I bought this design on
Urban Threads ages ago. I love it, and everytime I make a shirt for Skoober, I think I should finally use it. But there it sat, lonely and neglected in my computer's embroidery folder, for over a year.
Until now.
My cousin's wife had a baby on Christmas Eve, and of course the new addition to the family needed a new shirt! I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to use my cleverly disguised giraffe design. But I can't just stop at one shirt...noooo....that would be too easy! I made the exact same shirt for
Cobblestone Park, and naturally, one for Skoober too.
Pattern: Ottobre 2/05
Embroidery: Urban Threads
Fabric: Cotton Lycra from Bamblue Fabrics (of course!)
On a related note, I just cannot stand my pictures. I look at Etsy and there is a clear divide between those who have good pictures and those who have terrible pictures. Obviously, the former are the ones getting all the sales. But I have a couple of things working against me: 1) I live in a house that is totally shaded by trees. Natural light does not exist in this house, particularly on gray, drizzly days like today. 2) I am not a photographer, nor do I have a fancy camera. 3) I think pictures on real live kids look the best, but the models at my disposal (my kiddos) do not like to model. So what to do? Enroll in a photography class? That would help one problem, but not the others.
I'm still pondering this. Suggestions? How does everyone else get such professional looking pictures on Etsy?
Hey Carolyn,
ReplyDeleteHere's what's worked for me:
1) my sales went way up after I stopped taking photos outside and took them inside against a white wall instead. Especially with such colorful clothes (and without a fancy lens that lets more light in), I think a white wall is the only way to go.
2) I never ever use a flash
3) Photoshop Elements isn't terribly expensive, and it helped sharpen and brighten my photos
4) I live in the soggy northwest where my child hasn't seen her shadow in 5 months, and we're at the edge of a giant pine forest--even here it's always possible to get some light for a decent picture indoors. It may only be for a fleeting time during the day, but I can almost always find a small patch of decent light.
5) I've seen lots of people on Etsy rave about the Nikon Coolpix L4. It's super cheap (under $20 I think)
Katie
Thanks Katie! I was going to ask you about pictures, because yours always look so beautiful. I think you have a real eye for getting a great shot, too. Not sure I have that! I'll have to look into that Nikon, too.
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