While She Naps With Abby Glassenberg

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 has been featured in various magazines, as well as in a book produced by the V&A Museum. Florence’s early years were spent in England and Australia, where her childhood homes were filled with vibrant color and intense pattern. As an adult, she found quiltmaking offered the perfect canvas on which to continue to embrace these things, as well as to indulge her love for small-scale precision work through fussy-cutting and English paper piecing. In May 2018 her first book, Flossie Teacakes’ Guide to English Paper Piecing, will be published. +++++ This episode is sponsored by Ettie & Marion. Ettie and Marion creat

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 Show, Quilting Arts TV, Fresh Quilting, and more. Leslie’s work has been featured in numerous publications including Quilting Arts, Modern Quilts Unlimited, and Where Women Create: Quilters, as well as numerous books. Her work has been shown internationally and is part of corporate and private collections. She’s also a fabric designer for RJR fabrics.  We talk about shifting careers from being a nurse to being a quilter, studying with experts like Nancy Crow, training yourself to be unafraid of experimentation, and using digital design as a creative avenue. Leslie shares how she began designing commercial fabric for RJR

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 national program for the Girl Scouts. She has previously written two books on style and fashion design for girls, Sew Fab: Sewing and Style for Young Fashionistas and My Fab Fashion Style File (Laurence King). Her 3rd book, How to Be a Fashion Designer, was released last month published by DK Books. Lesley teaches at The Parsons School of Design, The Metropolitan Museum, Museum of the City of New York and other arts institutions in New York. Her sewing studio is based in Brooklyn where she is designing a capsule collection based on a recent road trip to Kentucky with her dad.  Lesley interacts with young people ever

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, SyFy, Simplicity, Intel, and Guitar Center and she recently starred in a video course for YouTube's Creator Academy. When she can get out of the house, Lauren enjoys speaking on panels, selling her handmade work, and performing her original music at online video and nerd-themed conventions around the world.  We talk about getting comfortable being a super fan, building an audience on YouTube, Patreon, and much more. +++++ This episode is sponsored by Spoonflower. If you’re a creative person who loves to design, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of seeing your art printed onto fabric, or better yet — seeing someone

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-renowned show that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Sisters Oregon each July. She’s the author of over two dozen books, is a popular workshop leader and presenter, and the winner of numerous national awards in the quilting industry. +++++ This episode is sponsored by Rebecca Bryan of Bryan House Quilts. Bryan House Quilts, is offering a new online workshop, “Playful Color Theory for Quilters”, at the end of March! Head on over to Rebecca’s website bryanhousequilts.com for more details and to sign up for her newsletter. Listeners are welcome to a 20% discount on all Rebecca’s online workshops by using the code abby20

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 new motivation to up his attention-to-detail, the quality and coolness far exceeded even his own expectations. Once he started posted his projects on social media, the quilting world quickly took notice of his fearless use of color and print, incomprehensibly fast output, carefree enthusiasm and humor, and ability to seek out, acquire and share new skills. Several years ago Mathew began posting photos of the things he was sewing on Instagram, not knowing that there was an online sewing community. Through the comments on his posts he was introduced to other makers and realized that he could launch a business in the h

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 when she found herself with more time on her hands after her husband joined the U.S. Army in 2007. Along the way she picked up crochet because it was easy to travel with and in the fall of 2010 made her first quilt.  What started out as a way to be creative and stay busy turned into an obsession and by 2011 had started a blog and YouTube channel.  She now has over 400,000 subscribers on YouTube with over 32 million views and has grown to include premium content on melaniesmakers.com as well.  After living in Alaska and Hawaii with the Army, she and her husband Robert, two cute kids, one new rescue puppy and her trusty s

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 patterns. Casey received her Ph.D. in art history in 2012 and is known in the quilting industry for her two books, Modern Appliqué Illusions (2014) and The Appliqué Book (2016). Her first line of fabric, Fine|Spun, Volume One, was released by Studio 37 Fabrics (a division of Marcus Textiles) in the summer of 2017. She invites you to visit her website, casey-york.com, to learn more about her work. We talk about how to get a fabric line with a major manufacturer, the benefits of writing craft books, and how Casey applies her academic background in art history to the artwork she's producing now. +++++ Today’s show is sponsored

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 student. A former high school teacher, Carol was nominated for Teacher of the Year in 2013 and again in 2015 by the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals. Carol is co-author of Playful Fabric Printing with Melanie Testa. She has shown her quilts in juried venues across the country, winning awards including Best of Show at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. +++++ This episode is sponsored by StitchCraft. Online or at the pretty pink building in Boca Raton – StitchCraft is a one stop shop for the best service and selection for creative quilting, sewing and stitching. Stitchcraft offers Bat

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-selling author, enthusiastic and encouraging teacher, an award-winning quilter, fabric designer, and a talented and spellbinding speaker. His innovative and entertaining presentations feature live music and humor combined with scholarly insights and wisdom. His quilts have been displayed worldwide and are highly regarded as excellent examples of contemporary quilts with traditional appeal. Ricky maintains an extensive international schedule of teaching and speaking engagements, and is co-founder and co-host of The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims. Ricky is challenged by creativity in all forms, and encourages

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 heard from so many of you! I put all of your recommendations together in this episode! My co-host for the Community Episode again this year is Stacey Trock. Stacey is a crochet designer and she's also a marketing consultant for the yarn industry. Check her out here. In addition to hearing your recommendations, Stacey and I have some of our own. All together I think you'll discover lots of neat stuff to check out! +++++ This episode is sponsored by STITCHES United. Please join us for STITCHES United 2018 at the Hartford Convention Center on March 22-25, 2018. Get ready for an entirely new kind of crafting expo; sewin

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 books and magazines. She is one of founding members and a former president of the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild. Shea lives in Kansas City, MO with her husband and three young children. Find more of her work at emptybobbinsewing.com and on Instagram at @emptybobbin. We talk about creating print patterns, writing book proposals and going through the publishing process, teaching sewing, building a community around sewing and quilting, and balancing family and career. +++++ This episode is sponsored by Pin Peddlers. Are you crafting crazy?  A lover of all things quilting and sewing? Share your passion for creativity i

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 participant in the sewing and quilting industry. In May, a few months before she got sick with cancer again, I had the privilege of interviewing Nancy Zieman about her work and her life. It was truly an honor and I have to say it was also a highlight of my professional career. I wanted to replay that interview for you today as a way of honoring Nancy’s memory which I know lives on so strongly in all of us. This episode orignally aired on May 15, 2017. Here it is again. +++++ 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 ge

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 which reaches over 3,000 quilt shops worldwide. Karen Montgomery has owned The Quilt Company, a full service, brick and mortar quilt shop just outside Pittsburgh, PA, for 25 years.  Industry insiders might know Karen from her Savvy Buying column published in FabShop News.  Most recently Karen has joined with Janet to create Sewposium a popular creative business retreat for shop owners. Kris Thurgood is the owner of My Girlfriend's Quilt Shoppe located in Logan, Utah. Two years ago she organized My Girlfriend's Quilt Shoppe as a franchise and is now opening a 2nd location in Midway, Utah. Kris, along with her identical twi

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a successful career in quilting with my guest, Eleanor Burns. Eleanor Burns is truly a star in the quilting industry. She entered the field in 1978 with a self-published book, "Make a Quilt in a Day-Log Cabin Pattern.” Her innovative techniques in "strip piecing" made quilting possible for busy sewers and remains popular today. Eleanor’s signature technique is to take time treasured patterns and make them quick and easy to sew with new methods. In 1990, Eleanor pioneered the way people view quiltmaking with her Quilt in a Day television series, which still broadcasts nationwide. She continues to be a highly sought after teacher and demonstrates her patterns and techniques on the Quilt in a Day website, live streaming webinars, and on YouTube. In 1998 Eleanor designed her first fabric collection, "Anniversary Florals," with Benartex. She’s designed several more since then and has also collaborated in designing several specia

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a fabric company with my guest, Arvin Pairavi.  Arvin is the President and Co-Owner of Shannon Fabrics, a family owned importer and distributor of plush fabrics. Arvin joined the company in 2000 to work with his father and has helped grow Shannon Fabrics from a small business to a team of more than 50 employees. In this interview we trace the Pairavi family's history in the fabric business. Arvin's grandfather and father had fabric stores in Iran before the family fled to the United States as refugees in the late 1980s. Once settled in Los Angeles, his father went into the fabric business again, opening a retail and wholesale fabric shop focusing on garment fabrics. When the family hit hard times due to the stock market crash in late 1999, Arvin left his job in the electronics business to help his father. They began importing fabrics, expanding their wholesale business significantly. On a buying trip Arvin discovered a new,

On today’s special episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're celebrating the second anniversary of Craft Industry Alliance, the trade association for makers, designers, suppliers, and content creators in all areas of craft. Founded in October of 2015 by myself and Kristin Link (of Sew Mama Sew) Craft Industry Alliance now has over 1,300 members! For this episode we're bringing five of those members onto the show to talk about their businesses and their relationship to the organization. Plus, we ask each of them to recommend great stuff they're enjoying right now. Kristin and I co-host these conversations. We talk to Kate McKean, Kara Gott Warner, Ann Martin, and Traci Vaspol and Karen Katin. Join Craft Industry Alliance today at http://www.craftindustryalliance.org. 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

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about building a career as a designer with my guest, Christine Ricks. Christine is the Creative Director for Missouri Star Quilt Company’s publishing department, working with a team to design and produce their magazines, Block and Modblock. She’s trained as a graphic designer and has taken up quilting as another medium to express her creative self. Christine spent the 10 years prior to her current position working in surface pattern design and contributing to several fabric lines for BasicGrey produced by Moda. She also contributes to the Modern Quilt Guild’s Quilt of the month and served as president of the Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild last year. +++++ This episode is sponsored by Craft Industry Alliance, a trade association for makers, designers, suppliers, and content creators in all sectors of craft from knitting and crochet to quilting, sewing, paper crafting, polymer clay, embroidery, cross stitch and more. Founded by myself and Kri

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about building an innovative company in the sewing industry with my guest, Fred Drexler. Fred, along with his wife, Joyce, founded Sulky of America, a premier thread and stabilizer company. Fred began his career in the sewing industry in 1965 at age 23 as a salesman for the Singer Company in Akron Ohio. In 1969, he opened his own Singer dealership in Punta Gorda, Florida and met Joyce in 1974. She founded Speed Stitch, the company that popularized free motion embroidery using a domestic sewing machine. In 1987 Speed Stitch partnered with a German thread manufacturer to form Sulky of America. We trace the history of the company from Fred’s early days selling Singer sewing machines, a job he took on a whim, to building one of the most significant companies in the home sewing and quilting industries today. Hear how Joyce stumbled upon water soluble stabilizer at a time when it was non-existent on the American market and how she and Fred went

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about cross stitch with my guest, Jamie Chalmers, also known as Mr X Stitch. Jamie took up cross stitching fifteen years ago and he’s never looked back. Since establishing the Mr X Stitch website in 2008, he has been showcasing new talent in the world of textiles and stitch and has curated a number of stitch-based exhibitions in the UK and Ireland. Jamie is an accomplished and internationally exhibited artist in his own right, and the curator of PUSH Stitchery (affiliate link), part of a series of books published by Lark showcasing the work of contemporary embroidery artists from around the world. Jamie is an active leader in the online stitch community and what he has dubbed ‘the new embroidery movement’. He loves introducing new people to the benefits of embroidery from a creative and wellbeing standpoint and is proud to be an ambassador for the craft. Hear how Jamie first got interested in cross stitch and what it is about needlecraft