etsy-buttonThat is the question. I’ve had my “shop” on this site for a few years and never really plunged into it full time. At least more than twenty hours a month, I mean! I dabble at best. I’ll list some fabric I’m tired of looking at in my stash or make something to sell, but sometimes it’s a chore to just keep up an appearance. I will admit, I feel it’s gone a little too commercial in the last year or so. For example, now some of the vendors “send” their creations to warehouses to have them mass produced. Excuse me? It’s a handmade site, not a sweatshop. Now they have a category for handmade.

Although, I did love the vintage category. I would go into antique shops and find little goodies to either list as-is or I’d recycle them into new things. The only problem with that is I’d never want to sell what I did. And, all the little gems I’d come home with, I’d keep for myself. In this little Etsy venture to sell antiques, my shelves in the house are filling up with all my brainchildren ideas for the shop. But, they look so good in my own house:)

I did sell a rather large quilt that I made. It was like two hundred dollars. I was over the roof excited!! But, when I looked at it as I prepared it for shipping, I became sad. I worked a lot of hours and put a lot of my soul into that thing. I went to the quilt boutique and held up endless swatches to see what worked, I pieced and quilted the entire thing…and then I hand stitched the binding! It took me many hours to put that lovely summer quilt together. I just wondered if the recipient would appreciate all that went into it.

When I quilt for family, I know they realize the love that went into it just for them. And, I have a lot of joy giving my creations to people I know. I’m just not sure I want to keep putting my things out there anymore. But, I do love it when I see the little app come up, alerting me I have another sale! I’m so conflicted over the whole thing. Maybe I’ll put my next quilt up on the shop and see what happens. When it doesn’t sell I’ll be depressed and when it does I’ll be depressed. Is there any point?

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