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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 #263: Sara Barnes
On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about embroidery and illustration with Sara Barnes.
Sara is an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, an embroidery studio stitching pet portraits and other beloved creatures. Her work has been recognized in American Illustration, Embroidery Magazine, and Uppercase. Sara chronicles the creativity of others through her blog Brown Paper Bag and weekly newsletter, Orts. Her newest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread. When she’s not stitching or writing, she enjoys planning things that bring people together, including Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops.
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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
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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 #71: Kathy Phillips, Creative Director at Springs Creative
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about fabric and fabric design with my guest, Kathy Phillips. Kathy is the Creative Director at Springs Creative, a textile company based in South Carolina that creates over the counter fabric by...
Podcast Episode #70: Linda Permann, Sewing and Embroidery Acquisitions Editor at Craftsy
Today on the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about online learning with my guest, Linda Permann. Linda is the Sewing and Embroidery Acquisitions Editor at Craftsy. Linda is also very crafty herself. She's a crochet designer, instructor of three Craftsy...
Podcast Episode #69: Janine Vangool of UPPERCASE
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about magazine publishing with my guest, Janine Vangool. Janine is the publisher, editor, and designer of UPPERCASE, a quarterly print magazine for the creative and curious. UPPERCASE publishes...
Podcast Episode #68: Heather Lou
On today's episode of the While She Naps podcast we're talking about sewing your own clothes with my guest, Heather Lou. Heather is a Montreal based sewing pattern designer and blogger at Closet Case Files. She was once a shopaholic Vogue-reading fashion obsessive, a...
Podcast Episode #67: Etsy Wholesale
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about Etsy Wholesale, with my guests Dana Mauriello and Rachel Greenwald. Dana is currently the Director of Seller Category Growth at Etsy where she is responsible for managing Etsy’s Wholesale...
Podcast Episode #66: Jennifer Keltner, Publisher and Chief Visionary Officer, Martingale
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about craft publishing with my guest, Jennifer Keltner. Jennifer is the publisher and chief visionary officer at Martingale, a leading craft publisher. Many well-known sewing pattern designers...
Podcast Episode #65: Phoebe Wahl
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about illustration in various forms with my guest, Phoebe Wahl. Phoebe Wahl is an illustrator whose vibrant work focuses on themes of comfort, nostalgia and connection to nature and one another. A...
Podcast Episode #64: Ali DeJohn, founder of the Makerie
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about creative retreats and event planning with my guest, Ali DeJohn, founder of the Makerie. The Makerie is a creative retreat for everyone. Sometimes described as a summer camp for adults,...
Podcast Episode #63: Jenny Rushmore of Cashmerette Patterns
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about the ins and outs of starting an indie sewing pattern business with my guest, Jenny Rushmore. We recorded this episode at Grey's Fabrics in Boston's South End. If you don’t know Jenny she’s...
Podcast Episode #62: Vivika DeNegre and Cate Prato, Editors at F+W Craft Magazines
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, I'm visiting the offices of F+W Media in Sudbury, Massachusetts, to talk with two editors who have extensive experiences in the world of craft magazines. My guests are Vivika Hansen DeNegre and Cate Coulacos...
Podcast Episode #61: Luke Haynes
Photo by Nate Watters On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliancde podcast we're talking about quilts as fine art with my guest, Luke Haynes. A chance encounter with a box of fabric remnants sparked Luke' imagination. His first quilt, measuring 7′ x 10′, led him...
Podcast Episode #60: Midwest Craft Con and The Hello Sessions
On today's episode of the podcast, we're talking about creative conferences with my guests Grace Dobush, an organizer of Midwest Craft Con, and Joy Uyeno, an organizer of The Hello Sessions. If you've ever considered organizing a conference or you'd like to teach at...
Podcast Episode #59: Malka Dubrawsky
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about hand-dyeing and patterning fabrics with my guest, Malka Dubrawsky. Malka Dubrawsky trained to be a printmaker, but while home with her children when they were young and without a press on...
Podcast Episode #58: Rob Appell of Man Sewing
Today on the Craft Industry Alliance podcast my guest is Rob Appell. Rob Appell is the host of Man Sewing, a YouTube channel of the Missouri Star Quilt Company. Man Sewing currently has 27,000 subscribers and it's growing fast. Rob is a quilter and national quilting...
Podcast Episode #57: Etsy
Today on the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about Etsy with my guests Stephanie Schacht and Heather Jassy. This episode is a little bit different from past episodes of the podcast. I’ve been an Etsy seller since July of 2005 when Etsy was still in its...
Podcast Episode #56: Geninne Zlatkis
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about art and illustration with my guest, Geninne Zlatkis. Geninne is an artist living in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her husband Manolo, their two sons and a rescue puppy named Zorro. She was born...
Podcast Episode #55: Hawthorne Threads
Today on the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about running an online fabric shop with my guest, Lindsay Prezzano. Lindsay and her husband Charlie own Hawthorne Threads, an online fabric shop offering a vast selection of curated contemporary fabric...
Podcast Episode #54: French General with Molly and Kaari Meng
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about crafting in community with my guests, sisters Molly and Kaari Meng. Kaari Meng is the founder and owner of French General, a shop and workshop space on Riverside Drive in Los Angeles. Kaari...
Podcast Episode #53: Sherri Lynn Wood
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about improvisational quilting with my guest, Sherri Lynn Wood. For Sherri improvisation is a life practice that can help us embrace uncertainty, get in touch with our true selves, heal, and find...
Podcast Episode #52: Amy Barickman of Indygo Junction
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about running an independent publishing company with my guest, Amy Barickman. Amy Barickman founded Indygo Junction, a sewing pattern and book publishing company, in 1990. Indygo Junction has...
Podcast Episode #51: Christine Haynes
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast my guest is sewing pattern designer Christine Haynes. Christine is a Los Angeles-based sewing author, teacher, and pattern designer with her own line of self-published vintage-inspired sewing patterns. She has...
Podcast Episode #50: Salley Mavor and Mimi Kirchner
Today on the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about stitching and doll making with my guests, Salley Mavor and Mimi Kirchner. Salley Mavor creates 3-dimensional works of art that tell stories with needlework and found objects. She embroiders, wraps,...
Podcast Episode #49: Diana Fayt
On today's episode of the podcast, I'm talking about the art and craft of ceramics with my guest, Diana Fayt. Diana is a modern-day scrimshander, whose chosen medium is clay rather than whalebone. Drawing on her background as a painter, sculptor, printmaker, and...
Podcast Episode #48: Stephen Fraser, Co-Founder of Spoonflower
Today on the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm talking with Stephen Fraser, co-founder of Spoonflower. Spoonflower is the largest marketplace of surface designs by independent artists all over the world. Through Spoonflower anyone can upload an image, tile it as a...
Podcast Episode #47: Deborah Balmuth, Publisher at Storey
In today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm talking about craft publishing with my guest, Deborah Balmuth. Deborah is the publisher at Storey Publishing. Storey specializes in how-to books and is the publisher of many well-known craft titles...
Podcast Episode #46: Rebecca Ringquist
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about embroidery with my guest, Rebecca Ringquist. Rebecca is a Brooklyn-based visual artist and designer. Approaching the technique of embroidery as a way of drawing, Rebecca has taught hundreds...
Podcast Episode #45: Heather Moore of Skinny LaMinx
Today on the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm talking with textile designer Heather Moore of Skinny LaMinx. Heather lives in South Africa and I live in Boston so it was pretty amazing to chat with her and learn about her business and daily life on the other side of...
Podcast Episode #44: Michelle Engel Bencsko and Gina Pantastico of Cloud9 Fabrics
Today on the podcast I'm talking with the co-founders of Cloud9 Fabrics, Michelle Engel Bencsko and Gina Pantastico. Established in 2009, Cloud9 is a leading source for organic cotton fabrics for home sewists. The base cloths of their fabrics is made from 100%...
Podcast Episode #43: Founder and Director of Squam Art Workshops, Elizabeth Duvivier
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm talking with Elizabeth Duvivier, the founder and director of Squam Art Workshops. Elizabeth founded Squam in 2008 after being enchanted with her experience at Artfest and wanting to create something similar...
Podcast Episode #42: Gather Here and Fancy Tiger Crafts
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about what it takes to run a successful brick-and-mortar fabric and yarn shop with my guests, Jaime Jennings and Amber Corcoran of Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver, Colorado, and Virginia Johnson of...
Podcast Episode #41: Bamboletta with Christina Platt
Today on the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm talking with Christina Platt of Bamboletta Dolls. When Christina set about making a doll for her baby niece over a decade ago she could never have predicted that one day she would have a handmade doll business that...
Podcast Episode #40: Creativebug with Kelly Wilkinson and Liana Allday
Watching someone make something is an ideal way to learn a new craft. I think video is an incredibly exciting new frontier in craft publishing and I'm especially excited by the beautifully produced video classes found on Creativebug. For me these classes are every bit...
Podcast Episode #39: Melanie Falick
When I started my podcast a year ago I made a wish list of ideal guests. Over the course of the year, I've had the pleasure of talking with so many of them: Ann Wood, Jess Brown, Lilla Rogers, Kristin Link, Kari Chapin, among many others. I'm so pleased to be closing...
Podcast Episode #38: Nicole Stevenson and Delilah Snell, Founders of Craftcation
What makes a craft conference great? How can you create a truly transformative, relaxing, and inspiring experience for a broad range of attendees? Today on the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm talking with two women who have the experience and understanding to...
Podcast Episode #37: Vanessa Vargas Wilson of The Crafty Gemini
On the Craft Industry Alliance podcast today I'm talking about YouTube with The Crafty Gemini, Vanessa Vargas Wilson. Being a YouTube star was certainly an unexpected career path for Vanessa. While in law school she yearned for a creative outlet and asked her mother...
Podcast Episode #36: Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy and Arianne Foulks of Aeolidia
We're talking about what it takes to have a polished and professional web presence on the Craft Industry Alliance podcast today. My guests are Arianne Foulks and Alicia Paulson. Arianne Foulks runs Aeolidia, a web and graphic design studio that has been working with...
Podcast Episode #35: Robert Mahar
Video instruction is definitely going to play a role in the future of craft media. Watching someone sew, or paint, or fold paper can convey a complex technique easily in seconds. High-quality video demonstrations are also really enjoyable to watch. They're a form of...
Podcast Episode #34: Deepika Prakash, Founder of PatternReview.com
Today on the podcast I'm talking with Deepika Prakash, the founder and owner of PatternReview.com. Deepika started PatternReview 14 years ago, in the early days of the modern web. She had a background in technology and had just learned to sew. After connecting...
Podcast Episode #33: Jess Brown
Today on the podcast I'm talking to renowned rag doll maker, Jess Brown. I first encountered Jess's dolls in the February 2012 issue of Martha Stewart Living. I poured over this article, carefully examining every photo. Since then I've seen Jess Brown dolls...
Podcast Episode #32: Kathy Mack of Pink Chalk Studio and Kristin Link of Sew Mama Sew
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...
Podcast Episode #31: Amy Karol and Ellen Luckett Baker
Can a blog serve a significant role in your creative life? Could it help you to launch a new career, connect with a community, keep up your motivation? And how does that blog change once you've found success as a designer, author, or teacher? These are the question...
Podcast Episode #30: Chelsea Bloxsom and Phil Barbato
I'm talking about sewing monsters on today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast. My guests are Chelsea Bloxsom and Phil Barbato. If you're an avid softie-maker than these two designers are already on your radar. If you've never sewn a toy (and even if you...
Podcast Episode #29: Ame Verso, Content Director for F+W
A few weeks ago I reviewed Mariska Vos-Bolman's new book, Sew Cute to Cuddle. Through a comment on that post I met Ame Verso, the Content Director for F+W, Mariska's publisher. Ame acquired Mariska's book and helped to clarify F+W's approach to selling individual...
Podcast Episode #28: Amie Plumley and Jean Van’t Hul
Today on the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about making art with kids. My guests are Amie Plumley and Jean Van't Hul. Amie Plumley is passionate about teaching children to sew. She’s a second-grade teacher and the co-author of two books, Sewing School:...
Podcast Episode #27: Lilla Rogers and Lisa Congdon
What does it take to make a living as an artist? That's the what we're delving into on today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast. My guests are Lilla Rogers and Lisa Congdon. Lilla Rogers steers the ship at Lilla Rogers Studio, a visionary art agency that...
Podcast Episode #26: Diane Gilleland and Haley Pierson-Cox
What does a typical day of a freelance craft designer look like? Find out on today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast. My guests are two successful craft industry freelancers: Diane Gilleland and Haley Pierson Cox. Diane Gilleland is a craft writer,...
Podcast Episode #25: Cal Patch and Jen Beeman
My guests on this episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast are Cal Patch and Jen Beeman. Cal Patch has been a maker since she was a Girl Scout in the seventies. She sews, crochets, spins, embroiders, knits, prints, drafts patterns, dyes… hence the name of her...
Podcast Episode #24: Cynthia Treen and Alison Kaplan (of Kata Golda)
It's entirely possible to have a thriving business making stuffed animals, dolls, and other whimsical things. My guests on today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast are living proof. I'm talking with Cynthia Treen and Alison Kaplan. Cynthia Treen is a...
Podcast Episode #23: Ann Wood
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast my guest is the artist Ann Wood. Ann works with found and salvaged materials, many of them vintage or antique garments. She’s interested in transformation, turning cardboard boxes from the fancy grocery store...
Podcast Episode #22: Mimi Tsang of Hello Shiso and Jahje Bath Ives of BabyJives
Today on the podcast I’m talking with two incredible women with creative businesses. My first guest is Mimi Tsang. Mimi is the designer and owner of hello shiso, a company making fun and modern accessories for girls. She is based in Berkeley, CA. Thanks to a mom who...