The Brown Girls Sew Project is a signature program of Iwalewa Cultural Arts Academy that uses sewing and needle arts as a foundation for nurturing character, creativity, leadership, and confidence in young girls.
Our Saturday out-of-school program provides a safe and supportive space where girls learn practical sewing a
Meet the founder
Dr. Jaye mcnair obaseki
Dr. Jayé McNair Ọbásẹ̀kí is a scholar, textile artist, arts educator, and tradition bearer whose work brings together cloth, history, education, and visual storytelling.
With more than twenty years of experience in arts education, Dr. Ọbásẹ̀kí has taught learners from elementary school through higher education. Her interdisciplinary creative work bridges textile art, quilting, and fashion design with curriculum development and arts-based research.
She is the founder of the Iwalewa Cultural Arts Academy and creator of The Brown Girls Sew Project, its signature workshop series. Through this academy initiative, she utilizes sewing, quilting, fashion, dollmaking, and textile arts to create educational opportunities for girls and communities that have historically had limited access to sustained arts programming.
Dr. Ọbásẹ̀kí holds a B.S. in Fashion Design and Retail Merchandising from Drexel University, an M.A.T. in Art Education from the University of the Arts, and a Ph.D. in Art Education from Florida State University.
why i do this work
I learned through sewing, teaching, and textile art that what we make with our hands can also shape how we understand ourselves.
I created Iwalewa Cultural Arts Academy and The Brown Girls Sew Project to make space for young people to create, explore who they are, develop practical skills, and discover possibilities for their futures.
This is more than learning to sew. It is learning that what you make—and what you imagine—has value.
Empowering Girls Through Creative Sewing
Join our Saturday-out-of-school arts program
Classes*workshops*camps
identity quilt Workshop
upcycle fashion workshop
identity quilt Workshop
The Identity Quilt Project is a collaboratie art experience that helps women and girls explore identity, self-image, and the social messages that shape how they see themselves. Through an “I Am” statement and textile self-portrait, each participant adds her voice to a collective quilt—affirming her power to define and represent herself.
Ife Doll workshop
upcycle fashion workshop
identity quilt Workshop
Ife means love. The Ife Doll Workshop uses dollmaking as a creative practice for self-expression, affirmation, and emotional healing. Participants create a handmade fabric doll using hair, clothing, fabrics, and embellishments to explore identity and representation—reinforcing the importance of seeing and celebrating themselves in the things they create.
upcycle fashion workshop
upcycle fashion workshop
upcycle fashion workshop
The Denim Upcycle Workshop introduces participants to sustainable fashion through creative reuse. Using denim garments as their starting point, participants learn to deconstruct, redesign, and transform existing clothing into something new. Through cutting, sewing, patchwork, and embellishment, they explore how imagination and sewing skil
The Denim Upcycle Workshop introduces participants to sustainable fashion through creative reuse. Using denim garments as their starting point, participants learn to deconstruct, redesign, and transform existing clothing into something new. Through cutting, sewing, patchwork, and embellishment, they explore how imagination and sewing skills can give discarded garments a new purpose and a new story.
The Panty Project
summer fashion & Fiber Intensive
upcycle fashion workshop
The Panty Project uses sewing as a form of Artistic Resistance® to address period poverty, dignity, and access to basic necessities. Participants learn garment-construction skills by creating panties from new and upcycled fabrics while exploring self-care, sustainability, and self-sufficiency. The workshop demonstrates how sewing can beco
The Panty Project uses sewing as a form of Artistic Resistance® to address period poverty, dignity, and access to basic necessities. Participants learn garment-construction skills by creating panties from new and upcycled fabrics while exploring self-care, sustainability, and self-sufficiency. The workshop demonstrates how sewing can become a practical tool for meeting personal needs while building confidence and creative agency.
summer fashion & Fiber Intensive
summer fashion & Fiber Intensive
summer fashion & Fiber Intensive
The Summer Fashion & Fibers Intensive provides a safe, supportive, and structured space for systemically underserved girls during the summer months. As a community-based violence-prevention program, the Intensive uses sewing, fashion, and fiber arts to engage participants in positive, creative experiences. Through mentorship, hands-on lea
The Summer Fashion & Fibers Intensive provides a safe, supportive, and structured space for systemically underserved girls during the summer months. As a community-based violence-prevention program, the Intensive uses sewing, fashion, and fiber arts to engage participants in positive, creative experiences. Through mentorship, hands-on learning, and field experiences, girls build confidence, resilience, practical skills, and positive relationships within a nurturing community where they can learn, create, and thrive.
youth foundations of sewing
summer fashion & Fiber Intensive
summer fashion & Fiber Intensive
The Youth Foundations of Sewing Workshop takes the aspiring designer from their first stitch to a completed garment. Through step-by-step instruction, participants learn hand stitching, sewing-machine operation, measuring, cutting, seams, and construction techniques before progressing to reading patterns and garment construction. The work
The Youth Foundations of Sewing Workshop takes the aspiring designer from their first stitch to a completed garment. Through step-by-step instruction, participants learn hand stitching, sewing-machine operation, measuring, cutting, seams, and construction techniques before progressing to reading patterns and garment construction. The workshop builds confidence, independence, and a strong technical foundation for continued exploration in fashion and fiber arts.