ETSY SPOTLIGHT: Taftyli

Linen pillowcase ($47.80)

When I first saw TAFTYLI's braided pillow on Etsy, many years ago, it was love at first sight. And even today I still can't get over how cushy and soft it looks. It is no brainer that it is one of the products that helped the creative sister duo of Dorota and Sylwia stand out of the crowd. Yet, these pillows are only the tip of the iceberg of their incredible collection of hand-dyed ombre and monochrome linen in the form of scarves, pouches, tablecloths and bed linen to name a few. They also have a gorgeous collection of sheepskins, or in other words, they are here to make sure that your home will be as warm and cozy as ever possible! I just can't put everything into words with these two, click after the jump to read their inspiring interview and check my favorite picks from their store. Oh, and don't miss a discount code they are kindly offering you at the bottom of this post!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your store.

We are sisters. I'm Dorota and my sister is Sylwia. Together we create TAFTYLI - little factory of things. We live and work in Krakow, Poland. We started working together when I came back after a few years living abroad. I started to think what to do now and also Sylwia wanted to get away from her work from time to time. It happened like that and the first job under TAFTILI was the Israeli restaurant Hamsa. Sylwia was doing the project and she needed someone who would do unusual fabrics (hand-painted). That's how it started - with lamps in Hamsa. How it ends, you can see. Linen, dyed plait, leather - furrier's father, obligated to something :) This is definitely not the end. Ideas in our heads are buzzing, only time is lacking for realizing everything.


What was the first thing you sold on your store? 

Our first sold items was a very ordinary thing. A plain leather rug. I still remember our first client. It was a very lovely woman Ellen, she came back to us even few times.

Gray and white plaited pillowcase ($100.78)

Which of the product/s you have in the store is/are the most popular with your customers? Why do you think is that? 

It's our primarily 'plaited' pillowcases. These take a long time to create as they are hand-dyed and hand-sewn. Very unique products. I think this is the reason for their popularity.

Pure linen scarf ($47.80)

What product/s have you enjoyed working on the most and why? 

The dyed scarfs - we can play with colors like children. Every single time they are different, one of the kind. We have secrets recipes on our favorites colors :). Even then we don't know what will be the final effect. The spread of dye on the fabric cannot be controlled. And that is the biggest fun for us.

Describe your typical day.

Our work is chaos :)) We are very angry at this. We hope to change it soon, we have to do that. We both need a revolution!


Describe your studio. What do you like the most about it and/or what would you like to change?

Till now, we worked in our homes. But soon that's gonna change, after many years of working in homes, our dream will come true :). If everything goes like we want, at the end of next month we will have a proper craft room/studio. Keep fingers crossed!

Linen pouch ($24.55), Linen pillowcase ($47.80), images from the TAFTYLI instagram

How do you usually keep yourself inspired?

Nature is the most inspiring. From each trip, even the smallest one we bring the colors. We call ourselves collectors of color #collectorsofcolors.

Were there any defining moments in your career?

I think that right now is the most defining moment. Everything is changing now, everything is new and a little bit scary. We hope that soon we will develop our wings.


What is the one thing you would change if you were starting over?

I think that the number of products. We have too many different assortments. We're still jumping from one job to another. It's exhausting. We should limit the number of products, but it probably would bore us.

Genuine Icelandic sheepskin chair cover ($45.22)

Genuine Icelandic sheepskin chair cover ($89.15)

What aspects of your business/store do you enjoy the most/least?

The least fun is the formalities. We live in Poland. This is not a friendly country for small business. We sell mainly abroad - all customs duties, shipping taxes, aren't the simplest procedures. Here we must point out, that the Etsy community (especially Polish) helps us in solving a lot of our problems.

Linen tablecloth ($76.23+)

Describe your ideal customer. Describe the ideal space you’d like to see your products in.

People who purchase our products are very demanding people who value the quality of materials and looking for unique things. Some of our products are very decorative. We like to see them in a minimalistic harsh environment. This is why we slowly start creating what we can say "backgrounds", for example, "unicolor series" (not dyed) is the basis for a whole array of dyed linen.


Is there any advice you would like to give to people who want to start their own handmade business?

It is not a piece of cake but do it :) It is a little bit cheesy but never give up and always do what you love, what gives you satisfaction.

TAFTYLI is kindly offering the readers of this blog a 15% discount with coupon code 15MYPARADISSI


You can follow TAFTYLI on instagram, facebook and their website.

Pure linen scarf extra long ($47.80)