This special edition of Sew and So highlights a story of creativity, passion, and commitment at North Charleston High School in Charleston, SC. With the support of several dedicated teachers, NCHS has created a Makerspace. Now in addition to providing their scholars the opportunity to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (better known as STEAM), and reading, these students also get to explore sewing and quilting.

A marketing and sales executive with extensive experience in international business and premium brands, Paul Ashworth joined BERNINA of America ten years ago as CEO for North America. Prior to BERNINA, he was a leader in the wine and spirits industry.

Host of the Quilt Show, Let’s Quilt Together, and Photo Class for You, Ricky Tims has successfully blended several diverse creative passions into one very unique and interesting career. His quilts have been displayed worldwide and are highly regarded as excellent examples of contemporary quilts with traditional appeal.

With a vision of bringing back the delicate designs of the past, Leah Pitkin began designing patterns for Violet Field Threads. A few years later, she started her own company, Vintage Little Lady Sewing Patterns. A hair stylist for 10 years and an avid photographer, Leah uses all her skills in the creation and marketing of her patterns.

Deanna Springer is VP of Marketing at Nancy Zieman Productions in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. In this role she wears many hats, including business manager, blog editor, manager of product development, project design, and co‐presenter of The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show.

Originally from England, Amanda Carita is an entrepreneur, sewist, and the founder and owner of So Sew English Fabrics in Oceanside California. The company specializes in providing beautiful high‐quality fabrics at affordable prices.

Mary Margaret Pettway is the current Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Souls Grown Deep Foundation and Community Partnership. The Foundations stewards the largest and foremost collection of works by black artists from the Southern United States, including the works of Gee’s Bend quilters. A member of the Gee’s Bend Quilter’s Collective, Mary Margaret was named an Alabama Humanities Fellow in 2018.

Entrepreneur Lindsey Kurowski is the owner of Knotty Pine, a full-service activation, design and build studio in Venice, California. She is also the star of Inn the Works on the Magnolia Network. Lindsay’s mother, Stacey Gilfillan is a sewist for Inn the Works, and an active member of two sewing guilds in Texas.

Tristan Detwiler is the founder of STAN - a Southern California brand based on sustainability, surf culture, and storytelling. At just 24 years old, he’s been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, GQ, Women’s Wear, and is on the Vogue Runway Roster.

Gail Yellen is an accomplished, nationally-known sewist and founder of Gail Patrice Design, which sells artful patterns, sewing tools, and how-to technique DVDs. She also has her own YouTube channel and has taught at several national American Sewing Guild (ASG) Annual Conferences, as well as local ASG chapters around the country.

Shelancia Daniel is the Founder and Executive Director of the Creativity Shell, a non-profit organization that uses creative trades to teach children essential life skills while educating and inspiring the next generation of makers.

Performance artist, comedian, and writer Kristina Wong is an elected representative and a prolific international performer. She’s been a guest on late-night shows on NBC, Comedy Central, and FX, and is an actor in film and TV.

Dr. Karen Nyberg is a retired astronaut who is using that experience as a point of reference for her current artistic endeavors, which encompass several industry partnerships, including a fabric design for Svaha USA, which was inspired by her son.

Julian Collins and Monica Tetteh, both accomplished sewists, use their talent to affect change. Monica, aka “That Sew Monica” is the founder of Black Makers Matter, and Julian, founder of Julian Creates and the Sew Manly Facebook group, is a founding Member of Black Makers Matter. Black Makers Matter is a coalition of sewists and creators committed to creating influential change in the sewing and crafting industry.

A graduate of the Madison Area Technical College (MATC) program in Wisconsin, Pam has filmed shows for PBS and hosted online learning classes with various sewing celebrities. Last March, she joined BERNINA as the Overlock Business Manager to help launch the L 8 Machine.

A visual artist in NYC, Michael combine fabrics, imagery, and language to evoke alternative perspectives on the human experience. In February 2020 he launched a breakthrough exhibition at the high‐fashion boutique, All Too Human. A piece from this critically acclaimed collection was acquired by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for its permanent collection.

An entrepreneur and fashion pundit, Corin is a stylist for Broadway, does tailoring for eCommerce fashion retailers, and is the creator of the Style HavenTM experience, which includes an online store, a brick, and mortar boutique, and a mobile boutique.

Although she began sewing as a young child, Margaret fell in love with sewing while working at a sewing machine store as a young mother. As her passion for sewing and helping others grew and evolved, she founded The Sewing Machine Project, which provides machines and training to people in underserved communities nationwide.

Craig Conover is an attorney, an entrepreneur and star of the Bravo series Southern Charm, a show that follows the personal and professional lives of young adults in Charleston, SC. The founder of Sewing Down South in Charleston, South Carolina, Craig also has a memoir coming out in the fall.

A sewist and quilter from a young age, Jinny’s passion for storytelling and her love of family— whether it’s her family of origin, her faith family or her quilting family—shines through in her beautiful quilts.