Lisa Woolfork 0:14
Hello, Stitchers. Welcome to Stitch Please, the official podcast of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. I'm your host, Lisa Woolfork. I'm a fourth generation sewing enthusiast with more than 20 years of sewing experience. I am looking forward to today's conversation. So sit back, relax, and get ready to get your stitch together. Hello, everybody, and welcome, again to a super special episode of the Stitch Please podcast. And as you know, I say every episode is special. And I'm right, because they all are! But today's is especially special because here we are, early July, people are sewing and thinking about sewing. And one of the things I love about the Instagram sewing community is the sewing challenges. You might recall back in May, we had a Mother's Day Challenge, and we talked with the two folks who were hosting that. And today we have two sewing challenge leaders with us today. And that is Nesha Wright and Jacinta Green, who both created sewing challenges that have numbers in them. And I'm so corny. I was like wait, it's a 30 and a 60. So we have two sewing challenges: Whole 30, which is created by Jacinta Green, and the 60 Day No Spin Challenge by Nesha Wright. So welcome you both, welcome to the program. Thank you for being here today.
Nesha Wright 1:47
[Nesha and Jacinta cheer in the background.] Thank you for having us, Lisa, girl!
Lisa Woolfork 1:52
All right. All right. So listen, as I am gonna be honest with y'all. Listeners, I already told our two wonderful guests, who I admire, who do great sewing, who have great sense of style and great energy, that while I loved and appreciated their challenges, I did not know if I personally could do either one of them. However, I am so excited to talk about it. Because what I love about sewing challenges is that it gets us to think in deliberate ways about our sewing practice. So I want to start with Nesha, because your challenge started a little while ago. So can you talk about the 60 day challenge that you put together? And then we'll turn to Jacinta to see more about her.
Nesha Wright 2:39
Yeah, so last year, earlier on in COVID when we were all in quarantine in our homes and couldn't go anywhere, I found myself buying lots and lots of fabric online because there was really nothing else to do. I wasn't having to go to court. I had some family law cases, but we were doing those virtually. And I realized I'm buying all of this beautiful fabric with all these great plans. Because every time I see a new pattern, I get some more fabric, oh, this is perfect for this particular pattern. And then it goes into the closet, the pattern goes into the box. And then I move on to the next pattern, the next fabric and I realized I wasn't selling as much as I was buying. And so I said, wow, I'll try 60 days. And I kind of put it out there. I didn't think anybody would do it with me. And I was very surprised and humbled by everyone on Instagram kind of joining in. And I decided this year, we're still in the middle of a pandemic. But I wanted to try again. Because last year, I sold about eight or nine different garments in 60 days. And that was the most I had sewn any period of time without buying new fabric or new patterns. And so I said, well, let's just try to keep this going, and did it again this year. And I hear you when you say you're not-- you don't think you're capable of doing the 60 days. I always tell people if you can't do 60 days, try a week, because I don't know if you're like meanwhile you're sitting on the couch or you're watching TV. You're like surfing the web for more fabrics, more patterns, looking at more designs to see what people are doing. It's like oh, that would look good on me. To get this I should get that. And I feel like if you can try it for a week or two weeks, that will get you closer to doing the 60 days down the line.
Lisa Woolfork 4:17
What I love about your store, Nesha, is that you got to see, you know, this is where I am. This is how I'm spending my kind of idle time like when I'm like relaxing, or even mindlessly, like just shopping, and buying, and consuming. And that you were able to identify something that you were doing in your own life that made you reflect about your sewing practice as a whole. And that is something I really admire about what you put together. Now Jacinta, I'm going to turn to you. Do you have a similar story of because the way that Nesha described her story, just kind of buying and buying-- I saw you nodding as she was saying yes, I've been in this buying situation background buying. Do you have a similar story that got you along the path of kinda being more mindful about what you purchased? And how?
Jacinta Green 5:01
Yeah, actually, mine goes like super deep. Um, and Lisa, you and I have talked about my background before, but I didn't grow up with anything. And when you start making like real money, and you grew up with nothing, you, like, some of us still have a poverty mentality. And for me, that manifested in consuming and buying things, because that was like a form of safety. But I still couldn't believe that I had money, I still can't believe-- it hasn't actually been very long. And so over the last year, I started to become more intentional about a lot of things in my life, the kind of work that I want to do, so I quit my job. Um, but I did find a job before that. Um-- making sure I went to therapy, making sure I got started with a financial planner, making sure I was seeing a nutritionist. So all of these things were intentional. And sewing is such a massive, massive part of my life. It was only natural that that was part of that too. And every year, I put together sewing goals. I never accomplish a single one of them.
Lisa Woolfork 6:15
Give me an example of some of your sewing goals that you would put together.
Jacinta Green 6:18
Right. I was like, I want to finish all my UFOs. Hence, the UFO challenge. I want to sew like a lot of my fabric without buying any, hence this challenge. I want to make a suit jacket, because that is, like-- I'm gonna be doing a sewing challenge in October. Basically face your fears Halloween special. That one thing that scares you, that's--
Lisa Woolfork 6:44
[Overlapping] Oh, that's cheeky!
Nesha Wright 6:47
[Overlapping] That sounds so fun!
Jacinta Green 6:48
Yeah, and so-- yeah.
Lisa Woolfork 6:49
Nesha makes a lot of suits. She makes a lot of suits.
Jacinta Green 6:52
Girl, I need to be all up in your DMs, I need to be all in your business like it pays me. [Jacinta laughs.] But yeah, and so also, like-- I was in the process, I knew I was gonna be moving. And I was originally supposed to move to Chicago and I had so much anxiety about packing up my sewing room, because I have so much stuff. And I was like, You know what, I'm sick of this. I'm sick of like, not using my good fabric. I'm sick of continuing to like buy, buy, buy, and then getting sick of that fabric and never using it. And I'm tired of giving all this fabric away. So I was like, you know what? You know, because I'm very much into nutrition. And there was some controversy about the name of my challenge. They said it, [unintelligible] diet culture.
Nesha Wright 7:40
Yeah.
Jacinta Green 7:41
Which-- I guess I could see those arguments, but it's literally called the whole 30 fabric challenge, so it has nothing to do with that. But I was like, Okay, well let's do this. Let's do what most-- I said no sewer has done before, because that's, like, catchy. [Someone chuckles in the background.] But you know, a lot of people have a hard time using stuff in their stash. They'll be like, you know what, I really need some white for this. Let me just pop down to Pacific fabrics, or Joanne. And I'm, you know, last year, I made this coat and it's brilliant and beautiful. But I didn't have any lining fabric. And I was like, Well, let me just use this black and red polka dot weird fabric that I know I'm not going to use, and it ended up being spectacular. It's like my favorite thing in my closet. So that's what led to this. It's a lot deeper than people realize. But it's extremely important to me.
Lisa Woolfork 8:34
What I think that connects Jacinta and Nesha's challenges is mindful consumerism. You know, I mean, it really is about being mindful about the things that we buy, and acknowledging that sometimes we buy things to feel better. I certainly do. You know, it's like, oh, I'm feeling a little low. Or I'm like, oh, I just, I'm sad, because, you know, I can't go out, or whatever. So let me go and buy some lipsticks. You know? Or let me go and-- especially with sewing because you look at a pattern, like Nesha was saying, and it just seems to offer you so much hope, you know, to me it's so much possibility. Like, oh, I want to buy this pattern. And then I'm gonna make this outfit, and then I'm gonna love it, and wear it, and it's gonna be great. All of these things happen to be true. But I have far more patterns in my stash. And then I have close to 1000 and there is no way I'm ever going to sew every single one of those patterns, that's just not a thing. And so, Nesha, can you just talk a bit about the-- like, I love how you said if you can't do 60 days, just start with the first week. What do you want people to be thinking about as they are deciding should I buy or should I not buy?
Nesha Wright 9:56
It's like Jacinta said with intentionality, and I love that part. And I know you asked me the question, but I love that. And some of the things that she's posted on Instagram, it talks about using that fancy fabric, because what are you really saving it for? And we buy these beautiful, beautiful fabrics. And certainly when I get my Nina Ramel boxes, when I can actually get them, and it's like, I hoard it, and I hold on to it. And I'm like, this is gonna make the greatest jumpsuit, and if that jumpsuit never materializes because I'm too afraid to cut into it, because I don't want to mess up the fabric. But it goes back to trying to figure out what did I really want to sew with this fabric when I first bought it, and am I actually going to put that plan into practice. I think it's that follow through, because I know when we're sewing, certainly with me, um, and I have ADHD, I get pulled in so many different directions. And I'll change my mind midstream. And I want people to know that you can start with the fabric from your stash, even if it's something that you just got, that you didn't spend a whole lot of money for, or if it's something that you spent 20, 30 dollars per yard for and just use a pattern that you've done before. Like just this [unintelligible] before Whole 30, I've made one jumpsuit five or six times and I love it, and I choose my expensive fabric store because it feels soft and silky against my skin. And I just love it. And so I guess what I really want for people to do is to conquer that fear of cutting into that pricey fabric. And that fear of sewing a new pattern and having to do pattern fitting. One of the things that kind of stopped me earlier on from sewing more patterns was trying to figure out how to fit them to my body. And that was before I really discovered indie patterns, patterns that are made for curves, and women with hips, and bust, and bellies and, really researching and finding other souls who would share what they were doing. And once I dedicated the first 60 days last year to-- this is-- I have got to figure out how to do a proper full bust adjustment, I've got to figure out how to do a full seat adjustment, I've got to figure out how to do a full tummy adjustment. Not buying any new fabric really kind of pushes you forward because you can't say that excuse of "Oh, I'm just gonna go to Joanne's real quick and look for this." Or "I've had a bad day", I would do this all the time after court. "These people are crazy. I'm going to Joanne's, clear my mind. I'll see what they have, I might come out with some fabric, I might come out with some new notions." And so when you're not doing that, it really focuses you on let's get these UFOs done, let's start this new project. Let's commit to this new skill or or let's figure out-- and this year, I didn't get as much time to sew. So this year, I spent more time during the 60 days, "let's spruce up my sewing studio". I bought new storage, I bought new notions, I bought things that I have been putting off because it's like when you're constantly sewing, sewing, sewing, you don't realize that you've got this ratty-tatty old iron. [Lisa laughs in the background.] And it's like, I need a new iron. So instead of $150 on new fabric, let me go buy this really nice iron and really nice ironing board that is going to help me get to the next level. So you really start to think about where your dollars are going, am I gonna spend-- because I was all over those fourth of July sales. I'm not gonna lie, I was like, yeah, no, I can either do that, or I could take all of this money that I'm going to buy and buy a new sewing machine. And that's exactly what I did.
Lisa Woolfork 13:15
Oh my goodness,
Nesha Wright 13:16
Where do you want your dollars to go when you're sewing? Because there's always something else that we see beyond fabric and patterns that can help us evolve and help us grow as sewists, so.
Lisa Woolfork 13:27
I love that.
Jacinta Green 13:29
Love you! [Laughter]
Lisa Woolfork 13:31
Exactly, because as you were talking, Nesha, I was thinking reallocating resources. Reallocating resources that-- each of us has resources, we all have resources to a variety of degree, right, we've got the machine, we've got the fabrics, we've got notions and patterns. And if we don't, we can acquire these things. But we also have to manage these resources. And the thing that seems to be most precious of all that is too often overlooked is the resource of our time. And that is something that is irreplaceable, that our time is so valuable. And if we don't prioritize it, nobody else will. It is our job to protect our time. And it is our job to protect our resources. And so I'm going to turn to Jacinta and to think about how do you imagine your-- what kind of lessons does the Whole 30 fabric challenge, what kind of lessons in terms of resource management do you think is apparent for those who are participating in your challenge?
Jacinta Green 14:34
So you said something a long time ago, and I don't quite remember what it was, but it caused me to go to my stories and write "I am my favorite sewer". Like yes, I have my obsessions like Lisa, Erica. Just like Sheree, when I'm obsessed with other sewer. But at the end of the day, I'm my favorite sewer. And it's because, you know, I make do, I, when I run out of fabric, I don't actually run to the store. I'll figure out what I have in there. And I want people to be super creative because people are always like, "Where do you come up with your ideas? You put all these different fabrics together," and I was like, well, that's all I had. And so I want people to-- gosh, this is gonna sound horrible-- be less boring!
Nesha Wright 15:28
Be less boring? [Nesha and Lisa laugh.]
Jacinta Green 15:29
Funky crids for your inside pockets. Like, you know, use what you have, be creative. Like think outside the box, it'll-- like we all sew because we don't find what we want in our size at the price we want to pay. And some of us because we love it. And so-- I want to force creativity. And y'all, I have gotten so many DMs about loopholes. I'm like, there are no loopholes.
Lisa Woolfork 15:59
Loopholes?! [Lisa laughs.]
Jacinta Green 16:00
If you buy fabric, you have to start over. And you have to admit it to me. Because I'm your accountability partner, essentially.
Lisa Woolfork 16:08
You've gotta have accountability!
Jacinta Green 16:10
You got it. And so I want people like-- oh, Nesha what you said about reallocating-- my financial planner and I put me on a $150 a month sewing budget. That includes classes, that's notions, that's organizational stuff, all of that.
Lisa Woolfork 16:28
Can you bank it? So if you don't use it in a month, you can bank--
Jacinta Green 16:30
Yep, I was like--
Lisa Woolfork 16:32
Okay.
Jacinta Green 16:32
Oh, this is the one I want to roll over if I don't use it. And so I, because I'm not buying anything other than my fabulous LA trip where I actually was under budget, I bought a new sewing table to hold all of my machines. So like Nesha said, I am reallocating my time, I am reallocating my resources, and I am using fabric in a different way than even I had originally intended. Because I don't even remember why I bought some different fabrics. But yeah, I want people to be creative.
Nesha Wright 17:09
When you say you're forcing creativity, that's exactly what it forces you to do. Because you can't go out and find that perfect matching something, you have to look in your stash, you have to find something that's going to coordinate and we all have additional fabric that will coordinate with every other piece that we have as we tend to buy the same colors and patterns anyway. And when you're going through, you find fabrics like oh, God, I didn't even know I had that, I thought I used that, and you realize: oh, wait, I have three extra yards because I bought seven yards. Last time I only sewed up to four. Well, I can make something new with this. And it'll complement something already in my closet. And it really does force you to be more creative, and really forces you to assess what you have and appreciate what you have.
Lisa Woolfork 17:51
And what I was thinking about is the difference between limits and boundaries, limits and boundaries. Both of these things sound like they're the same, right? But for some reason, the word boundaries feels more expansive than limits, you know? But both of these-- at least what I'm receiving from your challenges is that it's helping me ask questions, right? Like, I have plans. And again, I've been sewing for like, you know, since I was in graduate school in the late 90s. Right, so that's like 25 years of accumulation of some patterns. I know for sure, because I looked at the copyright dates, I have patterns that I still sew for my husband up until recently from 1997. Right? This is because men's fashion doesn't change that much in the pattern printing industry. So it gives you like one to three good men's patterns and they're like "Y'all good forever with these. When I can never change nothing for y'all. It's gonna be a button up Oxford. That's all you ever get". So it's quite boring. But in terms of like fabric and stuff, you are absolutely right, that when I buy it, it's precious. I love it. And it's just like, that's why I had those swatch cards that I made. I think I said, I put them into Patreon, that helps me record every piece that I get when I get it.
Nesha Wright 19:15
Yes, exactly! [Laughter.]
Jacinta Green 19:17
All right. I keep that on my desk, by the way. And for listeners, it's a Black Women Stitch sticker that's going on my Microsoft issued computer. Sorry.
Lisa Woolfork 19:27
Can I ask y'all, what is the most expensive piece of fabric? Or how about this? What is the bravest thing either of you have ever done in the context of your challenges? Did you cut a super expensive piece of fabric? Did you find a piece of fabric that you had for a really long time? Did you complete a project that you thought you'd hit-- can I let you think about that a second?
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Did you complete a project that you had kind of been putting off? I guess, because it's such a mindful challenge, I'm wondering what benefit you have gotten from it so far. Jacinta, I think you have something on you, you got it first.
Jacinta Green 20:51
Yeah. Well, you know, we just finished the UFO challenge, the unfinished project challenge, which was something I wanted to do for years and could not do. And the thing is-- and people were really scared to do it. And I said, you guys, you are literally at your best right now. Think of all like the time that you have spent sewing, like when you stopped that project, your knowledge has expanded. And so I actually did a pattern that I started my first year and I never finished because it was too hard. And it took me hours to get to nothing. I did it in May. I finished it in less than an hour. And then I made three. So you know you are literally your best sewer right now you are at the top of your skill set right now. And so I revisited patterns that I stopped because I got too frustrated, I couldn't finish. I didn't know what to do. There are all these issues. And I did them so fast. Remember, I did 21 projects in a week. I finished 21 in a week because it was the week I had off in between jobs. And so I was just like banging it out. And I was like, dang, girl, you got so good. But remember why you stopped these projects, it's because it got too hard. And so for the UFO challenge, it did challenge a lot of people to revisit, and also to like look at it and be like, you know what, this doesn't bring me any joy. I'm not gonna finish this, I'm going to give it away, or I'm going to put it in the garbage, which is not sustainable. But it is what it is, I definitely threw away like five projects that no longer served me. And so it actually taught me a lot about my own boundaries and what I'm willing to put up with, and this-- also the mental space that unfinished projects occupy, which was wild to me, I never thought of it like that. But I was like, when I finished it was this huge weight off of my shoulders. Yeah, it was like, I no longer worry about these projects just sitting in a bed. So that was for me was huge.
Lisa Woolfork 23:04
It's a gift you're giving yourself.
Nesha Wright 23:06
Yes.
Lisa Woolfork 23:08
How about you, Nesha? Do you have any similar stories where you felt like this was something that was hard, I put off. This is what I kind of got in return-- the sewing machine, buying yourself the new sewing machine and the new iron. That's pretty great.
Nesha Wright 23:21
Yeah, I was very stoked about those purchases. Um, the thing that first came to mind was learning really how to do a full bust adjustment. I've always had a large chest, it's always been a pain ever since I blossomed. And really forcing myself to learn how to do it and to do it well. So I can replicate it on any pattern that I wanted to sew. That was the biggest aha moment for me. Because it goes back to like, what Jacinta was just saying about finishing those UFOs. I had unfinished projects, just because I did not know how to do the full bust adjustment. I could make the skirt. I could put the pants together but I could not get it right and then once I really like sat down, I watched some tutorials I called people, I spoke to a lot of my really good friends on Instagram, about how do I do this? And they walked me through it and I've been just like banging it out ever since without fear. And it's that conquering that thing that scares you, whether it's a project or skill set that you don't think you know, or that you haven't gotten yet and really figuring out how to get to the other side of it that pushes you forward. And that's one of the things I really love about the 60 Day Challenge, even about the whole 30 Times, I'm not done the Whole 30 Challenge. I'll be honest with you because I was like, I don't-- I would love to do it. But I didn't know if I would have actual time to sell the 30 fabrics because court is crazy because everything is like right now.
Lisa Woolfork 24:44
So your work life has shifted. So your sewing life has had to shift in response.
Nesha Wright 24:49
It has, it has, but i think that you know, more than that full bust adjustment and like you guys said reallocating those funds to things that I really want like a new ironing board. It's like it is an ironing board. I would spend $150 on fabric without blinking. [Nesha laughs.] But I'm debating about buying a new ironing board. Those two things don't really jive when I know I need a new iron, new ironing board, or I want to upgrade my machine to something that's more digital, which I did. And so I think those are other things that we can do when we're looking at these challenges. Because once you stop spending your focus more on completing the projects, or learning new skills and techniques-- so that's another thing that I always try to encourage people to do during the 60 days, learn a skill or master a skill that you felt uncomfortable with before. I started out-- though my 60 days has finished, I'm still working on trying to improve at doing an invisible zipper because they're like the bane of my existence right now. And I see people who, yeah, I see so many people just do invisible zippers like it's nothing, and mine do not, [Nesha laughs] they are not pretty invisible zippers. So I'm trying to get to that level and keep going. And so you have to figure out what it is you want to do. And just set out that goal to do even if it's a small thing, you know.
Lisa Woolfork 26:02
And that's one of the things I love about both of your challenges. I love that both of them offer opportunities for fresh starts at any time. Right? So it might feel like a punishment. I can imagine if somebody you know if they're doing the Whole 30 and it's like, okay, you just bought some new fabric, you got to go back to zero and start over with the next 30 days. Is that is that part of the the one of the loopholes that you said, folks were looking for, Jacinta? Trying to figure out how they could reset?
Jacinta Green 26:34
Yeah, and I was like, look. If you buy fabric, any fabric, muslin fabric, lining, I don't care if you buy fabric, you have to start over. That is the only rule. I'm sorry, there aren't they're like, "what if", I'm like, "no, you guys. No!"
Lisa Woolfork 26:52
Don't you love how like, now when it comes to the challenge. Nobody knows what the hell fabric is anymore?
Jacinta Green 26:58
Yes. And-- [sighs].
Lisa Woolfork 27:01
What is fabric again? That's what I make sure. So do you mean linen? Do you mean rayon? Denim's not fabric for real? I mean, like-- [Lisa chuckles.]
Jacinta Green 27:08
Yeah, and I'm like-- you guys, you know what I'm saying. But you know what I also learned, and I know this because I'm a program manager. People love to be told what to do. They love to be told what to do. Even-- people really like those guidelines, and then they push the boundaries.
Lisa Woolfork 27:28
Yeah.
Nesha Wright 27:29
Yeah.
Lisa Woolfork 27:30
Yeah. Yes. And I think especially when it's clear, you know, and this is why I-- even though I'm not formally doing either of the challenges. What I like, is the suggestion of a practice of self assessment, that as you're going along-- like I was just today, I was out today and I was like, You know what, I really want to make the Veronica. That's what I was. And I have the pattern. I bought the pattern. I haven't traced it yet. I bought the pattern. I got it printed out in the big A0 sheets. It's a great pattern. I love Veronica, I think it's amazing that they did a pattern for her. So I want to sew it and I was like-- Where is that? It's somewhere in this sewing room. And then it's like, okay, Lisa, if you can't find your shit, as much as you love to organize as much as you love to-- I mean, how many label makers do I have? I got a handheld one, I got a typing one. I mean, I am a nerd for organization. And it's like-- oof, if you don't know what that is, if you don't know where it is, it is time to do something different. It is time to probably get rid of some stuff. Or maybe-- yeah, if you can't find it, that's a sign, you know? For me.
Jacinta Green 28:44
Can I also say that we're so used to instant gratification right now that these challenges are about delayed gratification? And it's--
Lisa Woolfork 28:56
Yes.
Jacinta Green 28:57
Like denial of the self is a pleasure. And it's-- I know, that's kind of a weird thing to talk about. But it feels really good to deny myself because I know that there's something at the end, and I'm getting something, and I have to work towards something, because that is not you know, we get everything within two days. We get the movies we want right away, like none of it is delayed and man does delayed gratification feel real good.
Lisa Woolfork 29:27
It's so funny because sewing is a process. Sewing is not a microwave, sewing is not like: I bought a pattern. I bought a fabric. I throw it on the table and blink my eyes and then I have an outfit. You know, it's work. It's a lot of work to go from pattern to fabric to garment. And at the same time. I think you're right that because of our age, our current moment where it does feel as though so many things are just right there. You know, like if I'm in a meeting and I'm bored, I will play Words with Friends. Or I'll see what patterns are on sale, or I'll see if some company is having a sale on so and so. I absolutely do that just for the sake of spending time, you know? And it's like, but that's not necessary. And I also like the shop, your stash idea is so important, because I guess it would be the end of the day, why did I buy it? Did I buy the fabric just because I didn't want the store to have it anymore? Or did I buy my fabric because I wanted it to do something with it rather than just leaving it at the store. And so that's what I love about both of the challenges. They get you to think about what you bought, and why. And reminding yourself to give yourself the gift that you already bought.
Nesha Wright 30:46
Right. Because we're not out there rescuing fabrics and have a rescue, you know, animals from shelters, we're buying it for a purpose, you know. And once you remember what the purpose was, you can change it, you can start off on a different project. Or you can give the fabric to someone else if it no longer fits your style. Because I think another thing that we do, at least I was doing, I would buy things that fit what I thought my style was at the time. But as I've gone through my stash more, and I've sewn up more, I realized that certain things that I bought just really don't jive with me, it doesn't jive with what I want for my outward appearance to the world to look like. But now I have it, I'm not going to get rid of it. How can I use it differently? Do I need to dye it? Do I need to change it up some other kind of way, because that goes back to what Jacinta said about pushing the boundaries of creativity. Because if you have fabric that doesn't really flow with where you are, you can dye it, you can do tie dye, you can embellish it, there are so many different things that you can do to bring it back to a piece that you love and that you'll be able to use without breaking either the 60 day challenge or the whole 30.
Lisa Woolfork 31:54
Yes. And that I find just so useful. The reminder, the reminder that we have what we need. And that seems to be what both of your challenges are getting us to think about, that we have what we need. And again, maybe that's not true for everyone. But the lesson that I take in from myself, from the challenges, is that I have what I need. I have it, it's pretty much in there. Yes, I may or may not have all the interfacing that I need, so that I might need to get more of. I've been making these shirts for my son and they are such interfacing hogs, they take like long pieces for the plackets in the car. And it's just like, my goodness. So I'm using a lot of interfacing. But yeah, this is just I really like the challenges. I like the work that you're doing. I like that both of you all are on this kind of conservation path. Right? But rather than kind of conservation for the environment, which is obviously important. It's also a conservation of our personal resources. And I think that reminder that we are creatives, that we are creating something and when we sit down to sew, or to design, to sketch, to cut a pattern, to tape a pattern together, to do that process, we are creating something, and that we have such power in that. And whether we are accumulating things or producing things, that is in our control. And that's something that is such a powerful reminder, you know? It really just reminded me to go in and just look through my stuff and say, Lisa, really. I mean, the idea of like sewing up 30 yards of fabric from my stash.
Jacinta Green 33:43
I could and should. I could. And I should. And I would still have-- I could not even tell you how many yards of fabric leftover. And I know that because I do inventory on every single piece of fabric that I have. So I know how much I have. And it is officially a shit ton. The official number.
Lisa Woolfork 34:03
[Laughter.] Oh my gosh, it's so much. Anything else? So what do y'all have coming up? Now that the challenge is-- yours has wrapped up, Nesha, and yours is-- yours just started last week, right, Jacinta, so you're--
Jacinta Green 34:17
Yeah.
Lisa Woolfork 34:18
-- you're in the throws of it. So what after this is done, what do you want? What do you want people to walk away with? If they-- because I think one things I love about your challenges is that anyone could do this at any time. You know, you can start your 30 or 60 days right now if you chose to. What do you think that-- what bit of advice would you get somewhat give someone who's on the fence? Like I don't know if I can do 60 days. I don't know if I could do 30 days. I don't know if I can use my stash, really, or. I don't know. Do you have any advice for folks who might be reticent to try?
Jacinta Green 34:55
Just do it.
Nesha Wright 34:56
Yeah, just start. You'll be amazed what you can do once you just start putting two feet in front of you. I think that we stop ourselves all the time, because it seems too big, or too hard, or too stressful. And once you start, you'll be amazed that you can just keep on ticking along.
Jacinta Green 35:16
I would tell people to just try. And, you know, I mean, do it or don't. Do it or don't, like, I have already changed just from facilitating this and hyping it up when I was in LA. And I was like, literally in heaven, I was surrounded by gorgeous fabrics. I found I was super discerning, because I was like, are you really going to sew that? Are you really going to use that? Do you actually really love this? And I was way more discerning than I have ever been in my entire life when I was buying fabric. So I'm already changed. And that's amazing. Because even when I did the UFO challenge, I told people I wouldn't buy fabric. And then I cheated. And I did whole stories, people loved that I cheated, especially because I'm so honest about it. But I found like from that point until LA, that's about two months, I didn't buy any fabric. I didn't want to! And so I am fundamentally changed by these particular challenges this year, and I'm probably going to do Isha 60 Days as well, later on this year after like, I, you know, get it together. So I love that idea of like-- no spend so.
Lisa Woolfork 36:38
Well, I am so grateful to you both for talking with me on such short notice. I saw both the challenges. And I was like, I want to talk to both-- that would be great. This is perfect. And so thank you all so much for being here today.
Nesha Wright 36:52
I wanted to say thank you to Sheree from Sheree's Alchemy on Instagram for helping me this year. And I didn't want us to end without me at least mentioning that when I was in the meat of the murder trial. She just kind of stepped in and took over as co host and was making sure people had wanted to talk to when they were going through their sixth day. So I'll thank you, Sheree.
Lisa Woolfork 37:14
Thank you, Sheree. Thank you, thank you. Y'all, we've been speaking with Jacenita Green and Nesha Wright of the Whole 30 Fabric Challenge and 60 Day No Spin. Check them out in their stories on their ID pages. I will include links to their social media places in the show notes so you can find them there.
You've been listening to the Stitch Please podcast, the official podcast of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. We appreciate you supporting us by listening to the podcast. If you'd like to reach out to us with questions, you can contact us at blackwomenstitch@gmail.com. If you'd like to support us financially, you can do that by supporting us on Patreon, and you can find black woman stitch there in the Patreon directory, and for as little as $2 a month you can help support the project with things like editing, transcripts, and other things to strengthen the podcast. And finally, if financial support is not something you can do right now, you can really, really help the podcast by rating it and reviewing it anywhere you listen to podcasts that allows you to review them. So I know that not all podcast directories or services allow for reviews. But for those who do, for those that have like a star rating or just ask for a few comments, if you could share those comments and say nice things about us and Stitch Please podcast, that is incredibly helpful. Thank you so much. Come back next week and we'll help you get your stitch together.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
