While She Naps With Abby Glassenberg

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm at Stitches United in Hartford, CT, talking with Benjamin Levisay, CEO of XRX, Inc., publishers of XRX Books as well as promoters of STITCHES Expos. Benjamin is a second-generation partner in this 31-year-old company originally started by his uncle, Alexis Xenakis, his father, David Xenakis, and their partner Elaine Rowley. Benjamin has been a part of the fiber industry since his family opened a yarn shop in Sioux Falls, SD when he was a small boy, an enterprise that later evolved into XRX. We talk about the closure of Knitters Magazine last and the expansion of the STITCHES shows. Benjamin explains the friction that sometimes arises between STITCHES and local yarn shops and how that might be resolved. We also talk about Benjamin's former podcast, Fiber Hooligans, a new physical product for selling digital books, and more. Learn more about the STITCHES shows on their website. +++++ This episode is sponsored by Sew Surprised. Sew Surprised is a lear

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a career as a quilter with my guest, Sue Bleiweiss. I’m here visiting Sue in her home studio in Pepperell, Massachusetts which is about 45 minutes from my home and is a beautiful place to visit in July. Sue creates vibrant colorful art quilts intended to delight the eye of the viewer and draw them in for a closer look.  The author of several books, she has written numerous articles for Quilting Arts Magazine, appeared on The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims and Quilting Arts TV.  She's currently working on her 3rd book due out in the fall of 2018.   Sue’s award winning quilts have been exhibited internationally and reside in private collections all over the world. Sue began her career in corporate America and transitioned to being a full-time artist shortly after September 11th, 2001. She talks about exploring a variety of art mediums, and even building a career in a few, before landing on quilting. Learn about

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm talking with Alissa Haight Carlton. Alissa is a modern quilter, designer, author and the co-founder and Executive Director of the Modern Quilt Guild (MQG).  She has written two quilting books, Modern Minimal and Block Party. When not working in the quilting world, she heads up casting for Project Runway. Alissa lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.  Alissa tells the story of the founding of the MQG and how it's run today. She talks about how the organization has grown, why they chose non-profit status, and how they've handled pushback on various issues over the last seven years. Alissa also explains what it's like to cast reality TV shows, especilly Project Runway. Hear what she's looking for in a cast member and how this show differs from other reality shows you might encounter. Catch up with the Modern Quilt Guild on their website: themodernquiltguild.com And follow Alissa's creative life on her Instagram feed: alissahaightcarlton +

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about sewing magazines and television with my guest, Ellen March. Ellen March is the Community Content Director for the sewing division of F+W Media, including the Sew News, Creative Machine Embroidery, BurdaStyle, Sew Daily and Sew it All brands. She’s appeared on several television shows spreading her love of sewing, most notably Hallmark’s Marie Osmond Show and DIY Network’s Uncommon Threads, and she hosted Sew it All TV on PBS for nine seasons. Ellen traces her career in the sewing media industry from stumbling upon a job description for a graphic designers at Sew News (she wasn't a graphic designer, but applied for a job anyway) to pitching a PBS show, to overseeing a suite of sewing magazines and brands for F+W Media. One of the things that stands out about Ellen's journey is her willingness to ask for the job she wants and her eagerness to take on new challenges. Her approach is very inspiring. I ask Ellen to detail for us what exa

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about running a fabric company with my guests, Kathy Miller and Michael Steiner. Kathy and Michael are the co-founders of Michael Miller Fabrics. We begin by talking about Kathy's and Michael's careers before co-founding the company together. Kathy and Michael then explain how they met and came together to form their own fabric company. Michael Miller Fabrics has evolved considerably since its early days and you'll hear how and why it changed, and how the business was funded early on. We talk about Quilt Market and how the role of trade shows is changing. We also talk about how Michael Miller has differentiated itself in a crowded marketplace. Kathy and Michael consider the future of fabric manufacturing and how digital printing might change things. ++++ Today's episode is sponsored by Cashmerette Patterns. Did you know that the average woman wears a size 16 and a DD bra, but that most sewing patterns stop at a 14 and are drafted for a B

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a lifelong career in sewing with my guest, Nancy Zieman. Nancy Zieman is an author, designer, businesswomen, TV producer, blogger and national sewing authority. She’s the host of the popular show Sewing With Nancy®, which appears exclusively on public television stations across the United States and Canada. You can watch Sewing With Nancy® online at nancyzieman.com. In this interview Nancy traces the history of her career. Hear how she first got onto public television and what those early days were like. Learn about the start of Nancy's Notions and how the business expanded over the past three decades. Nancy also talks about some personal issues including how she balanced being a working mother and the challenges she's faced due to Bell's palsy. Nancy's integrity, work ethic, and good humor are an inspiration. +++++ This episode is sponsored by Storey Publishing. Storey Publishing offers quality books on crafting, gardening

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about building a career as a modern quilter with my guest, Jen Carlton Bailly. Jen is a founder of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild, the largest modern quilt guild in the world. She had a career in retail before becoming a mother and modern quilter and carries many of lesson she learned in those years over to her current work. In this conversation we talk about discovering a craft community online and in person. Jen explains how modern quilters first connected online via Flickr and then came together in her local community to form a guild. Jen's blog is called Betty Crocker Ass and we discuss what it's like to have such a standout name for your website. She explains her mixed feelings over the years about possibly changing it, and why in the end she chose to keep it. Jen has a line of quilting templates out and she talks about creating and selling a signature product and the challenges with scaling the business. She also beginning to sell

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building an online presence on Instagram with my guest, Nichole Vogelsinger. Nichole has a beautiful new book out with Lucky Spool, Wild Boho: Modern Projects from Traditional Stitches (affiliate link). She's also partnered with an assortment of sewing brands including fabric and notions companies. Nichole has built tremendous momentum for her work by using Instagram to show what she's doing and forge connections. She currently has over 10,000 followers. It's really exciting to see her trajectory! +++++ This episode is sponsored by the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals. For more than 20 years, ICAP has been the go-to resource for thousands of creatives around the world. Whether you are looking for peer support through our free Creative Passion to Profit Facebook group, help taking your business to the next level through our ICAP membership, the chance to work on not in your business at our annual conference, o

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about owning a quilt shop with my guest, Heather Givans. We recorded this episode in Savannah, Georgia, at Quilt Con 2017. The show was so inspiring and I was excited to have the opportunity to sit down with an equally inspiring guest to talk more about this industry. Heather is a creative force; fabric store owner, fabric designer, quilt designer, national instructor, artist, and art educator. Heather creates community wherever she goes. Her shop, Crimson Tate, in Indianapolis, was born out of an obsession with creating non-traditional quilts from contemporary, modern and repurposed vintage fabrics. Heather designs fabric for Windham Fabrics, works on new pattern designs, giggles contagiously, and teaches sewing with her energetic friends and staff among the hustle and bustle of downtown. Connect with Heather Givans on the Crimson Tate site. +++++ This episode is sponsored by Plum Deluxe. Love trying new teas? Want to make every day feel

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm talking with Dean Neumann and Penny McMorris about Electric Quilt, the quilt designs software company they co-founded 26 years ago. After the Air Force and then graduate school, Dean was a Professor of Mathematics at Bowling Green State University for 25 years. He received a hand-me-down computer from his son in the late 1980s, and quickly became a self-taught computer programmer just for fun.  His wife, Penny McMorris, was the corporate art curator for Owens-Corning Corporation, headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. Penny was a self-taught quilt maker. She taught a few local classes and then talked her local PBS station (WBGU-TV) into letting her produce and host a television series showing quilt history and the best contemporary quilts of that time.  With Penny’s travels for her job and the TV show, Dean became interested in quilts and was motivated to find an enterprise that they could do together. He was the brainstorm behind the idea of creating a so

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about the sewing and quilting industry with my guest, Pokey Bolton. Pokey Bolton was introduced to art quilting and the related needle arts in 1998, and ever since she took her first stitch (a fly) and embroidered her first motif (a spider), she has been entangled in this industry and doesn’t envision herself getting free. Art quilting and mixed-media have, quite literally, taken over her life—so much so that she left her doctoral program and full-time teaching job to found Quilting Arts Magazine® and later with John Bolton, Cloth Paper Scissors® magazine, as well as a line of books. After they sold their publishing business to Interweave, Pokey became the Editorial Director for the Quilt & Paper Division at Interweave and was founding host of Quilting Arts TV on PBS. In January 2012 she joined Quilts, Inc, the parent company of International Quilt Festival and Quilt Market, in the newly founded position of Chief Creative Officer. A l

On today’s special episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I’m at QuiltCon 2017 and I’m honored to have been able to sit for a few minutes with Katherine Jones who has won Best in Show for her quilt, Bling. Kat is from Tasmania, Australia and I caught her just a few hours before she had to catch a flight back home. We sat on the grass outside the convention center and chatted about her extraordinary paper pieced quilt. Kat has had award winning quilts in QuiltCon in years past, but she has a very low key online presence and many people are hearing about her for the first time. I wanted to hear her story, her approach to quilting, how she planned and executed such a stunning work of art, and what she’s going to do next. I hope you enjoy this special episode. Visit Kat's blog: http://www.twocatsquilts.blogspot.com.au 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, vis

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about launching a kit and pattern business with my guest, Susan Fitzgerald. Susan lives near me, in the Boston area, so we were actually able to record this interview in person in Susan’s beautiful studio. Susan Fitzgerald designs modern cross stitch kits and patterns. Her work features stitching on unconventional materials like wood, leather, and acrylic. Her innovative designs have been featured in a number of cross stitch, quilting, and craft publications including CrossStitcher magazine and Mollie Makes.   With a background in science and technology, Susan did not set out to become a cross stitch designer. She taught herself to stitch in her 20’s as a creative counterpoint to working long days in the corporate world. While dabbling in other crafts like knitting, quilting, and weaving, cross stitch was always the pursuit she came back to.  As her cross stitch practice evolved, Susan began to explore stitching on alternative materials l

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about blogging, and illustration, and newsletters with my guest Claire Robertson. Claire is an Australian artist and illustrator based on the Pacific North West island of Salt Spring, in British Columbia, Canada. She weaves the whimsy of her island life into her work, incorporating the local flora and fauna in her characteristic style. She is well known for her much loved blog loobylu.com which she began in 1999, and for which she has won many awards and accolades. She is also known for her iconic children's book illustrations including for the ongoing Truly Tan series, written by Jen Storer for Harper Collins Australia. Claire works digitally but also in traditional media: inks, acrylics, paper-cutting, ceramics and textiles. +++++ This episode is sponsored by Shower Art. Rosalie & Douglas Gale of Ugly Baby invented Shower Art - waterproof art you can hang in your shower with a suction cup. They hand cast each piece in rubber add gli

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I've asked quilter Thomas Knauer to talk about the state of the quilting industry right now. Knauer is an academic as well as an award winning quilter and he views the industry in a way that I feel is unusual and thought-provoking. He talks about the relationship between the quest for perfectionism and quilting and how that leads to consumerism. Thomas also feels that "the quilting industry has nothing to do with quilts," a statement I ask him to unpack for us. Finally, Thomas shares a new model for local quilt shops going forward - one that I've never heard before and that definitley made me think. I hope this interview prompts some new ideas to circulate as the business of quilting changes. +++++ This episode is sponsored by Craftcation. If you’re maker, blogger or creative business owner Craftcation Conference is the perfect place for you to get all the tools and resources you need to start the business of your dreams, take your existing business to

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about building a business in fashion sewing with my guest Mimi Goodwin, whom you might know as MimiG. Mimi is a mother, businesswoman, and award winning, trend expert and Editor-in-Chief of the popular fashion, lifestyle, and DIY blog, MimiGStyle.com. What started off as a hobby in her Los Angeles home in 2012, has blossomed into an international brand with daily engagement of more than 1.M followers. We talk about : What works on YouTube Sponsored posts Body image How to build readership for your blog and grow you Instagram following Controlling the tone of your online community Becoming a sewing pattern designer Launching a membership site +++++ Today’s show 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 across the globe purchase it and make something amazing. Spoonflower is the first company to

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're hearing voices from the community. It's the 2016 Community Episode! A few weeks ago I put a call out on my blog and in my newsletter asking you to record yourself and send it to me. I got so many entries! Thank you. Specifically I asked if you would recommend something you're loving right now. So this episode is full of amazing recommendations for books, apps, websites, notions, tools, and other podcasts you'll love. I asked my good friend, crochet designer Stacey Trock of FreshStitches.com, to co-host this episode with me. Stacey and I also share our own recommendations for great stuff. And, we're giving away a $100 gift certificate to Sprout Patterns to one lucky contributor to this episode. So, if you recorded yourself and sent it to me be sure to listen to see who won! Thank you, Sprout, for generously donating this fantastic prize. This episode was truly special and I'm going to do it again next year. ++++ Our episode sponsor is Yount Street

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about product development with my guest, Annie Unrein. A creative lifetime quilter, Annie Unrein of Patterns by Annie and ByAnnie.com has been designing patterns and teaching since 2000.  With a focus on practical and useful projects, Annie's patterns appeal to a sewists of all ages and levels. Annie is the creator of ByAnnie's Soft and Stable, an innovative product she designed to add body, stability and a professional finish to purses, bags, home dec items, and more.  A popular instructor, Annie teaches online and also travels worldwide to teach. She loves sharing techniques for making sewing bags and purses easier while yielding professional results.  Annie is based in St. George, Utah, where she and her energetic team operate the popular website ByAnnie.com. They are your source for patterns, Soft and Stable, handbag zippers in over 48 colors, purse hardware, mesh, vinyl, and more. Annie talks about building a pattern business from sc

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about building a career as an artist and illustrator with my guest, Jennifer Judd-McGee. Jennifer Judd-McGee is a full time artist and mother living and working in Mount Desert Island, Maine. She describes herself as a nature lover, obsessive doodler, path finder, and appreciator of paper, fine point pens, and detailed patterns. Jennifer creates papercuts, illustrations, mixed media collage and monoprints that are reflective of her surroundings. She shows her work in galleries and licenses it to companies around the country. Jen talks about living with Multiple Sclerosis, transitioning into being a full-time artist, licensing work to commercial clients including Target and Land of Nod, creating fine art for galleries and so much more. Jen struggles with self-promotion and we talk about strategies she's used to overcome her discomfort. This is a gentle, honest conversation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. +++++ This episode is spo

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 editor in chief of a magazine (Kids Crafts 1-2-3 started by Walmart) and everything in-between.  Her distinct style and love of color and kitsch has followed her throughout all of these adventures. +++++ This episode is sponsored by StoryPatches. No quilt is complete without a label – yet many quilters skip this critical last step!  StoryPatches Quilt Labels make labeling a breeze. Your voice and your story matter to your family and friends – and StoryPatches are the perfect way to capture and connect that story.  These ready to use labels come in a variety of designs to match your quilt and take the pain out of