Submitted by Ann U., Secretary

The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm by President Noemi B. Program Chair Nancy P. introduced Radha Weaver of @sewingthroughfog on Zoom. Radha studied costume design in college and worked for Levi’s, traveling the world, until the pandemic in 2020. She focused her lecture on “Finding Your Creative Voice through Your Own Materials.” She feels choosing your own materials makes your work more personal.

She grew up in a commune in northern California around natural textiles and a philosophy of making the most of what you had, re-using so as not to throw anything away. She had always sewed but began quilting during COVID. She used what was available to her – jeans and old clothes and treasured fabrics such as Liberty of London lawn she picked up on her travels. She eventually designed some patterns but really wanted them as a guide people could use to create their own projects rather than copies of hers. She began weaving denim strips upcycled from old jeans, mixing whatever fabrics she had, including leather. When she went to QuiltCon in 2023 and 2024, she studied the quilts made from upcycled and thrifted fabric, creating blog posts. Radha likes the clean lines of modern quilts but enjoys traditional blocks, especially log cabin.

Radha loves denim as it is a very practical twill weave fabric. There are many variations, dyes and wear that affects the color and texture. Once people found out she was using old jeans in her projects, they brought her plenty of them, so she always had plenty of materials available.