Stitch Please

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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 process
• How to fight discrimination
• Samuel’s creative background
• Working with diverse fabric
• What fabric teaches us about living harmoniously
• Showcasing his work at Quiltcon
• Lessons 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: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Uzoma Samuel Anyanwu

Website: Samuel Uzoma - Biography | IMPART (impartfair.com)

Facebook: Uzoma Samuel Anyanwu 

Instagram: uzo creative artz (@uzomasamuel_) 

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.

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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 heritage
• Turning STEM into STEAM and valuing the physics and engineering skills involved in designing and sewing our own clothes
• How Ella decided to make her own wedding dress and the skills that she developed in doing so
• The 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 series
• Stitch Please episode: Parallel Universe Mystery Quilt with Ebony Love, Latifah Saafir, Gyleen Fitzgerald
• TipStitched blog
• Techno-Vernacular Creativity & Innovation by Nettrice R. Gaskins
• Ella’s Know Me by Mimi G pattern

Stay Connected:

YouTube: Black Women Stitch

Instagram: Black Women Stitch

Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Ella Clausen

Website: Handmade Millennial

Instagram: Handmade Millennial

Pinterest: Handmade Millennial

TikTok: Handmade Millennial

YouTube: Handmade Millennial

Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.

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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 trends
• Pattern cutting: what it is, and making something fit well from the inside out
• How Janet’s fashion came to be the talk of her fellow jury members
• The inspiration behind the London Reign pattern, from the design to the name
• The 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 Omotoso
• London Reign pattern and discount code: STITCHPLEASE35 valid on the London Reign dress pattern for 35% off. Not compatible with any other offer. Valid till October 1, 2023. One purchase per customer.

Stay Connected:

YouTube: Black Women Stitch

Instagram: Black Women Stitch

Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Janet Hensell

Website: Miss J Sews

Instagram: Miss J Sews

Facebook: Miss J Sews

Twitter: Miss J Sews

Pinterest: Miss J Sews

TikTok: Miss J Sews

Join the Miss J Sews Community

Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.

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Stay Connected:

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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 timeline
• Feeling comfortable in your body when it’s hard to find clothes that fit you, and learning what adjustments work for you
• Sewing for events and getting inspiration from photos of her grandparents’ wedding and the latest season of Bridgerton
• Developing 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 don’t need to compare your success to anyone else. Come up with your own unique vision, and then chase that.” – Robyn Burgess, Stitch Please, Episode #49

Resources Mentioned:

• Robyn’s course on Skillshare
• Metro Textiles Fabric NYC
• NYC Frocktails
• Christopher Sartorial’s YouTube drafting tutorials

Stay Connected:

YouTube: Black Women Stitch

Instagram: Black Women Stitch

Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Robyn Burgess

Website: Styles InSeams

Instagram: Styles InSeams

Facebook: Styles InSeams

Pinterest: Styles InSeams

YouTube: Styles InSeams

Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.

Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter

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Check out our Amazon Store

Stay Connected:

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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 last
• Finding humor in the process of sewing, making mistakes, and learning
• Defining your summer style
• The story behind Sasha’s TikTok apology to her Coverstitch
• Navigating 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 Gumbs
• Mimi G’s Simplicity patterns
• Dose of Fabric (Black-owned Ankara fabric company)
• Kila Tank, Allie Olson Patterns

Stay Connected:

YouTube: Black Women Stitch

Instagram: Black Women Stitch

Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Sasha Black

Instagram: SashaSews

Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.

Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter

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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

Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter!   

Check out our merch here 

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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 tour
• The power of music to connect generations even if we don’t have the same tastes
• Tips for sewing with Renaissance tour-themed fabrics like glitter, sheer lace, and stretch mesh to play it up for Beyonce
• How 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. We’re practicing our all-Black artistry.” – Julian Collins, Stitch Please, Episode #188
• On why they took the time to put on some sequins and design costumes for Beyonce’s tour: “Renaissance is everything LGBTQ+, really celebrating us–specifically the Black people and people of color within that culture–so it’s really important for us to show up because this whole Renaissance is for us. It’s our songs, it’s our music, it’s our dances. It’s the voguing, it’s the fans, it’s the handclaps. It’s everything.” – Terrance Williams, Stitch Please, Episode #188
• “The LGBTQIA+ community has such a huge influence on my style personally, and I thought I was going to show up to a ball. I wanted that experience for myself, so I’m like, ‘No, you gotta show up and show out!’” – Carmen Green, Stitch Please, Episode #188
• “I love this idea that ballroom culture is something that is specific to Black queer, Black trans folks, and that as Black cis-identified folks [like Carmen and I] we are being invited to respect that space, and you do that by being courteous and mindful. The way that we tend to do that is to honor the looks that are so spectacular and so generative. This is an occasion, so you will dress for the occasion.” – Lisa Woolfork, Stitch Please, Episode #188
• “Don’t be afraid to be yourself! Step out of your comfort zone, do something a little out of the ordinary!” – Terrance Williams, Stitch Please, Episode #188
• “If no other time but now, you have been given the permission to be extra, so be extra! Have fun! Concentrate yourself down to an essence and show up. We are in the summer of acceptance of ourselves.” – Julian Collins, Stitch Please, Episode #188

Resources Mentioned:

• Black Sewing Network
• Carmen at Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour in Paris
• The group’s Beyonce costume designs

Stay Connected:

YouTube: Black Women Stitch

Instagram: Black Women Stitch

Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Julian Collins

Website: Julian Creates

Instagram: juliancollins

TikTok: juliancreates

Facebook: Julian Creates

YouTube: Julian Creates

Carmen Green

Instagram: cagreinvented

TikTok: cagthemag

Facebook: CAGReinventedBlog

Amazon Store: Carmen Green

Terrance Williams

Website: Terrance Williams Designs

Instagram: terrancewilliamsdesigns

Twitter: terrancedesigns

TikTok: terrancewilliamsdesigns

Facebook: Terrance Williams Designs

YouTube: Terrance Williams Designs

Pinterest: terrancewilliamsdesigns

Subscribe to our podcast + download each episode on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.

Sign up for the Black Women Stitch quarterly newsletter

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Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Check out our Amazon Store

Stay Connected:

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Dubsado helps me organize the podcast. Try it for 20% off. 

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 story
• Her transition from the corporate world to sewing
• The beauty of trusting in yourself
• Her journey of altering patterns and pieces
• How she can turn complex ideas into simple tasks
• Insights into summer sewing
• Creating 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: Nikki Brooks 

Instagram: Nikki Brooks

Facebook: Nikki Brooks

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.

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

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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 design
• Tips for reaching out to artists for commissions, sharing your vision while still giving the artist room to breathe life into the design
• The response from the Black creative community to the gift of Black Magic Leopard
• Gaining 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.” – Queenora Irvin, Stitch Please

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YouTube: Black Women Stitch

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Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Queenora Irvin 

Website: Queenora Renee Fabrics

Instagram: Queenora Renee

Facebook: Queenora Renee Fabrics

YouTube: Queenora Renee Fabrics

Pinterest: Queenora Renee

Janine Lecour

Website: Janine Lecour

Instagram: 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 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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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 Me
• What it means to Ava wearing her dad’s pieces
• The transition from self-taught to following a pattern
• Memories they have made together and documenting them through her dresses
• Insights into fatherhood, fashion, and fun
• How Michael navigates fatherhood
• Details on Michael’s patchwork dress
• Stories behind Michael’s creative work
• Michael’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 what I want to do” —Michael Gardner in “Stitch Please”

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Michael Gardner

Website: Daddy Dressed Me by Michael Gardner

Instagram: Daddy Dressed Me by Michael Gardner

Facebook: Daddy Dressed Me by Michael Gardner

Youtube: Daddy Dressed Me by Michael Gardner

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.

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Stay Connected:

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