By Raci Levine
Executive Features Editor
Costa Senior Von Buttlar uses fashion to express herself and now is spreading her creativity to others by selling crochet clothing, bags, hats, and blankets.
Emily von Buttlar began crocheting in the beginning of 2021. Her family inspired her to create and taught her how to crochet. She has always been into fashion and when she learned how to put her passion into reality she took advantage of the opportunity.
“My first time handling yarn was in Europe. My aunt Alexa, a close family friend of mine, taught me how to knit using the balls of yarn and knitting needles the hotel had on their patio.” von Buttlar said. “Knitting was never my thing, it was too complicated, but I wanted to create so began to learn how to crochet”
She began crocheting by watching videos on youtube and created a blanket. Although von Buttlar is new to crochet, her skills have developed quickly. She now designs a variety of different clothing and accessories.
“When I made my first blanket it was very lopsided and looked like someone cut it up. From there, I have made hats, tops, bandanas, flowers, bags and much more.” von Buttlar said. “I still consider myself a beginner in some aspects as I still have a lot to learn but I love crochet.”
Von Buttlar finds her inspiration from pinterest and instagram as she is always looking to create something new and keep her brand sustainable. She sells her original designs on her depop, @emilyvb27 and her instagram, @crochetbyemmi. “I have repurposed a lot of my yarn because I want my projects to come out exactly as I imagine them in my head.” von Buttlar said. “ It’s also a good way to save money because yarn can be expensive at times.”
She is very focused on her customer service and keeps her prices fair. von Buttlar tries to make each of her designs unique. According to von Buttlar she is hoping to expand her branding this year by being more active on social media.
“I charge from $5 to $100 although most of the things I sell are between $20 and $40.” von Buttlar said. “I try to keep my prices low because I know that I do make mistakes and I include those in the deduction of my prices because I want my customers to pay a fair amount for the quality of my products.”
Von Buttlar has over 70 five star reviews on depop which is her main selling platform. She loves making customers’ fashion ideas a reality and she constantly works through yarn challenges.
“[Depop is a] platform, and a great place for new and returning customers to find my crochet items.” von Buttlar said. “The most annoying thing about crochet is how often I lose my crochet hooks as they often get stuck in my yarn.”
In the fall von Buttlar will be attending Chapman University and she hopes to still be able to design during school. One of her goals for next year is to expand her brand and sell more unique and original crochet clothing.
“I wish I could crochet more, I always want to make multiple things at a time but I have a lot of unfinished projects that I will either finish or pull apart.” von Buttlar said. “One thing that I hope to get better at regarding crochet is making my own patterns”
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