We were lucky to catch up with Iliana Ingram recently and have shared our conversation below.
Iliana , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?
I started sewing really, about 25 years ago. My mom signed me up for sewing classes at the local fabric shop. I had a machine at that point that over the last 25 years I used a total of 5 times probably. I never really stuck with it until a few years ago. My best friend was having her rainbow baby and I decided to make her son a quilt. I instantly became addicted. I started sewing bonnets, teethers, and all kinds of baby items. I had a really traumatic miscarriage in August 2018 so I got the chance to make all kinds of fun items for baby girls, it was sort of therapeutic. I always tell people that as long as the machine is loud and running I don’t have to hear my own thoughts. I have a really bad habit of monetizing any hobby I get in to so I started doing local craft markets to help with the cost of fabric. For the record I did go to therapy and am doing so much better now. I just really love making stuff for my 7 year old son. For our first camping trip I made him a quilted checker board, and people loved it, so now they’re in my Etsy shop. The items I make and sell really come from his needs and what fun items I want to make him. He loves to play cat, so I sewed him some ears one time. A wallet, a crayon roll, anything he wants, I make.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
Markets! I love local markets. It’s so fun to get out, meet people, tell them about how I make my items and hear their feedback on how i could change my items to their needs. The best part about markets is meeting other local creators. I have so many “market friends” I get to see every month and we’re always sending each other links to markets to sign up with together.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Definitely my obsessive need to be perfect. Every artist will be the first to point out what went wrong or something that’s mildly imperfect. And the normal person would never know. But I always try so hard to make everything perfect, and I think that shows through. A huge compliment is when people pick up my work at markets and say “wow, this is really well made” and that feels good.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.ilianaingram.com
- Instagram: @ILI.SEWS
- Facebook: Fb.com/ilianaingram
Image Credits
All photos are mine. I was a professional photographer for 5 years. While I no longer offer portraits, everything I’ve learned has helped me take great product photos, understand color theory and still get some camera time in.