SKILLS PAY BILLS: A Sew Loka Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Claudia sits down with painter Melicha (Melissa Salgado) for a full hour of real talk - how they met, Melissa's creative process, the family traditions behind her work, her love of cactuses, and what's coming next. Melissa's Paint & Stitch: Nopalitos workshop drops June 28th, and her solo show Conceiving Tradition opens July 11th right here at Sew Loka. Don&apos...

Send us Fan Mail Claudia from Sew Loka talks with San Diego artist Selena Idioma about her creative journey, her artistic influences, and her upcoming first solo art show, "Love, Always," opening Valentine's Day at the Sew Loka sewing studio. Pull up and show some love!    https://sewloka.com/ Thank you for continuing to support Sew Loka and Skills Pay Bills, we appreciate you!

Send us Fan Mail Claudia Rodriguez-Biezunski of Sew Loka and Chris Carson from The Homegrown Project SD sit down to reflect on Slow Fashion Day 2025. The co-organizers share how the event started and discuss their favorite moments from this year's festival—from hands-on workshops to sustainability panels and fashion shows—and the community members who helped make it happen. They talk about wh...

Send us Fan Mail Movie Manny returns with exciting news about directing a new short film "Legends Never Die," starring his wife, Claudia from Sew Loka and shot in their Barrio Logan sewing studio. Discover how a simple clothing patch can be transformed into a beautiful cinematic experience! Manny also gives exclusive updates on upcoming Sew Loka collaborations with SDFC, Uniqlo, San Dieg...

Send us Fan Mail Project Runway Season 14 winner Ashley Nell Tipton @ashleynelltipton⁩  joins us to share her journey as the first designer to feature plus-size models on the Project Runway stage. At 23, Ashley broke barriers in the fashion industry while navigating the intense pressures of reality TV. In this candid conversation, Ashley reveals the challenging behind-the-scenes reality of filming...

Send us Fan Mail Paul Chevallier @toofbush visits the @sewloka sewing studio in #barriologan to discuss #sewing #socialmedia #slowfashion shooting #videos creating #clothing and surviving in #sandiego  Recorded on 5/12/25 by @moviemannysd in Barrio Logan, San Diego, CA - 12:30pm PST  To learn more about Paul and @pleasetoofbush please visit Paul's website: https://www.toofbush.com To learn mo...

Send us Fan Mail Skills Pay Bills TV#106  feat. Chris Carson @bychriscarson  Chris Carson is an artist and cut and sew clothing designer living in San Diego, CA. Chris and Claudia talk about sewing, sustainability, San Diego, and slowing down. You can visit Chris in person at his clothing store "The Homegrown Project" @thehomegrownprojectsd 2440 Highland Ave, National City, CA 91950 Visi...

Send us Fan Mail Manny and Claudia are back for a new season of Skills Pay Bills 2025. They talk about "Ryde or Dye" and celebrating 12 years of Sew Loka, reciting prayers of gratitude at USD, recording new reels for KittiePIG, creating soccer balls for SDFC, and what's next for Sew Loka in 2025. There is so much to talk about and to be thankful for! Thank you for listening, we appr...

Send us Fan Mail Skills Pay Bills #104 - Official Sew Loka Interview (Oct 2024) SEW LOKA 2113 Logan Avenue, Suite B San Diego, CA 92113 https://sewloka.com/shop @sewloka @skillspaybillstv   https://sewloka.com/ Thank you for continuing to support Sew Loka and Skills Pay Bills, we appreciate you!

Send us Fan Mail Movie Manny #7 - "A Complete Unknown: Why Bob Dylan Is Important"    https://sewloka.com/ Thank you for continuing to support Sew Loka and Skills Pay Bills, we appreciate you!

Send us Fan Mail Skills Pay Bills #103 - Beazie Beats @beaziebeats | DJ & Music Producer  Claudia @sewloka sits down with Beazie Beats @beaziebeats DJ & Music Producer Beazie moved to San Diego a few months ago and he has been ON FIRE! Discovering new talent, collaborating with local San Diego musicians and releasing new tracks, albums and videos on the daily! Watch and listen to learn mor...

Send us Fan Mail Skills Pay Bills #102 - Johnny Walsh @johnnywalshcreatives Claudia interviews Johnny Walsh, a longtime friend and collaborator. Johnny has designed a bunch of our Sew Loka tee & flyer designs and you will see his branding work all over Sew Loka. Just recently, he rediscovered his love of singing, rapping and soul music! His talent is incredible and his hustle is unmatched! Enj...

Send us Fan Mail Movie Manny #5 - Alexx Catano @wearecatanation Manny and Alex talk movie theaters, drive-ins, home movies, and streaming. Also, they speculate on what's next for Comic Book movies... Watch on YouTube / Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts. Alex Catano is the host of the "We Are Catanation" Podcast, an audio podcast that highlights different artists and change make...

Send us Fan Mail Skills Pay Bills #101 "Sew Loka Summer" feat Manny Biezunski @moviemannysd   https://sewloka.com/ Thank you for continuing to support Sew Loka and Skills Pay Bills, we appreciate you!

Send us Fan Mail Skills Pay Bills #100 - Gabriela Ponce Curlango @gpwnce #barriologan #sandiego  Gabriela Ponce Curlango is a Mexican-American artist studying Fine Arts and Photography at San Diego City College. After spending seven years at Xbox as one of the nation’s leading women and Latinx professionals in video game development, she turned her full attention to pursuing a formal education in...

Send us Fan Mail Skills Pay Bills #99 feat Anthony Azzarito @poets_underground_. Anthony is not only a 10-year Army Veteran but also a published poet and a current psychology major. His journey into poetry began as a form of self-expression during his high school and into his military service, where he found solace and healing in the power of words. Now, as a co-owner of Poets Underground, Anthony...

Send us Fan Mail Skills Pay Bills #98 - Sunny Rey, Founder of Poets Underground @poets_underground_ (5/22/24) Sunny's story is one of resilience and triumph. Despite being born into homelessness and facing the challenges of foster care and adoption, Sunny emerged as a strong advocate for change. With nearly two decades of experience in the social work arena and three published books to her na...

Send us Fan Mail Skills Pay Bills #97 - Katie Ruiz @katieruizart Founder of the PomPom Project @thepompomprojectorg   https://sewloka.com/ Thank you for continuing to support Sew Loka and Skills Pay Bills, we appreciate you!

Send us Fan Mail Skills Pay Bills #95 - This is a Claudia solo update episode recorded on Valentine's Day 2024. In this episode, Claudia discusses her recent art installation at the SD INTL AIRPORT and she also talks about Embroidery Nights and being a Peacemaker award recipient. Lots of cool upcoming projects and events including "Noche de Cumbia" on Saturday, March 2nd, from 4-10p...

Send us Fan Mail On today’s episode of #skillspaybillstv Claudia @sewloka interviews the man, the myth, the legend …Vito DiStefano @thevitography a professional photographer living and working in San Diego. You can find his photos all over our website and social media. Click Play and listen to the full story of how we met and why we started working together. This is def one of our fav episodes! Pl...

Send us Fan Mail We recorded this podcast on New Years Eve (12/31/23) while driving to one of our favorite local coffee shops, so please excuse the sometimes "bumpy" audio, it is a metaphor for 2023, and speaking of 2023, this podcast #94 is all about reflecting on the past year and being honest about our successes and our shortcomings. This year was not easy, but we finished much strong...

Send us Fan Mail Skills Pay Bills #93 "You Reap What You Sew" Fashion Show Recap (Recorded on 12/16/23) "You Reap What You Sew" was a cut & sew fashion show by textile artist, Claudia Biezunski-Rodriguez @sewloka that took place on 12/9/23 at Bread & Salt in Logan Heights, San Diego Claudia @sewloka and Manny @_beesonskis RECAP the whole fashion show & they shout ou...

Send us Fan Mail Claudia @sewloka sits down with Sophie from @positive_phee to discuss secondhand fashion, thrifting, sustainability and the Sip & Style events she hosts all throughout San Diego. With a degree in fashion retail Sophie, "Phee" spent a decade immersed in the London luxury fashion & lingerie industries before moving to San Diego where she founded her sustainable fas...

Send us Fan Mail Claudia @sewloka sits down with Ainara Calahorra, creator of MuXu Creations @muxu.creations Claudia and Ainara met each other in 2021, right around the same time that Ainara left her career as a psychologist to follow her passion for sewing, creating and being a full time sewist/business owner.  Ainara is originally from Spain, and she is influenced by the strong women in her fami...

Send us Fan Mail Claudia @sewloka sits down with local artist Wendy Gracia @wendyispainting for a fun conversation about art, cats, teeth, piñatas, mosquito bites, and more art. Wendy is a fine artist based in San Diego and she has a very cool style that is all her own. She has shown in galleries around California (in San Diego, Orange County, and Los Angeles) and she is an all around amazing pers...