Modern Sewciety Podcast

Wendy Ward is on the podcast today chatting about sewing your own clothes. Wendy is a teacher and the creative behind the website Wendy Ward, her website full of so many great resources for getting starting on your own wardrobe. I love to sew my own clothes and think that sometimes it seems scary to quilters. I don't think it has to be and Wendy has several books that will help you get started. We chat about her books on making skirts, dresses, and her upcoming book about sewing with knits. We also chat about her business and why she thinks it is important to use ethical and sustainable materials in your projects. You won't want to miss this episode.

Lindsey Neill from Pen and Paper Patterns is on the podcast today and it is full of inspiration. I have been a fan of Lindsey for some time. I mean her instagram is full of awesomeness and makes me want to sew every second of every day. I wanted to have Lindsey on to chat about her patterns, her amazing photography skills, and what she has going on over at the Pen and Paper Studio. Lindsey shares a lot of business information with us which is always so much fun. I love learning what is working for others in their online businesses. You have to check out this fun chat with Lindsey.

Patricia Belyea is on the podcast today to chat about Japanese Inspired Designs and Fabrics. She is the owner and fabric curator of Japanese fabrics at Okan Arts her online shop filled with one of a kind yukata cottons. She recently wrote an amazing book, East Meets West Quilts, centered around yukata cottons and how they inspire her creative work. The book features yukata cottons, but also featuring modern fabrics, in a unique way with various projects. Patricia and I chat about how her collection of yukata cottons started, what inspires her creative process, her experience with the book writing process, and why she has a Quilt Manifesto in the book. This is such an inspiring chat filled with so much inspiration.

I am chatting with Amy Ellis the co-creator of Curated Quilts Magazine, a new magazine full of inspiration not ads. I first saw the projects from Curated Quilts popping up on Instagram and I was intrigued. I wanted to know more about the magazine immediately so I invited Amy on the podcast. We chat about how the idea for the magazine started, what will be gracing the pages of the magazine, and how you can submit your own works to be featured in the magazine. Amy is leader in the sewing industry who has designed several fabric lines for Moda Fabrics, authored several awesome books, and a so much more. She knows this community and I feel like she is the perfect person to know what kind of magazine this community would love. I hope you enjoy this episode and take a minute to check out the magazine. You might even see some familiar names and projects you recognize from your online quilty friends.

I am delighted to have Shannon Fraser on the podcast for a chat today. Shannon has been a long time listener of the Modern Sewciety Podcast and a reader of The Stych. She is always so kind to send me messages of encouragement and we have really struck up a great online friendship. Our hope is, of course, to meet in person one day soon. Shannon also has her own amazing website and newsletter. Shannon is a fierce creative with a passion for color and I so love her for that. She embraces her love of the color coral and I am pretty sure she tries to sneak it in every project she can. Shannon and I chat about what inspires her creative process, her new patterns that she is releasing, newsletters, and, of course, newsletters. We love to chat about newsletters and business. Shannon is just the sweetest person you will ever meet with a heart of gold. I am so excited to share this chat with you, my listeners. Please welcome Shannon to the podcast and show her some listener love.

Svetlana from S.O.T.A.K. handmade is someone I have followed via her amazing blog and social media accounts for a long time. I love her classicly modern patterns and playful handmades. I also love seeing how she mixes fabrics in her projects. Her latest posts boast bags made with waxed canvas which makes me want to make my own version right away. Svetlana is fearless with her creative endeavors which range from making bags to quilts to hand stamping her own prints. We chat about her patterns, her creative process, and I ask all the business questions because I am a huge admirer of her business model. I get all of the information about her gorgeous photographs of her makes and why she has decided to keep her personal life out of her business life. She seriously has some of the cutest photographs on her blog and social media. I left this conversation so inspired to think about my own business in a new way as well as my creative life. Svetlana also has an amazing resource of tutorials that I will make sure to link to in the show notes.

I love having past guests coming back on the podcast for an update of what they are up to. In case you didn't catch Giuseppe on the previous episode just check out episode 074. Giuseppe, aka Giucy Giuce on instgaram, is back to share what he is up to these days including his latest pattern release with DIY Addict called Moonstone and his job at Andover Fabrics. I always enjoy having a chat with Giuseppe as he is just the kindest person that makes you feel like you are the only person in the room. He just makes you feel so special when you talk to him and he is like that in real life, as well, as online. I love being around someone with such love and happiness. I love watching someone's story unfold online but I was so happy to have him back on to give us an updated chat. He even spills some of his sewing secrets. Tune in!

There aren't many times I have guests on the podcast that I meet in person before I have the chance to invite them on the podcast. Aaron Hoffman is one of the few and I am so happy it happened that way. Aaron is a quiet guy that sees this industry from a completely unique perspective who happens to always have a place to charge a cell phone at events. You have to know the secrets and Suzy from Suzy Quilts was in the know. We have chatted with Aaron at several events and it was so much fun to hear Aaron talk about the story of Hoffman Fabrics and Me + You, the modern batiks division Aaron created. The story is so unique and without a doubt legendary. I mean Magnum PI's famous Hawaiian shirt was made with Hoffman Fabrics. That is epic. So I convinced Aaron to come on the podcast for a chat so you, too, can hear this story. We also had a surprise guest, Michelle Flores, Markering Director and the official Hoffman Fabrics guide. She gives tours of the Hoffman warehouse in California and knew so much about the story of the company. It is an honor to be able to share the stories in this amazing community.

My guest today is Mia Whittemore who is the winner of the Uppercase Magazine contest to find the next Windham fabric designer. Mia entered the contest thinking it would be a good experience but she didn't imagine winning a prize that would land her artwork on fabrics. Mia and I talk about her background in art and how she is flexing her skills in the classroom as an art teacher. Mia hasn't always thought of her art as a daily practice until she challenged herself to just get creative after her nine to five job. She says it was the thing that changed the way she felt about herself as an artist and eventually gave her the courage to enter the Uppercase Magazine and Windham Fabrics contest. I so enjoyed chatting with Mia and learning more about her process. I have also worked with her first fabric line, Flourish, and it is gorgeous. I am so excited to see what Mia has in her future.

I have two chats today because I thought you would enjoy learning about both of the companies and how they can help you with your sewing business. I so enjoyed chatting with Stephanie Hackney from Hobbs Bonded Fibers. Stephanie is a marketing guru and we talk all about how that led her to work for Hobbs. She is learning so much about the sewing industry and turning that into profit for Hobbs. But don't think profit is all she is thinking about because Stephanie is making it her mission to visit local quilt shops as she travels around to trade shows. She is sharing this journey on Instagram for all of us to follow along and meet some amazing shop owners. I learned so much in this chat about batting but also about business. I am thinking of ideas to have Stephanie back on the show for sure. I also chatted with David from Quilty Cloud. I had never heard of Quilty Cloud until a super funny email landed in my inbox from Kerry, David's wife. Kerry is a quilter and David in the tech world. They worked together to build a service to allow quilters to give quotes to potential customers easily and professionally. This service will streamline your process as a quilter trying to estimate how much thread, batting, etc will be needed in a project and also the cost. This is an episode jam packed with valuable information to help you save time and money in your sewing business.

On this episode I chat with Gina from Cloud 9 Fabrics about all things organic fabrics. I wanted to know more about the process of having an all organic fabric company with amazing fabric designers. I have enjoyed working with Cloud 9 Fabrics for several years making samples for their Quilt Market booths. I love their fabrics because the quality is superb with every little detail thought about like the colors, the feel, the designs, and it is organic. It just doesn't get better than this. Gina talks about how Cloud 9 Fabrics started, their process of sourcing the fabrics, and she even teases that they have something new that is amazing. I love getting to know more about the sewing and fabric industry. I really think you will enjoy this chat as much as I did.

  I just want to say that I am using a new editing software for the podcast for this episode. I am hoping everything went well with editing but if you hear anything please let me know. Notes:: Her new book BIG CITY BAGS found HERE:: She has a great post on interfacing/stabilizer that we talked about HERE:: (what a great picture!)   The post about her new Juki sewing machine found HERE The Tula Pink at market post found HERE   Sew Mama Sew Contest found HERE   Sara's pattern shop can be found HERE With the awesome Aeroplane Bags that I am dying to make for myself! It will fit a sewing machine! YEA! Sara's awesome clothes she makes as "icebreakers" are amazing. Found HERE as always let me know if I left any links out from the podcast that you want. I will add them. Stephanie  

  On this episode I talk about how I have felt the love this week in my life, email, and with Modern Sewciety. I always read blogs so I share some of the blogs I found interesting this week that I think you might like to take a look at. I also talk about what is coming up on Modern Sewciety and what I see for the site and podcast. Notes:: Sometimes Crafter's 2014 calendar (her new website is AWESOME) Winter Wonderland pattern collection from Pattern Anthology Sew Liberated's post on expecting Fostering and adopting that I mentioned:: the one I forgot was Ruffles and stuff, Ashely from Ashley Ann Photography, Samantha from Handmade Dress Maureen Cracknell I heart organizing's dining room hutch makeover the Kitchn Skinnytaste Anna from Noodlehead's sewing space Clover Lane (I love her parenting perspective) I hope I didn't forget anyone I mentioned. If I did please let me know and I will add the link.

  Today's episode is an interview with Katie from Katie's Quilting Corner, a 30 something crafter who fell in love with sewing in 2010 and the rest is history. Katie has a great blog about her sewing adventures featuring her projects, classes she is teaching and attending, podcasts, patterns, and most importantly her three corgi children. She is an avid quilting and also loves to machine embroider. We chatted about how she got started sewing and blogging, some projects she is working on, what she is teaching currently, and what she has planned for the future. Please join us as we get to know Katie a little bit better. Links:: http://katiesquiltingcorner.com http://katiesquiltingcorner.com/podcast-2 http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/other/pixel-lattice---paper-pieced-block/55715?NAVIGATION_PAGE_CONTEXT_ATTR=PATTERN http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/other/corgi-fairytale/61518 http://katiesquiltingcorner.com/class-schedule This post is linked up to Sew Many Ways and Show Off Saturday linky party