Episodes

Monday Jun 20, 2022
Episode #219: Rachel Bratcher of Ritual Dyes
Monday Jun 20, 2022
Monday Jun 20, 2022
On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about owning a local yarn shop with my guest Rachel Bratcher, owner of Ritual Dyes.
Ritual Dyes was created in 2017, by Rachel Bratcher an avid maker and true Libra. Ritual Dyes was born in Rachel’s kitchen out of a love (obsession) with knitting and creative control over all the things. Later Rachel and team moved out of the kitchen and established a neighborhood LYS and dye studio in Southeast Portland. Drawing inspiration from nature, the great Pacific Northwest, nostalgia, and the occult. Ritual Dyes cares deeply about our crafting community and community at large.
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This episode is sponsored by Annie's. Annie’s Kit Clubs sends you monthly shipments full of the materials and instructions you need to make something beautiful. Choose from knitting and crocheting, to quilting, beading, cardmaking, general crafting, and even kids’ crafts. No matter your age, interest, or skill-level, Annie’s Kit Clubs has something for you. Visit Annie’s Kit Clubs now to get 50% off your first shipment. That’s Annies Kit Clubs dot com slash Kit Club 50.
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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. Join today.

Monday Jun 06, 2022
Episode #218: Nicole Snow of Darn Good Yarn
Monday Jun 06, 2022
Monday Jun 06, 2022
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about building a yarn company with my guest Nicole Snow of Darn Good Yarn.
United States Air Force Veteran, Entrepreneur, Mom to a five-year-old, Wife, Founder & CEO, Nicole Snow is the ‘Jane of all trades. In 2008, out of the desire to create a business focused on social consciousness through crafting and design, Nicole founded Darn Good Yarn. Over the past 13 years, Darn Good Yarn has saved over 2,000,000 pounds of manufacturing remnant material from ending up in landfills or rivers, upcycling it into handmade craft supplies and apparel while employing more than 600 global artisans. Darn Good Yarn has appeared for the last 5 years on the Inc 5000 list.
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This episode is sponsored by Craftsy. Whether you’re new to making, or looking to advance skills in a favorite hobby, Craftsy is the place to learn. With over 1,500 classes, there’s something for everyone, from knitting and sewing, to baking and cooking, gardening, embroidery, quilting and more!
Visit CraftsyOffers.com today and get a full year of Craftsy Premium Membership for just $3! That’s 97% off the regular price! Start turning ideas into projects you can be proud of.
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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. Join today.

Monday May 16, 2022
Episode #217: Kristina Burkey of Calliope Paperie
Monday May 16, 2022
Monday May 16, 2022
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about running a brick-and-mortar stationery store with my guest Kristina Burkey of Calliope Paperie in Natick, Massachusetts.
Kristina owns Calliope, a fun and quirky stationery and gift shop in Natick, MA. Calliope started as an online shop in 2014, opened as a brick-and-mortar location in 2016, and just recently moved into a new and bigger location in downtown Natick. Kristina has loved paper and pens and stickers for about as long as she can remember and her 8-year-old self would be freaking out right now if she knew what we were doing.
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This episode is sponsored by Schiffer Craft, an imprint of Schiffer Publishing. Schiffer Craft’s books provide expert knowledge and inspiration on topics ranging from ceramics to fiber and, floral design, glass art, wood working, metalcraft, leather, and more. Follow @schiffercraft on Facebook and Instagram to unlock your inspiration!
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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. Join today.

Monday May 02, 2022
Episode #216: Whitney Manney
Monday May 02, 2022
Monday May 02, 2022
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about fashion design with my guest Whitney Manney.
A Kansas City, Missouri native, Whitney Manney graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2012 with a BFA in Fibers. With a desire to create art in a wearable format, Manney creates garments and textile designs under her independent label WHITNEYMANNEY. Manney's work has been featured in major press outlets and numerous art and fashion blogs. She is featured in the PBS show Make48 & My World Too and has work featured in the new Peacock series Bel-Air.
Manney is a member of the 2021 American Craft Council Emerging Artists Cohort and recipient of the 2020 JOANN Minority Creative Grant along with numerous other grants. Her collections have been retailed at boutiques including Halls Kansas City, and showcased in more than a dozen runway and gallery shows. Creating a narrative between color and pattern is a signature of Manney's work. She believes her job isn't done until everybody in the world believes fashion is art."
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Today's episode is sponsored by Craftsy. Whether you’re new to making, or looking to advance skills in a favorite hobby, Craftsy is the place to learn.
With over 1,500 classes, there’s something for everyone, from knitting and sewing, to baking and cooking, gardening, embroidery, quilting and more!
Visit CraftsyOffers.com today and get a full year of Craftsy Premium Membership for just $3! That’s 97% off the regular price! Start turning ideas into projects you can be proud of.
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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. Join today.

Monday Apr 18, 2022
Episode #215: London Kaye
Monday Apr 18, 2022
Monday Apr 18, 2022
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about yarn bombing with my guest London Kaye.
Born in Los Angeles, California, London received her BFA in dance from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. After graduating London realized that her love for crochet, and unexpected joy, came together harmoniously when she began using crochet to interact with the environment and surrounding community. She began installing art daily on the streets of Brooklyn and New York City.
Through her time leading workshops and teaching crochet, London came to realize the best qualities of her favorite crochet hooks and combined them together using 3D printing technology to create a unique new style “Crochet Hook with a Twist.” She received a patent for the design. London’s career has expanded to collaborating with brands like Starbucks, The Gap, Disney, and The Kelly Clarkson Show. Her book is out now, Crochet with London Kaye.
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Today’s podcast is brought to you by Schiffer Craft—An imprint of Schiffer Publishing. Schiffer Craft’s books provide expert knowledge and inspiration on topics ranging from ceramics to fiber and textiles, floral design, glass art, wood working, metalcraft, leather, and more. Follow @schiffercraft on Facebook and Instagram to unlock your inspiration!
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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. Join today.

Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Special Episode: Interview with One of the Founders of the Etsy Strike, Kristi Cassidy
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
Wednesday Apr 13, 2022
In this special episode of the podcast, we are focusing on the Etsy strike. I sit down with Kristi Cassidy, one of the organizers, in order to learn how it came to be and the impact it might have.
If you haven’t heard about the Etsy strike yet, it’s a petition created by a group of Etsy sellers with a list of demands they want Etsy to meet. These include canceling the latest fee increase which brought transaction fees from 5% to 6.5%. Other demands include cracking down on resellers, improving seller support, ending the Star Seller program, and letting all sellers opt-out of Offsite Ads. As of right now, when we recorded this interview, the petition has 72,334 signatures or just about 1% of Etsy’s total active sellers.
Kristi Cassidy is one of the creators of the Etsy Strike petition, along with fellow sellers she connected with on Reddi. Kristi sells steampunk gothic fantasy costumes that she sews herself in her Etsy shop, Auralynne.

Monday Apr 04, 2022
Episode #214: Anne Merrow
Monday Apr 04, 2022
Monday Apr 04, 2022
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about creating craft media with my guest Anne Merrow.
Anne Merrow started off as a book editor but has turned a series of hobbies—knitting, spinning, and weaving—into a beloved career. She is a founder and partner of Long Thread Media, which publishes Handwoven, Spin Off, PieceWork, Little Looms, and other content related to fiber arts. She serves as the company’s editorial director and host of the Long Thread Podcast. Anne lives in Northern Colorado with her husband and naughty cats.
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This episode is sponsored by Craftsy.
Whether you’re new to making, or looking to advance skills in a favorite hobby, Craftsy is the place to learn.
With over 1,500 classes, there’s something for everyone, from knitting and sewing, to baking and cooking, gardening, embroidery, quilting and more!
Visit CraftsyOffers.com today and get a full year of Craftsy Premium Membership for just $3! That’s 97% off the regular price! Start turning ideas into projects you can be proud of.
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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. Join today.

Monday Mar 21, 2022
Episode #213: Jewell Washington
Monday Mar 21, 2022
Monday Mar 21, 2022
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about building a community through knitting with my guest Jewell Washington.
Jewell Washington is the Chicago-based maker and entrepreneurial designer of Northknits. She learned to knit in college and launched Northknits in 2014. Jewell pursues simple living through her passion for DIY, pattern design, stacking her yarn shelf, and providing business and entrepreneurial advice to fellow crafters. As the founder of Our Maker Life, a global maker movement, she has connected more than 120,000 fellow fiber creatives in the knit, crochet, and yarn industry via maker meetups, published books, and social media. She enjoys traveling and sweet cuddles with her kitten Dewey.
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This episode is sponsored by Bernet International. Have you outgrown your textile wholesale supplier or want more control in your supply chain? We provide art concept to delivery services with expert manufacturers. From textiles and fiber to notions, we've supported the quilt, home goods, garment, and craft industries for 40 years.
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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. Join today.

Monday Mar 07, 2022
Episode #212: Craig Swanson
Monday Mar 07, 2022
Monday Mar 07, 2022
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about online learning with my guest Craig Swanson.
At the age of 18, Craig founded Swanson Tech Support and worked as a tech consultant for 6 years before founding CreativeTechs which lead to over a million dollars in sales.
Soon after Craig co-founded the creative online learning platform CreativeLive, an idea that was birthed from a failed video training program for his IT business. CreativeLive would grow from a small start-up team to 70+ employees offering workshops with top industry leaders like Tim Ferriss and Brené Brown.
Now Craig partners with creators, educators, and influencers by providing the missing piece that they need to get to the next stage of their business and is helping build $1 million dollar businesses one step at a time.
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This episode is sponsored by Divine Social. Divine Social is a marketing agency that helps eCommerce stores who sell to makers, creators, crafters, artists & DIY enthusiasts. They are behind some of the biggest brands in the creative industry, responsible for strategies to move your online traffic from prospects to buyers to raving fans. The team at Divine Social is offering a customized review of your shop to help you uncover what’s keeping you from selling more. Go to divinesocial.com/cia for more details.
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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. Join today.

Monday Feb 21, 2022
Episode #211: e Bond
Monday Feb 21, 2022
Monday Feb 21, 2022
On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about blurring the lines between art, craft, design, and poetry with my guest e Bond.
e makes digital spaces by day, handmade books by night, hangs out with trees on weekends, and writes something close to poems in the spaces between. Under the studio name roughdrAftbooks—created in 2003—she makes one-of-a-kind artist books, printed pieces, and abstract drawings that merge and blur the boundaries of art, craft, design, and poetry. e holds a BFA in graphic design and art history from Moore College of Art & Design and an MFA in Creative Writing and Book Art from Mills College.
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This episode is sponsored by Craftsy. Whether you’re new to making, or looking to advance skills in a favorite hobby, Craftsy is the place to learn.
With over 1,500 classes, there’s something for everyone, from knitting and sewing, to baking and cooking, gardening, embroidery, quilting and more!
Visit CraftsyOffers.com today and get a full year of Craftsy Premium Membership for just $3! That’s 97% off the regular price! Start turning ideas into projects you can be proud of.
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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. Join today.