Join the Black Women Stitch Patreon. Kia SangriaKia Sangria is passionate about cosplay, costume creation, being a sewist, and creating costumes for black people in play. Lisa WoolforkLisa 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 convener and 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 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. #Charlottesville. 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. Insights from this episode:Kia meeting her husband through cosplayKia’s cosplay-themed weddingKia’s generosity and helping people in sewing and cosplayGetting recognition from brandsKia being a cosplay panelInsights into cos-fashionCollaborating with Zelouf fabricsKia’s plans for Halloween Quotes from the show:“For me personally, my husband represents one of the more positives aspects of cosplay which is not just someone in a costume, but actually someone becoming the character” —Kia Sangria in “Stitch Please”“That (sharing information generously) is pretty rare, not a lot of folks will go out of their way, they might tell you a few things, but it takes something, I think very generous to create an entire video to show somebody something” —Lisa Woolfork in “Stitch Please”“I don’t really do the things that I do for brand recognition, but it’s really nice that folks notice” —Kia Sangria in “Stitch Please”“I am a resource; that’s what I tell people, please don’t be afraid to ask me questions cause I am here to help you” —Kia Sangria in “Stitch Please”“Color is very big for me. As someone that likes to take different types of creative control over how I make costumes, having so many different shades of blue and green, and what have you, allows me to customize my looks” —Kia Sangria in “Stitch Please”“For the type of sewing that I do, which is sewing for cosplay, it’s a little bit different from sewing a blouse, or a shirt, or a pair of pants, or a dress. There is a lot of pieces that go into cosplay making. I am looking to be that resource”  —Kia Sangria in “Stitch Please”“Sewing is hard, but I think that sometimes sewing on your own can also be difficult if you do not have that experience, and you do not know where to turn to” —Kia Sangria in “Stitch Please” Resources MentionedZelouf Fabrics Stay Connected:Lisa WoolforkInstagram: Lisa WoolforkTwitter: Lisa Woolfork Kia SangriaFacebook: Kia La SangriaPinterest: Pinterest This episode was produced and managed by Podcast Laundry.