Shows
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesSide-by-Side: What Happens When We Stitch TogetherIn this special episode of SEAMSIDE, you'll hear reflections from a variety of community members who found connection, creative renewal, and unexpected insights while stitching side by side at our HUDDLE retreat. Working with textiles alongside others unlocks family stories and personal histories – there's something almost magical about the way fabric becomes a bridge across time and relationships.WANT TO JOIN US FOR THE NEXT HUDDLE?Learn more about our upcoming retreat here. And you can always email me at zak@zakfoster.com for more information.→ Get your copy of THE WORL...2025-04-291h 05
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHEIDI AT THE PFISTER: PART 2Textile artist Heidi Parkes reflects on her transformative 13-month residency at Milwaukee's historic Pfister Hotel, discussing how the experience deepened her artistic practice, expanded her community connections, and prepared her for her upcoming mid-career retrospective exhibition.What happens when an artist's private practice meets the public eye for an entire year? Fresh from completing her prestigious residency at Milwaukee's historic Pfister Hotel, Heidi Parkes returns to SEAMSIDE to unpack what it was like to work in full public view for thirteen months. From unexpected revelations about her own work to the delicate dance of public engagement, Heidi...2025-04-0359 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN POWER OBJECTS with Demetri BroxtonI felt an immediate resonance when Demetri’s work first popped up on my screen. Here were these meticulous, vibrant prints of vintage photographs of ancestors, bedazzled in sequins and beads and quartz crystals. So we struck up a chat and over the last few months have really nurtured a budding friendship. It was over the course of my conversations with Demetri that I knew it was the right time to bring SEAMSIDE back.In this SEAMSIDE conversation, Demetri and I explore: ① how our identities can shift and expand over time ② why we need power object...2025-03-061h 08
Not Your Granny's Quilt ShowMeet Zak Foster! - Ep. 132Join host Amanda as she sits down with Zak Foster, a dynamic artist and former public school educator, for a conversation about creativity, quilting, and the exploration of textiles. Zak, the founder of The Quilty Nook online community, and the host of the Seamside podcast (returning in 2025), just released his debut book, The World Needs Your Next Quilt. In this episode, Zak shares insights into his journey from New York City to Tennessee, his transition from educator to full-time artist, and the inspiration behind his unique quilting approach. With a passion for textiles and a commitment to using multiple...2024-12-231h 11
Breaking the BlocksArtistic Transformation: Zak Foster on Quilting, Community, and Ancestral ReflectionJoin me for an inspiring conversation with Zak Foster, a trailblazer in the artistic quilting community, whose journey from a high school Spanish teacher to a full-time artist and podcaster is nothing short of transformative. Zak shares the pivotal moments during the pandemic that led him to embrace his passion and create the Quilty Nook, a vibrant community for quilters. Through our discussion, we uncover how Zak uses his art not just for expression, but as a force for community building and social change, highlighting the courage required to leave a conventional career path in pursuit of one's passion.2024-11-231h 13
Voices Of Courage#VOC S2EP26 | The Courage to Explore Neuroscience | Paul J. Zak | Ken D FosterToday we explore Neuroscience and the relation to emotion fitness, trust and performance in the workplace. Ken interviews, Dr. Paul Zak a professor at Claremont Graduate University and founder of Immersion Neuroscience a software that measures what the brain loves. Dr. Paul J. Zak is a University Professor at Claremont Graduate University and is in the top 0.3% of most cited scientists. Paul’s two decades of research extending the boundaries of behavioral neuroscience have taken him from the Pentagon to Fortune 50 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. He is a regular TED speaker and...2024-07-3159 min
Voices Of Courage#VOC S2EP26 | The Courage to Explore Neuroscience | Paul J. Zak | Ken D FosterToday we explore Neuroscience and the relation to emotion fitness, trust and performance in the workplace. Ken interviews, Dr. Paul Zak a professor at Claremont Graduate University and founder of Immersion Neuroscience a software that measures what the brain loves.Dr. Paul J. Zak is a University Professor at Claremont Graduate University and is in the top 0.3% of most cited scientists. Paul’s two decades of research extending the boundaries of behavioral neuroscience have taken him from the Pentagon to Fortune 50 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. He is a regular TED speaker and has appeared on...2024-07-1559 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesBACKSTITCH with Judy MartinThe last time Judy Martin and I caught up was about a year ago. At the point in time, she was just starting Your Fragile Life, a quilt project that she just wrapped up in recent weeks. If you haven’t heard our first chat, you can find it in the feed under April 2023. That conversation is one of the most-listened to episodes of all time, and in that chat, called HOW TO HOLD YOUR LIFE IN YOUR HANDS, Judy and I talk about: ① the tole time plays in our work ② how we can meet ourselves in our materials ③ how our...2024-06-2741 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesReflection on Art & Craft with Dana StavesRecently Dana Staves, writer and textile artist, wrote a post on the NOOK that was so sweet and real and inspiring that I asked if she wouldn't mind recording it for y'all to hear. And luckily for us, she did. Thank you, Dana. I hope you enjoy this reflection on art & craft by Dana Staves.If you’d like to see how the NOOK can support you in your creative process, claim your free trial at the link below. → Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK2024-06-0807 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO WORK WITH THE MATRIARCHS with painter Barbara Campbell ThomasBarbara Campbell Thomas had a long-established painting practice when, about a decade ago, her mother bought her a sewing machine. Little did she know, but that gift provided her the perfect missing piece to her creative practice.What draws me to Barbara’s work is the balance between tautness and texture. Her stretched and pieced canvas quilt works pushes back an “all or nothing” perspective on genre. Her work is naturally generative and generous, creating expanses for so much.In this SEAMSIDE conversation, Barbara and I explore ① the value of a regular sketchbook practice (even if you d...2024-06-0657 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesMEMBERSTORY with Wendy MuirWelcome to MEMBERSTORY, a new series of bonus interviews that bring you real-life stories from the NOOK. These conversations have been a great way to get to know some of folks that make the NOOK so special. I hope you enjoy this conversation with Wendy Muir from Adelaide, Australia.If you’d like to see how the NOOK can support you in your creative process, claim your free trial at the link below. → Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK2024-05-2504 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO SAY YES TO HIGH-VOLUME JOY with textile artist Russell James BarrattRussell James Barratt and his wildly joyful quilts make me want to lasso the UK and bring our two countries closer together. His work is loud and colorful, his demeanor is gentle and composed, and those two sides of Russell make for an imminently enjoyable friend to chat with.In this SEAMSIDE conversation, Russell and I explore: ① how he balances the tension of empty space and maximalism ② why the arc of creative exploration is longer than long ③ how we can use our quilts to say things words don’t touch→ Get your free trial...2024-05-2356 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesBACKSTITCH with Coulter FussellIt’s been a year since Coulter Fussell and I first chatted here on SEAMSIDE. In that conversation, we talked about the South and family history, the role of community in her work, and how she maintains hope in the face of conflict. You can find that first conversation, HOW TO WORK WITH WHAT YOU’VE GOT, in your feed below in March 2023.In this new SEAMSIDE conversation, Coulter and I reconnect and explore: ① why in the world she’s making headboards ② the traditional magic of making dolls ③ why Coulter thinks the world’s...2024-05-1641 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesBONUS Convo with Tyrrell TapahaIn this raw and unedited conversation, we talk about Tyrrell's newest work along with three artists he thinks everyone should follow→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK→ Claim your free copy of 10 THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE I STARTED QUILTING→ See images and more at the EPISODE WEBSITE→ Follow Zak on INSTAGRAM2024-05-1122 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO TEND THE FLOCK with weaver and sheepherder Tyrrell TapahaTyrrell Tapaha, a sixth-generation Diné weaver and sheepherder, will tell you there’s nothing in his work that specifically belongs to him. And while it may be true that there’s nothing new under the sun and that all artists draw from deep wells of collective experience, I can’t help but think that there is something special about Tyrrell’s work—the use of text, the collage-like shifts in weaving patterns, the subject matter—that sets his work apart.In this SEAMSIDE conversation, Tyrrell and I discuss: ① the intrinsic differences between sheep and goats ② how his great-grandmother...2024-05-091h 01
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesGENERATION: Eroding Foundations and Making It RightTime continually marching forward. Each new day just piles on top of yesterday and gets buried further back in what we have come to call history.I think there's a problem with thinking about time that way, and that's what we're exploring today on SEAMSIDE. I'm going to share with you a quilt that I made called Generation. It's part of the Southern White Amnesia, a body of work that I've pulled together in the last couple years, exploring the stories that Southern White families tell each other and the ones they don't.In this...2024-05-0220 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesFREE ADVICE with Maura Grace AmbroseMy good friend Maura Grace Ambrose joins for me for this SEAMSIDE special episode I’m calling FREE ADVICE where we answer your questions on quilting and the creative life.In this episode, we share our thoughts on the following questions:➞ how our quilt aesthetic has changed over time,➞ how to learn quilting without spending a lot of money or time➞ what to do with random experimental pieces➞ how to help objects made from imperfect salvaged materials look their best➞ Maura offers a fool-proof method for getting started with natural dyes➞ do you need a...2024-04-251h 02
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesLIKE FAMILY: Relationships, Gate-Keeping, and Opening SpaceIn this episode, I share more about a quilt I call LIKE FAMILY. It's part of the Southern White Amnesia Collection, which explores the kinds of stories that Southern White families tell one another, or maybe more importantly, the ones they don’t tell one another about their own family history. You may have heard me talk about other pieces in the same collection on SEAMSIDE before, and if not, I'd encourage you to check out some of those episodes. So far, we've got SILVER DOLLAR, SNAKE HANDLER, OUR CHILDREN, and ONUS // ON US.In this SEAMSIDE co...2024-04-1620 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO BLOOM IN SEASON with textile artist Victoria Van Der LaanI first met Victoria Van Der Laan in Catskill, New York, standing in the gravel driveway in front of the HUDDLE House where me and twenty-five other NOOKers where spending a long weekend quilting together. I had assumed she’d just whisk me away for a quick coffee and pastry while I was in town and that would be it, but Victoria ended up coming back to the house for a trunk show and then spent all afternoon with us just sewing and sharing stories. Noticing the warmth and generosity she moves through the world with, I knew we’d be...2024-04-1155 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesONUS // ON US: A Story About Nourishing MemoryI think I’ve been thinking about time all wrong. I’m not sure it’s linear, but maybe that it accretes and infuses itself into itself. What does all that mean? This quilt says it better than I ever can.In this SEAMSIDE conversation, I share some stories about: ① how we need a new way of thinking about time ② the life cycle of a single garment ③ how we can tend and nourish the past→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK → See images and more at the EPISODE WEBSITE → Follow Zak on INSTAGRAM2024-04-0411 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesBACKSTITCH with Kathryn Greenwood SwansonTalking to Kathryn Greenwood Swanson is like completing an electrical circuit that you hadn’t realized was open. Big ideas just light up this entire conversation. Kathryn and I catch up on the one year anniversary of our SEAMSIDE chat to catch up on everything that’s happened since we last talked. If you haven’t heard our first conversation, Kathryn runs a thriving creative reuse shop in Turner Falls, Massachusetts called Swanson’s Fabric, and you can find it here. In that conversation we talked about: the role of the communal stashhouse, the shame so often associat...2024-03-2859 minSEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of Textiles[Extended] BACKSTITCH with Kathryn Greenwood SwansonTalking to Kathryn Greenwood Swanson is like completing an electrical circuit that you hadn’t realized was open. Big ideas just light up this entire conversation. Kathryn and I catch up on the one year anniversary of our SEAMSIDE chat to catch up on everything that’s happened since we last talked. If you haven’t heard our first conversation, Kathryn runs a thriving creative reuse shop in Turner Falls, Massachusetts called Swanson’s Fabric, and you can find it here. In that conversation we talked about: the role of the communal stashhouse, the shame so often associat...2024-03-281h 09
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO TELL AN HONEST STORY with textile artist Woomin KimEvery time Woomin’s work pops up in my feed it’s a quilty dopamine hit. Her appliqued wall pieces depict scenes from her life in Queens New York and back home in Korea. And you don’t have to see very many of her pieces to realize that her world is abundant in story-telling objects and almost completely devoid of pesky and interfering humans. To hear her talk about how in her previous sculpture practice, she often felt alone, solo on stage, but now having connected with fabric, she never feels alone surrounded by the rich narratives textiles carry...2024-03-211h 02
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesOUR CHILDREN: A Story About Youth, Learning Race, and Tending Our GardenThis textile piece, OUR CHILDREN, that we’re talking about today explores how we’re taught about our racial identity, gender, and sexuality from a young age. It’s a part of a collection I’m calling Southern White Amnesia which explores the stories that Southern white families tell (and don't tell) about their own family histories.In this SEAMSIDE conversation, I share thoughts about: ① the first time I realized I was White ② the lingering legacy of off-handed comments ③ how to reprogram all those internal messages→ Get your free trial to the QUILTY NOOK → See images and mor...2024-03-1414 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO GO BIG with textile artist Rachel HayesThe casual Instagram scroller would be forgiven if they scrolled past one of Rachel’s patchwork pieces and assumed it was something generated by artificial intelligence. But AI can only dream of creating the real-world objects of beauty that Rachel creates. They capture light and color, breeze and the occasional animal slops.In this dreamy SEAMSIDE conversation, textile artist and photographer Rachel Hayes and I discuss:① the rewards and perils of public art pieces ② the intangible and metaphysical layers of a quilt ③ how to collaborate with our physical environmentWHY L...2024-03-0751 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesSNAKE HANDLER: A Story About Craft, Legacy, and Racial ConsciousnessIn this episode, I share a collection of stories behind SNAKE HANDLER, a large banner I made featuring a writhing white snake. It’s really a three-part story about wrestling, specifically wrestling with identity, privilege, and role in the struggle for racial justice. I share personal reflections on understanding and confronting my privilege, recommending reading suggestions, sharing two strategies I use to address biases and hurtful statements, and encouraging us to take active roles in addressing racial inequality.Get more free resources with this episode with SEAMSIDE EXTRAS! Click on the link below to access: https://www.za...2024-02-2918 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO DANCE IN A QUILT with performance-quilter Leslie RogersLeslie Rogers is an unpinnable butterfly of a human. Her creative practice flits from quilts to performance to garment-making to puppetry. She’s a deeply thoughtful artist whose often whimsical or jarring pieces are underpinned by hours of historical research. Leslie and I met at Penland, and if her name sounds familiar, it’s because she came up in my conversation recently with Paolo Arao. That episode, HOW TO BRING IT ALL TOGETHER is a treat in and of itself and I’d encourage you to give that one a listen too. In this conversation, Leslie and I disc...2024-02-221h 05
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesSTORIES FROM THE HUDDLEAs you may have heard the NOOK had our first in-person gathering recently called a HUDDLE. As part of this gathering, I asked participants to share what they were thinking about over the weekend. Funny enough in this old house, there was an old wooden phone booth that provided just enough privacy for us to sit and speak our thoughts into a small digital handheld recorder. What you're about to hear in this special episode of SEAMSIDE is a collection of sixteen short reflections: some are really vulnerable stories, but they’re each insightful stories of transformation.Th...2024-02-1541 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO PUT ON A SHOW with quilt curator Marin HansonA few weeks ago, I caught up with quilt researcher and author Janneken Smucker to thumb through her new book together. If you haven’t heard our conversation yet on A New Deal for Quilts, I recommend you go back and catch that episode first, and then come join me for this conversation.Because today we’re going behind the scenes, behind the book, and into the International Quilt Museum itself. I’m joined by the curator of International collections at IQM, Marin Hanson, to hear what it was like to put together the exhibition for A New De...2024-02-0830 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesSILVER DOLLAR QUILTFor most of my life, I had a tough time wrapping my head around the idea of privilege. But as I started researching my own family, something became crystal clear: the two branches of my family tree had two different experiences here in this country. On my dad's line, they are all subsistence farmers. They barely had enough money to get it registered on the census. On my mom's side of the family, however, where all the enslaving happened, they were wealthier in ways that my dad's folks could've never even imagined, and it was this wealth that set...2024-02-0120 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHEIDI AT THE PFISTER: PART 1By now you’ve probably heard that our good friend Heidi Parkes is the 15th Artist in Residence at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. I talk about Heidi like everyone knows her, and if you’ve been in my world for very long, I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about her. We are both former public school educators turned professional artists and have been friends for almost a decade now. If you’re not familiar with Heidi’s work, she documents her life in her quilts, tracking days, places, and memories through applique and embroidery. In thi...2024-01-2531 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO HOLD QUILTS LOOSELY with quilt advocate Roderick KiracofeI’m convinced that Roderick Kiracofe is one part human being and one part guardian angel. He’s been a huge support both of me and many other quilters out there, generously lending his experience and insight that only come from the decades he’s spent as an advocate for quilts.On a recent trip to NYC, he and I caught up at Tatter’s Blue Library to immerse ourselves in Brooklyn’s beautiful textile research space and the all the shades of blueness. We cozy up on a big blue couch in the corner of the library fo...2024-01-1834 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesKNIFEMAN QUILT with Zak FosterIn this quilt talk, I share the KNIFEMAN quilt: a story-driven project shaped by an encounter I had while purchasing a foraging knife, exploring themes of identity and how each one of us living our best lives gives permission to everyone around us to the same.You can see images of quilts we discuss on the episode website https://www.zakfoster.com/seamside/knifemanWHY LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE?There’s a rich narrative in this KNIFEMAN project that blends quilting with personal reflection and societal observations. I share with you my quilt-making process, fr...2024-01-1134 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO RING IN 2024 with Friends of SEAMSIDETo get 2024 started right, I thought I would pull together some of my favorite moments out of the last year as a way of not only reflecting, but mining it again for the wisdom, the advice, the perspective and experience that my guests have offered, and hopes of setting all of us up for a more creative, more fulfilling, more satisfying 2024.When I sat down to begin thinking who would I pull in from the last year of SEAMSIDE, it was a lot more challenging than I thought. I tried to pick a wide variety of folks...2024-01-031h 10
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO SOFTEN HARD TIMES with quilt historian Janneken SmuckerThe Great Depression wasn’t something we talked much about in my family. I do know it’s what made my grandfather quit school in the eighth grade to go work in his father’s grocery store. When we think of this time in international history, which lasted roughly from the Stock Market crash in 1929 until the lead-up to World War 2, we often think of the photographs of Dorothea Lange and the New Deal which funded large public works proejcts like the TVA and Hoover Dam. But quilt historian Janneken Smucker has uncovered a softer side the New De...2023-12-2852 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesQUILT TALK: The Beach Shirt QuiltI take you behind the scenes with one of my most recent finishes, a quilt I’m calling the Beach Shirt quilt. I found the shirt walking down along Brighton Beach on a cool gray morning about six weeks ago.We walked to the far end of the beach beyond Coney Island where things turn more residential, and that’s where I found it: this clump of sand-colored fabric.When I picked it up and shook it clean, I knew immediately that this was going to be the starring feature for my next quilt.C...2023-12-2115 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesPAOLO ARAO AND I TALK TAROTLast week when Paolo Arao talked about our textile practices, we mentioned that one of the things that we have in common is our shared love of taro. So in this special SEAMSIDE bonus episode, you'll hear us share about our own personal tarot practice and how it plays into our creative practice. If you have a tarot practice, I hope you pick up some new nuggets. And if you don't have a tarot practice, maybe you want to give it a try?⤷ Get your free TINY QUILT tutorial video I mention in this episode⤷Learn more...2023-12-1615 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO BRING IT ALL TOGETHER with textile artist Paolo AraoThe fact that Paolo Arao and I both showed up to the podcast studio wearing orange winter hats and navy hoodies should tell you something of the kindred connection I feel with Paolo. After years of being online friends, we met up for breakfast about a month ago before going to see his most recent show that was about to close. Over a massive (and truly delicious) breakfast sandwich, we kept discovering commonalities: the way we think about color, how we navigate creative hiccups, our shared love of tarot. I knew right away that I wanted to invite him...2023-12-1446 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesTHE NECKTIE QUILT: PART 2 with Amanda NadigI recently spent a week in Chicago with my good friend, Amanda Nadig, making this quilt together. Since I had recently bought a small handheld recorder, we thought it'd be fun to take you behind the scenes day by day as we're making this quilt encountering creative obstacles, when things aren't turning out our way and how we navigate through this particular project together. In part one, Amanda and I shared details about this particular commission, the kind of prep work we did to get ready for our week of sewing side by side in Chicago. We...2023-12-0735 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesTHE NECKTIE QUILT: PART 1 with Amanda NadigIn this two-part mini-documentary: Amanda Nadig and I take you behind the scenes of our latest collaboration. You’ll get to accompany us on the creative process behind a quilt built out of a client's retired collection of high-end silk neckties. I'd recently bought a small handheld recorder, and we thought it'd be fun to give you a play-by-play as we're making this quilt, encountering creactive obstacles when things aren't turning out the way we'd hoped, and how we navigate through this particular project together. Along the way we share some helpful tips and meaningful re...2023-11-3031 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of Textiles10 MORE MINUTES with Sherri Lynn WoodIn our chat last week, Sherri Lynn Wood and I took a deep dive into memory quilts, and this week we talk about what she loves best *after* quilting, namely: nature and being a divinity school dropout. Enjoy this short chat, and if you haven’t had a chance to listen to our first conversation, check out the previous episode. ⤷ Learn more about THE QUILTY NOOK here ⤷ Get your free NOOK trial here⤷ Enter here for your chance to win a FREE YEAR on the NOOK!2023-11-2311 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO MAKE MEMORIES with improv quilter Sherri Lynn WoodIf Sherri Lynn Wood and I were to map our lives on a venn diagram, there’d be a lot of overlap: we both spent parts of our childhood in North Carolina, we both host online communities for quilters (mine is the QUILTY NOOK, hers is BravePatch.School); we both honor elements of quilting as a spiritual practice, and in doing so, we both work a lot with grief and bereavement. The quilts may go by different names: I make memory quilts, Sherri makes passage quilts, but they both point to the stories and energy that our clothes contain ev...2023-11-1649 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesQUILT TALK: YES MORE PLEASE with Heidi ParkesIn this QUILT TALK episode, I’m joined by my good friend and collaborator, Heidi Parkes. When I went to visit her in Milwaukee over the summer, we decided we were overdue to make a collab quilt. YES MORE PLEASE was born out of a conversation about creating more space for all the good things in life (and maybe sweeping out the junk in the meantime). Towards this end of this quilt talk, we share some thoughts about what it takes to have a positive collaboration experience. I hope you enjoy and pick up something you can use in yo...2023-11-0947 min
The Quilter on Fire PodcastQOF Episode 139 - Zak FosterMy guest today is Zak Foster. He is a quilt maker who loves working with repurposed materials like old clothes, worn out linens, leftover shirting materials, and thrown out umbrellas even, and vintage tablecloths. He makes custom quilts and engages in some really cool ways with his quilting community online.He's doing all kinds of fun stuff with friends and mentors, and I can't wait to get into this. It's going to be a conversation about using what you can use up to do what you love and so much more. Zak Foster's Website: https...2023-11-071h 53
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO DECONSTRUCT with Weaver Rachel MeginnesI first met Rachel Meginnes at Penland School of Arts and Crafts just north of Asheville, NC. We had been in each other’s digital orbits for a good while and so when we sat together in a couple plush armchairs and warm cups of coffee by a fireplace in the dining hall, it was the most natural thing to slip into conversation. Rachel’s current work centers on weaving old deconstructed quilt material into new pieces on her digital loom. After she’s spent days picking apart an old quilt, she often finds that the worn lace-l...2023-11-0154 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesQUILT TALK: Uncle Jim's Memory QuiltA behind-the-scenes look at the memory quilt I made for my Uncle Jim. I got to work with my aunt on designing and sewing this quilt, and it made a really rich experience for both of us. Towards this end of this quilt talk, I share five insights I learned about working with someone else on a memory quilt. I hope you enjoy and pick up something you can use in your own creative practice. XOZ⤷ Subscribe to SEAMSIDE to get a notification when a new episode posts⤷ Learn more about THE QU...2023-10-2516 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesFREE ADVICE with Luke HaynesMy good friend Luke Haynes joins for me for this SEAMSIDE special episode I’m calling FREE ADVICE where we answer your questions on quilting and the creative life.In this episode, we share our thoughts on the following questions:① How can I move away from pattern-based quilting and play more?② How did you find time to create new work when you were working full-time jobs?③ Where do all your quilts go when you’re done making them?④ I’m a multimedia artists and quilts are a part of what I do. But...2023-10-1949 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO WORK TOGETHER with the Folk School MenteesFive international textile artists come together for two weeks in the heart of Southern Appalachian mountains at the John C. Campbell Folk School. Kianga Jinaki, Chris Dufour, Chinelo Njaka, and Jesalyn Keziah share powerful insights as we sit around the sewing circle in the quilting studio. In this collective conversation, we discuss: ① what magic our quilts can perform ② how quilts tell stories when words fall short ③ the power of collective effort HELPFUL RESOURCES ⤷ Learn more about the Traditional Craft Mentorships at John C. Campbell Folk School ⤷ Con...2023-10-0546 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesQUILT TALK: Grandma's Bathrobe QuiltI’ve got something a little different for you this week. I got inspired being at home and looking at my grandma's memory quilt. It made me realize I’ve got some more stories I’d like to share with you about that quilt. I hope you enjoy and pick up something you can use in your own creative practice. XOZ⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK ⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops ⤷ Subscribe to SEAMSIDE and you’ll get a note as soon as a podcast posts⤷ En...2023-09-2814 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHow to say YES in the face of NOThe creative landscape is dotted with mountaintops and valleys. If we’re lucky, we have more moments up on the mountain where everything appears huge and expansive, full of sunshine and clarity. But it’d be naive to expect to stay there for too long. Sometimes we gotta wallow down in the valley too.This special episode of SEAMSIDE is dedicated to those valley moments. I reached out to past guests on SEAMSIDE and asked them to describe how they deal with creative and professional disappointments. I was curious to hear not only how they responded but also...2023-09-2128 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesBACKSTITCH with Jennifer MaoWeaver Jennifer Mao joins us for an episode of BACKSTITCH. If you haven’t heard our first chat nearly two years ago, you can hear that on episode 2. In this BACKSTITCH conversation, Jennifer shares candidly about how it feels to be experiencing a creatively unproductive season in her practice. We discuss: ① does an artist have to make art to be an artist② how do we move through the quiet seasons of our creative practice ③ how to be your own best friend when you need it most You can learn more about Jennifer...2023-09-1432 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHolding Space for Lou Gardiner ️As you may have heard, the embroiderer Lou Gardiner and former guest on SEAMSIDE passed way a few days ago after a recurring bout with cancer. When we talked in 2022, she spoke openly but hopefully about her diagnosis as you’ll hear in this episode.I’d like to offer this conversation with Lou as a way of holding space for such a radiant force of creative power. ⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK ⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops ⤷ Subscribe to SEAMSIDE and you’ll get a note a...2023-09-1158 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesCRAZY QUILT: Quilty Lazyboy in a Jungle of HouseplantsPatrick T (@ptayyyyy) and I dream up a quilt that ① has been turned into a lazyboy recliner, and ② also operates as a plant standWant to be on the show? Call the CRAZY QUILT HOTLINE open 24/7 at (828) 278-8211 and leave me a message anytime of day or night. Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK2023-09-0712 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO UNFOLD with Embroiderer Christi JohnsonChristi Johnson and I have been floating in each other’s orbits for a few years now, but you know how time passes and when I sat with her a couple weeks ago on a panel discussion, we realized it’d already been too long. Christi is a clothes-making and embroiderer with an eye constantly trained on the mysteries of the universe. She’s the author of Mystical Stitches, a book that I keep close at hand in my studio, host of the Stitchwish Radio podcast, and now a mother of a precious four-month-old human. In this conversation, we discus...2023-08-3146 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesBACKSTITCH with Nick DornellasPrint-maker and weaver Nick Dornellas joins us for an episode of BACKSTITCH. If you haven’t heard our first chat a year prior to this one, you can hear that on episode 8. In today’s conversation we discuss: ① his big show in Philadelphia this year ② how he’s finding balance in refinement and looseness③ why this July is such a special month for him You can learn more about Nick on Instagram ⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK ⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll b...2023-08-2429 minSEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesFREE ADVICE with Heidi ParkesMy good friend Heidi Parkes joins for me for this SEAMSIDE special episode I’m calling FREE ADVICE where we answer YOUR questions on quilting and the creative life. In this episode, we share our thoughts on the following questions:① How do you prioritize which project to focus on when there’s so much to be excited about?② How do you keep from getting overwhelmed with your stash?③ How do you manage your time?④ I have to travel a lot for my new job. How can I use that to my advantage in my quilting...2023-07-2235 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO ACT UP with Banner-Maker Alice GabbI grew up in Southern Baptist churches sitting through long sermons and studying the banners hung around the sanctuary. Those hours spent as young person put down roots into my creative core that would come to bear several years later as an adult meaning-maker. Alice Gabb’s work fully embraces the lineage of the banner, but from an entirely different source: the social protest movements of the last century. Her creative path is founded in years of calligraphy, and so, in many ways it was a natural and short jump to start making banners. In this conversation, Alice joins us...2023-07-0551 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesCRAZY QUILT: Secret Garden x Bad Hair DaysDeb (Instagram) and I dream up a quilt that ① belongs in a secret garden, and ② knows just what to do with bad hair daysWant to be on the show? Call the CRAZY QUILT HOTLINE open 24/7 at (828) 278-8211 and leave me a message anytime of day or night⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK2023-06-2910 minSEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesFREE ADVICE with Heidi ParkesMy good friend Heidi Parkes joins for me for this SEAMSIDE special episode I’m calling FREE ADVICE where we answer YOUR questions on quilting and the creative life. In this episode, we share our thoughts on the following questions:① How do you play?② What does ‘making progress’ mean to you?③ What DON’T you share on social media?④ How can we get more young people into quilting?⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK2023-06-2230 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO BUILD INNER CIRCLES with quilter Julian Jamaal JonesThere are certain artists that you remember vividly the first time you saw their work. Julian Jamaal Jones is one of those artists for me. When I saw the body of work he produced at Cranbrook, these all black quilts with bold and colorful marks, I felt like I was seeing a brand new thing in this world. In this conversation, we discuss:① how to create intimate inner circles with your audience through your work② how to bring a spirit of joy and gratitude to your practice③ and what his grandma really...2023-06-1447 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesBACKSTITCH with Jess BaileyIn our last SEAMSIDE conversation on Episode 5, quilt historian Jess Bailey aka @publiclibraryquilts and I discussed the role of storytelling in art history and the power of visual images to convey narratives, experience of feeling seen and recognized through images, and we talked about why Jess would rather her quilts be considered sturdy rather than soft.We catch up now a little over a year later to share our favorite quilt book recommendations, personal stories from recent quilting bees, and I share a vulnerable moment that Jess indirectly helped me understand one of my own blind spots...2023-06-0727 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesCRAZY QUILT: Cold Hard Cash + Warm HeartStephanie (website, Instagram) and I dream up a quilt that ① provides financial abundance gremlin-style, and ② is made from cash money, namely Canadian looniesWant to be on the show? Call the CRAZY QUILT HOTLINE open 24/7 at (828) 278-8211 and leave me a message anytime of day or night⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK2023-05-3114 minSEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO WEAVE A BRIDGE IN TIME AND SPACE with weaver Clare HuAs an a Southern expat living in a northern state, it’s often nice to connect with somebody from home. We see things about our roots now that perhaps we didn’t when we were growing up immersed in the culture, and how we make sense of all that, for me and Clare at least, requires the help of textiles.Clare Hu was born in Atlanta to parents who’d immigrated from China in the 1990s. Clare now lives in Brooklyn, and in this conversation we explore:① the role movement and immigration can play in an artis...2023-05-2445 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesCRAZY QUILT: Highway Overpass + Repurposed Road SignsAshelyn (website, Instagram, podcast) and me dream up a quilt that 1) made out of sheet metal and old road signs, and 2) is meant to be displayed on a highway overpassWant to be on the show? Call the CRAZY QUILT HOTLINE open 24/7 at (828) 278-8211 and leave me a message anytime of day or night⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK2023-05-1714 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesBACKSTITCH with Michael Sylvan RobinsonSylvan and I sit down a year later to catch up on where their work has taken them since we last talked. In that conversation on Episode 7 we talked about their work with Gays Against Guns, and at the time of that recording, we didn't know that the shooting at the supermarket in Buffalo was just a few days away. Sylvan also shares some hard one wisdom from years of activism, and their insights are both a balm and encouragement for anyone who seeks to make this world a better place through their work.⤷ Subscribe to SEAMSIDE to...2023-05-1029 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO QUILT THE LIFE YOU WANT with everything Marlee GraceMarlee Grace has a way of capturing human experiences into words that, for me at least, makes them feel lived even if they're not my lived experience.Writer/dancer/quilter/everything Marlee Grace now lives in rural Michigan where they’re busy making an old house a home. We connect when Marlee was at a friend’s house in Detroit and together we explore:① feeling like an outsider in the quilt world② stewarding family traditions③ an expansive and life-affirming examination of gender queernessYou can learn more about Marlee on their w...2023-05-031h 00
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesCRAZY QUILT: Snake/Tree x Stained Glass QuiltUdita (website and @uditau) and me dream up a quilt that 1) has a snake resting on a branch, and 2) is also a stained-glass windowCall the CRAZY QUILT HOTLINE open 24/7 at (828) 278-8211 and leave me a message anytime of day or night⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK2023-04-2619 min
The Grateful Thread PodcastEpisode 08: Kickin’ It With Zak FosterIn episode 8, Ash and Lacie sit down to talk with the quilt community's favorite resident cheerleader, Zak Foster of @zakfoster.quilts, and learn about his journey into quilting, the path that led him here, and the quilt series that he's currently working on.
Listen in for a beautiful conversation on how Zak is processing racial injustice and his own familial contribution to the structures of today's inequitable society.
True to his internet persona, Zak makes everyone feel like an old friend and they invite you to sit with them for this very special and reflective...2023-04-1759 minThe Grateful Thread PodcastEpisode 08: Kickin’ It With Zak FosterIn episode 8, Ash and Lacie sit down to talk with the quilt community's favorite resident cheerleader, Zak Foster of @zakfoster.quilts, and learn about his journey into quilting, the path that led him here, and the quilt series that he's currently working on.
Listen in for a beautiful conversation on how Zak is processing racial injustice and his own familial contribution to the structures of today's inequitable society.
True to his internet persona, Zak makes everyone feel like an old friend and they invite you to sit with them for this very special and reflective...2023-04-1759 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO HOLD LIFE IN YOUR HANDS with quilter Judithe MartinIn this conversation with quilter Judy Martin, we explore: ① the tole time plays in our work② how we can meet ourselves in our materials③ how our creative arc shifts over timeYou can learn more about Judy on her website and instagram.⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops2023-04-1458 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesCRAZY QUILT: Niagara Falls X Goldfish QuiltHannah (@_hagtime and @ragfairtextiles) and I dream up a quilt that will 1) help you survive a trip over Niagara Falls, and 2) is inspired by a goldfishWant to be on the show? All contestants are asked to call the CRAZY QUILT HOTLINE open 24/7 and leave me a voicemail (and don't worry, it won't actually ring my phone so call anytime. The number to call is >>> (828) 278-82112023-04-1215 min
SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesBACKSTITCH with Victoria GertenbachVictoria Gertenbach and I sit down a year later to catch up on where her work has taken her since we last talked. Have you heard our original conversation? You can listen to it hereSupport SEAMSIDE alum Lou Gardiner who been re-diagnosed recently with cancer. You can find her Gofundme page here.2023-04-0720 minSEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of TextilesHOW TO WORK WITH WHAT YOU'VE GOT with quilter Coulter FussellIn this conversation with quilter Coulter Fussell, we explore: ① role community plays in her work② maintains hope in the face of conflict and turmoil③ the South and family historyYou can learn more about Coulter on her website and instagram.⤷ Get your free trial to the THE QUILTY NOOK⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops2023-03-281h 02
Threads of SustainabilityEpisode 25: Meaningful Sustainable Quilting - A Conversation with Zak FosterSend us a textJoin us for this wonderful meandering conversation that takes us through Zak's journey into and within quilting, finding his artist status, his drive to create meaningful quilts and stories of special projects along the way. Zak has an intimate storytelling ability that draws you in and places you right alongside him. The community he engages with and his exploration of self and artistic expression are fundamental to the work he is doing today. We thread sustainability concerns and solutions we see going on in our world today throughout the chat. Zak Fo...2023-03-1643 min