In this episode of Homespun, host Misty Doan chats with Amber Elliott, the talented pattern and fabric designer behind Alderwood Studio. Amber shares her inspiring journey from a decade-long career as a software engineer to running her creative business full-time.

Key Episode Highlights:

• Amber’s childhood sewing with both grandmothers—one focused on mending, the other on formalwear.

• Why exploring multiple creative outlets fuels her inspiration.

• How she transitioned from software engineering to full-time quilt and fabric design.

• Her philosophy that success comes from consistency, learning from mistakes, and playing the long game.

• Why being “bad” at something can be freeing and creatively healthy.

• The importance of experimentation and only developing a fraction of your ideas into finished patterns.

• Insights from her new book on gradients, color theory, and adapting patterns for ombre quilting.

• Excitement for new fabric collections, pottery exploration, and finishing her current knitting project.

In this inspiring episode of Homespun, host Misty Doan welcomes Jemima Flendt — quilt pattern designer, teacher, author, and founder of Tied with a Ribbon. From her early days as a home economics teacher in Perth, Australia, to becoming an internationally recognized quilting educator, Jamaa shares how she turned her love for textiles into a thriving creative business.

Key Episode Highlights

• Shift from teaching high school students to designing patterns and books.

• Why imperfect first projects are milestones worth honoring.

• How her nan and mom nurtured her love of sewing, crochet, and textiles.

• Designing matching quilt and crochet patterns and how it built unexpected community connections.

• Encouraging creative freedom and personal methods in quilting.

• Building a global quilting audience from Perth to the US.

• Creating beginner-friendly patterns with detailed, supportive instructions.

• Advice for anyone considering turning their craft into a business.

Join host Misty Doan on Homespun as she chats with her sister-in-law Natalie, a talented and multi-faceted creator. From her earliest sewing memories inspired by her mother and the San Francisco Ballet, to building her own creative hobbies in stained glass, painting, crochet, and clay, Natalie shares how she nurtures creativity, finds inspiration, and approaches both challenges and joy in her artistic journey. Tune in to hear practical advice for new quilters, tips for staying motivated, and the magic of turning hobbies into a creative career.

Key Episode Highlights:

• Natalie’s first sewing memories watching her mother create ballet costumes.

• Early experiments with making her own clothes and buying her first sewing machine.

• Exploration of multiple creative hobbies: painting, stained glass, crochet, knitting, woodworking, and clay.

• Tips for staying inspired and motivated, including prioritization and time-blocking strategies.

• The importance of embracing mistakes and understanding that creativity grows through practice.

• Advice for new quilters: patience, good tools, and perseverance.

• How hobbies turned into a creative career through experimentation, sharing, and teaching.

• Upcoming creative projects Natalie wants to try: pottery, making clothes, and clay pin toppers.