Today we're talking about becoming a fabric designer with my guest, Katarina Roccella.

 Katarina was born in 1975 in Belgrade, Serbia where she lives with her husband and three kids that are true inspiration for her work. In 1998 she graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts at the Department of Graphic Arts and in 2003 got a master’s degree.  She started on her PhD thesis in Applied Arts and Design in 2014. Nina work as a licensed artist for Art Gallery fabrics and has created 14 fabric collections for them.

We discuss her life growing up with artist parents, discovering textiles and sewing when she became a mother, beginning to sell online through eBay, and pitching (and being rejected) her surface designs to fabric companies. Katarina talks about her first visit to the United States which was to attend Quilt Market, and learning to quilt (she serged the seams on her first quilt!). We also talk about her children who are competitive ballroom dancers in Belgrade. 

+++++

 This episode is sponsored by Studio Art Quilt Associates. 

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year,  Studio Art Quilt Associates is an international non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the art quilt and the artists who create them. SAQA offers a wide range of exclusive resources and professional opportunities for its members, including access to a museum-quality exhibition program that travels artwork around the world.

If you want to see and hear more about art quilts, join SAQA's global community of over 3500 artists, professionals, collectors, and art quilt enthusiasts. Visit www.saqa.com/join to find out more details about SAQA's membership benefits. Use the discount code NAP to receive $10 off your first year of membership.

+++++

To get the full show notes for this episode visit my blog, whileshenaps.com, where you can sign up for my email newsletter to get the best in sewing, blogging, and small business delivered right to your inbox each week. 

On today's episode of the While She Naps podcast we're talking about product development and building an embroidery business with my guest, Megan Eckman of Studio MME.

Megan is the owner and head designer of Studio MME, a company that creates approachable embroidery kits for modern stitchers. After failing her grandmother's embroidery lessons as a kid, she came back to the craft in 2014 and realized it needed a major update. She now makes kits that help others learn embroidery in a fun and easy manner. It's crafting with hand-holding. Over the past five years, she's landed her kits in almost 100 shops across the country, partnered with DMC, hired her husband, and currently runs an embroidery-of-the-month club for her most adoring (and addicted) fans.

If you have a product-based business or are thinking of starting one, this episode is for you. Megan shares her real numbers and she isn't afraid to tell us what worked and what didn't. She and her husband now own a creative business that supports them both which is pretty amazing.

+++++

This episode is sponsored by the Craft in Style subscription box by Pop Shop America. The Craft in Style subscription box allows you to explore lots of fresh and stylish crafting and different techniques from terrariums to chalkboard lettering, from watercolors to paper marbling. Choose from one month, three months, and beyond; the longer the subscription, the more a subscriber can save on the box price. Every Craft in Style Box is super stylish and beginner friendly. Boxes ship within three business days so you don't have to wait like other boxes! It's a fun way to craft every month without spending a fortune and you won't end up with extra supplies you don't need.

+++++

Visit my blog, whileshenaps.com, where you can sign up for my email newsletter to get the best in sewing, blogging, and small business delivered right to your inbox each week.