Craft Industry Alliance

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about knitting and crochet publishing with my guest Amy Sadler.

Amy is the editor of Knitty, as well as publisher and founder of the magazine. In 2002, she suddenly realized she could start an online knitting magazine to feature the knitting talent she'd been seeing on blogs all over the world, all on one tidy, professional-looking website. And here we are 24 years later.

Amy is a member of the cohort of late-diagnosed autism and ADHD women of a certain age. She’s into her rescue dog, Sky, rabbits, quirky movies, tiny collectible vinyl toys, everything about Formula 1 racing, and making one very good iced coffee to start every day. She lives in Hamilton, Ontario.

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This episode is sponsored by Andrews Artistry offering branding, web design and brand photography for creatives and small businesses.

Andrews Artistry is a queer-owned, woman-led creative duo based in Denver and working with craft businesses everywhere — virtually and via shipped products. As crafters themselves, they've spent over 15 years helping makers show up with brands and photography that actually do their work justice. They specialize in color-accurate, texture-forward product photography that closes the gap between the online and in-person shopping experience — plus brand identity design, web design, and ongoing creative support for makers who are ready to stop DIYing their brand.

Free for podcast listeners: The Brand Reality Check — submit your site and get a personalized video review of three things holding your brand back, plus exactly how to fix them. Grab your free Brand Reality Check at andrewsartistry.com/realitycheck

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To get the full show notes for this episode visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Join today.

On this special live episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about Hobby Lobby with my guest Michael Blanding, author of the new book The Gospel According to Hobby Lobby: Inside a Billionaire Family's Quest to Craft a Christian Nation.

Michael is a Boston-based investigative journalist and author of In Shakespeare’s Shadow and the New York Times bestseller, The Map Thief. A former senior writer at Boston Magazine and senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, his work has appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, Slate, Smithsonian, The Boston Globe, and other publications. Visit his website at www.michaelblanding.com.

Michael visited the Craft Industry Alliance studio to tape this interview in front of a live virtual audience.

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To get the full show notes for this episode visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Join today.

In this special episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're thrilled to be bringing you a recording of the keynote address at h+h americas 2026. This year our speaker was Natalie Chanin and her talk was called, The Future of Craft Is Collective.

Natalie is the founder and creative director of The School of Making, Alabama Chanin, and the nonprofit Project Threadways, reflects on the evolving role of craft in a complex world. Drawing on the Project Threadways manifesto, she explores how making—rooted in joy, creativity, and shared experience—can connect individuals while also building stronger, more resilient and interconnected systems of education, production, and community. This keynote invites the craft industry to chart a path forward through collaboration, shared resources, and collective stewardship—moving beyond preservation to build resilient, regenerative ecosystems for the next generation of makers.

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To get the full show notes for this episode visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Join today.

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about stitching with my guest, Mollie Johanson.

Mollie is a professional designer, illustrator, and stitcher. She's a contributor to Simply Sewing Magazine, Love Embroidery, and World of Cross Stitching, and is the author of four craft books, including her latest, Stitching Super-Cute Food Kawaii Style.

Mollie shares creative inspiration and patterns on her long-running blog, Wild Olive, and has helped thousands of makers discover the charm of hand stitching and other crafts through her Etsy shop, online tutorials, and in-person workshops. She lives in the Chicago area, where she strives to make super cute stitching part of her daily life.

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Today's episode is sponsored by Marcus Fabrics. Marcus Block-of-the-Month programs are among the best in the industry, combining unique, beautifully designed quilts with thoughtful, well-organized programs. Their BOMs span a variety of timelines, themes and creative approaches, giving quilters endless options to choose from.

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To get the full show notes for this episode visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Join today.

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 6 at h+h americas 2026 in Chicago. With over 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 independent retailer Erin Love of Firecracker Fabrics in Pittsburgh, crochet designer Natalie Thomas of Detroit Knots, CEO of the sewing notions company Kearing based in China, and COO and President of Michaels Nicholas Bertram.  We hope you enjoy listening to this conversation, and we invite you to join us at h+h americas 2027, which will be held May 5-7 in Chicago.