Stitch Please

Sandra Lee Chandler: Denim, History, Quilts

Episode Summary

QUILTCON IS NEXT WEEK!! Today, we are speaking with QuiltCon 2023 lecturer Sandra Lee Chandler. A quilter, designer, and BERNINA ambassador, Sandra learned sewing and quilting from her teacher in seventh grade. Later as a university student, Sandra decided to get an undergraduate degree in the same field that had long intrigued her. In this episode, she talks to Lisa about her sewing journey, lessons she learned from Arizona State University, and why it is essential to understand the value of our craft. Sandra also highlights her excitement about Quiltcon, especially since it’s happening during Black History month.

Episode Notes

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Black Women Stitch 2023 Wall Calendar

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Indigo: In Search of the Color that Seduced the World

Sew Black Info

Thanks to our Sew Black underwriters: Spoonflower (enter SEWBLACKQC for 20%off) and Moda. Additional support: Bernina

Material support provided by Accuquilt, , Aurifil, Crimson Tate (enter SEWBLACKQC for 10% off),  My Notions,  Ruby Star Society,  Spoonflower

Road to QuiltCon: Trains, Planes, and Automobiles is sponsored by  Bernina in partnership with Amtrak and material support by SewEzi

,Sandra Lee Chandler

Sandra Lee Chandler specializes in making denim quilts and teaching the Sashiko and Boro methods of stitching. She travels domestically and internationally to provide virtual or live lectures and workshops for your guild. She believes every crafter can be creative. She finds joy in empowering her students to bring out their creative side. She loves teaching and speaking to groups about her creative process. She believes there is creativity in every one of us, and it’s her job to help you find it.

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 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:

• Sandra’s sewing journey
• Sandra falling in love with fabric
• Studying sewing as an undergrad at Arizona State University
• Lessons she learned at Arizona State University
• Details about the lectures she offers
• Working as an influencer
• Understanding the value of our (Black women) craft
• The importance of showing up
• Celebrating Black History month through sewing

Quotes from the show:

• “I was the person that walked in the room, and if she (her teacher) said, jump, I said how high?”  —Sandra Lee Chandler in “Stitch Please”
• “For me, quilting and sewing are synonymous. Like sewing garments and quilt sewings go hand in hand, so I learned both at the same time in 7th grade home economics”  —Sandra Lee Chandler in “Stitch Please”
• “Understanding the why before the rules are what I feel sets me apart from, or sets me in a whole lane of my own” —Sandra Lee Chandler in “Stitch Please”
• “The past is precedent, and the past is evidence, and that we are walking in footsteps that have been traveled by our ancestors” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
• “We, as Black women. have to understand our value. I work at my craft.  You work at your craft” —Sandra Lee Chandler in “Stitch Please”
• “When I go to conferences, if there’s a Black person that’s vending, I always buy something, even if I don’t need it” —Sandra Lee Chandler in “Stitch Please”
• “Good enough is good enough. If you are able to get through whatever you are doing, just get it done." --Sandra Lee Chandler in "Stitch Please"
• "Don’t major in the minors, live in the moment, get it done!” —Sandra Lee Chandler in “Stitch Please”

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

Sandra Lee Chandler

Website: https://sandrajohnsondesigns.com

Instagram: Sandra Lee Chandler

Facebook: Sandra Lee Chandler

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.