Sew What?
A podcast all about historic needlework and those who stitched it, hosted by your local historic needlework expert, Isabella Rosner.
Latest episodes
May 13, 2021 • 37min
Australian Schoolgirl Needlework: An Interview with Cat Gay
In this episode, Isabella interviews PhD student Cat Gay about schoolgirl samplers and stitching in 19th-century Australia. As always, images and sources are available at @sewwhatpodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The podcast has a website, sewwhatpodcast.com, and a Patreon, patreon.com/sewwhatpodcast.
May 6, 2021 • 35min
Stitching Among Friends: Early Quaker Needlework
In this episode, Isabella discusses the subject of her PhD, Quaker women's needlework before 1800. She explores the stitching aesthetic of Quakers, also known as Friends, in and around London in the 17th century. As always, images and sources are available at @sewwhatpodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The podcast has a website, sewwhatpodcast.com, and a Patreon, patreon.com/sewwhatpodcast.
Apr 29, 2021 • 58min
Jewish Fashion Making and Stitching in 20th-Century London: An Interview with Dr Bethan Bide and Dr Lucie Whitmore
In this episode, Isabella interviews fashion historians Dr Bethan Bide and Dr Lucie Whitmore about 20th-century Jewish fashion makers in London. The trio discuss where Jewish Londoners got their stitching skills and the Museum of London's collection of extant clothes designed and made by Jewish fashion makers in the city.As always, images and sources are available at @sewwhatpodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The podcast has a website, sewwhatpodcast.com, and a Patreon, patreon.com/sewwhatpodcast.
Apr 22, 2021 • 50min
Quilting and Exhibiting Black Life: An Interview with Bisa Butler and Dr Erica Warren
In this episode, Isabella interviews Bisa Butler, famous American fibre artist known for her vibrant quilts celebrating Black life, and Dr Erica Warren, associate curator of textiles at the Art Institute of Chicago. The trio discuss Bisa's artistic practice, the curation of her work, and its current display at the Art Institute of Chicago. As always, images and sources are available at @sewwhatpodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The podcast has a website, sewwhatpodcast.com, and a Patreon, patreon.com/sewwhatpodcast.
Apr 15, 2021 • 40min
Curating Needlework: An Interview with Amelia Peck and Melinda Watt
In this episode, Isabella interviews Amelia Peck, curator of textiles and period rooms at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and supervising curator of the Met's Antonio Ratti Textile Center, and Melinda Watt, the head of the textiles department at the Art Institute of Chicago. As always, images and sources are available at @sewwhatpodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The podcast has a website, sewwhatpodcast.com, and a Patreon, patreon.com/sewwhatpodcast.
Apr 8, 2021 • 25min
The Embroideries and Lace of the Wiener Werkstätte
In this episode, Isabella discusses the embroideries and lace designs of Austria's Wiener Werkstätte, one of the longest-lived design movements of the twentieth century.As always, images and sources are available at @sewwhatpodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The podcast has a website, sewwhatpodcast.com, and a Patreon, patreon.com/sewwhatpodcast.
Apr 1, 2021 • 33min
Early Medieval Embroidery: An Interview with Dr Alexandra Makin
In this episode, Isabella interviews Dr Alexandra Makin, a textile archaeologist and professional embroiderer who researches and recreates early medieval embroidery. As always, images and sources are available at @sewwhatpodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The podcast has a website, sewwhatpodcast.com, and a Patreon, patreon.com/sewwhatpodcast.
Mar 25, 2021 • 23min
Travelling and Unravelling Indian Embroidery Techniques
In this episode, Isabella covers a variety of Indian embroidery techniques from across the subcontinent.As always, images and sources are available at @sewwhatpodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The podcast has a new website, sewwhatpodcast.com, and a Patreon, patreon.com/sewwhatpodcast.
Mar 18, 2021 • 30min
May Morris and Arts and Crafts Embroidery: An Interview with Thomas Cooper
In this episode, Isabella interviews Thomas Cooper, a PhD student who researches May Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. In the episode, the two discuss May Morris's embroidery designs and works, as well as what inspired and influenced the Arts and Crafts movement.As always, images and sources are available at @sewwhatpodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The podcast has a new website, sewwhatpodcast.com, and a Patreon, patreon.com/sewwhatpodcast.
Mar 11, 2021 • 25min
Embroidering Adversity in Charity and Orphan School Needlework
In this episode, Isabella discusses samplers and other needleworked items stitched at eighteenth- and nineteenth-century English charity and orphan schools. Special attention is given to the St Clements Danes school samplers and Bristol orphanage samplers. As always, images and sources are available at @sewwhatpodcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The podcast has a new website, sewwhatpodcast.com, and a Patreon, patreon.com/sewwhatpodcast.
