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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 calming color palette.
• The power of affirmations in daily life.
• How to center yourself.

The slogan of the stitch please podcast. 30:06

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