Episode #91: Susan Fitzgerald of Red Gate Stitchery

On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast we’re talking about launching a kit and pattern business with my guest, Susan Fitzgerald. Susan lives near me, in the Boston area, so we were actually able to record this interview in person in Susan’s beautiful studio.

Susan Fitzgerald designs modern cross stitch kits and patterns. Her work features stitching on unconventional materials like wood, leather, and acrylic. Her innovative designs have been featured in a number of cross stitch, quilting, and craft publications including CrossStitcher magazine and Mollie Makes. 

 With a background in science and technology, Susan did not set out to become a cross stitch designer. She taught herself to stitch in her 20’s as a creative counterpoint to working long days in the corporate world. While dabbling in other crafts like knitting, quilting, and weaving, cross stitch was always the pursuit she came back to.

 As her cross stitch practice evolved, Susan began to explore stitching on alternative materials like wood and leather. She loved how modern and unexpected the pieces were. In 2012 she created a line of cross stitch jewelry kits featuring the unconventional materials and began selling them on Etsy. She now sells an expanded range of kits to fabric and yarn shops across the country and internationally.

We talk about product development, sourcing, trade shows, distribution, and Instagram among many other things. If you sell a physical product or hope to one day this episode is for you!

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Today’s episode is brought to you by halfmoon ATELIER. Simple design. Big impact.

Meghann Halfmoon of halfmoon ATELIER designs foundation pieces for modern sewists looking to create a sew-cially conscious handmade wardrobe. Her mission is to design simple, unique sewing patterns and help modern sewists to source sustainable, ethical, organic and fair trade fabric as a small step toward her vision of a world in which sustainable, ethical production is simply the standard. Simple design. Big impact.

Check out www.halfmoonatelier.com for unique PDF sewing patterns and a compilation of online businesses offering sustainable, ethical fabrics (http://www.halfmoonatelier.com/ethical-sources).

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Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same.

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. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.