Craft Corps

Book excerpt: The host of HGTV’s Knitty Gritty presents “craftographies” of the most influential designers in the industry and profiles of under-the-radar newbies. Bestselling author and stitchery dynamo Vickie Howell puts down her needles to pay tribute to her fellow crafters! Her extraordinary new collection features interviews with thirty successful professional craftspeople as well as profiles of a diverse group of approximately sixty amateurs. And every interview includes a photo of the subject, plus a peek at their work or their studio. This project—a true labor of love—also documents how social networking sites, groups like Stitch ’n’ Bitch, and alternative sales outlets such as Etsy have helped create a close community of crafters passionate about their work and each other. Includes interviews with such influential crafters, designers, and business people as: Renowned quilter Denyse Schmidt The Crafty Chica, Kathy Cano-Murillo Artist and designer Mary Engelbreit Emmy-nominated host of Creative Juice, Cathie Filian Indie craft documentarian Faythe Levine Scrapbooking legend Sandi Genovese Project Runway winner and fabric designer Jay McCarroll TV Host and author Mark Montano Craft pioneer Carol Duvall Famed fabric designer Amy Butler “Bad ass!”—Christina Batch-Lee, marketing for Etsy “The kind of book you can’t stop devouring from the moment you open the cover and when you’ve finished reading you’re hungry for more . . . It’s the kind of book that changes lives.” —Margot Potter, The Impatient Crafter “[Vickie’s] heart, soul and intentions [with Craft Corps] are touching, and crazy cool!”—Amy Butler, world-renowned fabric designer