If you’ve managed to find your way to this particular blog post, it may be because you are a crafter or artist looking to boost your sales, or wondering why you haven’t actually made any sales yet. Being a handmade artist is tough work; you put in hours and hours of time buying supplies, making the project, uploading them online to sell, and marketing your shop. However when all of that is done, most of us sit back and wait…and wait…and wait. Maybe a sale will trickle in here and there, or maybe not. So you do a little research to see if similar items from different sellers are selling, and they are.

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You look back at your items and notice that yours just aren’t as good as theirs (or at least in your mind they aren’t), and feel like a failure and never want to pick up a brush, needle, or wire cutters ever again.

Okay, maybe that sounded a bit dramatic, but that came from personal experience!

I started crocheting when I was about 9 years old, but really got into it again in college. While most of my fellow students were out partying and having a good time, I was busy buying the latest pattern books and softest yarn. I whipped up items and posted them on my Etsy page. I told everyone on Facebook about it, and even joined some Facebook groups to try and get some people to at least LOOK at my shop.

Here are a few of my favorite pattern books:

Crochet Goodies for Fashion Foodies

Edward’s Menagerie

Whimsical Stitches

But the sales were few.

I loved my items! I was so proud of my pink scarf that I finished during Spanish 2 class. I couldn’t believe why on earth it wasn’t selling!

Then I did an Etsy search for “crochet scarves”, and was blown away. Not only were the other sellers’ pictures on point, but the quality of their items just seemed to blow mine out of the water! They used different textures and colors. They looked soft and luxurious. They were simply gorgeous.

When this happens, it’s hard to not put ourselves down and throw in the towel. I stopped crocheting for a while, thinking that it was stupid and that I wasn’t actually born for this. I continued to teach beginners how to do simple stitches, but that was the extent of my crocheting.

Eventually I got into other crafts, thinking that for sure this one would be my thing. I did melted crayon art, resin jewelry, beaded jewelry, and even tried sewing. However I didn’t seem to be an expert at any of it.

I don’t know what it was that got me back into crocheting. I just kept going back to it, even though I was convinced that I wasn’t any good. For a while I just collected patterns on Pinterest, played with my yarn stash, and thought about how awesome it would be if I could just make living doing this. Then it hit me; why the hell shouldn’t I at least TRY to make a living doing this?! I know it’s not realistic to earn a full-time income off of crocheting, but I was determined to at least make enough money to support my favorite hobby.

So I got to work. I started crocheting and never put the hook down. I studied new patterns, tried out new yarns, and mastered new techniques. I realized that I loved making amigurumi, so I started focusing on that instead of boring scarves.

I started by making little gifts for friends and family members, and just listening to their feedback. I posted pictures of my items on various crochet Facebook pages, and took the criticism to heart. I kept at it because it’s what I loved to do. Eventually, people started asking me what patterns I used, and I started getting compliments like “omg these are so cute!”. That’s when I decided to try and sell my items again.

I posted a picture of a mermaid I had made on one of my local buy/sell/trade groups. If I started crocheting it and never put my hook down, it probably would have taken me an entire day to make (in reality, it took me 2-3 days, because I like food and I have a family to take care of), but even then, I only decided to list it for $35 (normally, items like these sell for up to $70!). Immediately I had requests for mermaids in different colors, and for different things. One lady wanted one to use as a photo prop for baby photography. Another wanted one for her daughters birthday. And another, just wanted one to sit in her living room. Finally, I was selling my beloved crochet!

Eventually I started raising my prices and putting them in my Etsy shop. I continued to practice and grow in my craft, and to this day I’m still learning. I look back at pictures of those mermaids I had sold, and notice that I make them much better, and finish them faster than I did back then. The quality of my items had gone way up, because I really focused on perfecting my craft, because I WANTED to.

Today, I have an Etsy shop, but get most of my sales by setting up a booth at local craft shows. I don’t do any promoting to my Etsy shop, so when I get a sale I get super excited. I still mainly stick to amigurumi, but I try to keep a couple hats and scarves in my booth during the colder months.

Once you realize that you love something, it’s hard to put it down, but it’s also easy to get discouraged. Keep working toward your goal, and don’t ever give up! Eventually, you will perfect your craft, and look back at your earlier projects and wonder why the heck you haven’t started sooner. You will be happier, and your shop will look bangin’!