The CraftSanity Podcast

On this episode of CraftSanity, Liesl Gibson shares the story of how she started her Brooklyn-based pattern company, Oliver + S. If you lurk around sewing blogs or frequent an independent fabric shop, you’ve probably seen her classic line that features darling designs to sew for girls and boys. Each pattern comes with a paper doll that sports the designs featured in the patten. And to boost the cute factor even higher, Oliver + S just released a spool dog cut-out as seen in the photo above. From the fashion district to Wall Street, Liesl’s path to launching her own line of children’s clothing patterns is entertaining and inspiring. Tune in to hear Liesl chat about everything from her childhood days watching her mother sew to working in the fashion industry, and the challenges of running a handmade business.

This episode is about spreading hope one quilt at a time. Tune in to meet Carin Vogelzang, and her mother, Carol Peters, two women who turned a family tragedy into an inspiring cause called Margaret’s Hope Chest. Carin, of Toronto, and her mother, Carol, of Grand Rapids, co-founded the quilt charity Margaret’s Hope Chest in honor of Peters’ mom, Margaret Herrema, who died after she was critically injured during a purse-snatching in 2005. The first quilt they gave away was to the mother of one of the women convicted of Margaret’s death. Carin and Carol have given away 102 quilts since founding the charity in Margaret’s name in 2007. Now they’re asking quilters around the globe to help them make 400 quilts to give to homeless children living in the Grand Rapids Public School District here in West Michigan during the Christmas holiday.

Sally Melville has been on the knitting scene for years, demystify the craft for all the rookies and self-taught knitters she cheerfully coaxes along at her workshops. Tune in to this episode of CraftSanity to find out how Sally became a knitwear designer and author years after she discovered the wonderful world of knitting as a 7-year-old Brownie.

Trond Anfinnsen is the inspiring sort of guy who gets an idea, commits to it and sees it through to its creative end. And then when he’s done, he starts the process all over again. On this episode of CraftSanity you’ll hear Trond, 42, of Stavanger, Norway tell the story of how he became a ravenous knitter just a few years back and ended up knitting more than 200 one-of-a-kind hats for people in his life. Tune in to find out how a Flickr gallery of photos of people wearing his hats led to a book deal. (Trond’s friend Klaus Nilsen Skrudland took all the photos.) Fifty of his hats are included in his book: “HatHeads: 1 Man + 2 Knitting Needles = 50 Fun Hat Designs.” I posted the Silje pattern featured on the lower right of the book cover and p. 116 inside on this blog a while back and still have big plans to make that hat. Trond’s book is cool because it gives 50 examples of how a simple knitting pattern can be customized for each individual. He even shares some great tips about how to design a one-of-a-kind hat of your own. Unlike most craft books, Trond’s introduces us to all the people who modeled hats for the book. Under each photo is a brief intro to these people and explanation of their connection to Trond. I love the sense of community that Trond created with his knitting. It’s lovely, really. And it so makes me want to knit a hat. Right now.

On this episode you’re going to meet the inspiring Beerhorst family headed up by Rick and Brenda Beerhorst, the artist parents of six creative kids ranging in age from 5 to 17. Rick is an oil panter. Brenda is a fiber artist. And the kids, well, they’re all artistic, too.

On this episode of CraftSanity you’re going to hear a conversation with Justine Telfer, editor and publisher of the Melbourne, Australia-based zine, MixTape. I love this self-published craft zine because it’s put together with passion and offers interesting commentary on the world of art and craft. Mixtape started publishing in 2007 and is all about “making time for the small things.” It’s mission is to document the “collision of craft, eco-cool and pop culture kitsch.” Three hundred copies of the first issue were photocopied and sold out. The demand forced the purchase of a home laser jet printer. Now the 1,500 copies are printed professionally in full-color and shipped to subscribers around the world. Justine, 36, shares the story of how she started MixTape with a friend and continues to grow the publication on her own two years later. This podcast was especially fun for me since making a zine of my own is on my to-do list. If you want to contribute to MixTape, find out how to subscribe and check out the submission guidelines for issue 11. The theme is “Thinking Outside the Square.”

Abby Glassenberg, 33, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, makes one-of-a-kind soft sculpture birds in her home studio and documents her her adventures in mothering and bird-making on her blog, While She Naps, because, like many of us, she works while her children sleep.

Nancy Minsky is a fashion designer living in Brussels, Belgium, who is blurring the lines between high fashion and DIY craft. A graduate of Parson’s School of Design and a former assistant to Calvin Klein, Nancy, 55, worked in the fast-paced fashion industry for years churning out new designs for her Paul Alexander line before “retiring” from fashion design to focus on her family. On this episode, Nancy reassures us all that we will not lose our creativity if we take a break from our professions to parent or go another direction. In fact, Nancy, appears to be as creative as ever.

This week I'm bringing you a lively discussion with Jen Segrest. She's a multi-talented graphic designer and crafter from Middletown, Ohio who isn't afraid to speak her mind. I got in contact with Jen when I came across her fantastic bottle cap pincushions online. Her pincushion tutorials featured in the book "Pretty Little Pincushions (Lark 2007) and CraftStylish, changed my life. Months later, I'm still excited about covering bottle caps with felt. So fun!

Rob Bliss bills himself as a just a regular guy. But his ability to use Facebook to mobilize people of all ages to participate in urban experiments is nothing short of intriguing. I met Bliss, a Grand Rapids Community College student, at the Chalk Flood he hosted in April. My daughters and I were among thousands of people who gathered downtown to doodle on the sidewalk that Saturday afternoon and we had a blast. It was a real kick to see so many people ranging from kids to professional artists coloring the city streets. And we were all there because of Rob Bliss. He invited us and secured 30,000 pieces of free chalk. He announced his plan on Facebook and then waited to see who showed up.

If you've ever dreamed about moving to the country and living off the land, you need to listen to this podcast featuring Jenna Woginrich, the author of "Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life."

Laurie Sharp discusses Wool Pets, her needle felting kit business, her book “Wool Pets: Making 20 Figures with Wool Roving and a Barbed Needle” and the path that led her to pursue her creative dreams.

Hear a conversation with Jennifer Paganelli, 50, the owner and creator of the Sis Boom Collection. From her home in Wilton, Connecticut, Jennifer creates vintage inspired home furnishings including pillows, lamps and festive banners, as well as whimsical designs for women and girls. (She designs three of my favorite things: aprons, peasant tops and jumpers.)

Interview with Walter Olson about the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act's testing and certification for makers of products intended for children 12 years old and younger.

Daniel Vosovic shares the story of what it’s been like to build a name for himself leaving West Michigan, becoming a reality TV star on "Project Runway," budding designer, author and businessman. Tune in for some inspiration to push you toward your dream career.