This week Jennifer and her daughter Abby are bringing you an interview with Connie Jin, an interactive developer/designer, comics journalist, and illustrator. Connie is working on a graphic novel and is a graphics reporter at National Public Radio! They share their journey with art, how to balance the creative workloads of a day job and a passion project, getting out of a creative slump, and mental health tips for creatives!

Zines! Zines! Zines!

You can read a free zine of Connie’s advice here: https://craftsanity.com/connie-jin/

Or order a physical copy: https://craftsanityshop.com/products/dear-art-student-zines

Keep up with Connie!

Check out Connie's work...

for NPR: https://www.npr.org/people/776502220/connie-hanzhang-jin

website: https://connjin.github.io/

and Twitter: https://x.com/connjie

(This comic for NPR might be particularly helpful to check out if you’re feeling stressed! https://www.npr.org/2024/10/16/g-s1-27725/comic-science-backed-mood-boosters-to-almost-instantly-snap-you-out-of-a-funk)

Get involved!

Have some advice for fellow artists you want to share? Send a short voice recording to abby@craftsanity.com and we might play it in a future episode!

Jennifer and her daughter Abby interview Genice Chan! Genice is a freelance visual development artist and illustrator known for her concept art for the Netflix anime series “Brand New Animal.” She shares her journey from school, to studio work, to freelancing, and some tips about managing the grind and making sure you get paid.

Zines! Zines! Zines!

You can read a free zine of Genice’s advice here, or order a physical copy.

Keep up with Genice!

Check out Genice's website, Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr!

Get involved!

Have some advice for fellow artists, or a question you want to share? Send a short voice recording to abby@craftsanity.com and we might play it in a future episode!

On this episode of the podcast I geek out about wood type and paper and ink with letterpress printmaker Amos Kennedy, owner and chief printer at Kennedy Prints in Detroit.

Check out the show notes at craftsanity.com

A summer camp romance and a $5,000 grant have given arts education a boost in West Michigan where a small business is providing opportunities for kids to express themselves creatively. This is what happens when cupid and a creative guy named Adam Weiler cross paths with a lovely lady on a basketball court.

After a bit of a hiatus, I’m back recording podcast interviews with artists and crafters. On episode #130, I’ll introduce you to California garden writer and fiber enthusiast Chris McLaughlin.

Author Mac Barnett and illustrator Jon Klassen discuss their book, "Extra Yarn."

Interview with British knit designer Jean Moss.

Interview with Diane Morgan, a great cook, culinary instructor, restaurant consultant food writer and author of "Gifts Cooks Love."

Interview with cook, artist and cookbook author Yvette Van Boven.

Interview with Brett Bara, crafter, author, TV host and jello mold enthusiast.

Interview with Amiee Ray

Soft sculpture artist Abby Glassenberg is back to chat about her new book, “The Artful Bird: Feathered Friends to Sew and Make.” On this mini-episode of the podcast, we catch up on the latest exciting developments in her life including the birth of third child and the experience of becoming a published author.

On this episode of the podcast you'll hear from Anna Hrachovec, a 29-year-old Brooklyn-based artist who really knows how to bring her knitting to life.

Interview with Lori Evesque, owner of Natural Cycles Farm in southern Allegan County, discussing raising fresh food, fiber and plants to sell at local farmers markets and her yarn dyeing workshops.

Check out the show notes at craftsanity.com

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!”

Interview with 22-year-old Martin Schneider, an art student in Cologne, Germany who designed a 3-D printed printing press and shared his design files for free online. Check out the show notes at CraftSanity.com

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.

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.

Interview with Mark Newport, known for his hand embroidered comic book covers and knitted superhero costumes.

Check out the show notes at CraftSanity.com

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.

Interview with Katrina Rodabaugh, fiber artist and author of the forthcoming book, “Mending Matters: Stitch, Patch, and Repair Your Favorite Denim & More.” Rodabaugh is one of the zen stitchers on the front lines of this important and gentle movement that bucks the trend of overconsumption and throw-away fashion.

Check out the show notes at craftsanity.com

Interview with Alicia Paulson of “Posie Gets Cozy” blog fame. Alicia and I first chatted in 2006 on episode 17 of the podcast. She’s been very busy making beautiful things in her lovely home studio and writing books. Her first, “Stitched in Time: Memory-Keeping Projects to Sew and Share From the Creator of Posie Gets Cozy” (Potter Craft, 2008, $22.95) is in bookstores now.

Back for an encore performance, Anna Maria Horner and I chatted again recently about her lovely new book, “Seams to Me: 24 New Reasons to Love Sewing.” If you missed our first conversation, I suggest you check out episode 73 for the full story of how Anna Maria got to where she is today. (This latest episode assumes you know all that stuff. : )

Forget those frumpy crochet patterns of old, and let twin fashion designers Erika & Monika Simmons help you sass up your stitching. On this episode of CraftSanity, Erika shares the story of how she and her sister built a custom crochet apparel design business from their Chicago home. We also chat about the fun designs in their book “DoubleStitch Designs For The Crochet Fashionista” (Interweave 2008), that includes several pattern designs guaranteed to stop traffic and several that are just plan fun.