DiscoverStitch PleaseA Pressing Matter: Class, Craft, and the Irony of Expertise
A Pressing Matter: Class, Craft, and the Irony of Expertise

A Pressing Matter: Class, Craft, and the Irony of Expertise

Update: 2025-08-13
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This week on Stitch Please, Lisa gets real about the politics of pressing yes, we’re talking seams, class, and why your iron might be more revolutionary than you think. From cosplay critiques to sewing history, she unpacks why pressing isn’t elitist it’s care, clarity, and craft all rolled into one. Press play and prepare to rethink your ironing board.

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Dr. Lisa Woolfork is an associate professor of English specializing in African American literature and culture. Her teaching and research explore Black women writers, Black identity, trauma theory, and American slavery. She is the founder of Black Women Stitch, the sewing group where Black lives matter. She is also the host/producer of Stitch Please, a weekly audio podcast that centers on Black women, girls, and femmes in sewing. In the summer of 2017, she actively resisted the white supremacist marches in her community, Charlottesville, Virginia. The city became a symbol of lethal resurging white supremacist violence. She remains active in a variety of university and community initiatives, including the Community Engaged Scholars program. She believes in the power of creative liberation.

Instagram: Lisa Woolfork

Twitter: Lisa Woolfork

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“Be impeccable with your word.”: The Four Agreements," by Don Miguel Ruiz, outlines four principles for personal freedom and happiness. These agreements, rooted in Toltec wisdom, are: Be Impeccable with Your Word, Don't Take Anything Personally, Don't Make Assumptions, and Always Do Your Best

LEAVE US A MESSAGE--https://www.speakpipe.com/BlackWomenStitch

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2019 Pressing Episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stitch-please/id1477578107?i=1000450213114


2019 Bonus Episode on Pressing: https://blackwomenstitch.org/captivate-podcast/pressing-matters-a-few-good-irons-and-one-amazing-collectible


Sarah Boone, Ironing Board Inventor: https://www.biography.com/inventors/sarah-boone


QUOTED


Erica Bunker: https://www.threads.com/@ericabunker/post/DMd48PQyw70?xmt=AQF0nLB5RBhnJbOvuK73aVHgXoipt3xN0DaU-huV-1MWuw


aaronicabcolestudio: https://www.threads.com/@aaronicabcolestudio/post/DMc8Gd1OKL2?xmt=AQF0wOmaHgrAxwdyrIOLlEb9NEShqSDv8XChtIgwAxuauQ


Additional comments of interest

terrancewilliams_: https://www.threads.com/@terrancewilliams_/post/DMblEBQsR4E?xmt=AQF0H04zsL35zrpnzBx_JOmBt3z5H_0ksq0GszETLN-s7Q

shimere: https://www.threads.com/@shim.sew.creative/post/DMc0ycyMTzP?xmt=AQF0xsJgAmIaWUBExBFhCoE6d_d5hrRSxz1Npb9Q_oSvEw

raisincosplay: https://www.threads.com/@raisincosplay/post/DMfhx5BR-dz?xm

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A Pressing Matter: Class, Craft, and the Irony of Expertise

A Pressing Matter: Class, Craft, and the Irony of Expertise