Both of my grandmothers taught me to sew when I was eight years old. It wasn’t until I was a freshman in high school that I found a way to turn my hobby into a business. This was the start of KatieBug Krafts.
What inspired you to start your business?
I’ve always been a huge crafter. I’ve crocheted, quilted, made pillows, and bracelets. As much as I loved crafting, it was hard to afford since I wasn’t selling anything. When I was a freshman in high school my mom came to me with an idea. We used to live on a farmette and our family had a roadside stand at the end of our driveway. She showed me pictures of people who made rice packs. They seemed simple enough to make and she told me that I could sell them at our roadside stand. I jumped on the opportunity since it was a way to do something that I loved while making a little bit of extra money.
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on improving my Facebook page, which I’ve only had for a few weeks now. Part of that process is posting all of the different patterns my products come in as well as working hard to keep making new designs to try and cater to everyone’s different tastes. I’m reaching a bigger audience than I ever thought possible since the start of 2026 so I’m still figuring out what this new phase of my business looks like.
What types of products do you make/sell?
Four years ago, I started off by making rice packs. These were 7x10” bags filled with rice. People could put them in the microwave or the freezer depending on what ailment they were experiencing. Once I got the pattern down, I wanted to make a smaller version for kids since, as an older sister of two brothers, I knew just how accident prone kids could be. That’s how my boo-boo bags, 4x4” bags sold in a two-pack came to be. They functioned just the same as rice packs, but the smaller size made them more kid-friendly. For two years that’s all I made. But I eventually wanted to challenge myself and make something new, so I made travel tissue covers. These were fabric covers for pocket sized travel tissues. I always hated how ugly tissues were in my bookbag and wanted to glamorize them. Within the past year I again got the itch to try something new. My mom came to me with a new project, hot pads. Squares of insulated, quilted fabric to protect countertops from hot bowls and plates. So far these are the only items I make, but I’m always looking for more product ideas.
What are some of the challenges that come with your business?
Two of the biggest challenges I’ve had to overcome are figuring out what people will buy and how to decide if an item is able to be produced on a large scale. It’s hard to know what patterns people will like. One of the easiest ways I’ve found to do this is to try and keep up with trends.
While rice packs, boo-boo bags, tissue covers, and hot pads are the items I currently sell, I’ve sold other items in the past. I’ve dabbled with bowl warmers and applique towels, but they were too time consuming to produce on a large scale.
How do you manage your time as a student, business owner, etc.? Do you have any tips for those seeking to do the same?
It took me a while to figure out how to balance my school life with my business and my part-time job. As my business started expanding, I started to get overwhelmed. One of the best ways I’ve found to create a balance is keeping a strict schedule. I used to get burnt out by rushing home from school, going to my part-time job, then heading straight for my sewing machine, only taking a break to eat dinner and do homework before going straight to bed.
Eventually, I realized that I needed to treat my sewing business like it was a job that had dedicated hours. I started only spending three hours a day after school sewing. While it meant I wasn’t sewing for as long, I became more efficient by dedicating a day of the week to a different product. Monday started being my day to prep and cut out fabric. The other four days of the week I’d sew a different product a day. I started producing more items in less time because I had a clear plan. It also left me more time to spend with family and relax.
Where do you sell your items?
I started off by selling my items at my family’s roadside stand, but after a tornado took out our stand, we never reopened it. Two years after I started my business, I was given the opportunity to sell my products at Shaw Orchards, located on the Mason-Dixon line. Unfortunately, the orchard is closed during the winter time, so this fall I began looking for other local businesses who would be interested in carrying my products. Around Christmas time I was asked to sell items at a gym in Delta called Model A Fitness. I also go to craft shows around the county and sell my products on my Facebook page.
How can people get in touch/learn more?
People can visit Model A Fitness or Shaw Orchards to see my items, or they can visit my Facebook page, KatieBug Krafts. People can leave comments or they can use the message feature if they’d like to directly message me with questions or custom pattern requests. I post daily pictures of new patterns and offer pickup at my house in Whiteford, right off of 165.
