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Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Caroline: Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Helen: Join us for today’s interview with Christi Johnson.

Hello, Christi. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.

Christi: Yeah. Thank you guys so much for having me. So wonderful.

Helen: We’re so excited to chat with you. Can you please introduce yourself to our listeners?

Christi: Yeah. So my name is Christi Johnson. I am a textile artist and teacher. Um, I work with mostly embroidery, natural dyes, and clothing making. And I wrote a book recently called Mystical Stitches, um, Embroidery for Personal Empowerment and Magical Embellishment.

Helen: Which sounds incredible. Like, I want to read that book just based on the title.

Christi: Amazing.

Helen: And where are you from, Christi?

Christi: Oh, I was originally from West Palm Beach, Florida. I lived there until I was 18. I went to LA for 10 years, and now I live in upstate New York or, I mean, it, kind of, like, west state New York, not really up, but…

Caroline: Very cool. Very cool. And we love to hear our guests sewing stories. And so can you tell us a little bit more about how you learned to sew and also how you learned to embroider? Cause that’s obviously a big part of your life and your career.

Christi: Yeah. Most of my sewing skills and all of the, like, basically all of my textile skills, I learned from my mother. She was a avid text-, still is an avid textile artist. Um, she just always, she always had some project going on. Like, we had, the other room in our house that was the office also had, like, yarn all over the walls.

And you know, there was, like, a computer, a TV and a knitting machine and, and a couple of sewing machines. So it was very much, like, it was always part of my life. My sister, my older sister, she’s 12 years older than me, and she went to school for fashion design. And so I was very young when she was doing that. Um, so I was able to experience, sort of, her education through that, through a children’s lens, and I ended up studying fashion myself.

But, uh, basically it’s like, I think it’s, kind of, a family thing on, but my grandmothers on both sides, my, both my dad’s grandmother, my mom’s grandmother, both had, um, were very talented seamstresses, um, very talented sewers and could, like, kind of, make anything. And I ddn’t learn that about my dad’s mother until much later in life. I was like, why didn’t he ever tell me that? But maybe I was just too young, and I didn’t listen, so.

Helen: It sounds like you were going to be drawn to fashion no matter what and textiles.

Christi: Yeah. Yeah. Like, I didn’t really have a choice.

Helen: So did you end up working in the fashion industry after you studied it in school?

Christi: Yes, I did. I worked in the fashion industry for maybe seven or eight years, and I worked at a few different places. Um, you know, we worked with manufacturing, kind of, all over the place, LA, Korea, China, India, and so I was pretty familiar with all of the sort of ins and outs of the fashion industry. Um, and it just was really pretty exhausting for me where I was like, I just feel like there’s a better way to do this.

And yeah, it felt very, um, extractive. Like, you know, we were constantly trying to figure out how to make more and more and more. And that really sort of, as a person who’s pretty, um, sustainably minded, I’ve always been pretty interested in conserving materials and just conserving as much as we can, as many resources as we can, working in fashion was just like, I feel like we’re doing this wrong.

Helen: There’s gotta be a better way.

Christi: Yeah, I think we’re good. I think we made enough clothes, like, last season and the season before that and we’re like, oh no, we’re good. Let’s do another one. Okay, great.

Caroline: Tell us a bit more about that. Like, how did your experience in the fashion industry lead you to what you’re doing right now?

Christi: Yeah, so I had worked, um, one of the earlier jobs that I had was working with a designer who manufactured in Los Angeles, and it was these really beautiful, sort of, art pieces of clothing that they were incredibly thought out. And the materials that she used were a little unusual, like, you know, different, sort of, pieces from the hardware store and things like that. And so that, for me, working for her was really inspiring because it wasn’t necessarily about how many units we could produce. It was more for her about the art of it.

But because of this model of, you know, of business, she did not necessarily, um, she didn’t have the most economically sound business model. Um, and so there was a lot of overworking, um, a lot of late hours, a lot of working weekends. And that, for me, I was like, I can’t live like this. Like, this is just completely unsustainable for us as people.

Um, and so then I started working at a different job, and it was like all of this, I was working at a much, sort of, more, not fast fashion, but a much faster form of fashion. And it was just, like, the amount of units that we were trying to get out. And the amount of time we spent trying to get the lowest price point was really disturbing to me. And I was like, this isn’t the answer either.

So, I had yet to find a way to sort of consolidate the way that I wanted things to go and the way that the industry needed to run. Um, and so I tried to, kind of, figure it out on my own, and I wanted to have my own line of clothes, and I tried and I realized I was like, this is not really, this isn’t really working. And I wasn’t really that passionate about getting the clothes out into the world.

I was more passionate about that initial thing that attracted me to the first designer I worked with, where it was all about making these works of art and making these pieces that existed, not just to clothe you maybe for a few seasons, it was really these, like, heirloom articles of clothing. And that was what interested me more. And so I, kind of, started focusing a little more on that and then eventually on teaching that to people, so.

Helen: Yeah, that’s so cool. And we noticed that you said that fashion is different than clothing, and we were wondering what exactly you mean by that.

Christi: Yeah, so I think that they’re, kind of, often, you know, used interchangeably, and they’re not necessarily for me. Fashion is something that is all about the next season and the next season and, like. what’s in and what’s out. And fashion is quick, and clothing is something that exists with you. And so clothing is something that holds you and it’s something that is warm and comforting, and fashion feels forceful. And fashion feels, you know, like we were saying, extractive, like, we’re extracting all of these resources, and clothing is something that is nourishing and supportive.

And so I feel like when we start to conflate the two with each other, we’re, kind of, missing the point of what clothing can be for us. And we are cheapening the product and making it much more disposable when we think about it as something that, you know, comes in and out and trends that come and go and like, oh, well I wore that dress a few too many times and now people are going to see me in it and they’re going to think whatever.

And so I think, you know, having those special pieces in your closet that have a lot of meaning to you in there, really deeply associated with how you feel about them. Um, I think that’s, kind of, where the difference between clothing and fashion comes in is. Like, what’s our personal relationship with our clothes. Fashion is much more of, like, a societal relationship with concept that I don’t necessarily think it’s that strong. Yeah.

Helen: Yeah, it’s exciting to hear you talk about it in that way because I think for a lot of our listeners crafting their own clothes, they are deepening that relationship with the clothing that they’re wearing, but there is still an element of consumption when it comes to fabric and materials and always wanting to have the new pattern and new designs. So do you have any advice for us as far as how we can continue to deepen that relationship with our clothing and, um, really appreciate the items in our closet?

Christi: Yeah, I think my favorite way is to just, um, you know, if I find something that’s, like, not really working for me anymore, it’s like, how do I kind of bring that piece back to life in a different way? And that, for me, I love working within limitations. And working with a pre-existing garment there, that’s like, a built-in limitation where you’re like, I have this construct, constructs of, like, how this has already been made. And so how can I make this into something else? And that’s like, oftentimes what I feel like is going to help us out most when we start to think about how to… And this can be a really creative process when we start to think about how we can bring that, like, longer-term relationship into the pieces that we own.

Um, and things, you know, things like shrinking a sweater and being like, okay, how can I reuse this in some way? And then it has such longer of a story. And so if that, if that shrunken sweater gets patchworked into another sweater that eventually gets turned into a pillow and then we can tend to remember and lock onto each point in our life when that sweater existed in its previous form and connect us to really how far we’ve come.

And that’s what I think is so beautiful about having that history in our clothes is, you know, a look at, uh, something that I’ve patchworked, that I remember what the individual pieces were, and I remember where I lived when I was wearing those pieces before they were this patchwork. Um, yeah, I feel, like, that is how we can really form a much stronger connection with the pieces that we’re working with.

Helen: I love that. I think patchwork is so much fun. I personally really enjoy doing projects like that. And, um, we’re going to talk to you a little bit more about how you use up your scraps and do your projects like that a bit later, but we’re curious because you have such an incredible breadth of creative work that you do. What is filling your days lately? What does your day look like?

Christi: Right now, I am doing a lot of teaching. A lot of it is, kind of, just, like, email correspondence with people, trying to figure out the details of things. Um, but then I, in the summertime, I try and also take as much time off as possible because where I live, there’s, like, six months of snow and six months of sun.

So during the six months of sun, I try and enjoy it as much as possible and spend as much time in the garden as possible. So for me, my, no, no day ever looks the same. No week ever even looks the same. It’s so dependent on the weather. Like today it rained, so I’m not going to be out in the garden. So it was kind, kinda, I, kind of, had to reframe, like, how my morning went.

A lot of the times the day-to-day interactions is, like, okay, you gotta make sure to fill orders. And then also making sure to, as a self-employed individual, it’s, like, making sure I have time to focus on the projects that I want to do for the future instead of focusing so much on the day-to-day aspect of things.

Really being like, okay, I have this dream of something. What, what one little thing could I do today to bring me closer to that new course or to that new book or to that new jacket? You know, like how can I do one little thing each day that moves me forward, and so I’m not just stuck in the bus-, in the doing of the business.

Helen: Oh, such good advice. We feel you. You mentioned your shop and fulfilling orders. What kind of things do you sell in your shop?

Christi: Yeah, so in my shop, I still have, um, a few ‘zines, even though I have my published book, I still have a few little ‘zines that I sell. Um, there’s one on botanical dying, and there’s one on embroidery which I don’t understand why people are. I’m getting it when I have the other book. But I’m like, okay, if you, you know, I think it’s, it’s just a different book. And so I’m kind of like, well, if people are still interested in it, then I definitely want to still offer it. Um, and you know, maybe people will connect with it on a different level.

But I have those, and then I also have these little hand embroidered talismans. And so they’re little patches that I have hand embroidered. And then the intention of it is that you would then sew it into a garment of your own while using that as a way to set your own intentions for the future and, kind of, use it as a anchor for how you want to personally bring yourself forward in your life or make changes in your life. Um, and having these little embroideries as, uh, as a symbol for that experience.

And then I also, I’m still making and selling clothes to some degree. Um, and so the clothing is a little less of a daily, um, situation as far as online orders go. But, um, it’s still every once in a while a clothing sale comes and I’m like, oh, I got to, yeah, I think that’s, yeah, that’s on the clothing rack. Okay. So yeah. So just making sure to keep up with the shop.

Caroline: Yeah. I definitely encourage our listeners to go check out your website, mixedcolor.net, because you have some amazing garments on there with embroidery on them. And they’re just so beautiful and special and unique, so definitely go check that out. But we also have to mention the Stitch Wish podcast because you have your own podcast. Can you tell us a little bit more about that and what kinds of topics you cover?

Christi: Yeah, totally. So I don’t, um, I just had always thought about doing a podcast, but I was like, oh, it’s going to be, I know it’s a lot of work, and I wasn’t sure that that would be something that I could take on, but I’ve been surprised, like, I’ve done this for 12 weeks, which is, you know, more, more than I’ve ever done something weekly before ever.

But it is basically about crafting your own magic and threads. And so the idea, I love talking with other artists all the time about our creative process, about, you know, how we work with our materials, things that we’ve learned. And so I wanted to be able to bring that into a more recorded situation where I could just talk to my friends basically about these different ideas and about how we’re working with our art and how we’re working with our art and business, especially.

Um, I find that to be really interesting, um, because I don’t feel like that is as clear for people who maybe want to start businesses where it’s their art form. There’s, there’s a relationship where you, kind of, have to figure out, um, where your business comes in, where your art comes in and you really, like I said, you need to make time for future artwork. Um, and so just, I think having those conversations with my friends about that, and also talking a little bit more about how our art, how our creativity, and how our different projects start to combine with our own spirituality and with our own, sort of, intention settings and ideas that we have for how we want the future to be.

And I think that seeing the creative act as, like, kind of, a microcosm of our ability to enact change in the greater world. I feel like is a really important sort of micro/macro to look at. And so those are some of the topics I like to consider on the show is, like, how is our creative process feeding us and feeding our communities and how can we work with textiles in ways that really support our creative process, but also support, um, different, more sustainable ways of living with them.

Helen: That’s so cool. And I don’t know about our listeners, but I’m already subscribed and I hope that they go subscribe to. It’s Stitch Wish. So I’m sure you can find it on your podcast apps, and go listen to Christi.

Okay. Let’s talk a little bit more about your book. I’m going to repeat the title. It’s Mystical Stitches: Embroidery for Personal Empowerment and Magical Embellishment. First of all, congratulations.

Christi: Thank you.

Helen: Can you give us a bit of an overview of what the book is all about?

Christi: Yeah. So the book is basically considering embroidery as a much more meaningful experience where in our modern society, maybe not your listeners as much, but I think in a lot of different spaces, people think that, you know, embroidery is just kind of this pastime. Um, it’s just, you know, something that people do when they’re bored. And I think that that is, that really takes a lot away from it. Um, and really, it takes away from its root.

And when we look at the history of embroidery and the history of needlework in general, humans started creating symbols and imagery decoration with embroidery really shortly after they discovered how to stitch two pieces of fabric together. So we had this, we’ve had this relationship throughout time with creating imagery with a needle and thread.

And I wanted to bring that through in a book form and, kind of, bring that back to the forefront of our relationship with embroidery where it’s not just about reproducing an image. It’s about what am I using? What, uh, what are the visuals that I’m incorporating in this? And what are those visuals mean to me? Or how have those visuals been used historically as, um, intentions or as protection or as a form of conversing with different deities and, sort of, different worlds?

So I thought that being able to basically have a library of symbols which is what, in the book it’s called the Treasury of Symbols, that are meaningful to me. It’s not, it’s by no means a totally comprehensive overview of symbols, but they are the ones that I have seen exist throughout many cultures as I study and do research on embroidery in different cultures.

And so I really wanted to be able to show those and present those to people in a way that would inspire them to start to create their own designs and start to allow embroidery to be more of a spiritual event and allow embroidery to be more comforting for them and encouraging them to develop their own creative relationship with it. Um, and so then that’s where Mystical Stitches came from. That idea.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s so wonderful. Similarly, to how you were speaking about, kind of, building relationships with our clothing, building a relationship with the embroidery that you’re doing can be so powerful, I think, um, as a creative practice. I wonder because you’ve shared about embroidery online before and on your website and you have these ‘zines, what inspired you to share this process and ethos in book form?

Christi: I really love the form of a book. It’s an amazing way to really wrap up imagery and text, and you, sort of, get lost in the pages of a book. And I wanted to be able to bring that to people in a way that, for me, has been so influential and so embroidery, or embroidery books, from, like, the sixties and seventies are one of my favorite things to collect as far as books go and as far as anything goes, really.

And that was something that I, kind of, grew up with where I was, I would be at the library, like, looking for the oldest craft books I could find. And you would just get lost in these pages of just really wild styles of clothing that didn’t even make any sense, um, you know, figuratively. But it, it just really inspired me to get a little bit crazy with the styles that I was going to try and make.

And so I wanted to bring back that feeling, bring back that sort of liberation that existed in those earlier books. And I also just, yeah, the, the way that a book combines all of these different mediums, it feels like a really beautiful, sort of, collection of my ways of thinking and my ways of working in the world. And yeah, I just, I love books. I wanted to include my own.

Caroline: I love books, too. There’s something so great about having this, like, tangible thing that you can cherish and lend to a friend and have on your coffee table and have people look at it with you and just, like, really experience that in a different way than, you know, staring at a screen, so I totally agree with you. Books are so special, and we’re so glad that you wrote one. Um, how was that process like for you, the book writing and, like, publishing process?

Christi: Yeah, the writing and publishing. I, um, I really enjoyed my experience working with my publisher. I know that’s not everyone’s experience, but I just, they were really supportive through the whole thing. Um, and I just really appreciated the amount of creative liberty I was given. I feel like there was a lot of opportunity for me to have input in the design and have input in how things were going to be laid out and everything. And so I really appreciated that.

Um, but it was, I’m not a writer. Like, I don’t write. I do write, I do a lot of writing, but I don’t consider myself a writer, and I hadn’t ever really been formally taught in any way about writing. And so that was something for me that I was really self-conscious about. And that was, I basically started the book with the writing. I started drawing the symbols, first and foremost. I drew all of the symbols that I wanted, and then I sent that off to the publisher, and while they were laying out the symbols, so that I could then stitch into those layouts, I had a couple months to finish the writing for the book.

And there was a lot of working through my own personal, sort of, um, “who am I to be writing this?” issues. And so that was a really interesting process. And I found that, you know, as I was writing these ideas about how people should feel about embroidery and how they should allow it to be a little bit more expansive for them, I was like, oh, I need to actually be a little bit forgiving with my writing and allow myself to get a little more expansive with the writing if I want this book to, if I want the writing to match what I’m actually trying to say, and so that was really important for me.

But basically, just to give you a timeline, I signed the contract for the book in December of 2019. And so I started writing it at the beginning of 2020. Um, and so then as we know, 2020 just started falling apart month after month after month. And I had this deadline of May 2020. And so the book really, kind of, gave me something to anchor into and gave me something to continue to work towards. And I was like, I have no idea what’s happening after this book gets written. I don’t even know, you know, if the world’s still going to be, if the world’s going to burn by then.

Um, and so I had to really work very hard to not get distracted and not get caught up because I was like, no matter what happens, no matter what’s happening in the world, like, me looking at the news every 10 minutes, isn’t going to fix any of it. Um, so I really need to focus on the work that I’m, that I am capable of doing.

And so, yeah, I really found the process of making the book to be really therapeutic in that way, the actual stitching of the book, which I also felt like very much fell hand in hand with the concept behind the book. So yeah, just trying to make sure that the making of the book and the process of the book did not start to become something completely different than what I wanted the book to be. I wanted the creative process to continue to be transformative and continue to bring me forward.

Helen: That’s so amazing to hear. And, like, the book really does resonate that. It feels so transformative and magical just looking at it. I love the way that the embroidered stitches actually look tactile, even though they’re on a flat page. I think that the design just worked out really well. And I would love to hear a bit more about the magical potential of embroidery and what makes embroidery such a transformative process for people.

Christi: Yeah, so I feel like embroidery, just in the very physics of it, where we are pulling a needle and thread up and above the fabric, and then we’re inserting the needle and thread down below the fabric. I feel like that mirrors this idea of, you know, that, the magical phrasing, “As above, so below.” Um, and so the idea of how is our internal world and our external world, um, matching? In what ways do they match? Um, and also seeing that just through the process of stitching. I’m coming up, I’m going back down, I’m coming up, I’m going back down and, sort of, connecting those two worlds.

And in addition to that, I think, you know, more literally, the, just the amount of time it takes to create an embroidery, the way that you need to slow down, and the rhythmic nature of the motion of in and out and in and out and in and out, reminds me of it’s, it’s, like, kind of, like taking a breath or like meditation. Um, you know, it’s a very mindful experience of having to slow down and focus and make this repetitive motion. And as you’re doing this, this imagery is slowly unfolding before your eyes. And so you have something that you’re working towards, but you’re still really embracing this slowness and embracing this being in the present moment. And so I think that, for me, is where I see embroidery and magic, kind of, sitting hand in hand.

Caroline: Hm, yeah, no, it’s true. It is a slow process. And I think a lot of us are used to crafts that progress a little bit faster, especially our listeners are sewists, so, you know, you can whip up a garment in an evening if you want. Um, but do you have any tips for, kind of, settling in and enjoying that pace?

Christi: Yeah, I mean, I find that music helps a lot of the times, or even getting caught up in an audio book, like a story. Being told a story while I’m embroidering is really fun. And then I, and then you have the added benefit of then you look at the embroidery and you’ll see the little parts and you’ll almost, it’s almost becomes a map of whatever story you were listening to. And you’re like, oh, I remember that little part here where the fern comes up and over here.

Um, so yeah, I think, and also allowing it to take as long as it’s going to take, um, I don’t necessarily when I’m making, when I’m embroidering clothes that I’m going to sell, there’s, like, some, sort of, idea of, like, this needs to be, you know, this needs to not take forever, but even then I still fail at that. When I’m, when I’m working on my own art pieces, it’s like, this can take as long as it needs to. I can put it down and I can pick it back up and the size and, kind of, collapsibility and transportability of embroidery allows that to happen really easily. So I encourage people to allow a project to take years if it needs to. We’ve got it, so.

Helen: Oh, that’s great to hear. I’ll relax next time I’m doing my embroidery and try not to take it too seriously. Um, we do love that you embroider on garments though. It’s such a fun way to embellish things. And since our podcast is focused on sewing garments, we’re pretty clothes-obsessed. Um, so we’re wondering, what is it you like about embroidering on an already existing article of clothing?

Christi: Yeah, that’s, I just feel like there’s this conversation that happens between the clothing and whatever it wants to be, between the clothing and me. And so I’ll put on an article of clothing. I find this to be, especially with vintage clothes, not so much with new clothes that I’ve made, but when I’m working with vintage pieces, you know, I might have an idea for it. When I see the jacket, I’ll say, oh, maybe I want to do a little, you know, a little something on the collar here.

But then it feels like when I put the vintage garments on there’s all of a sudden this whole personality that comes out and I, kind of, can’t deny it where it’s like, oh no, this jacket doesn’t want, like, a little accent on the collar. This jacket wants a whole scene across the shoulders. And it wants, like, they have, they, kind of, have their own idea of how they get to be reborn and come into new form.

And so that, I, I just find that to be so much fun. But even when I’m working with garments that I’ve already sewn or that, that I’ve just recently sewn, I still feel that. Depending on how the garment sits on the body or how the fabric drapes or whatever it is, I can start to feel like, okay, this, this would actually look really great with something on the sleeve or like, oh, that would, you know, this isn’t going to work here.

Or, kind of, having that, that experience of collaboration with a piece with, with this form that we’re having to deal with as opposed to stitching on a flat surface. I just think it’s so much fun in the way that it can really completely recreate an article of clothing with stitching.

Helen: Yeah, and it really makes it such a unique piece, too. Talking about, like, deepening that relationship with your clothes and having strong connection, once you’ve spent hours embroidering that jacket, I mean, you’re never going to let that go.

Christi: Yeah, totally.

Helen: So how does it work? Do you use, like, stabilizers and hoops, and how do you get in there on these little small areas, like collars and stuff, to put embroidery?

Christi: Right. Well, when I do, um, I don’t actually use stabilizer ever, but I also don’t work with fabrics that might need a stabilizer. So I know some people who are like, oh, you know, you can embroider a t-shirt if you use a little… That doesn’t interest me. Like, I, kind of, I guess I’m just, like, you know, the, the quickest way, which is funny because the work that I do is so slow, but I’m like, oh, the stabilizer seems like it would take so much more time to, like, it doesn’t take, it takes, like, three seconds to put stabilizer on.

But I mean, for many years I wouldn’t use a hoop. Um, and then finally I started using a hoop and I was like, I don’t actually know how I was doing this without it. But I do, I always use it, I almost always use an embroidery hoop unless I’m working with thicker fabrics, like jacket fabrics. So if I’m embroidering something on the back of a jacket, let’s say. I’m going to rip open the seams at the back of the lining or at the side seam of the lining. And then I’m able to work within just the outer layer of the jacket. Um, and it’s not, the stitches aren’t going through the lining, and so then I’m able to hide all my stitches. But when I have those heavier fabrics, like jackets, I don’t have to worry as much about the stitches bunching.

And in cases like, let’s say the collar where I can’t really use a hoop because it’s not convenient to fit a hoop on a collar, it might distort the shape. Um, I just make sure to leave my stitches a little loose. And I think that’s something, that’s something that I always recommend in all my classes, in my book. It’s like, I’ve never met somebody who made their stitches too loose. In all my teaching, people always make their stitches too tight. Um, we, and it’s, you know, I see something about that in all of us as well, where it’s like, all right, we all need to loosen up just a little bit, myself included. Um, and so, bringing that into the stitches and just keeping the stitches a little bit loose makes it so it’s really easy to embroider on those strange areas.

Caroline: Oh, that’s such a great tip. And how do you mark out your designs? Do you use any special tools for that?

Christi: I use, um, heat erasable pens. And so it’s this company called, uh, Pilot. They have these pens called Frixion. F-R-I-X-I-O-N. And I’ve heard that maybe if the temperature gets to, like, a really extreme cold that the color can come back, but I have yet to experience that. So I still use them, but I draw freehand on the garment how I want the design to be. And you know, that way when I’m using the heat erasable pens, if I am like, oh, I don’t actually like that, I just iron it. And it, um, it steams the pen right out. And then after I’m done stitching my garment that I’ve drawn with a heat erasable pen, I can just take a hairdryer to it. And so I don’t have to press out the, uh, because with an embroidery, you don’t want to necessarily press your embroidery flat, cause it’s just gonna flatten all your stitches.

So by just steaming it a little bit with an iron or just using a hairdryer or, you know, in the winter time, we’ll just, kind of, flop it in front of the woodstove and get some heat on it. So that’s, yeah, that’s my favorite, the Frixion pens, the heat erasable. They’re also really affordable, and I don’t have to necessarily get the garment wet which has worked really well for jackets cause I don’t, you don’t necessarily want to, like, wash a wool jacket.

Caroline: Mhm.

Helen: Yeah, that’s good to hear because we’ve heard those pens mentioned many times for sewing as well and the little, like, cold, too cold, it will come back thing, but you live in a cold climate, so if you’re not noticing that, then I think we’re probably good.

Christi: Yeah. Like, it’s gotten to, like, negative 20 here before, and I don’t think I was outside for very long with anything embroidered that I noticed, but, but it’s, kind of, like, what are the, what are the chances of being in that?

Helen: If you spend a lot of time in a walk-in cooler, maybe not for you.

Christi: Right, exactly!

Helen: So are there other special considerations when we’re embroidering on clothing that you wouldn’t necessarily worry about if you were making, like, a framed piece?

Christi: Yeah. So anytime that I have an area of clothing, that is, there’s a lot of drapery happening. And so this is a lot of the times, like, in the area, sort of, under the arms or, you know, down the sides of a dress where our fabrics are draping. I, kind of, avoid embroidering those areas cause I think the embroidery stiffens the fabric.

So if you’ve got a fabric with a bunch of drape, you don’t want to ruin that drape by having some, like, thick boxy embroidery on it. And it’s also going to, the embroidery is going to, kind of, fall into the folds. So when I’m embroidering clothes, I try and stick with the flat planes of the body, So that’s going to be like the outer surface of the arm. It’s going to be the yoke, the back yoke or the front yoke.

Um, it’s going to be, if it’s a more fitted dress, you know, you can, kind of, around the belly area, around the belly button, like, that kind of area, up and down the front to the neck, that’s a pretty safe spot in more fitted garments. Um, so yeah, I try and keep it either, you know, borders around the edges or the flat planes of the body.

Caroline: Mm, awesome. Thank you for that. And do you have any kinds of needles and floss that you like to use?

Christi: I always use DMC because I can find them everywhere. They come in 500 different colors, and I’ve never found any of the colors to bleed. I’ve heard that some people had problems with, like, the brightest shade of red, but I don’t, I just don’t use that much red.

So I guess it’s not really a problem for me. So yeah, I love DMC. They also have so many different kinds of threads and so many different sizes that it’s, kind of, like, if I want to use a different thread, I know that I can get the exact color that I want. And at this point, I think colors in DMC numbers. So I’m like cop-, like 975 copper, you know, so that’s something that has just become natural for me.

And then also as far as sewing needles go or embroidery needles, I don’t use needles that are labeled for embroidery because I use the full thickness of embroidery thread. Embroidery thread’s made up of six strands or at least embroidery floss, like the regular kind that you’ll see at the store. And it’s made up of six strands and many artists that work with embroidery, we’ll use two or three of those six strands. I use all six.

And so I need a needle, embroidery needles are made for using two or three strands of the embroidery floss, so I need a little bit thicker of a needle to get all six of those strands in. So I use what is called a chenille needle, and I have them in size 22, 24, and 26. So chenille needles are my favorite because they have a really big, long eye. And so they’re really easy to thread, but then they still have a pointy tip.

Helen: Oh, this is so interesting because I’ve done a few projects. And when my first one I did, I used the full embroidery floss, and then I was reading online and I was like, oh, I’m doing it wrong. I should be using 1, 2, 3 of these strands and, like, separating them out. But then I did my second project doing that, and it was a hot mess because there was just floss everywhere and all these nests. So I’m really happy to hear that it’s okay to use the full floss.

Christi: Yeah, totally. And that was one of the reasons that I was like, I need to write a book on this because everything that I would read was like, you’re not, you know, you’re supposed to split it down. Nobody uses six strands of floss, and I’m like, okay, well I do. And I can tell just by looking at it, all of the folk artists whose work I love most, I can tell they use all six strands.

And so I wanted to, yeah. I wanted to, like, liberate people and be like, it’s okay. Like, you can do whatever you want with these threads. Like, we are, we are all artists at our core. We’re all creative. So use it in a different way and try things out and see how it works. And yeah, don’t feel like you need to do it exactly the way that we’re prescribed, so.

Caroline: Yeah, totally. That’s such a liberating way of looking at making art for sure. And what embroidery stitches do you like to use in your pieces? Are there any specific types of stitches that you love?

Christi: Yes! I am pretty limited in my stitch, stitch range when it comes to my artwork. I like to get, you know, I like to get a little more creative every now and then and try out some new stitches. But for the most part, I do satin stitch, chain stitch, and stem stitch, and a little bit of French knots here and there, but almost everything else is satin stitch, stem stitch, chain stitch.

And then within chain stitch, there are, like, a hundred different variations of different chain sitches that you can do. And so that’s something that’s really exciting for me with this single stitch I can, you know, just by going in and out of the fabric at different points, you can use the same method of creating this loop and pinning down the top of the loop but create a bunch of different visual effects. So the chain stitch I find is probably my favorite if I had to pick one.

Caroline: Awesome. And I wonder if it’s necessary to use, like, classic embroidery techniques or if you think there’s room for, kind of, like, freestyle with embroidery.

Christi: Yeah, definitely. I love seeing different freestyles. And I think, like, as a teacher, that’s something that people, kind of, do intuitively where they’re like, oh, like, I think I’m doing the stitch that you’re teaching wrong, and I’ll look at their fabric. I’m like, I mean, yeah, technically that, wasn’t what I was teaching you, but, like, you’re doing a totally different stitch, and I think just go with it, you know, if that, if that feels good in your hands and you’re able to create that, like, keep going with it.

And so, yeah, I think I do encourage, and I have an online course called Magic Threads, and it teaches all of the different potentials for each and every stitch. And so I go, like, into, some of the videos are, like, 30 minutes long for a single stitch, and I show different examples of how that stitch can be manipulated in different ways to create different effects. And I think, yeah, I like to encourage people to really go to the edges of what this idea of the single stitch is.

Caroline: Very, very cool. That is great to know. Okay. We want to talk a little bit about the symbolism in your designs because they are full of symbolism and they’re so beautiful and also so meaningful. So we, kind of, want to know, like, what kinds of symbols are you drawn to in your work?

Christi: Yeah, I’m definitely, so the natural world is a really big inspiration for me, especially this time of year. I love looking at different plants, different herbs and how they were, not only how they were historically used medicinally, but also how they were used magically and how they were thought of. For example, the borage flower. Women used to embroider borage flowers on the undergarments of knights’ clothing. And the idea was that borage is a flower of courage. And so embroidering these flowers on, on their undergarments was, was to infuse courage into them on this, on this close level.

Researching different herbs is really important for me. Um, herbalism is something I’ve always been interested in. And so I find that that, sort of, combination, that crossing over of textile arts and herbalism and growing a lot of those herbs in my backyard is a really fun place to play around in.

Um, and then also other symbols for me that constantly come up are snakes. I love snakes. I just, and some people are totally creeped out by them, but I just love the way that they find their way in and out of just about any mythology that you read, like, there’s a snake in there somewhere. Um, and I just love the way that their meanings shapeshift and the way that they themselves are these shapeshifters where they live subterranean, and then they’re also bathing out in the sun.

Um, they are shedding their skin constantly. And so they have these, they become these symbols of transformation and these symbols of evolution for me. And I think that exists very much that way in, with, throughout the world. And also the idea that they, in some cases, are the venom and in some cases are the cure for that venom. And so the idea that the poison is the cure, um, is an interesting sort of cyclical thing to think about.

Some other symbols that I find really inspiring, for me, is the eye, just the symbol of an eye and all the different ways that we can think about that. Like, different visions that we have for things and the single eye, for me, just seeing one single eye, I think of that as, kind of, the third eye point and how we are able to connect to our intuition and connecting to, sort of, other worlds, I guess, is the best way that I can describe it, connecting to that, which is not necessarily known through intellect, that, that, which is coming to us through channels that we can’t describe, that science can’t describe, that mathematics can’t describe, something that’s a little bit more intuitive. So yeah, those are, those are, kind of, probably my, a few of my favorites.

Helen: Aw, it’s so cool. I, again, just love seeing all of these symbols in your book, but it gets me thinking about, like, how do we know if we are connecting with a symbol? Like, is there some way that people can tap into what symbols they might feel represent them best? Or can they turn anything in their life into a symbol? Like, can I make my dog a symbol, you know?

Christi: Yeah, totally. I think, and I think that’s the beauty of it is seeing, seeing the multitudes in the existence of a single form. And that for me is what turning something into a symbol is. And so, for example, um, another symbol that I love and I’m drawn to are things like vases or bowls, the idea of this vessel. And, you know, we can think about a vase as, like, something pretty to put a flower in. We can, you know, we can think of that on a very surface level, but if we start to think about what that, what this idea of a vessel means for us and how many different ways we can define a vessel and how many different ways that works for us.

And so the vessel is, it’s containing, it’s preserving, it is holding something for us. Um, and, and often the vessels are considered something that would reflect, uh, like the vessels can, are considered a metaphor for, let’s say the womb. Um, so this place where we’re holding and sustaining and nurturing. So I really think it’s about looking at what might be a seemingly inanimate object or just an animal or just a plant and seeing all of the multitudes that it contains and really elevating it into something that is more than just, you know, what it is.

And that for me, I mean, some people are a little more literal in their translation of things and they’re like, what are you talking about? But, uh, but you know, I think it’s just, it’s more fun to live in a world where we consider the deeper meanings of the everyday objects around us.

Helen: Yeah, I imagine it could be a process for some people, especially if they’re learning embroidery at the same time, as they’re trying to think about all of these other deeper meanings, but I really like that you’re connecting these two for makers. And in your writing, you also describe making and performing rituals. And we were curious, what kind of rituals do you incorporate into your textile art practice?

Christi: Yeah. So for me, rituals are, I keep rituals very simple. I mean, I think some people can bring in a lot of different elements where you’re lighting candles and you have an ultra space. Um, and I do keep an ultra space, but I think it can be as simple as just allowing your hands on these materials to infuse your desired energies into that piece. And for me, a big part of what I, the ritual that I like to use is visualization. And so after I’ve finished a piece, I like to hold it between my hands and visualizing, and the more you try to visualize, the easier it gets. And so when people are like, I’m not seeing anything, I’m like, just keep trying. You know, just keep playing around with the idea of closing your eyes and seeing what’s not necessarily there but what might energetically be there.

So, for me, I’m holding, let’s say a finished embroidery, I’m holding it between my hands and I’m seeing the energies of my body. I’m seeing colors that are coming through and that are infusing this embroidery. And, you know, I’m seeing this glowing, this embroidery piece turning into sort of a glowing orb in front of me and allowing whatever else I want to pull in from wherever.

Um, you know, I’m, I’m not one to define any sort of universe, god, whatever. That is for anybody. I don’t try and put names to it because I have no idea what it is. And I have yet to find an explanation that totally tunes in for me. And so I just, you know, whatever you want to pull in from, wherever it’s coming from, and allowing that energy to pull into the piece that you have in your hands and that, for me, I feel like is the strongest ritual, is believing that A. believing that that’s possible, believing that you’re capable of it and believing that your energies put into something actually matters.

Because, once again, that, there is that micro/macro where when we understand that what we are creating in the physical world on a small scale actually matters. We can start to understand how what we are doing in our life on a daily basis, what we are doing out in the world actually matters. And then we’re allowed to step into our power and actually take actions that propel us forward.

Helen: Yeah, it’s so interesting to think about how that affects just the way that we create. And we’ve talked a lot on the show about intentions before and taking a moment to set intentions before you start creating and making sure that you’re in the right headspace to create. And I think there’s a lot of opportunity for bringing in rituals to this, whether it’s just taking a moment to put your hands on your sewing machine before you get started and just, like, taking it all in and making sure that you are mentally ready for the process. And then you can get the most out of it.

Christi: Yeah, definitely. And I think, yeah, even just that, the idea of taking a moment before you’re working on something and appreciating the materials, or, you know, just, just setting the intention, yeah, for that to be, you know, maybe a learning experience that is you’re setting your intention for whatever you want it to be.

Helen: Yeah, exactly. I try to just make sure I’m going to have fun, so that’s usually my goal. Um, but for everyone it could be different, right?

Christi: Yeah. Yeah. Totally.

Helen: Um, okay. I also want to talk about these talismans cause they’re very intriguing. So what is a talisman exactly?

Christi: Yeah, so a talisman is, first of all the word talisman is based on the Greek word telesma which means to consecrate or to make into a rite. And so talisman is a talisman because you make it so. So you can embroider some-, you can spend a thousand hours embroidering something, but if you’re just like, well, whatever, it’s just a pretty, pretty thing I embroidered. Um, then it’s not necessarily holding any specific power. Maybe it still is, but you know, not as strong as it necessarily could be.

So, but when you decide to infuse the energies that you desire into that piece, that’s really what turns it into a talisman. And that, you can see that in the, sort of, root word of “to consecrate.” So by having a little ritual, even if, like I said, it is just holding it between your hands and pulling these energies towards it, or visualizing it lighting up in maybe whatever color that you feel would reflect that.

Like, I love golden light, sort of, showering into pieces that makes it feel really glowing and abundant and resourced, well-resourced. And so, for me, it, yeah, making a talisman is all about what, for you, is the easiest way to put your intentions into piece, not the easiest way. What, for you, is the most meaningful way to put your intentions into a piece?

And I’m not necessarily saying that that talisman is then now in view, imbued with these magical powers and can totally transform your life. But it is, it does become a social anchor in your daily experience. So, for example, if I am stitching a talisman for an intention that I have to, let’s say, I don’t have kids, but if it’s, like, I just want to be nicer to my kids. I want to be more appreciative of them, and I want to understand where they’re coming from a little bit better.

Um, and then I embroider that symbol into something that I encounter on a daily basis or frequent ex-, that I’m frequently experiencing. Let’s say I put it in a purse or something. Then when I’m seeing that image every time I go into my purse, I understand I’m like, I check back into that intention. And so it becomes a way of just reminding yourself through imagery, through visuals, of what your intention really is.

So you might be, like. ready to yell at them, be like, get out of here. And then you see that, and you’re like, right, right. I’m like, I’m making a concerted effort to make this change in my life. I have a visual anchor for it. Um, and so that’s how I think personally, that talismen work on a, sort of, literal level, a very intellectual level. That’s how I think they work. I also do think they work a little bit behind the scenes, but.

Helen: Can you actually describe what your talismans look like?

Christi: Yeah. So my talismans are these, they’re little three inch squares of fabric. Um, they have raw edges on all four sides. They are embroidered, kind of, in the center of that shape. And then basically the idea is the talisman come with a needle and thread. So the idea is that you would then take this embroidery and sew it into a garment or sew into a place that you want to keep it, or even just, you know, keeping it around your house that’s just not sewn into anything.

But, for me, the idea of these little talisman patches was, like, kind of, a little bit of, like, a, a bridge to get people to start embroidering where it’s like, oh no, you don’t have to learn how to embroider, just sew this little patch into something. But like, oh wow, I can actually use a needle and thread, it turns out. So that was a little sneaky, sneaky on my part.

Helen: You’re just getting them in the door.

Christi: Yeah, exactly. I’m like, oh, so you have a needle and thread now. How interesting. And you have a sewing needle that you can actually use with embroidery floss which was also important for me. So all of the talismen come with a big eye needle that I use regularly.

Helen: Oh, that’s so great. Yeah. We definitely encourage our listeners to go check out the talismen on your site, um, cause you do have a few for sale and they’re just so beautiful and inspiring. I could definitely see this being a great beginner project for somebody who wants to get into embroidery because they’re quite small and manageable from the looks of it.

Christi: Yeah. And you just, you just sew it and patch it in, and it, you know, if you have, like, let’s say a stain on a shirt or something like that, it can be a really great way to like cover up a stain or hide a hole, um, and be able to sew a little bit while you’re doing it. And the, some of them are dyed with natural dyes as well.

And so that’s, like, another element of it where I’m like, this one’s dyed with marigold. And so they get, the fabric gets infused with these different natural energies. I’m looking into how marigold has existed throughout time and how its, what its intention has been. So I think that’s a really fun way to, kind of, merge those two arts as well, embroidery and natural dyes.

Caroline: Fabulous. And you also teach how to make these in your book, so everyone should just go buy your book.

Christi: Yeah, totally.

Caroline: Um, another topic that you cover in your book is creativity. Um, so we wanted to touch on that for a minute, and I wonder how you nurture your creativity.

Christi: Yeah, one of my favorite acts for nurturing creativity is really just closing my eyes. Um, I feel like we are able to experience a little bit more of what’s going behind, going on behind the scenes in our minds when we close our eyes. And I think that’s really a fun way to slow down and, you know, you can call it meditating if you want, too. You can call it, I’m just going to lay down and close my eyes for a minute, or I’m just going to sit in the chair and close my eyes and see what comes up.

That’s a big deal for me, especially because I feel like we’re inundated with so much imagery and so many, kind of, like, fast moving things from the internet and from our phones. And so that really helps all that by just, like, sitting still and closing my eyes for a few minutes, it helps all of that fall away. And then I’m able to get back into, sort of, where I, where I end and the world begins, I guess. It’s, kind of, get back into myself.

And I also love, a big part of my practice, creative practice is just doodling and just taking watercolor pens and pencils, and, or sometimes just playing with thread and have, making things with no intention of becoming a work of art. Um, I think that is a really important part of my relationship with creativity is just making things for the sake of making things that I don’t think anyone is ever going to see. And I’m able to, sort of, mentally process, visually process imagery by doing things like that.

So that’s, yeah, I really love a little doodle, you know, I’ll just be like in the next 30 minutes, I’m just going to play with these paints and make nothing of any intention. It’s just going to be seeing what comes through my wrists, seeing what I’m naturally drawn to color-wise, seeing how that paint brush wants to flow across the page.

Helen: Oh, you make it sound so easy, Christi.

Christi: And I have to say that, like, you know, these pages are never, like, they’re not that pretty. And I think that’s an important note is, like, nobody sees them. And so I almost feel bad because it’s like, oh, you don’t, you know, I make a lot of uninteresting artwork, but, um, but it’s, it’s a way of, sort of, getting out ideas I’m processing, visual processing for me that I think is really fun.

Helen: Yeah. Unlocking that potential. I really like that because I find myself drawn to sites like Pinterest or even Google image search when I’m thinking about doing a project, and I’m looking for, I’m looking for inspiration, but I want it, sort of, fed to me by way of someone else’s work. And it’s interesting to think about the potential of closing your eyes or opening your notebook and just seeing what comes out of you without that input. Um, but I think that’s really intimidating, too.

Christi: Totally, and I think that there’s this, I think, you know, we have this idea that the artwork that we see on the, on the Pinterest boards of that, like, that artist just naturally, kind of, came up with it. But, you know, there was, like, hundreds of pages of, like, bad projects that that artist went through to get to that point.

So I do, you know, I’m just as likely to, kind of, hop on Pinterest and look for something, but I, I try and, sort of, not. I do it, like, in a bunch, like, I try not to visit it every day, you know, like, maybe once every couple of weeks I’ll go, I’ll, like, let myself binge on Pinterest.

Helen: Oh, there’s so much beautiful embroidery on Pinterest.

Christi: Yeah, totally.

Helen: But yeah, I think it can be limiting, too, because especially with embroidering this classic elements like flowers and things like that. And it might start to feel like it’s not okay to want to embroider, like, a skull or, like, a frog or something else. And it’s really fine. You can do whatever you want. Um, everything is fair game. So keep that in mind, listeners.

Christi: And that’s why I think it’s fun to look at other, like, I love looking at books on, like, archeology or books on other, I’m trying to think of what other books I have, but books outside of embroidery. I collect a lot of different arenas of books and being able to get inspiration from, you know, a sculpture, a Greek sculpture from thousands of years ago, or Iranian bracelet or something. Like, all of these different areas where we can start to pull from that’s not just embroidery, I think, is really fun to try and see how we can translate it then using the stitches that we know, that we’ve seen those florals stitched in, but using it to embroider this skull.

Caroline: And there’s a quote from your website, kind of, related to creativity that I really wanted to share with our listeners. You wrote, “Intentionally developing your creative abilities is a way of liberating your mind from previous experience. When we consider new possibilities on a regular basis, we learn to liberate ourselves and allow space to embody new ways of being.” And I’d really love to hear more about this and how we can liberate ourselves through creativity.

Christi: Yeah, definitely. Oh, I love that you touched back on that. I love that. I love that piece of writing. Yeah. I think it’s really important. You know, I’ve done a little bit of research through, just through books, not through any classes or anything on, um, art therapy and working with textiles in art therapy and all of a sudden hearing therapists talk about the way that, the way that art can help us deal with problems that can help us cope with different issues, um, just through having this form visual form of expression.

Reading all these therapists’ writings gave words to so many of the feelings that I had about my own creative work, where when I don’t know what to do or when I’m feeling a little bit lost or scattered being able to just doodle and just like, let the pen move. It becomes a way of mental processing. And another part of it for me, a big part of it is the way that, through the creative practice, we start to develop, um, a tolerance, I guess the best way I can say it is, like, a tolerance for failure.

Like, when things just continue to go wrong, and I think, like, anybody who sews a lot, you see that, like, when things go wrong, you’re just, like, you don’t always necessarily expect it to go right. Like, we’ll do a little bit of a scrap test on this one, you know, this one edge finishing before because we know that everything we do is not going to be right.

Um, and so I feel like we can bring that tolerance for failure into our own lives and consider, like, okay, how can, when I get a little bit more confident and a little bit more brave in my actions, um, and I understand that they might not always work out. It takes a little bit of the, it doesn’t take the fear away, but it helps us manage that fear.

Um, and it helps us, um, yeah, like I said, it helps us cope with different experiences just by helping us to process them, but also by allowing us to talk about that experience and not just words, talk about that experience in imagery, which might not necessarily make sense to our rational mind, but to our psyche, and to the rest of our mind, all of a sudden that image makes so much sense, and it was able to express what words couldn’t touch.

Caroline: Yeah. So power-, it can be so powerful to, kind of, just exercise those muscles without, like, a necessarily, a tangible goal in mind. Just giving yourself that space to play.

Christi: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

Caroline: Okay. Before we, kind of, wrap up, we have so many things we want to talk to you about. So let’s, um, let’s talk about sustainability a little bit because we’ve noticed that that’s really an essential part of your making philosophy. And one thing we’re wondering is just what sustainable practices you’ve incorporated into your sewing and embroidery?

Christi: The most, I guess, sustainable practice that I incorporate is reusing cause I feel like the production, overproduction and over-consumption is one of our biggest problems. And to fight that, I mean, I still buy new fabrics, but I don’t try and make that happen very regularly. And I try as best as I can to work with resellers who collect remnants from different designers.

So one example of that is fabscrap.org. They are an amazing resource. I’m sure, like, many of your listeners maybe heard of FABSCRAP before, but, um, I, I just love having those resources of fabric that’s already been manufactured and has already been brought into the world already been dyed, printed, whatever. And it’s just sitting there because it’s maybe only 10 yards, and a designer couldn’t necessarily do something with that 10 yards.

Um, so reusing, repurposing, taking old clothes and making them new again, I find those are, sort of, my favorite is really just working from the materials that we’ve already extracted.

Helen: Yeah. I love that angle, especially for us as sewists, we have a lot of scraps that we’re creating in the process of making clothes often. So it’s interesting to see you work with those grafts in the artwork that you do, and especially the patchwork work that we’ve seen you do. So I was wondering if you could share any tips you have about working with scraps to create a whole new garment or a whole, like, work of art, like a tapestry.

Christi: Yes. Oh my God. I love, I love being left. I try the best I can to cut out my garments with as little waste as possible, but we’re just naturally, there’s going to be a little bit of waste. There’s going to be these odd shapes, you know, where there’s, like, a quarter yard left that we can’t really make a whole new garment out of.

And I love allowing those weird little shapes, like that curved shape that you end up with from cutting out a pair of pants, like the two crotches together, but that, like, little curve, I love trying to figure out, like, new fun ways to apply those. And the shape that I have cut out really starts to dictate the shape that it’s going to take form in cause I’m trying to use as much of it as possible.

So I end up with this weird triangle that I’m going to say, like, how can I, what other pieces do I have that match this weird triangle in a way that I can start to rebuild this piece of fabric? So I look at it like a puzzle when I’m doing those patchwork pieces. I really like to look at it like fitting together pieces of a puzzle. And so, first of all, I try and patchwork them all with the grainline going up and down, so I make sure that all of my grainlines are matching. That’s really important for me cause that’s going to make the patchwork lie flat as a garment.

And so I start to piece them together with the grainlines and, you know, sometimes I still have to cut a little bit here and there. Um, but then as I lay them out, I usually do this on the carpet, on my floor, as I lay them out, I overlap the edges about a half an inch, and that accounts for my seam allowance.

So I basically make this, you know, layout on the floor with all, matching up my grainlines so that everything is all, the grainlines are going up and down, overlapping my edges, and then I start to piece it together and iron the pieces as I go, lay them out on the floor and see if the puzzle still matches. Um, and sometimes it needed a little trim over here or a little trim over there, but for the most part, um, it works out.

Or sometimes the shape that it takes on, like, you know, sometimes when we start to sew these scraps together, it naturally starts to curve. And I’ll just, kind of, put that on the dress form and go, maybe this wants to be a totally different garment. And I, some of my favorite pieces have come from putting, putting a few pieces sewn together on the dress form and allowing the natural desires of those pieces of fabric to start to speak to the new form that they’re going to take.

Helen: Oh, that is so cool. So do you usually start with a garment in mind and then sometimes that changes or are you sometimes just putting fabric together for the heck of it?

Christi: I usually, I usually always start with the garment, garment in mind, and it usually always changes. And like, even though, and like, it’s funny as I’m saying that, like, as I hear you ask that I was like, oh yeah, I don’t think any of my intentions for these patchwork garments have ever gone how I thought it would. Um, and there’s always that little, there’s like a little conflict that I have where I’m just like, no, but I wanted this to be a jacket and now it’s a dress and I don’t.

Caroline: I feel like sometimes scraps and, like, collecting scraps can be really intimidating cause there’s just so many of them and it’s really hard to keep them organized. I wonder if you have any tips for organizing your scraps that they’re, sort of, more available and inviting for you to use in the day-to-day practice.

Christi: The idea of, like, having bins of scraps is frightening. So I love that you brought that up because just throwing all your scraps in a pile is no-, you’re never going to use them. So I think a very important part of saving scraps is, like, saving them neatly. And this, this comes down to, like, whenever you’re done cutting out the garment, and then you have the scraps, it’s, like, don’t just throw those scraps in the bin.

If you fold them nicely, and I always fold mine to about the same size, so that when I put them in my little cubby that I keep my fabrics in, um, so that they all line up neatly. And that way I’m way more inspired when they’re neatly put away. I’m way more inspired to want to go ahead and take them out of that bin and usually make a bigger mess with them. But, you know, it’s always trying to keep them as neat as possible. Um, and when you, when you folded them, as opposed to just shoving them in a bin, they’re already flatter.

And so they’re going to be much easier to lay out on, you know, if you’re laying them out on a table or on the ground. When they’re already basically pressed, you’re going to be much more inspired to start to do that. If you, for example, already have a bin full of scraps and you’re like, what am I supposed to do with this? Um, spending a little time, just pressing those out and folding them up, um, you know, while you’re watching TV or whatever, just put, put them, putting them away in a bin together.

And also sorting them by, like, I always separate my wovens and my knits, but then within that, I also have my heavier weight wovens or my lighter weight wovens. And then if there’s certain fabrics like, let’s say you’re a quilter and you work with a lot of calicos, keeping all your calicos together, you know, keeping all of that, the fabric of a very specific weight together is going to be integral to starting to patch them together.

Because if I’m patching a piece of denim with a piece of chiffon, that’s probably not going to turn out in the way that I want it to. So I think that is a very important part of how you can, how you can start to store these scraps in a way that makes a little more sense, in a way that makes you want to work with them.

Helen: Mhm, yeah, that’s such great advice. I am very excited to go and organize my scraps after this. We’ve been talking about it on the season. We had an episode about fabric organization, so thank you so much for your tips.

Christi: Yes, yes. I have actually still have that one pinned to listen to. It’s I think I still have that episode downloaded.

Helen: Um, we’ve also seen you work with some of your scraps to make tapestries, and I don’t think we have time to get into this too much today, but you did a video with the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance where you made a tapestry, um, start to finish within the video and it was so fun to watch. So I definitely encourage our listeners to go check it out, but how does that work? What’s the process of making a tapestry?

Christi: Yeah. So the tapestries, um, you know, we start with a sketch, and the sketch takes time. I don’t usually start with a sketch that day and then work on it. My sketches, kind of, take place over a course of time. So my sketches will, you know, they’ll just be little details in my sketchbook, and then I’ll start to, kind of, compile those details. Um, so once I have an idea for a finished design, I’ll then go ahead and get my newsprint pad out. I draw that design on newsprint. Um, and then I start to pick my fabrics and laying those out and seeing how the concentration of color is going to go.

And I usually always do, like, a computer or an iPhone markup or mock-up of, um, how the piece should look just to see how the colors are going to work with one another. And so there’s that markup tool on the iPhone where you can draw on it. So I’ll take a photo of my drawing, and then I’ll draw on it with all the different colors and see how the layout works.

And then from there, it’s all about making little pattern pieces for different areas that are going to be appliqued or deciding which areas are going to be embroidered. Um, and that heavily depends on, like, what area of space it takes up. Like, if there is a big, bold space, I’m going to applique that. If it’s a lot of lacy linework, I’m going to embroider it because the applique is much faster on large areas. And the embroidery is much faster when I’m working for, when I’m working with, sort of, curve lines or tree leaves and things like that. The embroidery actually ends up being faster because there’s a lot less little ins and outs that I have to do with the applique.

Um, and so, yeah, that’s, sort of, my process for it. And then I just start to lay them all out and allow things to change as they go. Like, sometimes I’ll, if I make a mistake, like, can I work with this mistake or do I need to, like, spend the next hour seam ripping?

Helen: Well, I was fascinated watching this video because I’ve never done applique before, but it was so cool to see you taking scraps and laying them on top of what looked like, I think, a piece of denim and then sewing around it in the shape and then basically, like, zigzagging around that to actually hold the piece in place. And I hope you don’t take offense to this, but it looks fairly straightforward.

Christi: Yes, totally.

Helen: I was like, I could do that.

Christi: Yes, it is. And that’s something that I’ve been considering. I’m like, oh, I need to actually have some sort of a class or something on applique and all the different types of application that you can use and the different fabrics that it works best for, like, yeah, some fabrics work really great with that sewing machine technique. Some fabrics work almost better with, like, a hand sewing technique.

And so, yeah, I think there’s, it’s one of those techniques that can seem really complex. And I think sometimes people make it a little more complicated than it needs to be. Um, but I do think it, there’s just so many options with it, so you can make it more complex, and that actually might make it look a little bit neater than the way that I do it. But you can also, kind of, take a much more, like you said, straightforward approach.

Helen: Yeah, well, it’s very cool. Again, I encourage our listeners to go check it out cause it really made me think about the potential to create art with my scraps where I’ve always been thinking about how I can create more clothing with my scraps, but, um, you’ve reframed that for me. So thank you for that.

Christi: Yeah. Applique is a really fun way to use the scraps. And it’s also fun because, like, trying to figure out which scrap fits into which shape, like, it becomes this whole other, like, like, I described working with vintage clothes as a collaboration. I also think working with these strange, um, scrap shapes becomes this collaboration to where it’s just like, yeah, there’s, like, a preexisting form that you then get to work within.

Helen: And what do you do with the teeny tiny offcuts of all of these projects? Do you stuff them all into a bean bag somewhere?

Christi: Oh, um, some of them, I save. Some of them, like, if I’m just like, hey, my studio is a mess, and I need to clean it. Sometimes I throw them out. Sorry, I try, I try my best to, like, save them for it, but I’ve never found, like, a really proper application for them. And so I just try not to make them, but then, you know, I have a few, I definitely have quite a few bins of them that I just haven’t figured out how to use yet. Um, but yeah, the idea is, like, I would stuff something with it. One day I will stuff something with all of these.

Helen: Every sewist has, like, some, kind of, bean bag or poof in their studio where they’re stuffing all this crap.

Christi: And if it’s like, if it’s cotton or silk or some natural fiber that I’ve, like, I naturally dyed, I’ll put it in the compost if there are these tiny little scraps, like that’s another, if it’s, if I don’t know the, um, the fabric origin, like, or if I don’t know the fabric material, if I think it might have some polyester in it, I’m going to throw it out. But if it’s, or if it’s, you know, I don’t know what the dyes are. I’ll probably throw it out, but, um, or save it. But if it is naturally dyed, I’m like, throw that on compost.

Caroline: You have a way of making age old skills feel brand new, Christi, and we love your work, and we’ve loved talking to you today. Thank you so much for agreeing to come on the show. I wonder, before we wrap up, if you could tell us if you have any new skills you’d like to learn on your wishlist?

Christi: Um, for me, um, rug making is something, rug hooking is something that I started getting into last year during the pandemic cause I was like, I got all the time in the world. Um, but, and so that’s something that I started getting into a little bit.

Um, but also, crochet. I already know how to crochet, but I want to, that’s something that I want to have a little more time to explore and to, like, learn a little bit deeper, like, learn different stitches and, kind of, how to make, like, more 3D sculptural pieces. So that’s something that I’m definitely been playing around with a little bit.

Caroline: Very cool.

Helen: Crochet sculpture is wild. I love looking at it. It’s so cool. So I can’t wait to see you get really into that and write a book about it.

Christi: Yeah, totally.

Caroline: So apart from your book, which is amazing, where can our listeners learn more from you? Where can they find you online?

Christi: Yeah, well, um, like you mentioned, my podcast, Stitch Wish radio, you can find that, um, I’ve got that on Spotify, I’ve got it on iTunes, the Podcast app. Um, I also do a lot of online workshops. Um, some of them are longer courses. Some of them are one-off workshops. And the courses are, usually they come out, I think about three times a year. Um, cause I like to do them all together so that if anybody has any questions, we can, kind of, address them as a group.

Um, and so I have right now I have three different courses. I have my Soft Work online, um, garment making course. And it’s not for if you want to make, like, jeans and professionally tailored jackets and stuff like that, it’s not for you. It’s for anybody who’s had problems making clothes in the past and, kind of, wants to learn a different, like more basic method.

Um, and then I also have an embroidery course called Magic Threads, and, as I described that earlier, it’s all about walking through the different potentials of each stitch. And then they have my little beginners workshop, Stitched Visions.

Um, and then I also have my blog which I like to share a lot of different tips and tricks there. And I have a, also, if you want to get started with embroidery and you haven’t done it at all, and you just want to see, try your hand on it, I have a totally free online portal. I call it the Embroidery Portal, and I’ve done a video of each and every stitch of each of the nine stitches that I use most frequently and how to make those. And I try to do it as basic as possible so that people can really use it as, like, a starting off point. So if you haven’t done it at all, feel free to sign up for that.

Um, and all of those are linked up on my website mixedcolor.net. And you can find me on Instagram, the account that I use most frequently as my personal account, which is @christijay. And that’s C-H-R- I-S-T-I-J-A-Y.

Caroline: Amazing. Well, we’ll definitely link all of that up in our show notes as well, so our listeners can go to our website to get those links if you’re looking for them. And thank you so much, Christi, for coming on the show, it was such a pleasure chatting with you today. You’re so inspiring.

Christi: Yes. Thank you both so much. This has been really, really wonderful. I really appreciate you having me on here. I love this podcast though, so.

Helen: Aw, thanks. Well take care, Christi.

Christi: Alright, you too.

All: Bye.

Helen: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com and Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com. We are recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Caroline: Go to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. If you’d like to get in touch with us, send us an email at hello@lovetosewpodcast.com.

Helen: If you love Love to Sew and you want more, you can sign up for our Patreon. For $5 a month, you get a full length bonus episode and weekly behind the scenes pictures. For $10 a month, you’ll get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off discount codes for both Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Caroline: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore is our editor and Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you for listening. We’ll see you next week. .

Helen: Buh-bye!

Caroline: Bye!

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