Natalie and Jessamyn meet in the fall of 2010, through mutual friend Sally Singer, when Jessamyn is preparing to teach a yearlong course at New York University on the history of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. For the course study, Jessamyn, professor of Global Liberal Studies, chooses—from anywhere in the world—to travel to Florence, Alabama, with her students. They take a sewing workshop at The Factory with Natalie and see firsthand how things are made.
Over the years, Jessamyn serves as a contributing writer on the Alabama Chanin Journal. She also participates in Makeshift events from 2012—2014 and presents at the 2019 and 2021 Project Threadways Symposiums with her colleague Thuy Linh Tu (entry coming soon).
Learn more about Jessamyn and read her work in The New Yorker.
Slides 1–2: Jessamyn Hatcher during “Crafting Design: A MAKESHIFT Chair Workshop,” May 2012, New York City, photograph by Susanna Howe
Slide 3: Sketches from the Makeshift 2014 conversation, “Love and Raw Materials in Food, Fashion, and Design” with Chef Ashley Christensen at The Standard Penthouse, New York City, photograph by Peter Stanglmayr