About this episode

Karen Elting Brock discusses her journey with PieceWork magazine and her passion for textiles and storytelling.

A love of words, stories, and cloth led Karen Elting Brock around the world and back to PieceWork. ”All This by Hand” appeared on the first covers of PieceWork magazine, intended to capture the scope of material between the covers. Stitching, lacemaking, and other needlework, certainly, but other handwork, fashion, and the artisans who created the work all found their way into the pages of the magazine. The scope of the project—worldwide, from historical to contemporary, from anonymous to celebrated—has made it beloved by its readers and also difficult to explain. All this by hand, indeed. Karen Elting Brock first joined the staff of PieceWork in 2010, working with authors who were artisans or had stories to tell. From her desk, she pored through the collections of international museums and chased down photographers for just the image that would tell the story of a textile. After several years on the editorial staff, she moved on to experience global stories for herself, living in (and sending dispatches from) Nepal, Morocco, and other international locations. Even (or especially) in remote villages, textiles and makers continued to find her. In 2025, Karen was ready to return to…

People in this episode

Guest: Karen Elting Brock

Topics covered

• textiles
• needlework
• artisans
• global stories
• PieceWork magazine

Keywords

• textiles
• PieceWork
• needlework
• artisans
• global stories
• fashion
• museum

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PieceWork

Places: Nepal, Morocco

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