SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of Textiles

Cody Cook-Parrott has a way of capturing human experiences into words that, for me at least, makes them feel lived even if they're not my lived experience. Writer/dancer/quilter/everything Cody Cook-Parrott now lives in rural Michigan where they’re busy making an old house a home. We connect when Cody was at a friend’s house in Detroit and together we explore: ① feeling like an outsider in the qui...

Udita ( website and @uditau ) and me dream up a quilt that 1) has a snake resting on a branch, and 2) is also a stained-glass window Call the CRAZY QUILT HOTLINE open 24/7 at (828) 278-8211‬ and leave me a message anytime of day or night ⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK

In this conversation with quilter Judy Martin, we explore: ① the tole time plays in our work ② how we can meet ourselves in our materials ③ how our creative arc shifts over time You can learn more about Judy on her website and instagram . ⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK ⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops

Hannah ( @_hagtime and @ragfairtextiles ) and I dream up a quilt that will 1) help you survive a trip over Niagara Falls , and 2) is inspired by a goldfish Want to be on the show? All contestants are asked to call the CRAZY QUILT HOTLINE open 24/7 and leave me a voicemail (and don't worry, it won't actually ring my phone so call anytime. The number to call is >>> (828) 278-8211‬

Victoria Gertenbach and I sit down a year later to catch up on where her work has taken her since we last talked. Have you heard our original conversation? You can listen to it here Support SEAMSIDE alum Lou Gardiner who been re-diagnosed recently with cancer. You can find her Gofundme page here.

In this conversation with quilter Coulter Fussell, we explore: ① role community plays in her work ② maintains hope in the face of conflict and turmoil ③ the South and family history You can learn more about Coulter on her website and instagram . ⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK ⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops

I have wanted to follow up with Maura ever since she first joined us on SOFT BULK. Her candor and generosity radiate easily in this conversation as we discuss: ① the balance of tensions between art-making and parenthood ② the work and writings of sculptor Anne Truitt ③ how to build a sustainable commission process for yourself You can learn more about Maura on her website and instagram .

Beverly Smith catches us up with where her textile work has taken her in the last year since we talked. Have you heard our original conversation? Y ou can listen to it here

Kathryn Greenwood Swanson is the owner of Swanson’s Fabric and purveyor of secondhand fabrics. In this conversation, we discuss: ① the role of the communal stashhouse in a community of fiber artists ② the shame so often associated with our fabric stashes ③ and how to start your own secondhand fabric store like Swanson’s Fabrics You can also watch that episode of Good Morning America from 1999 that...

Emma Freeman catches us up with where her textile work has taken her in the last year since we talked. Have you heard our original conversation? You can listen to it here

In this bonus episode of SEAMSIDE, Sara Trail and I have a little surprise for you. After we’d stopped recording the conversation you just heard in episode 1, I asked Sara if she thought her mom, Kay Trail,— who’s obviously played a key role in her life— if her mom would be interested in talking with me a little bit. Without skipping a beat— and this probably comes as no surprise to you now— Sara...

Sara Trail, director of Social Justice Sewing Academy , shares her story of getting folks to make their first stitch. A big part of the trick she says is not teaching people HOW to sew, but rather teaching them WHY to sew: namely, to tell their own story. SJSA can always use your help. Click here to learn more .

Nick D’Ornellas makes life-size screen prints of daily moments with his family around home. He then cuts the screen prints into thin strips and weaves them back together, distorting the original image, both sharing it with the public but also reserving the privacy of homelife. In our conversation, we discuss: 1 the role of family in art 2 exhibiting your work as a way to connect with the view...

Michael Sylvan Robinson is a textile artist and a long-time activist with Gays Against Guns . In this pared-down episode recorded days after the shooting in Buffalo, Sylvan offers some hard-won wisdom from his years of activism that I hope are both a balm and an encouragement to you in doing the good work that needs to be done. I’ll update this episode page soon with further details.

Lou Gardiner is a joyful force of nature. As textile artist in the UK, she specializes in embroidery and is best known for her recent cape-making projects, including the Cloud Cape and the Cape of Empowerment . In our conversation, we discuss: ① how her relationship with creativity shifted during her recent cancer journey ② why we need each other now as much as ever ③ the power of s...

Jess Bailey is an art historian, a collector of stories, and a quilter. You may know Jess from Instagram  @publiclibraryquilts  or their book,  Many Hands Make a Quilt : Short Histories of Radical Quilting. The conversation we had was tender and joyful as we discussed: ① why representation and visibility are so important in the quilting community, ② the power of a gifted quilts...

In this episode, slow-stitcher Victoria Gertenbach and I discuss how the rustic barns of Lancaster County have shaped her work, how artists often feel squeeze when it comes to representing themselves and their work honestly on social media , and at the end Victoria takes us a wild word-association ride that will give you a taste of her creative process. HELPFUL LINKS ♡ ⤷  Join me and Heidi Pa...

In this episode, I sit down with textile artist Beverly Smith and we discuss how making quilts can often be like a magic carpet ride , how our work can exist on the physical plane as well as higher planes , and how memory lives beyond trauma , buried safe in our hearts and minds. (Heads up: Around minute 26, we briefly touch the topic of suicide and how it has influenced Beverly’s work.) ⤷ Th...

In this second episode, I sit down with weaver Jennifer Mao , and we discuss how she uses weaving as a way of closing the gaps she sees in the world around her, the importance of gift economy , and the role of the artist in preserving the spirit of the people . ⤷ The podcast is only half of SEAMSIDE! Check out the SEAMSIDE ZINE for more insights on this conversation ⤷  Want to see the te...

In this first episode, I sit down and sew with artist Emma Freeman : maker of burial books and contemplation cloths . As we sew, we talk about some of the lessons working with cloth has taught us about being human. The conversation ranges from deep ecology to the intersection of Zen Buddhism and creativity. ⤷ The podcast is only half of SEAMSIDE! Check out the SEAMSIDE ZINE for more insights...

"How does working with cloth make us more human?" the driving question behind this SEAMSIDE project with your host, Zak Foster