In this episode of the Stitch Please podcast, host Lisa Woolfork talks to Cecily Habimana, co-owner of Sew Creative Lounge, about the upcoming Sew Much Soul Quilting Conference. The conference, which will take place from April 14 to 17, 2023 will feature highly-skilled and professional sewing and quilting educators who will be teaching for free. Cecily explains that the conference was started in 2021 as a way to bring together the sewing and quilting communities in a virtual space during the pandemic. The conference is now in its fourth edition and has become a much-anticipated event for the community. The episode also features some of the instructors who will be teaching at the conference, including Lisa Shepard Stewart, Carol Gary Staples and Janet Green. Lisa will be teaching a class on creating a magic nine patch clutch, while Carol will be teaching a class on making scrappy Black girl magic. Janet Green explains how students in her class with learn that improvisation is a synonym for "play" and that perfectionism is a fallacy. Cecily also talks about the energy and attention to detail that goes into organizing a conference like So Much Soul, especially when it is held virtually. Throughout the episode, Lisa and Cecily discuss their experiences at other quilting conferences, including QuiltCon, which they both attended recently in Atlanta, Georgia. They also talk about the importance of bringing together Black communities within the sewing and quilting world, and the benefits of learning from different perspectives and techniques. Overall, the episode is a great preview of what attendees can expect at the Sew Much Soul Quilting Conference, and a celebration of our diversity and creativity.
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Cecily Habimana and Tisha Thorne met by chance in the hallway of a new building they both moved into back in 2006. They soon realized that they both had a passion for sewing.
The pair noticed that there really weren’t many places where people could take sewing classes, even though there was clearly a demand for it. So, they decided to fill that void and launch Sip and Sew DC, a three-hour workshop that teaches participants how to sew and complete a project such as a clutch, pants or skirt.
The response was overwhelming with many of the classes selling out from 2014-2016. Hosting pop-up classes was a lot of work and Cecily and Tisha’s husbands eventually urged the pair to find their own space. It was from their recommendation that pushed them to open Sew Creative Lounge in Mt. Rainier, MD.
Today Sew Creative Lounge teaches children and adult sewing classes and hosts summer camp at their home studio and satellite studio in Chicago. They also partner with various elementary schools throughout the DC metropolitan area including Yu Ying Public Charter School, Creative Minds Public Charter School, Center City Public Charter School and the Burke School. In response to the pandemic, Cecily and Tisha opened up an online store and began designing their own collection of fabrics. They excited about their work and are always eager to work with their students.
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.