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Stitch Please

Stitch Please

Dive deep into the vibrant world of sewing with the Stitch Please podcast, an official show of Black Women Stitch ? the sewing group where Black lives matter. Uniquely crafted for those who love sewing, this sewing podcast is a gem that centers around Black women, girls, and femmes, weaving threads of creativity, technique, and passion with every episode. Hosted by Lisa Woolfork, a 6th generation sewing enthusiast, this podcast not only mirrors her ardor for the craft but also her roles as an artist, activist, and academic. Specializing in African American literature and culture, Lisa seamlessly stitches together her varied backgrounds to produce episodes that are both informative and engaging. You'll be immersed in lively interviews that are enriched by her expertise, presenting a fresh perspective that few other podcasts in the sewing community can offer. As an artist, Lisa Woolfork brings a unique eye for detail and aesthetics, offering listeners the chance to envision sewing in new, vibrant ways. As an activist, she ensures that the podcast sewing narratives and discussions are rooted in liberation, particularly emphasizing the significance of Black lives. Her academic background adds another layer of depth to the podcast, allowing listeners to delve into the rich tapestry of African American literature and culture, shedding light on how these narratives can influence and inspire one's sewing journey. Each week, listeners of the Stitch Please podcast can look forward to insightful discussions that celebrate Black creativity in sewing and quilting. Moreover, as a bonus, this sewing podcast shares invaluable tips and techniques, making it a must-listen for both beginners and seasoned sewists alike. Join us as we thread the needle of history, art, and activism with the love of sewing, creating a tapestry of stories and tips that resonate with every stitch. If you cherish the world of sewing, quilting, and the rich narratives of Black creativity, the Stitch Please podcast is your ideal companion. Tune in weekly. This sewing podcast will ?help you get your stitch together.?

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blackwomenstitch.org/podcasts/

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Quilting with Dr. Jennifer Hale (Part 1)

On this weeks episode, Dr. Jennifer Hale. shares her sewing and quilting journey, starting with her grandmother teaching her to sew at a young age. She emphasizes the importance of community and the role it played in her early sewing experiences. Dr. Hale also discusses her transition from sewing to quilting and the influence of the Quilting Academy in her creative process. Dr Hale highlights the significance of representation in her quilting projects and the impact of community on her creativity.

We also get a chance to hear Dr. Hale share her journey as a quilter and the challenges she faced in accessing quilting resources. She discusses being a distraction in school and how sewing became her happy place. Dr. Hale also talks about the changes in her sewing practice during the pandemic and the role of TikTok in building a community. She highlights the importance of teaching and sharing knowledge on social media and the connection between quilting and children's literature. Dr. Hale shares her advice for quilters and the benefits of quilting on a long arm machine.

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Guest Name: Dr Jennifer Hale

Avid quilter, Dr. Jennifer Hale, has 30 years of experience educating young minds for the School District of Philadelphia. She has worn many educational hats throughout her career that led to her current role as a high school Assistant Principal. Dr. Hale engages in a high- level of creativity, including: quilting, sewing, cooking, and crafting. She enjoys sharing her gifts and talents with her school and community.

https://www.facebook.com/jennygee06

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Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

The Black Women Stitch 2024 Wall Calendar is available NOW! Do not miss out on your chance to and get your stitch together with a year of artistic inspiration!

Ready to tap in to the visuals of Stitch Please? Then join our Patreon! For only $5 a month you can get all of the video versions of the pod. PLUS more goodies at higher patron levels. We couldn't do any of this without your support. Thank you!

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2024-03-20
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I'm a Sewist Series: Lessons Learned!

In this episode of the Stitch Please podcast, Lisa Woolfork shares lessons from the I'm a Sewist series on the Stitch Please Instagram and provides tips for sewists of all levels. She discusses the importance of using a prescription pill bottle for sharps as a safe and convenient way to dispose of needles. Lisa also recommends using a bodkin for threading elastic and drawstrings, and highlights the benefits of investing in a heat press for advanced sewists. Hopefully, these tips will help you to improve your sewing practices and make the process more fun, efficient and enjoyable.

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Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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The Black Women Stitch 2024 Wall Calendar is available NOW! Do not miss out on your chance to and get your stitch together with a year of artistic inspiration!

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Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter

Check out our merch here

Leave a BACKSTITCH message and tell us about your favorite episode.

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Check out our Amazon Store

Stay Connected:

YouTube: Black Women Stitch

Instagram: Black Women Stitch

Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

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Ready to tap in to the visuals of Stitch Please? Then join our Patreon! For only $5 a month you can get all of the video versions of the pod. PLUS more goodies at higher patron levels. We couldn't do any of this without your support. Thank you!

2024-03-13
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The Scrap Cushion: Part 2

In part 2 of The Scrap Cushion episode, Lisa discusses her success with a rectangular cushion and then moves on to the main topic of the episode, the scrap cushions. Lisa divides the episode into three sections: a summary of the cushion, making the math work, and lessons learned. She explains how she calculated the volume of her scraps and realized that the cushion she made was too big. Lisa then shares her process of making a circle cushion, including measuring and cutting the fabric, choosing a zipper, and sewing the cushion. She concludes with some lessons learned and her plans for future cushions.

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Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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Ready to tap in to the visuals of Stitch Please? Then join our Patreon! For only $5 a month you can get all of the video versions of the pod. PLUS more goodies at higher patron levels. We couldn't do any of this without your support. Thank you!

=======

======

Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter

Check out our merch here

Leave a BACKSTITCH message and tell us about your favorite episode.

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Check out our Amazon Store

Stay Connected:

YouTube: Black Women Stitch

Instagram: Black Women Stitch

Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

2024-03-06
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Black is America & Stitch Please Presents - Ann Lowe: An American Original

Hey Stitchers! We are so excited that our good friend and 22x(!) award winning podcaster Dominic Lawson has shared this beautifully crafted history of Ann Lowe with us as a Black History Month leap day treat. Black is America is one of my favorite pods so take a listen and when you're done, click the link and check out the rest of his episodes!

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Anne Lowe was a pioneering African American fashion designer who dressed high society elites in the early to mid 20th century. We learn about her early life in Alabama, training in New York, moving to Harlem during the Renaissance, and most famously designing Jacqueline Kennedy's wedding dress.

Timeline:

Early Life & TrainingBorn in Clayton, AL in 1898Learned sewing from her mother and grandmotherMoved to NYC in 1917 to formally train at S.T. Taylor Design SchoolSegregated at school but still excelled and finished earlyBuilding Her BrandOpened successful dress salon in Tampa, FL from 1919-1928Saved $20,000 to move to Harlem, NYC during the RenaissanceQuickly built clientele among NYC elites and socialitesDesigned Olivia de Havilland's Oscars dress in 1947Peak YearsClient list included Rockefellers, Roosevelts, duPonts and moreHired to design 1953 wedding dress for Jacqueline KennedyWater pipe disaster destroyed original dress 10 days before weddingRemade it in 5 days with help of employees and communityLate Career StrugglesFocused more on artistry than business side, fell into debtWealthy clients anonymously paid off $13k in back taxes she owedDied in 1981 at age 82 after inspiring new generation of designers

Key Quote: "I love my clothes and I'm not interested in sewing for café society or social climbers. I sew for the families of the Social Register." - Anne Lowe

Impact: Lowe's elegant designs broke racial barriers in high fashion. She paved the way for future Black designers through her perseverance and excellence.

Subscribe, review & learn more at www.blackisamericapodcast.com

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Ayeshia Smith

@ayeshia.apparel on Instagram

Ayeshia 's Website

Ayeshia 's Facebook page

Elizabeth Way

Elizabeth Way is an Associate Curator at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), as well as a fashion historian whose personal research focuses on the intersection of Black American culture and fashion.

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Ready to tap in to the visuals of Stitch Please? Then join our Patreon! For only $5 a month you can get all of the video versions of the pod. PLUS more goodies at higher patron levels. We couldn't do any of this without your support. Thank you!

=======

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Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter

Check out our merch here

Leave a BACKSTITCH message and tell us about your favorite episode.

Join the Black Women Stitch...

2024-02-29
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The Scrap Cushion: Part 1

In this conversation, Lisa discusses her sustainability project of creating a scrap cushion using vintage resources. She introduces the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing as a valuable book for beginners and shares her idea of using fabric scraps as a form of archive. Lisa explores the importance of having a clean sewing trash bin and the memories associated with fabric scraps from previous projects. She discusses the challenges she faced in making a round cushion and ultimately decides to make square cushions instead.

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Ready to tap in to the visuals of Stitch Please? Then join our Patreon! For only $5 a month you can get all of the video versions of the pod. PLUS more goodies at higher patron levels. We couldn't do any of this without your support. Thank you!

=======

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter

Check out our merch here

Leave a BACKSTITCH message and tell us about your favorite episode.

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Check out our Amazon Store

Stay Connected:

YouTube: Black Women Stitch

Instagram: Black Women Stitch

Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

2024-02-28
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Delicious Stitches: Phebe Higgins Felts Food

In this episode, we meet Phebe Higgins the stitcher behind Felt the Food. Learn about Phebe's journey, sewing background, and how her graduate education has woven into her crafting of appetizing felt creations. We explore the concept of "functional play," its enriching impact on children, and how Phebe's felted food is at the crossroads of play, learning, and creativity.

Together, we stitch through the soft, flexible, and durable nature of felt, as Lisa shares some of her personal affection for these charming objects. Phebe reveals the meticulous process behind her hand-stitched pieces, from a scrumptious felt apple pie complete with its own recipe card to a touching sweet potato pie design that is sure to evoke memories of sisterhood and solidarity.

And for those of you who seek to "get your stitch together," Phebe has some thread-perfect advice that will inspire you to reach for patience, grace, and joy in your sewing projects. So, grab your needles and let's felt the love on today's episode of the Stitch Please podcast.

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Phebe Higgins

Phebe Higgins, the founder of Felt The Food, was inspired by her shy son's transformation during playdates. Witnessing his newfound joy in a play kitchen, she embarked on a journey to craft handmade felt food despite lacking sewing skills. With support from a crafty community, Phebe discovered the joy of creating and its positive impact on her son's development. Felt The Food offers ready-cut felt food kits, complete with materials and YouTube tutorials, fostering creativity and bonding through crafting and imaginative play. Phebe's mission is to empower families to create lasting memories together.

@feltthefood on Instagram

Phebe's Facebook page

Phebe on YouTube

Phebe's Website

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Ready to tap in to the visuals of Stitch Please? Then join our Patreon! For only $5 a month you can get all of the video versions of the pod. PLUS more goodies at higher patron levels. We couldn't do any of this without your support. Thank you!

=======

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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2024-02-21
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Tailoring Freedom with Sasha Huber

This week, Lisa speaks with talented Swiss-Haitian-Finnish artist Sasha Huber to explore the intersections of art, activism, and healing. Sasha shares her journey from her family's legacy of textile arts to her cutting-edge activist-based art practice.

As Sasha unfolds her story of "reparative intervention," using her pneumatic staple gun to highlight social and historical injustices, we'll examine how her art taps into the deep-rooted pain of colonialism and the ways in which her work strives to stitch together a narrative of resistance and preservation. From discussing the decolonization of museums to the history of laws governing black attire during slavery in the United States, this conversation promises to be as thought-provoking as it is enlightening.

Gather your threads of curiosity and join us as we sew together the pieces of Sasha Huber's remarkable journey, and discover how her art becomes a protective and healing force against the scars of history. Let's "get our stitch together" by learning how to make meaning out of the materials handed down to us.

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Sasha Huber

Sasha Huber (b. 1975) is a Helsinki-based internationally recognized visual artist-researcher of Swiss-Haitian heritage. Huber's work is concerned with the politics of memory, care and belonging in relation to colonial residues left in the environment. Connecting history and the present, she uses and responds to archival material within a layered creative practice that encompasses performance-based reparative interventions, video, photography, and collaborations. Huber also usurps the staple gun, aware of its symbolic significance as a weapon, while offering the potential to renegotiate unequal power dynamics and the possibility of repair, symbolically stitching wounds together (pain-things). Known for her artistic research contribution to the ?Demounting Louis Agassiz? campaign, she is aiming at reassessing the glaciologist?s contentious racist heritage.

Sasha's Website

@sashahuber on Instagram

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Ready to tap in to the visuals of Stitch Please? Then join our Patreon! For only $5 a month you can get all of the video versions of the pod. PLUS more goodies at higher patron levels. We couldn't do any of this without your support. Thank you!

=======

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter

Check out our

2024-02-14
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Threads of Genius: Celebrating Ann Lowe with Curator Elizabeth Way

Welcome back Stitchers, today Lisa welcomes Elizabeth Way, associate curator at The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the curator of Ann Lowe: American Couturier at the Winterthur Museum. They discuss Anne Lowe's significance as an American couturier and her impact on the fashion industry. They delve into the difference between couture and haute couture and discuss Anne Lowe's experiences in Paris. Ann Lowe was a creating work beyond her time and had to navigate the racism and gatekeeping that was included with working the white elite. The conversation explores the power of cross diasporic connections and storytelling in fashion. It highlights the work of Anne Lowe and her advocacy for creativity in fashion. The importance of embracing creativity and nurturing it is emphasized.

While this exhibition is over you can still order the book and purchase recordings by visiting the museum's website

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Ready to tap in to the visuals of Stitch Please? Then join our Patreon! For only $5 a month you can get all of the video versions of the pod. PLUS more goodies at higher patron levels. We couldn't do any of this without your support. Thank you!

=======

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter

Check out our merch here

Leave a BACKSTITCH message and tell us about your favorite episode.

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

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Stay Connected:

YouTube: Black Women Stitch

Instagram: Black Women Stitch

Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

2024-02-07
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Sisterhood Heals with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford

Welcome back stitchers! Today Lisa welcomes Dr. Joy Harden Bradford of Therapy for Black Girls to discuss her new book 'Sisterhood Heals' and the journey of creating it. She explains how the book captures the spirit of an in-person event focused on conversations about sisterhood and challenges us to be better to and for one another. Dr. Joy emphasizes the importance of sisterhood as a vibrant life force for Black women and the need to navigate the challenges that come with it. The conversation urges us to evolve as advocates for one another, emphasizing the pivotal role sisterhood plays as a life force for Black women and delving into the challenges inherent in this potent bond. We journey through insights on building resilient communities, managing disappointments, and embracing the therapeutic power of creative expression. The dialogue pivots towards the significance of Therapy for Black Girls, highlighting the importance of embracing growth and the transformative power of the therapeutic process. The episode concludes with a powerful focus on actionable steps and the perpetual journey of nurturing sisterhood in our lives. Join us for a riveting conversation guided by the wisdom and warmth of Dr. Joy Harden Bradford.

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Ready to tap in to the visuals of Stitch Please? Then join our Patreon! For only $5 a month you can get all of the video versions of the pod. PLUS more goodies at higher patron levels. We couldn't do any of this without your support. Thank you!

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Dr. Joy Harden Bradford

Dr. Joy Harden Bradford is a Licensed Psychologist and the host of the wildly popular, award-winning mental health podcast Therapy for Black Girls. Her work focuses on making mental health topics more relevant and accessible for Black women, and she delights in using pop culture to illustrate psychological concepts. Named by Glamour as a Game Changer for her work in the mental health field, she received her Bachelor?s degree in Psychology from Xavier University of Louisiana, her Master?s degree in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling from Arkansas State, and her PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Georgia. Her work has been featured in Essence, Oprah Daily, The New York Times, HuffPost, Black Enterprise, and Women?s Health. Dr. Joy lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two sons.

Purchase Sisterhood Heals

Instagram: @therapyforblackgirls

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Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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The Black Women Stitch 2024 Wall Calendar is...

2024-01-31
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First Make of 2024! - Vogue 1982

It's here Stitchers! Lisa's first (full) make of 2024 and it's the Vogue 1982 ! Today Lisa breaks down her process from top to bottom which included basting anything and everything, which needle she needed for this specific project, and just what adjustments she made to make sure she absolutely loved herself in the dress! If you picked up this pattern make sure you connect with us on social and let us know if you stuck with the pattern as is or if you were like Lisa and changed it up.

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Ready to tap in to the visuals of Stitch Please? Then join our Patreon! For only $5 a month you can get all of the video versions of the pod. PLUS more goodies at higher patron levels. We couldn't do any of this without your support. Thank you!

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Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter

Check out our merch here

Leave a BACKSTITCH message and tell us about your favorite episode.

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Check out our Amazon Store

Stay Connected:

YouTube: Black Women Stitch

Instagram: Black Women Stitch

Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

2024-01-24
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Quilting as Legacy, Photography as Expression: The Artistry of Tiavalya Befecadu

Welcome back Stitchers! Today Lisa is chatting with Tiavalya Befecadu a quilter and photographer, as she shares her sewing journey and the inspiration behind her beautiful quilts. Tiavalya is a 3rd generation sewing enthusiast who found herself restarting the craft during the pandemic and using family fabrics to create sentimental quilts. She shares her experiences with local quilt shops and highlights the beautiful pieces she has made, including the 'Space is the Place' quilt and the 'Alabama Authors' quilt. Plus as a loyal listener of the pod, Tiavalya has the perfect advice to help us get our stitch together!

The Black Women Stitch 2024 Wall Calendar is available NOW! Do not miss out on your chance to and get your stitch together with a year of artistic inspiration!

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Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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Tiavalya Befecadu

A third generation sewing enthusiast, and a proud member of the Professional Photographers of America, Rocket City Modern Quilt Guild and the Historic Huntsville Foundation Board of Directors.

@tiavalya on Instagram

Tiavalya's Facebook page

Tiavalya's Website

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Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter

Check out our merch here

Leave a BACKSTITCH message and tell us about your favorite episode.

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Check out our Amazon Store

Stay Connected:

YouTube: Black Women Stitch

Instagram: Black Women Stitch

Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

2024-01-17
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Soulful Stitchers and More with Diane Roney

Welcome back stitchers! Today host Lisa Woolfork interviews Diane Roney, a quilter, sewist, and graphic AI artist. Diane shares her sewing journey, including her first outfit at the age of 68. She also discusses her brand, Diane Roney Creates, which encompasses various creative endeavors. Diane talks about her Soulful Stitchers coloring book and the process of creating it. What does it take to be a multi-hyphenate creative? Why does a jumpsuit bring so much joy? Why do Brother printers keep everything extra proprietary? Diane and Lisa get into all of this and more!

Takeaways

Don't let fear hold you back from pursuing your passion for sewing.Embrace your creativity and explore different artistic mediums.Share your knowledge and help others in their creative journey.Be patient and celebrate the successes of others, knowing that your time will come.

The Black Women Stitch 2024 Wall Calendar is available NOW! Do not miss out on your chance to and get your stitch together with a year of artistic inspiration!

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Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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Diane Roney

Meet Diane Roney, a creative coach and small business owner with over 20 years of experience in the industry. With a passion for all things creative, Diane has built a name for herself as a multi-talented artist, designer, and educator. Diane's extensive skillset includes Creative Stamping scrapbooking, Digital artistry, Quilt design, sublimation and DTF Printing, Quilting coaching and education, seasoned Greeting card design, Afrocentric African Inspired gifts, and social media content creation. Her ability to combine these various mediums has allowed her to create unique and captivating pieces that have garnered attention from clients and fans alike. As a coach and educator, Diane is committed to sharing her knowledge and expertise with others, helping them to unlock their own creative potential and achieve their goals.

@dianeroneycreates on Instagram

Diane's Website

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2024-01-10
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Sankofa 2024!

Welcome back stitchers! Happy 2024! Today we celebrate in the spirit of Sankofa. Sankofa is a word of the Akan people of Ghana, meaning "to go back and get it" in the Twi language. The retrieval concept is symbolized by interlocking hearts or a bird with her feet facing forward but her head turned backward and carrying an egg in her beak. What is the core concept of 2024? Plus what is Lisa's first make of 2024?

The Black Women Stitch 2024 Wall Calendar is available NOW! Do not miss out on your chance to and get your stitch together with a year of artistic inspiration! Episode Art is January by Karina Cruz Ortiz.

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Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter

Check out our merch here

Leave a BACKSTITCH message and tell us about your favorite episode.

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Check out our Amazon Store

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2024-01-03
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Stitch Please Swatches: Holiday Swatches Vol 4

Celebrate! Vote! Share! The Black Women Stitch Sew Black at QuiltCon is a finalist for an Anthem Award in the category of Community Engagement in Education Arts and Culture. Please vote for us here and share widely! Voting ends 12/21 .

 

The Black Women Stitch 2024 Wall Calendar is available  NOW! Do not miss out on your chance to  and get your stitch together with a year of artistic inspiration!

Welcome back stitchers! We are sew excited to bring you a new tradition to the Stitch Please Podcast: Holiday Swatches. A fabric swatch is a small sample of fabric that allows you to visualize a project before cutting into yardage. Swatches are useful for sewing because they help us match fabrics, guide fabric prep, and prevent waste. Most importantly, if cultivated, swatches can become an archive of your creativity. This swatch series is here to celebrate the stitch please community by hearing from you all. For the month of December we will be sharing Holiday Sewing Traditions. In the final edition of 2023 we hear all about New Years Eve dresses, some adorable ideas for advent calendars (it's never to early to start!), the importance of a thoughtful gift and Eid! A special thank you to Ashley Chapman, Kya Lee, Ellie L, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich and Zahiyya Abdul-Karim for sharing their stories this week!

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Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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Ashley Chapman

Instagram: @madebybertha

 

Kya Lee

Website: kyaarts.com

 

Ellie L

Instagram: @sallieandsamstyle

 

Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Instagram:@olugbemisolarhudayperkovich

Website:https://www.olugbemisolabooks.com/

 

Zahiyya Abdul-Karim

Instagram : @covermechic

Youtube:

2023-12-27
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Stitch Please Swatches: Holiday Swatches Vol 3

Celebrate! Vote! Share! The Black Women Stitch Sew Black at QuiltCon is a finalist for an Anthem Award in the category of Community Engagement in Education Arts and Culture. Please vote for us here and share widely! Voting ends 12/21 .

 

The Black Women Stitch 2024 Wall Calendar is available  NOW! Do not miss out on your chance to  and get your stitch together with a year of artistic inspiration!

Welcome back stitchers! We are sew excited to bring you a new tradition to the Stitch Please Podcast: Holiday Swatches. A fabric swatch is a small sample of fabric that allows you to visualize a project before cutting into yardage. Swatches are useful for sewing because they help us match fabrics, guide fabric prep, and prevent waste. Most importantly, if cultivated, swatches can become an archive of your creativity. This swatch series is here to celebrate the stitch please community by hearing from you all. For the month of December we will be sharing Holiday Sewing Traditions. From dance moms who are on the emergency stitch team (raise your hand if you've been there) to family sweaters, we have a great series of traditions this week.  A special thank you to Neci Harmon, Aaronica Cole, Kristin Taylor, Tanisha Robertson and Jaszmine Howard for sharing their stories this week!

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Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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Neci Harmon

Instagram: @whatsshecreating 

Shop: What's She Creating

TikTok: @whatsshecreating

 

Aaronica Cole

Instagram: Aaronica B. Cole

Youtube: Aaronica B. Cole

AudaSEWtea Podcast

Simplicity

 

Kristen Taylor

Instagram:

2023-12-20
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Stitch Please Swatches: Holiday Swatches Vol 2

Celebrate! Vote! Share! The Black Women Stitch Sew Black at QuiltCon is a finalist for an Anthem Award in the category of Community Engagement in Education Arts and Culture. Please vote for us here and share widely! Voting ends 12/21 .

SHIPPING 12/14...

The Black Women Stitch 2024 Wall Calendar is available  NOW! Do not miss out on your chance to  and get your stitch together with a year of artistic inspiration!

Welcome back stitchers! We are sew excited to bring you a new tradition to the Stitch Please Podcast: Holiday Swatches. A fabric swatch is a small sample of fabric that allows you to visualize a project before cutting into yardage. Swatches are useful for sewing because they help us match fabrics, guide fabric prep, and prevent waste. Most importantly, if cultivated, swatches can become an archive of your creativity. This swatch series is here to celebrate the stitch please community by hearing from you all. For the month of December we will be sharing Holiday Sewing Traditions. From ugly sweater ornaments to full christmas rooms, we have a great series of traditions this week. Plus! some great gift ideas at the very end if you're scrambling for a last minute idea (thanks Nikki!) A special thank you to Bianca Springer,  Dr. Jennifer Hale, Tiffany Turner, Johanna Ali and Nikki Digulis for sharing their stories this week!

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Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork
Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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Bianca Springer

Instagram: @thanksimadethem

Website: biancaspringer.com

Dr. Jennifer Hale

Instagram: @jennygee06

TikTok: @jennygee066

Tiffany Turner

Blog: TipStitched
Instagram: TipStitched
Facebook: TipStitched
TikTok: TipStitched
Pinterest: TipStitched

Johanna Ali

Instagram:@soveryjo

YouTube: SoVeryJo

Nikki Digulis

TikTok : NikkiD

Instagram:@seamsnsuchboutique

Website:

2023-12-13
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Stitch Please Swatches: Holiday Swatches Vol 1

The Black Women Stitch 2024 Wall Calendar is available for preorder NOW! Do not miss out on your chance to  and get your stitch together with a year of artistic inspiration!

Welcome back stitchers! We are sew excited to bring you a new tradition to the Stitch Please Podcast: Holiday Swatches. A fabric swatch is a small sample of fabric that allows you to visualize a project before cutting into yardage. Swatches are useful for sewing because they help us match fabrics, guide fabric prep, and prevent waste. Most importantly, if cultivated, swatches can become an archive of your creativity. This swatch series is here to celebrate the stitch please community by hearing from you all. For the month of December we will be sharing Holiday Sewing Traditions. From handbags to to scrap projects, new stitchers to the most skilled knitters, we have a great series of traditions this week. A special thank you to Jonelle Dawkins,  Byrd Wadhams, Jamara Alexander, Stacie Sturdivant and DeJanee Kletke for sharing their stories this week!

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Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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Jonelle Dawkins

Instagram: @scrapatl

TikTok: @scraplanta

Scraplanta

 

Byrd Wadhams

Instagram: @yogabyrdsews

Facebook: Yoga Byrd

 

Jamara Alexander

Instagram: sewsewjam

 

Stacie Sturdivant

Instagram: @sewsewstacie

TikTok: @sewsewstacie

Shop

 

DeJanee Kletke

Instagram: deja_made _it

 

 

Sign up for the Black Women Stitch

2023-12-06
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TipStitched! Sewing Tips and More with Tiffany Turner

The Black Women Stitch 2024 Wall Calendar is available for preorder NOW! Do not miss out on your chance to  and get your stitch together with a year of artistic inspiration!

In this episode of the Stitch Please podcast, Lisa welcomes Tiffany Turned, a talented sewist, to share her transformative journey into sewing. Initially skeptical, she discovered her passion through a 30-minute skirt tutorial. With a background in civil engineering, Tiffany approaches sewing with precision and relishes in its step-by-step nature, appreciating the nuances that make a garment special. She champions cost-effective sewing, laying the foundation for her blog and vibrant social media presence where she shares valuable insights and reviews.

Tiffany praises the sense of community in live sewing sessions, crediting the Black Sewing Network for fostering camaraderie. She discusses setting ambitious goals, emphasizing the importance of flexibility in the face of unforeseen circumstances. Tiffany's digital sketches in Adobe Photoshop serve as a visual guide for her projects, especially in intricate color-blocking. Recognizing the strengths of different platforms, Tiffany adapts her content creation process, emphasizing the visual appeal of sewing on Instagram. Her sewing journey is a testament to analytical thinking, creativity, and an enduring love for the craft, evident in her carefully crafted content and active engagement in live sessions.

This episode showcases how Tiffany's sewing journey is a tapestry woven with threads of analytical thinking, boundless creativity, adaptability, and an unwavering love for her craft. Her dedication to enriching the sewing community is palpable in her meticulously crafted content and enthusiastic participation in live sewing sessions.

 

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Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

 

Tiffany Turner

Tiffany Turner is a passionate sewist who discovered her love for sewing in adulthood. Tiffany always admired the idea of creating her own garments to have the perfect fit and style. In 2014, she finally took the plunge, inspired by a tutorial from Mimi...

2023-11-29
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African Zesty Couture with Grace Christopher

The Black Women Stitch 2024 Wall Calendar is available for preorder NOW! Do not miss out on your chance to  and get your stitch together with a year of artistic inspiration!

In this episode of the Stitch Please podcast, Lisa interviews Grace Christopher, the creative genius behind African Zesty Couture. Grace shares her journey into sewing, which began as a way to keep her mind active after moving to the United States (US) with her one-year-old child. Growing up in Nigeria, Grace had been exposed to her mother's sewing, but it wasn't until later that she truly delved into the craft. 

Grace's sewing journey began with an old treadle machine but when she moved to the US, she acquired an electric sewing machine, making her sewing experience more accessible. Her early projects were primarily for herself and her son, driven by a desire to connect with her Nigerian heritage. 

As Grace's sewing skills grew, so did her interest in different types of fabrics. She now offers a wide range of fabrics on her website, including Knit Ankara, Silk Adire, and Kampala. Grace provides insights into the cultural significance and unique characteristics of each fabric type, shedding light on their origins and traditional uses. 

Grace's approach to designing garments is influenced by her desire to celebrate the diversity of African fashion. She emphasizes the importance of allowing the fabric to speak for itself and encourages people to experiment with different styles and fabric combinations. Grace actively builds a sense of community among her customers through sew-alongs and challenges. These events provide opportunities for individuals to explore their creativity and gain confidence in working with African fabrics. 

The podcast episode concludes with Grace expressing her aspiration to flood the streets with African prints and her dedication to empowering others to embrace and incorporate these fabrics into their own creations. The conversation exemplifies the rich cultural tapestry that sewing can encompass, and the potential for creativity to connect people across continents.

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Grace Christopher

Grace Christopher's journey is an extraordinary fusion of law and creative passion. Initially drawn to law, she devoted years to her legal career. However, her early exposure to her mother's sewing ignited a lasting passion. From her mother's vintage machine to crafting her own garments as a teenager, Grace's creativity found its roots. A move to the US and motherhood rekindled her love for sewing, inspiring her to blend her Nigerian heritage with her creative passion for sewing. Grace's designs breathe life into African fabrics, infusing them with modern flair. Through approachable teaching and challenges, she cultivates a community of creatives, aiming to saturate the streets with African fashion. As a mother, business owner, and...

2023-11-22
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Aaronica B. Cole: Designer and Sewing Influencer

Preorder your 2024 BWS Wall Calendar TODAY! 

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Aaronica B. Cole

Aaronica B. Cole is a dynamic force in the world of sewing and creative expression. With a passion for using thread as a transformative tool, she's known for her audacious approach to style and fashion. Her journey has led her to embrace variegated threads, infusing her creations with unexpected contrasts and vibrant hues. Through her bold designs and unapologetic self-expression, Aaronica challenges norms and inspires others to do the same. Her recent venture into podcasting with the AudaSEWtea Podcast showcases her commitment to amplifying diverse voices and stories in the sewing community. With a genuine warmth and relatable charm, Aaronica brings a fresh perspective to the sewing world, proving that audacity and creativity go hand in hand.

 

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

 

Insights from this episode:

How Aaronica's presence has grown and flourished with regards to her career since her last appearance on the podcast three years agoThe episode focuses on three key aspects of Aaronica's work: her designing ventures, including the Aurifil thread collection and Know Me pattern collection pattern collection, her family sewing endeavors, and her new podcast project with Julian CollinsAaronica introduces her Rustic Chic Thread CollectionThe Know Me pattern collection is praised for its representation and inclusivity in fashion design, highlighting the need for more diverse perspectives in the industryDiscussion of the historical lack of inclusivity in fashion design knowledge systems with an emphasis on the importance of creating designs that cater to a wide range of body types and backgroundsAaronica's new podcast venture, AudaSEWtea co-hosted with Julian, is introducedThe episode ends with Lisa extending an invitation for Aaronica and Julian to share their podcast journey on a future episode, showing support for their new endeavor 

Quotes from the...

2023-11-15
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Garment Girlies of Black Sewing Network

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Black Sewing Network

Black Sewing Network is a platform that celebrates and amplifies black voices in the sewing community. We host daily sewalongs on social media that encourage and motivate members of the sewing community to sew daily!

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Insights from this episode:

How the Garment Girlies got started with the Black Sewing NetworkHow LaShuan originally connected with Carmen Green through instagram, where Carmen hosted ?Sew Saturdays?Why TikTok is a more vibrant platform to hostThe Black Sewing Network provided guidance, explanations for sewing terminology, and strategies for community membersHow going live on social media platforms helps to strengthen the community of sewers by supporting each other through challengesThe Black Sewing Network community encourages collaboration and mutual support, even helping each other to gain followers on social mediaBenefits of feeling safe and welcome in a communityEmphasis on how the Black Sewing Network community feels encouraged to pursue their own sewing styles and interests without pressure to conform to specific aestheticsExpressions of gratitude for the Black Sewing Network?s positive impact on their unique sewing journeysConversations surrounding garments include discussions about patterns used, various challenges faced during the sewing processes, and the significance of pieces createdThe Garment Girlies strategies to help us get our stitch together 

Quotes from the show:

?BSN is really all about you being yourself and expressing yourself how you want to.? - Aiysha, Stitch Please, Episode # 205?It's just really that simple that you can be who you want to be and who you are and you can elevate that you could do it, how you want to do it, hack it, play around, I think with BSN it allows us to just play and have fun and try stuff out and seam rip a lot.? - Aiysha, Stitch Please, Episode #205?BSN is that environment where there are teachers, everybody's a teacher no matter what level you are? Whether you're in the...
2023-11-09
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Bag Girlies of Black Sewing Network

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Black Sewing Network

Black Sewing Network is a platform that celebrates and amplifies black voices in the sewing community. We host daily sewalongs on social media that encourage and motivate members of the sewing community to sew daily!

Black Sewing Network

Website: Black Sewing Network

Facebook: Black Sewing Network

Instagram: Black Sewing Network

Tiktok: Black Sewing Network

LinkTree: Black Sewing Network

Email: [email protected]

The BSN Bag Girlies

Tiktok: Nikki D

Tiktok: Lanae

Tiktok: Tanisha

 

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

 

Insights from this episode:

Why the Bag Girlies love bags and how they started their sewing journeysNikki?s gorgeous bag sets and details behind each bagWhat NCW stands for and its different sizes and styles, as well as, the reason behind its popularityDifferent materials that the Bag Ladies use in making their bagsThe balance between functionality and form in bag-makingThe creative process behind the Bag LadiesThe ?Melesi Tote? sewing techniqueInsights about the ?Could I Be Any Clearer?? stadium bagSew Motivee?s design modifications that are being done by TanishaNikki and Tanisha?s collaboration on designsDetails behind Lanae?s ?Fiona Foldover? bagThe Bag Girlie?s different styles and how they?re all connected with a strong line of creativity and clean sewing.Insights about...
2023-11-01
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Sister Sewists of Black Sewing Network

Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter!   

Check out our merch here 

Leave a BACKSTITCH message and tell us about your favorite episode. 

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Amazon Store

 

Black Sewing Network

Black Sewing Network is a platform that celebrates and amplifies black voices in the sewing community. We host daily sewalongs on social media that encourage and motivate members of the sewing community to sew daily!

 

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Insights from this episode:

Brittanie and SheShe?s sewing journey and in Black Sewing NetworkBrittanie?s goal of learning, to basically understand what she?s doing. Her approach to developing her skills, being strategic and choosing who to learn fromSheShe?s habit of ?over consuming? and her goal of passing on her knowledge to others, in the easiest possible wayBrittanie and SheShe?s current products when sewingThe difference between hoarding and provisioningInsights about whether to choose the design or the fabric first?Knit Fabric? as a textileLisa talks about her two upcoming books; a book about ?Black Stitch Liberation? and a book about where certain fabrics came fromBrittanie and SheShe uncover the Black Sewing Network storySome final words of wisdom

 

Quotes from the show:

?Once you have your machine and you take it out of the box, first of all take it out of the box, don?t waste that money; because if you?re not gonna take it out of the box, you shouldn't have bought it. There is no such thing as a ?beginner?. You will forever be a ?beginner? if you never try, you have to try. It?s a whole community that will literally walk you through the project step-by-step. We have set up work of one hour to eleven hours on live, we?re not gonna leave you. Take it out of the box, we got you.? ? Brittanie, Stitch Please, Episode #203?Start somewhere! Find somewhere to start. It?s like if you have a mess in your house, focus on one thing and start there first and then tackle a little at a time. And don?t try to think you can do everything, starting off at the back; because then you?re gonna get overwhelmed, and when you get overwhelmed, you just wanna quit. So, find somewhere to start and start there.? ? SheShe, Stitch Please, Episode...
2023-10-25
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Sketch to Stitch: NY Fashion Week with Sahara Clemons

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Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Sahara Clemons

Sahara Clemons is a multimedia artist and designer born in Washington D.C and based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Clemons revels in the fluidity of artistic mediums and interweaves painting, textiles, and dance in her creative process. Her work explores the intersection of race and gender and provides commentary on the socio-political forces that shape identity. Her work has been shown at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Second Street Gallery, The Bridge Progressive Arts Institute, and McGuffey Art Center. Clemons is a YoungArts alumni and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Rhode Island School of Design.

Insights from this episode:

How to go from ?sketch? to ?stitch?The techniques behind textile manipulationThe importance of defining your purpose when doing creative workTips for overcoming your fear of making mistakes and taking chancesBeing creative when you don?t have a lot of resources

Quotes from the show:

?I feel like I?m a very conceptual person when it comes to making, and I think it always starts off with the story. Mainly I think the core aspect of that is making it personal and authentic to my journey as not just an artist, but as a person.? ? Sahara Clemons, Stitch Please, Episode #202 [05:53]?I think too often we think about sewing or fashion and manufacturing, but that?s not all that you?re doing and this is one of the reasons I think that fashion is art. The same things that we see in art, or the things that go into making art, go into making the garments that we ultimately see.? ? Lisa Woolfork, Stitch Please, Episode #202 [08:51]?What I appreciate about fashion is that idea of community-building and bringing people into the clothing.? ? Sahara Clemons, Stitch Please, Episode #202 [11:35]?I wanted the collection to go through the transition of a person?s mindset when it comes to body exploration? knowing that it is a healing process rather than, ?this is okay, my scars are okay.? With all of society and you yourself, it?s hard to feel that way and it?s really challenging to go through that process, and that?s what I wanted to share. That it?s more about...
2023-10-18
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Fall Sewing Plans

Sponsored by Accuquilt!    Sign up for the Black Women Stitch  newsletter!   

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 Amazon Store

Patterns Mentioned: Vogue 1940, Simplicity 8982, Mimi G for Simplicity 9687 KnowMe 2046, The Rushcutter Dress by In the Folds, The Naomi Shirt by Coffee and Thread

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Get Your Stitch Together tips from the episode:

Lisa's fall sewing plans to accommodate her medical bootHer plans to make a failed Simplicity knit pattern againHow wide leg pants could fit over her bootIdeas for hacking a Vogue dress into a tunicTips for extending a shirtdress into a tunicTricks for adjusting patterns for curvy figuresLisa's thoughts on dress pockets and stretchy zippersHow Mimi G's wide pants could work with the bootFabrics Lisa enjoys for fall sewing

 

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2023-10-11
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Bisa Butler

Sponsored by Accuquilt! 

Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter!   

Check out our merch here 

Leave a BACKSTITCH message and tell us about your favorite episode. 

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

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Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Bisa Butler

Bisa Butler is an award winning African American textile artist known for her vibrantly stunning larger than life sized quilted portraits that captivate viewers around the world. Formally trained, Butler graduated Cum Laude from Howard University with a Bachelor?s in Fine Art degree and it was during this time that she began to experiment with fabric as a medium and became interested in collage techniques. She then went on to earn a Master?s in Art from Montclair State University in 2005. While in the process of obtaining her Master?s degree, Butler took a Fiber Arts class where she had an artistic epiphany and she finally realized how to express her art.  ?As a child, I was always watching my mother and grandmother sew, and they taught me. After that class, I made a portrait quilt for my grandmother on her deathbed, and I have been making art quilts ever since.?

After working as a high school art teacher for thirteen years, Butler was awarded a Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship in 2002 and exhibited in Switzerland during Art Basel with the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery. Many institutions and museums have acquired Butler?s work including the Art Institute of Chicago for a solo exhibition, The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, and The Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Insights from this episode:

Why it?s important to uplift and encourage each other, starting with the children in our livesHow Bisa uses her art to affirm the dignity of historical figuresThe process of researching historical figures and time periods to accurately portray them through artHow different colors play into the meaning expressed in her artHow Bisa infuses her quilts with the music she?s listening to as she createsWhat happens when you stop starting with ?white? as a defaultInsights into the difference between studying art education (teaching people how to make art) vs. learning how to make art yourself

Quotes from the show:

?I?m always seeking for truth and to find those essential truth elements about Black people.? ? Bisa Butler, Stitch Please, Episode #200?I have had people ask me, people who don?t necessarily look like us so they don?t have a full understanding, ?I notice that you make all of your subjects look...
2023-10-04
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Chawne Kimber: A Sew Black live episode

Start of the show. 0:09

Welcome to stitch please, official podcast of black women's stitch.Black women at quilt con.Finding a safe place from her heart to land.Quilting as a way to escape mathematics.What does ?I miss hope? bring to me? 3:33The scale of I miss hope.The frustration and tension of following the news.The intersection of quilting and activism.The process of creating a statement quilt.
Defining risks as risks. 8:38Risks in her work and how she defines them.Being featured by scholastic.Being a Scholastic Book Fair girl.
Black girl math magic. 12:56The Black girl math magic subscription box.The Renwick museum acquisition process.All makers except hetero white males.The call from the Renwick curator.
America owns my quilt. 18:05America owns her quilt.The poker metaphor, bet on yourself and win.Bipac quilters are being relegated to a separate category.The binary of beautiful quilts and statement quilts.
How she thinks about balance in her work. 22:22The 10th anniversary of quilt con.How quilting has changed over the last decade.A scene from Amadeus.Balance between texture and the overall aesthetic of the piece.
How to leave space without leaving space? 25:57How to quilt with an out-of-focus line.How Instagram is controlling quilting.Small pieces of art on a wall.Creating a quilt for instagram.
The words ?I can't breathe? 29:38Chawne makes the words to express his thoughts.The title of the episode, patchwork to power.Black women's liberatory stitching traditions.Power, liberation and process of stitching quilts.
The power of the needle and needle. 34:12The power of the needle and needle.Words of wisdom for the interviewee.Take care of yourself and your health.Support Black Women Stitch on Patreon.

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2023-09-27
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Rashida Coleman Hale: Sew Black Live

This episode of the Stitch Please podcast features Naomi Johnson as host interviewing guest Rashida Coleman Hale and Lisa, live at the Modern Quilt Guild's 10th anniversary QuiltCon event in Atlanta. Lisa explains her motivation for attending QuiltCon for the first time and shares her excitement over the increased representation of Black women and Black-owned businesses at the event. Rashida discusses debuting her new fabric line and the emotional experience of seeing Black women wearing and excited about her fabrics. The hosts share their "fangirl" moments meeting renowned Black quilters like Latifah Saafir in person. They also discuss Lisa's intentionality about who she chooses to collaborate with for Black Women Stitch projects, and her realization that suffering through unpaid work would not dismantle capitalism or white supremacy - but taking resources to support Black women's crafts could. The hosts and Rashida share advice on self-care and "getting your stitch together" during difficult times. The episode celebrates community, ancestral crafts, collaboration, and joyful spaces for Black women quilters. Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter Check out our merch here Leave a BACKSTITCH message and tell us about your favorite episode. Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon Check out our Amazon Store Stay Connected: YouTube: Black Women Stitch Instagram: Black Women Stitch Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast
2023-09-20
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Stitching Ancestry: A Sew Black Live episode with Sarah Bond and e bond

Introduction to this episode. 0:09Welcome to the official podcast of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group, where Black Lives matter.Thanks to underwriters Spoonflower, Moda, and BerninaThis is a ?very special episode? because this episode is Sew Black at Quiltcon.
Watch word of the day. 3:21Sarah has been collaborating with dead women from her family for the last 30 years, and now she gets to collaborate with an actual live bond thanks to her collaboration with her cousin, e bond
Bringing the two different ways of thinking about conversation visually and not always in terms of sound to the Word of Mouth quilt.Working with Lavinia. 7:25Lavinia was her great-great-grandmother Three quilts from Lavinia are on display.Lavinia was born enslaved in 1858 and lived a difficult life. She was making this to express something that she needed to express.The audacity of a woman born to slavery.
Black Aliveness. 10:39In an antiBlack world, Blackness is demanded of Black people. In a Black world, being is all that is required.Lavinia Unbound quilt.
What do you see in this piece? 12:33Sarah is now part of the collections. She will always pick a quilt that is from either Anna or Lavinia that they then remake in the fabric as part of inspiration. She gets to name it.In e bond?s first collection, Glyphs, the fabric designed to represent the genius scifi author Octavia Butler, reflects the balance between data and barbed wire.
Jane was born in 1828. 15:19This quilt was made by Jane, who was born in 1828, and is a white glove situation to prevent oils from hands from touching the quilt.Jane had two sons by Preston.
The moment when it suddenly occurred to me. 17:26She was there for 18 years before he took advantage of her. She had other children that she was not able to keep.She made quilts together with her sister.
How did the quilt get its name? 21:30The quilt is a basket quilt in red, blue and white, in red and blue, and white. It is in the 1870s and was popular at that time.It was a popular quilt pattern that was popular in that time, and some of the reds and blues faded out.
Thank you to our sponsors and audience. 24:52The podcast is a live show at Quiltcon. They are grateful to their sponsors, their audience, and to e bond and Sarah Bond for bringing an inexplicably powerful reminder of who and what Black women are capable of.If you'd like to support the Stitch Please podcast financially, you can do that by supporting them on Patreon.

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2023-09-13
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Stitching For the Culture: A SEW BLACK LIVE EPISODE

??Celebrate the 200th episode of the Stitch Please podcast by contributing to the next 200 episodes.

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Donate via Act Blue (tax deductible)  to support our Capacity Building campaign in September and October. Donations earn bonus entries for the giveway. 

Stitching FOR THE CULTURE, Produced by Latrice Sampson Richards

Sara Trail, Social Justice Sewing Academy     @sjsacademy   www.sjsacademy.org

Bianca Springer, Thanks I Made Them  @thanksImadethem www.thanksImadethem.com

Nikki Griffin @sewingmystyle www.sewingmystyle.com

Highlights:

0:09 - Dive into a world where stitching, culture, and Black lives interweave. Welcome to our official Sew Black at quiltcon podcast episode!4:42 - Bianca, the creative genius behind "Represent! Embroidery? book, opens up about her journey. Discover how a period of recovery birthed an Black-centered embroidery book with vibrant designs, and how the essence of it evolves.10:30 - The panel sheds light on the importance of culture. They tackle the misrepresentations in white spaces and stress the significance of nurturing self-agency and autonomy in children.12:01 - Meet Nikki Griffin, an Atlanta native with an unstoppable sewing spirit. From bras to jeans, her contributions to the Atlanta sewing style are nothing short of inspiring.17:27 - Sewing transcends craft. Learn about its power for social justice, its global movement, and its deep resonance within the Black women community of Atlanta.20:42 - Support stitches community. Applause for the amazing Social Justice Sewing Academy team for their continuous dedication and passion. Together, they're revolutionizing the art through fabric and giving a fresh, unique experience for kids.25:13 - Rules, boundaries, and quilting? Sarah delves into how traditional quilting norms can sometimes confine and control, urging listeners to 'get their stitch together.'26:49 - Expand your horizons.

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2023-09-06
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Tea with Queen and J visits Stitch Please!

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Queen

Queen is a Bronx native with a Harlem heart, did college in Queens, currently resides in Brooklyn, and like most New Yorkers forgets Staten Island exists. Creating safe, nourishing spaces for Black femmes and folks impacted by misogynoir through digital media and live events is her style of activism. She is one half of The Tea with Queen and J. podcast and centers dismantling white supremacist patriarchal capitalism, because why the fuck not! Always encouraging healthy community building, her podcast?s annual Black podcast meetup, #PodinLiveNYC, has grown into the largest Black podcaster meetup in the world! Ms.Vixen, her online magazine, has been running 7 years strong, and with the addition of live events and workshops through the Ms.Vixen IRL series, plus Ms. Vixen The Podcast, she continues to deliver incisive, witty, lit womanist perspectives on pop culture, media, and politics. Queen?s work has also been featured at Afropunk.com, AMny, and you can catch her as a panelist on the youtube series, The Grapevine. Always someone with something to say, her goal is media domination, to always have huge hair, and to always stay fly.

J.

J. is a cultural critic, podcast producer, and a womanist race nerd from the Bronx focused on dismantling white supremacist patriarchal capitalism while laughing, drinking tea, and indulging in various forms of Black joy. For over five years she's created audio content centering Black women and Black femme-identifying individuals, exploring America's caste system, allowing herself to learn and be challenged publicly, and sharing her journey through mental health. As a podcast geek with a commitment to increasing visibility and access for people of color, she co-founded #PodinLiveNYC, the largest annual Black podcast meetup in the world. In addition to freedom and liberation, Janicia loves cosplay, believes there's a special place in her heart (and hell) for body paint, and lovingly asks that you do not call her a "lady".

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Insights from this episode:

Making spaces like music festivals feel more welcoming to queer folksCreating intergenerational events that appeal to everyone and avoid ageismThe effect of marginalized people thinking from a scarcity mindsetWho gets their work published and whyWhy it?s important to remember that there is always room for your voice and your storyThe role of capitalism in holding us back from pursuing...
2023-08-30
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Her Hoop Dreams

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Jennifer Oldham

Jennifer Oldham is a thread artist who creates beautiful embroidery hoop designs through which we can see our sisters and ourselves. Jennifer shares her designs through @herhoopdreams and a collection of her work was recently displayed at the Nashville Hermitage Library. While her mom has sewn throughout her entire life and she wore handmade clothes regularly including to her prom and her wedding, Jennifer never took to sewing like her mom did but used the skill when she first got married and couldn?t afford to buy curtains and placemats, making them herself. Still, she understood the beauty, skill, and time it takes to make things by hand and eventually found her joy in embroidering.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Insights from this episode:

How Jennifer discovered an art form that spoke to herExpressing facial features in a realistic way through embroidery and getting the details rightHow learning and unlearning play an important role in both the creating process and in lifeWhere Jennifer gets her inspiration fromThe importance of seeing ourselves and people who look like us expressed through artThe therapeutic power of creative art forms

Quotes from the show:

?You are creating things from your needle and thread that are a reflection of so much Black beauty, so much patience, so much intricate detail.? ? Lisa Woolfork, Stitch Please, Episode #194?Even now I still take things to my mother?s house for her to sew them!? ? Jennifer Oldham, Stitch Please, Episode #194?A part of the journey that I?m on is one of unlearning things that don?t fit who I am now and recreating myself?or creating myself and being intentional about that.? ? Jennifer Oldham, Stitch Please, Episode #194?This is my year, this is my time, this is my phase of life. Finding me, rediscovering me, taking the pieces that still work and basically stitching them together.? ? Jennifer Oldham, Stitch Please, Episode #194?Learning and unlearning, all of these are such vital elements of what it means to just exist in this world, and you have given us a model for putting that not on stage or Instagram where that feels sometimes so forced, but making something really permanent and beautiful and taking the time to do so. That?s something I really appreciate, the care and detail about your work.?  ? Lisa Woolfork, Stitch Please, Episode #194?Sometimes people have...
2023-08-23
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Crowned with Care: a chat with Uzoma Samuel Anyanwu

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Uzoma Samuel Anyanwu

Uzoma Samuel Anyanwu was born in 1981 and is a painter and photographer whose passion for photography compliments his studio painting practice. His inimitable approach to fabric collage paintings and the transformation of recycled materials into art distinguishes him as a strong emerging artist. He currently lives and works in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Insights from this episode:

What goes into his creative processHow to fight discriminationSamuel?s creative backgroundWorking with diverse fabricWhat fabric teaches us about living harmoniouslyShowcasing his work at QuiltconLessons he learned working with people and preparing for Quiltcon

Quotes from the show:

?No one?s first quilt ends up at a juried quilt show, it?s not something that often happens, but it did happen in this case? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please??First, I do photography and then it compliments my painting and collage and fabric work. Most of my work comes from the compositions from my camera? ?Uzoma Samuel Anyanwu in ?Stitch Please??Anything racism and tribal discrimination is taught somehow (?) it?s something that parents should try their best to let their children be free of this kind of discrimination? ?Uzoma Samuel Anyanwu in ?Stitch Please??My coming into fabric art is a kind of genetic endowment from my mother. I can always say that because she has been a fashion designer all her life? ?Uzoma Samuel Anyanwu in ?Stitch Please??Having experience from photography, and drawing and painting, then coming into fabric is not a new medium to me. It?s just an extension of what I do with my camera? ?Uzoma Samuel Anyanwu in ?Stitch Please??I really work with large varieties of fabric, and this is important because I have been able to define globalization with my work, in terms of all these fabric coming from different places? ?Uzoma Samuel Anyanwu in ?Stitch Please??We can live in a world whereby whatever you practice, be in peace with everyone. This is what fabric has been able to do??Uzoma Samuel Anyanwu in ?Stitch Please??Fabric is that common item that connects all humans? ?Uzoma Samuel Anyanwu in ?Stitch Please?

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram:

2023-08-16
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The Handmade Millennial with Ella Clausen

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Ella Clausen

When Ella Clausen fell in love with sewing, she fell HARD. She started a few months before the pandemic began and has been riding a wild frenzied wave ever since, savoring every seam, learning all that she can about this skill from patternmaking to couture tailoring and everything in between. Ella lives in Oakland, California where she works for a nonprofit foundation that?s a part of Levi Strauss & Co. She is a first-generation American, a Black-Filipinx maker raised by a single mother, and a believer in the power of strong women.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Insights from this episode:

How cherishing pieces that have been passed through generations and the practice of sewing itself can connect us with our heritageTurning STEM into STEAM and valuing the physics and engineering skills involved in designing and sewing our own clothesHow Ella decided to make her own wedding dress and the skills that she developed in doing soThe process of designing patterns for Mimi G?s Know Me line for Simplicity, developed solely by makers in the sewing community

Quotes from the show:

?If there is something in your vision that you know is not at the store and you can create it from nothing or from the raw material of your imagination? That?s joy. That?s power. That?s freedom.? ? Lisa Woolfork, Stitch Please, Episode #52?It?s beautiful, the connectedness and the longevity, to think that the things I might create, this jacket I?m wearing, could have so much meaning to someone 2 or 3 generations down the line if it?s repaired and held together and treasured.? ? Ella Clausen, Stitch Please, Episode #52?Sewing doesn?t save you money unless you have expensive taste.? ? Ella Clausen, Stitch Please, Episode #52?Do not be the force that holds yourself back. Go for it. Try it. Don't listen to that voice that?s telling you that you can?t do something.? ? Ella Clausen, Stitch Please, Episode #52

Resources Mentioned:

Ella?s 6-part Project Wedding Dress blog seriesStitch Please episode: Parallel Universe Mystery Quilt with Ebony Love, Latifah Saafir, Gyleen FitzgeraldTipStitched blog
2023-08-09
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London Reign with Miss J Sews

LONDON REIGN discount code: STITCHPLEASE35 for 35% off the London Reign dress pattern. Not compatible with any other offer. Valid until October 1, 2023. One purchase per customer.

Find Miss J Sews at her wonderful website!

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Janet Hensell

Janet Hensell is a blogger who shares her handmade wardrobe and encourages others to sew and design their own style. She is best known as Miss J Sews, offering tips for setting trends and relying less on fast fashion. Her mom taught her to sew and they started off on dolly, but when she realized that she could make clothes that actually fit instead of always having to rely on shops, that was amazing.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Insights from this episode:

Extending the life of a garment to last beyond the trendsPattern cutting: what it is, and making something fit well from the inside outHow Janet?s fashion came to be the talk of her fellow jury membersThe inspiration behind the London Reign pattern, from the design to the nameThe importance of crafting as self-care

Quotes from the show:

?I?m kind of bootylicious in my figure, and they don?t cater for that in the shops. But I can cater to myself if I sew, and that became the key thing. The feeling of making a thing that fits is unmatched.? ? Janet Hensell, Stitch Please, Episode #191?It really is this vicious circle of consumption and discarding. Buy it, wear it, throw it away. And this is another thing that sewing can reduce. It is a form of sustainability because the pieces that you end up making, you tend to hold onto them longer.? ? Lisa Woolfork, Stitch Please, Episode #191?Crafting is self-care. Whether you?re a carpenter, a seamstress, a dancer, whatever you do for your mental health and fun, it is self-care. For me that was sewing.? ? Janet Hensell, Stitch Please, Episode #191?Know what fits your lifestyle and fits your body. And when I say fit, know to fit your garments to fit you. Even if the garment is made from a cheaper fabric, once it fits you, people won?t even notice.? ? Janet Hensell, Stitch Please, Episode #191

Resources Mentioned:

Stitch Please Podcast episode: Pattern Cutting Deconstructed with Monisola OmotosoLondon Reign pattern and discount code:...
2023-08-02
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Styles in Seams with Robyn Burgess

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Robyn Burgess

Robyn Burgess has been 6?2? since she was 13 years old and has always loved making every hallway and sidewalk her runway, but finding fashions that fit all of her proportions is a struggle. After recording her cooking journey on her food blog Runaway Apricot for over 7 years, Robyn decided to expand her love of learning by taking on the art of sewing. She began her fashion design and sewing journey in 2015 to build a wardrobe of quality garments that fit her inseam and show off her bold style, and in 2019 started Styles InSeams to record her sewing journey and share information with others in the #sewingtall struggle. Robyn is an organizer of NYC Frocktails, a cocktail party for sewists, has created a 5-class learning path on sewing skills for Skillshare, and is currently preparing to launch her new clothing line for tall women in summer 2023, Robyn Bandele.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Insights from this episode:

How Robyn organized her learning path to improve her sewing skills on a shorter timelineFeeling comfortable in your body when it?s hard to find clothes that fit you, and learning what adjustments work for youSewing for events and getting inspiration from photos of her grandparents? wedding and the latest season of BridgertonDeveloping a new clothing line specifically for tall women named after her aunt, Robyn Bandele

Quotes from the show:

?It allows for your sewing to be more sustainable in the long run when you don?t find yourself having to re-do things.? ? Lisa Woolfork, Stitch Please, Episode #49?People assume that fashion is for tall women because models are tall? I want to be able to make the clothes that we want to wear, which is not much different than what smaller or ?normal-sized? people wear.?  ? Robyn Burgess, Stitch Please, Episode #49?There?s been so much amazing conversation about the plus-size market and inclusivity for plus-size women, which absolutely is necessary, but tall women are left out of that conversation, I think, in part because height is seen as a privilege, and there isn?t much privilege to being an outsider. Regardless of where you sit on that outsiderly spectrum, being an outsider is not a privilege.?  ? Robyn Burgess, Stitch Please, Episode #49?Your vision of success may not look like what your family holds as successful, what your colleagues hold as successful, what your classmates hold as successful, and you...
2023-07-26
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Sewing Humor and more with Sasha Black

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Sasha Black

Sasha Black is a home sewist and content creator who is known for her amazingly hilarious sewing videos as Sasha Sews. She started sewing in 2015 as an amateur and began sharing her mishaps on Instagram, learning how to improve her craft from the sewing community along the way.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.
 

Insights from this episode:

What led to the switch from sewing for fun without much care for instructions or technique to making something that would lastFinding humor in the process of sewing, making mistakes, and learningDefining your summer styleThe story behind Sasha?s TikTok apology to her CoverstitchNavigating a change when your brand name no longer represents you

Quotes from the show:

?People are so willing to help, and that is why I have gotten to where I am and am still going?because of the fact that people are so willing to share information.? ? Sasha Black, Stitch Please?I enjoy creating. It?s a form of art for me, the same way sewing is. I want my page to be a space where people can feel like they can be creative. Like they can be themselves. Like they can make whatever it is they want, even if other people may not like it. So what? Do you like it?? ? Sasha Black, Stitch Please?I believe that Black women, girls, and femmes, we use our sewing as an extension of our freedom?as an expression of our freedom.? Lisa Woolfork, Stitch Please?Don?t let anybody force you to turn your hobby into a business. If you don?t want to make your hobby a business, then let it stay a hobby! A lot of times people will be like, ?Oh, you could do this! You can make money off it.? Maybe I want to! Maybe I just want to do it because I love it!? ? Sasha Black, Stitch Please?Be yourself with what you?re making. Don?t make anything because it?s popular or trendy. Find out who you are as a person and what fits you, what your style is, because I promise you, people are going to gravitate towards those who are authentic in their style.? ? Sasha Black, Stitch Please

Resources Mentioned:

YouTube sewing tutorials by Annika Victoria?Freedom is not a secret. It?s a practice.? ? Alexis Pauline GumbsMimi G?s Simplicity...
2023-07-19
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Sewing for Beyonce!

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Julian Collins

Julian Collins works in public health, but loves to bring joy to the world through his colorful menswear creations by night as Julian Creates. His work has been featured in multiple publications including Sewn Magazine and Sew News. He is a BERNINA and Laurastar Ambassador and a current Fabricmart Fabricista. When he is not sewing, he loves connecting with people throughout the sewing community, especially in his Facebook group Sew ?Manly?.

Carmen Green

Carmen Green is a stylist, an influencer, a community builder, an absolute fashionista, and a role model entrepreneur who always aims to learn not only about fashion and sewing but marketing as well. She is the founder of the Black Sewing Network on TikTok. She believes in building creative communities on social media not only by shifting the culture of Instagram to be more fun, relaxed and authentic but also by trying new platforms such as TikTok to to create a really inclusive and safe space like the Black Sewing Network where women from various countries not only learn to sew but are seen and supported in order to thrive.

Terrance Williams

Terrance Williams is a small business owner, self-taught sewer, makeup, and skincare enthusiast, brand ambassador, and content creator. He designs, creates, and sews dresses, scarves, handbags, totes, and other accessories, and Terrance Williams Designs has been featured everywhere from NBC News to Buzzfeed. Terrance believes that it?s important to not just create beautiful, expressive, and quality pieces that are gender and size-inclusive, but crafted in a way and with materials that support a sustainable lifestyle. All of his items are made with ethically sourced and sustainably produced materials to make, create, and inspire a better tomorrow.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.
 

Insights from this episode:

How they designed and created costume patterns in the spirit of Beyonce?s Renaissance tourThe power of music to connect generations even if we don?t have the same tastesTips for sewing with Renaissance tour-themed fabrics like glitter, sheer lace, and stretch mesh to play it up for BeyonceHow to upcycle and create a Beyonce-worthy costume if you?re not ready to start from scratch

Quotes from the show:

?We can all appreciate Black artistry at its finest in all different platforms, and basically in sewing that?s what we?re doing....
2023-07-12
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Beaute J'adore a chat with Nikki Brooks

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Nikki Brooks

Beaute? J?adore is the love child of Nikki Brooks-Revis: who is a wife, a mom to an awesome toddler,  proud pet parent to Callie, Nelson, and Curious, sunglass lover, fashion admirer, foodie, DIY fanatic, closet Martha Stewart skincare enthusiast who also happens to be the style blogger for Mood Fabrics and a licensed pattern designer for McCall?s Patterns.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.
 

Insights from this episode:

Nikki?s sewing storyHer transition from the corporate world to sewingThe beauty of trusting in yourselfHer journey of altering patterns and piecesHow she can turn complex ideas into simple tasksInsights into summer sewingCreating for all body types

Quotes from the show:

On her sewing journey: ?I was like I wanna make some clothes, and I ended up getting some more fabric, and I just started sewing, and I was like I?m kinda good at it and started making patterns? ?Nikki Brooks in ?Stitch Please??This is such a beautiful testimony to what it means to take a step of faith, to step and just see and trust yourself and the vision that you have to see yourself and your life differently? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please??It?s not about the time it takes, it?s about the time you give? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please??The reason we are sewing is because we wanna create something that will be unique to us? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please??When I think what I can make, I think about not just myself, because you do have to be true to yourself with these patterns, but I also think about how will other bodies look and feel in these patterns? ?Nikki Brooks in ?Stitch Please??Take a chance, make the risk and go out there and actually do it. People plan so much that they plan themselves out of actually going in and jumping in and doing it. Stop all the planning and do it!? ?Nikki Brooks in ?Stitch Please?

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Nikki Brooks

Website: Beaute' J'adore - The Art Of DIY

LinkedIn:

2023-07-05
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The Making of Black Magic Leopard

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Queenora Irvin

Queenora Irvin is a fabric designer and owner of Queenora Renee Fabrics, offering small batch custom inclusive fabric to home sewists and small businesses that center Black people, our community, and our culture.

Janine Lecour

Janine Lecour is an Atlanta-based digital pattern designer who loves to design vibrantly colored, exuberant patterns. Mixing bold pattern motifs with eye-catching color palettes, she strives to create a whimsical art experience. Something that gives the viewer a sense of joy and optimism.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.


Insights from this episode:

The origin story of Black Magic Leopard fabric and all of the considerations and details that went into the designTips for reaching out to artists for commissions, sharing your vision while still giving the artist room to breathe life into the designThe response from the Black creative community to the gift of Black Magic LeopardGaining the courage to reach out, ask questions, and collaborate

Quotes from the show:

?Creativity is in steps? You can just wake up one day and be great, but that?s not the norm. You have to work at it.? ? Queenora Irvin, Stitch Please?When the idea came across [for Black Magic Leopard], I was like, ?Oh yeah, that makes total sense.?... I don?t always get them very quickly, but I saw this one pretty quickly and it just became a matter of how do I take the standard shapes, me understanding different hairstyles and textured hair, and how do I use particular ones to translate this overall look. I feel like it came together very fast.? ? Janine Lecour, Stitch Please?It really does feel like I?m looking at a community; I?m looking at a group of people who have affinity and relation with one another. The diversity? their skin colors are different, their hairstyles are different, some of the textures seem a little different from the other? the detail really pays off.? ? Lisa Woolfork, Stitch Please?When it comes to creativity and artistry and putting it out there, you really are putting a piece of yourself out there.? ? Queenora Irvin, Stitch Please,?I think that there has long been a need for some equity around who gets represented on fabric, just like who gets represented anywhere.? ? Lisa Woolfork?Enjoy the process. Enjoy where you are now... I think sometimes we look to where we want to be with such anticipation? just enjoy where you are, and it will make the journey so much more fulfilling.? ?...
2023-06-28
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SEW BLACK LIVE with Janine Lecour

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This episode was recorded live at the Sew Black Affinity Space hosted by Black Women Stitch at the MQG Quiltcon in Atlanta, Georgia in February 2023. Click here to see warm memories of a wonderful time. 

Guest: 

Janine Lecour is an Atlanta-based digital pattern designer who loves to design vibrantly colored, exuberant patterns. Mixing bold pattern motifs with eye-catching color palettes, she strives to create a whimsical art experience. Something that gives the viewer a sense of joy and optimism.

Host: 

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Produced by Latrice Sampson Richards. 

Insights from this episode:

How Janine got into fashion design. 4:37

Growing up in a family of artists.Going to Savannah college of art and design.Taking on a job for a company in Italy.

Saying "yes" before you know for sure. 9:00

Saying yes before knowing for sure.Finding a space where she fits into design.Janine's favorite approach to design: Is design a verb or a noun?Design as a category of expression.

A room with 110 yards of Janine Lecour fabric. 15:05

The jumbo jumbo and small jumbo pieces.What the studio audience sees in the jumbo shape.

How to get out of the creative block. 17:18

How she started designing the design.How she got started on spoonflower.The power of hearing what others think.How to overcome creative block.

The freedom of not having to design for others' taste. 21:11

Designing for someone else's taste vs her own.Conversational printmaking and pattern design.Taking a contract from a company or organization.The pressure to create every day.

How to create a modern design. 25:57

One of her favorite pieces, a modern print.A...
2023-06-21
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Daddy Dressed Me

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Ava & Michael Gardner

Michael Gardner is a proud Father, self-taught sewist, lifelong crafter, and DIY enthusiast. Also Known As "Ava's Dad." He can be found exercising his creative abilities. He began his sewing journey in 2014. He wanted a way to bond with his daughter while looking for a new creative challenge, and he created Daddy Dressed Me by Michael Gardner. His mission is to help Ava build her self-esteem and establish confidence in herself and her abilities. He sews the clothes, and Ava models. He started sewing by thrifting women's clothing and refashioning the clothes for Ava. He learned through trial and error, watched tutorials on YouTube and Pinterest, and just started creating. 

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Insights from this episode:

The story of Daddy Dressed MeWhat it means to Ava wearing her dad?s piecesThe transition from self-taught to following a patternMemories they have made together and documenting them through her dressesInsights into fatherhood, fashion, and funHow Michael navigates fatherhoodDetails on Michael?s patchwork dressStories behind Michael?s creative workMichael?s creative process

Quotes from the show:

I just wanted to deliver a beautiful dress for her, so she walked into her school confident to say her recital. So, we?re basically growing together, and that has been our journey for the nine years? ?Michael Gardner in ?Stitch Please?What it means to wear dad?s creation: ?To feel beautiful, but also happy that my daddy has taken the time to make me something to build up my confidence and my self-confidence. It was also really fun to wear because I literally set the room off? ?Ava Gardner in ?Stitch Please??When I started this journey, I had to figure out how to be a father because my father didn?t raise me. So, the thing that made more sense to me was to fuse my creativity into my fatherhood experience because that just felt very natural to me? ?Michael Gardner in ?Stitch Please??I?m often inspired by women?s fashion, but I have to keep in mind that I?m putting it on a child, so I have to make sure it feels appropriate for her? ?Michael Gardner  in ?Stitch Please??My advice would be just to create what you wanna create. There?s a lot of noise sometimes when it comes to social media and keeping up with other people; a lot of times I just have to block all that out and focus on...
2023-06-14
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Eat Quilt Joy with Porfiria Gomez

Registration info: KINDRED SPIRITS: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN QUILTERS CONVERGENCE, June 15-17, 2023, Durham, NC 

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Porfiria Gomez

Porfiria Gomez is a sewing enthusiast, a designer, and a blogger. Her love of sewing began as a child and is a native New Yorker. In 2014, she began sharing her passion with others - with her Sewing 101 classes. Today, she continues to train and learn as much as she can about the beautiful world of sewing, cooking blogging, and living her best life as a maker.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.


Insights from this episode:

Porfiria?s sewing storyDetails into her early days of bloggingJuggling between being a mom and quiltingHow she came up with the name ?Eat. Quilt. Joy?Details about her upcoming bookDetails about her quilt projectsRedefining the misconceptions of quilting

Quotes from the show:

?When I got pregnant with my first son, I just remember wanting to create something with my hands and I think I identify that with family? ?Porfiria Gomez in ?Stitch Please??I really like how it seems as though three different modes of creation were coming together for you at one time: you were growing a child, a life in your body and you are learning about quilting? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please??Family brings so much joy to my life and I think we take life for granted and we don?t enjoy the joyous things? ?Porfiria Gomez in ?Stitch Please??Eat Quilt Joy essentially sums up who I am (?) if I am not quilting, I?m cooking, if I?m not cooking, I?m quilting? ?Porfiria Gomez in ?Stitch Please??I was trying to do it all. I wanted to create some sort of community for me as I was going on this journey to being a mom? ?Porfiria Gomez in ?Stitch Please??For me, I wanted to be the change that I wanted to see (?) I couldn?t understand for the life of me why the boxes didn?t look like me: why in modern quilting, I didn?t find people who looked like me? ?Porfiria Gomez in ?Stitch Please?

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Porfiria...

2023-06-07
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Sew Your Suitcase with "Garichild" Martha McIntosh

Registration info: KINDRED SPIRITS: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN QUILTERS CONVERGENCE, June 15-17, 2023, Durham, NC 

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Martha McIntosh

Also known as GariChild, Martha McIntosh is a powerful creative. An engineer by trade, she also makes stunning works of apparel that are guaranteed to impress while also sending her self regard into the stratosphere. You can find Martha being fabulous on Instgram, Facebook, and her website. She also has work indexed at the ever-helpful Curvy Sewing Collective.


Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Insight from this episode:

Why plus-size clothing can be more expensive and why we shouldn?t accept itDressing for occasions to honor other cultures with intention without making it into a costumeWhy making your own clothes can help you feel excited about what you?re wearing and give you a boost of confidenceHow Martha prepares for trips, from deciding on patterns to packing her suitcaseHow to decide what fabrics to use when traveling to warm climates

Quotes from the show:

?I?m not paying this extra $300 just because of the extra 2 yards supposedly for my body. I?m just going to buy me a sewing machine and figure out how to make it myself!? - Martha McIntosh, Stitch Please, Episode #48?I am now walking in space, in my me-made outfit, and you?ve gotta talk to me nicely. I even walk with a little something? it activates a whole entire character. New character has now loaded, Martha has arrived! Martha in her me-made is here for a good time!? - Martha McIntosh, Stitch Please, Episode #48?Something new, something blue, something borrowed, something Black. And when I say ?something Black?, it?s a Black designer, Black-inspired fabric? it has to speak to that. There?s always that element.? - Martha McIntosh, Stitch Please, Episode #48?One thing I never want to do on vacation is iron. Never ever. Love to press, hate to iron. That is the fact of my sewing life.? - Lisa Woolfork, Stitch Please, Episode #48?When we see another sister, another kin? and they?re like, ?Where did you get that? They make that in our size?? I sure do. I sure do. ?It gives me the chills.? - Martha McIntosh, Stitch Please, Episode #48?If you stay ready, you don?t have to get ready.? - Lisa Woolfork, Stitch Please, Episode #48

Resources Mentioned:

Stitch Please?s
2023-05-31
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Sew Tales with The Telltale Tasha

Registration info: KINDRED SPIRITS: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN QUILTERS CONVERGENCE, June 15-17, 2023, Durham, NC 

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Tasha Henry

Tasha is a widely talented creative with specialties in sewing and dance.  She likes to make videos about travel, sewing, hair, lifestyle, and whatever else catches her interests. She describes herself as a multifaceted person who is proud of her Panamanian and Jamaican heritage.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.
 

Insights from this episode:

Tasha?s sewing storyTasha?s creative endeavorsHow her dance career boosts her creativityPreserving traditionsDetails about Tasha?s trip to PanamaDetails about the dress she made for New York FrocktailsTasha?s sewing spaceInsights into her creative processGetting inspiration and motivation from her sewing space

Quotes from the show:

After losing weight: ?I was not rich, and I can?t go out and buy a whole new wardrobe, so I just had it in my mind that I was gonna go and find a sewing machine and was gonna fix all my clothes to fit me or change them? ?Telltale Tasha in ?Stitch Please?On Tasha?s first piece: ?You got a lot of good love out of it. It?s clear, when I wear this, I feel good. I love how I look in this garment, and that is the kind of love that we can generate through the love we have for making the things we wear? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please??When you have a multi-generational attachment to something, that?s excellent because it keeps the thing moving forward, you can sustain the traditions, but you can also practice them in a way and make sure they are preserved and pushed forward? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please?On Tasha?s creative process: ?When you walk into your space, you step into the fullness of a creative power? ? Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please?On Tasha?s sewing space: ?It really does pull my creativity even when I don?t want to sew. Sometimes I just come in here and play with the fabric and see it happen? ? Telltale Tasha in ?Stitch Please??The advice I would have to help people get their stitch together would be to not create out of a process of desperation, or stress, but to create from a place of love and excitement (?) so that you can continue to enjoy what you are creating? ? Telltale
2023-05-24
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African Stretch Fabric with Danielle Pierce

Registration info: KINDRED SPIRITS: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN QUILTERS CONVERGENCE, June 15-17, 2023, Durham, NC 

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PREORDER YOUR AFRICAN STRETCH FABRICS BY TUESDAY, MAY 23!

Danielle Pierce

In addition to her work as a designer, Danielle Pierce is the proprietor of African Stretch Fabrics, a small business that delivers big impact designs and fabrics. For the first time ever, Danielle is offering COTTON LYCRA (which just sew happens to be Lisa's favorite apparel knit fabric). This is a TEST run to see how sell the fabric sells.  So get it while you can! 

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

From the episode

Danielle's parents' love story began at her grandfather's tailor shop when her mother applied for a seamstress job and met her father, adding a touch of romance to the family's sewing legacy.A black-and-white picture from 1968 captures a protest outside Danielle's grandfather's tailor shop on Main Street in Memphis, symbolizing the shop's significance as a gathering place for black people and their fight for justice.The resilience and determination passed down through generations, as Danielle's family overcame challenges and established themselves in the world of sewing, leaving a lasting legacy.The connection between sewing, creativity, and personal expression, highlighting the transformative potential of this craft in shaping individuals' identities and narratives.

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Danielle Pierce

Website

Instagram


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Leave a BACKSTITCH message and tell us...

2023-05-17
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Celeste Haselrig, Senior Student at Parsons School of Design

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Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English, specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory and American slavery. She is the convener and founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. #Charlottesville. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.
 

Insights from this episode:

How did Celeste know she was in the design worldHow her family influenced her artistic processesWhat type of things did Celeste study at Parsons that helped her nowadaysCeleste?s thesis and how it has become truly personal for herWhat is Rat VirginityCeleste?s first collection ?American Dream?The paradox of the United States' democracyGucci Changemakers AwardWhat?s next for Celeste?s lifeCeleste?s advice for keeping your stitch together

Quotes from the show: 

?I think American Dream for me is about telling the story of being un-American and anti-American while being also all American because these experiences that I?ve had in childhood, being part of an amazing beautiful Black family, but then also having like these really common American things like my nuclear family breaking apart at a young age? ?Celeste Nicole in ?Stitch Please??We are the bed on which the American dream was slept. We are the sediment that allowed this country to be a country. There are few things more American than Black Americans? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please??[About the Gucci scholarship] We got like this amazing opportunity to sit on different guest speakers, who would give us insight into the industry and sort of open our minds to the possibilities of where we can fit in within the industry because is not just all about making the clothes, there?s so much that happens from production and distribution? ?Celeste Nicole in ?Stitch Please??What has taken me most of all on this journey is just being very connected to my child self that was not afraid to dream big and see big things for me? ?Celeste Nicole in ?Stitch Please?

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Celeste Nicole

LinkedIn: Celeste Nicole

Instagram: Celeste Nicole

Facebook: Celeste Nicole

This episode was produced and managed by

2023-05-10
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Studying the Art of Weaving Liberation a chat with Amina Coleman

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Amina Coleman

Amina Coleman was born and raised in the East End of Richmond, Virginia, and found her interest in the arts by observing the creative talents of her family. Her family is full of musicians, singers, and dancers, so she was heavily encouraged to continue pursuing her dreams in fine art from a young age.

Their support, combined with her dedication and tenacity, allowed her to graduate from Henrico High School?s Center for the Arts Visual Arts Program in 2019 with massive artistic accolades, including a national medal from Scholastic?s Art & Writing Program, a wonderful experience at Radford University?s Governor's School for the Visual and Performing Arts,  and multiple exhibitions.

She is en route to finishing her BFA in Painting and Printmaking with a Minor in Art History from Virginia Commonwealth University in December of 2022. She will continue to thrive and receive more acknowledgment of my dedication and success through multiple awards, including The Black History In the Making Award and ongoing Dean?s List recognition.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Insights from this episode:

Amina?s sewing backgroundAmina?s big chopFinding herself through her artHow attending an arts high school prepared her for art collegeInsights into artsAmina?s project (weave(ings))What was her inspiration for her new projectThe inspiration behind her artwork

Quotes from the show:

?I watched, and she kinda tried teaching me, but I got frustrated. And I more or less picked up on the technique on my own, just sitting and reading and trying out? ?Amina Coleman in ?Stitch Please??Black women?s hair has become politically loaded because of the ways in which it can so adversely impact our lives? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please??I didn?t realize I was holding myself back from successful ideas or cool, weird ideas by just not allowing myself to repeat something. There are artists whose whole practice is doing one thing for their whole life? ?Amina Coleman in ?Stitch Please??Sometimes art is never ?done.? Art is not a product, it is a practice? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please??It seems too that art is all about opening. Opening people up to new ideas, opening itself up to challenge and revision and re-writing? ?Lisa...
2023-05-03
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Upcycling with Shorti J., the Cottoncandifro

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Shorti J.

Shorti J is an artist who expresses herself through photography and fashion. She recently went viral on TikTok and Instagram. A multifacedted creative, Short J challenges and inspires with her creative vision. 

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Insights from this episode:

Shorti J?s sewing storyHow the alteration process of her clothes led her back to wholenessHow her healing is connected to her creativityInsights into her writing and poetryInsights into her creative visionBeing a muse in her photographyHow she incorporates fashion and photographyShorti J?s thrifting process

Quotes from the show:

?I lost a significant amount of weight, and since I can?t replace all my clothes, I?m gonna learn how to fix them until I gain the weight back, and it just went from there? ?Shorti J. in ?Stitch Please??It?s such a beautiful story the way that you talk about your healing being attached to your creativity? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please??Art has always been one of my outlets, like I used to write poetry heavily? ?Shorti J. in ?Stitch Please??There are so many times in our lives where it seems as though we really do have to remind ourselves that we have the potential to create and make the things that we need? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please??I?ve always been the main subject within my photography mainly because I?ve always wanted to model? ?Shorti J. in ?Stitch Please??Fashion and photography go hand-in-hand? ?Shorti J. in ?Stitch Please??It?s one thing to have art speak to you, it?s another thing to listen and to know how to respond? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please?On her thrifting process: ?I only buy things that I am drawn to? ?Shorti J. in ?Stitch Please?

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Shorti J.

Twitter: Shorti J

Instagram: Shorti J

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.

2023-04-26
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Sewing Shoes and More with Jaimie Black

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Black Women Stitch 2023 Wall Calendar

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Jaimie Black

Jaimie Black is a wife and mother that has fallen in love with DIY sewing, shoemaking, and the occasional bagmaking a few years ago. She has always had a passion for shoes and always believed that a beautiful shoe can always make an outfit. Her brand ?Black Linings? has been a few years in the making. She produces specially crafted, limited-quantity designs and hopes to grow into more designs with time.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

learned

How growing up in Africa shaped Jaimie?s creative visionJaimie?s sewing storyThe relation between the art and utility of clothesLessons Jaimie learned sewing by hand, then transitioning to machineJaimie?s motivation to start sewingDetails about home shoe-makingInsights into Jaimie making her own clothesLessons she has learned since launchingInsights into Creations by Jaimie

Quotes from the show:

?Even sewing is an art because everything artistic starts in the mind. What you decide to wear is an art? ?Jaimie Black in ?Stitch Please??If you are dressed to the 9?s based on the options created by someone else, there?s always a bit of a limitation and always a big chance that what you like will be there? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please??One of the things I have seen, is that all these movements ?new movements for sustainability? about visible mending, about let?s repair things, it?s the western world rediscovering practices that people in regions that are more committed to sustainability have been doing all along? ?Lisa Woolfork in ?Stitch Please????Shoe-making became one of my big loves. I started shoe-making a few years ago, I was always an absolute lover of shoes (?) so the only way I could solve that was by making my own shoes, so that I could make as many as I wanted? ?Jaimie Black in ?Stitch Please??I truly wanted to keep the art of shoe-making alive (?) as a first launch I might be a bit more open to changing a few things now as I grow slowly? ?Jaimie Black in ?Stitch Please?On lessons learned since launching her business: ?One of the biggest things is that factories will never be on time? ?Jaimie Black in ?Stitch Please?

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter:

2023-04-19
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