Meet Jenny Ettinger of Yetta Forever in Whittier

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Ettinger.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jenny. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been creative. When I was 9, my grandmother taught me how to hand sew and we used to design clothes for paper dolls. Shortly after, I learned how to macramé and did it obsessively. In high school I took as many art classes as I could and in college, I majored in Fine Art, with a concentration in Printmaking. After graduation, a friend taught me how to crochet. When my grandmother passed, I inherited all of her fiber arts tools, etc. and learned how to knit. I was in love with fiber arts. I continued to explore this medium for years, going through phases of fascination with different things I could knit or crochet.

Then I got sick. My fingers and wrists started to swell and I couldn’t crochet or knit anymore. The doctors said it was rheumatoid arthritis. Naturally, I was devastated. I am also a massage therapist, so the diagnosis was threatening my entire life. Because I couldn’t crochet, I began focusing on learning how to embroider. This satisfied me for the time. By some miracle I discovered that changing my diet from veganism/vegetarianism to paleo was what I needed to heal. So about a year after the diagnosis, I was able to start crocheting again. This was the Fall of 2016. It was cold and I was broke and I had a warm shirt, but a little too short for my arms. I was frustrated. I wanted to wear that shirt but didn’t want to freeze. Then it just hit me. I could add fingerless gloves to that shirt. And as soon as I had that idea, my brain seemingly downloaded tons of ideas. So I set out to the thrift store for materials, and years later, the ideas keep coming! My hands have healed and I feel grateful for every stitch I can make!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not. At age 38, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and couldn’t crochet for a year. In hindsight that was a blessing (for many reasons). It forced me to begin embroidering. Had I not started that, I wouldn’t have the skills to upcycle the way I do. Making clothing (as opposed to fine art) has also been challenging. My background is in Fine Art, Printmaking so when I started I was approaching my work like one would that’s preparing for an art show, rather than a collection of clothing. It’s very different. Luckily I have a kind, yet honest mentor (Kirsten, owner of Sewn, on S Broadway in Denver) who has taught me how to work more like a clothing designer.

Please tell us about your business.
I upcycle clothing by hand stitching and then crocheting into each piece. Most people, when they upcycle clothes, use a sewing machine. I don’t even own one. I’m proud that my work is environmentally friendly and that what I do is unique. There was no template or existing pattern to learn from. Everything I’ve done, I figured out how to do myself.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Not one thing. This work has unfolded in the way it was supposed to. I am blessed and grateful to be the recipient of these ideas and abilities.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yettaforever.com
• Phone: 3032298425
• Email: jennyettinger@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yetta_forever
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jettingerindustries

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