SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of Textiles

Recently Dana Staves, writer and textile artist, wrote a post on the NOOK that was so sweet and real and inspiring that I asked if she wouldn't mind recording it for y'all to hear. And luckily for us, she did. Thank you, Dana. I hope you enjoy this reflection on art & craft by Dana Staves.

If you’d like to see how the NOOK can support you in your creative process, claim your free trial at the link below.

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Barbara Campbell Thomas had a long-established painting practice when, about a decade ago, her mother bought her a sewing machine. Little did she know, but that gift provided her the perfect missing piece to her creative practice.

What draws me to Barbara’s work is the balance between tautness and texture. Her stretched and pieced canvas quilt works pushes back an “all or nothing” perspective on genre. Her work is naturally generative and generous, creating expanses for so much.

In this SEAMSIDE conversation, Barbara and I explore ① the value of a regular sketchbook practice (even if you don’t draw) ② what even is abstraction ③ how you can detect your matriarchs at work

→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK
→ Claim your free copy of 10 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE I STARTED QUILTING
→ See images and more at the EPISODE WEBSITE
→ Nominate a GUEST for SEAMSIDE
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Welcome to MEMBERSTORY, a new series of bonus interviews that bring you real-life stories from the NOOK. These conversations have been a great way to get to know some of folks that make the NOOK so special. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Wendy Muir from Adelaide, Australia.

If you’d like to see how the NOOK can support you in your creative process, claim your free trial at the link below.

→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK

Russell James Barratt and his wildly joyful quilts make me want to lasso the UK and bring our two countries closer together. His work is loud and colorful, his demeanor is gentle and composed, and those two sides of Russell make for an imminently enjoyable friend to chat with.

In this SEAMSIDE conversation, Russell and I explore:
① how he balances the tension of empty space and maximalism
② why the arc of creative exploration is longer than long
③ how we can use our quilts to say things words don’t touch

→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK
→ Claim your free copy of 10 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE I STARTED QUILTING
→ See images and more at the EPISODE WEBSITE
→ Follow Zak on INSTAGRAM

It’s been a year since Coulter Fussell and I first chatted here on SEAMSIDE. In that conversation, we talked about the South and family history, the role of community in her work, and how she maintains hope in the face of conflict. You can find that first conversation, HOW TO WORK WITH WHAT YOU’VE GOT, in your feed below in March 2023.

In this new SEAMSIDE conversation, Coulter and I reconnect and explore:

① why in the world she’s making headboards

② the traditional magic of making dolls

③ why Coulter thinks the world’s first sculpture was made by busy mothers

→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK
→ Claim your free copy of 10 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE I STARTED QUILTING
→ See images and more at the EPISODE WEBSITE
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In this raw and unedited conversation, we talk about Tyrrell's newest work along with three artists he thinks everyone should follow

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→ Claim your free copy of 10 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE I STARTED QUILTING

→ See images and more at the EPISODE WEBSITE

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Tyrrell Tapaha, a sixth-generation Diné weaver and sheepherder, will tell you there’s nothing in his work that specifically belongs to him. And while it may be true that there’s nothing new under the sun and that all artists draw from deep wells of collective experience, I can’t help but think that there is something special about Tyrrell’s work—the use of text, the collage-like shifts in weaving patterns, the subject matter—that sets his work apart.

In this SEAMSIDE conversation, Tyrrell and I discuss: ① the intrinsic differences between sheep and goats ② how his great-grandmother’s loom fits perfectly on top of his car ③ how to balance preserving tradition and forging new pathways

WHY LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE? In this conversation we explore Tyrrell’s personal and cultural experiences with weaving, with insights into how he combines a practice that’s deeply rooted in tradition while simultaneously creating new and unexpected work

→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK

→ Claim your free copy of 10 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE I STARTED QUILTING

→ See images and more at the EPISODE WEBSITE

→ Follow Zak on INSTAGRAM

Time continually marching forward. Each new day just piles on top of yesterday and gets buried further back in what we have come to call history.

I think there's a problem with thinking about time that way, and that's what we're exploring today on SEAMSIDE. I'm going to share with you a quilt that I made called Generation. It's part of the Southern White Amnesia, a body of work that I've pulled together in the last couple years, exploring the stories that Southern White families tell each other and the ones they don't.

In this SEAMSIDE conversation, we explore:

① what to do with treasured but unusable family quilts

② how every quilt has something to teach us

③ how time plays with quilts

→ See images and more at the EPISODE WEBSITE

My good friend Maura Grace Ambrose joins for me for this SEAMSIDE special episode I’m calling FREE ADVICE where we answer your questions on quilting and the creative life.

In this episode, we share our thoughts on the following questions:
➞ how our quilt aesthetic has changed over time,
➞ how to learn quilting without spending a lot of money or time
➞ what to do with random experimental pieces
➞ how to help objects made from imperfect salvaged materials look their best
➞ Maura offers a fool-proof method for getting started with natural dyes
➞ do you need a quilting hoop to hand quilt?
➞ what’s it like to quilt professionally?
➞ our favorite podcasts

We’re recording this on the one-year anniversary of our first SEAMSIDE chat, HOW TO GIVE AND RECEIVE which you can find here.

→ Claim your free copy of 10 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE I STARTED QUILTING
→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK
→ See images and more at the EPISODE WEBSITE
→ Follow Zak on INSTAGRAM

A special thanks to the folks whose questions made this conversation possible: Marie from Canada, Amy from Pittsburgh, Teresa from Losa Angeles, Sherry from Kentucky, Judy from Florida, Kara from Maine, Adelaide from the Twin Cities, and Polly from North Carolina

In this episode, I share more about a quilt I call LIKE FAMILY. It's part of the Southern White Amnesia Collection, which explores the kinds of stories that Southern White families tell one another, or maybe more importantly, the ones they don’t tell one another about their own family history. You may have heard me talk about other pieces in the same collection on SEAMSIDE before, and if not, I'd encourage you to check out some of those episodes. So far, we've got SILVER DOLLAR, SNAKE HANDLER, OUR CHILDREN, and ONUS // ON US.

In this SEAMSIDE conversation, we explore:

① an old Southern family burial ground

② why the phrase “like family” can often describe a one-sided view of relationships

③ a moment from THIS HERE FLESH by Cole Arthur Riley

WHY LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE? This episode weaves together a vulnerable exploration of identity, history, and responsibility, providing listeners with a deep, reflective experience on how historical legacies impact our current world