Hello there! Get cozy…

Stitchers – whether you’re sitting in your comfy chair with your coffee, in your car,

or looking for ENGAGING content teaching in your home or in a school—

We’ve got your stitched stories covered!

Get ready for an in-depth look at the infinite definitions of patch and the challenge of identifying patch quilt designs! 

Vintage Cabbage Patch Doll:

But before we dive deeper, let’s get inspired!

 

 

 

Ready for inspo?

This episode’s quote is from Oakland – based chef, Preeti Mistry.

 

In answer to the question,

Which of your traits are you most proud of?

Mistry answered 

“I am myself. I refuse to fit into what people want me to be or expect me to be. I stand up for what I believe in and will fight for it..”  

And I think a lot of us would agree that trying to be oneself is very difficult, especially when you’re a woman!

We are socialized by both family and mass media to be certain things and it doesn’t matter how many opportunities we may or may have professionally or personally!

We still seem stuck in the same playbook, unable to wrench our way out of stereotypes –  married/single; divorced/single mom; stay at home/working mom….

it goes on and on….and there’s a tinge of disrepute clouding all of these identities, no matter how much one strives to attain their version of success….

Let’s strive to be like Mistry, and embrace OUR authentic selves!

______________________
Quote from  In the company of women: inspiration and advice from over 100 makers, artists, and entrepreneurs, by Grace Bonney. >>Get it >>>here

 

What quotation or saying inspires and motivates you to be yourself and do what you love?

So, which of your traits are you most proud of?

Share on Instagram, Facebook page, or in our private FB group, Storied Sewing Circle ( >>join here!)

 

 

 

Here’s my “patch” story—What’s yours?

I recall my eighth grade advanced math teacher, Mr. Michelevitch, strolling in with his various corduroy and plaid blazers – inevitably with the patched elbow!! 

We could always depend on some male character on a 70s television show wearing the same thing – 

a kind of goofy image of the intelligent older white man wearing a grimy corduroy blazer with contrasting patches on his elbows! But “patch” has SO many definitions and associations. 

It boggles the mind.

Quilt blocks and the idea of one, four, and nine patches remained a mystery for me for most of my life. I sewed clothes or dolls, not quilts.

Because I didn’t come from a tradition of quilting and barely heard of the practice while growing up, I had no story of the patched quilt block!

Vegetable patch, skin patch, cabbage patch kids, YES. Patch quilts? No.

Now, think about YOUR Patch memory! Does it have to do with quilting, mending, or some other experience?

What is YOUR “patch” story?

Share on Instagram, Facebook page or in our private FB group, Storied Sewing Circle ( >>join here!)

 

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 hey! References for educators and….. nerds!

 

Want more juicy info? Check out the refs below! Indulge in your LOVE of all things “stitch!”