27/06/2020
Cuties by Mia is back at the Portland Saturday Market today!
Cuties by Mia
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This page is about my Etsy shop, Cuties by Mia. I design patterns and crochet stuffed animals. I plan to post updates on what is going on in my shop.
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A short history of my shop:
I can’t actually remember a time that I did not know how to crochet, but I do know that it was my mom who taught me. As I grew up, I started teaching myself and discovered in high school that my favorite things to make were stuffed animals. I began developing my own patterns and sold them at bazaars until another seller suggested I check out Etsy. In June of 2012, I c
reated my shop and have been loving it ever since. A slightly longer description of my pattern creation process:
Because my animals and sets are made from patterns designed by me, there is quite a process involved in getting them ready for sale. I start with an idea, a story, or a particular animal I want to make. Generally, it stews in my head for a bit until I figure out how to translate the idea into real life. Sometimes I look up pictures of an animal on the internet to match colors and shapes in my item. My next step is choosing colors for the item, though I generally choose colors that reflect reality. Creating a new pattern is a long process and usually takes many attempts, changing the pattern slightly as I go in order to get the desired look. When I am finally happy with the complete product, I make the animal again, following the pattern I just created, and almost always there is something wrong. So, I go back and work out why the pattern is not correct, then I do it again. After a couple more run-throughs of the pattern, the product is finally ready to be made into a listing and sold in my shop. Why I love making crocheted animals:
My main inspirations for new products are stories that I learned when I was very little. Fairy-tales like the Three Little Pigs or Jack and the Beanstalk, counting games like Five Green and Speckled Frogs…, and some of my favorite childhood stories are my main source of ideas. My sets create a physical version of a story that children can handle and move around. It is inspiring to see kids playing with something I made, really bringing it to life. Child-Safety:
I strive to make my products safe for very young children, including newborn babies. Every part of each animal is strongly secured and tied off with such a sturdy knot that when I occasionally need to take an animal apart, it can be a real challenge! There are no added parts which could fall off and be swallowed or choked on and all of the animals are soft and cuddly. It won’t even hurt to step on one in the middle of the night! While my products have not be tested and proved child safe by a government approved testing facility, I feel that my products are safe for children and would have no concerns about giving one to one of my own children (if I had any).
08/04/2020
This dapper gentleman is on his way to his new home today! Get one for yourself at etsy.com/shop/cutiesbymia.
14/07/2019
We're at the Portland Saturday Market again today!
10/11/2018
Cuties by Mia is at the Portland Saturday Market again today! We're under the Burnside bridge in space number 202. Come say hi!
01/09/2018
Ready for a beautiful day at the Portland Saturday Market!
05/08/2018
The view from my booth today at the Saturday market is quite lovely! Come on down and take a look at all the wonderful handmade items for sale today until 4:30pm!
27/07/2018
Getting ready for the Saturday Market! There are so many monkeys!!
14/07/2018
Cuties by Mia is at the Portland Saturday Market today from 10-5! Come on down and say hi!
29/10/2017
I'm trying a new set up for my Saturday Market booth today! What do you think?
15/10/2017
I'm back at it again at the Portland Saturday Market! I'll be here from 11-4:30 today in space #427, located on the ramp near the main plaza!
24/09/2017
A behind the scenes view from my booth at the Portland Saturday Market today. I'm on the Ramp, in space 423!
23/09/2017
Back again at the Portland Saturday Market! My booth is in space 716, in the street section of the market. I'll be here until 5 today! Come say hi!
03/09/2017
The view from inside my booth. I'll be at the Portland Saturday Market until 4:30pm today! My booth is in row 400, the row closest to Naito Parkway.
02/09/2017
I'm at the Portland Saturday Market again today! I'll also be here tomorrow in the same spot!
27/08/2017
I'm just sitting down to begin making some more animals for the next Saturday market!
12/08/2017
I'm selling at the Portland Saturday Market from 10 am to 5 pm today! My space is number 505, located under the bridge and near the atm! Come on down and check out my table!
14/07/2017
I'm finally posting this new item! Its basically the same as the Five Frogs on a Lot set I already sell, but smaller, making it easier to transport and play with, as well as costing less than the larger version. They're just as cute and just as well constructed as the larger set. I'm so excited to offer more size options for my items!
Five green and speckled frogs, sitting on a speckled log, eating some most delicious bugs! One jumped in the pool, where it was nice and cool, then there were four green speckled frogs! This cute set of five little frogs and a log for them to sit on will allow you and your little one to practice cou...
10/07/2017
Working on another new product! See if you can guess what it is!
07/07/2017
I've completed a new set! This set includes a sheep and three bags of black wool so that you and your little one can play out the nursery rhyme, Ba Ba Black Sheep! Its super cute and soft and ready to go home right away!
This cute and cuddly set is perfect for playing out the nursery rhyme Ba Ba Black Sheep. You can give each of the three bags of wool to different children or use your own dolls to spread the wool. The bags can be tied closed or untied and opened up to show the black wool inside them. The little shee...
02/07/2017
I'm adding a new product line to my Etsy shop: Knitted throw blankets!! These blankets are knitted by my Grandmother, who I call Oma. She is blind, so I'm posting them to sell for her. They're very pretty and I love how they look!
You can check them out, and my other products at https://www.etsy.com/shop/cutiesbymia !
30/06/2016
I'm just launching a new product: Lovey Blankets! They're blankets with little animal heads and arms on them, making them perfect for new babies to snuggle with. More blankets with different animals will follow these!
This soft little lovey blanket with a monkeys head and arms is the perfect friend for a new baby. Your little baby can snuggle up with a little friend who is also a warm blanket! Two in one! To make them extra soft for a sensitive babys skin, I washed them each after sewing them together. Because I…
05/06/2016
I've just listed this cute little turtle! I first made him a few months ago and I'm only now getting him listed but better late than never! He's available now for sale at Cuties by Mia.
This adorable little turtle will make a great new friend for any child. He is super cute and soft and ready to go on trips to the pond, or to the
01/02/2016
Got a couple of orders ready to be shipped out tomorrow!
08/01/2016
Red Heart has this gorgeous pastel purple yarn I found for the first time yesterday. Its really beautiful. The picture doesn't really do it justice. I can't wait to make something with it! (Also a sneak peak of a new item that'll get listed soon)
03/01/2016
Shop Announcement:
Cuties by Mia now accepts credit cards and Etsy gift cards!!! Woo!
15/07/2015
Finally got this whale family listing posted! It comes with a cute little baby whale from the pattern I just designed, and a mommy whale from the whale pattern I designed a long time ago. I thought a baby whale would be a really cute way of using up my little ball of blue yarn. I’m very happy with how they turned out! Whale listing: https://www.etsy.com/listing/235868216/cute-crochet-whale-family-mommy-and-baby
29/06/2015
I thought it would be interesting to take you on a step-by-step journey through my process of designing a new animal over the next few weeks. Here’s the first step: finding inspiration. My inspiration for making new animals comes from many places. Sometimes, its an idea that I spontaneously come up with, or a challenge I want to try. Other times it is a request from a customer or friend. My ideas for individual animals come from the natural world, naturally, but my ideas for sets usually come from fairy tales and children’s books or nursery rhymes. I keep record of ideas in documents on my computer so I can look through them when I feel like making something new.
26/06/2015
I had a little ball of blue yarn in a color I couldn’t find again and I didn’t know what to do with it. Then I thought: A baby whale! Now, I’ve designed a pattern for a cute little baby whale. Not sure what I’m going to do with it yet but here’s how it turned out:
21/06/2015
When I first decided to make this cute little seahorse, I knew it would be a challenge, and I was right. Its taken a long time to get it just right, with many, many changes to the pattern to work out the shaping. The head was the hardest, but I think the pattern is just about perfect now. I’m excited to finally have him up in my shop! Seahorse listing: https://www.etsy.com/listing/235867196/seahorse-crocheted-orange-or-red
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