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HI I'M RADHA
I’m a textile artist, sustainability educator and small business strategist based in San Francisco. But don't worry, I balance all that serious stuff with a fair bit of silliness, and I share my work without judgement.
My unique expertise and passion for sustainability was fueled by a 15-year career in the apparel industry where I travelled the world, visited denim factories in China and Bangladesh, and unfortunately had a front seat to the rise of fast fashion. I used to create new jeans but now at Sewing through Fog I help keep those same jeans out of a landfill through classes and patterns to help you Quilt Your Jeans.
![I’m pretty sure this is what my heart looks like 🥹. But seriously, I’m in love with this quilt Emily @emilbauer2 made and submitted to Off the Grid gallery (pattern by @etive_and_co). And the skill to do this in denim!
[comment “gallery” and I’ll send you the link]
From Emily:
This quilt is a reimagining of an artwork I made in college. Inspired by the idea that we are all made up of the hurts and repairs of our past, the original Imperfection, Trust, Takotbuso Cardiomyopathy was a glass anatomic heart that I intended to break and then bandage back together. I spent so long making the glass heart perfect that I couldn’t break it. Instead the glass heart was exhibited with a gold bow on it. As I have delved deeper into quilting, I came up with the idea for this quilt to better reach the intended message of that project. I found a pattern for an anatomic heart (by Etive & Co.) and then made it out of pieces of jeans that I had visibly mended and which had worn out again. In this way, the heart is made up of all the pain and repair of the past. The quilting is all by hand in little Vs which I would often doodle in my notebooks in college.
Techniques Used: Foundation paper piecing, hand quilting
Materials: Previously mended jeans, white denim, linen backing](https://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/640138634_18034621379785896_3838849493506327024_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=108&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=smLsXnho6ZsQ7kNvwEDtAL_&_nc_oc=Adn6D_NGecGitKNYZjYn2bHJ97P-lDZzQZsVN1BM01fidtv2gP_g3hmZUSk4gvCA1bg&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=Qgg_HVmraRv1wH_j48B19w&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQF6xMlXJfjPzn2IFM_sg32SbYdqmq4X9IwYH5-Y3OOTSLX3dNxpvIxKKkGnJ6XmXZljmGQu22hm&oh=00_AfydGxIazn7pjp7hFfyKRFkIfFF1G_F0qURJ3RPRVLqCVA&oe=69ABAFE7)
![If you don’t know Canadian Textile Artist Fuzzy Mall… well, I hope you do now. I was really humbled that he (and so many other talented artists) trusted me to share their work in the Off the Grid gallery.
[a quick reminder – on the site you can choose the most impactful protest quilt and I’ll be donating $350 to a social justice nonprofit chosen by the winning artist. Comment “gallery” and I’ll send you the link]
From the artist: ephemeral moments disappear unless made permanent in some way. My focus on portraiture tries to marry the notions of oil painting and quilting to create heirloom-worthy work made from photos that are snapped by a phone, live in the cloud, and often swiped away by a finger.
Techniques Used: applique, satin stitched, blow torched
Materials: reclaimed textiles (clothing and housewares)](https://scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/642315756_18034235480785896_1582865096787110118_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=110&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=xzq4NWKPZpQQ7kNvwG30JpR&_nc_oc=AdnadZ9GRvFEYSw2U_j-zwl3KGYw2BllI5lGTUly8LQKFZPxFzhNqTDq4FyId1-KiM8&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=Qgg_HVmraRv1wH_j48B19w&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQFxGuFJ2Dwmaqk-wKb9ByOILAknAI1S5J6tWfpBVJx0Z4Kf1bJMSzchcfSWkcs7dGwsdQyv-THB&oh=00_Afxvw5nRGtL9DheJ3VaA_Y3ZI-J5WUlZr0punXxS1qoajg&oe=69AB9215)
![[I made and posted this tutorial back in July, but it felt relevant again this week. I mean, who doesn’t love a cropped t-shirt in the middle of winter? ☺️ 🚫🧊]
I got this t-shirt from @artist.for.resistance at an event they organized on the 4th to raise money for @missionactionsf, a local org that offers legal aid for immigrants.
I had this moment where I was trying to decide what to do, because I thought the shirt was great, but I don’t buy new clothes anymore unless there is a really good reason, or it’s a local/ethical/sustainable brand.
I decided this was a really good reason. I don’t draw hard lines in the sand about stuff like that because there are always exceptions. Sometimes buying new is good, and I think making sweeping decisions doesn’t take into account that life is nuanced.
But also, I could cry at how beautifully my BERNINA L890 did that coverstitch 🥹. I don’t mind a raw edge on a knit, but I wanted this to stay flat and not roll, and it’s just so clean.
@berninausa
#sewingispolitical #craftivism #tshirtupcycling](https://scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/627609369_18031541204785896_2059599968065034392_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=102&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0xJUFMuYmVzdF9pbWFnZV91cmxnZW4uQzMifQ%3D%3D&_nc_ohc=IipYt1-LWTcQ7kNvwF8YwR1&_nc_oc=AdmSgwKYD1WbVr0Qx3juMS7_ZPgFSfxV3uYgBDViVIrqH1R5Fp4hpeP_apE9JjmeBGs&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=Qgg_HVmraRv1wH_j48B19w&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQHA5vEYz9ryvLzGKxLFv4qVR-TyjJ7pvB4ElpZFYbCDlgTzlInu-kZjfN9g4xX-jGpw_R17QnDH&oh=00_Afzj4G_EVhZ3lWrT2vHMe3YrA7tBNE5HGI2wv7OI1ooKjA&oe=69AB99E2)
![[quilts pictured by @sewistry_nc ]
I decided to start Off the Grid as a virtual gallery for quilts that were rejected, overlooked, or didn’t quite fit the expectations of other quilt shows.
And as submissions started coming in, I kept seeing quilts made from repurposed materials, and a bunch of awesome protest quilts. And I decided I wanted to do more than just show the work, I wanted to support the people making it and their cause.
So, for this inaugural show at Off the Grid gallery (on the @feelgoodfibers website) I’m awarding two $350 prizes:
• one for best use of repurposed materials
• one for the most impactful protest quilt – chosen by viewers, with the prize donated to a nonprofit selected by the maker (potentially one in Minneapolis).
I know it’s not a lot, but it’s just the beginning and I already have more ideas for the future! The gallery will be live soon, and submissions are still open! Comment “gallery” and I’ll send you the link.](https://scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/622087770_18030762284785896_6491089431515378620_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=106&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=5VPf9iiIrvcQ7kNvwFPus-R&_nc_oc=AdmdzoZKsD_QgWnWYsmb2wESkmozX2KuX51skschITi8btV-HvtTlxVdocnsC2gbfkM&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea1-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=Qgg_HVmraRv1wH_j48B19w&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQE0NzWORlaTSSjTl8uHkUm-a7bBKkbi9h_4JYyKI7L4wnmloeVkqYNCaseJdHrGoKllGDGYkYPP&oh=00_AfxJrO5yBwvDg2fbDf6U9aqeLKwx8JeGCaln4SjUxdoVmw&oe=69ABC093)
![I already had the leather needle and teflon foot on the machine so…
[FYI I have a couple YouTube videos on working with leather, comment “leather” and I’ll send you a link.]
I’ve made log cabin quilt blocks before with leather but I always used my lightest weights. But I have this leather I tried to dye in an indigo sucrose vat (not the most successful experiment) and I’ve wanted to try it out. The issue is it’s heavy…
These are all 2” strips and I used a 3/8” seam allowance but I probably could have gone up to 1/2” because these seams are thick. I thought I’d share the “before” and then hopefully an “after” tomorrow once it’s sat under my tailors clappers overnight and hopefully a bit flatter.
I don’t have leather glue, but I’ve been meaning to get some for a while. With leather this thick, glue is pretty necessary for seams. But I’ll see how it goes!](https://scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/618790492_18029822078785896_1795873704765143281_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=105&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=hAjtTBMZvtwQ7kNvwGOlQvq&_nc_oc=Adnnjsq5xLmpK4-5IvCnOVm584nFyhBzDcNfMwZAnhvWBqT_mJjaRvyl4Y1thm-Wuuw&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-sea5-1.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=Qgg_HVmraRv1wH_j48B19w&_nc_tpa=Q5bMBQEEYZTp0l5fexzU_t2l9LoCZSnPaCqDsLzSpC5yK8uJUH2fL2OqCARK7gG1wtB9PYkA4TJwWJ6X&oh=00_AfzhsnsOZFB-V41B9SmIWbo2-oaFEofdX9UaR55bI5nB7Q&oe=69ABC4A7)
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