Episode 49 What if I Can’t Draw?

October 8, 2021 by Carina Gardner

Do you love the idea of becoming a designer but worry that you don’t draw well enough to make it work? Listen in as Carina debunks some misconceptions about how good you have to be at illustrating in order to make it as a designer.

There’s a *lot* more to being a surface pattern designer than being able to draw with pencil and paper. Listen in to find out why you don’t need to know how to draw to become a great designer!

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY

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About Carina Gardner:

Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.

Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.

Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com

Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp

Episode 48 How She Designs Fabric with Amanda Niederhauser

October 6, 2021 by Carina Gardner

Have you ever wondered how a fabric designer approaches creating a new fabric collection? Today Carina talks with fellow Riley Blake designer Amanda Niederhauser about her process for designing a new line.

Her daughter Ella is involved in the process and they make a great team! Amanda also talks about her love of cats and cat fabric. Settle in for this fun and insightful conversation about fabric and cats!

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY

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About Carina Gardner:

Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com

Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp

About Today’s Guest

Amanda Niederhauser is a quilter, a fabric designer for Riley Blake, and an author. You can find her work in the following places:

Instagram: jedicraftgirl

Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JediCraftGirl (patterns)

Episode 47 When was the Last Time Someone Told You How Valuable You Are?

October 4, 2021 by Carina Gardner

When was the last time someone told you how valuable you are? Carina gets real today about how important it is to feel valued.

You probably don’t hear it often enough from the people in your life. Carina hints at tough things she experienced in her childhood and tells a very vulnerable story about the first time that her intrinsic value as a human being was described to her in a way that made her believe it. YOU ARE VALUABLE. What you’re doing in this world is important!

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY

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About Carina Gardner:

Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com

Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp

Episode 46 My Halloween Traditions Including the Movie I watch on October 31st

October 1, 2021 by Carina Gardner

Every Halloween, Carina takes her kids trick or treating and then settles in to watch one movie as she hands out candy.

Find out what Halloween movies Carina loves to watch! Traditions can be comfortable, memorable moments and Carina shares some of her favorites for Halloween!

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY

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About Carina Gardner:

Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com

Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp

Episode 45 First Steps with April Cobb

September 29, 2021 by Carina Gardner

Carina talks with fellow sewer April Cobb today! April has owned her own product based businesses including handmade goods and a digital fabric printing company.

April shares the first steps you should take when building a creative business.

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY
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**About Carina Gardner:**
Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.

Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.

Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com
Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp

About Today’s Guest

April Cobb is an expert seamstress, fabric designer, and crafter. You can find April’s colorful and gorgeous creations at her Etsy Shop, aprilcobbdesigns.

Episode 44 To Do Something Great, There Must Be Sacrifice

September 27, 2021 by Carina Gardner

What does it take to become a great designer or to do something great in anything you do?

Find out as Carina talks us through the kinds of sacrifices in time and money it takes to level up or do something great. Have you ever thought about whether time or money is more important? Carina shares her thoughts on which is more important and why.

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY

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About Carina Gardner:

Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com

Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp

Episode 43 You Are Enough with Diane Rooney

September 24, 2021 by Carina Gardner

Today Carina talks with fellow fabric designer and Design Suite Member Diane Rooney.

Diane talks about all her experiences in the crafting and sewing world. Carina and Diane talk about life lessons and making your passion a career. As you’ll hear, it’s never too late to start following your passion!

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY
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**About Carina Gardner:**
Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.

Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.

Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com
Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp

About Today’s Guest

Diane Rooney is a fabric designer, illustrator, and digital artist with a passion to help and inspire others in their own creative pursuits. Her design work has featured in software, television, fabric, and many other mediums. Find out all about Diane’s gorgeous design work, career, and family at https://www.dianerooney.co.uk/.

Episode 42 My 5 Favorite Things to Make on My Silhouette Machine

September 22, 2021 by Carina Gardner

What are your favorite things to make with your Silhouette machine? On today’s Make + Design, Carina walks us through her favorite things to cut on the machine.

And what could be more fun than doing it countdown style? Check it out to hear what Carina’s #1 thing is!

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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY
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**About Carina Gardner:**
Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.

Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.

Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com
Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp

Episode 41 Tips and Tricks in Free Motion Quilting and Weight Loss with Dara Tomasson

September 20, 2021 by Carina Gardner

Have you ever wondered about the serendipitous ways that seemingly-unrelated things connect in a way that makes them both more meaningful? On today’s Make + Design Podcast

Carina is joined by free motion quilting expert and weight loss guru Dara Tomasson who tells us the surprising connection between learning a new skill like free motion quilting and weight loss. Hint: it’s about learning to love yourself.

You can find out more about Dara at https://daratomasson.com/
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Download Carina’s free guide: The 7 Tips Nobody Will Tell You About Becoming a Surface Pattern Designer here: http://eepurl.com/dN2RcY
__________

**About Carina Gardner:**
Carina Gardner is a fabric designer, paper designer, and design educator who is passionate about helping other designers fulfill their creative dreams by teaching them her strategies for making money as a designer. She has a Ph.D. in Design and taught design at the University of Minnesota before starting Carina Gardner, Inc.

Carina Gardner, Inc design brand has been featured in dish ware, holiday decor, sewing patterns, and more. Her exclusive Design Suite Program helps creatives make money designing as they learn to design. Her programs include Illustrator and Photoshop training, surface pattern design, paper design, Silhouette & Cricut file design, and running a design business. She started the Make and Design Podcast so that she could share inspiration, stories, and experiences about design and life with crafters and designers.

Find out more at https://www.carinagardner.com
Check out her most popular program, Design Bootcamp, here: http://www.carinagardnercourses.com/designbootcamp

About Today’s Guest

Dara Tomasson is a life-coach, professional long-arm quilter, and author. Dara is an expert on helping people through their weightloss journey. The best place to find her is on Instagram at daratomasson.

Dara’s book, “Doodle School: A Daily Design Challenge to Up Your Free-Motion Quilting Game,” is available on Amazon along with the other books she’s authored.

Episode 40 Borrow A Little Confidence from Someone Who Believes in You

September 17, 2021 by Carina Gardner

Do you ever struggle with confidence? Whether we are well-trained and experienced or just starting out, a nagging lack of confidence can affect any of us.