Craft Industry Alliance

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about building a business as a crafter with my guest, Jennifer Perkins . Jennifer Perkins is an Austin, TX based creative consultant.  During her lengthy career in the craft industry she has run a successful jewelry business (Naughty Secretary Club), hosted television shows (Craft Lab and Stylelicious on DIY Network), been the...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about quilting, painting, and living a creative life with my guest Melissa Averinos . Melissa Averinos paints, makes quilts, and writes craft books. She won a Judge's Choice Award at QuiltCon 2015 for her quilt 'face #1' and won Best In Show at QuiltCon 2016 for her quilt 'My Brother's Jeans'. Melissa travels nationally to tea...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm talking with Mickey Krueger, the president of Windham Fabrics, one of the leading manufacturers of quilting cottons today. We recorded this show in front of a studio audience at Sew Pro, a sewing conference in Chicago in mid-September 2016. If you're interested designing fabric, or if you're just curious how this side of the quilting in...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about publishing craft books with my guests, Sara Bercholz and Jennifer Urban-Brown of Roost Books , an imprint of Shambhala . Sara is the Executive Vice President of Shambhala and the publisher of Roost Books. She started Roost Books with Jenn in 2012. Shambhala was started by her father, Sam Bercholz, in the 1960s and the co...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm talking with Maddie Kertay, the founder of the BadAss Quilters Society, a Facebook page and blog devoted to diversity and inclusion in the quilting community. In this conversation Maddie talks about how she became a quilter and the incident which led her to feel she needed a place to talk openly about issues within the quilting industry...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about making and selling handcrafted products with my guest Arounna Khounnoraj of Bookhou . Arounna Khounnoraj started Bookhou with her husband, John Booth, in 2002 as a place to combine and market their work. Both Arounna and John started out as artists - Arounna as a sculptor and John as a painter - but as time passed their...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm talking with Annabel Wrigley. Annabel Wrigley is an Australian mom, author, and designer living in rural Virginia. She owns Little Pincushion Studio , a space where she teaches children everything they need to know in order to go forth and conquer the world of sewing and creating. When she’s not teaching, she’s working on her “We Love t...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about craft book publishing with my guest, Amy Marson. Amy is the publisher at C&T publishing which also includes the Stash Books and FunStitch Studio imprints. We discuss how to pitch a craft book, how C&T markets new titles, Amy's position on advances and how a book can fit into an author's larger goals. And, of course, I as...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about illustration and self-publishing today with my guest, Jenean Morrison. Jenean is a surface/textile designer, painter, and the artist/publisher behind a popular series of coloring books for adults, first published in 2012. She's an Amazon CreateSpace success story who has sold over 91,000 copies of her self-published colo...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about embroidery as illustration with my guest, Sarah K. Benning . Sarah K. Benning is an American fiber artist with a nomadic studio practice.  Originally from Baltimore, she attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received her BFA in Fiber and Material Studies in 2013.  Shortly after graduating, Sarah discove...

On today’s mini episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast Kristin Link and I talking about Craft Industry Alliance, a trade organization for craft professionals that we co-founded eight months ago. We're not at 800+ members, we're about to publish the 18th issue of our digital journal, we've held six webinars, and we have active discussions going on every day in our community forums. In this...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about online learning with my guests, Celeste Olds and Megan Auman. Celeste Olds joined CreativeLive in 2010 and is now the Executive Producer of Production Operations. Megan Auman is a designer, educator and entrepreneur. Her eponymous jewelry line is sold in stores across the U.S. and online. She's also the founder of Design...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about creativity and drawing and making art with my guest Alisa Burke. If she’s not making art in her Oregon Coast studio, you can find freelance painter and mixed media artist Alisa Burke blogging, teaching art workshops or crafting her handmade accessories. Whether it's running her creative business, being a mom or adventuri...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about dyeing fabrics and yarns with natural dyes. My guest is Kristine Vejar, owner of A Verb for Keeping Warm and author of The Modern Natural Dyer (STC/Melanie Falick Books). Kristine tells the story of how she became interested in studying textiles. We discuss the challenges of running a business based on naturally dyed fab...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about fabric and fabric design with my guest, Kathy Phillips, the Creative Director at Springs Creative . Have you walked into Joann Fabric and seen prints with entertainment brands such as Hello Kitty, My Little Pony, Dr. Who, or Batman? If so, you've seen Springs Creative's fabrics. Springs Creative is a textile company base...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast my guest is Linda Permann, the sewing and embroidery Acquisitions Editor at Craftsy.com. Learn what Craftsy is looking for in an instructor and in a class and find out what you can do to develop your skills and following if you'd like to become a Craftsy instructor in the future. +++++ This episode is sponsored by Amy Barickman. Check out h...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about print magazines 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 content inspired by design, typography, illustration and craft. Her magazine and books celebrate the process of making, the commitment to c...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about sewing your own clothes with my guest, Heather Lou of Closet Case Files. Heather is a Montreal-based sewing pattern designer and blogger. Once a shopaholic Vogue-reading fashion obsessive, Heather made a deal with herself that the only "new" things that could come into her closet would be things she made. Sewing quickly...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about Etsy Wholesale with Dana Mauriello, the Director of Seller Growth at Etsy, and Rachel Greenwald, the Seller Growth Lead at Etsy. Dana is responsible for managing Etsy's wholesale business and Rachel manages programs that provide seller education to help creative entrepreneurs start and grow their wholesale businesses. Le...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about craft publishing with Jennifer Keltner, the publisher and chief visionary officer at Martingale. A 30-year veteran of the publishing industry, Jennifer Keltner brings to Martingale vast experience in editorial, management, and marketing. In her previous position as Crafts Group Content Chief at Meredith Corporation, Jenn...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about illustration 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 kindergarten dropout, Phoebe complained that there "wasn't enough time to draw" in school. She spent the majority of her childhood running wild in P...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about creative retreats and event planning with my guest, Ali DeJohn, the founder of the Makerie. Ali DeJohn is constantly inspired by anything handmade, homemade and everything cozy. The smallest, most meaningful moments in life are the most magical to her and she feels really lucky to live in beautiful Boulder, Colorado with...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about starting an indie sewing pattern company from scratch with my guest, Jenny Rushmore. Jenny is a body positive sewing blogger and she recently also became a sewing pattern designer when she launched her company Cashmerette Patterns which creates curve-friendly patterns in sizes 12-28 and cup sizes C-H. Originally from the...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm visiting the offices of F+W Media here in Sudbury, Massachusetts, to talk with Vivika Hansen DeNegre and Cate Coulacos Prato. Vivika is the Editorial Director and Editor of Quilting Arts Magazine, Modern Patchwork Magazine, and related titles. Cate is the Senior eCommerce Online Editor for F+W catalog brands, having spent more than a de...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about quilts as fine art with my guest, Luke Haynes. Visit Luke online at  LukeHaynes.com. Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same. To get the full show notes for this episode, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn...