Bag Girlies of Black Sewing Network

Episode • Nov 1, 2023 • 46m

Black Sewing Network

Black Sewing Network is a platform that celebrates and amplifies black voices in the sewing community. We host daily sewalongs on social media that encourage and motivate members of the sewing community to sew daily!

Black Sewing Network

Website: Black Sewing Network

Facebook: Black Sewing Network

Instagram: Black Sewing Network

Tiktok: Black Sewing Network

LinkTree: Black Sewing Network

Email: blacksewingnetwork@gmail.com

The BSN Bag Girlies

Tiktok: Nikki D

Tiktok: Lanae

Tiktok: Tanisha

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:

Why the Bag Girlies love bags and how they started their sewing journeys
Nikki’s gorgeous bag sets and details behind each bag
What NCW stands for and its different sizes and styles, as well as, the reason behind its popularity
Different materials that the Bag Ladies use in making their bags
The balance between functionality and form in bag-making
The creative process behind the Bag Ladies
The “Melesi Tote” sewing technique
Insights about the “Could I Be Any Clearer?” stadium bag
Sew Motivee’s design modifications that are being done by Tanisha
Nikki and Tanisha’s collaboration on designs
Details behind Lanae’s “Fiona Foldover” bag
The Bag Girlie’s different styles and how they’re all connected with a strong line of creativity and clean sewing.
Insights about the “T-Rex” bag style and why Nikki loves it
The difference between zipper-sewing in a bag and zipper-sewing in a garment
Some final words of wisdom

Quotes from the show:

“I do love how you each have your own style, your own different origin story for coming to bags, but, the thing that I find so, just so remarkable about all of your work is the way that it’s kind of connected with this strong line of creativity, a clean sewing, they’re really ambitions, they encourage people to try something new” – Lisa Woolfork, Stitch Please, Episode #204
“I think that it represents a really great aspect of the Black Sewing Network; that you all are Bag Girlies, but you are as different from one another, right, and you’re not all sewing the same things, you’re all doing different things. You’re using different fabrics and even if you use some of the same fabrics, it would be different outcomes. If you use some of the same shapes, it will look a bit different” – Lisa Woolfork, Stitch Please, Episode #204
“Just do it! Just try it! Even if you are scared, like, I was scared to death to start bags, but I just did it. The first one, very questionable, but I did it. And the second part to that, is “Take your time!”. I am doing a bag right now and it’s taking me forever. I think Nikki asked about it on one of my Tiktoks. It’s fifty million pieces, but I’m not a quitter, so I’m gonna finish that bag. But take your time because you wanna make sure that you grasp whatever concept it is that’s telling you to do the bag or the process, and then you wanna make sure it sticks and then that will help you in the end, as far as other bag making.” – Lanae, Stitch Please, Episode #204
“Give yourself grace! You’re not gonna be out the gate perfect at anything, you’re gonna have that first test run. So, give yourself grace and be patient.” – Nikki, Stitch Please, Episode #204
“Enjoy the journey! I’ve been growing my hair for nineteen years, so, same rules apply with bag-making. Do not try to go from “brand new” to “professional” overnight, it ain’t gonna happen, plus you’re gonna skip learning so many amazing feels. Enjoy the journey, enjoy that first bag you make, enjoy that first wallet you make, enjoy that first hand-bag you make.” – Tanisha, Stitch Please, Episode #204

Resources Mentioned: