Stitch Please

Sew Tales with The Telltale Tasha

Episode Summary

This week, Natasha Henry (The TellTale Tasha) shares her inspiring story with us. Her passion for sewing began when she wanted to alter her clothes after losing weight and not having the budget to buy new ones. In this episode, Tasha talks about the intersection of dance and sewing in her life, the influence of her trip to Panama and her Panamanian heritage on her creativity, and the intricate details of her gorgeous New York Frocktail dress. Throughout her journey, Tasha discovered her creative process and how sewing gives her the clarity she needs to achieve her goals. Her story is a testament to the transformative power of pursuing one's passions and a reminder that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible.

Episode Notes

Registration info: KINDRED SPIRITS: AN AFRICAN AMERICAN QUILTERS CONVERGENCE, June 15-17, 2023, Durham, NC

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

Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon

Black Women Stitch 2023 Wall Calendar

Amazon Store

Tasha Henry

Tasha is a widely talented creative with specialties in sewing and dance. She likes to make videos about travel, sewing, hair, lifestyle, and whatever else catches her interests. She describes herself as a multifaceted person who is proud of her Panamanian and Jamaican heritage.

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:

Tasha’s sewing story
Tasha’s creative endeavors
How her dance career boosts her creativity
Preserving traditions
Details about Tasha’s trip to Panama
Details about the dress she made for New York Frocktails
Tasha’s sewing space
Insights into her creative process
Getting inspiration and motivation from her sewing space

Quotes from the show:

After losing weight: “I was not rich, and I can’t go out and buy a whole new wardrobe, so I just had it in my mind that I was gonna go and find a sewing machine and was gonna fix all my clothes to fit me or change them” —Telltale Tasha in “Stitch Please”
On Tasha’s first piece: “You got a lot of good love out of it. It’s clear, when I wear this, I feel good. I love how I look in this garment, and that is the kind of love that we can generate through the love we have for making the things we wear” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
“When you have a multi-generational attachment to something, that’s excellent because it keeps the thing moving forward, you can sustain the traditions, but you can also practice them in a way and make sure they are preserved and pushed forward” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
On Tasha’s creative process: “When you walk into your space, you step into the fullness of a creative power” — Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”
On Tasha’s sewing space: “It really does pull my creativity even when I don’t want to sew. Sometimes I just come in here and play with the fabric and see it happen” — Telltale Tasha in “Stitch Please”
“The advice I would have to help people get their stitch together would be to not create out of a process of desperation, or stress, but to create from a place of love and excitement (…) so that you can continue to enjoy what you are creating” — Telltale Tasha in “Stitch Please”

Stay Connected:

Lisa Woolfork

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

The Telltale Tasha

Website: The Telltale Tasha

Youtube: The Telltale Tasha

Instagram: Tasha (@thetelltaletasha)

This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.