Sew & So...

By Flint Rock LLC, BERNINA

What's Sew & So... about?

Sew & So is a casual conversation with a special member of the sewist and quilting community. A casual conversation about how they got started, what inspires them and what excites them. Sew & So is brought to you by BERNINA - Made To Create.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Sew & So... episodes:

06.20.2024
Paris Green - A Positive Heart
Paris Green – a current BERNINA Ambassador - is one of the principals of the Couture Beauty and Sewing Academy. She also designs for and leads the online site Scarves and More By Paris. Born and raised in Dallas, TX,...
06.06.2024
Amanda Richline - Unshattered
Join us for this amazing episode which takes us into through the life experiences of Amanda Richline their Product Manager & Creative Lead at Unshattered. Amanda shares her deeply personal story of addiction, recovery and building an amazing future for herself,...
05.23.2024
Bonnie Browning – Stories of My Life and Adventures at AQS. (Bonnie Retired after 40 years at AQS following Quilt Week 2024 where this interview was recorded)
We are live and in person today at the American Quilt Society’s Quilt Week in Paducah KY with our very special guest Bonnie Browning – AQS’s Executive Show Director. Bonnie learned to sew - taught by her mom -at...
05.09.2024
AQS Quilt Week 2024 Live from Paducah, KY- Celebrating 40 years of AQS
(:44) This show opens with the amazing sounds of the Paducah Tilghman Marching Band who annually opens Quilt Week with their exciting showmanship and award-winning music! (2:07) Bill Schroeder III President and CEO of AQS opens the awards ceremony...
04.25.2024
George Kalajian - Standing Next to My Father
Our guest in this episode is George Kalajian the owner/operator of Tom’s Sons International Pleating which was founded more than 50 years ago by his grandfather. Born in Lebanon and moving to the US when he was 5 years old. After...
04.11.2024
Robyn J. Cuthbertson - I feel SO lucky
Our guest in this episode is Robyn Cuthbertson. Born in Melbourne Australia and raised in Lower Plenty (about an hour northeast of Melbourne), she learned to sew from her mom. Robyn was always interested in crafting, so sewing was a natural...
03.28.2024
Jessica Barrera - Sallie Tomato
Designer, author, educator, and entrepreneur Jessica Barrera is our guest in this episode of Sew & So. Born and raised in Wisconsin, she learned to sew at an early age. She studied entrepreneurship at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater....
03.14.2024
Karen Nyberg - "I Did It - I'm Here"
(2:04) Karen brings us back up to speed on how she learned to sew. Her mom was the influencer on her – one of six children who learned to sew at the age of 6! Hear how this all began...
02.29.2024
Cristina Arcenegui Bono - My 40 Cousins - My Inspiration
Travel with us to Andalusia, Spain for an amazing conversation with Cristina Arcenegui Bono whole cloth quilter extraordinaire! (2:27) How did Cristina learn to sew? Well…she never really did! (3:15)Who is her inspiration? How about her 40 cousins?!...
02.15.2024
Emily Blumenthal - The "What Now" Moment
Handbag Designer 101 – is synonymous with Emily Blumenthal as she has done it all. What makes her different is that she takes her creations one step further in teaching not only HOW to design…but what to do next with...
02.01.2024
Linda Diak - Stronger
Only coming to quilting 5 years ago, Linda Diak has had a life full of creativity. She’s raised and sheered her own sheep for fibers to spin. She’s crafted knitting needles and crochet hooks, and beautiful bespoke art quilts. Her...
01.18.2024
Tina VanDenburg - A Fully Lit-Up Life
Owner of Kinship Handwork, Tina VanDenburg has lived life others simply dream of. Ready for chances, and learning from experiences, Tina left no stone unturned in searching for passion, peace, and a fully lit-up life. Born and raised near...
01.04.2024
Yvette Todd - It Began With Rat Hammocks
Show Notes: Yvette Todd Yvette Todd’s creation Stash Hub is only one year old, but it’s already made bold strides in helping sewists organize their fabric, patterns, and plan sewing projects. Only sewing since 2020, Yvette grew up in...
12.21.2023
Susan Khalje - Sewing's Equivalent to Gourmet Cooking
Show Notes: Susan Khalje Susan Khalje joins us for this episode of Sew & So to take us into the world of couture sewing. Owner of the eponymous Susan Khalje Couture, she is also the longest contributing author to...
12.07.2023
Sarah Veblen - Designing From the Inside Out
Sarah Veblen from Sarah Veblen Clothing Originals has led a life dreaming of owning hew own business and in 1985 it all came true. Now an Haute Couture mainstay, she shares her story of taking chances and achieving her dream!...
11.23.2023
Kelly Dempsey - When You Think It’s Falling Apart…It’s Really Falling Into Place
Our guest today is Kelly Dempsey – a sustainable fashion designer and Project Runway Season 14 runner-up. She has become a leading voice for sustainability and equitability in the fashion industry and has been featured on Good Morning American and...
11.09.2023
Kenneth D. King - The Universe Just Might Say Yes
Born in Salinas Kansas and eventually raised in Oklahoma, Kenneth knew at a very young age who he was and what he wanted to do. He just didn’t understand the road he would travel to get there. He earned a BS...
10.26.2023
Catherine Stephenson - The Hidden Profession
Our guest in this episode is Catherine Stephenson who lives in Ajijic, Mexico. The owner and name behind Catherine Stephenson Couture, she’s been in the sewing world doing what she loves for more than 35 years. Originally from Portland...
10.12.2023
Philippa Naylor - Gobsmacked
(3:00) Her thirteenth birthday was a watershed event as she received her very first sewing machine – it was second hand. Sewing by necessity she hand sewed up until this time. (4:18) Who’s the equivalent of Barbie in the...
09.28.2023
Maritza Atayde – Illinois State University’s Gamma Phi Circus Fate and a Chihuahua
(2:28) Maritza shares the beginnings of her sewing learnings and her journey of improvement. She takes us through her progression in costume creation and how she was affected by the events of 9/11. She even “almost” had an opportunity to...
09.14.2023
Abby Riba - The Clothes Horse Goes Snoop Shopping
(2:25) Abby shares why she initially didn’t like sewing when she took her first course in high school. But reading Vogue magazine turned this around for her as she wanted the fashion she saw in the magazine – but couldn’t...
08.31.2023
Mary Grabenstatter, Needle Sharp – The Worst of Times, the Best of Times
Show Notes: Mary Grabenstatter (1:40) Mary shares her story about why arts and crafts were important to her as a child. Hear about the origami birthday party and her favorite crafts! (3:20) Studying French and Film in college and...
08.17.2023
R'Bonney Gabriel, Miss Universe 2023 - If Not Now, When?!
R'Bonney Gabriel is an eco-friendly fashion designer, model, and sewing instructor based in Houston, TX, and New York City who also happens to be the current Miss Universe titleholder. Born in Houston, TX she became the 1st Miss Universe of...
08.03.2023
Bernina University 2023 - Sharing the Joy
(2:39) The opening ceremonies raised the excitement of the crowd – kicked off by Paul Ashworth – President of BERNINA of North America. (https://www.sewandsopodcast.com/episodes/episode-22-paul-ashworth) He was followed by several more BERNINA luminaries…Christy Burcham - VP Training and Education BERNINA of...
07.20.2023
Courage + Cosplay = Yaya Han
Born in China, raised in her early years in Germany, Yaya moved on her own to the United States in 1998 while still a teen. It didn’t take her long to make a name for herself in the cosplay community....
07.06.2023
Cookie Washington - The Divine Feminine
Cookie Washington, born in Morocco, is a fourth-generation needle worker, award winning textile artist and guest curator of the African American Fiber Arts Exhibit which is part of the North Charleston Arts Festival. Her passion for fiber art is...
06.22.2023
Amanda Carye - Quilting Since Forever
Amanda Carye, the owner of Broadcloth Studio and the co-host of Quilt Buzz has been quilting “since forever”. On this episode she shares her journey outside her comfort zone and shares her adventures in starting both her business and podcast...
06.08.2023
Alex Anderson from thequiltshow.com - Claim Your Space
(2:30) Alex takes us back to the beginning of her sewing journey and tells us of the first thing she ever sewed! (4:47) Alex takes back to her very first quilt studio and tells us of the moment she...
05.25.2023
Jedimanda - My Life in Cosplay
Jedimanda is a professional seamstress, author and avid costumer. She’s been features in numerous publications, won awards for her costuming, and loves travel as much as she loves cosplay. At (1:54) she tells us why C2E2 Chicago is her...
05.11.2023
C2E2 Chicago - 2023
The Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo or C2E2 is a Chicago fan convention dedicated to comics, pop culture, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. Now celebrating its 13th year, this event is a place for self-proclaimed geeks,...
04.27.2023
Meeting Black Sewists Where They Are
Aleeda Crawley, President of the Modern Quilt Guild shares her personal journey into the world of quilting and tells of how she became president of the guild. The Guild itself is a powerhouse in the world of quilting – she...
04.13.2023
Nick Verreos - From the Little Boy Sketching Under the Tree to Project Runway
Growing up in South America, Nick spent his days under a tree drawing his mother’s dress designs for the diplomatic parties she attended with his father…an American diplomat in Caracas. He called her “Jay-Lo before there was Jay-Lo”! He credits...
03.30.2023
SewExpo 2023 – A Gathering of Friends in the Pacific Northwest
This exclusive/all-access episode takes you through the 2023 version of SewExpo at the Washington State Fairgrounds in Puyallup, WA In it’s 39th year, the Sewing and Stitchery Expo was back in full force after a two year Covid 19 hiatus....
03.16.2023
QuiltCon Atlanta 2023 - In the Aisle and Behind the Scenes
This exclusive all-access episode takes you through the 2023 version of QuiltCon in Atlanta, Georgia. The definition of Modern Quilting varies from person to person. Hear the thoughts of Modern Quilt Guild (MQG) President Aleeda Crawley, Karen Cooper Executive Director...
03.02.2023
Sarah Joiner - Make What You Want!
(2:00 – 6:35) She begins the conversation by explaining that she learned to sew with her grandmother’s basement sewing machine, using fabric from her grandma’s (who she never met) magical craft cupboard. This cupboard held all of her deceased grandmother’s...
02.16.2023
Sarah Ramberg - Everything Old is New Again
Sarah Ramberg worked for an environmental engineering and consulting firm for 15 years. After being laid off in 2017, she decided to turn her passion for sewing with flannel and upcycling into a full-time career. Sarah was bitten by the...
02.02.2023
Brooks Ann Camper - A Wrinkled Dress
A wrinkled dress changed the trajectory of Brooks Ann's career. It all began her senior year at Centenary College, where she was a theater major. She had been cast in a play and was behind the stage when the head...
01.19.2023
Carina Gardner - The Art of Dreaming Big
A lifetime learner and prolific entrepreneur, Carina Gardner learned to sew by sneaking downstairs and using her mom’s sewing machine to create Barbie clothes from fabric scraps. As time went on, she found herself in the scrapbooking world at a...
01.05.2023
Sue O'Very-Pruitt - Living the Dream
Sue O’Very Pruitt’s love of sewing began very early and has taken her to places near and far. She went from designing dresses for her Barbie doll at six years old to creating customers at Busch Gardens when she graduated...
12.22.2022
Carson Converse - Catch Your Breath
Carson Converse is not a minimalist by nature, although she does value simplicity. She also loves doing intricate detail. She describes her process as reductive art because she often starts by throwing a lot of fabric and inspirational images on...
12.08.2022
Sew Much Giving - Sewing and Quilting as Service for a Greater Good
In this special episode, you’re going to meet seven special organizations…charities that use sewing or quilting to care for people who are struggling because of where they live, the health burdens they carry, or injuries they sustained in service to...
11.24.2022
Houston Quilt Festival 2022 - Down the Aisles, In the Gallery, and Behind the Scenes
Experience the Houston Quilt Festival through this episode chock full of personal and informative conversations. We meet BERNINA educators from the exhibit hall stage – Connie Fanders, Amanda Murphy, and Sylvain Bergeron. Show prize winners Angela Petrocelli (grand prize winner),...
11.10.2022
Linnca Stevens & The Sewing Labs- Sewing for a Better Tomorrow
Linnca Stevens is the co-founder of The Sewing Labs – a non-profit in Kansas City, MO whose mission is to create a community and teach sewing toward employment, entrepreneurship, and enrichment. Hear Linnca’s biographical journey toward where she is today...
10.27.2022
Tula Pink - Being Tula Pink
Tula Pink grew up in California, graduated from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and worked briefly as an exhibit designer for museums in SoCal. She eventually joined the music industry as an Art Director designing album...
10.13.2022
Leanne Pressly - Stitchcraft Marketing and The Colorado Mama
Maker, quilter, knitter, spinner, and painter, Leanne Pressly is the founder and CEO of Stitchcraft Marketing, which she launched in 2009. Leanne also hosts the podcast, Business of Craft. She is a certified consultant with a Colorado Small Business Development...
09.29.2022
Desi Dessu - The World of Cosplay
Cosplay, the art of combining costume and role play, grew out of the practice of costuming at science fiction conventions. Over the past couple of decades, it has really taken off and become its own subculture. Desi believes cosplay can...
09.15.2022
Teresa Coates - The Things That Make Me Happy
Although Teresa comes from generations of makers, she was the first to pursue quilting as a career when she, as she puts it, “stumbled into the quilting industry.” It began in 2011 when she joined the crew at the Fabric...
09.01.2022
Leah Kate Nicoll - Fashionable Yet Functional
While at the University of Alabama, Leah Kate got a lot of experience with leotards, both as a dancer and as part of the costume department. What she found was that rarely did they properly fit all women’s body types....
08.18.2022
HollyAnne Knight - Quilting Circle Gone Viral
When HollyAnne was caring for her babies and in the throes of post-partum depression, quilting was what she did to “feed her soul,” and her online quilting community was her soft place to land. Once she discovered modern and modern-traditional...
08.04.2022
BERNINA University 2022 - Your Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Experience
This is your full access pass to the exclusive/annual BERNINA dealer conference – BERNINA University. Join us in Palm Springs, CA for this 53rd gathering of BERNINA dealers, BERNINA partners and BERNINA staff from both BERNINA of America and BERNINA...

What's Sew & So... about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Sew & So... episodes:

Paris Green - A Positive Heart

Amanda Richline - Unshattered

Bonnie Browning – Stories of My Life and Adventures at AQS. (Bonnie Retired after 40 years at AQS following Quilt Week 2024 where this interview was recorded)

AQS Quilt Week 2024 Live from Paducah, KY- Celebrating 40 years of AQS

George Kalajian - Standing Next to My Father

Robyn J. Cuthbertson - I feel SO lucky

Jessica Barrera - Sallie Tomato

Karen Nyberg - "I Did It - I'm Here"

Cristina Arcenegui Bono - My 40 Cousins - My Inspiration

Emily Blumenthal - The "What Now" Moment

Linda Diak - Stronger

Tina VanDenburg - A Fully Lit-Up Life

Yvette Todd - It Began With Rat Hammocks

Susan Khalje - Sewing's Equivalent to Gourmet Cooking

Sarah Veblen - Designing From the Inside Out

Kelly Dempsey - When You Think It’s Falling Apart…It’s Really Falling Into Place

Kenneth D. King - The Universe Just Might Say Yes

Catherine Stephenson - The Hidden Profession

Philippa Naylor - Gobsmacked

Maritza Atayde – Illinois State University’s Gamma Phi Circus Fate and a Chihuahua

Abby Riba - The Clothes Horse Goes Snoop Shopping

Mary Grabenstatter, Needle Sharp – The Worst of Times, the Best of Times

R'Bonney Gabriel, Miss Universe 2023 - If Not Now, When?!

Bernina University 2023 - Sharing the Joy

Courage + Cosplay = Yaya Han

Cookie Washington - The Divine Feminine

Amanda Carye - Quilting Since Forever

Alex Anderson from thequiltshow.com - Claim Your Space

Jedimanda - My Life in Cosplay

C2E2 Chicago - 2023

Meeting Black Sewists Where They Are

Nick Verreos - From the Little Boy Sketching Under the Tree to Project Runway

SewExpo 2023 – A Gathering of Friends in the Pacific Northwest

QuiltCon Atlanta 2023 - In the Aisle and Behind the Scenes

Sarah Joiner - Make What You Want!

Sarah Ramberg - Everything Old is New Again

Brooks Ann Camper - A Wrinkled Dress

Carina Gardner - The Art of Dreaming Big

Sue O'Very-Pruitt - Living the Dream

Carson Converse - Catch Your Breath

Sew Much Giving - Sewing and Quilting as Service for a Greater Good

Houston Quilt Festival 2022 - Down the Aisles, In the Gallery, and Behind the Scenes

Linnca Stevens & The Sewing Labs- Sewing for a Better Tomorrow

Tula Pink - Being Tula Pink

Leanne Pressly - Stitchcraft Marketing and The Colorado Mama

Desi Dessu - The World of Cosplay

Teresa Coates - The Things That Make Me Happy

Leah Kate Nicoll - Fashionable Yet Functional

HollyAnne Knight - Quilting Circle Gone Viral

BERNINA University 2022 - Your Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Experience

Other shows like Sew & So...: