Working With a Partner To Bring a New Notion To Market: Spot on Dot
Carolina Moore had an idea for a quilting notion so she partnered with a major distributor to get it manufactured and into shops.
Pattern Workshop: How an Online Course Helped to Grow a Sector of the Sewing Industry
Lauren Dahl’s online course, Pattern Workshop, has taught thousands of aspiring sewing pattern designers to digitally draw and grade pattern templates.
Which Cutting Machine Should You Buy? A Review of the Top 6 Most Popular Digital Cutting Machines
Which digital cutting machine should you buy? We review the most popular models from Silhouette and Cricut so you can choose the right one for your needs.
Upcycling Artisans Create Beauty from Discards
From records to skateboards, glass bottles to guitar strings, here’s a look at a handful of upcycling artisans who see function and beauty in recycled discards.
How to Source Products on Alibaba
Sourcing on Alibaba allows you to get customized products for you to sell at a fraction of the cost, but be aware of this advice before you begin.
How to Sell Body Care Products on Etsy
Following federal regulations, using proper product labels, and shopping for business insurance are important considerations for body care sellers on Etsy.
Getting Ahead of the Game by Preparing for the Holiday Season Now
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.
Recorded Webinar: Tackling Your Product Pricing to Grow a Profitable Business with Lela Barker
In this webinar we’ll discover some of the most common pricing mistakes and explore strategies for effectively communicating our value to customers to command a premium price.
Oh! You’re Lovely Offers Gorgeous Sola Flowers for Every Occasion
Who knew a passion for wooden flowers could bring former schoolmates back together? Though Stefanie Lin and Maggie Pozorski were just acquaintances during when they were in class together as kids, they’ve now become not only good friends, but also business partners united in a new-found passion for a unique craft material.
How to Raise Your Prices and Keep Your Customers Happy
How can you raise prices without inciting customer pushback? Today we’ll tackle how to do it while keeping your customers happy.
It’s Always Christmas for the Ornament Girl
It’s Christmas all year round for The Ornament Girl, Staci Ann Lowry, who turned an old-fashioned hobby into a business creating handmade, no-sew, fabric-covered ornaments.
5 Lessons Learned from 5 Years of Indie Untangled
Indie Untangled: a site that lets dyers, designers, and makers pay to promote their latest shop updates, sales, patterns and special collaborations.
Recorded Webinar: How to Get Started Licensing Your Designs
Anne LaFollette shares her expertise licensing your work in the surface design industry. Anne covers five key steps before you sign your first contract.
Echoview Fiber Mill: Bridging the Gap Between Farmers and Consumers
![](/CIAMarch2019/0305-ecoviewmillE.jpg")
Most makers who work with fiber love the idea of supporting local. But usually, makers don’t have the resources they need to process fiber purchased directly from a farm. That’s where Echoview Fiber Mill comes in.
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
Glowforge, the home laser cutter, is about to become available to many more crafters, including those who can’t afford the hefty price tag (the retail price is $4,000, twice what it was during the crowdfunding campaign) and don’t have a dedicated space to house it. At the end of December the nation’s largest fabric and craft retailer, JOANN, announced a significant investment in Glowforge. Here’s how some crafters are reacting to the news.
From Blog Post to Online Course: How to Monetize Your Content
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.