Stitch Wish Radio

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I want to talk about our ideas around the meaning of “making it”! I’m so often talking about making things in the literal sense, on my teachings on embroidery and making clothes, but I also want to talk about ideas of success, and how I shifted my idea of what “making it” really means over the past 10 years as a small business owner.

I also offer a little advice about how we can get closer to our own idea of success - hint, it takes way less work than you’d think.

Mentioned in this episode:
Watch on YouTube!
Soft Work Course
Access to FREE Garment Drawing Mini Course
The Hobbit House in Hawaii

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Let's talk about making things, and the cost of materials vs the cost of our own time (and why you shouldn't bother trying to recreate the $70 sweater). There's been a lot of conversations recently on why sweaters seem so cheap - so as makers, let's talk about our role in creating for our own wardrobe.

Mentioned in this episode:

Embroidery on Clothing Workshop - included with this round of Magic Threads! (preview first lesson of Magic Threads here)

Newsletter Signup (don't want to join 5 days of stitching? Scroll to the bottom of the page and enter your email in the box at the very bottom to just get on the newsletter)

Kaffe Fassett: In the Studio Book

Designing Knitwear, book by Deborah Newton

Fabric Shopping Resources

"Your Sweaters are Garbage" Article

Clotheshorse Podcast

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Have you ever spent time to think about why we see the colors we see? How this information is translated in our brains, and if we all actually see colors the same, or if my red is different from your red? Do we all see the same shade of blue in the sky? 

Beyond that even, what makes the sky blue?

This episode takes a look at chromatic vibrations, how we see color and how that may effect our state of being.

Mentioned in this episode:
Magic Threads online course
This original blog post

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After more than a month off, I'm returning to the podcast with some thoughts on how we can return to our own creative process after periods of rest. It seems so simple... but can be a bit of a struggle! I talk about: 

- January1st as quite an arbitrary starting point - forgive yourself for having failed!
- getting back into your creative groove
- the importance of rest and play (episode 7) and creative intimacy (episode 22) 

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Let's talk about how I like to end the year, with plenty of creative reflection that helps fuel my endeavors into the new year.

This episode is based on the Adinkra symbols of the Ashanti people (modern day Ghana, Togo, and Côte d'Ivoire) called "Sankofa" meaning, go back and get it. There are two different symbols that share this name, with slightly different meanings. I'll be referring to the bird turned back on itself meaning, learning from the past. 

Advanced Embroidery Workshop

Patchwork and Applique Workshop

( Research on Adinkra symbols came from a book by Ghanian writer Seyram Agbleze called "Journey of West African Textile Traditions" )

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In this episode, I wanted to expand upon something Haley said in the last episode, making art that doesn't get seen by others. Maybe not never, but at least giving your creative practice the space to exist without external input.

I share a few ways that I like to explore this theme of creative intimacy in my own artistic practice!

Mentioned in this episode:
My Winter 2021 Workshops (Patchcraft and Next Level Embroidery)
Maydel patterns
Lindsay Stripling's workshops

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"...not everything you make needs to be shared; having privacy with your work is kinda sexy!" One of my favorite take-aways from my conversation with Haley, ceramicist / dirt queen and the maker behind @studio.hecha! 

 We talk about many things, among them: 

- how Haley discovered her personal style

- recommendations for discovering your own style, and the art of authenticity within your own work

- the extractive nature of corporate design and the mono-culture created through corporate trend boards

- how the internet tends to remove the human behind the art

and some amazing tips on finding inspiration outside of the internet! Hearing her describe her relationship with the medium of ceramics will hit home for anyone who works with their hands! 

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What an honor to be able to interview one of my idols for this episode of Stitch Wish Radio! Alexandra Hart is the author of the cult classic Native Funk and Flash, one of the original founders of Folkwear Patterns, as well as a counter-culture textile artist in her own right, located in Northern California.

This episode is a slower pace, so please enjoy the contrast from our modern societies tendency towards highly edited and condensed form of sharing information, to a relaxing conversation with this incredible artist!

Mentioned in this episode:
- Native Funk and Flash (a short lil video on it here)
- Bardo dress (more on the concept of Bardo here)
- Bolinas Macrame Park
- Folkwear Patterns (and the vintage ones that Alexandra worked on here) 
- Mystical Stitches, my book (which Alexandra wrote the forward for!) 

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No matter how hard we fight against it... winter is coming. Even if you live in a temperate climate, the seasons are shifting, even if you're in a different hemisphere than I am - the seasons are shifting (and winter will, eventually, return). 

With this turn to the next quarter of the year, it's time to look at the coming few months and dream up how they look, and make decisions to move towards that vision. 

For this podcast - this means shifting to releasing every other week so I can have more time in between episodes to write and research ideas, and record interviews (of which there are some very exciting new ones coming up, so stay tuned!!) 

Lastly - Tuesday, October 5th is the LAST DAY to sign up for Magic Threads for the next few months, so if stoking your inner fire looks like getting deeper into your own creative process, be sure to check out my this online creative embroidery course before it closes!

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I had the pleasure of talking about re-useing and recycling textiles for both art and business this week with Used Clothing Alchemist Crispina ffrench!

She is an environmental textile artist, teacher, and coach working with textile waste to build environmental awareness, create a healthy lifestyle, teach by example, and provide the marketplace with lovely home furnishings, clothing, and accessories.

We talk about how she got into working with repurposed textiles, her journey through entrepreneurship (including the importance of asking for help), the power and autonomy discovered through creativity, and steps we can take to move towards more ecological approach in both the textile industry and in our own work (hint: it starts with get over the guilt of being human and making waste, so we can make more mindful choices!!)

Mentioned in this episode:
Crispina's website
stitcherhood
The Sweater Chop Shop Book
Crispina's instagram

Eileen Fischer's Renew
Patagonia's Worn Wear (these are especially amazing!)
Swanson's Fabric Shop