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Aaronica
Aaronica B. Cole is a plus-size sewist, pattern designer, and educator who brings passion and expertise to every class she teaches. Through her brand, previously known as The Needle & The Belle, Aaronica has built a reputation for making sewing approachable, inclusive, and fun—whether she’s helping students master projector cutting, understand fit adjustments, or create wardrobes that truly reflect their style.
She is a designer with Know Me Patterns, where her inclusive designs like ME2050, ME2072, ME2028, and ME2083 have become favorites among home sewists. Aaronica also serves as a BERNINA and bernette brand ambassador and has her own curated thread line with Aurifil Threads, giving her students and community direct access to industry-leading tools and inspiration.
Her work has been featured in sewing publications and blogs, and she is the co-host of AudaSEWtea, a podcast dedicated to celebrating creativity, style, and the sewing community. Beyond design and media, Aaronica is an active organizer in the Atlanta sewing scene, helping lead events like Atlanta Frocktails.
At Topstitch, Aaronica is known for her engaging teaching style, her deep knowledge of fit and style for plus-size sewists, and her commitment to making sewing accessible to everyone. Whether in class, on her YouTube channel, or behind the mic, Aaronica inspires makers to sew boldly, embrace their bodies, and craft the wardrobes of their dreams. -
Lisa
Learning to sew when she was 6, Lisa has been around fabric and textiles since early childhood. Daughter of a quilter and sewist, crafting and sewing was an integral part of her upbringing. A degree in Fashion Design and many years in the costume department for film and television, Lisa’s study and career became about clothing. Quilting has become a full-time art practice, and when she’s not teaching at Topstitch or behind the counter at Second Stitch Fabrics, you can find her working on her Quilted Tarot Card series. Sustainability, reuse, and recycling are particularly important to her, as is continuing the education of hand quilting as a legacy art form.
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Jenna
Jenna learned to sew from her mom, who made beautiful garments for the whole family throughout her childhood. What began as a few lessons quickly grew into a love for garment making, with pieces like the Anna Allen Demeter Top and Friday Pattern Company Saltwater Slip becoming wardrobe staples. In recent years, Jenna has also embraced quilting - crafting modern, playful works rooted in tradition and made entirely from second-hand fabric.
Her work is shaped by the teachings of textile artists she admires, including Cody Cook-Parrot, Aaron Sanders Head, Melissa Word, Cathy and Coulter Fussell, and Gee’s Bend quilters Mary Ann and China Pettway.
When not at Topstitch, she’s likely shopping at her local farmers market or playing fiddle at the Frank Hamilton School. -
Kat
Kat is an instructor with over a decade of sewing experience and specializes in sewing costumes and intimates. She brings a thoughtful and encouraging approach to every project in the studio and focuses on creativity and sustainability. When not teaching, Kat works as a writer and project manager for a medical animation company. She leads an active life with her family and enjoys gardening, rock climbing, and exercising, but is just as happy to slow things down with a good book.
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Jeanine
With a degree in Fashion Merchandising and experience in bridal alterations, I’ve stitched my way through everything from wedding gowns to wardrobe rescues. If it involves a needle, count me in! I have dabbled in heirloom sewing, crochet, knitting, smocking, and all types of needlework. After spending a few years overseas I took a position as a Spanish teacher in Tallahassee, Florida which resulted in a master’s degree and 20+ years in private education. I am thrilled to have connected with the TopStitch community as I recently relocated to the Decatur. Teaching sewing to adults is a beautiful union of my passion for sewing and my love for teaching!
When I’m not threading a bobbin, you’ll likely find me in the garden, lost in a good book, or enjoying the beautiful chaos that comes with being married with 5 grown kids and 8 wonderful grandchildren. -
Sarah
Sarah is a heritage textile artist, hand embroiderer, and instructor based in the neighborhood of East Atlanta. For over a decade, she’s been practicing and teaching surface hand embroidery, often focusing on how craft can fulfill such an intimate place in our lives. While Sarah is primarily self taught, she has studied with San Francisco School of Needlework & Design and is now seeking a certificate from The Royal School of Needlework. She also studies needle lace, bobbin lace, crochet, and sewing. She is a member of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America and the International Org. Of Lace, Inc. Sarah holds a B.A. in History from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA.
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Kady
Kady Yates is a self taught fiber artist living and working in the Atlanta area. During the day (and sometimes nights and weekends) you can find her at the public library, doing story times and running Lego club. The rest of the time she’s probably creating! Kady learned to sew as a child from her mother, but picked it up seriously as a quilter in 2013 and started adding clothes to her portfolio during the pandemic. As a fat sewist, she loves the ability to make clothes that look and feel good on her body that she can’t find in stores or online.
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Leigh
Leigh is the owner of Topstitch Studio and Lounge. Taking inspiration from the studio where she learned to sew clothes–Sew Over It in London–Leigh opened Topstitch in 2017 with the idea to create a modern sewing studio for people to learn to sew clothes. Since then,Topstitch has taught hundreds of people to sew—empowering them with the confidence to create handmade wardrobes and fostering a community where creativity and connection thrive.
Leigh also loves to write and has written for a number of magazines including Uppercase Magazine. She's also the author of London Stitch and Knit, a Guide to London's Knitting and Fabric Shops.
When she's not teaching or prepping for sewing classes, she's likely out and about exploring something new in Atlanta with her two teen daughters and husband.
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Melodie
Melodie is the person in the red-ish floral shirt and Ansara is the one who is outside in the photo.
Melodie earned her PhD in Textile Science specializing in International Fashion Merchandising from the University of Georgia. For over a decade she taught creative entrepreneurship, product development, and fashion business management at the collegiate level and helped fiber enthusiasts, clothing designers, and surface design artists how to turn their craft into a business. She is thrilled to teach creative, joyful, non-degree programming at Topstitch!
A home sewer since the age of six, Melodie learned how to sew clothing and home decor items from her mother and developed her love of fabric and color from the many shopping trips as a little girl to G Street Fabrics, a popular destination in Rockville, MD since the 1940's. Her love of color intertwined with her published research on wellness launched her cosmetics business. Her favorite project thus far was working with a Haitian women's co-op to sew and embroider cosmetic bags for her brand- which were featured on ABC News. When not teaching or serving customers at her cosmetics store, Melodie loves spending time with her three daughters, one of which is her crafting buddy, and her husband of nineteen years. -
Ansara
Ansara is a self-taught sewist whose sewing journey began as a young child. Her first experience sewing was when she would hand sew pillows and blankets to decorate her Barbie doll house. After college, she worked at Fabric.com where she was surrounded by a warehouse full of fabric. This inspired her to learn how to sew with a machine. So she purchased a machine, began watching tutorials online, and began practicing. During the pandemic, she began making garments and sharing her work online. When not at Topstitch, she enjoys spending time with her kids, reading, writing, and cooking.
