Crafting a Revolution (Katie Freeman)

Episode 94 - Tanda @TandaMadison

Tanda is an entrepreneur, maker and founder of Vanguard Tech. As she says, happiness is a shop full of tools and a mind full of ideas. She is fascinated with making and micro-manufacturing. As a child she enjoyed tinkering, taking things apart and figuring out how they worked. That love of tinkering stuck with her into adulthood.

Wonder Women 024 - Erica Ehrenbard

Erica is a sculptor based in Philadelphia with a practice that spans fine art, design, research, and metal fabrication. Her artwork can be found in galleries as well as public and private spaces, and she has collaborated with architects, artists, and designers to progress creative projects across many scales and industries. After revitalizing an early-20th-centruy carriage house into a metalworking studio, she co-founded Carriage Creative Co., which provides custom fabrication services to fellow artists, designers, and admirers of metal.

You can find Erica on Instagram and her Website.

Sandy has enjoyed design and making her spaces her own for as long as she can remember. She started Ellee Home with a vision to build a small and mighty community for real people in their real lives. She creates spaces, objects and content to inspire that community with all things home and decor, lifestyle, and anything they are up for talking about.

You can Sandy on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and her Website.

Wonder Women 28 - Sam of DIY Huntress

Sam is a psychologist and do-it-yourselfer from New York. She specializes in basic woodworking projects, home improvement ideas, and creative crafts all on a strict budget and while working a full time job. Sam's journey started at 15, working with her dad to rebuild a house. From then on she was hooked on making, doing and creating.

You can find and follow along with Same on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube and her blog.

Wonder Women 022 - Katy of Keene Lane Co.

Katy designs, builds and sews original, one-of-a-kind furniture and home decor. Her skills grew from a young age. Katy's mother was an artist who instilled creativity as early as she can remember, and her father owned a ranch where she helped with hands on projects around the property. She learned sewing from her grandmother. She was amazed at the transferable sills from sketching and sewing that correlated to building. Katy enjoys bringing all of these together to create unique pieces for meaningful spaces.

You can follow along with Katy on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and her Website.

Tiffany is a Mom of 1 and maker extraordinaire.  She has done all sorts of making from crafting to stained glass and now woodworking and starting to dabble with welding.  She finds that making helps to ground her in a way nothing else has.

Christy is a woodworker and digital fabricator. She runs her business, Wilkerson Handmade, where she designs home goods and then crafts them using predominately her CNC and laser. She sells these goods online and at craft markets all across Ohio. She learned a love of woodworking and her woodworking skills from her Father who still helps her in the shop as her business continues to take off.

You can follow along with Christy on Instagram and her Website.

One evening Kellie was in need of a bow tie for a special event and decided to design and make her own. Out of pure insanity - and a love for autonomy - she continues to design and create handmade bags, wallets, aprons, ties and other accessories including a handmade all natural fabric wax that is available in retail stores nationwide.  Kellie intentionally created a business that doesn't cater to gender, it caters to people.

You can find and follow along with Kellie on Instagram and her Website.

Eleanor is a woodworker, sculpture artist and tool maker. From a small rural town in California, with no real exposure to art, to going to art school in New York, Eleanor enjoyed creating. It took losing access to a shop and realizing that she could make her own tools to start her on the journey into tool making. She grew her experience through working at different schools and running different shops, learning to machine and to cast. All through this her art reflected the very real internal struggle she was having with her identity.

You can follow along with her own tool making work here and her collaborative work as the Ladies Who Wood here, both on Instagram.

Marite is a wife, mom, and all around DIYer.  Marite went the college route and then into the corporate world. She really found herself though working to make her house feel like a home through all sorts of projects. Rather recently, she has left the corporate world and is at home with her kiddos, making, baking and DIYing.

You can follow along with Marite on Instagram.

Katie is a wife, Mom of twin boys, and maker, carpenter, aspiring plumber. Currently she is remodeling her kitchen which she has turned into a family affair. Though she has done quite a bit of making with different materials, Katie really enjoys wood working. 

Phoebe is a studio woodworker from San Francisco, CA, currently based in Evanston, IL, who makes site-specific sculpture using traditional furniture making techniques. She was born in California to Taiwanese-American mathematicians, and grew up navigating hybrid identities. She continues to explore hybrid identities as a queer artist of color.

You can find Phoebe and follow along with her on Instagram and her Website.

Wonder Women 016 - Alicia Butty, Canadian Welder Girl

Alicia has been making since she can remember, and welding since she was about 10. When an event took her out of the more traditional university for a while, at the suggestion of family, she took a welding class to keep her hands busy and continue learning. From there she was recruited for her skills into the welding industry. Now, she works with her family's fabrication business welding by day and making more custom art pieces by night.

Lia is a wife, mom of two with one on the way, former mascot and now woodworker. While staying at home with her kids she manages to squeeze in commissioned builds for her local community. With a third on the way in a few months she is finishing up her commissions and then planning to focus on build projects around the house.

Estrapala Woodworking is owned by wife and wife team, Sara & Marika. Sara has a position as a research faculty at Mizzou and Marika currently stays at home with their toddler. When they are not occupied with life they love to spend their time in the woodshop. While they both have separate interests in different types of woodworking their styles compliment each other when they chose to work together on projects. Sara is fascinated with the beauty of natural wood specifically burls. Sara also has a love for ornate boxes. Marika is sharpening her skills on the lathe and also enjoys making cutting boards and scroll saw projects. 

Most of the pieces made are custom orders but they do have a small inventory on hand from time to time. 

You can follow along with Sara and Marika on Instagram and their Website.

Deserae is a wife, Mom of two, and sports masseuse as well as woodworker. Deserae was introduced to woodworking by her father at a young age. She learned the value of being able to make something you needed or wanted with your own hands and that has carried into adulthood. Now she makes a wide variety of things from signs to furniture. 

Amanda is a wife and Mom of 4. She also happens to be a chainsaw carver in Alaska. What started as a search for a way to make an income and work while having the flexibility to have a much time with her children as possible, has really exploded as a growing business and way of creating unique pieces of art. 

Episode 117 - Emily of Product of Grace Designs

Emily is a wife, mom of two (soon to be three), architect, math teacher, and oh, a DIYer and woodworker as well. She is also a self proclaimed power tool enthusiast and always covered in sawdust. Emily has always been creative and into crafting, but it is only recently that she got into home remodeling and woodworking.

You can follow along with her on Instagram and Facebook.

Halley is wife, mom of a spirited 5 year old boy, full time graphic designer, and ceramic artist. Halley grew up being very creative, even went to art school right out of high school. Once graduating college she dove into being a graphic designer and didn't do any pottery. When her full time job gave the opportunity to apply for a grant to fund her passion, pottery, she went for it and got it. Now she spends nights and weekends creating pottery pieces of her own design.

Michelle is a Mom of 3 girls, two of which she home schools, and an artist and maker.  She loves to flex her creativity muscles dabbling in woodworking, painting, and DIY. She also enjoys the therapeutic benefits behind making. 

Episode 111 - Leslie of Cream City Crates

Leslie is a Mom and creator of cream city crates. She makes handmade signs, candles and themed gift crates. What started as a fun "survival kit" for her mother for a weekend with the kids turned into a business that allowed her to work from home and manage the hectic day to day as a Mom.

You can follow along with Leslie on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and her Website.

Alma is a wife, stay at home boy Mom, and amazing woodworker. She has always had an interest in art and creativity that eventually became focused on woodworking. She uses those woodworking skills and creativity to create custom mallets, push sticks and other items for other members of the maker community.

Wonder Women 010 - Anne of All Trades

Anne planted her first seed and used her first tool a little over a year ago. Now she is on a mission to inspire and empower others to learn things that make them a resource to their family and community. She does this by producing content around her growing farm, her woodworking projects, and whatever else she happens to be up to such as working on her golf cart.

You can find Anne on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and her Blog.

Charlotte is a wife, mom of 5, designer and DIYer, fixing up her 100 year old house. She loves color, flea markets and a little mess. She says she spends her days writing, painting, sanding, laughing and negotiating with her 5 kids. Besides running her blog and providing lots of bold and beautiful inspiration, Charlotte has also made appearances on several tv shows such as Flea Market Flip and Rachel and many more.

You can find and follow along with Charlotte on her Blog and Instagram.

Wonder Women 032 - Anastasia of Burnt River Wood Co.

While working full time and commuting into the city, Anastasia knew she needed an outlet for all of her creative energy. She has been a creator as long as she can remember. From making custom pillow cases at the age of 12, to screen printing movie tees and crocheting bikini tops, she has always had a passion for making things from scratch.

Her love for woodworking started in grade 9 shop class. She left with the dream of being a carpenter but was told it wasn't a job for a girl. After she met her husband, his dad took them into his shop and showed how to use the tools. That was when they created the first Burnt River Wood Co. project and it has just grown from there.

You can find and follow along with Anastasia on Facebook, Instagram and her website.

Joy, laughter, and the unexpected are at the heart of Annie Evelyn's work. Employing a range of materials (handmade paper flowers to Swarovski Crystals) and processes (tessellating metal pieces to create soft upholstered seating or embedding fresh cut flowers to add aroma), Evelyn uses furniture’s inherent interactive qualities and relationships to the human body to create new and surprising experiences.

From 2014-2017 Evelyn was resident artist at the Penland School of Craft in North Carolina and in 2016 was awarded The John D. Mineck Furniture Fellowship. She received both her BFA and MFA from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Evelyn has taught at RISD, California College of the Arts, Parsons - The New School, Haystack Mountain School, Penland School of Craft, and others. Her work has been featured on the cover of American Craft Magazine and published in Agata Toromanoff’s book, Impossible Design.  She has been awarded Windgate Furniture residencies at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2011), the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2018), and San Diego State University (2020). Evelyn had a solo show at the Houston Center for Craft and in 2018 was a finalist for the Burke Prize for contemporary craft and her work was included in an exhibition at the Museum of Art and Design (MAD). In 2019, Evelyn co-founded Crafting the Future, a collective of artists working together to provide equitable opportunities in the arts.

You may follow along with Annie's work on her Website and Instagram.

Dyan is a Wife, Mom of 8, and woodworker.  As if it isn't extraordinary enough that she is a Mom of 8 and how that came to be, she has also been woodworking since early childhood thanks to her Dad.  Both of her parents are creative people and have shared their love for creativity along with their skills with Dyan and her 6 siblings. Now Dyan gets to share that creativity and passion with her children through making projects for their home.

Katie is a wife and Mom of 1. She got her education in carpentry and was a trim carpenter for years until she decided to be a stay at home Mom with the birth of her daughter almost two years ago. Now she creates content around DIY, carpentry, and remodeling and streams it across Instagram and YouTube.

Tamar is a Mom of 3 and woodworker, maker, DIYer, and content creator. Though she claims she wasn't creative as a kid, even though she loved and played music, she has certainly made up for it as an adult. She started with flipping pieces she found at the flea market for her own home and then moved on to her first full build project with a bench. Now she shares her projects across several different channels of social media.

Episode 109 - Conversation with Sami Lee on Inclusion

After the initial conversation with Sami for her interview episode, Wonder Women 015, I asked Sami to come back and have a conversation with me around diversity and inclusion in the maker community. That is exactly what this episode is, a conversation. We talk about our favorite resources for learning more about people from marginalized communities and how we can perhaps participate in amplifying their voices and opening doors.

Christy is a full time CPA and Mom of two grown girls. Now she starts off this episode with a bang, talking about how much she actually LOVES accounting. After her oldest daughter went off to college and before her youngest was completely out of the house, Christy got her start with woodworking. It started when a barn on her family farm started to come down and as a way to stay connected to her family story she found a way to repurpose that wood to build a hallway table. Then as they say, the rest is HERstory.

About Joy:

I am honored to participate in the long history of creativity in the community of Santa Ana, California. From my shop downtown, I make commissioned pieces for my clients and forge objects that are entirely my own.

While blacksmithing is my foundational practice, I also incorporate other mediums. Film photography, cinefilm, and stained glass, are all mediums I have explored to complement and support my work at the forge. I am also a teacher and consider that part of my work as an artist as well.

I am a Certified Instructor with the California Blacksmith Association, a Certified Welder with the American Welding Society, a Community Education Instructor in blacksmithing and bronze casting, and a Welding Instructor at Orange Coast College. Also, I am also on the Governance Committee for the nonprofit Society of Inclusive Blacksmiths which provides opportunities, visibility, and economic support for marginalized communities in the field of blacksmithing.

You can follow along with Joy on Instagram.

Kalila is a wife, mom of 3 and DIY home renovator. At first Kalila had no interest in helping to renovate her home. Eventually though she decided to give it a try and got hooked. Now, she tackles big projects like renovating her entire kitchen, including making brand new cabinets.

In 2015, Brittany and Heather started Beautiful Fight Woodworking after Brittany wasn't able to maintain her job due to complications in her fight with a rare blood cancer. They had just enough money to buy a discounted miter saw, three 8-ft boards and only one design in mind. They slowly built one table at a time as they could afford to. Years later, they have filled hundreds of orders from small yard games to large dining sets, and furnishing full homes. They just celebrated their 1 year anniversary of owning their own brick and mortar space.

You can follow along with Brittany and Heather on Instagram, Facebook, and their Website.

Laura started making soap as a hobby, something to do for fun, with no intention of ever starting a business. After sharing her creations on social media, friends started asking if they could buy the soap. Once more and more friends bought soap, she realized she had a business on her hands and decided to go legit. Laura's soaps start with a fun name, usually something referencing pop culture, and then she designs the soap from there.

You can follow along with Laura and her one-of-a-kind soaps on Instagram and her Website.

Jennifer is a Mom of two, flag maker, and better known as Miss Dewalt. Jennifer makes beautiful flags for police officers, fire fighters, people in the armed forces or anyone who enjoys flags really. She had to learn how to be handy after the death of her husband 11 years ago and she hasn't looked back once. Besides flags, Jennifer also has a passion for upcycling and turning others' trash into treasure.

DQ Flowers is a new woodworker and turner living in Florida. DQ grew up expressing her creativity through writing and photography. She stumbled upon woodworking through YouTube. Upon discovering the world of woodworking and makers on YouTube she found herself binging this content until deciding to give it a try herself. She now refers to it as her therapy, where she is learning and healing one cut at a time.

You can find and follow along with this budding woodworker and turner on Instagram.

Britt is a wife, Mom of 4 and natural born woodworker.  She grew up with two parents who were rather crafty.  Her Dad had his own shop. It wasn't until she had a need for a large dinning room table that she decided to take the plunge into woodworking herself.  Now she makes furniture, home décor, mosaics and mountain art while being a stay at home Mom for her 4 kiddos.

Taylor, or Tay, is a degreed architect and designer who found her way to woodworking and turning during the pandemic. She has really always enjoyed working with her hands, perhaps why she pivoted into construction and project management after college instead of going further with architecture. She found herself during the pandemic needing to keep her hands busy. A neighbor offered to teach her some woodworking skills in his workshop. Now she owns her own lathe and is excited to be making small things.

You can follow along with Tay on Instagram.

Episode 114 - Christabelle of Bellewood by Design

Christabelle is a mom, woodworker and carpenter from the Bahamas. Christabelle was able to take woodworking classes in high school, and then afterwards she spent time at home with her young son. Within the last couple of years, she returned to school to get her degree in carpentry. Now, she works as a carpenter by day and does her own woodworking projects on nights and weekends at home.

You can follow along with Christabelle on her personal Instagram and her business Instagram.

Lisa is a traditional wood carver with a strong background in design and painting. She has spent over 15 years carving, in addition to the decades that she has worked as a designer and illustrator. It wasn't until she began exploring wood carving that she realized how much of her earlier, 2D work had been conceptualized in her mind in relief. The years Lisa has spent designing, drawing, and painting on paper have provided a careful preparation for working in wood.

You can follow along with her carving on Instagram and her Website.

You can follow along with her illustrations on Instagram and her additional Website.

Ashley is the furniture maker behind Shallow Creek Woodcraft, based in Southern PA. Ashley is a wife and Mom of four, balancing a passionate pursuit of the craft with family time. A self-professed woodworking book nerd, lover of laughter, and deep appreciator of her maker/woodworking/artist peers. She is currently enrolled in the Northwest Woodworking Studio Online Mastery program and takes private commissions.

You can follow her growth into the fine side of woodworking on Instagram.

This episode is a flashback to episode 2 - I have the great pleasure of speaking with Ellen Smith of Little Bare Furniture in Ohio.  If you aren't following her journey, you need to be!  She has a degree in sculpture, is a wife, mom of 2, and absolutely rocking the world of carving and creating sculpted chairs, benches, tables, planters.  So sit back, and enjoy this awesome interview to learn more about her journey of being a wood artist and a mom, and managing it all!

Episode 124 - Amanda of Lovingly Amanda

Amanda is a Mom and Apprentice Luthier near Nashville, TN. In her childhood, she did sports and gymnastics. She did not play any instruments. She was introduced to instrument when she decided to learn to play the violin as a way to get one of her children to learn to play the piano. Through playing the violin she learned about luthiers. She was instantly fascinated with the process. A change in her employment allowed her to pursue this new love full time.

You can find and follow along with Amanda on Instagram.

Brandy is a self-proclaimed chair nerd. She loves chairs and has learned so much about them. She feels compelled to share her knowledge and encourage others to learn chair caning. Chair caning is a skill that is on the verge of becoming lost. Brandy actually comes from a long line of chair caners. It has allowed her to meet people from all over the world, letting her learn more as well as share her knowledge.

You can follow along with Brandy and her husband Dave on their Youtube channel, Instagram, and their website. 

Joanie is a carpenter, maker, DIY expert, and handy ma'am. She went from America's Next Top Model to being a carpenter on TV. Perhaps not the traditional path, yet she loves working with her hands and creating. She still does work with TV shows, in fact she has one on Discovery Plus now, Remix my space, releasing on January 12th. When not showing off her skills on TV though, she does a wide array of work for clients in California, from building out closets to making furniture.

You can follow along with Joanie on Instagram.

A was taught at a young age how to work with tools and how to think creatively as well as resourcefully. While they decided to foster their passion for photography and the arts throughout college and into a career, the 2020 pandemic led to a revived passion for woodworking. Thus started Slightly Acute.

The name Slightly Acute stems from the idea that the goal is not absolute perfection but to honor and enjoy the process of making and embracing the mistakes.

A is now based in Columbia, SC with their partner and furry family. They are providing handyperson services to the local community while also continuing their custom woodworking business.

You can follow along with A on Instagram.

Please vote for Crafting a Revolution for both Art and People's choice on Podcast Awards.

Cecilia is a wife, mom to triplets (that's right, I said triplets), woodworker, and power carver. Before getting into woodworking and carving she was a graphic designer. So, it's fair to say that Cecilia is a creative person to her core. She found woodworking after having troubles finding furniture for her young triplets. She quickly realized that all those years watching her Dad make as a kid had really sunk in and she grew to love woodworking.

Joyce Lin is an artist and designer passionate about making furniture and sculptural objects that deconstruct material, form, and the ever-shifting relationship between humans and their environment. Joyce currently lives and works in Houston, TX and was a 2019 artist in residence at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.

You can follow along with Joyce's work on Instagram and her Website.

Originally ran as episode 19 on February 14, 2019

Char is a wife, Mom of 4, two of which are twins, and a natural born builder and woodworker.  Char and her husband were both in the height of their careers when they found out they were expecting twins.  After the initial shock wore off, Char realized this was her opportunity to leave the corporate world behind, stay home with her kids and build things. And now she is a work from home Mom who is building her business as a woodworker and maker.  She has even landed a spot on TV!

Wonder Women 030 - Sarah of Sarah.Sawdust

Sarah is a wife and  wood artist living in Idaho. She is a master with the scroll saw, creating huge pieces of landscape art from pictures sent to her by customers. Each piece is hand cut and hand sanded and meticulously put together into a masterpiece. Sarah defines herself as an artist obsessed with power tools.

You can find her and follow along with her on Instagram.

Lee is queer, nonbinary woodworker and digital promoter from the UK. Lee has been on a journey with their woodworking for many years now. They started with a workshop, being able to make larger things, and then when they lost their workshop someone suggested carving since not much space is needed for that. Now Lee is a master carver of especially small things with inlays and you can see their creations all across social under The Rainbow Carver. During the pandemic Lee started another journey, this one around their gender identity. Lee has always been open on social media about not only their gender journey, but also topics such as mental health, and is seen as a cornerstone of the online making community.

You can follow Lee and all their journeys on Instagram and TikTok primarily.

Today's episode is a bit different. I have a chat with Laura Mays of episode 55 and Deirdre Visser about the book they are writing together and the show they curated together called Making a Seat at the Table that is currently running at the Center for Art in Wood in Philadelphia. The show contains the work of 43 woman-identified woodworkers.

Wonder Women 164 - Consuelo of Latinas Welding Guild

Consuelo, a Guatemalan-born functional artist and welder has a goal to empower women personally, creatively and economically through welding. She established the Latinas Welding Guild as a non-profit organization in 2017.  Having seen first hand the struggles of the Latino community, she formed the guild to create a space of equal access and education for women, particularly minority women, in what is a heavily male-occupied field. The Latinas Welding Guild exists to help low to moderate income Latinas and non-Latina women gain access to welding skills and certification preparation.

You can follow along with the Guild on the Website and Instagram.

You can donate to the scholarship program here.

Lindsay is a wife, mom, maker and artist.  She also used to be an engineer for Nasa in the space program. She has always done and been interested in art since she was a child, probably fueled by her maker mom. She took a brief break from art, starting in college, but after her second child was born she started back up as a way to get in touch with herself again. Now she is an artist across several mediums making unique pieces as commissions for clients.

Episode 93 - Jennifer with I Wear Many Hats

Jennifer is a wife, mom of two, emergency room RN, home DIYer and woodworker. Jennifer's introduction to woodworking came from a need to have furniture for her home on a budget. She also needed a creative outlet that gave her space to be her and not just a wife or mom. Through teaching herself to make, she both got functional pieces of furniture and a creative outlet.

Kaylee is a partner, mom of two, house flipper and DIY project maker extraordinaire. Kaylee started out doing DIY projects at home and woodworking at a young age and it has stuck with her ever since. When her oldest was just a toddler, Kaylee completely rebuilt a small RV for the two to live in, while being in college full time. Everything she has learned she has pretty much taught herself, and now she has a passion for sharing that knowledge with others, especially other women.

Wonder Women 020 - Bronte of Freeman Fabrication

Bronte is a trained and certified welder that owns her own custom fabrication and furniture design business. Her journey began with needing to furnish her first apartment. Not wanting any part in the "fast furniture" movement (quick to make, quick to break", she set out to build her own. Soon after, she was fabricating pieces for friends; ultimately sending her down the unexpected path of entrepreneurship.

You can follow along with Bronte on Instagram, Facebook, and her Website.

Wonder Women 005 - Violin Maker Emma Hardy

Prior to beginning training as a violin maker in 2017 at Merton College (London), Emma worked as a book cover designer and typesetter where she learned the joy of small details which has translated into her approach to violin making.

During much of her training as a violin maker she worked part time as the manager for Les Aldrich Music, where she developed a particular interest in violins for children and adult learners, wishing to provide access to instruments for players from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Emma even plays violin herself as she has found being able to fully appreciate the art and sound of playing a violin aides her ability to make a high quality violin.

Sherry has always loved to draw and create. While in high school became a strong mentor for her. She then went to college and studies Business. Many years later, she met a quilter and she fell in love with the medium. The quilter offered to teach her traditional quilting. She then attended a lecture on the dyeing of fabrics and how to make the fabric an art quilt. Her creativity and curiosity were ignited and her passion for art quilts was formed. During the pandemic she has been able to create full time.

You can follow Sherry and see her work on Instagram.

Cynthia has quite the journey to becoming a maker. She was introduced to woodwork and making as a young child by her father. However, she did not take it up as a hobby until about 3 years ago. Cynthia is a wife and Mom of 6. She is also a dentist by day. And oh, she use to be a professional cyclist and part of the women's nationals team. Though she says her life is boring, it is anything but! 

Hello fellow makers, artists, and craftspeople. Today I should be releasing episode 248 of the podcast. Yet, I cannot.  On May 2^nd of this week, we found out, through a leaked draft from the Supreme Court, that it is every intention of that Supreme Court to overrule Roe V. Wade. Roe V. Wade, which was decided on January 22, 1973 is the decision that gave everybody with a uterus full, legal, and safe access to ALL forms of reproductive health care.

The last, and ONLY time I have made a statement rather then releasing an episode was on June 4^th, 2020, in solidarity for the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Since that time, we have watched in this country as hundreds of thousands of people died in the US alone from a global pandemic, as black and brown people are still being murdered at alarming numbers by those who say they just want to protect us, as transgender youth are being villainized and their parents being taken to jail just for providing medical care to them, as gay AND transgender youth are being told they cannot exist in schools, as so many schools work tirelessly to erase history and views they do not agree with, and now, as safe and legal access to reproductive health care for 50% of the population is taken away.

Episode 90 - Whitney of That Woodworking Girl

Whitney is a wife, mom of 2, woodworker and DIYer. Whitney has always enjoyed being creative, but it was when her and her husband had their first place that she got into woodworking. What started as a need to decorate her own home on a budget has turned into a business.

Wonder Women 025 - Boa of Oi Studio

Boa is the founder and creative director of OI Studio. She studied graphics at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her passion for all things beautiful led her to the furniture/interiors industry after a past spent working in disparate professions. She has previously been a fashion model, furniture buyer, prop stylist, even producer, furniture sales rep, and importer.

You may follow along with Boa on Instagram and her Website.

Allie Katz is a classically trained fine artist with a passion for 3D and digital art, which translates to never being good at doing just one thing. They created Geeky Faye Art to showcase their need for adventure. With Geeky Faye Art you will find a variety of projects across multiple styles, approaches, and mediums. Allie is constantly in search of new artistic expression. Everything with Geeky Faye Art is the work of one person, Allie. There is no team behind them, and as such every bit of photography, copywriting, filming, and video editing that you see in addition to the projects themselves are created by their hands.

You can follow along with Allie on Instagram, YouTube, and their Website.

I am excited to learn more about Katie Thompson, founder of the Women of Woodworking project in addition to editor and chief of the monthly online journal, Pen and Chisel. I first chatted with Katie a while back when she was a guest on the podcast, then called Maker Mom. Since then, we have continued to orbit in similar spaces. We have a shared passion for growing the accessibility of craft and learning, sharing, and elevating the stories of women and non-binary folks in that space. Please join me in welcoming Katie as the new co-host of the podcast.

You can find her project, Women of Woodworking here.

You can check out and subscribe to Pen and Chisel here.

Jen is an Army wife and homeschooling mother of two. She and her family call Nashville, Tennessee home, but are currently stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. The House of Wood is Jen’s creative outlet for all things DIY and design, a place where she documents her adventures in designing and building furniture and tackling home renovation projects. A self-taught carpenter with a fearless DIY spirit and a penchant for problem-solving, Jen offers in-depth tutorials that inspire and encourage readers to build their way to a more beautiful home.

Wonder Women 017 - Barbie the Welder

Barbie the welder is an American metal sculptor. She grew up in New York, learning from her parents the art of being able to make or fix something yourself. She started her career in welding after finding inspiration from the film Cast Away. Barbie started her welding career working for a manufacturer as a sheet metal fabricator and welder. After working there for five years, she quit to start working as an independent artist. She really found her niche through demonstrations and exhibitions at chainsaw sculpture events. Now she has produced sculptures for a number of significant clients, and runs welding exhibitions at trade fairs.

You can follow along with Barbie on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and her website.

Based in Canada, Pooja Pawaskar is the Indian-born artist behind Whirl & Whittle. Crafting wooden and ceramic pieces which celebrate the inherent beauty in each object’s peculiarities, Pooja chooses to embrace blemish in her works and herself in a world which relies heavily on flawlessness and statics. Her work is grounded in the belief that the world around us and the things within it are unique rather than imperfect.

Growing up in a multigenerational home in Mumbai, India, Pawaskar was introduced to woodworking at a young age by her grandfather, a formally trained carpenter and model maker. She spent many of her days observing him make furniture and hand-carved pieces. His love for design and grasp of technique captivated her and bled into her own practice. Driven by a fascination with design and art, Pooja studied architecture at Mumbai University; however, it wasn’t until her final year her passion for building furniture was unearthed. This realization inspired her to shift gears and apply for a furniture design program at the Savannah College of Art and Design. In 2014, she relocated to Savannah, Georgia, USA, to pursue her passion for woodworking and furniture. After the initial cultural shock, Pawaskar recognized that this was what she was waiting for. Surrounded by avant-garde technology and excellent collaborators, she used the following two years learning and exploring her passion for the handmade.

Upon graduating in 2016, Pawaskar began her career as a furniture designer at Stylex Seating in New Jersey—an opportunity that brought her incredible growth but left her craving for handmade pieces. On weekends she would work on honing her woodworking skill at a communal workshop in New York City. In 2019, Pawaskar relocated to Canada and decided to pursue her passion of becoming an artist. In late 2019, she registered her business, and Whirl & Whittle was born.

You can follow along with Pooja on Instagram and her Website.

Brittany, wife, mom, and demolition expert??  She is a DIY blogger, home renovator and house flipper.  Brittany got her start working with tools as a young child when her parents renovated their house on their own.  So I guess you can say its in her blood.  Now she is passionate about spreading knowledge and making sure every woman out there has access to that knowledge to learn to do and make and fix things all on their own.

Amy is a wife, mom of 4, and spoon carver. Amy has only been carving spoons for 2 years, but she has already made her mark in the space by creating her infamous sauce spoon. She also loves to cook, so really, the job of a spoon carver is married perfectly with someone who loves to cook!

Wonder Women 165 - Kelly Parker

Kelly Parker is a woodworker and furniture maker whose work is all about transformation and discovery. Kelly first started woodworking when in High School as an art elective. She then went on to get a degree in Biochemistry and spent 18 years as a chemist. Eventually she made the leap out of chemistry and back into woodworking. She is largely self-taught, though she has completed some programs in woodworking and furniture making.

You can follow along with Kelly on her Instagram and Website.

Episode 100 - Lauren of Rasp & File Designs

Lauren is a wife, mom, and custom woodworker located in the DC area. Her specialty is working with live edge slabs and metal bases to maker her clients' dreams come true. Lauren grew up being creative and even getting into woodworking a little. She rediscoverd woodworking just a few years ago and really hasn't looked back since. Her dream is to eventually go full time with her woodworking business Rasp & File Designs.

You can follow along with Lauren on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and her Website.

Wonder Women 011 - Laura Kampf

Laura Kampf is an amazing maker in Germany. She actually went to school and got a design degree for making video and other media content for companies. It took her some time after discovering, or should I say rediscovering making to produce her own video content and put it up on YouTube. Once she did though, she grew rather quickly, and there is no doubt why. Besides the fact that every video is beautifully and meticulously produced, her projects are also amazing.

You can follow along with Laura on Instagram and Youtube.

Kendra is a wife and mom of identical twin boys. After university she started a career in the construction industry.  Through hard work she found herself working in the office. Then when her boys were born she transitioned into a stay at home Mom. She rediscovered making and working with her hands through an amazing community of makers in her area. Now she makes awesome works of art from wood.

Celena is a single Mom, works a full time job in the gun industry, and is running her own woodworking business.  She is a self proclaimed tinkerer from a young age. She got into woodworking because she needed a piece of furniture for her entryway where she can drop her stuff off at the end of a long day of work.  She still has that first table in her home and it serves as a reminder of just how far her skills have come since then.

Laura Kishimoto is a designer/maker living in Denver and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. She was initially drawn to furniture design because it occupies a unique position between the fields of fine art and design. Furniture can both exist as a product, addressing a specific need, or as a stand alone sculptural object. And in both cases, a user/viewer is necessary to complete the piece of furniture: whether to give it function by physically engaging with it or to give it meaning by imbuing it with their emotional narrative.

Laura's creative process is defined by a constant balancing act between her intentions as a designer and the will of the material. With each piece, Laura strives to create a spatially complex, cohesive object that appears to have formed organically without human intervention.

You can see her Yumi chair at the Denver Art Museum.

You can follow along with her on Instagram. 

Wonder Women 007 - Eleanor Dewey

Eleanor Dewey lives with her spouse and shop cat Alfonso in the Denver, CO area. She is a talented wood turner who is close to completing her degree in fine furniture and turning. She has also worked for years in advocacy work for LGBTQ youth. She brings passion into everything that she does.

Carson is a wife, Mom of 3, and beginner woodworking.  She is not however a beginner maker. She has enjoyed making in several different areas, including quilting.  Her and her husband and oldest child moved just a week before her second was born.  Being away from a community she knew she struggled with postpartum depression.  With her husbands urging and encouragement she took a couple of classes at a local community college and fell in love with woodworking.

Wonder Women 174 - Lacey of DIY with Lacey

Lacey is a wife, mom of 3, works full time, and now she is DIY-ing her life. During this last year, while spending so much time inside her house, she started noticing things she wanted to change or add. After diving into the school of YouTube, she dove right into the deep end of making and doing it herself for all her projects around home. Now her husband is happily adding to the "honey do list" and she is happy to continue to grow her skills.

You can follow along with Lacey on Instagram and her Website.

In this episode co-hosts Katie Freeman and Katie Thomspon discuss the current state of equity within the craft and art profession. Talking specifically about organizations that are working hard to bring positive change and grow equity across the country.

This week's episode is with a panel of amazing Moms: Char (Wooden Maven), Alma (Pink Soul Studios), and Jessie (Built by Jessie). Each of these awesome women have had their own experiences on being women of color in the maker community. I asked them to join me and share their experiences with us as a community.

Stephanie of Uncommon Outpost is an artist, maker, and general collector of hobbies. She has tackled pretty much everything between car mechanics to sewing, pushing herself to always take her projects outside the box. Stephanie grew up with two parents who did everything themselves way before being DIY was cool, and she was included in that from the very start. You can be sure she always has at least one project in the works.

Be sure to follow her on Instagram and YouTube.

Find your hosts at Freeman Furnishings and Women of Woodworking.

Ashley is a Mom of two, a software engineer, a gaming enthusiast and yes, a maker.  She enjoys woodworking along with 3D printing.  Making allows her to have a hobby that gets her doing things physically and away from a computer screen which is where she spends the majority of her time with work.

Wonder Women 009 - Erin of Maker Gray

Erin is a DIY furniture maker and home remodeler sharing video tutorials on YouTube. From getting a degree in art, to making music, to becoming a professional photographer, to discovering woodwork, Erin has a passion for creativity. She now builds everything that she can and shares the process as she goes.

You can follow along with Erin on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and her Website.

Katie is a wife, boy Mom, and maker of custom onesies, cozies, and tumblers. She is really killing it at her business, so much so, it's hard to believe she has only been in business since May of this year! Katie shares all, including going from someone she didn't think was the type to actually run her own business, to being that person and succeeding at it.

Episode 123 - Alicia of Hylton Daniel Design

Alicia Hylton-Daniel was a paralegal studying to take the LSATs in the winter of 2002 when a house fire caused by a faulty fireplace to her new Durham home changed everything. The infuriating process of dealing with less than honest insurance claims folks and mostly "good 'ol boys" contractors compelled her to take her career in another direction. She decided interior design would be a perfect fit and went back to college to get a 2nd degree. After college she worked for a design firm, working mostly with commercial clients. During her time within firms, she became a licensed general contractor. She now owns her own design and build company, Hylton Daniel Design. She has been featured in magazines and has even done a couple build-outs for the HGTV show: Love It or List It.

You can find and follow along with Alicia on Instagram and on her Website.

Wonder Women 029 - Rachel of Moody Makes

Rachel is a teacher, student and woodworker. Originally from California, she now lives on the East coast with her Wife. Though she was a creative child, she did not have much exposure to woodworking outside of her middle school shop class. She revisited woodworking as an adult as a means to find a hobby that could keep both her mind and body busy. Though it was not necessarily love at first sight, she has grown to really enjoy woodworking, especially the idea of mastering a skill before moving on to the next. 

You can follow along with Rachel on Instagram.

Nicole Crowder Upholstery is a Black-owned furniture and upholstery studio creating commissioned, generational, one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture and home furnishings like meditation pillows, poufs and more. Nicole’s work has been commissioned by the leading hotel chains, restaurants, and spaces. She also has created bespoke pieces for private clients and has been featured in design publications, including Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, and Martha Stewart Living. Nicole began her journey into upholstery design after spending her childhood traveling and often moving with her family.

You can follow along with Nicole and her work on Instagram and her Website.

Thelma is a lover of all projects. She is a self-described small town, part-time woodworker that hates sanding and is always looking for ways to improve her skillset. It all started with a needed drawer which turned into what I will call power tool creep instead of project creep. Now she takes on commission work to fit into her day job schedule and is really enjoying working with her hands.

You can follow along with Thelma on Instagram.

Wonder Women 166 - Karen Ernst

Karen is a professor in the art department at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, where she has been teaching all levels of Woodworking and Furniture Design since 2004. She holds a BA in Studio art and an MFA in Furniture Design. The furniture and sculptural objects she designs and builds have been exhibited across the US.

You can follow along with Karen on Instagram and her Website.

Chiara is a wife, mom of a 16 month old, full time worker, ex bounty hunter, AND crafter and DIYer of all things for the home. Chiara really shines when it comes to taking items found at the Dollar Tree and turning them into super fun home décor items. On top of all this, she is also currently putting out one video a day on her YouTube channel.

Wonder Women 163 - Sophie Glenn

Born and raised in New York City, Sophie received her BFA in Sculpture and Drawing from SUNY Purchase College, and her MFA in Furniture Design and Woodworking from San Diego State University.  She has exhibited her work across the country, and has been fortunate to receive several grants, fellowships, and residencies to help advance her career. Sophie makes furniture out of steel and wood, but predominately out of steel. In fact she mimics wood to make her steel furniture look like it has been created out of steel.

You can follow along with Sophie on her Website and Instagram.

Kirtan is a woodworker and furniture designer based in Los Angeles. She fell in love with woodworking in Brooklyn, New York, and promptly quit her day job to focus on it full-time. She spent as much time as possible practicing the craft and taking classes to learn from others. Her only rule while building is that each new project has to include a new technique she has never tried before. Today, she continues to learn from the wonderful community at Allied Woodshop, of which she owns and directs.

You can follow along with Kirtan on her Instagram and Website, as well as check out Allied online as well.

Aylin is 24 and from Austria. She is currently a multimedia student, graduating in September. Multimedia and animation is a change from starting out in fashion design. Which is a change from taking woodworking all through junior high and high school. I think it is safe to say that Aylin is a maker through and through. Since her school work now is so focused on computer work, she has taken to experimenting with macrame as a means to express herself in a physical manner. 

You can find and follow along with Aylin and her work on Instagram.

Laura Mays has a degree in Architecture from University College Dublin and a Higher Certificate in Furniture Design and Manufacture from GMIT Letterfrack. She followed that with two years on the Fine Woodworking program in College of the Redwoods in California. Laura completed an MA in Industrial Design at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin in 2010. Since 2011 Laura has been the Program Director of the Fine Woodworking program at The Krenov School in northern California. She is the founding President of The Krenov Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to support the craft of fine woodworking in northern California, by conducting educational programs and providing material and financial support to individuals and institutions in that field.

You can follow along with Laura on Instagram and her Website.

Andrea Gordon, MFA is a categorical career leaping nerd that has gone from aspiring musician, to sound design, to kitchen work, and settled on woodworking and art in the last 3 years.  She has been wood turning for the last year and started a tiny business in April 2022 selling pens and other little wood trinkets.  She is 1st generation USA born Colombian on one side and 3rd generation Jewish from Brooklyn on the other.  She married Carla, a Puerto Rican zaddy two years ago and they have Stella, a sassy mini-schnauzer.  Together, they bought a 70 year old house (in this economy!?) last year and have been slowly bringing it, and her new garage into the 21st century.

You can follow along with Andrea on Instagram and Etsy.

Episode 92 - Michelle of Aqua - n - Gold

Michelle is a wife, mom, engineer and maker. She has always had a creative side. At first this creative side came out as a cake decorator, then paper crafts, and finally it is in DIY and woodworking. Though she considers herself a novice, you can see her artistry in every piece.