Sew & So Christmas Holiday Special 2021

12/20/21 • 19 min

After hearing how the dedicated teachers at North Charleston High School created a Makerspace for their students, BERNINA and Craig Conover from Bravo TV, Southern Charm, and the owner of Sewing Down South, decided to outfit the space so that NCHS scholars could dream, create and pursue their passion.

This story of creativity and hope began when Ms. Connell, an art teacher at NCHS and founder of the school’s Makerspace, noticed that there was a lot of interest in sewing and fashion. After receiving a donation of fabric, she had the students experiment with sewing pillows, and from there the idea of a Makerspace started to take shape. Ms. Connell has teamed up with Ms. Murray, a team member and librarian at NCHS to further develop the program. Meanwhile, Ms. Clegg, who runs the Liberty Hill STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Initiative in the North District, has also jumped in to help.

Thanks to the participation of several partners including Boeing and CCFC, the Makerspace has expanded to additional schools in the northern district and will now include grades K-12. As these dedicated professionals share their stories and the evolution of a Makerspace program for aspiring scholars, the excitement is palpable. According to Ms. Clegg, the machines donated by BERNINA, and the other partnerships they’ve formed will be the foundation for the Makerspace in the area, which will help these young scholars learn life skills and artistic ways to express themselves.

BERNINA credits Craig Conover’s sewing journey as the initial source of their inspiration to get involved with this amazing local effort—so when BERNINA donated 12 Bernette machines to NCHS, Craig Conover accompanied them. He provided words of support and encouragement, while also presenting them with a challenge to create. Craig shares that he was bullied a lot growing up, and that sewing was one of his outlets for dealing with it—although he mostly did it in the privacy of his home. He also talks about how, when he was growing up there were no Makerspaces, and goes on to say, “Having a space in the school where you can explore your creative side comfortably and encourage each other, it's just great.”

Craig’s ability to escape negative feelings through the act of sewing and his realization that there’s beauty in imperfection informed his decision to start Sewing Down South. He talks about his journey of starting the business with his business partner Jerry Casselano, how sewing is therapeutic, and how the machines that were donated will enable young scholars to bring a lot of joy to people. He knows that while the pressure about gender norms isn’t as great as it used to be, kids still aren’t really introduced to sewing and cooking. He also knows that a lot of them don’t have a sewing machine at home, so they don’t have the chance to discover their talent. He shares his excitement at the prospect that Programs like Makerspace can really help students discover a talent they didn’t even know they had. (5:26-9:23)

We talked to so many wonderful individuals at this event; professionals who are committed to helping these students grow and evolve their passions. As Ms. Clegg so aptly states, “What's special about our scholars is a lot of people sell them short... We not only want to show our neighborhoods, our cities, our state, and the world that our scholars can fly, we want to prove to them that they can fly.”

Craig and his partner Jerry are providing an opportunity for these young scholars to do just that. They shared their support of them and put forth a challenge that could result in some young scholars having the opportunity to sell their creations from the “creator’s corner” in their store. His show, and his store, are about breaking down gender stereotypes and showing boys and girls that they can succeed at anything they want, from sports to sewing. “Let’s get out of the shadow,” he encourages them, “let’s have fun and connect,” (15:43 – 17:56)

Talking with all of the wonderful people in this podcast proves that good still exists and that it’s this good that will shape the futures of the young scholars at NCHS. If you want to be uplifted this holiday, listen to this special podcast and share the power of love, giving back, and helping our students understand that they can do more than just walk through this life...they can fly!

If you know someone who has an outstanding story that should be shared on this podcast, drop Meg a note to [email protected] or complete the form on our website.

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.

If you know someone who has an outstanding story that should be shared on this podcast, drop Meg a note to [email protected] or complete the form on our website.

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

Paul Ashworth, CEO - BERNINA North America - Quality, Innovation, Performance…Walking the Talk

British by birth, Paul Ashworth is an avowed world traveler and has lived and worked in multiple countries. Bernina of America represents half of Bernina's business worldwide, and during his time there, he has successfully grown the business by over 65%.

When asked what brought him to Bernina, he says, “...I guess you can say it’s luck.” He shares that if someone had told him he’d one day be joining the sewing industry, he probably would have chuckled to himself. He had it in his head that the wine and spirits industry was where he belonged, but when BERNINA approached him with the opportunity to be its CEO, he couldn’t pass it up.

When asked what inspires him on a daily basis, he doesn’t miss a beat before exclaiming it’s the passion, the people, and the power of the brand. He talks about waking up daily, thrilled at the opportunity to move the company and the brand forward. He believes that his European background enables him to bring a unique perspective as to what the Swiss might be thinking. He also talks about working with premium and luxury products—from the Louis Vuitton Hennessy group to BERNINA—and how critical it is to work with the BERNINA dealers to bring a product to life, nurture the product, maintain its premium appeal, and never dilute the brand. (3:55-6:52)

When he talks about how BERNINA on the outside BERNINA on the inside is, he explains that the passionate professionals at BERNINA make and control every step of the production, manufacturing, and sourcing process. He goes on to explain that every product, across every segment it competes in, is made in its own production facilities. He explains that this type of precision, control, and craftsmanship is part of the brand and the company’s DNA. He takes great pride in the fact that the company doesn’t outsource anything, and that includes their new longarm machines and high-end sergers. I shared with him that while many of our guests didn’t start out on a BERNINA, they always aspired to owning one, and once they got one, they ultimately got more. He says that is quite common, because once you get into using the best, one is never enough. He talks about how BERNINA is very much about quality stitches. “It is,” he says, “a bit of an obsession.” Once people work on a BERNINA, they can see, hear, and feel the difference. (15:07- 18:44)

The more we talk, the more apparent it becomes that Paul is truly passionate about the people he works with. As he continues with the details of his time at BERNINA and his insights into the industry, his pride in being part of this family-owned company is evident. It’s not surprising that he shares 30% of his time on developing and nurturing talent. Mr. Ashworth is convinced that everyone who is part of the BERNINA team shares his commitment to ensuring that every aspect of the BERNINA experience is a quality one, and that everything works together to enhance the sewist’s creativity. Everything from the parts to the dealerships, the software to the technology, the in-store offerings to the online classes, is designed to create a premium user experience. It’s not surprising then that the relationship between the sewist and their BERNINA becomes a sort of love affair. (21:49 - 37:36

If you’d like to know more about the vision of the company and its leader, you can visit Bernina.com or reach out to Mr. Ashworth himself at [email protected]

If you know someone who has an outstanding story that should be shared on this podcast, drop Meg a note to [email protected] or complete the form on our website.

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

Becky Glasby - National Quilt Museum

Becky loves all aspects of quilting—from choosing the pattern to cutting the fabric, to stitching and piecing and mixing up patterns and colors. She also loves machine quilting—especially free motion quilting. Because she doesn’t have to follow a set pattern and can basically do whatever she wants, she feels that it enhances her ability to create and be artistic. She compares free motion quilting to handwriting. “Whether it's meanders or stipples, or swirls or squiggly lines, you know whatever it is you're creating it's not always going to look exactly the same from one person to the next...like handwriting, you have your own speed, your own density of the quilting.” And as Becky explains to her students, like handwriting it takes practice. (6:56 -11:02)

She speaks in-depth about the inspiration she gets from the exhibitions at the museum and the artists she’s met through her work there. She explains that it’s impossible to pick just one quilt or artist, or exhibit that stands out because there’s always something new and exciting happening. She loves meandering through the museum and talking to the guests about the quilts and exhibits. Becky is involved in a lot of different things at the museum, from the youth program to the school block challenge to the junior quilter’s club, to meeting artists and being involved in social media.

The creativity and jumping from one project to another keeps things fun and interesting. One of her favorite aspects of the job is teaching the next generation of quilters at quilt camp, which is held every June. Some are beginners, many of whom are learning about quilting and using a sewing machine for the first time. The intermediate group is using machines to do binding and learning other techniques. Because they’ve been in the program for four or five years, it’s exciting to see how their personalities evolve and how they’re reflected in their quilting. The advanced quilters get to do free quilting and put their own spin on the patterns provided. You hear the pride in Becky’s voice as she talks about being able to pass the skill in this art form onto to the next generation and watching them grow with it from year to year. (18:37-22:22)

An international destination for quilters, The Quilt Museum is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. The process of selecting artists and pieces to be exhibited in its contemporary collection is fascinating, and quite involved, as there are two side galleries with at least three rotating exhibits at any given time. As a non-profit organization, most of their more than 660 quilts are donated; about half our hand-stitched, half-machine sewn, with others using a combination of both techniques. 97% of the work exhibited is by women artists. The museum has between 40,000 to 50,000 visitors from around the globe each year; many of them are in the spring for Quilt Week. Another global attraction is the online Block of the Month Club. Started in 2018, it currently has 21,000 members globally. As Becky talks about the wealth of programs offered by the museum, its growing community of passionate quilters, and the many little-known facts about the museum, you can see that this is a woman who is 100% dedicated to celebrating contemporary quilters and their work. (37:49-44:52)

Be sure to join us for this fascinating podcast, brimming with possibilities, potential, and passion. Becky’s contact information is on the museum’s website, quiltmuseum.org. You can also connect with Becky and the museum on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

If you know someone who has an outstanding story that should be shared on this podcast, drop Meg a note to [email protected] or complete the form on our website.

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.