Sew Powerful Podcast

Behind the Stitches: Michaelyn Rose Shares Bernina’s Heart In this episode, we meet Michaelynn Rose, Vice President of Marketing for Bernina and Brewer. With more than 25 years of experience in digital marketing, Michaelyn has been a driving force behind Bernina’s growth. We will talk about the company history, philosophy, and new products being introduced. Michaelyn even spills the beans on how t...

Meet Sweet Pea: Creativity from Brisbane to Your Sewing Room Sweet Pea’s talented SEO and Content Manager joins us all the way from Brisbane, Australia—bringing contagious enthusiasm for the full Sweet Pea product line. With thousands of delightful designs to explore, you’ll be inspired to dive right into their website and start stitching. While Sweet Pea is best known for their stunning in-the-ho...

Get a guided tour of Baby Lock USA and Canada from Maddie Murphy. As the Social Content Specialist, Maddie knows the inner workings of the company and provides the fascinating history and a glimpse into the future. We also get a good feel for the capabilities of the terrific prize Baby Lock has donated to the 2025 Sew Powerful Sew-A-Thon.

Meet Devin Head, Regional Sales Manager for KAI Scissors. KAI Scissors is one of the sponsors of the 2025 Sew Powerful Sew-A-Thon, as they have been for the past two years as well. In this episode, learn the history of KAI Scissors, and the fascinating array of products they offer. Devin shares his unlikely KAI connection and how Sew Powerful and KAI Scissors came together.

Meet Petrina Cude, the powerhouse behind East Texas Sewing Center. This beloved sewing hub has been serving the community for an incredible 41 years — and Petrina has been part of that story for 32 of them. Three years ago, she stepped into ownership, carrying forward the legacy of Sharman’s while infusing her own passion and vision. In this episode, you’ll hear how Petrina is keeping the joy of s...

In this episode of the Sew Powerful podcast Jan Cancila sits down with Verna Camfferman, one of the Colorado Sisters, to discuss how they became involved with Sew Powerful - and how they’ve worked together to sew more than 10,000 Sew Powerful Purses.

Special guest Dr. Jim Blessman joins Jason in this special conversation announcing the launch of the Sew Powerful Purse program launch in South Africa.

Join us as we share a behind the scenes look at the 2024 Sew Powerful Retreat in Quitman Texas.

Reflections on missions trips by Sew Powerful Podcast

The Gardens Of God, and The Sew Powerful Parables.

Gardens, and the Convoy of Hope Children’s Feeding Initiative. [unfortunately the recording quality was poor in this conversation at some points, but we decided to use it.]

Kicking off the new season of the podcast. Introducing Dana Buck. Reflecting on the first 15 years of Sew Powerful ministry.

In this concluding episode of Season 1, Sew Powerful co-founder Jason Miles gives the background information behind his first Quarter presentation. He recaps Events, Chapters, the Facebook Group, the Purse Count, Funding, Expenses, and we talk about the new shipping option. In addition, Jan and Jason take a short walk down memory lane recounting the many great experiences in the previous 98 episod...

Besides her Sew Powerful CFO duties, Sue Kirby has taken on the role of Manager, National Shows and Events for 2022. In this episode, Sue announces the dates and places for upcoming quilt shows where Sew Powerful will exhibit. She also recaps the shows we have already complete. Along with host Jan Cancila, Sue shares experiences and tips for attending the shows. Finally, listen for a checklist of...

A beloved member of the Sew Powerful family, Irene Davidson Thomas joins us in today's episode. Irene talks about her many Sew Powerful experiences, including three trips to Zambia and travels to Renton to help with unboxing the purses. We get a glimpse into her very interesting life and her fondness for not so typical pets. Irene explains why her heart is so drawn to Sew Powerful and offers some...

Jason Miles, Sew Powerful co-founder discusses social enterprise as modeled in Thomas Vozzo's recently released book, 'The Homeboy Way: A Radical Approach to Business and Life.' Los Angeles-based Homeboy Industries is lauded for its innovative approach to dealing with those living in the 'Forgotten America.' We compare and contrast Homeboy to Sew Powerful and discover that both organizations opera...

When life-long sewer, Jill Riffe discovered Sew Powerful it wasn't long before she was churning out purses by the dozens. Listen as Jill shares a couple of unique tips that help her be efficient, yet still have fun making purses. You may have missed Jill in the past couple of years. She explains the life changing event that occurred but what led her to return to Sew Powerful, even volunteering at...

Meet Carla Robertson, co-founder and operator of the non-profit, Dallas Designing Dreams. This unique organization is a small business incubator, offering access to equipment and expertise to make entrepreneurs' dreams come true. Finding Sew Powerful brought Carla another opportunity to give back because her new Sew Powerful Chapter, Sew My Dream, meets in this studio and makes use of the fabulous...

This week we introduced the Sew Powerful Purse Distribution video to two teen girls. After they share their own school experiences and promising futures, our guests give us their take on the video. They express empathy for the challenges the schoolgirls in Zambia face, offering encouragement for them. Our guests may be the youngest to date, but you will appreciate their maturity and compassion for...

Longtime Sew Powerful volunteer, Torey Elwell, shares her Africa connection in this episode. Not only does Torey volunteer with us to help those in Zambia, she and her husband are very involved in supporting a 700-student school in rural Ethiopia. Torey discusses the similarities and differences to provide an insight into the plight of those living in poverty in Africa. Torey also has several exam...

Meet Region 6 Chapter Manager Sharon Helms. In this episode we are going to get to know Sharon, learning about her surprising hobbies and vocations. Sharon has been a Sew Powerful volunteer for a number of years. She has a creative way of introducing people to Sew Powerful, making it easy for them to become engaged. Warning: Sharon's passion for Sew Powerful is contagious and you will come away fe...

Meet two Sew Powerful Quilt Show managers who give us the inside scoop as they prepare for their roles as Show Managers. Betty Johnson will oversee the Sew Powerful booth at QuiltCon Phoenix and Jan Paul leads the way at AQS Branson. Betty and Jan share how they have prepared, the materials and guidance they have received, and why they have taken on these roles. They also talk about the Quilt Show...

Meet Linda Ronk. Linda has a most intriguing background including becoming an Air Force nurse at a more mature age than most enlistees. Linda, now retired, serves Sew Powerful as a Chapter Leader in Belton, Texas. She has set an ambitious goal for herself and has far exceeded it already. Listen as we learn why and how Linda, and her husband, support Sew Powerful so enthusiastically.

Sew Powerful co-founder, Jason Miles, shares exciting news about feeding hungry kids in the Ngombe compound. Through a newly established partnership, more than 4800 children will receive a hot lunch every school day. Listen as Jason explains how the program will work and miraculously, how God prepared one of our Zambian team members to take a leadership role in this amazing new venture. Be sure to...

We want to make sure that if you are new to Sew Powerful, you feel welcome and have a good understanding of what we do and why we do it. In this episode, Sew Powerful co-founder, Jason Miles talks about the various ways people find Sew Powerful. In addition, Jason introduces us to a brand-new concept: monthly Meet & Greet sessions conducted via Zoom. During these sessions, you will meet Jason and...