1) You have one of the best craft podcasts (CraftSanity) on the planet (the other one is Diane’s of course). What made you get into podcasting?

Thank you. I never planned to get into podcasting. It all started in the winter of 2005 when I asked my husband, Jeff, what he was listening to on his iPod. Turns out he was listening to a lot of tech podcasts and suggested that I try to produce a show about crafting. I was on maternity leave with our second daughter and gearing up to go back to work full-time. Our daughters are 18 months apart, so we essentially had two babies. Adding podcast production to my schedule seemed crazy, so I told Jeff he was insane. Then I immediately started planning my first episode. The rest is craft history.

2) You have interviewed some of my heros! Have you ever had a weird interview where it just wasn’t flowin’? How do you manage awkward moments?

I’ve interviewed a lot of wonderful storytellers, so this hasn’t been a chronic problem that I’ve had to deal with. On the occasions when the interview isn’t flowing, I just keep going. I can usually get to the essence of a person if I just keep asking questions. Sometimes it takes a long time and then I have to do more editing, but getting a more authentic finished product is always worth the extra effort.

3) How was your experience on Take 5? What show do you want to appear on next?

I do live craft segments every Friday on a local morning TV show here in West Michigan called “Take Five & Company.” I went on the show the first time a couple years ago to give viewers some handmade Halloween tips. During that segment the host announced that she was glad that I was going to be coming back on a regular basis. We were live and this was news to me, so I laughed and said maybe we could work something out.

Now I go on every week to promote the local crafters and artists that I feature in my weekly newspaper column. It’s one of my “free” gigs and I keep telling myself that I’m going to scale back. But I think I’m addicted to the adrenalin rush I get from crafting on deadline. I often stay up late on Thursday nights to make my step-outs and sometimes I’m out-of-my-mind tired during the segment. So, I like to remind people that I’m smarter than I appear on TV. It’s true.

I once told viewers that I bend PVC pipe to make hula hoops when I was actually bending tubing used for sprinkler systems. Big difference, I know. But that’s the thing about doing live TV, sometimes you rock and sometimes you completely bomb. There are no redos. Strangely, I seem to enjoy the suspense of this. I go on TV because it challenges me to be on my toes and make stuff every week. I hate the cosmetic part of being on TV because wearing gobs of makeup cramps my Plain Jane style.

4) When you interviewed me for your podcast it was before your apron show and you had a few big fears about it as a new curator. How did it go?

The CraftSanity Necktie Apron show was a success. Thanks for asking. : ) The show was a benefit for Safe Haven Ministries, a local charity that helps victims of domestic violence. It featured 86 aprons from artists and crafters from West Michigan and beyond. All the aprons included fabric from a necktie somewhere in the construction and it was fun to see how people accomplished this design challenge.

I did have a moment during the installation when the stress got to me and I laughed until I cried while trying to figure out the quickest way to tack 86 aprons to the wall without immediate access to a ladder. About 200 people came to the opening night, so the turnout was great.

5) Top 5 things that have happened to you this year (thus far)?
* Within the last year, I quit my day job as a newspaper reporter and that was an awesome, life-changing event.
* I started a handmade loom business a couple weeks after leaving my job and it’s been steadily growing. (CraftSanity.etsy.com)
* I made the 2010 Fifth Third River Bank Road Warrior Team and completed a 25K in May in a custom race apron. (I like to wear aprons all the time and now run road races in them, too.)
* As part of my Road Warrior experience I planned and hosted the CraftSanity Necktie Apron show to raise money for Safe Haven Ministries.
* I’m making a paper-pieced hexagon quilt that will be displayed during ArtPrize, an international art competition held in Grand Rapids, Mich.

See Jennifer on day one during craftypodcasting 101 or join us for a live taping of her CraftySanity program on day 2!