Why I Sew

Latest Episodes:

Continuing the sewing legacy with Amy Barickman, Vintage Made Modern May 25, 2023

Show notes

Amy Barickman is the founder of Indygo Junction, a pattern company, featuring designs for home and fashion. She's the author of the best-seller, Vintage Notions and loves to discover vintage textile and needle arts treasures.

Amy grew up immersed in the sewing and crafting business, spending hours at her mother's creative arts retail store working and watching the business evolve along with the trends. The seeds of entrepreneurship took root in Amy, and she started her business designing and marketing collectible teddy bears while still in high school.

After graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in art and design, Amy founded Indygo Junction in 1990 to publish and market sewing books and patterns and to showcase the work of leading designers. Amy’s knack for anticipating popular trends has led her to discover more than 45 innovative artists and designers.

Over her years in our industry, Amy has:

published over 1200 pattern titles
sold nearly three million book and pattern titles.
licensed craft kits and fabric lines
published over 80 books that have sold at stores throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Amy, an avid collector, has one of the largest archives of vintage fashion and sewing books, images, and ephemera in the United States. This vintage collection is inspiration for many of Amy's modern patterns. Amy’s research into sewing history led her to discover her muse, Mary Brooks Picken, the founder of The Woman’s Institute of Domestic Arts & Science who was a fashion and sewing authority in the early 20th century. Amy realized she was compelled to share Picken’s timeless work with modern audiences.

That dream was brought to fruition when Amy published Amy Barickman's Vintage Notions: An Inspirational Guide to Needlework, Cooking, Sewing, Fashion and Fun. Vintage Notions is a treasury of the best lessons and domestic arts wisdom from Mary and The Woman’s Institute.

Amy recently had the opportunity to sell Indygo Junction to Prym Consumer USA, makers of Dritz® and Omnigrid® products. This change offered Amy the ability to focus on her passion for vintage made modern style creating content and products featured on AmyBarickman.com. She recently produced a series of online courses, showcasing the history of handmade which are focused on specific vintage textiles and notions. Themes range from Redwork Embroidery to Pearl Buttons, visit VintageModernMakers.com to see her Primer Courses.

Amy has also jumped back into the pattern business, with a new format that includes access to online Bonus Video Content and Look Books to inspire the maker. 2023 has offered Amy another brand to build. ABCreative is her new joint venture with Colonial Patterns makers of Aunt Martha’s Hot Iron Transfers. Her initial product launch is Treasured Threadz™, a series of fabric panels based on her collection of vintage art and textiles created specifically for upcycling with patchwork appliqué and small projects.

Amy encourages the use of thrifted fabrics and embellishing favorites from your closet. Her signature technique for Fusible Patch Applique includes ideas for adding hand quilting and embroidery accents to her Treasured Threadz™ panels.

Be sure to visit her blog to see her latest creative adventures!

Find Amy:

Website: amybarickman.com
Vintage Made Modern Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/amybarickmansvintagemademodern/
Instagram: @amybarickman_studio
YouTube: @amybarickman

Check out Amy's Sulky Thread collections: Amy Barickman Designer Boutiqué - https://sulky.com/amy-barickman/

The art & science of sewing with Barbara Emodi, author of Crafting for Murder May 11, 2023

Show notes

Learn all about Barbara Emodi, an incredible sewist who has made her own clothes since she was twelve.

Barbara has had a fascinating double life. While working as a journalist, public relations professional, political communicator, and radio commentator in her public life, she has also pursued her passion for sewing and teaching sewing classes in Canada, the US, and Australia in her private life.

As an experienced sewist, Barbara is particularly interested in solving construction puzzles and writing about the process. She has a long-running sewing blog and has published books about sewing, sharing her knowledge and expertise with others. Join us as we delve into Barbara's unique journey and learn more about the art and science of sewing.

[00:39] Introduction - Barbara recounts her upbringing, how she learned to sew, and how it has become an integral part of her life.

[08:00] From Zero to Sew - Advice for first-time garment makers

[09:31] Tools and Techniques – We discuss common problems experienced sewers may encounter while making garments and how these can be solved with tools and notions. Also, Barbara shares her preferred weights of thread for topstitching garments.

[12:43] Writing About Sewing - Barbara's transition from sewing as a hobby to writing instructional content about sewing, including the target audience for her instructional writings, the source of her sewing techniques, and tips.

[23:02] Barbara's Book – We cover Barbara's motivations for writing her book, Crafting for Murder: A Gasper's Cove Cozy Mystery.

[27:08] Passion and Inspiration - Barbara shares what draws her to sewing and the people who significantly impacted her journey.

Connect with Barbara:

Website: babsemodi.com
Blog: babsemodi.com/blog-posts
YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UC8rmt-3GymbgOUNHGHcSlmw/videos?view=0

Mentioned in the episode:

Crafting for Murder: A Gasper's Cove Cozy Mystery (Volume 1): https://amzn.to/3MR58Wj
SEW ... The Garment-Making Book of Knowledge: Real-Life Lessons from a Serial Sewist: https://amzn.to/3mKbxb9
Stress-free Sewing Solutions: A NO-FAIL guide to Garments for the Modern Sewist: https://amzn.to/40avrd6

The above links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links Sulky may receive a commission.

Sewing for the Bride with Rae Cumbie, Fit for Art Patterns Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

Rae Cumbie is Creative Director at Fit for Art Patterns whose four core patterns yield one great wardrobe! Her coaching, blog posts, online classes, retreats, Threads articles and Sew News fitting column encourages stitchers to sew successfully: adding fun, comfortable, fabulously fitting, artful and creative additions to their wardrobe.

Learn why SHE sews and get inspired to create a fabulous garment that fits and flatters your body type. Find Rae: Blog: Sew! Let’s Get Dressed at fitforartpatterns.com

Providing embroidery solutions with Eileen Roche, Designs in Machine Embroidery Apr 13, 2023

Show notes

Eileen Roche is the founder and creative visionary behind Designs in Machine Embroidery, focused on inspiring and educating readers on all aspects of machine embroidery. Eileen’s talent, creativity and enthusiasm distinguish her from others in the industry and are the driving force behind the company’s success. Many have been clamoring for more, more, and more inspiration and information on machine embroidery. That’s how Eileen’s Machine Embroidery Blog began.

Find Eileen & Designs in Machine Embroidery:

Blog: https://blog.dzgns.com/
Website https://www.shop.dzgns.com/

The luckiest quilter alive: Elizabeth Beck, Tandem Quilting Co. Mar 30, 2023

Show notes

Born into a very artsy home, Elizabeth found the quilting world around age 28. She continued to quilt and learn and in 2009, opened her own cottage business.

Elizabeth thought she'd focus "mostly" on making T-shirt quilts. But Elizabeth Beck Quilts quickly grew into much more than that.

She met a refugee in 2017 who had been creating and constructing wedding dresses in Damascus, Syria. They began working together, which led her to more and more refugee women who had such amazing sewing skills and wild survival stories.

Soon after, she decided to pivot her business and change the mission. Tandem Quilting Co. grew as a place where people worked "together" like a tandem bike. They are a humble, apartment-based company where each woman is able to work out of her home, therefore eliminating the need for childcare or a car. Elizabeth travels to them, they drink tea while discussing the next project, communicating with google translate if needed. The women are such a joy and work very hard. They now employ 8 women who are originally from Burma, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Tandem Quilting Co strives to employ, empower and encourage local women with global roots.

They have two main hashtags: #bettertogether and #everystorymatters

Instagram: tandemquiltingco

Facebook: Tandem Quilting Co.

Website: www.tandemquiltingco.com

Elizabeth's Favorite Notions: seam ripper ( of course!), knit picker (to hide knots on quilts),

Fabric sheets for InkJet Printers and always Sulky Thread!

Making an Imprint with Sewing with Jennifer Tryon, HomeMade Mar 24, 2023

Show notes

Jennifer Tryon spent 20 years as a television news reporter, covering some of the most important moments in recent history. But nothing felt as good as making. So her two worlds merged. She regularly appears as the DIY expert on Global TV’s The Morning Show, create during Craft & Sewing events on TSC in Canada and HSN in the US. Learn why she loves to sew and what keeps her going.

Find Jennifer:

Fighting anxiety & depression with machine embroidery, Zandra Shaw of EmbroiderShoppe Mar 02, 2023

Show notes

Embroidery Expert Zandra Shaw, of the Embroider Shoppe, focuses on a variety of techniques that include organza, appliqué, lace, patches, and 3D flower embroidery. Her philosophy: “Don’t hoop yourself in! There is life beyond the small hoop.”

Find Zandra:

Website: embroidershoppe.com
Sulky Webcast: Hexis in the Hoop
Social:
- Facebook: @Embroidershoppe
- Instagram: @embroidershoppe1
- YouTube: @embroidershoppe

Sewing as a meditative process with Abby Glassenberg, Craft Industry Alliance Feb 16, 2023

Show notes

Abby Glassenberg co-founded Craft Industry Alliance and now serves as its president. She’s a sewing pattern designer, teacher and journalist. She has created an outstanding trade association for the crafts industry. Abby lives with her family in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Find Abby

Website: Craft Industry Alliance
Social: @craftindustryalliance

"I enjoy English Paper Piecing, and of course sewing stuffed animals and dolls with fleece. Hemostats are my favorite sewing tool of all time!"

Bringing beauty into the world with Dale Allen-Rowse, Quilting Cowboy Feb 02, 2023

Show notes

Dale Allen-Rowse, a.k.a the Quilting Cowboy, has been quilting since the birth of his niece in 1999 when he first taught himself how to make baby quilts on a tour bus for a ballet company. Ever since, Dale has been sewing up a storm. Learn more about his journey in the sewing world and what keeps him going.

In 2009 Dale enrolled in college for Graphic Design to better his color theory, graphic design and computer skills. What he learned through a formal education really launched his creativity and enabled him to put to use graphic design skills in his work. Dale’s quilts have appeared in the Ontario Museum of History & Art, the current issue of Las Vegas Night Beat where he’s the feature cover story, numerous quilt shows around Southern California and most recently was asked to submit his work to be considered as set design for NBC's Making It, starring Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman.

FROM DALE:

People have asked me why 'Quilting Cowboy’ as my brand?

I guess it’s because I feel the most comfortable in my cowboy boots, a baseball cap and a flannel shirt... But, if I’m completely honest, it really began like this:

The day my first marriage ended I had really no where to go so I got in the car and drove and drove. Eventually I found myself dreary eyed and exhausted on every level from all that had passed, not just that day, but for years.

At that moment I felt lost and yet somehow found. The weight of that relationship falling off my shoulders and nothing but opportunity ahead. A mix of emotions I had not previously known. When I finally stopped driving, I got out to assess where I was. In front of me was a Feed, Bait and Tackle Shop where I saw this incredible pair of cowboy boots. I tried them on and they felt like home.

Ever since then, I have worn these same boots almost every day. They are an expression and a reminder to always remain true to who I am. This sentiment is also reflected in my logo, the sewing needles and pins represent my North Star which is creativity and joy.

Find Dale:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QuiltingCowboy/
Website: http://quiltingcowboy.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/QuiltingCowboy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quiltingcowboy/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@userquiltingcowboy
Tumblr: https://quiltingcowboy.tumblr.com/aboutauthor

Smocking, embroidery & heirloom roots with Martha Pullen Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

Martha Pullen is a legendary teacher in the sewing world. Her devoted students became loyal customers because she made them believe they could do anything - even the most intricate and delicate heirloom sewing technique.

Martha started Sew Beautiful, a bi-monthly magazine that brought new awareness of top designers to the sewing market. In print for more than 30 years, this magazine was a staple in the homes of sewists who loved to make beautiful garments. Many designers got their start in the pages of Sew Beautiful and launched successful design businesses.

Her television show, Martha’s Sewing Room, was well received by the PBS audience, and it aired in all 50 states and Canada for 17 years. It was even translated into Japanese, making Martha Pullen a household name in sewing internationally.

In 2014, she wrote her business book, G.R.A.C.E, Keys to Entrepreneurship. She's as passionate about sharing her business knowledge and expertise as she ever was about teaching her heirloom sewing techniques.

Martha Pullen has received many honors and accolades throughout her life. And most recently, the Alabama Department of History has mounted an exhibit devoted to Martha Pullen’s lifetime of work. The Alabama Museum of Archives and History is located in the Capital and the Martha Pullen Exhibition will be open to the public sometime in 2022. When asked what’s next for her, Martha indicated there is a whole new chapter coming. She said, “It’s going to be a whole new Martha Campbell Pullen, and I think people will be surprised. I love learning almost as much as I love teaching, and it feels like technology has finally caught up with my desire to teach everybody in the world."