So I mentioned in yesterday’s New Year’s Resolutions that I’m planning on opening my own Etsy store. I’ve registered as a seller, set up my shop policies and layout. There just isn’t anything in the shop yet. I’ve made a lot of cool stuff since I started sewing and knitting, but many of those items are from other people’s designs. I’ve been working on some original designs and some original fabric designs through Spoonflower, and hopefully I’ll have some items in my store really soon.

This is very much an experimental work in progress. I have no intention of giving up my day job, so I don’t know how many things I’ll actually be able to make at any given time (if anyone is even interested in buying them). I’m starting out with a few samples and then I’ll make things to order if people want to buy them. And I’ll keep doing my normal crafting, but (especially during my summers off from school) I think this could be a great side business. And it will make Adam feel a little better about my addiction to buying fabric, which is never a bad thing.

The tricky thing I’m coming up against is trying to create original designs for things that are pretty standard. Like aprons, or pillows, or baby blocks. I feel like there are only so many ways to make some of these things, and I’ve been drowning in my Google searches about sewing pattern copyright. But some of the things I’ve made aren’t from paper patterns, they’re from directions in a book or online. At any rate, while some of the things I’m working on are completely of my own invention, others may become available later as I figure out how to avoid intellectual property landmines.

But here’s to a terrifying and exciting new adventure for 2009!