Burda Style For people who sew

When selling on Etsy, at a boutique, consignment, etc, you need some type of name to associate with your creations and style in order to help people remember you best (as if you didn't already know). I have always been and extremely shy person, so for myself I came up with the name Chaseash last year; just a combination of my middle and first names which has really helped me develop characteristics unique to my own label (like a pen name). As I sewed through the year I was able to spread the word about my Etsy through friends, family, and classmates whenever possible. Eventually I realized that I needed to start branding my own items, and had a nice lady on Etsy hand carve a stamp just for that very reason. It was well worth the money, and so far has already paid off so well! I strongly recommend doing this type of thing, whether it be a linocut, woodblock, rubber stamp, or whatever you can use to place your trademark on: items, cards, tags, boxes, etc. This is my little branding technique to help you get those branding juices flowing! Brownpigeon's stamp shop can be found on Etsy at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/brownpigeon

Technique Materials

Stamp, solvent ink, india ink, scissors, pinking shears, muslin, twine or embroidery thread, safety pins, hole punch, cardstock

Related Terms

• Blind Stitch

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  Jul 2, 2010, 08.15 PMby luvanmls

  I am really REALLY new to the sewing world, however I am an artist and I have used india ink for art pieces previously so I do have some already. I really am excited about making my own tags, and I actually had a wooden stamp hand carved for me in Vietnam last year. But I know that some india ink is not water resistant (usually the liquid form), so I was wondering is that why you used a solvent ink? How did you mix them? Was your india ink a powder (usually water resistant) or a liquid like mine? And what is solvent ink anyway-is it the stuff in ink-jet printers? Where can I buy it, and what does it do? hahaha ~thanks so much~

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    Jul 2, 2010, 09.33 PMby ashchaser

    Hahah, its no problem. I literally just went to craft stores until I found an ink pad for stamps that was colorfast. I do really love the way inda ink melts into muslin, but if it would just stay in there!

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  Jun 19, 2010, 07.38 PMby mariposa21

  love it!
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  Jun 18, 2010, 07.04 PMby thehouseofhearts

  Thank you so much for your kind words and that site Regretsy.com is awesome. So many weird ass things there! I just created tags like yours yesterday and I WILL have some of my sewn stuff up by the end of the month!!!
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  Jun 16, 2010, 07.53 PMby thehouseofhearts

  This is such a great technique. I am sewing some items for my all vintage shop but have been thinking I need to put tags in my sewn items! I have a stamp with my logo and am going to make a little tag for the dress I am I am making right now

  Thanks for this technique it shows me that it is really as easy as I thought it was. Love your etsy shop by the way. Always so inspiring when I check it out. I am scared sh*tless to put up my own creations on etsy!

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    Jun 18, 2010, 06.39 PMby ashchaser

    thanks and don’t be scared! I am painfully shy in real life- so when I started my shop I was terrified of people looking at pictures of me and stuff that I do. My boyfriend seems to tell more people about it than I do so when they meet me they already know all about it and I even feel embarrassed! After almost 2 years I have gotten used to it, but do still really hate having my pictures on the internet….

    If it helps you should visit Regretsy.com, they feature the most horrible items on that site and it is a huge laugh and confidence boost. I know i visit it atleast once a week!

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  Jun 16, 2010, 07.00 PMby ashchaser

  Thanks! When searching for a good ink pad, most I have noticed are for everything BUT fabric, yet the StazOn brand does have a kind which is much more permanent and keeps the bleeding to a minimum. I’m sure that there are others, but my selection at Joanns is where I am limited. As far as washing, the pinked edges do come unraveled a bit, but I personally like that slightly messy look, or you could blind stitch them in with the edges pressed inside (i literally just thought of that and will have to try it!).

  Also I forgot to add a link to that sweet girl on Etsy who makes stamps, I’ll do that now! Its http://www.etsy.com/shop/brownpigeon

  3 Replies

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    Jun 17, 2010, 08.22 AMby anajan

    Thanks for the info!
    One tip regarding cutting the paper cards (from one leftie to another): try cutting with scalpel, using the ruler to help you cut the straight line. It is far more precise than cutting with scissors.

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    Jun 18, 2010, 06.35 PMby ashchaser

    That is a good idea, by the way have you ever used a rotary cutter? I am toying with the idea of getting one, yet don’t know anyone who has dealt with them.

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    Jul 1, 2010, 09.34 AMby anajan

    Sorry for the delayed reply, somehow I didn’t get any notification that you commented back.

    I’ve bought the cutting mate and a rotary cutter recently, and have tried it out. I was careful when buying the cutter – I made sure the knife can be set on both sides of the cutter, so that lefties can use it too. My experience was surprisingly positive – it cut smoothly, and easily. The only problem I had was eyeballing the seam allowances’ width. When cutting with scissors, I can cut even seam allowances with no problem. However, the rotary cutter was a new experience to me and I wasn’t able to cut as precisely as with scissors. The solution would be to add the SAs to the paper pattern directly.

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  Jun 16, 2010, 08.47 AMby anajan

  Very smart! One question: how do the sew-in labels react to washing? Do they bleed the stamp color?
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  Jun 16, 2010, 06.08 AMby gdac

  This is such a good idea – I may have to look into it! When I was in the states last year I went to a shop looking for personalised ribbon – the type you use for wedding favours etc… unfortunately the shop didn’t do it as I thought since I already use ribbon as a back tag it would brand my items at the same time… but your idea is soooo much better. Love the little coat hanger idea…. who from etsy helped you?