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We talk with designers and makers about what it really takes to build a creative business. Then we recommend great stuff we're loving right now.
LATEST EPISODE
Podcast Episode #222: Morgan Spenla
On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about creating a craft kit and workshop business with my guest Morgan Spenla.
Morgan is the founder & CEO of Crafter and The Crafter’s Box. Crafter.com is an online home for makers offering educational videos, kits, patterns and community, The Crafter’s Box is a monthly subscription exploring new crafting mediums such as printmaking, fiber arts, woodworking — even a series of workshops in basket weaving. Today, Crafter supports artisans full circle by partnering with small business suppliers, legacy manufacturers and accomplished teachers to bring curation and quality to makers worldwide.
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THE HOST
Find out what it takes to build a business in the crafts industry. In each episode host, and Craft Industry Alliance co-founder, Abby Glassenberg, interviews a creative entrepreneur to learn about their journey to success. Hear their stories and find out how to earn a living through a love of craft.
FEATURED EPISODES
Podcast Episode #168: Toni Lipsey
In this podcast interview, Toni Lipsey of TL Yarncrafts talks about how she’s built her crochet design business including selling finished goods at craft fairs and then selling patterns on Ravelry and collaborating with other designers via YouTube.
Podcast Episode #167: Heather Ross
In this podcast episode with illustrator Heather Ross she discusses how she’s built her business designing fabric for Windham Fabrics and illustrating children’s books and how she feels the quilting industry needs to change and adapt to better compensate women.
Podcast Episode #162: Windy Chien
In this podcast interview, installation artist Windy Chien talks about her daily practice tying knots and how it led to a book deal with Abrams as well as the opportunity to create several high profile installations including one at Apple headquarters.
BROWSE ALL EPISODES
Please note that this show was previously called the While She Naps podcast. On October 1, 2019, it was renamed the Craft Industry Alliance podcast. The name has changed, but the mission of the show, the host, and the style are the same.
Podcast Episode #222: Morgan Spenla
In this podcast interview, Morgan Spenla, founder of The Crafter’s Box, talks about how she built a craft subscription box company.
Podcast Episode #221: Ana Campos
In this podcast episode, Ana Campos talks about the ins and outs of owning a local yarn shop with a witch theme.
Special Episode: The State of the Industry Panel at h+h americas 2022
In this podcast episode, you can listen to the State of the Industry Panel which was held at h+h americas in Chicago on June 22, 2022.
Podcast Episode #220: Stephanie Carswell of Hawthorn Handmade
In this podcast interview, Stephanie Carswell of the craft kit company talks about her business journey from owning a craft gallery to learning to needle felt to creating craft kits that are sold by retailers worldwide.
Podcast Episode #219: Rachel Bratcher of Ritual Dyes
In this podcast episode, Rachel Bratcher, the owner of Ritual Dyes in Portland, Oregon, talks about her journey to dyeing yarn and then opening a brick-and-mortar yarn shop.
Podcast Episode #218: Nicole Snow of Darn Good Yarn
In this podcast interview, Nicole Snow, the founder of Darn Good yarn, explains how she came to run an import business of cast-off silk yarns from India and how she’s expanded the business over the years to include women’s garments.
Podcast Episode #216: Whitney Manney
In this podcast episode, Kansas City fashion designer Whitney Manney talks about how she developed and launched her independent fashion brand.
Podcast Episode #215: London Kaye
In this podcast episode, crochet artist London Kaye talks about how she went from being a dancer to working at the Apple Store to creating yarn installations for major brands all over the US.
An Interview with One of the Founders of the Etsy Strike, Kristi Cassidy
In this interview, Kristi Cassidy, one of the founders of the Etsy Strike, explains how the movement came to be, its goals, and the long-term impact it hopes to have.
Podcast Episode #214: Anne Merrow
In this podcast episode, Anne Merrow discusses her long career in craft publishing from Interweave to co-founding Long Thread Media.
Podcast Episode #213: Jewell Washington
In this podcast episode, Jewell Washington talks about her creative journey as founder of Northknits and Our Maker Life.
Podcast Episode #212: Craig Swanson
In this podcast interview, Craig Swanson talks about his journey building a tech support business that included video training sessions and how that led him to co-found CreativeLive.
Podcast Episode #211: e Bond
In this podcast interview, artist and graphic designer e Bond talks about how she fell in love with making artist books, the combination of type and images, and her new fabric line with Free Spirit called Glyphs.
Podcast Episode #210: Heidi Parkes
In this podcast interview, artist Heidi Parkes talks about her career as an art teacher and how she transitioned to an art practice creating quilts and teaching quilting.
Podcast Episode #209: Safiyyah Talley
In this podcast interview, knitwear designer and podcaster Safiyyah Talley talks about the development of her multi-faceted craft business. Safiyyah’s interests in writing, marketing, and fashion design came together when she realized she could make a business of designing knitwear patterns.
Podcast Episode #208: h+h americas with Darrin Stern
In this podcast episode, we’re talking about h+h americas, a new trade show for the crafts industry, with my guest Darrin Stern.
Podcast Episode #207: Starting a Kids Crafts Studio with Nicola Day of HipStitch
In this podcast episode, Nicola Day, the owner of HipStitch, explains her path to opening children’s crafts studios in the Boston area. Nicola provides insightful tips for building a kids crafts studio business including marketing, hiring, and project design.
Episode #206: Jill Wiseman
In this podcast episode, Jill Wiseman traces the development of her career as a beading teacher both in-person and on YouTube, as well as the growth of her online bead store.
Podcast Episode #205: Tian Connaughton
In this podcast episode, designer and tech editor Tian Connaughton traces the development of her career from learning to crochet from a co-worker while at her corporate job, to designing and publishing patterns in magazines, to teaching others how to get published.
Podcast Episode #204: Zak Foster
In this podcast episode, improvisational quilter Zak Foster talks about building a community of creativity online, creating memorial and burial quilts, and his commission for the Met Gala.
Powering the Creative Economy with Spoonflower
In this limited series of the Craft Industry Alliance called Powering the Creative Economy with Spoonflower, we’re talking with five artists about how they propelled their business forward using Spoonflower’s print-on-demand capabilities. In the sixth episode, we go behind the scenes at this fast-growing business.
Podcast Episode #203: Jenny Doan
In this podcast interview, Jenny Doan of Missouri Star Quilt Co. discusses how she and her family built one of the largest retailers for quilting fabrics and pre-cuts in the US through the power of YouTube.
Podcast Episode #202: Wendy Ward
In this podcast episode, sewing pattern designer and teacher Wendy Ward talks about her career path from working for a fast fashion brand to learning about sustainable sewing practices to teaching and authoring sewing books.
Podcast Episode #201: Schacht Spindle
In this podcast interview, Jane Patrick and Barry Schacht of Schacht Spindle Company talk about how they created this successful, family-owned business that’s a leading supplier of looms and spindles in the US.
Podcast Episode #200: Karen Barbé
In this podcast interview, artist Karen Barbé talks about the development of her career in embroidery. Raised in Santiago, Karen’s popular blog, Instagram account, and book have inspired thousands of people to learn about color and thread.
Podcast Episode #199: Meg and Patrick McElwee of Sew Liberated
In this podcast episode, Meg and Patrick McElwee of Sew Liberated talk about their journey to build a values-based business that’s focused on sustainability and personal empowerment.
Podcast Episode #198: Ursula Morgan and Mark Hyland of Premier Needle Arts
In this podcast episode, Mark Hyland of Premier Needle Arts and Ursula Morgan of The Crafts Group talk about their strategy to grow a family of craft brands.
Podcast Episode #197: Kristi Schroeder Larson
In this podcast episode, artist Kristi Schroeder Larson talks about her career as a graphic designer and how she pivoted to become a quilter and quilting pattern designer, and then pivoted again to designing needlepoint canvases.
Podcast Episode #196: Leigh Metcalf of Topstitch Studio
In this podcast interview, Leigh Metcalf talks about how she opened her fabric and yarn shop, Topstitch Studio. After writing a book covering craft shops all over London, Leigh opened one of her own with the intent of building community and curating a beautiful selection of special goods.
Podcast Episode #195: Make Modern Magazine
In this podcast episode, the creators of Make Modern Magazine discuss how they’ve created an independent digital quilting magazine with an international following.
Podcast Episode #194: Tisa Jackson
In this podcast interview, Tisa Jackson talks about how she has secured multiple brand collaborations within the crafts industry, designing creative projects to share with her audience.
Podcast Episode #193: Christi Johnson
In this podcast episode, artist Christi Johnson talks about her journey from working in the fashion industry to starting her own clothing brand, creating embroidery patterns and classes, and writing a book with Storey Publishing.
Podcast Episode #192: Katrina Rodabaugh
In this podcast episode, Katrina Rodabaugh traces the development of her career focused on sustainable fashion, mending, and natural dyeing.
Podcast Episode #191: Cecilia Nelson-Hurt
In this podcast episode, Cecilia Neslon-Hurt talks about the development of her career working in diversity, equity, and inclusion both for national corporations and in the fiber arts community.
Episode #190: Making Stories
In this podcast episode, Hanna Lisa Haferkamp and Claire Walls explain how they create and publish Making Stories, an independent knitting magazine with a focus on sustainability.
Podcast Episode #189: Mou Saha
In this podcast episode, mixed media artist Mou Saha talks about her life as an artist first as a child growing up in India where she took a variety of art training courses, but studied psychology and then in the US where she encountered frustration with the inability to complete her PhD and, instead, pivoted her career to pursue mixed media art.
Podcast Episode #188: Tricia Brancolini-Foley of Handmade Arcade
In this podcast interview, Tricia Brancolini-Foley, the Executive Director of Handmade Arcade in Pittsburgh, talks about the evolution of that indie craft show including becoming a non-profit, working with the Pittsburgh arts community, and pivoting to a virtual show during COVID.
Podcast Episode #187: Shelley Brander
In this podcast episode, Shelley Brander talks about her career founding Loops Yarn Shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Knit Stars as well as writing her new memoir.
Podcast Episode #186: Azzari Jarrett
In this podcast episode, photographer and memory keeper Azzari Jarrett talks about how she came to develop a creative career for herself, discovering a love of film photography and scrapbooking when she became a mother and turning her talent for design into a small business.
Podcast Episode #185: Anne Butera
In this podcast episode, watercolor artist Anne Butera traces her creative journey learning to become an artist, teaching on Skillshare, blogging, and building a following through her newsletter.
Podcast Episode #184: Polly Leonard of Selvedge Magazine
In this podcast episode, Polly Leonard, the founder and publisher of Selvedge Magazine, talks about how she created this premier publication devoted to textiles, how she expanded the business to include a shop and events, and her future plans for the magazine.
Podcast Episode #183: Kathy Elkins of WEBS
In this podcast episode, Kathy Elkins, the owner of WEBS, talks about how her husband’s family founded the business and how she and her husband took it over and built it into what it is today – one of the largest online retailers of yarn in the industry.
Podcast Episode #182: Alexis Bailey
In this podcast interview, sewing blogger Alexis Bailey traces her journey learning to sew, finding her voice online, and starting a successful small business selling hand-sewing kits.
Podcast Episode #181: Anne Oliver of Lolli and Grace
In this podcast episode, Anne Oliver of Lolli and Grace talks about how she built her embroidery pattern and kit business. Anne’s English degree, experience working in a retail craft store, and love of photography all contributed to her success.
Podcast Episode #180: Louis Boria
In this podcast episode, knitwear designer Louis Boria of Brooklyn Boy Knits talks about his career in the industry including a viral photo of him knitting on the subway, his Tedx talk, and channeling the attention he’s gotten into introducing young people to the fiber arts.
Podcast Episode #179: Twinkie Chan
In this podcast episode, crochet designer Twinkie Chan talks about her career in craft including her licensing deal that led to YummyYou, her book deals, teaching with CreativeBug, and more.
Podcast Episode #178: Kathy Cano-Murillo of The Crafty Chica
In this podcast episode, Kathy Cano-Murillo of The Craft Chica traces her impressive career path in the crafts industry from making handmade goods to licensing designs, to working with major national brands, Kathy has truly done it all and has so much wisdom to share.
Podcast Episode #177: Clara Nartey
In this podcast episode, artist and creativity coach Clara Nartey talks about her life growing up in Ghana, then moving to the US, discovering quilts, and becoming a textile artist.
Episode #176: Courtney Cerruti
In this podcast episode, Courtney Cerruti, the editor-in-chief of Creativebug, talks about her career at the company as well as her life as an artist, author, and maker.
Podcast Episode #175: Gaye Glasspie
In this podcast episode, Gaye Glasspie talks about her journey to becoming a knitting celebrity. Gaye (also known as GG) explains how she discovered knitting at a particularly challenging time in her life and how it transformed her world.