What is it about a post that makes people want to share? That’s a question I thought a lot about last week as I watched two yarn shops go viral. On Tuesday, January 24, four days after the Women’s March, Elizabeth Poe, owner of The Joy of Knitting in Franklin, Tennessee, posted the following message…
Archives for January 2017
A New Pattern In the Making
A few years ago I sold all my pattern samples. At that time my workspace was a table in the corner of our bedroom and with the piles of fabric, the ironing board, and the stuffing bin, it felt too crowded to have so many softies and dolls everywhere. When Craftland in Providence asked if…
Podcast Episode #89: Thomas Knauer on the State of the Quilting Industry
On this episode of the While She Naps podcast I’ve asked award winning quilter Thomas Knauer to talk about the state of the quilting industry. Thomas describes himself as both an artist and a geek. He has an art degree from Kenyon College and two MFAs, one from Cranbrook Academy of Art and another from…
What is the Moda Bake Shop and Should You Contribute?
Sunnyside Diamond Zigzag quilt pattern by Better Off Thread for the Moda Bake Shop. Cutting quilting cotton into squares or strips is one of the most time consuming parts of making a quilt. In 2006, Moda, the Dallas, Texas based fabric company, began selling fabric bundles that were precut, making it easier for consumers to…
Podcast Episode #88: MimiG
On today’s episode of the While She Naps podcast we’re talking about building a business in fashion sewing with my guest Mimi Goodwin, whom you might know as MimiG. Mimi is a mother, businesswoman, and award winning, trend expert and Editor-in-Chief of the popular fashion, lifestyle, and DIY blog, MimiGStyle.com. What started off as a hobby…
Slow Growth and the Internet Gold Rush
Almost a year ago I spoke at Midwest Craft Con and from the stage I asked by a show of hands how many of the 200 or so people in the audience had a day job in addition to their craft business. From where I stood it looked like nearly every hand in the room…