Our guest today is Melanie Jasmine a costume designer and makeup artist based in Texas.

With more than 10 years of experience in sewing and design, she began her involvement in the cosplay community at age 15. Within the community she hosts panels and crafting sessions, judges cosplay contests and is a brand ambassador. She represents a newer generation of professional cosplayers who combine costume design, performance, makeup artistry, and branded content creation into dynamic character work. In addition to sewing and fabrication, she is known for using advanced makeup techniques to complete fully immersive transformations.
She has worked with a variety of brands, such as Lootcrate, 20th Century Fox, Dreamhack, AVC Entertainment, Anime Expo, Dallas Fuel, Hulu, Coca Cola, and Blizzard Entertainment; creating promotional content and organizing meetups. She also shares insight into how brand partnerships differ from competition builds, what she looks for when judging contests, and how the cosplay industry has evolved over the years.

Her work has won numerous awards and when not busy creating, she can be found doing guest appearances around the country.

(1:53) How did Melanie learn to sew and who were her influencers?

(4:10) What was Melanie like as a little girl before cosplay?

(5:28) What brought her to the United States?

(8:30) What drew Melanie to costume making and what was the first costume she ever made?

(10:00) How did her early years in cosplay affect what she does today?

(11:47) How does her work on makeup and costuming influence each other?

(14:23) What are some of the tools and materials that are important to her?

(17:00) Melanie explains how working with brands and collaborations is different than other projects.

(22:51) What does she look for when judging competitions?

(26:44) What changes has she seen over her involvement in cosplay.

(30:10) What skills do sewists and quilters have that will help them get started I cosplay?

(32:56) Where does she find her inspiration?

(34:10) What’s next for her and what’s her dream?

(35:26)Is there a question we didn’t ask?

(35:42) You can reach her at her email melanie@mjasmine.com and on Instagram.@mjasminedesign

Be sure to subscribe to, review and rate this podcast on your favorite platform…and visit our website sewandsopodcast.com for more information about today’s and all of our Guests.

Our guest today is Maelynn Wood, quilt pattern designer and owner of Mae Just Sew. Born and raised in Maine and now a West Coast transplant, Maelynn draws deep inspiration from the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest—a place that mirrors her design style: grounded, thoughtful, and quietly modern. She learned to hand sew in a high school home-ec class and honestly can’t remember a time when a needle and thread weren’t close at hand. Although she began quilting seriously in 2021, Maelynn has quickly become known for patterns that blend traditional techniques with a fresh, approachable aesthetic designed to welcome quilters of all skill levels.

When she’s not designing, Maelynn is raising two kids with her husband Ben, gardening, reading the classics, sipping lattes, traveling with her family—and occasionally sharing the spotlight with her pup, Butter, who makes frequent appearances on Instagram.

When not quilting, she can be found in her vegetable garden, her rose garden, reading the classics of slipping a latte. AND…she loves to travel!

(1:40) How did Maelynn learn to sew?

(2:40) Who were the women who taught her to sew and what kind of influences did they have? Hear about the square dancers!

(4:00) Hear about a deeply fond memory Maelynn has of spending time with her grandmother.

(6:35) As an expectant mom she sewed a lot for each child. She shares why this was so very important to her.

(11:34) in 2021 she began to quilt…why?

(15:23) Maelynn decided to take a pattern writing class…why?

(19:44) She used to call quilting “the dark side”? Why and what’s changed for her now?!

(22:59) Learn why she named her company Mae Just Sew.

(24:12) What did her life look like prior to Mae Just Sew?

(27:59) Learn the three reasons why Maelynn quilts.

(31:14) There are many things she loves to do when not sewing…one of the biggest is travelling with her family. She tells of some of her favorite adventures.

(35:30) How have her adventures influenced her work?

(36:54) What’s next and what’s her dream?

(38:29) What didn’t I ask? Get ready for a little…no, a LOT of encouragement!

(41:50 ) You can reach out to Maelynn at www.maejustsew.com, #mae.just.sew on Instagram

Be sure to subscribe to, review and rate this podcast on your favorite platform…and visit our website sewandsopodcast.com for more information about today’s and all of our Guests.

Our guest today is the incomparable Kenneth D. King, returning to the Sew & So Podcast after first joining us on Episode 72.Kenneth is a New York–based haute couturier renowned for his mastery of evening wear, couture technique, and design education.

Born and raised in Salinas, Kansas, and later moving to Oklahoma, Kenneth’s path to fashion excellence led him to earn a degree in fashion merchandising from Central State University and to study patternmaking in San Francisco under Paris-trained Simmin Sethna. His extraordinary career includes selling to elite boutiques such as Maxfield, Wilkes Bashford, and Ultimo, designing for icons like Geena Davis, Cloris Leachman, Bernie Taupin, and Elton John, and having his work featured on red carpets, music videos, and television commercials.

Kenneth’s creations now reside in the permanent collections of the De Young Museum, LACMA, The Oakland Museum, and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. In addition to designing, he is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Fashion Institute of New York, a Contributing Editor for Threads Magazine, an instructor for Craftsy and Burda, and the author of multiple acclaimed books on couture sewing techniques.

In this episode, Kenneth joins us to discuss his newest book, Doll Couture – The Red-Carpet Edition, his inspirations, collaborations, and what continues to drive his creativity today.

(3:35) Kenneth reminds us how he learned to so and who influenced him.

(4:40) He tells about his grandmother and her influence on him.

(5:20) He talks about why people are forced to create in a certain style and what can be done to more out of this mold.

(7:53) He talks about his new inspirations and gives us a history lesson on new York’s Ladies’ Mile.

(10:26) Learn about Kenneth’s collaborations

(11:40) What was it like for Kenneth to work with his husband Andrew?

(14:23) What’s new with Kenneth?

(16:07) Learn about Kenneth’s new book Doll Couture – The Red-Carpet Edition.

(18:15) How is this new book different from the first one?

(21:00) Learn about the book’s Easter Eggs

(21:15) What Red Carpet moments inspired his character’s designs?

(22:33) Does working on a small-scale change how he thinks about proportions and other considerations?

(24:05) What items from doll sized couture will help those creating full-sized garments?

(25:20) How long did it take Kenneth to complete his book?

(27:06) There was an untraditional path to publishing Kenneth’s books…he shares this with us.

(31:48) What’s it like when he is finally handed his first copy of a new book?

(33:40) Kenneth recounts the story of his relationship with Elton John and the hats he created for him.

(36:00) What’s next for Kenneth?

(37:34) What’s his dream? And, how can you help?!

(38:10)What question didn’t we ask that he wished we had asked?

(38:33) Reach out to Kenneth at KennethDKing@earthlink.com

Be sure to subscribe to, review and rate this podcast on your favorite platform…and visit our website sewandsopodcast.com for more information about today’s and all of our Guests.