SEAMSIDE: Exploring the Inner Work of Textiles

In this bonus episode of SEAMSIDE, Sara Trail and I have a little surprise for you. After we’d stopped recording the conversation you just heard in episode 1, I asked Sara if she thought her mom, Kay Trail,— who’s obviously played a key role in her life— if her mom would be interested in talking with me a little bit. Without skipping a beat— and this probably comes as no surprise to you now— Sara had her mom on the phone, and though Sara has to run off to go to work, Kay and I chat for several more minutes. What you’re about to hear is the unedited conversation that I had with Kay Trail. I hope you enjoy.

Nick D’Ornellas makes life-size screen prints of daily moments with his family around home. He then cuts the screen prints into thin strips and weaves them back together, distorting the original image, both sharing it with the public but also reserving the privacy of homelife. In our conversation, we discuss: 1 the role of family in art 2 exhibiting your work as a way to connect with the viewer 3 using the white cube gallery space as a toolHELPFUL LINKS ♡⤷ Get the companion zine for this conversation here⤷ Learn more about Nick’s work on his website⤷ Learn more about the inner work of textiles in a supportive creative community, THE QUILTY NOOK⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops

Michael Sylvan Robinson is a textile artist and a long-time activist with Gays Against Guns. In this pared-down episode recorded days after the shooting in Buffalo, Sylvan offers some hard-won wisdom from his years of activism that I hope are both a balm and an encouragement to you in doing the good work that needs to be done. I’ll update this episode page soon with further details.

Lou Gardiner is a joyful force of nature. As textile artist in the UK, she specializes in embroidery and is best known for her recent cape-making projects, including the Cloud Cape and the Cape of Empowerment.In our conversation, we discuss:① how her relationship with creativity shifted during her recent cancer journey② why we need each other now as much as ever③ the power of softness to reshape our worldHELPFUL LINKS ♡⤷ Learn more about Lou’s work on her website and you can follow along on Instagram⤷ Join me and Heidi Parkes for Sewing in Place at Madeline Island School of the Arts this June⤷ Learn more about the inner work of textiles in a supportive creative community, THE QUILTY NOOK⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops

Jess Bailey is an art historian, a collector of stories, and a quilter. You may know Jess from Instagram @publiclibraryquilts or their book, Many Hands Make a Quilt: Short Histories of Radical Quilting.The conversation we had was tender and joyful as we discussed:① why representation and visibility are so important in the quilting community,② the power of a gifted quilts, and ③ how to start a quilting practice even if you come from a long a line of quilters.HELPFUL LINKS ♡⤷ historic New Deal quilting bee photos⤷ Anna's mother Ruth Higham's book, The Edge of the Land⤷ The quilt made by the last indigenous queen of Hawaii⤷ Get a copy of Jess’s book Many Hands Make A Quilt: Short Histories of Radical Quilting in the US and in the UK ⤷ Listen to the oral history interview from the Quilt Alliance that Jess mentions⤷ work by Kailani Polzak, researcher of visual constructions of race in 18th and 19th century Europe⤷ Join me and Heidi Parkes for Sewing in Place at Madeline Island School of the Arts this June⤷ Learn more about the inner work of textiles in a supportive creative community, THE QUILTY NOOK⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops

In this episode, slow-stitcher Victoria Gertenbach and I discuss how the rustic barns of Lancaster County have shaped her work, how artists often feel squeeze when it comes to representing themselves and their work honestly on social media, and at the end Victoria takes us a wild word-association ride that will give you a taste of her creative process.HELPFUL LINKS ♡⤷  Join me and Heidi Parkes for Sewing in Place at Madeline Island School of the Arts this June⤷Watch the episode of SOFT BULK Victoria mentions in this episode⤷  The podcast is only half of SEAMSIDE! Check out the SEAMSIDE ZINE for more insights on this conversation⤷ Want to see the textiles pieces we mention in this show?⤷ Learn more about the inner work of textiles in a supportive creative community, THE QUILTY NOOK⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops

In this episode, I sit down with textile artist Beverly Smith and we discuss how making quilts can often be like a magic carpet ride, how our work can exist on the physical plane as well as higher planes, and how memory lives beyond trauma, buried safe in our hearts and minds. (Heads up: Around minute 26, we briefly touch the topic of suicide and how it has influenced Beverly’s work.)⤷ The podcast is only half of SEAMSIDE! Check out the SEAMSIDE ZINE for more insights on this conversation⤷ Want to see the textiles pieces we mention in this show?⤷ Curious about Beverly’s work? ⤷ Learn more about the inner work of textiles in a supportive creative community, THE QUILTY NOOK!⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops

In this second episode, I sit down with weaver Jennifer Mao, and we discuss how she uses weaving as a way of closing the gaps she sees in the world around her, the importance of gift economy, and the role of the artist in preserving the spirit of the people.⤷ The podcast is only half of SEAMSIDE! Check out the SEAMSIDE ZINE for more insights on this conversation⤷ Want to see the textiles pieces we mention in this show?⤷ Curious about Jen’s work? ⤷ Learn more about the inner work of textiles in a supportive creative community, THE QUILTY NOOK!⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops

In this first episode, I sit down and sew with artist Emma Freeman: maker of burial books and contemplation cloths. As we sew, we talk about some of the lessons working with cloth has taught us about being human. The conversation ranges from deep ecology to the intersection of Zen Buddhism and creativity.⤷ The podcast is only half of SEAMSIDE! Check out the SEAMSIDE ZINE for more insights on this conversation⤷ Want to see the textiles pieces we mention in this show?⤷ Curious about Emma’s work? ⤷ Learn more about the inner work of textiles in a supportive creative community, THE QUILTY NOOK!⤷ Theme music: Roll Jordan Roll by the Joy Drops

You're approaching the end of a year of focused creative development—not an ending, but a transition into something new. This meditation helps you recognize what you've cultivated over time, understand what self-directed practice means, and visualize your continued growth. We'll explore what supports continuity moving forward and help you make commitments based on genuine interest rather than obligation.REFLECTION QUESTIONS → What capacities have you developed this year that feel most significant or valuable?AFFIRMATION → I am my own compassWANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

Creative work requires two movements: going inward into solitude and reaching outward into community. Neither is better than the other—what matters is learning to sense which one you need in the moment. This meditation helps you feel the gifts each offers, recognize the signals that you need more of solitude or connection, and trust your own rhythm.REFLECTION QUESTIONS → What signs tell you when to seek solitude? When to seek community?AFFIRMATION → Community and solitude / Both are sacred movementsWANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

What does it mean to document our work in witnessing mode rather than performative mode? This meditation helps you practice being a witness of your own process—noticing your choices, responses to difficulty, and surprises without immediate judgment. When you document from genuine witnessing, you create records that serve your learning and, when shared, have a greater chance of helping other makers because the messy reality of making resonates deeply.REFLECTION QUESTIONS → What's the difference for you between judging your process and witnessing it?AFFIRMATION → I see my work with kind eyes / What I notice becomes wisdomWANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

Some questions close quickly—you answer them and move on. But other questions open outward, revealing more complexity and interest the longer you explore them. This meditation helps you identify questions worthy of sustained inquiry and practice holding them open rather than rushing to resolution. Series work isn't repetition; it's sustained investigation that builds intimacy with what genuinely matters to you.REFLECTION QUESTIONS → How does "holding a question open" rather than "answering a question" feel to you?AFFIRMATION → I return to the same question / Each time from a new heightWANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

When we encounter textile work—especially quilts—we often perceive multiple stories at once: what the maker stitched into the surface, what materials they chose, what techniques they used, and maybe even what it meant to them personally. This meditation helps you understand how these four narrative layers can align to reinforce meaning or contrast to create complexity. We'll explore "the net and the air"—what you make explicit versus what you leave open to interpretation.REFLECTION QUESTIONS → Which narrative layer do you naturally focus on most? Which do you tend to overlook?AFFIRMATION → Surface and depth both speak / Meaning arises in my handsWANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

When you write in a journal, you often discover what you think by seeing your thoughts on paper. Making works the same way—your hands think through materials, and you discover what you know by seeing what emerges. This meditation explores creative work as externalized thinking, a conversation between your conscious intentions and your intuitive knowing.REFLECTION QUESTIONS → What question are you carrying right now that might be worth answering through making rather than thinking?AFFIRMATION → I make something and it teaches me / We speak back and forthWANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

Your visual language isn't something you need to invent or discover hidden deep within yourself—it's already emerging in the choices you make each time you create. This meditation guides you through observing your recent work with friendly curiosity: what patterns keep showing up? We'll practice bringing conscious awareness to what's already there, so you can work with your patterns more intentionally rather than accidentally.REFLECTION QUESTIONS → What patterns did you notice consistently appearing in your recent work?AFFIRMATION → What shows up again and again is mine / I trust what persistsWANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

Creative inspiration isn't scarce, requiring special trips or perfect conditions—it's abundant, hiding in plain sight. This meditation helps you expand your attention to notice inspiration in places you usually overlook. We'll practice a particular quality of noticing—curious but not hungry—and build cross-pollination between creative and everyday activities.REFLECTION QUESTIONS → What would shift if you trusted that creative possibilities are abundant rather than scarce?AFFIRMATION → Everything I see can teach me / I open my eyes widerWANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

What if you approached your creative work like a scientist approaches experiments—with genuine curiosity rather than pressure? This meditation helps you shift to a "What happens if...?" mindset. We'll explore experimental questions (doing the opposite of what you usually do, using the "wrong" tools deliberately, combining things that supposedly don't go together) and practice reframing failure as results rather than mistakes.REFLECTION QUESTION → What would need to be true for you to give yourself full permission to "waste" materials on experimentation?AFFIRMATION → I don't need to know how this ends / I only need to beginWANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

Our bodies have so much to tell us—where we hold tension, what hurts after hours of making, what feels tight or soft. This meditation guides you through a gentle full-body scan, not to fix problems, but to notice what's present. We'll develop body literacy so you can recognize what your creative practice asks of you physically and respond with practical care.REFLECTION QUESTIONS → What might help that area feel more supported during creative work?AFFIRMATION → I clear the path for what wants to emergeWANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3

Making with textiles connects you to something vast—humans across every culture and century have worked with fiber and fabric. You don't join this tradition by having a long line of quilting grandmothers. You join by pulling up a seat at the table and picking up a needle and thread. This meditation helps you recognize the knowledge already living in your hands, understand that textile wisdom is open-access, and feel your place in the universal human practice of making.REFLECTION QUESTION → How does understanding textile work as open tradition change your relationship to making?AFFIRMATION → I receive what was given freely / I share freely what I've learnedWANT TO LEARN MORE? → Join us live for the full WONDER YEAR program in 2026 for a communal journey with monthly reflections, live gatherings, workshops, and ongoing support to help you build a sustainable, deeply personal creative practice. We’d love to have you <3