By Tahney Fosdike
“I love all my crochet creations.”
As a preteen, Emily Bayley, a student based in Sydney’s Upper North Shore, began to watch craft tutorials on YouTube to pass the time during a COVID-19 lockdown. Now a Year Nine student, she runs her own online crochet business Cosy Creations By Me.
“I saw a video of a girl making a blanket from a finger crochet,” Emily recalls. “I thought, this was so cool! So, I made the blanket and found it enjoyable. After that, I taught myself to crochet with a hook and started making crochet plushies.”
“I’ve also made a few tops and a tote bag for my friend’s birthday,” fourteen-year-old Emily explains, thinking about how her creativity extends beyond crocheting. “I enjoy sewing and embroidery. A goal I have is to teach myself to sew my own clothes.”
As Emily continued to make her “plushies,” her family and friends encouraged her to begin selling them, prompting her to start looking into ways to turn her hobby into a business.
“Research and planning are really important. When you start a business, you need to research your market, research all about what you're selling, research what your competitors are selling, and how much things cost.”
The process hasn’t been without its challenges. “In Australia, we can’t get access to a lot of the materials I need. Shipping costs from overseas are so expensive!”
But Emily, who calls herself “your average teenage grandma,” remains resourceful, constantly searching for new places to source her items from. As she overcomes hurdles, she’s also found joy in exploring marketing tools to share her creations.
“Promotion on social media is so important!” she explains. “People aren’t going to purchase from you if they don’t know you exist. I actually find the social media stuff quite fun and creative too! I love thinking of ideas for my videos.”
Today, her online shop features a small handful of adorable handmade plush toys, suitable as toys and decorations for multiple age groups, with plans to offer her customers new additions and varieties.
“My favourite probably has to be the sheep. I am always looking for more crochet plushies to make and can’t wait to make something different. I recently made a sloth for someone in our local community. In the future, I plan to make an axolotl and start designing crochet patterns.”
To support her creative journey, Emily suggests liking and following her Instagram page @cosy.creations.by.me and Etsy shop @CosyCreationsByMe where customers can also message her for a custom order.