An Interview with Jenny from Madaline Jane

As many of you know, EtsyBABY team members are extremely talented.  We wanted to take a peek at the person behind the creativity.  All throughout May we will be interviewing shop owners, to get a glimpse of the designer behind those adorable baby products!

Meet Jenny from Madaline Jane

  

What inspired you to begin a shop featuring your own designs?  I loved the euro designs I saw online. My middle son was just a baby then and I wanted to sew for him and the two older kids. I loved the tees that weren't like the ones in the stores around here.

 

What is your favorite material to craft with?  Fabric, of course. I like all types of fabrics. I really like using textiles that are considered hard to sew or tricky. I love a challenge.

What has been the hardest aspect of turning a hobby into a business? Have the time and energy to create. I have five children now and my free time is rather limited. My older kids are all in school now and I only have the two youngest home with me. Next year I will have more time as my 4th child will enter 4 day a week preschool.

 How long have you been practicing your art/craft?  Oh gosh, a long time. Not counting the years I spent as a kid sewing, I have been a designer for 6 years.
 

What training have you had or are you self-taught?  I have taken classes but I'm mostly self-taught.

Any advice for other Etsy sellers?  Research your market and price yourself accordingly. Also, it really helps to take good photos and learn to edit them properly.

 

What do you enjoy doing in your off time?Playing and coaching soccer. It's a great game and one I really enjoy!

 

Describe a typical day in your life...  I don't know that I have a typical day. I usually wake up earlier then I'd like with less sleep then I need and get my kids ready for school. I have three in elementary school and they ride the bus. Just getting them off to school can feel something like running a marathon. After that is over I sit down for 5 mins. I then get my dd ready for preschool and the baby dressed. We go off to preschool. I try to fit in some sewing when dd is at school but usually that doesn't happen. Since I have more laundry then you can possibly imagine, I usually end up doing something with that. I then pick up dd from preschool and we go home to have lunch. It's nap time for the baby (or toddler but I refuse to think of him as that even though he's over 18mos). DH comes home and I eat lunch with him. Honestly, some days I think I would skip lunch if he didn't come home. It's probably better for my health that he does. :) I then squeeze in some sewing time. I am a quick seamstress and a process sewer so I enjoy this little time. It helps me to relax and decompress. Time for the bigs to come home from school. I wait for the bus and they get a snack. Then we are off to our evening activities. Dinner is usually late and I mostly distress the ritual of creating it. Not always, but 55% of the time. I prefer to bake things rather then cook. Bed comes for the kids and dh and I try to relax before we go to sleep.

  

 Where can we find your products online?  I sell at Etsy of course . I have a Facebook page and my own website . I also sell in a congo at HyenaCart. Of course email always works as well jennifer[at]madalinejane.com

 Thank you Jenny, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to grant us an interview!