On this episode of Stitch Please, Lisa sits down with couture designer and sewing educator Garland Hayes-Soto a man who went from singing in church plays and serving prom looks to sewing custom wedding gowns and teaching the next generation how to stitch with confidence.

Garland shares how one hand sewn prom vest changed his whole career path, what it was like learning fashion in Hollywood while working at Universal Studios, and why sewing students need to stop showing up to class empty handed and TAKE NOTES, BOO.

From quick change costume chaos to couture gowns that almost didn’t happen, this episode is funny, inspiring, and full of real talk about creativity, confidence, and finding your lane in a space that wasn’t always welcoming.

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Hosted By: Dr. Lisa Woolfork

Senior Producer: Krystal Hill

Producer: Mike Bryant

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Where You Can Find Garland!

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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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