"...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 SchaerMiriam 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 loinsoften 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 regardinghaving/not having children... it's a choice, or it's a painful physical reality that denies themfertility. In this episode, we discuss:her transition from musician to visual artisthow her high school guidance counselor tried to derail her art careerhow her relationship with NYC's Center for Book Arts has been central to her evolutionthe 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 globeJoin Christine Miller and me as we discuss:Her coral reef collaboration with her husbandHer cowboy boot collectionThe juice of art teachingWatch the episode here__________________________________________________________________Hi there! Enjoying our podcasts? Sign up for our Storied Stitching newsletter!>>>Automatically get the latest podcast and video>>>Sign me up!

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__________________________________________________________________Hi there! Enjoying our podcasts? Sign up for our Storied Stitching newsletter!>>>Automatically get the latest podcast and video>>>Sign me up!

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__________________________________________________________________Hi there! Enjoying our podcasts? Sign up for our Storied Stitching newsletter!>>>Automatically get the latest podcast and video>>>Sign me up!

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.___________________________________________________________________Hey there! Enjoying our podcasts? Then, sign up for our Storied Stitching weekly newsletter!>>>Automatically get:the latest podcast and videoa free course introducing free-form stitching! detailed lesson plan for all educators and homeschoolers!>>>Sign me up!

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. ___________________________________________________________________Hey there! Sign up for our Storied Stitching weekly newsletter!>>>Automatically get:the latest podcast and videoa free course introducing free-form stitching! detailed lesson plan for all educators and homeschoolers!>>>Sign me up!

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 sketchyGet 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!___________________________________________________________________Hey there! Sign up for our weekly newsletter!>>>Automatically get:latest podcasta free course introducing free-form stitching! detailed lesson plan for all educators and homeschoolers!>>>Sign me up!

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 1If 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!___________________________________________________________________Hey there! Sign up for our weekly newsletter!>>>Automatically get zoom links to join our sewing circle! Get BONUS: Receive a free course introducing my special technique, free-form stitching! GET detailed lesson plan for all educators and homeschoolers!Sign me up!

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!___________________________________________________________________Hey there! Join our Storied Stitching Community!Get weekly emails with links to complimentary programs HERE!BONUS: Receive a free course introducing my special technique, free-form stitching with a lesson plan!Sign me up!

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!!___________________________________________________________________Hey there! Join our Storied Stitching Community! Get weekly emails with links to complimentary programs HERE!BONUS: Receive a free course introducing my special technique, free-form stitching with a lesson plan!Sign me up!