Interview Feature: PieceUnique

Today’s interview feature is with PieceUnique from the Positivity Team!  PieceUnique has a wide variety of textile projects in her shop, from toddler clothing to women’s, toys, jewelry, and home décor!  It’s worth checking out her creations, especially her awesome fabric balls!  You can check out PieceUnique's blog as well!

How did you come up with your shop name?
I came up with the name Piece Unique roughly 5 years ago. At the time I was living in the UK, in London, and was making a lot of skirts in my spare time. I finally took the jump to have a weekly stall at our local market “The Broadway Market” in East London, and felt it would look much better to have a name and tags in my clothes. I was looking for something which would work both in French and English. Piece Unique literally means “One-off piece” and didn’t sound too bad in English.

Why did you start your Etsy shop?
I started the Piece Unique shop on Etsy in 2007, but was very busy at the time with my full-time job, making skirts in the evenings, market stall on Saturday, and social life, so I didn’t really do much about it. I only started seriously in the Autumn of 2008 after my return to France. And I did regret the “lost time”!
I loved the idea of being able to showcase my production to prospective buyers, and the format of Etsy really appealed to me. I've since then been checking out other sites regularly, but I've never found one to offer the same great presentation and functionalities as Etsy does. It still stands out by far.

How long have you been a crafter?
It’s been a long time! I learned my first bits of sewing and knitting from my Mum, and other bits of practical skills like wood or stone work... from my Dad. I made clothes and objects for dolls, pets and family when I was a little girl.

Does your shop reflect your personal style?
I think so. Very eclectic! I’m not the kind of person to be able to focus on one or two things only. I need to have various things on the go. Hence having clothes, baby items, fabric balls, soft toys, pincushions, curtain panels, fabric jewellery, textile dolls and so on and so on ;)
I do feel that visually it is not as together as I would like it to be. I am working on my pictures and general presentation regularly to try to bring it all together more successfully.

Where do you draw inspiration from for your products?
I use a lot of recycled materials which means that I’m often limited in how much of a fabric I have available. I try not to waste much of what I use and am often influenced by the shape of the piece I’ve just cut out from a garment. I look around a lot too: other Etsy shops, magazines, ... Everyday life is also very inspiring to me. I draw from my own needs in a fairly wide proportion of the time.

Is there a piece in your shop that was hard for you to part with?
It would be the jersey patchwork dress which is my very first in this material. I really like it. I wouldn’t have minded having it for myself, but I’ll never have the time to make another just for myself!

Care to share an idea or item you hope to have in your shop in the future?
I’m pretty sure that by the winter my shop will be brimming with baby items! I’m expecting my second baby for early November and I know that as I prepare things for him, I’ll be making some for my shop too.

What’s the most important piece of advice you can give to other shop owners?
Keep working on your pictures, text, pricing, until you feel there is nothing you can improve on, and be a part of the Etsy community! The road is long but there are many successful sellers to look up to!

If you would like to be featured on my blog, please contact me on Etsy!