Woman Finds Success on Etsy with Food Patterns

A clear glass bowl holds the pale flesh of a banana. Three scoops of ice cream-rich chocolate, creamy vanilla, and bright strawberry-lie nestled alongside the banana. Sauce spills over each scoop, crowned by mounds of whipped cream and three cherries. A handful of rainbow candy sprinkles flecks the whole dish.

You blink at the sundae that fills your computer screen. Are those real candy sprinkles? you speculate. You zoom into the image further. No, they're snips of yarn.

In fact, the whole banana split is a one-yarn wonder, crocheted from various shades of one type of yarn. Without expensive yarns or complicated stitches, Amy Lim has reproduced a dessert that won't melt. She relies largely on color and shaping to carry her designs.

But being such important elements of Lim's designs, color and shaping can also cause her problems. "[The most difficult parts of designing a new pattern] would be the shaping of the food item and how to make the food look as realistic as possible," Lim said. "Finding the right type of crochet stitches is vital to getting the shape right. Also, getting the right color for the item is just as crucial and difficult."

Lim's creations don't stop with banana splits. Tarts, fruits, cakes, drumsticks, croissants, pancakes, and more-Lim collects ideas from her world and translates with the aid of her hook and yarn. "Ideas come from everywhere," Lim said, "from the food I make to pictures I see in menus, cookbooks, magazines, internet, newspaper advertisements, etc."

"I've already seen a picture of the food and I know how I want the final product to look, so I just start crocheting and jotting down the stitches as I go along," Lim said. "Then I make changes and redo a piece if it doesn't turn out too well."

However, Lim doesn't limit her designs to the pictures she finds. "Sometimes, I just crochet right away without knowing exactly how I want the food to turn out," Lim said. "Ideas start popping in during the creative process."

Lim's design process varies among projects, but she says the average time to complete one food pattern can range from three days to a week. "I design these patterns in between my family commitments, so it is not a full-time job."

Lim, like many other crafters today, makes money from her work by selling items through her shops on Etsy. "It is definitely a hobby for me," Lim said, "but the money I make is enough to cover my costs and time and still have a little to spare."

Lim first discovered Etsy from an article about local crafters in the newspaper. One woman in the article said she sold items on Etsy. The article peaked Lim's curiosity. She looked up Etsy on the internet. "At that time, I was already a stay-at-home mum, and I filled my spare time with crocheting and other handicrafts," Lim said. "I thought, why not try to sell the items I made on Etsy?"

Lim faces the problem of an overstuffed yarn stash, too. An added benefit to her Etsy enterprise has been to use up some of the odds and ends of yarn. "It's more like to de-stash and unclutter my cupboards than to earn an income," she said.

But many of the rewards of designing patterns and selling them on Etsy aren't tangible. "I get [satisfaction] when I know that the patterns are my originals and not copied from someone else," Lim said. "I feel very proud when the crochet items turn out better than I envisioned.

"So far, I am very lucky to have fantastic customers on Etsy. They are always so generous with their compliments about my work. This gives me much-needed confidence and a great boost to my self-esteem."

Many of Lim's first-time customers return to her Etsy shop to buy additional patterns. "What more can I ask for?" Lim said. "They have bought each and every one of my patterns."

Lim's praise of Etsy, however, expands to other shops. "Etsy shops are managed by true crafters who are all very professional," she said. "Their love for their crafts can be seen and felt through their unique and sometimes out-of-this-world creations."Lim maintains two shops on Etsy. If you are interested in her crochet food patterns-as well as patterns for dolls, animals, or bags-you may find her patterns at Melbangel Crafts by visiting melbangel.etsy.com. Lim also offers a collection of buttons and other crafting supplies at melbangel2.etsy.com.