About Me

My name is Emma, and I’m the sewist behind Chicago Community Sewing Studio. I am a mostly self-taught home sewist. I’m also a former community organizer, cooperative developer, and teacher of adult speakers of other languages. I use the training and experience from my past work to create a learning space that is participatory, student centered, and community oriented.

I have always loved dressing up and playing with color, texture, and shapes. I started thrift shopping as a teen in response to boycotts initiated by the student anti-sweatshop movement of the time, and I remain interested in the social and political dimensions of clothing production. I still love touching fabric, inspecting labels, and looking at the guts of garments

I didn’t go to fashion school or work in the industry. I bought a sewing machine, took a few classes, read a lot, and worked my way through dozens of sewing patterns. I now make many of my own clothes and maintain an active personal sewing practice. I continue to develop as a sewist, through my own practice and study, and through my work with students. The belief that each person can be both a teacher and a learner is a core part of my teaching and personal philosophy.