Etsy Seller Interview with Adamandia of AdaQuiltedCreations

How AdaQuiltedCreations got started

Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?

I am Adamandia Karamanou, or Ada for short, and I am the person behind Ada Quilted Creations. I live in Greece with my family, and I have three wonderful children (two girls and a boy). I love making quilted ornaments. I fell in love with this craft several years ago when I was trying to make pink ornaments for my Christmas tree! I found some YouTube tutorials and taught myself. I remember that I stayed up until 4 a.m. in the morning making ornaments using old pink shirts from my girls. The rest is history, as they say. I was hooked, and I never stopped creating. I opened an Etsy shop trying to sell my creations in order to finance my hobby in February 2017. I wrote my first tutorial on a heart pattern the year after.

Fun fact: the first ornament I sold was my pink "star gazer" heart, and the first tutorial I wrote was that same heart. I have written many tutorials since then, and I still come up with new designs as I work. Every January, I begin working on my tutorials and continue until June. In July and August, I cross stitch my new ideas, and throughout the year, I try to turn all of my new ideas into ornaments. Crafting is like soul medicine to me. I love the process and the preparation, but most of all, I like to see the reaction of my friends, family, and customers when they have one of my crafts in their hands. I love seeing my work appreciated since every item is special and precious to me.

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?

My favorite items listed in my shop are the cross-stitched ornaments and crochet lace ornaments. When I first made quilted ornaments, I thought how wonderful it would be if I could find tiny cross stitch patterns to use on my ornaments, and I am in constant search of designs that "talk to my heart" and want to become featured in my ornaments. The cross-stitched ornaments are actually selling very well. Most of the time, they are sold as soon as I introduce them. I have gained some very loyal customers who expect my new designs every year. There are also times that they request that I make them a series of cross-stitched ornaments or personalized ones with a message or an alphabet initial. The reason these are selling well is because each and every one is very special. It takes a lot of time and love to make these ornaments, and I guess that shows in them. I want every customer that receives one of these ornaments to cherish it forever because it definitely carries a lot of love and a part of me in it.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Getting sales on Etsy

How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?

I opened up my Etsy shop on February 1st, 2017, and I got my first sale a week later. It was a pink quilted heart ornament.

I attract customers to my shop through the following channels:

• Pinterest
• My facebook group, "Ornaments Gang," and my facebook page
• Instagram (a lot less than the two social media sites above)
• Etsy ads. 

Managing AdaQuiltedCreations 

How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?

There is only me behind Ada Quilted Creations, and I must say that it is overwhelming at times, but with strict planning and a tight schedule, everything can be done. I must say that I have always been an organized and goal-oriented person, and that has helped a lot in this endeavor. It also helps that my BS was in marketing (University of Illinois at Chicago).

I do not use any apps to run my store because all the ornaments are handmade and I have all my tutorials in PDF files. I have established a 1-6 business day processing time for all my products, but I usually have them shipped within the next day if the items are craft supplies, but otherwise I will probably need 2-4 days to craft the ornaments if they are not already made.

The future of AdaQuiltedCreations 

What goals do you have for your shop in the future?

One of my main goals was to establish my own e-shop, and I just managed to accomplish that a few months ago. My new website  was  launched in October 2022! I plan on keeping my Etsy shop as well and working at both shops for the next 4-5 years. At some point, I think I will only focus on my tutorials and cross-stitching, but at the moment, I am having lots of fun doing what I love.

Advice for new sellers

What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?

My advice to new sellers is to read a lot of all the materials they can get their hands on about Etsy (the Etsy seller handbook is a must), SEO, product descriptions, etc. One of the most important things in their Etsy shop is the presentation of the product, and that can be accomplished only with good photographs. Invest in a lightbox and good lighting. Lastly, they need to find their customer niche and where those customers can be found. If your customer base is over 45, you won't find them on Instagram or TikTok! Facebook might be your best bet. In other words, they need to study their customers and their habits so they can approach them.