Amelia was part of the Class of 2020 and has used the lockdowns and Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity to start her own embroidery business. Here's her story in her own words...
I started my business back in April after my A Level exams were cancelled and I found myself with nothing to do. I had learned a lot about hand embroidery during my Art GCSE and Textiles A-Level, so I picked it up again as a hobby and started sharing it on Instagram. As the coronavirus situation got worse, it became clear that not only would we all be stuck inside for some time, but I wouldn’t be able to work in and around the general public, as I live with family who are at high risk from the virus. I thought at the time that I would be attending university in September to study Law, and I knew I couldn’t sit and do nothing until then, so I decided to try selling some embroidery pieces.
It was a slow process to start with, as it is with most small enterprises - overnight success really isn’t as common as you might think! But in the few months that followed, I had found my audience through social media, and orders started to pick up. I was asked to sew pet portraits, business logos, Christening gifts and floral pieces, but it wasn’t until July that I was asked to sew some pieces inspired by musical theatre. To my total surprise, sharing these on my social media pages tripled my following and I was lucky enough to receive 14 orders in 3 days, and by the beginning of August, I had to close my commissions to keep up with demand.
It became clear in September that life wasn’t going to be “back to normal” in time for students to start or return to university. I was lucky enough to secure my place at Liverpool to study Law, but I knew there would be no conceivable way for me to go and come home without risking bringing the virus with me. With the full support of my family, I made the decision to take a year out, to continue running my business and to gather some work experience in time to start my degree in 2021. Although it’s been strange and not what I expected, I’m so glad I made the decision to step back from full-time education and learn what it’s like to set up a business from scratch.
Since September, I’ve gained hundreds of followers and sold pieces all around the world, and to some really interesting people, including many West End actors and a Law professor from America who worked for Ruth Bader Ginsberg! When I started this business, I thought it would be all about embroidery, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. In a working day, I probably spend 60% of my time sewing, 20% replying to emails, working with customers and designing custom orders, 10% working on my social media and 10% packaging and sending orders. Although embroidery has very little to do with a career in the legal profession, running this business has taught me so much about working directly with customers, marketing to and working with an audience and managing my time effectively to focus on all aspects of running a business.
As of December this year, I have started selling embroidery kits and teaching classes online. Although all of my sales have previously been directly through my social media, my kits are now being stocked in craft shops and on Etsy, with many more items coming in 2021.
I’m lucky enough to be booked up for commissions until March 2021, but if anyone is interested in any aspect of my business, my email is [email protected]. My work can be found on Etsy (AmeliaStitchesShop), Instagram (@amelia_stitches) and on Facebook (Amelia Stitches / @amelia.stitches.shop).
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