Episodes

Saturday Feb 25, 2017
Special Episode: QuiltCon 2017 Best in Show Winner Kat Jones
Saturday Feb 25, 2017
Saturday Feb 25, 2017
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, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.

Monday Feb 20, 2017
Episode #91: Susan Fitzgerald of Red Gate Stitchery
Monday Feb 20, 2017
Monday Feb 20, 2017
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 like wood and leather. She loved how modern and unexpected the pieces were. In 2012 she created a line of cross stitch jewelry kits featuring the unconventional materials and began selling them on Etsy. She now sells an expanded range of kits to fabric and yarn shops across the country and internationally.
We talk about product development, sourcing, trade shows, distribution, and Instagram among many other things. If you sell a physical product or hope to one day this episode is for you!
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Today’s episode is brought to you by halfmoon ATELIER. Simple design. Big impact.
Meghann Halfmoon of halfmoon ATELIER designs foundation pieces for modern sewists looking to create a sew-cially conscious handmade wardrobe. Her mission is to design simple, unique sewing patterns and help modern sewists to source sustainable, ethical, organic and fair trade fabric as a small step toward her vision of a world in which sustainable, ethical production is simply the standard. Simple design. Big impact.
Check out www.halfmoonatelier.com for unique PDF sewing patterns and a compilation of online businesses offering sustainable, ethical fabrics (http://www.halfmoonatelier.com/ethical-sources).
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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 more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.

Monday Feb 06, 2017
Episode #90: Claire Robertson
Monday Feb 06, 2017
Monday Feb 06, 2017
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.
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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 glitter, discarded toys and other weird stuff - along with a fair amount of sarcasm. Visit uglybabyshop.com and use coupon code ABBYRULES for 30% off a single order.
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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 more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.