On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking with two of the winners of the Golden Scissors Awards. These new awards recognize excellence in the crafts industry and are given out annually at h+h americas. Nominations were open to everyone and the winners were determined by an independent panel of judges made up of craft industry professionals.  In this first episode, we'll hear the stories of our Emerging Leader Award, Elizabeth Okeyele. Elizabeth works to spread the love of knitting and crochet to children throughout her home country of Nigeria, and in neighbo ..read more

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about building an audience with my guest Amber Kemp-Gersel of Damask Love. Amber was the keynote speaker at h+h americas 2024 in Chicago and this is a recording of her presentation. It was inspiring, smart, and funny and I think you’re going to love it. Amber Kemp-Gerstel is a television host and founder and creative director of Damask Love, a creative lifestyle blog all about doable DIY. Amber has partnered with brands like Martha Stewart, Home Depot, The Container Store, Coca-Cola, and Canon and is the social media face ..read more

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about folk embroidery with my guest Krista West. Krista delights in bringing ancient beauty to the modern world with embroidery designs inspired by traditional Mediterranean folk textiles. Introduced to traditional folk embroidery in Greece, she fell in love with the vibrant colors and historic motifs and began stitching textiles for her own home. She quickly realized there was still much interest in this historic craft and opened Avlea Folk Embroidery to share the beauty of folk embroidery with others. She happily spends ..read more

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about building a craft tool company with my guest Kelly Brooks.   Kelly and her husband, Scott Gardiner, are the team behind knitbrooks, where they create unique wooden crochet hooks. Kelly started knitbrooks in 2013 while she was working as a reporter/photographer at a small community newspaper in Alberta, Canada. She opened an Etsy shop to sell online, and participated in local handmade markets over the next few years. In 2017 she tried carving her very first crochet hook out of a branch she found in ..read more

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about growing a sewing pattern business with my guest Heather Lou. Heather has been passionately making her own clothes since 2010, and discovered she loved sewing so much she left a career in interior design to start Closet Core Patterns. Over the years, the company has grown and evolved and now offers standalone sewing patterns, online sewing classes, and an inspiring pattern membership and private community called Crew, where new sewing patterns and tutorials are released each month based on a changing annual design con ..read more

We’re so pleased to bring you this special episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast. This is a recording of the State of the Industry panel discussion which took place live on stage on May 1 at h+h americas 2024 in Chicago. With about 800 people in the audience, our panelists dove into the biggest issues and ideas the crafts industry is wrestling with right now. It was an exciting conversation among four industry professionals each of whom has a unique vantage point and perspective. Our panelists included Toni Lipsey of TL Yarn Crafts, Gina Pantastico of Cloud9 Fabrics, Virginia Johnson ..read more

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about embroidery and illustration with my guest Sara Barnes.   Sara is an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, an embroidery studio stitching pet portraits and other beloved creatures. Her work has been recognized in American Illustration, Embroidery Magazine, and Uppercase. Sara chronicles the creativity of others through her blog Brown Paper Bag and weekly newsletter, Orts.  Her newest book is Threads of Treasure: How to make, mend, and find meaning thro ..read more

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about buttons with my guest Beau McCall. Proclaimed by American Craft magazine as “The Button Man,” Beau McCall creates wearable and visual art by applying clothing buttons onto mostly upcycled fabrics, materials, and objects. His artworks offer commentary on topics such as pop culture and social justice. On March 30th his first-ever retrospective exhibition debuts at Fuller Craft Museum titled, Beau McCall: Buttons On!  +++++ Calling all crafters! Are you ready to dive deep into your favorite crafting proj ..read more

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about hand-dyed fabrics with my guest Karla Overland.   Karla is the owner of Cherrywood Hand Dyed Fabrics in Baxter, Minnesota. She is the “colorist” who creates all the dye formulas and gradations of the gorgeous trademark bundles. Karla has been sewing since she was a little girl and holds a degree in Graphic Design. She applies her combined passions to all aspects of Cherrywood; web and print design, color theory, marketing, pattern design, and The Cherrywood Challenge. She has self-published nine exhibit books a ..read more

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we're talking about creating a sewing business with my guest Jess Barrera of Sallie Tomato. Jessica is an author, designer, educator, and entrepreneur who has been creatively sewing and crafting since the age of five. She studied entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and now operates her own sewing pattern and supply company, Sallie Tomato. Her innovative designs and products aim to attract the next generations of sewing enthusiasts while appealing to current makers. Aside from running a business, she’s a mom of tw ..read more