Interview: Jenny from Yermits

This week’s interview features Jenny, who creates these fabulous little plushies she calls “Yermits“. They’re little stuffed guys from all walks of life, complete with their own narratives.

Tell me a little bit about how you got into making Yermits and what drew you to it?

I started doing fabric quilting and fabric arts after inheriting a gigantic stash of fabric from my mom. I have a diploma in children’s illustration though, so the quilts turned into small illustrated story (protest) quilts, and then evolved into dolls made from my drawings. It took about a year for them to grow in size to their current form. I love the tactile nature of fabric and the dolls are a great extension of this. I love turning my illustrations into something people can hold, and then developing stories for them. Recently I’ve gone full circle with this, and am now creating a series of paintings based on the Yermit Boyfriends.

What keeps you inspired today?

I’m obsessively crafty and arty so being inspired isn’t usually an issue for me. If I’m stalled with one kind of activity I just switch to another for a while. But I also understand that they’ll be times when I just plain don’t want to do any of it. My goal is for it to be fun, so if I don’t want to do it, I just don’t. Usually I can count on a flood of ideas pouring in the next day.

What are your biggest challenges with your business?

I don’t make Yermits as a full time business so challenges are different from someone who might. The biggest challenges would be balancing a price point that makes the time worth while.

How do you conquer them?

I don’t sew from a fixed pattern (they are all unique), but I do develop the dolls (generally) so that I can sew efficiently. I’m planning for the next stages of Yermit making, which will involve selling patterns (difficult to create for someone who doesn’t use patterns!) and developing new themes.

What’s your favorite part of your business?

I love people’s reactions to the Yermits. I’ve been lucky enough to have some amazing feedback, particuarly when I do craft shows. The Yermits are displayed with a number of their background stories, which never fail to make people laugh. People are always exclaiming that such-and-such Yermit looks EXACTLY like someone they know. I’ve also been surprised by who my target audience turns out to be: I’ve had more Yermits bought by and for adult males than I ever would have suspected.

What does DIY and the handmade movement mean to you?

Well I work with computers all day, so I know as well as anyone how digitized and processed our world is becoming. I think the handmade movement is absolutely a reaction to that – for me personally it’s a respite from my full time job. I also buy handmade as much as possible, my house is filled with original art. I’ve witnessed a lot of communities built up around crafting and DIY. My husband is involved with the opening of a Maker space in town, which is a space, filled with tools, where member can go to make things and get support.

How do you see it evolving?

My hope is that more people will turn to handmade and DIY for exactly the reasons that I love it, and see it both as important to their own sanity and a worthwhile thing to support financially.

Where do you see yourself going from here?

I’m not sure where I’m going to go. I’ve never had a long term plan for the Yermits. I’ve always thought of them as an evolving project and am just enjoying seeing where they’ll take me.

What new items are you working on?

I’m working on a series of patterns that I hope to have finished within the next 6 months.

Any tips, quotes, or thoughts for aspiring entrepreneurs just starting out?

For entrepreneurs? No. For those who want to create and sell? Find your own voice, be original, tell a story, have fun.