We were fortunate to spend five minutes with the lovely Samantha from Jetta’s Nest. What a sweetheart she is!
Tell us a little bit about how your business came to life.
I started making cute shorts out of cool fabric for my biggest boy when he started walking because I was fed up with the lack of choice for boys and also the drab colours. I then ventured into applique and pretty soon I had friends asking me to make things for their kids and for gifts and then I ventured onto Etsy just to see how I’d go.
Can you remember your first sale of one of your items? What was it? How did you feel?
The first thing I sold on my Etsy store was a reversible smock top made from recycled circus fabric with an appliqued elephant on one side. It was so exciting but not nearly as exciting as when my monster applique t-shirts took off. I couldn’t believe that people would like them quite so much and I couldn’t believe that people in other countries were buying them. It was an amazing feeling to sell something I’d made and it still is every time!
Is there an interesting anecdote behind your business name?
Jetta was my pet rat when I was in my early 20’s. We lived together in a little one bedroom flat. She had a basket to sleep in but was super tidy so she didn’t need a cage and would run around the flat as she wished. While I was at work in the day I used to leave out catalogues on the loungeroom floor for her and she would build these immense nests out of them next to my bed. At that time I was painting a lot and I thought that if I ever could open a shop with my art in it I’d call it ‘Jetta’s Nest’.
Where does most of your creating take place? Show us … if you want.
Yikes….I don’t think anyone needs to see the explosion of fabrics, thread, paints and pens that is my creative space! At the moment my creating takes place between the dining table, the corner of the loungeroom and my comfy big chair in front of the telly. Needless to say, Mr Jetta’s Nest is in the process of building me my own ‘studio’ so that my stuff doesn’t spill all over the house like it does at the moment.
What is your favourite item that you make? Show and tell!
Hmm..for grown-ups it would have to be my Wearable Art Brooches
but for kids it would be my applique monster tees for boys.
Also, my super-fly softies for boys and girls too!
What is your most favourite handcrafted item you have brought?
For the kids without a doubt it would be the adorable Valentino Bavoorio monster softie from Chunkychooky. My biggest boy is so in love with Valentino and has slept with him every night since he arrived about six months ago.
For me it would be my romantic red frilled clutch by A Creature Strange which gets commented on every single time I use it.
Samantha x
Thanks Samantha! Now get back to work 🙂
