The CraftSanity Podcast

We’re going to time warp just a tad on this episode of the podcast. We’re going back to a coat closet inside the Grand Rapids Public Art Museum (GRAM) where I interviewed artist Betsy Timmer this past fall about “Rag Rug,” the piece that she entered in ArtPrize, the international art competition held annually here in West Michigan.

After Chris de Longpre “retired” from a career in information technology she decided to make the most of her free time. She started knitting – a lot. And Chris, of Kentwood, Mich., wasn’t content to follow a pattern, so she kick up the degree of difficulty and started writing her own patterns. She kept designing and taking notes. Within months of her retirement, she launched a pattern business, called Knitting at KNoon Designs featuring eight original. Eight years later de Longpre has amassed a strong following for her pattern collection that features designs ranging from stuffed toys, socks and shawls to knitted garments for babies, children and adults. Now her designs are stocked by 700 knitting shops across the country as well as in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

This episode of CraftSanity was recorded before a live audience at the Creative Conference of Entrepreneurs in Seattle. My guest was the Megan Reardon, creator of the popular Not Martha blog she launched in 2001 as a place to keep track of her many crafty projects and lifestyle interests. Nine years later, Megan’s blog has received mentions from high traffic sites including Daily Candy, Fred Flare, Boing Boing, Apartment Therapy, and Metafilter, and has been nominated for several Bloggie awards. Megan’s site was named one of the Coolest Websites of 2006 by Time magazine. On this episode of CraftSanity, you’ll find out about Megan’s creative life that has included stints sewing opera costumes in Santa Fe, building corporate websites in San Francisco, and running a small knitting supplies business in her current home of Seattle, where she is a founding member of the Grassroots Business Association. She has published patterns in Knitty.com (The Hallowig ranks among my favorites!) and in several knitting books. She contributed projects to ReadyMade and FamilyFun magazines, and has also blogged for ReadyMade and Design Sponge. Megan also creates awesome projects for Holidash.com, including this Felt Dahlia Brooch. Thanks to Megan for being the first guest to record with me before a live audience and for sharing her story with us! Also thanks to the conference organizers who hosted the conference. It was great to be a part of the event and meet so many talented and creative people in person. I will be posting more little bits about people I met in the coming weeks. I have a little project to finish in the meantime.

Sue Hausmann says sewing is a life skill. And after you listen to her story you’ll understand what she means. As a young mom, she sewed everything for her family from housewares to matching swim suits her family of six. She also sewed to earn extra money doing alterations out of her home. Years of practical sewing experience and a passion for the craft eventually lead Sue into the workforce where she excelled at hooking budding sewists on the craft. Tune in to CraftSanity episode 118 to hear how this Midwestern seamstress used her sewing skills, Tupperware sales experience and supermom powers to canapult herself into the corporate world where she went on to become the Executive Vice President Consumer Motivation at Husqvarna Viking and the host of “America Sews” a show that aired on PBS in the U.S. until last year.

At long last I bring you a podcast interview with Lisa Price, a crafty printmaker and one of West Michigan’s most successful handmade businesswomen. Tune in for the story of how Lisa used job loss as a springboard to start artgoodies, the art business she operates out of her basement studio in Grand Rapids. Her business is the perfect blend of art and craft with a side of vintage flair. Her block printed tea towels are wildly popular and especially appealing for those who want to adorn their homes with functional art.

On this episode of CraftSanity you’ll meet West Michigan fiber artist Beth Ann Williams, an accomplished quilter, teacher and author who never ceases to inspire the people around her. Tune in to hear the story of how Beth Ann turned to quilting after serious health problems forced her to edit her life plan. Beth Ann, of Grand Rapids, is very skilled when it comes to making art and helping others set out on their own creative journeys. And she excels at figuring out ways to get around life’s biggest obstacles with grace and humor. With the deck stacked against her Beth Ann has continued to make art, teach and work as the creative director for Lakeshore Sewing. If you’re struggling with a road block in your life, don’t miss this episode and the chance to be inspired by a woman who turned her wheelchair into a fashion accessory and reminds us all to hold our dreams lightly.Want to learn more from Beth Ann? She teaches regularly at Lakeshore Sewing and will be teaching at Fabrications at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo, Mich. at the end of the summer. She will present Fiber Collage & Three-Dimensional Embellishment on Aug. 30 & 31 and Machine Quilting and Thread Painting on Sept. 1, 2 & 3. She will also be co-hosting a “Storytelling in Fabric” retreat in November. Read more workshop details here.

On this episode of CraftSanity you’ll hear from Kristen Rask, owner of Schmancy, a Seattle shop featuring fun and quirky handmade toys. Just a few minutes into the interview you’ll probably begin to wonder when Kristen finds time to sleep because operating a cool shop is only one of her many creative projects. Kristen is also the creator of the wildly successful Plush You! show that features over a hundred plush artists from around the globe, planner of Urban Craft Uprising (Seattle’s largest indie craft show) and the upcoming Conference of Creative Entrepreneurs. She’s a committee member for the Grassroots Business Association and just curated the Lost at Sea Show in New York City, too. In her spare time, Kristen has also written three books: “Plush You! Loveable Misfits to sew and stuff” (based on the annual Plush You! show she has at her store), “Creature Crochet” and “Button and Stitch.” If you’re looking for some motivation to get cracking on some of your own projects, something tells me that hearing from Kristen will give you a helpful kick in the Schmancy pants to get out there and take a crafty risk or two. If you want a chance to meet Kristen and soak up some crafty business tips, head out to the Conference of Creative Entrepreneurs, Aug. 13-15 in Seattle. Register by June 1 and save money. I’m heading to the conference to be on a panel about podcasting and do a live recording of my show and I’d love to see you there. (Email me if you’re interested in a CraftSanity meet-up.)

Before the world recognized Wendy Mullin’s Built By Wendy clothing label, she was just a girl sewing her heart out hunched over a machine stacked up on milk crates. She cut her fabric on the floor of her cramped apartment and worked at record stores to pay the bills. And long before she started calling herself a designer, she had become one. On this episode of CraftSanity, Wendy shares the inspiring story of how she built her own creative business one design at a time. Originally from Chicago, Wendy is now one of New York’s most established independent fashion designers. She sells her Built By Wendy line at her two retail stores in New York, at boutiques across the country and online. Budding designers got to know Wendy when she released her first book “Sew U” and follow-up book “Sew U Home Stretch.” Her third book, “Built by Wendy Dresses: The Sew U Guide to Make a Girl’s Best Frock.” just came out and demystifies the satisfying art of making a fun and flattering dress. Tune in and get inspired to build yourself a brand new frock.

I made you all wait way too long for this episode, but I think it’s going to be worth it. My guest is a fabulous storyteller who shares a wealth of info that I hope will serve as an audio springboard for all of you dear listeners out there dreaming of launching your own handmade business. You can do it! You can do it! You CAN do it! Now that I’ve got you pumped up a little bit, grab a project and settle in for a nice long chat with Kari Chapin, author of “Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally and Online.” I interviewed Kari for my craft column right before the book launch and then I interviewed her again for the podcast because I wanted you to get to hear the full story. With experience as a maker, marketer, stylist and retail manager (among many other things), Chapin has done a fine job of rounding up helpful information for creative people dreaming of making a handmade living. And I’m not just saying that because she interviewed me for her book. (Some of my comments about podcasting are one on page 206, but you’ll be way more impressed with the famous crafters she interviewed to fill the other pages.) Kari covers everything from pricing and taxes to social media and starting your own craft fair, so this book is pretty cool and includes a lot of info that I wish I would have known before I decided to launch my own crafty biz. Speaking of which… ENTER TO WIN a copy of Kari’s book by posting a craft business tip below. What do you wish you would have know before you got started? If you haven’t launched a handmade business yet, please post a question. What do you want to know before you get started? The deadline to enter the random drawing is March 21. Good luck!

This week my guest is Minneapolis based designer Rebecca Yaker. I’ve been wanting to interview Rebecca since we met at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair a few years ago and she did not disappoint. This episode traces Rebecca’s unconventional creative path to becoming an independent designer, artist, handmade business owner and published author. In 2005, Rebecca left the corporate world to start Hazel and Melvin’s Room, a custom baby bedding and accessories business that offers expecting parents a fabulous alternative to the mass produced products listed on many baby registries. Rebecca made a huge splash in craft circles when images of her unforgettable sock monkey dresses hit the web. She continues to make wearable sock monkey creations for people of all ages and takes custom orders for award winning sock monkey dresses. (Those must be an absolute blast to wear. I would love to run a road race wearing a sock monkey apron someday.) In February 2008, Rebecca and her pal Trish Hoskins had lunch with the president of Storey Publishing. A year and a half later, Rebecca and Trish where holding copies of their first book “One-Yard Wonders!”

This week my podcast guest is Rashida Coleman-Hale, 33, of Atlanta, who writes the I Heart Linen blog. A busy mama and super talented designer, Rashida’s story is sure to inspire you run to your fabric stash for a quick patchwork project fix. We chatted about her creative journey to becoming a craft project designer and published author and the challenges she’s encountered along the way. Rashida has a contagious laugh, so we did plenty of giggling. But we also had a serious discussion about how making beautiful things helped Rashida through postpartum depression. So if you’re going through a rough patch, this episode might be particularly helpful. Rashida’s first book, “I Love Patwork: 21 Irresistible Zakka Projects to Sew” just hit bookstores and features great designs including instructions to make the lovely blossom pincushions pictured above. (p. 71) Projects in the book include a combination of machine and hand sewing and feature lots of linen (no surprise there!) and the English paper piecing techniques that I find so fantastically additive. Rashida’s designs carry a strong Japanese influence reminiscent of the time she spent living abroad as a child. So if you love Zakka craft, you’ll enjoy making Rashida’s designs to adorn your creative space.

Meg McElwee’s star has risen fast since I first chatted with her on episode 80 and it’s great to have her back as part of her blog tour to fill us in on her life as a new mama and published craft book author. (Go, Meg!) During our first chat, Meg was teaching at a Montessori school in Mexico and planning to return to the States to expand her pattern design business and start a family. She’s now living in North Carolina with her husband and son and continuing to expand her pattern line which includes my favorite apron pattern of all time, the Emmeline. Her new book “Sew Liberated: 20 Stylish Projects for the Modern Sewist” is packed with fun projects that highlight the fantastic possibilities that come with incorporating easy applique techniques. The book comes with a packet of patterns glued inside the back over so you have everything you need to get started right away. Projects for the home, babies, children and you are include. The Teacup Corset Apron, Funny Animals Children’s Totes and reverse appliqued Jersey Garden Skirt (cover photo) rank among my favorites patterns in the book, but I plan to try out several other patterns as time allows. So settle in with a project and tune in to this week’s show to hear Meg’s story.

Maya Donenfeld joined the craft blog scene about two years ago with the creation of her Maya*Made blog and has been inspiring readers ever since with her sustainable craft project ideas. A self-taught artist, Maya, 40, loves to create with items straight from the recycle bin. One of her favorite materials is repurposed burlap coffee sacks, but anything in the recycling bin is fair game. She turns newspapers into festive banners and she works wonders with toilet paper tubes. Above is a glimpse of her latest advent calendar design, which builds on last year’s design which was also created out of cardboard tubes. (She more or Maya’s designs on Flickr.) Maya lives in rural upstate New York with her husband and two children. She cooks up new designs daily while maintaining a regular dialog with her blog readers. Tune in to this week’s podcast to hear her tell her story in her own words.

Susan B. Anderson is back again to update us on the latest developments in her successful knitting career, namely her new book, “Itty-Bitty Toys.” I asked Susan to give a brief overview of her knitting career on this episode, but if you want to hear the whole story, I invite you to go back and listen CraftSanity episodes 46 and 64. Susan’s Itty-Bitty series including “Itty-Bitty Hats” and “Itty-Bitty Nursery,” have been very popular and the latest knitted toy book went into it’s second printing within weeks of the release date. The success this 45-year-old, married, mother of four from Madison, Wis. has lead opportunities to travel and teach in knit shops across the country. It also helped her land a fun gig with a great title as the curator of the Spud and Chloe blog where Susan frequently posts free patterns for knitters to download and stitch. Tune in to this episode for down-to-earth inspiration that just might inspire you to launch a handmade business of your own. And speaking of free patterns, check out the Susan’s Santa Baby pattern that I posted after our first chat. It’s perfect for last-minute holiday crafting.

Grab your latest project and settle in for a long chat with clothing designer and author, Cal Patch, the creative force behind the Hodge Podge clothing label. Immediately after opening Cal’s new book, I knew that it was going to be one of those books that would change my creative life. I want to sew more of my own clothes and often get disappointed when my projects don’t pan out. Enter Cal and her fabulous book, “Design-It-Yourself Clothes Patternmaking Simplified.” Cal has been teaching sewing and pattern making in New York for years, so this book is especially great for those of us who live too far away to take one of her classes in person.