Meet our Creator of the Month: Koetique
Koe has a bright and colorful personality to match her bold red hair. After just one conversation I feel like I’ve got a new friend. While some of us learn skills and fall in love, it seems Koe was born with her gift. She’s got over 3 decades of experience sewing and it shows.
Find out how she successfully shows off her sewing skills on Upstyle, Instagram, TikTok, her personal blog, YouTube Channel and Facebook. Koe even has companies reaching out to her to promote the newest patterns!
How did you get into sewing?
- When I was around 8 my mom taught me to sew. I was a bad kid, so it helped keep me busy. It was really helpful because I come from a small town in Arizona that didn’t have a lot of stuff like malls and boutiques. When I was younger I would go to thrift stores and bring home stuff I could use to bleach and tear apart to make something out of. Also, I took home economics classes in middle school so I learned a lot there too.
Which came first, your Youtube channel, Instagram page, or personal blog?
- My Instagram page @koetiquemade came first. Back when my oldest was in high school he wanted to go on a band trip that was expensive so to pay for it he bought me fabric and asked me to start making clothes to sell. He put some items on Instagram and raised the money he needed.
How did you get started as a blogger?
- My husband noticed how much success my Instagram had and encouraged me to start a blog. He set up my first real blog page. For a while I had a BlogSpot page, but my husband made me move to WordPress because it’s more official.
Do you find that certain projects get more traffic than others?
- Last year around this time I made a post on a Simple Hack for Elastic Waist Pants and it really blew up.
I was confused at first. I spent the least amount of time on this project and people really loved it. The post got over 24,000 views on Upstyle. Then I posted something similar on my Youtube Video and that video did great! The DIY Obi Belt Made From Two Ties video is one of my most watched videos and has over 92,000 views on Upstyle.
Where do you find inspiration for what you make?
- I follow online boutiques and have always been super cheap so whenever I see something I like, instead of buying it I make it. Around Christmas time, my sisters will start sending me screenshots of things they want me to make. Oh, and I love Pinterest! I can spend a while on my Pinterest page scrolling through cute outfits.
How do you manage to stay to date on so many platforms? Most people are trying to manage 1 or 2 but you’re active on several sites.
- I try to post on Instagram daily. When it comes to my personal Koetique blog I aim to post one blog a week. I was posting to YouTube twice a month, it got hard with Covid but I do want to get more active now. I can post up to four times a day on TikTok. It’s a fast growing platform and the content is fun and easy. Then of course I post at least 3 Upstyle posts a month.
How has Upstyle helped you grow as a creator?
- I love the community on Upstyle. I get to connect with so many other makers and ask real questions about creating, which doesn’t happen on other platforms like Instagram. I love watching what makers do because I find it inspiring and you can always see what’s new and trending.
Do you have any advice for people just learning to sew?
- JUST START SOMEWHERE! I just did a Red Button-up Shirt Refashion and wrote at the end of my post “If you ever wanted to sew I would highly recommend a refashion project” and that’s usually my advice. My neighbor just got a sewing machine and asked how to start; I told her to grab two shirts and take them apart then put them together. Everything is so automatic nowadays I feel like people are scared to put themselves out there and try hard because they could possibly fail. It’s ok to fail; we all do it and it’s part of getting better.
Have you ever struggled with an artistic block? How did you overcome it?
- There have been several times in my life where I was not creating anything. As an adult, what got me back at it was one day my husband really wanted some pants. Then, for five years or so I was making pants for him until I stopped. Then I had my oldest son and really liked him and my husband to wear ties anytime we went out somewhere, so I started making ties for them. Then about six years ago I said wow I really miss sewing and got into it again. Sewing has evolved a lot more since I was young in Home Ec Class. Now I can sit and watch sewing videos. During the pandemic it was so hard to find inspiration because everywhere and everyone was so quiet, nothing outside. It was hard to get up and get motivated to create and then take pictures. I remember taking a photo in a vacant lot and thinking “this is exactly how it feels right now.”
How do you drive growth on all your platforms?
- I post all announcements and new blogs on my Instagram stories. My Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and blog are all linked on my Upstyle profile. I also have all of my sites attached to the link in my Instagram bio. I notice a lot of traction on links I put on my Facebook. As much as I personally don’t like Facebook I’ll admit it’s great for getting traction. On top of my personal efforts, I also have companies that promote my stuff for me. Whenever a company reaches out about promoting a new pattern I’ll put something together and snap pictures and they post it everywhere for me.
Is there a creator on Hometalk, Foodtalk, or Upstyle who you think should highlight next?
Let us know at christina@hometalk.com!
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