Stitch Please

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Black Women Stitch 2023 Wall Calendar

Amazon Store

SEW MUCH SOUL

Register for the conference here

Order the supply kit!

About SEW CREATIVE LOUNGE 

Cecily Habimana and Tisha Thorne met by chance in the hallway of a new building they both moved into back in 2006. They soon realized that they both had a passion for sewing.  

The pair noticed that there really weren’t many places where people could take sewing classes, even though there was clearly a demand for it. So, they decided to fill that void and launch Sip and Sew DC, a three-hour workshop that teaches participants how to sew and complete a project such as a clutch, pants or skirt.  

The response was overwhelming with many of the classes selling out from 2014-2016. Hosting pop-up classes was a lot of work and Cecily and Tisha’s husbands eventually urged the pair to find their own space.  It was from their recommendation that pushed them to open Sew Creative Lounge in Mt. Rainier, MD.  

Today Sew Creative Lounge teaches children and adult sewing classes and hosts summer camp at their home studio and satellite studio in Chicago.  They also partner with various elementary schools throughout the DC metropolitan area including Yu Ying Public Charter School, Creative Minds Public Charter School, Center City Public Charter School and the Burke School.  In response to the pandemic, Cecily and Tisha opened up an online store and began designing their own collection of fabrics.  They excited about their work and are always eager to work with their students.

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.

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

Latrice Sampson Richards ​ LPC-S, CLC is a Mental and Emotional Wellness Creative, Podcast Host & Producer, and CEO of STS Productions.  Learn more about Latrice and her work here. 

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:

• Latrice's strategy for engaging content
• Why Latrice enjoys working with the sewing and quilting community
• Latrice's favorite Sew Black interview
• Latrice's reactions to her first QuiltCon

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Black Women Stitch 2023 Wall Calendar

Amazon Store

Sew Black Info

Simone Elizabeth Saunders

Simone Elizabeth Saunders (b. 1983, Calgary, Canada) is a textile artist who focuses primarily on punch-needle and tufting tapestries to create allegorical narratives of Blackness and Womanhood using polychrome and textural portraits. Based in Mohkinstsis, Canada, she holds a B.F.A. with Distinction from the Alberta University of Arts in 2020 and a background in the theater arts, with a previous B.F.A. from the University of Alberta’s Acting Conservatory. 

Saunders’ practice is anchored in a process that starts with collages or sketches that are then transferred to large-scale frames. From there, they are tufted using a myriad of yarn colors. Saunders’ artistic process represents a performative negotiation of weaving and coloring at the same time. This results in detailed portraits that capture nuanced individuality. Recent international exhibitions include the Textile Museum of Canada, Contemporary Calgary, Minneapolis Art Institute (Minnesota), the Mint Museum (North Carolina), and Arts Westchester (NY), among other international museums and prominent collectors.

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:

• Details on Unearthing Unicorns
• How Simone finds a reflection on Black women in the past
• What it means to create a tapestry
• How Simone honors those who came before her
• The process of Simone’s art
• Showcasing her work at the Claire Oliver Gallery
• How is crafting work in a group

Quotes from the show:

• “The Unicorn to me represents everything dazzling and magical, and all dreams come true and really the purity of what it is to be human and shine your light”  —Simone Elizabeth Saunders in “Stitch Please”
• “It is very interesting for me, when I’m in the process, I allow for a huge sense of spirituality and honoring those who came before me” —Simone Elizabeth Saunders in “Stitch Please”
• “The coming together and the nesting of threads to me is also such a spiritual connotation of our history and of me reaching out to this sisterhood” —Simone Elizabeth Saunders in “Stitch Please”
• “I think that one of the reasons that your work has exploded in these last few years with the BLM movement is because people have started to realize that BLM is more than a call for equity and justice with policing (...) it’s also a call to existing in the fullness of ourselves” —Lisa Woolfork  in “Stitch Please”
• “It’s all about the sisterhood: honoring our ancestors, those who came before us, those who are her now, those who are yet to come, it’s that connectivity” —Simone Elizabeth Saunders in “Stitch Please”
• “I do think of all my works as extensions of and extensions of yours to be shared” —Simone Elizabeth Saunders in “Stitch Please”
• “Be inspired by what inspires you, not what you think that you should be putting out in the world, because everyone's voice is unique and you deserve to be heard” ​​—Simone Elizabeth Saunders in “Stitch Please”

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Simone Elizabeth Saunders

Website: Contemporary Calgary

Instagram: Simone Elizabeth Saunders

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
Instagram: Black Women Stitch
Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Black Women Stitch 2023 Wall Calendar

Amazon Store

Sew Black Info

Janda Lipker & Rebecca Christian-Lipker

This is a mother-daughter duo who creates quilts. They run their family-owned hair and beauty company, James Lauren LLC, out of Maple Heights. The name honors Lipker’s children, Rebecca, whose middle name is Lauren, and her son, James.

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:

• Janda's sewing story
• Janda’s life growing up
• How Rebecca picked up sewing
• Making masks during Covid-19
• Details about the Henry Box Brown quilt
• Using color as a form of language
• The dynamics of working together as mom and daughter
• Details on the trapunto quilt
• Projects they have coming up

Quotes from the show:

• “I started sewing my first dress in third grade. So, I’ve been sewing, literally my own clothing, since third grade” —Janda Lipker in “Stitch Please”
• “I think with age came patience, in knowing like, it’s not all gonna come together, you’re not gonna be great at it initially, but there’s time” —Rebecca Christian-Lipker in “Stitch Please”
• “The big theme of us, is I may not know all the answers right now, but imma figure it out and it’s gonna be right!” —Rebecca Christian-Lipker in “Stitch Please”
• “This is what I love. I love that joy is always our option. Joy is our birthright as well! We can talk about our powerful history and you can stitch that history in about half a million stitches” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
• “Because social media is so raggedly individualist, there are a lot of people that don’t want to help anybody else” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
• “There is a lot of history that goes into every piece we make” —Janda Lipker in “Stitch Please”
• “Stich in any way that makes you happy, no matter what anyone says. Do what makes you happy: whatever that craft is, whether it’s stitching or not” —Janda Lipker in “Stitch Please”

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Janda Lipker

LinkedIn: Janda Lipker 

Rebecca Christian-Lipker

Instagram: Rebeca Christian-Lipker

James Lauren Beauty

Website: https://jlbeautyllc.com/

Instagram: James Lauren Beauty

Twitter: James Lauren Beauty

Facebook: James Lauren Beauty

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
Instagram: Black Women Stitch
Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Black Women Stitch 2023 Wall Calendar

Amazon Store

Sew Black Info

Valerie Goodwin

Valerie S. Goodwin is a mixed-media fiber artist and architect whose works of fine art are included in museum and private collections. Most of her work is inspired by a love of aerial views of landscapes and cities. Many of her quilts are based on maps.

Goodwin’s art has moved through various stages, from traditional quilting to an interest in abstract expressionism, and, currently, it is inspired by real and imaginary landscapes and cities. In some cases, her work shows an architectural sense of space with an archaeological perspective.  In others, the network of the city and its built form is more prominent.  These compositions work on several levels, from close up and far away as if one was looking at it from above.

She received degrees in architecture from Washington University and Yale University. Her award-winning work has been widely published and exhibited. She also lectures and gives workshops nationally and internationally. For over 26 years, she taught architectural design at Florida A & M University.

Her book, Art Quilt Maps: Capture a Sense of Place with Fiber Collage-A Visual Guide is widely available.

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:

• Valerie’s sewing journey
• The connection between architecture and sewing
• How Valerie is able to combine modern and analog techniques in quilting
• How she settled on mapping as a form of visual expression
• Valerie’s teaching methodologies
• The importance of perseverance
• Learning from our mistakes
• Details about her retrospective exhibition
• What Valerie is working on

Quotes from the show:

• “I’d like to think that the DNA of both my maternal and cousin Hardy, is what has become part of my creative life” —Valerie Goodwin in “Stitch Please”
• “I sewed up until I got to high school, and then peer pressure set in, and it wasn’t cool to do that anymore, so I stopped sewing altogether. I didn’t pick up sewing again until I was teaching architecture” —Valerie Goodwin in “Stitch Please”
• “I taught myself how to cut fabric, I tested over 30 kinds of fabric: there are three settings (speed, frequency, and power), and so you need figure out all those settings” —Valerie Goodwin in “Stitch Please”
• “Critique is a skill, that’s just my opinion. If you have to say things, say them in a nurturing way, although sometimes you have to be direct and challenging depending on who the student is” —Valerie Goodwin in “Stitch Please”
• “I wish for myself that there were others around me that so that I can get that critic and I have to check myself a lot of times” —Valerie Goodwin in “Stitch Please”
• “A lot of things that have happened to me in my life that have led me to what I am doing has kind of been happy circumstances, you know, coincidences” —Valerie Goodwin in “Stitch Please”
• “I think perseverance is really important, and you have to be willing to make mistakes faster. Making mistakes is just as important as succeeding: you learn from your mistakes” —Valerie Goodwin in “Stitch Please”

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Valerie Goodwin

Website: https://valeriegoodwinart.com

LinkedIn: Valerie Goodwin

Instagram: @valeriegoodwinart

Facebook: Valerie Goodwin Art 

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
Instagram: Black Women Stitch
Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

The SEW BLACK GIVEAWAY is on!  Enter to for your chance to win a Bernette 33.

Sew Black Info

Want Behind the Scenes video of QuiltCon? Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon at the $15 level or higher.

Black Women Stitch 2023 Wall Calendar

Amazon Store

Thanks to our Sew Black underwriters: Spoonflower (SEWBLACKQC for 20%off) and Moda. Additional support: Bernina

Material support provided by Accuquilt, Aurifil, Crimson Tate (SEWBLACKQC for 10% off), My Notions, Ruby Star Society, Spoonflower

Road to QuiltCon: Trains, Planes, and Automobiles is sponsored by Bernina in partnership with  Amtrak and material support from SewEzi.

Geraldine Wilkins

Geraldine lectures and teaches at international quilt shows, like Quilt Con, and at quilt shops, regional retreats, and guilds.  As a former Westalee Design Accredited Teacher and Juki America Educator, she crisscrossed the United States, teaching at guilds and large quilt shows.

Her quilts have been exhibited in local and regional quilt shows, national touring events and shows with Hoffman Fabrics, American Quilt Society Quilt Week at Paducah, Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival, curated exhibits at the Virginia Quilt Museum and juried Sacred Threads 2019 exhibit.

Geraldine was featured in “Designer Spotlight, “an article published in the July/August 2019 issue of Quiltmaker magazine. She is a regular contributing quilt designer in Fons & Porter's Quick + Easy Quilts and Quiltmaker magazines. She contributes to the following quilt books: 1000 Quilt Inspirations 2015, The Quilter’s Planner 2017, 2020/1, and Free Motion Framework.

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:

• Geraldine's days as a photojournalist
• Her transition from photography to quilting
• How she learned how to maintain machines
• Lessons she has carried from her photography classes
• Ruler classes with Geraldine
• Her quilting project (Beautiful Sister Quilt Lock)
• Her teaching process
• What a successful quilt con means to Geraldine
• Building a quilting studio

Quotes from the show:

• “I love that the skills that I developed as a photojournalist play well into my overall purpose with sewing and quilting”  —Geraldine Wilkins in “Stitch Please”
• “I knew that it was critical to building confidence just not only in myself but to teach others how to do it (dissembling sewing machines) so that they can have the confidence as well” —Geraldine Wilkins in “Stitch Please”
• “That’s what I share in my class: education through thread and needles and the machine. If you learn those three, your confidence will increase” —Geraldine Wilkins in “Stitch Please”
• “I’ve learned over the years that if you make it too complicated, ladies shut down. And I wanted to simplify it” —Geraldine Wilkins in “Stitch Please”
• “I think we all have these in our lives that are important to helping us develop and mature in different areas of our lives (…) we have women who we call sisters because they are that close to us” —Geraldine Wilkins in “Stitch Please”
• “My photography career has helped me accelerate my ability to create this studio. I’m always refining it. But I know I have a bit of an advantage, but I wanna share those tips so people do not have to spend weeks and months trying to figure it out” —Geraldine Wilkins in “Stitch Please”

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Geraldine Wilkins

Website: Geraldine Wilkins

Instagram: @livingwaterquilter

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
Instagram: Black Women Stitch
Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Black Women Stitch 2023 Wall Calendar

Amazon Store

Indigo: In Search of the Color that Seduced the World

Sew Black Info

Thanks to our Sew Black underwriters: Spoonflower (enter SEWBLACKQC for 20%off) and Moda. Additional support: Bernina

Material support provided by Accuquilt, , Aurifil, Crimson Tate (enter SEWBLACKQC for 10% off),  My Notions,  Ruby Star Society,  Spoonflower

Road to QuiltCon: Trains, Planes, and Automobiles is sponsored by  Bernina in partnership with Amtrak and material support by SewEzi

,Sandra Lee Chandler

Sandra Lee Chandler specializes in making denim quilts and teaching the Sashiko and Boro methods of stitching. She travels domestically and internationally to provide virtual or live lectures and workshops for your guild. She believes every crafter can be creative. She finds joy in empowering her students to bring out their creative side. She loves teaching and speaking to groups about her creative process. She believes there is creativity in every one of us, and it’s her job to help you find it.

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:

• Sandra’s sewing journey
• Sandra falling in love with fabric
• Studying sewing as an undergrad at Arizona State University
• Lessons she learned at Arizona State University
• Details about the lectures she offers
• Working as an influencer
• Understanding the value of our (Black women) craft
• The importance of showing up
• Celebrating Black History month through sewing

Quotes from the show:

• “I was the person that walked in the room, and if she (her teacher) said, jump, I said how high?”  —Sandra Lee Chandler in “Stitch Please”
• “For me, quilting and sewing are synonymous. Like sewing garments and quilt sewings go hand in hand, so I learned both at the same time in 7th grade home economics”  —Sandra Lee Chandler in “Stitch Please”
• “Understanding the why before the rules are what I feel sets me apart from, or sets me in a whole lane of my own” —Sandra Lee Chandler in “Stitch Please”
• “The past is precedent, and the past is evidence, and that we are walking in footsteps that have been traveled by our ancestors” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
• “We, as Black women. have to understand our value. I work at my craft.  You work at your craft” —Sandra Lee Chandler in “Stitch Please”
• “When I go to conferences, if there’s a Black person that’s vending, I always buy something, even if I don’t need it” —Sandra Lee Chandler in “Stitch Please”
• “Good enough is good enough. If you are able to get through whatever you are doing, just get it done." --Sandra Lee Chandler in "Stitch Please"
• "Don’t major in the minors, live in the moment, get it done!” —Sandra Lee Chandler in “Stitch Please”

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Sandra Lee Chandler

Website: https://sandrajohnsondesigns.com

Instagram: Sandra Lee Chandler

Facebook: Sandra Lee Chandler

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
Instagram: Black Women Stitch
Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Black Women Stitch 2023 Wall Calendar

Amazon Store

Sew Black Info

Thanks to our Sew Black underwriters: Spoonflower (SEWBLACKQC for 20%off) and Moda. Additional support: BerninaMaterial support provided by Accuquilt, , Aurifil, Crimson Tate (SEWBLACKQC for 10% off),  My Notions,  Ruby Star Society,  Spoonflower

Road to QuiltCon: Trains, Planes, and Automobiles is sponsored by Bernina with material support from Amtrak and SewEzi, 

Carole Lyles Shaw

Carole’s passion is to inspire quilters to explore the fun and creative freedom of making modern quilts. She taught herself to quilt when she decided to make quilts for her wonderful nieces and nephews.  Then, she found her first quilting home with the African American Quilters of Baltimore, who gently taught her the best techniques to express her quilt vision. She is excited about modern quilting because it brings individualism and free expression to the quilts we are making today.

She teaches workshops to help quilters confidently and joyfully dive into modern quilting. Her students say that her workshops inspire them to let their creative voices shine.

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:

• What makes a modern quilt
• Insights into quilting
• Emerging trends in quilting
• How modern quilt borrows from traditions
• Relationship between quilting and music
• The importance of respecting traditions
• What Carol is looking forward to in 2023
• Details about QuiltCon

Quotes from the show:

• “People used to phrase community over competition all the time, but sometimes, people be lying” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
• “Modern quilting: First of all, it does have one foot in the traditional quilting world; it’s not that we hate traditional quilts, far from it. We honor that tradition, we learn from it, and then we expand it and build on it” —Carole Lyles Shaw in “Stitch Please”
• “Modern quilting is an emerging genre. It’s always changing and being re-invented” —Carole Lyles Shaw in “Stitch Please”
• “Improvisational design and actual quilting is only one design principle. Not all modern quilts are improvised; some of them are very much pattern-based and block-based” —Carole Lyles Shaw in “Stitch Please”
• “It (modern quilting) really is about invention, re-invention and combining and re-combining and borrowing from artistic, as well as folk art tradition from literally all around the world” —Carole Lyles Shaw in “Stitch Please”
• “If you are gonna learn from and borrow from a tradition, understand that tradition first, before you explore it further” —Carole Lyles Shaw in “Stitch Please”
• “The best teachers are not trying to create acolytes in their own image; the best teachers want to bring out the best students can do” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
• “Pay close attention to the parts of quilt making that bring you joy and energy (...) go where your joy takes you” —Carole Lyles Shaw in “Stitch Please”

Resources Mentioned:

Modern Quilt Guild

QuiltCon

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Carole Lyles Shaw

Website: Carole Lyles Shaw

Facebook: Carole Lyles Shaw Quilts

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
Instagram: Black Women Stitch
Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Black Women Stitch 2023 Wall Calendar

Amazon Store

Sew Black Info

Sew Black underwriters: Spoonflower (SEWBLACKQC for 20%off) and Moda. Sponsor: Bernina

Material support provided by Accuquilt, Amtrak, Aurifil, Crimson Tate, My Notions,  Ruby Star Society, Spoonflower

Stacey Watson

Stacey Watson is the Director of Equitable Partnerships at The National Quilt Museum. She has been an educator for nearly 17 years and specializes in African American history and culture. Watson has a Museum Studies certification from the University of West Georgia and a graduate degree in History from Fort Valley State University. One of Watson's objectives is to uphold the museum's mission of "bringing the work of today's quilters to audiences" by creating opportunities and experiences that will display all voices of the community. Her overall goal is to collaborate and build partnerships within the community locally and regionally. In addition to engaging the community, Watson lends her expertise as a history professor to the museum by researching the past and helping audiences connect history to art. Watson is a member of the Association of African American Museums and Southeastern Museum Conference.

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

• Stacey's academic background and her commitment to history
• The importance behind knowing your history as a Black person
• Lisa's thoughts on Black people making history
• What Stacey's students are able to get when they visit the quilts museum
• Stacey's role at The National Quilt Museum
• How does Stacey get the inspiration for the exhibitions at the museum
• Stacey's example of looking at a quilt that is teaching something different or in a more powerful way
• How Stacey's students apply the detective technique in order to understand quilts
• Stacey's advice to get our stitch together

Quotes from the Show: 

• "We associate history with events and people from the past but we forget about the foundation of this history and they get lost and I think it's important that we remember those who have been lost on history whether it was intentional or not" - Stacey Watson in “Stitch Please”
• "[About the Watson Method] What was the motive for some of these events that happened, who were involved and not justo who are the victims and who are the suspects...What were the organizations, What they were doing, how they were supportive, so I want my students to think beyond what's being presented" - Stacey Watson in “Stitch Please”
• "[About getting the local Black community on good terms with the museum] Community conversations was a program that I created to allow the community to come in to meet the Quilt Museum and for the Quilt Museum to meet the local community " - Stacey Watson in “Stitch Please”
• "There's no such thing as being too ambitious. You need to get your stitch together and know that everything can be done. Nothing is impossible. You don't need a whole entire team for your one vision" - Stacey Watson in “Stitch Please”

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Stacey Watson

LinkedIn: Stacey Watson

The National Quilt Museum: https://quiltmuseum.org/requeststacey/

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
Instagram: Black Women Stitch
Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Black Women Stitch 2023 Wall Calendar

Amazon Store

Sew Black Info

Carol Crocker Ware

Carol Crocker Ware is a fabric whisperer who runs a Facebook group, Carol’s Sewing Corner.

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:

• Carol’s sewing story
• Sewing for his son
• How she got her son involved in her sewing journey
• How her Facebook group came about
• Managing a Facebook group
• How Carol keeps her enthusiasm alive
• Differences between Instagram and TikTok for sewing communities
• Carol’s relationship with Janome
• Carol’s publications in Better Home and Gardens Magazine

Quotes from the show:

• “It's important to pay attention to details, and there are some sewists that really prioritize that, and you want the inside of your garment to look as good as the outside” —Carol Crocker Ware in “Stitch Please”
• “I heard this very interesting phrase, and it said amateurs practice until they stop getting it wrong (...), whereas professionals are practicing until they can't do anything but get it right, the practice is to get it right” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
• “I love that you have created a child who is make worthy, someone who values what you do, is proud of the things that you do in your skills” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
• “[About sewing] it's my therapy and second of all, I am a lover of outfits and clothes” —Carol Crocker Ware in “Stitch Please”
• “I think that it really does take a special person to create a learning environment where people can ask questions and something where it's okay not to know something” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
• “So my thing is if you want to be an ambassador for a sewing machine company, don't just do it to get a sewing machine, you need to know what you're getting into” —Carol Crocker Ware in “Stitch Please”
• “My fellow sewists, please slow down, enjoy the process, perfect your techniques and you'll always have a wonderful outcome” —Carol Crocker Ware in “Stitch Please”

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Carol Crocker Ware

Facebook: Carol Crocker Ware 

Instagram: Carol Crocker Ware

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
Instagram: Black Women Stitch
Facebook: Stitch Please Podcast