Favourite Etsy Shop Friday!!!!

Favourite Etsy Shop Feature

Uzura
www.Uzura.etsy.com

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a Japanese graphic designer based in Seattle who loves nature and sewing, and I have combined my interests to create products. I especially love birds, so you often see birds on my products. I actually live with nine pet quails and a lovely husband.

2. What made you decide to open your shop and why Etsy?
I always love making things, but I had never thought about selling them. When I went to my favorite local store with a purse I had made, they really liked it and asked if they could sell my purses there. Then I started to make things to sell. Around that time, my friend told me about Etsy and I thought it would be easy enough to start my own shop online.

3. How did you choose your shop name?
"Uzura" is Japanese for quail. As I mentioned at the beginning, I have nine pet quails. I wanted to name my shop with something related to quails.

4. How long have you been crafting/creating?
I grew up with things handmade by my parents, so I've enjoyed making things since I was a kid. I especially enjoyed sewing when I was a teen, but I hadn't sewn for a long time until a few years ago when a friend of mine was looking for someone to sew for her trunk show. I decided to join in even though I didn't have any professional experience and that brought back memories of when I used to enjoy sewing. So I've gotten more into it again now.



5. What are your other favorite things to do?
Watching quails, being in the woods, picking morels, growing vegetables, doing qi gong, being creative...

6. What inspires you?
Nature. The colors and shapes of nature always inspire me. I often get new design ideas when I go for a walk.

7. Of all the items you make for your shop, what do you enjoy making the most?
For any of the items, I really enjoy the moment when I finish making them into finished products. I love to see the blank fabric become a finished handbag, for example.



8. What are your most popular items?
The Eco-friendly Hemp Messenger Bag with Songbird on Flower has been my best seller, and lately people seem to like my new gathered bag design.

9. Your products are very eco-friendly, what made you decide to use these types of materials?
I used to make things with cotton, but after I found out that cotton requires huge amounts of pesticides and water to be grown and processed, I started thinking it wasn't something I could feel good about selling. So, I decided to use hemp, which doesn't require pesticides and uses 1/20th as much water as cotton to grow and process. I also wanted to make something with a different look than you usually see at hemp stores so that more people will come to know about hemp products and realize the benefits they offer.

10. Name 3 other Etsy shops you love to visit.
sugarloop.etsy.com
hadleyhutton.etsy.com

geninne.etsy.com

I would like to thank Uzura for taking part in my Favourite Etsy Shop Feature. I loved finding out about you and your process. I just love Uzura's bags and the screen printing designs. The natural colours that are used work so well together. The fact that everything in her store is eco-friendly is the icing on the cake. I hope you all check out this wonderful shop and maybe it will end up in your favourites list as well.