When Katie Kortman made a commitment to start sewing her own clothes, she decided to put her art degree to good use and go ahead and make her own fabric as well. Fast forward to Katie having a successful Spoonflower store after wining an online sewing contest and teaching herself how to create a repeat pattern. When Katie is not sewing she is creating a bit of a dance movement for the seamsters of Instagram with #thehandmadehustle and graciously chatting with podcasters like me.
Listen in to my entire conversation with Katie Kortman on the Creative Queso Podcast Episode #29 on

The Magic That Happens From Being Yourself
In this episode Katie and I chat about the magic that happens from being yourself and doing what comes naturally and makes you happy. For Katie that was combining her background in her art with a passion for sewing she discovered later in life. Listen in as we talk repeat patterns, how to make your Spoonflower shop stand out and how her use of hashtags on Instagram has started something unique in the sewing community.
Find Out Even More About Katie…

The Handmade Hustle
Instagram and Spoonflower are both busy places. It can be hard to get people to your store or to your feed in order to then get people to your store. In the episode Katie and I talk about how she tackles this issues in part with inventing her own clever hashtags.
We also talk about creating collections of fabric designs and how Gretchen Rubin and an online sewing contest called Sew Frosting kickstarted the whole thing!

Finding Your Inner Fire
As Katie says: “When figuring out your creative vision, don’t just copy someone else, it won’t be genuine and will likely not be as fulfilling. When you present something to the world that you are passionate about, using your own ideas. People will be more drawn to it because it will have your inner fire behind it.”

Katie is such a delight to talk to and listen to as well. I can’t wait for you guys to hear this chat!
If you loved this episode of the Creative Queso Podcast be sure to also check out…
- Abby Glassenberg Episode #7 – Seamster, Podcaster and Craft Industry Alliance leader.
- Mondo Guerra Episode #16 – Project Runway Alumni and host of Runway Remake.
- Elena Flores Episode #2 – Host of the Sew Taco post and the woman behind Sew Bonita.
This episode was brought to you by Sticker You!