swap O Rama Rama,
creator of Hip Line Media and local ASG group leader.



I was a little nervous attending the first American Sewing Guild meeting here in our studio. The word guild sounded very noble, and I had only sewn a couple of basic projects. I imagined the guild looking at my slightly crooked pillows and raw fabric edges, only to pat me on the head and banish me for good. I perked up when Lori began the meeting by reassuring us that the ASG is a place of supportive people of all ages and skill levels, which was clear when I looked around the room. Guys and girls, sassy older women and ambitious younger sewers, all sincerely inspired by each others’ interests.

I got the chance this week to interview Lori and found that she is a very dedicated crafter and above all, a constant promoter of empowering people through the support of community. Enjoy!


What have you enjoyed most about hosting ASG meetings here at The U.C.C?

Being at the Urban Craft Center has been inspiring for our local ASG group. We all love wandering around the store and checking out the fabrics, kits, notions and class projects. In the past, most of the ASG activities happened in the more traditional fabric stores but our group is an urban group, diverse in age, experience and with a good population of males. To be in a creative venue like this makes us feel like we’re truly a part of the new crafter community.

Why is the American Sewing Guild (ASG) important to the crafting community?

The ASG mission statement is “Advancing sewing as an art form and life skill.” The do-it-yourself movement has become increasingly popular and the ASG provides an outlet for people to come together, learn and inspire others. It’s about reaching out to potential new sewers, former sewers and general crafters so we can all share ideas and learn new things. The ASG encourages its’ members to support the local retailers, get involved in charity work and volunteer for non-profit events. All these things build a stronger crafting community.



What is your crafting background?

I learned to sew as a young girl from my mother. She was uber talented and could look at a Vogue magazine and rip off any outfit. She was always fabulously dressed and made clothes for my Barbie dolls from her scraps. She let me in her sewing room during the summers to make bikinis and halter tops but when school started again, it was her territory.

Like many people, I went to college, got a career and didn’t have time to sew. I was re-inspired about 8 years ago with the introduction of the new computerized machines and have been hooked ever since. I became so interested in learning new things that I took all the classes I could and even used my career skills as a television producer to create a line of instructional DVD’s on sewing and quilting. My DVD’s are in most libraries and high schools across the country and that is very rewarding to me (Hip Line Media).

For the last four years I have been producing Swap O Rama Rama (SORR) in LA. This is a giant clothing swap with sewing stations, silk screening and other DIY stations that encourage people to re-create and re-use unwanted clothing. We attract up to 400 people at the event and it’s very inspiring for anyone who wants to express their creativity.

Your next Swap O Rama Rama is Halloween themed, what can people expect from this one?

We are all looking forward to the Halloween SORR. There must be a zillion old halloween costumes out there just begging to be swapped and re-vamped! What a great way to recycle them. For $5 and a bag of clothes you can swap and create all you want at the event! We will have some innovative silk-screening designs, a trick or treat bag station, finger puppets, super heroes, hats and more. Can you imagine how much more fun Halloween would be if we all made our own costumes!?! We are hosting the SORR in a small funky space in Venice and I think this will only add to the fun!


(photo from http://www.hiplinemedia.com/swaporamarama.html)

The next ASG meeting is this Thursday, September 10th from 6:30-8:30, here in our studio. Meetings are always free and open to everyone!

The next Swap O Rama Rama is on Saturday October 10th.
More more information about Lori and the Swap please visit: http://www.hiplinemedia.com/swaporamarama.html

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