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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.
![[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-lhr8-2.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=_DewdQShpwYQ7kNvwGuCU0f&_nc_oc=AdnvTQmdhNwYyuNprCF-z3cM-499uuPQY5l4kx9n2rHWcAwGqOkEZn0cegRzMiNegZ4&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr8-2.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=gd_GbnmQuJwTcMqq3SdRfA&oh=00_AfsRP1C89c8OzuIMUNdMi2hSF1yHF37jXWY7FQmFd9uSoQ&oe=69862DD3)
![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-lhr6-2.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=3fZwggeP1QEQ7kNvwEeZrtM&_nc_oc=AdmOUuUegxTNEw3YbvQhHULtYR9Gg6v-F9hhmJP_YPzt6og4R9BE84L4nw0JpiNOPSE&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr6-2.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=gd_GbnmQuJwTcMqq3SdRfA&oh=00_AfsZJmUvviSWIhvsdZ5fJqBmXN53SRv-DD1X9BkLMCAn7w&oe=698631E7)
![I went to wear this jacket the other day and was reminded of two things I wanted to share. [it’s my Cosmic Waterfall Mini pattern, if you want to try it out comment “MINI” and I’ll send you the link. It’s not easy, but there is a video tutorial ☺️]
#1: quilting is pretty cool. 😂. No seriously, what I mean is you can create so much texture and dimension just by quilting some smooshy layers together. I tend to get so caught up in the piecing, that sometimes I forgot how powerful quilting can be by itself.
You might be thinking “duh, that’s why I’m a quilter”. But, um, 🤷🏻♀️. I love the inside of this jacket so much, it makes me want to reverse quilt everything.
#2: I’ve been making things more complicated since the very beginning. I mentioned recently how I keep trying to make simple block based quilts but then I get bored and have to make them harder. I totally forgot about Cosmic Waterfall!
This was the first pattern I ever designed and it started as a simple block-based pattern but then I offset the middle row of blocks, and on the full size I did this complicated ombré thing, and then I decided to make a mini version with completely different construction instructions so it had to be its own pattern, but then I had to make video tutorials because it was so complicated.
My point being… some things never change? 🤷🏻♀️
#denimjacket #quiltjacket](https://scontent-lhr8-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.82787-15/587013955_18023623472785896_3153541524948836656_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=106&ccb=7-5&_nc_sid=18de74&efg=eyJlZmdfdGFnIjoiQ0FST1VTRUxfSVRFTS5iZXN0X2ltYWdlX3VybGdlbi5DMyJ9&_nc_ohc=t6ZGmcH5Fx8Q7kNvwEf8811&_nc_oc=AdmqjZaDRHHt66ijph0O3tJDZTIUGb5ruMQOtxN0f4Apu4SCPFUeXvZ2nGF6t67IQfY&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-lhr8-2.cdninstagram.com&edm=ANo9K5cEAAAA&_nc_gid=gd_GbnmQuJwTcMqq3SdRfA&oh=00_AfvADOS45uO4GRNwYl_Awvju8o4bDfXWMpkojdPm9-9NJg&oe=69860C60)
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