Craft Industry Alliance

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a career as a quilter with my guest, Molli Sparkles. Molli Sparkles is a multi-award-winning quilt maker who describes himself as a quiltmaker to the stars, fearless leader of the Glitterati, and spiller of truth tea. He blogs at MolliSparkles.com , and is a regular columnist for Make Modern and Textile Fibre Fo...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about going from blogger to author and teacher with my guest, Anne Weil. Anne is the creator of the blog  Flax & Twine  and a designer of patterns and projects that have been published by Martha Stewart, Design*Sponge, Elle Decor, Real Simple, and the Huffington Post. The author of Weaving Within Reach  (affiliate link) and  ...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a handmade clothing brand with my guest, Courtney Chu, of the handmade clothing brand CourtneyCourtney . Courtney Chu was trained as an industrial designer and worked as a children’s fashion designer.  She’s obsessed with transforming and saving clothing from landfills through children’s and pet clothing.  Curre...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a career in as an expert in the quilting industry with my guest, Ebony Love.  An award-winning author and quilter Ebony is recognized as one of the leading experts in fabric die-cutting techniques. She’s best known as the author of The Big Little Book of Fabric Die Cutting Tips and the featured long arm columnis...

In this episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about creating a quilt show with my guest, Matt Reese. Matt is the owner of Road to California , the premier consumer quilt show west of the Rocky Mountains. Road to California features over 1,000 antique, traditional, art, and modern quilts and awards over $92,000 in prizes to artists from all over the world. 190 vendors come to...

On this episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about running an online and brick-and-mortar fabric shop with my guest, Kelly Stevens of Superbuzzy . After finishing graduate school and some years working in higher education administration, Kelly rediscovered an early love of textiles and design in the late 1990s. Upon discovering Japanese craft books and modern Japanese fabr...

Please note that we had audio recording issues with this episode. We did our best in post-production, bug the audio quality is not up to our usual standards. We apologize. On this episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about elevating haberdashery with my guest, Carolyn Denham. Together, Carolyn and her husband Roderick Field are the owners of Merchant & Mills, a fabric, not...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about wool and texture and embroidery with my guest, Sue Spargo.  Sue is an internationally renowned designer, teacher, and textile artist. She’s authored several books including Creative Stitching and teaches on Craftsy as well as keeping up a rigorous travel schedule. 35 of her quilts were exhibited at the International Qui...

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about textile design with my guest, Jen Hewett. Jen is a printmaker, surface designer, textile artist and teacher. A lifelong Californian, Jen combines her love of loud prints and saturated colors with the textures and light of the California landscapes to create highly-tactile, visually-layered, printed textiles.  Jen’s firs...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about the business of fabric with my guest, Aaron Hoffman and Hailey Hoffman Chisholm of Hoffman California Fabrics. Together, Aaron and Hailey represent the fourth generation of the Hoffman family working in the company that will hit its 94th anniversary later this year.  Hailey works as marketing and sales associate. Her mot...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about art as community organizing with my guest, Shannon Downey. Shannon Downey is an instigator. Currently, she is the Director of Development for Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Chicago where she raises funds to grow and protect immigrant and refugee rights and power through civic engagement and language access. She’s a...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about blogging and writing a book with my guest, Florence Knapp. Florence is a quilter and dressmaker. For over a decade she has kept a blog, Flossie Teacakes , where she shares her adventures with a needle and thread and the life that goes on around her stitching. During this time she has designed sewing patterns and her work...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a career as a quilter, teacher, and designer with my guest, Leslie Tucker Jenison. Leslie is an artist who makes contemporary quilts. She creates surface designs with dye and paint, and photography frequently informs her designs, either literally or by way of inspiration. Leslie has been a guest on The Quilt Sho...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a career as a fashion design expert with my guest, Lesley Ware. Lesley helps young fashionistas of all strips discover their personal style and talents through fun and creativity. Her passion for inspiring young people began when she earned her degree in elementary education and continued when she orchestrated a...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building an audience around your creative passions with my guest, Lauren Fairweather. Lauren Fairweather is a YouTube content creator, Etsy seller , and independent musician who runs all of her creative businesses from home. This YouTube NextUp winner and mom of one has created videos for many companies including HGTV, S...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about owning a quilt shop and a premier quilt show with my guest, Jean Wells. Jean is an art quilter who is inspired by nature and the world around her. She’s also the owner of The Stitchin’ Post , a quilt shop in Sisters, Oregon that she’s owned for 43 years, and the founder of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show , a world-renowne...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a career in the sewing industry with my guest, Mathew Boudreaux. Mathew Boudreaux of Mister Domestic learned to sew as a kid, but never really got into it until he had his daughter Helena, who is now four and a half. He thought it would be a great way to connect with her if he could make her cool clothes. With a...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm talking with Melanie Ham about YouTube.  Melanie is a YouTuber and blogger who loves to create and share easy to follow sewing, quilting and crochet video tutorials to empower your creativity. She discovered sewing shortly after graduating with an art degree with emphasis in art history from California State University of Northridge whe...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about quilting and art history with my guest, Casey York . Casey has sewn for most of her life and has been making quilts for a decade. Initially inspired by the graphic possibilities of appliqué, she has worked in the quilting industry to push the boundaries of this tradition with her graphic, contemporary designs and pattern...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about color and dye with my guest, Carol Soderlund . An artist and educator for 25 years, Carol’s curiosity about the range of color derived from yellow, red, and blue dyes led to her creation of her Color Mixing system for dyers. Carol encourages the freedom of mixing color by eye with results-based samples to guide the stude...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about quilting and music with my guest, Ricky Tims . Ricky Tims has successfully blended two diverse passions into one very unique and interesting career. His skills as a pianist, composer and producer have been evident by the thousands who have heard his music. He is known in the international world of quilting as a best-sell...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast is our second annual community episode. In this very special episode I invite you, the listeners, to recommend great stuff you're enjoying right now. A few weeks ago I put a call out on the blog and in my newsletter asking listeners to recommend a book, app, website, tool, notion, or podcast that they would recommend to a creative friend. I...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a sewing community with my guest, Shea Henderson.  A former middle school math teacher, Shea Henderson now owns Empty Bobbin Sewing Studio, a sewing and quilt pattern company. She is the author of the award winning book School of Sewing: Learn it. Teach it. Sew Together. and her work has been featured in several...

On today’s special episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I’m so saddened by this morning’s news that Nancy Zieman has passed away. Nancy was a huge inspiration to me, and to so many of us. As a woman, a business person, and a working mom, Nancy lived her life with grace. She worked hard, had an excellent moral compass, and set a high bar for all of us to reach when it comes to being a par...

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I recorded my time at Quilt Market in Houston last week. We had a discussion about the state of the quilting industry with three quilt shop owners: Janet Lutz, Karen Montgomery, and Kris Thurgood. Janet Lutz is the owner of Calico Gals , a quilt shop located in Syracuse, NY. Janet is also the founder of Row by Row Experience , a program whi...