Dr. Karen Nyberg - Space, Time, Sewing Continuum

07/08/21 • 29 min

In this enlightening and aspirational conversation with Dr. Karen Nyberg, we learn how she combines her experience in space with her passion for textile art and design—especially as it relates to conservation and sustainability.

Karen’s mom taught her to sew at the age of six, and she made her first shirt complete with interfacing before she was 10. When she wasn’t making her own clothes, Karen was drawing with pencil and charcoal. Eventually, she started mixing her art with fabric. When she got into college, she stopped sewing clothes and started using her artistic talent to make gifts for people, including blankets, quilts, and pillows.

By college, Karen knew she wanted to be an astronaut, and she knew engineering was the best route to get her there. Why she decided to choose mechanical engineering as her discipline is fascinating. One of the reasons is because of the drawing. The whole design process appealed to her, and she believes that the things she learned as a young girl would prove to be beneficial to her in mechanical engineering: learning to use a pattern, following directions, understanding how tolerance is built up in sewing, and learning patience. Like sewing, mechanical engineering is the coming together of the left brain and right brain. (4:46- 6:46)

After her first trip to space in the space shuttle Discovery in 2008, she launched on the Soyuz Spacecraft in 2013 and lived on the International Space Station for 166 days. Only a small allotment of personal stuff was allowed: she brought a little fabric, needles, a magnetic needle case, and some thread. Although she really didn’t have a plan for them at the time, when the International Quilt Festival put a call out around the world for people to submit star-theme quilt blocks, she created a 9-inch quilt block. It was one of 2400 quilt blocks submitted from around the world that were sewn into king-size quilts and showcased at the Festival. They are currently being housed at the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin. (7:05 -8:27).

While she was on the International Space Station, Karen made things out of upcycled things that were already on the space station. Her first creation was a dinosaur for her son, made from fabric that lined the food containers, and an old t-shirt she cut into strips and used as filler. This dinosaur later became the inspiration for the fabric she designed for SVAHA USA, a STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art & Math) inspired clothing company.

Being on the Space Station sparked a new level of creativity for Karen. She says, “Seeing the earth from space forever changed how I look at the earth and think about how we live on the planet.” She talks about seeing the earth from that unique vantage point, and how you see that there are no borders on the countries, everything is interconnected, and how it’s evident even in the cloud patterns. She uses the analogy that Earth is our spaceship, we are all crewmates, and our primary focus is to maintain the health of the spaceship because that’s how we survive. She describes seeing Earth from space as the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. She shares how her creative process evolved while there, and why she is committed to sharing her experience with others through her art, which is based on photos she took while in space. (11:56-14:43)

Karen talks about the creative process of working with the designers at Robert Kauffmann Fabrics to create a signature line of fabric; with Aurafil Threads to design “Earth Views,” a line of curated threads that will be released this summer; with Svaha USA on her “Dinos in Space” collection. Karen has also started a new online store for her artwork, which can be accessed via her website, karennyberg.com (15:30-21:05)

Karen’s perspective on sewing is fascinating, and her description of how sewing is different in space can be seen on YouTube and heard in this spellbinding interview, that’s rich in discovery.

You can connect with Karen at: karennyberg.com, and on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Be sure to subscribe to, review and rate this podcast on your favorite platform...and visit our website sewandsopodcast.com for more information about today’s and all of our Guests.

Karen’s perspective on sewing is fascinating, and her description of how sewing is different in space can be seen on YouTube and heard in this spellbinding interview, that’s rich in discovery.

You can connect with Karen at: karennyberg.com, and on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Be sure to subscribe to, review and rate this podcast on your favorite platform...and visit our website sewandsopodcast.com for more information about today’s and all of our Guests.

Previous Episode

Julian Collins & Monica Tetteh - Sewing Change

This fascinating podcast features the individual and shared journeys of two exceptionally talented sewists who learned to sew through watching videos, reading, and attending “YouTube University.” Both love bold fabrics and prints that echo their heritage. Both create from the heart.

With roots in Ghana, South Africa, Monica was born and raised in New York City and currently lives in Dallas, Texas. She took up sewing on the tenth Mother’s Day after her mother’s death as a way to feel more connected to her. Although her mother was an avid sewist, Monica never thought she’d be bitten by the sewing bug. Her passion for fashion proved otherwise. She’s the founder of Project Sew, an in-person, all-day sewing meetup inspired by Project Runway. She’s also the host of a monthly sew-along on Instagram called, Sew your View.

Julian’s passion for sewing is also on full display. A public health worker in Cincinnati, Ohio he brings joy to the world through his colorful menswear creations. His work has been featured in numerous publications, including Sewn Magazine and Sew News. Julian is a BERNINA® Ambassador and a Laurastar Ambassador. When he’s not sewing, he loves connecting with people throughout the sewing community. His Facebook group Sew Manly addresses men’s inclusion in the sewing space, including sis gender and transgender.

Although he’s done a little bit of everything, Julian loves to focus on classic menswear with a bold take of fabrics and prints—especially Ankara fabrics and other African textiles. With her strong roots in Africa, Monica is also drawn to its bold and vibrant prints. She started out creating long cascading dresses and what she refers to as “fun glam.” Today, she’s focused on creating women’s fashion and resort-style wear. Their shared affinity for Ankara fabrics and other African textiles isn’t the only thing Monica and Julian have in common. (4:46 – 6:20)

Monica shares how the death of George Floyd made her realize the need for action. She put together a Zoom call of black makers in a show of solidarity. They shared their own stories and discussed ways they could highlight the voices and talents of black makers and ensure they got credit for their creations. Monica and Julian marvel at how a three-hour call ended up becoming a full-blown coalition with a mission to bring about cultural transformation in the sewing and crafting industry. As a result of their work, change is starting to occur. Machine companies, like BERNINA and Janome, are open to having discussions on building diversity. Craft and fabric stores are beginning to show different genders, body shapes, and ethnicities in their advertising. Thousands of creators are joining the movement and using their energy to create a crafting world that is inclusive of all people, all races, all nationalities, all bodies, and all genders. (13:49- 19:31)

In their words, “This is a movement, not a moment.” Companies looking for makers that are willing to go out and speak or get involved in other ways can visit [email protected] or they can go to the @blkmakersmatter Instagram page, where there’s a link to a makers’ list of allies and businesses who support the initiative. (24:50-25:50)

During the conversation, Monica and Julian explore what it means to truly be an ally; how it’s getting involved in the work, having a conversation with your circle of influence, building connections, and working for social justice. In their words, “This is a movement, not a moment.” Each person needs to realize that there are multiple roads in this journey, not everyone is on the same road, and that we all need to be respectful of that. Even in our discomfort, we all need to move together in unity.

To really appreciate the depth and breadth of the commitment and passion of these two amazing artists and activists, you need to tune in and catch this casual conversation.

To learn more or to reach out to Monica and/or Julian, go to: [email protected]

To connect with Monica, visit [email protected], Thatssewmonica at YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy

To connect with Julian, go to Julian Creates on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube, and “Sew Manly” on Facebook

Be sure to subscribe to, review and rate this podcast on your favorite platform...and visit our website sewandsopodcast.com for more information about today’s and all of our Guests.

Next Episode

Kristina Wong - The Auntie Sewing Squad

Kristina started the “Auntie-Sewing Squad” as a way to connect with friends during the pandemic. Today it’s a national network with more than 800 volunteers doing their part to help vulnerable communities. Like Kristina, many members of the Sewing Aunties are of Asian descent, and their families’ involvement in the garment industry played a role in their passage to America.

Although sewing has been a part of Kristina’s life since she was young, she shares that she only took it up seriously when she started sewing props for her shows. Whatever the performance—whether it’s her current show, “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord,” “The Wong Street Journal”, or “Kristina Wong for Public Office”, Kristina discovered that using props made it easier for the audience to relate to her and to the stories she’s sharing. One of her favorite examples was when she created hundreds of felt hashtags as props to demonstrate the rise of the cancel culture. Whether she was throwing hashtags at the audience or they at her, it was a very tactile way to describe a culture that’s very digital. (6:30 -11:08)

When her tour of “Kristina Wong for Public Office” was canceled due to the pandemic, Kristina saw an article that hospitals were looking for cloth face masks, and so she made one. Then she posted on social media that she’d make masks for anyone who was immunocompromised or a frontline worker. For every 30 masks she sent out, a request for 90 more would come in. Her passion builds as she talks about the impact this effort had on her, the mask recipients, and the volunteers. When a neighbor who was helping her said that aunties are being called on to fix this, Kristina was struck by the image of aunties because it made her think of a non-threatening immigrant lady who’s just kind of caring and sweet and doing the work of a soldier. And so, the group became the Auntie Sewing Squad. (13:12- 17:50 )

Before long, the group shifted its focus from medical workers to farmworkers, indigenous reservations, migrants at the borders, incarcerated people, and poor communities that were impacted and that had no other source of support. The fact that many of these people were victims of systemic racism was not lost on the Auntie Sewing Squad.

To provide support for The Auntie Sewing Squad volunteers, the group has started “Auntie Care.” It has partnered with Hollaback for bystander intervention training and is also providing self-defense training for many of its volunteers. Kristina explains that while the actual pandemic is winding down, the racial pandemic continues. She and the Auntie Sewing Squad are committed to helping fight it through labor and fabric.

Because of assimilation and loss of her native language, Kristina feels that she lost connection to her heritage. She re-discovered that connection through sewing. When she was with her grandmother, and her grandmother started adding stitches to what she was working on, Kristina realized that sewing was a language they shared — a language that can provide a bridge to the past and the future. (40:00 -43:19)

Kristina shares how the group has taught everyone to be generous with each other, and she talks about the power of generosity. Her book, The Auntie Sewing Squad Guide to Mask Making, Radical Care, and Racial Justice will be released in the fall and chronicles the evolution of The Auntie Sewing Squad. A cross between anthology, memoir, and visual record, it shines a light on the power of community. In addition to the book, she’s also re-working “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord” for the stage. It will be premiering in New York this coming fall.

Kristina’s generous spirit, and her belief that giving more to others is a way to create more power for yourself, are both brought to life in her work and in this interview. As you listen, you’ll find yourself thinking about ways you can create a better world.

If you’d like to reach out to Kristina or find ways to support the Auntie Sewing Squad’s efforts, visit auntiesewingsquad.com

Be sure to subscribe to, review and rate this podcast on your favorite platform...and visit our website sewandsopodcast.com for more information about today’s and all of our Guests.