Sandra Lee Chandler: Denim, History, Quilts

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.

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