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Kristin Link and Kathy Mack

This podcast episode began with my desire to know more about Sew Mama Sew. When I think of the nexus of the online sewing world, the site that brings everyone together, I think of Sew Mama Sew. I read it every day and I think many of you do, too.

I know that it takes a tremendous amount of hard work, vision, and persistence to make Sew Mama Sew as valuable and beautiful as it is every single day. I wanted to hear that story.

So I sent an email to Kristin Link, the founder and owner, and asked if she might be a guest on my podcast. Kristin has never done a podcast interview before, although she’s been asked. “I’m such an introvert. This isn’t my usual thing. I’ve turned down several others, but I’ll pull it together for you.” Hooray! I felt so lucky that Kristin would trust me with her story.

One of the things I didn’t anticipate when I started a podcast that involved having two guests for each episode was the level of curation I’d need to do to choose and pair guests. I spent most of the next few days thinking, “Who should come on with Kristin? Who has a complementary and compelling story to tell alongside hers?”

And then the perfect match occurred to me: Kathy Mack. Kathy is the owner of Pink Chalk Fabrics, an online fabric store for modern sewists. She’s also a sewing pattern designer, blogger, and teacher. I emailed Kristin again and asked her what she thought. “Sure, Kathy is a friend! She and I usually get together for dinner or drinks at Quilt Market and have taught a class together. That would be great!” I’d picked the right person and I knew that this was going to be a great conversation.

Pink ChalkA glimpse inside Pink Chalk Fabrics.

We had the podcast recording scheduled for mid-September and then Kathy emailed asking if we could push the date into mid-October because, as she explained, “I’ve recently made a sharp right turn in my creative business journey. I’ve decided to re-invent the Pink Chalk brand to better align with my life’s purpose.” Read Kathy’s blog post about her decision to stop selling fabrics to find out more.

When I heard Kathy’s news I felt that we should focus our conversation not just on building a business online, but also on changing directions, finding a new focus, and staying true to what feels right and what’s working financially. You might remember that Sew Mama Sew started out as an online fabric store as well.

Our conversation was honest and interesting. We talked about money and ego and making hard decisions. If you’re interested in small business and the online culture of craft, this episode is for you.

And, of course, Kathy, Kristin, and I recommend great stuff we’re loving right now.

Kathy recommends:

Kristin recommends:

And I recommend:

I enjoy every episode, but this one is truly special. Listen right here on the blog by clicking on the arrow below or subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher and listen on the go. And if you like the show, tell a friend about it or leave a review (here’s how). Thank you!

P.S. You might also like this guest post that Kristin wrote for my blog last year about how she and her business partner, Beth Wilson, manage the Sew Mama Sew editorial calendar. It’s very impressive.

 

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