Jamie and Merion meet the amazing Paula Milner, aka The Crafty Lass! If she hasn’t pinged up on your crafting radar yet, you’re going to be very excited to meet her, as we talk about her brilliant new book, Simple Paper Flowers.

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You can find out more about Paula’s crafting life on her website and on instagram and see all of her gorgeous fabric designs, collaborations with the Indian Block Print Company and with Aurifil threads.

We’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas - and requests for guests you’d love to hear on the show - please drop us a line at [email protected]!

Don’t forget to like and subscribe for lots more juicy pods coming soon!

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Jamie and Merion meet the FABULOUS Lauren Willis, aka Manatee Squares, to chat about her new, gorgeous book, Filet Crochet to Wear, from David & Charles.

Loz, as she’s known, chats about her love of crochet, maths and her beloved lurchers, Wally and Roxy, and how filet crochet became a favourite technique.

This hilarious episode travels from Pokemon to dog grooming, via the trauma of making Instagram reels, taking photos of herself and her favourite colours - inclusive sizing, writing patterns, where to sell them and what has worked and what hasn’t. It’s a really illuminating chat if you love Lauren’s work, but also a great inspiration if you’re a crochet designer starting out!

You won’t be surprised that Merion is even more of a superfan by the end….

You can find Lauren on her website, Manatee Squares and on instagram here.

Timestamps:

00:00 From Pokémon to Filet Crochet

03:02 Embracing Inclusive Sizing

08:03 The Art of Fillet Crochet

24:47 Making Patterns Your Own

25:34 The Struggles of Taking Photos and Posing

26:31 Colour Preferences and Design Choices

28:19 Selling Patterns on Multiple Platforms

38:01 Insights from Dog Grooming

50:33 The Bond Between Dog Groomers and Dogs

51:07 Trends in the Dog Grooming Industry

54:09 The Origin of 'Manatee Squares'

58:42 Future Plans and Secret Projects

01:06:33 Favourite Ice Cream Flavours and Films

Don’t forget to subscribe to Craft Talkin’ and tell all your craft friends to do the same!

You can send us all your thoughts, suggestions and Dad jokes for Jamie to [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this jam packed episode, we talk to the legendary Janie Crowfoot about her brilliant new book, The Complete Crochet Handbook, and all about the techniques that she uses for her blankets and projects.

This is a book aimed at intermediate crocheters, although it does contain the basics - it’s a great book for anyone who wants to improve their techniques, too!

We talk about colour, design, the creative process, and the inspiration for Janie’s projects, crochet on the high street and favourite ice cream flavours - it’s a great chat!

We couldn’t let her go without musing about Justin Bieber wearing one of her designs - and as an homage to the last time we had Janie on the LoveCrafts Show, Jamie wrote a new quiz, “Flower or Glower?” just to keep us on our toes!

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Catching Up

02:59 Discussing Jane Crowfoot's New Book

06:05 Exploring Colour Theory and Beading

08:25 Unleashing Creativity with Cables and Mosaic Crochet

16:22 Jane Crowfoot's Journey as a Crochet Designer

32:03 Finding Inspiration

33:10 Exploring Creative Paths

36:06 Experiencing Different Levels of Inspiration

41:37 Flower or Glower - The Return

48:49 Justin Bieber Wearing Jane's Design

54:28 Crochet in High Street Fashion 5

6:40 Changing Landscape of Content Consumption

01:06:32 The Importance of Self-Care

01:19:25 Expanding the Market with Translations

You can find Janie’s brilliant new book here:

https://www.wob.com/en-gb/books/jane-crowfoot/complete-crochet-handbook/9781800922419

Don’t forget to subscribe to Craft Talkin’ and tell all your craft friends to do the same!

You can send us all your thoughts, suggestions and Dad jokes for Jamie to [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jamie and Merion reconnect with the magnificent craftivist, Sarah P. Corbett, to discuss her new book, The Craftivist Collective Handbook, and revisit the subject of gentle protest, and how it can be an invigorating and hopeful way of creating change. This is a lively chat full of insights and ideas, and the book is full of fantastic projects to try!

Timestamps

00:00:00 Introduction and Changing the World

00:00:16 Activism and Ethical Choices

00:02:55 The Beauty of the Book

00:04:09 Introducing Sarah Corbett

00:08:53 The Manifesto and 10 Steps

00:11:16 Craftivism and Gentle Protest

00:28:27 Craftivism as a Catalyst for Change

00:32:42 Using Craft for Critical Thinking

00:49:02 Craftivism and Mindfulness

00:52:18 Craftivism and Well-being

01:16:48 Exploring Future Projects

Links

• Find Sarah Corbett on Instagram
• Follow the Craftivist Collective on Facebook
• Buy The Craftivist Collective Handbook here

And at all good bookshops.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the first episode of Craft Talkin' in which your hosts Merion and MrXStitch explain how they ended up Craft Talkin'.

It's a tale of socks and dogs and sausage rolls!

Timestamps:

00:00:20 - Intro

00:04:00 - Merion's craft backstory

00:06:30 - MrXStitch's craft backstory

00:12:00 - Our favourite episodes of the LoveCrafts Show

00:19:00 - Our favourite books

00:26:00 - The last good film they watched

00:32:00 - Their favourite foods

00:36:00 - Their favourite ice cream flavours

00:38:00 - Their favourite bands/music

00:42:00 - MerionMakes

00:45:00 - NeedleXChange and XStitch Magazine

00:48:00 - What Craft Talkin' is going to be, er, talkin about!

Craft Talkin' is your new favourite craft podcast in which Merion "MerionMakes" Willis and Jamie "MrXStitch" Chalmers talk around the world of craft and interview their craft heroes.

Find us on Instagram here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merion & Mr X Stitch are bringing the craft podcast thunder to your ears.

Craft Talkin' will feature interviews with your favourite craft superstars as well as that special kind of banter that only Merion and Mr X can deliver.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.