Stitch Please

Beaute J'adore a chat with Nikki Brooks

Episode Summary

Nikki Brooks quit her well-paying corporate job to pursue sewing and blogging because corporate filled her bank account, not her soul and spirit. In this episode, she talks to Lisa Woolfork about her sewing story, starting her blog after her mom died, and why it is important to trust yourself and the journey. She also describes her creative process, turning complex tasks into simple ones, tips for summer sewing, and why it is important to create patterns for all people and body types.

Episode Notes

Check out our merch here

Leave a BACKSTITCH message and tell us about your favorite episode.

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Amazon Store

Dubsado helps me organize the podcast. Try it for 20% off.

Nikki Brooks

Beaute’ J’adore is the love child of Nikki Brooks-Revis: who is a wife, a mom to an awesome toddler, proud pet parent to Callie, Nelson, and Curious, sunglass lover, fashion admirer, foodie, DIY fanatic, closet Martha Stewart skincare enthusiast who also happens to be the style blogger for Mood Fabrics and a licensed pattern designer for McCall’s Patterns.

Lisa Woolfork

Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Insights from this episode:

Nikki’s sewing story
Her transition from the corporate world to sewing
The beauty of trusting in yourself
Her journey of altering patterns and pieces
How she can turn complex ideas into simple tasks
Insights into summer sewing
Creating for all body types

Quotes from the show:

On her sewing journey: “I was like I wanna make some clothes, and I ended up getting some more fabric, and I just started sewing, and I was like I’m kinda good at it and started making patterns” —Nikki Brooks in “Stitch Please”
“This is such a beautiful testimony to what it means to take a step of faith, to step and just see and trust yourself and the vision that you have to see yourself and your life differently” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
“It’s not about the time it takes, it’s about the time you give” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
“The reason we are sewing is because we wanna create something that will be unique to us” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
“When I think what I can make, I think about not just myself, because you do have to be true to yourself with these patterns, but I also think about how will other bodies look and feel in these patterns” —Nikki Brooks in “Stitch Please”
“Take a chance, make the risk and go out there and actually do it. People plan so much that they plan themselves out of actually going in and jumping in and doing it. Stop all the planning and do it!” —Nikki Brooks in “Stitch Please”

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Nikki Brooks

Website: Beaute' J'adore - The Art Of DIY

LinkedIn: Nikki Brooks

Instagram: Nikki Brooks

Facebook: Nikki Brooks

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.