Back to the Earth: Schacht Spindle Company Celebrates 50 Years in the Fiber Industry
The Schacht Spindle Company is grounded in the first maker movement that swept the country in the late 1960s.
Aurifil Takes Step to Offset Plastic Waste By Partnering with The Plastic Bank
At the end of January the Italian premium thread brand, Aurifil, announced a partnership with The Plastic Bank, a social enterprise based in Canada that aims to clean up plastic waste from the ocean while providing work opportunities for people living in poverty. Most weights of Aurifil threads currently come wound on plastic spools.
JOANN Invests in Glowforge, Bringing Laser Cutting to the Mainstream Crafter
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From Blog Post to Online Course: How to Monetize Your Content
src=”/CIAFebruary2019/0205-blog-to-courseE.jpg” class=”leftexcerpt”>What are you an expert in? Do you write a blog about your area of expertise? If you know enough about anything to write blog posts, chances are you have a fantastic start for an online course.
5 Elements of a Bestselling Pattern
Bestselling patterns frequently have elements in common. Working to include some, or all, of these in a pattern, can help it have a better shot at rising to top seller status.
Folkwear Patterns: Serving Generations of Sewists
Folkwear is one of the oldest independent sewing pattern companies. They publish global, historical, and vintage sewing patterns, often including extensive cultural history, textile information, and handwork embellishment instructions in their patterns.
Getting Ready for the Holidays: November Checklist
Here are some concrete tasks you can work on over the next few weeks that will bring more people to your shop and convert them into customers.
Cozyblue Encourages Crafters to Slow Down, Get Cozy, and Get Crafty
When Liz Stiglets, owner of cozyblue, first launched her Etsy shop in 2007, she made every product by hand, whether it was knitting a hat, sewing a soft animal, or hand-stitching a wool felt crown. But she soon realized this type of work wasn’t sustainable creatively or financially.
Understanding Print-on-Demand Products for Artists and Designers
If you’re a fan of passive income and think you’d like to give print-on-demand products a try, here is what you need to know to choose which kind of system is best for you.
The Power of Daily Practice
Along the journey of my daily art creation, I did a lot of things right, many of them by accident, but together these tools helped me start and maintain a daily practice.
Why Etsy Wholesale Matters—and Why Etsy Shouldn’t Let It Die
It appears that Etsy is pivoting away from Etsy Wholesale. Some of the people that use the platform share the role it has played in their businesses.
How to Organize a Pattern Testing Program for Productive Feedback
When a new pattern is released, it is essential for craft designers to have their pattern tested before it is available for purchase.
Travel to Mexico For a Embroidery, Weaving, and Natural Dyeing Workshops
For many of us an ideal vacation involves not only traveling somewhere new, but also the opportunity to immerse ourselves in making. Stephanie Echeveste recently visited Oaxaca, Mexico to take a series of craft workshops. Here she describes the experience and provides information if you’d like to book a similar crafty trip of your own.
Come Along With Me: The Joy of a Craft-Along
A knit/quilt/sew/craft-along means you have a group of people making the same thing at the same time—shared community around a shared process.
Legal Building Blocks: The Non-Disclosure Agreement
Non-disclosure agreements are a valuable and important tool to protect your business information so it doesn’t fall into a competitor’s hands.
Snip, Cut, Clip: Scissors For All
You can be sure that there is at least one pair of beloved scissors behind every crafter, maker, and artist. Whether the art depends on scissors, like paper cutting, or they are simply an indispensable tool for getting work done, scissors feature prominently in the maker’s tool box. We take a look at the historical development of scissors and the wide variety that exist today.
Adaptability is Key for Long-Term Craft Business Sustainability
With change occurring constantly, it is particularly challenging for artists to keep their businesses thriving. Evolving your craft business is key.
Business Profile: The Unlikely Road of the Thread Cutterz
Vance Zahorski’s clever invention is a wearable ring with recessed blades for quickly and safely cutting thread or fishing line. In November of 2016 Zahorski was on the TV show Shark Tank where contestants pitch their product to real investors. Zahorski’s pitch was successful, and he secured an investment of $130,000 in exchange for a 30% stake in the company and that’s when Thread Cutterz really took off.
How One Woman is Automating the Indie Yarn Business, a Skein at a Time
Carrie Sundra created the SkeinMinder, an accessory to the small motorized tabletop winders many small dyers use to create their sellable hanks.
CIA Member Profile: Angela Smith of Purl & Loop
Owning a handmade business can be a wild ride. Just ask Angela Smith, owner of the Houston, Texas-based tool and supply business Purl & Loop.