On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we’re talking about quilt kits with my guest Michael O’Dell.
Mike is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist who administers anesthesia in a pediatric hospital, but his passion has always been art. He has worked with every material he’s ever had a chance to get his hands on, and quilting came to the fore in 2018 when his wife took up the hobby. As his wife worked on a 9-patch quilt as her first project, Mike saw each square as a pixel, which brought him back to his youth, drawing pictures one pixel at a time on early home computers.
Wanting to enhance his first pixel quilt, Mike discovered foundation paper piecing and saw the technique as a wonderful way to help others sew works of art. His quilt pattern and kit company, Legit Kits, was founded to spread the feeling of accomplishment, which can only be experienced by making a masterpiece.
This episode is sponsored by Last Stitch.co
Reimagine, repurpose, rediscover.
Mike shares his journey from initially pursuing engineering to becoming a nurse, specifically in the specialized field of anesthesiology. He explained that his decision was influenced by his desire to work with people. Mike then transitioned into a career as a critical care nurse, working in various locations across the US. He shared his experiences with patients facing the end of their lives.
He emphasized that his job as an anesthesiologist is not about taking risks or being highly creative, but about providing safe anesthesia care. The idea of owning his own business, which involves risk and creativity, was appealing to Mike.
Mike originally started by designing quilts based on popular characters, but after consulting with an intellectual property attorney and graphic designer, he quickly shifted to personal interests like nature and history.
Mike discussed the company’s UFO protection plan, which allows customers to return unfinished quilts within a year for a full refund. He also mentioned the ‘enough fabric guarantee’ which provides replacement fabric if any is lost or damaged.
Mike also talks about how he financed the business to begin with, how he prices the quilt kits, and the reason he likes Kona cotton from Robert Kaufman.
We discuss Mike’s recent Shark Tank experience. Mike shared that he had always imagined being on the show and was surprised when he was selected. He noted that the odds of getting on the show were low, with only about 100 people making it to TV out of over 40,000 applicants. Mike also mentioned that the show’s producers look for people who would be good on TV, and he believes his outgoing personality and storytelling skills contributed to his selection. Additionally, Mike shared his strategy of listening to the audiobooks of the show’s sharks to get to know them better.
And, of course, I ask Mike to recommend great stuff he’s enjoying right now. Mike recommends:
- A paint-by-numbers kit of the National Park poster of Mt Rainier
- Working with his son on his pine car derby racer for Cub Scouts
Keep up with Legit Kits on their website and on Instagram.
