One company, so much impact on our maker's community ~ Today, we celebrate Linda Ligon, founder of Interweave. A self-admitted restless mom at home with a new baby, in 1975 Ligon started Interweave at her kitchen table. Described as a visionary with love of craft, her mission was to keep craft alive using the core values of putting people first, focusing on what people want, how they were interested, how they learn, and how they express themselves.
From its humble beginnings, Interweave grew to a corporation of 75 employees. A second publication Handwoven was added then a third SpinOff. In 1988 Herb Companion, cooking, alternative medicine, and others came aboard. The regional publication, which covered the Western states, continued to expand to include 5 crafts magazines and 150 books. Ligon sold Interweave in 2005 to Aspire Media, continuing on as Creative Director. In 2012 Aspire sold the company to F+W. By then, the growth from Interweave's beginnings covered knitting (Interweave Knits, Knitting Traditions, Knitting Daily), crochet (Crochet), beading (Beadwork) spinning (SpinOff), weaving (Handwoven), needle crafts (Piecework), jewelry making (Lapidary Journal), TV, videos, a national podcast called Fiber Nation, and Thrumb's books.
Over the years Ligon's gut instincts and sharp observations have brought us commentary and relevant content covering a wide spectrum of maker's interests. Quality photography and technical accuracy has broadened our knowledge with learned skills, encouraged our creative expression and relationships with like minded souls, and inspired us to new heights.
Sadly, it is reported that F+W lacks leadership that truly values craft, & F+W is now in bankruptcy. The maker's world holds its breath as a new buyer is sought, but it is also possible that Interweave will be no more. Once an English teacher who shadowed her high school newspaper production, Linda Ligon launched an amazing new career which has benefitted so many. In the late 1990s Ligon had assembled an all woman dream team. It is notable that in 2000 there were only 3 Fortune 500 companies with female CEOs. Cudos Linda! We are grateful for everything you have done to feed our creative instincts, and we all hope for the best moving forward.