The Storied Stitching Podcast: Recent Episodes
Dr. Laura E. Sapelly
Join host Dr. Laura Sapelly as she talks with fellow textile artists. Discover how their early stitch experiences evolved into their current work. Get answers to how they deal with artist block. Live through a day in their studios - and learn the routines that keep them making. Join the storied stitching community---connecting us one story at a time. Find us at laurasapelly.com.
"...no one in my family were artists per se but everybody made things. And we would all make projects. My mother would get very enthusiastic...my mom made a lot of clothing...she taught me how to embroider, and that is something that I have still included and carry on in my work, I love that it's so portable... "
-Miriam Schaer
Miriam Schaer is a master of improv.
Schaer lives a life in service to art and friendship. Her work incorporates printmaking, bookmaking, dolls, and, more recently, knitting.
Pivoting is how Schaer has worked as an independent artist - often diving into the unknown and creating what she calls "lucky breaks."
But I am convinced that because Schaer was willing to take risks, and trust that all would work out....it has.
I met Schaer when she was a keynote speaker at the Kutztown Art Education conference way back in November 2013. After her lecture, I ran to the lectern to meet her. We've been in touch, on and off, ever since...
Discover Schaer's provocative embroidered work...
I connected to Schaer's Babies (Not) On Board: The Last Prejudice?
a series that explores the experiences of married women who do not have children.
Schaer's embroidery skills shine in these pieces that reveal how the product of women's loins
often overshadows any of their intellectual or artistic achievements.
Many of the most accomplished women - Virginia Woolf included -
had to deal with why they didn't have kids - a society blinded to their artistic genius!
Schaer has dealt with "childlessness" since her marriage.
She took what could've become bitterness or anger - and transformed it into a provocative, sublime art.
What astounds me is how people sometimes don't think at all about a couple's particular circumstances regarding
having/not having children... it's a choice, or it's a painful physical reality that denies them
fertility.
In this episode, we discuss:
* her transition from musician to visual artist
* how her high school guidance counselor tried to derail her art career
* how her relationship with NYC's Center for Book Arts has been central to her evolution
* the importance of mentoring her students, both art and non-art majors
Join Miriam Schaer and me as we talk about her life, family - and her improv way of life...
Find Schaer at miriamschaer.com
" Weaving is just my soul, you know."
- Christine Miller
For Christine Miller, weaving is a mystery.
Miller took a continuing education class at the University of Texas Austin. It was a weaving class. Because of that experience, she changed her major to art to learn about design.
There she overcame her childhood art block and dove headfirst Into weaving.
What attracted Miller to weaving is its mystery. As she says, you never know the end result, no matter how much planning.
Her full-time life as a professional artist complimented her classroom experience. Eager to bring fiber to the K - 12 classroom, Miller will for traditional studio practices with her textile processes that she taught her students.
To this end, her website, explorefiber.com, helps bring fiber arts to the masses.
Miller and I met in 2011 during a Surface Design Association conference. She was one of ten K - 12 are teachers who won a full scholarship to attend.
As she put it: “My conference experience was the most fabulous conference ever in my life!”
Since the pandemic, Miller teaches leaving with wire online continuing her evolution as an artist and art teacher—-and sharing her soul’s passion with others across the globe
Join Christine Miller and me as we discuss:
- Her coral reef collaboration with her husband
- Her cowboy boot collection
- The juice of art teaching
Watch the episode here
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Join Fenny Suter and me as we talk about how she always thought: “When I was waitressing or teaching I always wanted to be making art" - and turned it around to make it a reality!
Fenny Suter always knew she wanted to be an artist. As a child in Taiwan, she learned embroidery. Suter’s dream receded into the background until a student a Penn State. There, she began her journey making large-scale mixed media sculpture - that evolved into intimate "dreamscapes."
Join us as we discuss her transitions from student to art teacher to professional artist!
Watch the episode here
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Join Diane Fine and me as we talk about her life, family - and collaborations with fellow stitchers and printmakers.
A generous artist, Fine makes work that touches peoples every day lives. With her artist books, prints, or embroidery – Fine’s art connects with nature and often - humor. In addition to her long-standing collaborative work, she also embroiders sublime art for family and fundraisers. Watch the episode here
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Artist Johana Moscoso and I discuss her growing up as a girl surrounded by her aunt's sewing machines, a loving family who "loves to party and dance," and how it all informs her broad body of work - one that integrates textiles, embroidery, dance, and performance. Learn how she began making (sewing Barbie clothes!) and found a home in the art room, a school space where her ADD was an advantage rather than a hindrance. Recognizing her daughter's learning challenges, Moscoso's mother wholeheartedly supported her artistic talent, which was nurtured in Bogotá, Colombia. For Moscoso, family, migration, and a sense of dis/connection guide her work.
Join Johana Moscoso and me as we talk about her life, family, work - and her latest project, the Ingrid Lopez project.
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Artist Heidi Parkes and I discuss her evolution from a fulfilled high school art teacher devoted to ceramics to choosing to leave public school teaching - and pursue her newfound passion - quilting. Our leisurely conversation ranged from Parkes’s first sewing experience - an ”improv cross-stitch” to her development as an artist and art educator at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Parkes never lost sight of the lifestyle she envisioned: in 5th grade, she wanted to be a housewife when she grew up! Effortlessly, Parkes blurs the lines of domestic and artist labor. The hand is central. So is ensuring each of her students across the globe achieve success.
Join Heidi Parkes and me as we talk about integrating women’s work and art, crafting a life that is true to one’s self, worthy of wholehearted living.
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What's this episode really about?
Another terrific piece of “get and keep going advice” from L.A. based musician Aimee Mann:
“.. I compose songs for my cat...it makes the songwriting fun...”
How about stitching for your pet, or for someone you love….even if you NEVER intend to give it to them? This week's podcast is about strategies to keep going once you’ve sat down at your sewing table.
Hint: Start something sketchy
Get ready to review tips to get your stitch groove up and running in no time!
We’ll dig deep into…
>>Why “sampling” beats “ART”
>>Sketchy first drafts
>>Start to finish processes that will work for you!
If you've ever struggled being paralyzed by perfection paralysis, you won't want to miss this podcast!
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What's this episode really about?
E. L. Doctorow once said that
"Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."
This week's podcast is dedicated to getting started! Part 1
If you've ever struggled with getting to hand needle or the sewing machine - you won't want to miss this podcast!
WARNING: No idealized “lightning strikes and a completed piece emerges” story!
We’ll dig deep into…
>>Why 15 minutes is a day’s work
>>The motivational 1” picture frame
>>Turning on - and being unable to turn off!
So join us and get ready to be unblocked during this podcast episode!
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What's this episode really about?
We'll start with the complex definition of the word patch.
It's ancient history deriving from the French.
And then it's many iterations over the centuries.
Naturally, I will insert some of my own stories into these varying definitions over time that I found deeply disturbing and humorous…paradox rules its lengthy meanings.
Then, we will expand upon “patch” in relationship to quilting.
Specifically, we will dive into Patchwork and the one patch block design. I will discuss Barbara Brackman’s latest encyclopedia of pieced quilt patterns ---- and the difficulty of attribution and pinpointing quilt block designs.
Why? Over the centuries, women improvised, creating their own variations and names of quilt blocks.
Just to give you an idea of how massive this enterprise was for Brackman, her latest book is 500 pages and contains some 4,000 quilt blocks!
That's a lot of female design ingenuity for sure!
And likely many designs remain undocumented and lost to history…
Finally, we discuss the challenges I found in trying to decipher which quilt block I thought I adopted for a piece I made!
Brackman is right, when it comes to quilt blocks it's better to be fluid than rigid!
So join us and get ready to be patched and blocked during this podcast episode!
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What's this episode really about?
We get into some serious stories concerning the paradox of plain cloth in the United States.
First, we'll start with a review on the function of a colony- and how it went down in British North America
Then, we will discuss family life in pre-industrial New England on the eve of the revolution -
And how ministers got in the mix and motivated women and girls to become a part of the colony's boycott of British goods in the name of “Liberty.”
We will explore the definition of Liberty held dear by certain people ---and clothing made of plain cloth as a symbol of Independence - depending on what body wore it.
Finally, we will examine a textile manufacturer in post-revolutionary Rhode Island -
who embodied the unreal contradictions of freedom and enslavement and ultimately power, profit, and control that still motivates so many people and businesses in this country.
After listening to this episode, you’ll be more informed as to the connections between:
- cloth and gender,
- production and race that shaped
- and continue to shape deep-seated values lurking in the United States.
Join us for this podcast, and learn about muslin/plain cloth’s fractured history in the United States!!
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So many of us get SO sick of winter.
The cold, slush, short days….
We “fight” the cold-inducing slowness that threatens us.
Sluggishness. Laziness!
But what if we reframe our attitude. What if our natural feeling TO slow the pace was NATURAL?….
Katherine May, author of Wintering: The power of rest and retreat in difficult times, spoke of her many "winter" experiences.
Using wintering as a metaphor, May dives into the meanings of winter as a season but goes far beyond the literal.
She takes us on a journey of near-fatal illnesses, homeschooling, the 24/7 life of a university lecturer -and her own debilitating depressions.
She also finds humor and power in the Arctic and polar swims!
In winter, May argues that we naturally slow down, reach for books, blankets, and hot chocolate.
On today's podcast episode, I'm talking all about Loving Winter!
If you've ever wondered how people lived before electric light was invented, you won't want to miss this episode!
Head over here to check it out >>>
A bit of a deeply personal kind of episode where I'm digging deep into…
the urge to sustain our “summer” pace.
the guilt-inducing but essential “task” of doing nothing.
the challenges and discoveries I experienced throughout the pandemic, and how May’s book rescued me!
Talk soon! Peace!
Laura
P.S. Join my email list - get monthly sewing circle zoom link!---Get bonus free course! >>> HERE!
P.P.S. Listen to the latest podcast & Storied Stitching Seminars>>> HERE!
What's this episode really about?
In our introduction to muslin, we’ll discuss muslin’s storied history in Iraq, India- its popularity, its role in politics/economics and revolution---
and its role in the independence of India- Bangladesh-Pakistan from Great Britain.
You’ll see how a fabric holds so many stories- my personal experience with a particular grade of muslin- and then it’s massive world-shattering history!
We’ll detail its role in colonial and independent India-- and its continued legacy in India.
Join us for this podcast, and get the answers to the loaded history of muslin in India!!
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What's this episode really about?
We’ll be diving into the types of specialty threads out there! The main categories, their materials and when to use them….and how to experiment with them!
We’ll end by detailing thread finishes, which naturally affect how the thread acts and looks on your stitched project!
After listening to this episode, you’ll feel WAY more confident to experiment with various weights of threads! YES!
Join us for this podcast, and get the scoop metallic, jean, variegated, and a zillion other cool threads?!!
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What's this episode about?The straight pin has been around for centuries, and guess what? Its function has remained pretty much the same! Yes, it was used for putting fabric together, but it was also used as an early paper clip.
When I'm without a clip, I've been known to reach for one of my lovely glass headed straight pins to bind my papers!!!
What you'll learn in this episode is that it has a LOT in common with the evolution of the hand sewing needle (Episode 2)...INCLUDING the scary nickel used to produce it.
But you'll also find out the ORIGINAL use for ....the pincushion! Stop the presses! REALLY!
Join us for this podcast on the fascinating story of straight pins, and you'll never take yours for granted again!!
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The straight pin has been around for centuries, and guess what? Its function has remained pretty much the same! Yes, it was used for putting fabric together, but it was also used as an early paper clip.
When I'm without a clip, I've been known to reach for one of my lovely glass headed straight pins to bind my papers!!!
What you'll learn in this episode is that it has a LOT in common with the evolution of the hand sewing needle (all the details found in Episode 2)...INCLUDING the scary nickel used to produce it.
But you'll also find out the ORIGINAL use for ....the pincushion! Stop the presses! REALLY!
Join us for this podcast on the fascinating story of straight pins, and you'll never take yours for granted again!!
___________________________________________________________________
Hey there! Want to stitch with a seriously fun community? Yes?
Sign up to join our storied sewing circle!
BONUS: Receive a free course introducing my special technique, free-form stitching!
Sign me up!
**The needle is perhaps one of the most loaded yet ignored tools in human history. When I looked for scholarly articles on its history using a research one university library I came up short --- gravely short--- with references!
Unsurprisingly, the needle remains under-researched and under-analyzed as both a help and hindrance to women’s access to education and professions outside of the home. This episode discusses the needle’s 40,000-year evolution with major archaeological gaps. Learn about materials from which it was made as well as the dangerous processes used for their mass-produced manufacture during the industrial revolution.**
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Researching thimbles in scholarly literature proved as disappointing as sewing needles: I found a two-sentence entry in an encyclopedia!
Turning to the web I discovered it’s rich if gapped history and beauty. Apologies for the amount of “stunnings” and “beautifuls” in this podcast but I couldn’t contain myself. As I looked at thimbles with Moorish inlay, embossed and drawn images, encrusted with jewels made of bronze and other metals, well, you’ll understand!
Tune in to discover that the evolution of thimble art was truly a mix of east and west.
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**The history of the sewing machine is not so much about the tool itself: it’s about bad luck, resistance, fear, patent law, and some big egos!
Learn about the early wooden sewing machine built by a Frenchman to the battles between Americans Howe and Singer....Singer is not only are credited with our contemporary versions but also its mass production and installment payment plans.
Oh yes, there’s even a story about polygamy!**
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**Why did I start the story stitching podcast? Because needlework embodies a rich if checkered history of women’s work. Join me as I share my stories of stitching and how they marked my personal and scholarly life.
I invite you to grab your needles, sticks, hoops, or shuttles and make something beautiful as you listen to each episode. Share your stories with me on social---reflect upon how the stitch has influenced your life. Get ready to learn about all things textile in future episodes!**
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