This month's featured EtsyMom shop is JaimeSews.etsy.com. Shop owner, Jaime Johnson, opened shop on Etsy just over a year ago....expecting a new baby, she was looking for a way to stay home with her new baby boy, when a friend introduced her to the world of Etsy (which she admittedly didn't enter until a few months later...she fell in love instantly!). Since joining Etsy, Jaime has been able to connect with other crafters who are also moms and "speak" her language.
JaimeSews offers a variety of handmade baby items...clothing, burpers, bibs, quilts, and more. When asked her specialty, Jaime replied she feels as though she has "sewing ADD - I love bridal sewing and alterations, clothing construction, quilting, and making various baby items." She brings a Bachelor's of Science in Home Economics to the table and has been sewing since the summer between her sophomore and junior years of high school. She worked for Husqvarna Viking Sewing Machines during college and then taught machine classes, children's summer classes and clothing classes at a quilt shop for a few years after that. She also managed the alterations department of David's Bridal for about a year before coming to her current job as a full time church secretary.Jaime initially found it difficult to balance her Etsy shop with her home life. Like many before her, she became addicted to Etsy and had to pull herself away from the online world of arts and crafts. After a less than expected craft show experience, she has decided to keep Etsy in the "hobby" mode until she is able to bring more focus to a single product line.
"Right now I feel really unfocused and unsure of my product, so someday I hope I can gain that needed focus and make it a full time gig. I think that in order to achieve that, I need to find a product that I am passionate bout creating. I believe that is the key to making this my full time job."
In the meantime, she was approached by someone locally with whom she has established an independent contractor's relationship where she converts designer jeans into into maternity jeans. This arrangement allows her to get in her sewing outlet without worrying about the business end of it. She plans to work on increasing her Etsy inventory in between orders from her current arrangement.
Jaime finds the variety, the creative outlet, and the community of crafters to be the most satisfying aspect of her craft. She has been married 6 1/2 years to her husband, Andy and together they have a 14 month old little boy. She is starting her first garden and enjoys sewing, politics and learning just about anything she can. A lot of people are surprised to know she was a skateboarder in junior high and high school. She also loves to go target shooting with her husband whenever they can get to it.