Meeting Black Sewists Where They Are

Aleeda Crawley, President of the Modern Quilt Guild shares her personal journey into the world of quilting and tells of how she became president of the guild. The Guild itself is a powerhouse in the world of quilting – she tells us about its purpose and overall work. The Guild can be found at www.themodernquiltguild.com.

Karen Cooper – Executive Director of the Guild drops in to explain how the Guild has taken a stand for DEAI and is committed to being a place where all feel safe in expressing their opinions and coming together as a community to create together.

Chawne Kimber, (@cauchycomplete) the internationally known 2023 keynote speaker at QuiltCon and respected quilter whose work can be found in the Smithsonian Museum, tells of the genesis of her art, her purpose, and her love for the quilting community.

Latifa Saafir, the 2022 keynote, recounts her 2022 keynote, tells how she started the LA MQG, and shares her thoughts on modern quilting as well as her personal quilting storytelling journey. www.latifasaafirstudios.com

Lisa Woolfork, of Black Women Stitch recounts her personal journey in founding this organization. An Associate Professor at the University of Virginia, Lisa’s work was shaped by personal experience and her work toward a better future for black sewists is notable. Hear also of her adventures with her “little Bernette 33” sewing in transit across the country. www.blackwomenstitch.org

At the age of 13, Sara Trail became a powerhouse in the quilting community. She tells us how she learned to sew, wrote her first book at 13, released her first DVD at 15, attended UC Berkley and Harvard and became the Executive Director of the Social Justice Sewing Academy. Sara’s story is not to be missed! www.sjsacademy.org.

Finally, Peggy Martin, President of the Brown Sugar Stitchers shares her own personal sewing journey, the mission and the work of the organization founded in 2000, how the group got their name and their special relationship with the Gee’s Bend Quilters. www.bssquiltguild.com

Six strong women with six different experiences, stories and impact on their sewing community. It’s their passion for preserving the past, celebrating the present and fighting for a better tomorrow that makes them formidable as individuals and invincible together.

If you know someone who has an outstanding story that should be shared on this podcast, drop Meg a note to [email protected] or complete the form on our website.

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