Sewing with Purpose

Sewing with Purpose

From Running Stitch - A QSOS Podcast by Quilt Alliance

December 10, 2021 · 39 min · Season 3 · Episode 4

About this episode

Sara Trail discusses the intersection of quilting and activism through her work with the Social Justice Sewing Academy.

Sara Trail, and the non-profit organization she founded in 2017, the Social Justice Sewing Academy, has built on a long tradition of quilt artists who use quilts as part of their activist practices. Sara has been sewing and making quilts since she was a child, and transformed her work as a quiltmaker and fashion designer into that of community organizer. The Social Justice Sewing Academy has a mission to quote "empower individuals to utilize textile art for personal transformation, community cohesion, and to begin the journey toward becoming an agent of social change." Looking back to the nineteenth century, abolitionists, suffragists, and temperance activists all made quilts that espoused their beliefs, an essential outlet particularly during a time in which women could not vote or run for political office. Quilters continued this practice of using quilts in their activism into the twentieth century, projecting opinions and supporting causes, with Red Cross quilts, quilts celebrating New Deal programs, and quilts supporting political and social causes. Again in the late twentieth century, quilts emerged as a potent symbol of the feminist movement, along with loved ones who…

People in this episode

Guest: Sara Trail

Topics covered

  • activism
  • social justice
  • quilting
  • community organizing
  • textile art

Keywords

  • quilting
  • activism
  • social justice
  • textile art
  • community cohesion

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Social Justice Sewing Academy, Red Cross, New Deal, AIDS

More episodes of Running Stitch - A QSOS Podcast

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Running Stitch - A QSOS Podcast podcast page.