The CraftSanity Podcast

Meg McElwee’s star has risen fast since I first chatted with her on episode 80 and it’s great to have her back as part of her blog tour to fill us in on her life as a new mama and published craft book author. (Go, Meg!) During our first chat, Meg was teaching at a Montessori school in Mexico and planning to return to the States to expand her pattern design business and start a family. She’s now li...

Maya Donenfeld joined the craft blog scene about two years ago with the creation of her Maya*Made blog and has been inspiring readers ever since with her sustainable craft project ideas. A self-taught artist, Maya, 40, loves to create with items straight from the recycle bin. One of her favorite materials is repurposed burlap coffee sacks, but anything in the recycling bin is fair game. She turns...

Susan B. Anderson is back again to update us on the latest developments in her successful knitting career, namely her new book, “Itty-Bitty Toys.” I asked Susan to give a brief overview of her knitting career on this episode, but if you want to hear the whole story, I invite you to go back and listen CraftSanity episodes 46 and 64. Susan’s Itty-Bitty series including “Itty-Bitty Hats” and “Itty-Bi...

Grab your latest project and settle in for a long chat with clothing designer and author, Cal Patch, the creative force behind the Hodge Podge clothing label. Immediately after opening Cal’s new book, I knew that it was going to be one of those books that would change my creative life. I want to sew more of my own clothes and often get disappointed when my projects don’t pan out. Enter Cal and her...

On this episode of CraftSanity, Liesl Gibson shares the story of how she started her Brooklyn-based pattern company, Oliver + S. If you lurk around sewing blogs or frequent an independent fabric shop, you’ve probably seen her classic line that features darling designs to sew for girls and boys. Each pattern comes with a paper doll that sports the designs featured in the patten. And to boost the cu...

This episode is about spreading hope one quilt at a time. Tune in to meet Carin Vogelzang, and her mother, Carol Peters, two women who turned a family tragedy into an inspiring cause called Margaret’s Hope Chest. Carin, of Toronto, and her mother, Carol, of Grand Rapids, co-founded the quilt charity Margaret’s Hope Chest in honor of Peters’ mom, Margaret Herrema, who died after she was critically...

Sally Melville has been on the knitting scene for years, demystify the craft for all the rookies and self-taught knitters she cheerfully coaxes along at her workshops. Tune in to this episode of CraftSanity to find out how Sally became a knitwear designer and author years after she discovered the wonderful world of knitting as a 7-year-old Brownie.

Trond Anfinnsen is the inspiring sort of guy who gets an idea, commits to it and sees it through to its creative end. And then when he’s done, he starts the process all over again. On this episode of CraftSanity you’ll hear Trond, 42, of Stavanger, Norway tell the story of how he became a ravenous knitter just a few years back and ended up knitting more than 200 one-of-a-kind hats for people in hi...

On this episode you’re going to meet the inspiring Beerhorst family headed up by Rick and Brenda Beerhorst, the artist parents of six creative kids ranging in age from 5 to 17. Rick is an oil panter. Brenda is a fiber artist. And the kids, well, they’re all artistic, too.

On this episode of CraftSanity you’re going to hear a conversation with Justine Telfer, editor and publisher of the Melbourne, Australia-based zine, MixTape. I love this self-published craft zine because it’s put together with passion and offers interesting commentary on the world of art and craft. Mixtape started publishing in 2007 and is all about “making time for the small things.” It’s mission...

Abby Glassenberg, 33, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, makes one-of-a-kind soft sculpture birds in her home studio and documents her her adventures in mothering and bird-making on her blog, While She Naps, because, like many of us, she works while her children sleep.

Nancy Minsky is a fashion designer living in Brussels, Belgium, who is blurring the lines between high fashion and DIY craft. A graduate of Parson’s School of Design and a former assistant to Calvin Klein, Nancy, 55, worked in the fast-paced fashion industry for years churning out new designs for her Paul Alexander line before “retiring” from fashion design to focus on her family. On this episode,...

This week I'm bringing you a lively discussion with Jen Segrest. She's a multi-talented graphic designer and crafter from Middletown, Ohio who isn't afraid to speak her mind. I got in contact with Jen when I came across her fantastic bottle cap pincushions online. Her pincushion tutorials featured in the book "Pretty Little Pincushions (Lark 2007) and CraftStylish, changed my life. Months later, I...

Rob Bliss bills himself as a just a regular guy. But his ability to use Facebook to mobilize people of all ages to participate in urban experiments is nothing short of intriguing. I met Bliss, a Grand Rapids Community College student, at the Chalk Flood he hosted in April. My daughters and I were among thousands of people who gathered downtown to doodle on the sidewalk that Saturday afternoon and...

If you've ever dreamed about moving to the country and living off the land, you need to listen to this podcast featuring Jenna Woginrich, the author of "Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life."

Laurie Sharp discusses Wool Pets, her needle felting kit business, her book “Wool Pets: Making 20 Figures with Wool Roving and a Barbed Needle” and the path that led her to pursue her creative dreams.

Hear a conversation with Jennifer Paganelli, 50, the owner and creator of the Sis Boom Collection. From her home in Wilton, Connecticut, Jennifer creates vintage inspired home furnishings including pillows, lamps and festive banners, as well as whimsical designs for women and girls. (She designs three of my favorite things: aprons, peasant tops and jumpers.)

Interview with Walter Olson about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act's testing and certification for makers of products intended for children 12 years old and younger.

Daniel Vosovic shares the story of what it’s been like to build a name for himself leaving West Michigan, becoming a reality TV star on "Project Runway," budding designer, author and businessman. Tune in for some inspiration to push you toward your dream career.

Interview with Alicia Paulson of “Posie Gets Cozy” blog fame. Alicia and I first chatted in 2006 on episode 17 of the podcast. She’s been very busy making beautiful things in her lovely home studio and writing books. Her first, “Stitched in Time: Memory-Keeping Projects to Sew and Share From the Creator of Posie Gets Cozy” (Potter Craft, 2008, $22.95) is in bookstores now.

Back for an encore performance, Anna Maria Horner and I chatted again recently about her lovely new book, “Seams to Me: 24 New Reasons to Love Sewing.” If you missed our first conversation, I suggest you check out episode 73 for the full story of how Anna Maria got to where she is today. (This latest episode assumes you know all that stuff. : )

Forget those frumpy crochet patterns of old, and let twin fashion designers Erika & Monika Simmons help you sass up your stitching. On this episode of CraftSanity, Erika shares the story of how she and her sister built a custom crochet apparel design business from their Chicago home. We also chat about the fun designs in their book “DoubleStitch Designs For The Crochet Fashionista” (Interweave 200...

Like many of us pursuing our own creative dreams, Amy Butler built her business one small step at a time. She designed and stitched and designed some more and before long fabric lovers across the country knew her name. On this episode of CraftSanity, designer Amy Butler, 42, of Grandville, Ohio, takes us back to her creative roots and shares her story, one sure to inspire those of you working to b...

On this episode of CraftSanity I chat with Kayte Terry about her creative life and inspiring first book, " Complete embellishing Techniques and Projects." Kayte, 31, of Brooklyn, is a talented stylist, writer and crafter who worked for several magazines including: Adorn, Cutting Edge, Vogue Knitting, Parents, Craft Stylish and Quick & Simple. She has also contributed to HGTV Ideas magazine, Getcra...

A Conversation with Master Quilter Sharon Schamber