The GoGo Craft Story
Photo Credit: Stefanie Renee
Amelia Strader
Owner, Head Crafter
Amelia has a lifetime of experience teaching and crafting under her (handmade) belt. She has been knitting and sewing since she could hold onto a needle. Having grown up in a family of artists and creative people, she feels lucky to have been surrounded by art supplies, fabric, and yarn at a young age. Amelia graduated from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design with a BFA in Fashion Design and for 8 years she worked in the garment industry as a technical designer. She uses the skills she developed in the corporate world to help work out GoGo Craft designs and patterns. Amelia was the co-founder of the popular monthly crafting event, Craft Bar with Etsy Labs at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco, CA. Several of her tutorials and projects have been featured on Etsy, Creativebug.com, and eHow.
How GoGo Craft was born
It all started in 2008, when Amelia was laid off from her corporate job in the garment industry. Of course it was a bummer, but she was actually relieved. The job she had wasn’t very creative, and she wasn’t sure it was the right career path. At first, unsure of what else she wanted to do, Amelia started teaching some knitting classes, while looking for another job. At the same time a few of her sewing projects were featured at a monthly craft workshop that she helped to create and organize, called Craft Bar with Etsy Labs, at the Museum of Craft and Folk Art in San Francisco. By giving knitting classes and organizing these workshops she remembered how much she really loved creating and teaching. So in 2010 she decided to throw caution to the wind and started GoGo Craft, and has never looked back.
Why GoGo Craft?
The basic idea behind GoGo Craft is to remind people that anyone can create; you don’t need a lot of previous experience or even a lot of money. Amelia wants her students to feel inspired by what they learn, and to keep creating after they leave class.
Photo Credit: Andrea Scher
