Etsy Seller Interview with Kayleigh of LoveandLaceDIY

How LoveandLaceDIY got started

Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?

I’m Kayleigh, the owner of Love & Lace. I make sewing patterns and tutorials to help you sew your own lingerie, swimwear, and loungewear. Every pattern is available as an instantly downloadable PDF through both Etsy and my website. I also sell earth-friendly fabrics and sustainably sourced bra-making supplies. I first started selling my sewing patterns as a freelance designer back in 2013, long before I opened my shop on Etsy. It came about quite organically while I was studying for my degree in fashion contour at the London College of Fashion. Because I specialized in lingerie and swimwear, my skills were extremely specialized at the time, and there were many brands looking for a pattern designer who could draft and grade swimwear in particular.

After graduating, I put selling my patterns on the back burner while I worked full-time as the studio manager at the luxury lingerie brand Gilda & Pearl. I then moved on to a designer role at Ultimo, working with lingerie tycoon Michelle Mone, but when the company collapsed shortly after, I found myself in a position where my best option was to start working for myself again. It felt natural to go back to working as a freelance pattern designer. This was around the time that reversible swimwear had become popular with a very minimalist look, and I quickly realized that I was being asked to design the same few styles over and over again. To streamline the process, I decided to start selling my patterns as ready-to-go PDFs. This is when I became known as "Love & Lace." In 2017, I opened my Etsy shop, and I’ve never looked back! I still design, draft, and grade every pattern myself, and I test each style in a range of sizes to ensure the best fit possible.

I source my fabrics and bra-making components from various UK and EU-based suppliers. I look for the most sustainable and ethical choices on the market, such as recycled and organic lace galloons, linings that are chemical-free (some contain formaldehyde, believe it or not!  ), and deadstock components that would otherwise go to landfill.

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?

My favorite items are the Luna v-neck top pattern, the Koko pajama shorts pattern, and the Peaches bra, which is my first underwired bra pattern. The Peaches is a balconette (or balcony) style designed to showcase scallop edge lace or embroidery, so it can be as elaborate as you like! I spent many months developing this pattern, and I’m so incredibly proud of the level of support it offers and how well it fits. I initially released it up to a D cup and then recently extended the sizing up to a G cup. I’m grateful that it’s selling well so far, but the most rewarding thing is seeing my customers' beautiful creations and hearing about how they’ve enjoyed the process.

Getting sales on Etsy

How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?

Sales were slow but consistent when I first launched my Etsy store. I put a lot of time into researching the best SEO practices, and I think it helped that I regularly listed new styles to keep the store feeling fresh and to keep the Etsy algorithm happy. These days, I’m very lucky that my listings sell as well as they do so that they show up at the top of Etsy’s search results. Sometimes I find that a couple of listings could do with a boost, so I pay a little each month towards Etsy ads, and I find the return on those to be worth the expense. Of course, I also gain some traffic from my social media channels, with Instagram and YouTube being the two that seem to have the biggest impact on my brand.

Managing LoveandLaceDIY

How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?

At the moment, it’s only me! I do everything from designing the patterns to fulfilling orders. I use various programs from the Adobe suite to create my digital products, edit photography, and design marketing material. I keep track of inventory in Shopify, which hosts my website loveandlace.co.uk, and I manually keep spreadsheets of costs and sales projections using Numbers on my Mac.

The future of LoveandLaceDIY

What goals do you have for your shop in the future?

So many things! I want to continue investing in inventory to expand my range of bra-making supplies. I have some gorgeous new DIY bra and pant kits coming out, and I’m currently expanding the size range of all of my patterns, many of which are currently available up to a UK 24. I want to be as inclusive as possible. It’s a time-consuming process, but I’m getting there! My swim styles will actually be moving to a new destination, which I’m so excited to announce. I’ll be launching Swim Pattern Co., where you’ll be able to shop a larger collection of reversible swimwear patterns. Each one will have a video tutorial to go along with it, so you can easily learn to sew your own high-end bikinis and one-pieces. Sign up for my newsletter at swimpattern.co and you’ll be the first to hear about new releases, free sewing patterns, and of course, when I open the Swim Pattern Co. Etsy shop!

Advice for new sellers

What’s your advice for a new seller starting an Etsy shop?

If you haven’t already launched, just do it! It’s so easy to overthink and get stuck in the planning stage. I know it’s a cliche, but it’s true that the best way to find out what works is to make mistakes and learn as you go. Check your stats regularly, identify your bestsellers, and build on those. Also, don’t be afraid to talk to your customers; ask for feedback and look for areas that you can improve on; it all makes a difference. Remember, it’s a process. It might take some time for your shop to become profitable, but the freedom of working for yourself and having a creative outlet is worth all of the hard work, persistence, and dedication.

Some sellers really get inspired by hearing numbers. Feel free to share these if you like.

Question: What is your shop’s conversion rate?
Answer: 3.2%