People of SewGreen: Sue Sennett
You’ll find Sue Sennett leading the knitting club almost every Thursday afternoon, where she teaches new knitters, helps others grow, and advises more experienced knitters with their projects. She can spot a potential knitting problem at a glance, in between identifying and pricing donated yarn and enjoying a conversation. Sue’s fiber arts journey began with her mother, and like her mother, Sue can sew, knit, crochet, embroider, cross stitch, and craft. After a while, knitting became Sue’s favorite pastime. Each of Sue’s sisters were influenced by their mother, a Renaissance woman who encouraged her daughters to attend college, and then led by example - she studied to become a science teacher later in life. Like her mother, this retired special education Speech Pathologist thrives on communing with people. That’s why she shares her knitting knowledge, one stitch at a time.
Although she paused knitting after marriage, Sue resumed after a friend inspired her to continue. Sue recognizes the benefits of knitting, finding it especially therapeutic during troubling times. Having honed her craft over the years at Clara Parks retreats and testing patterns for professional designers, Sue identified with like-minded people who are still connected through yarn, knitting, and friendship. Each of Sue’s family members keep warm with blankets or sweaters that she created with love. Technology has changed retreats and pattern sharing, but her mother shaped her abilities and her creative space, even when Sue’s daughters were growing up. Sue’s place of solitude includes repurposed china cabinets for yarn, a recliner for her, and one more chair for family visitors so they can sort out what’s important.
Sue lives by this mantra: don't postpone joy! With this in mind, she fully engages with family, travel, and new experiences, while volunteering to help people. Sue Sennett knew that she wanted to be part of the SewGreen community after meeting our founder, Georgia Carney. Sue is excited for another knitter to be born, but no matter where you are, all are welcome at the knitting table.
People of SewGreen: Katie Hardin
Katie Hardin personifies SewGreen’s principles of community, creativity, and sustainability. Though she’s only been on staff since January 2025, she feels at home. As a SewGreen associate, Katie can assist customers, answer phones, and run the register, but grant writing is her super power. Katie combines the caring heart of her degree in Anthropology with the precision of her minor in Chemistry to craft grants that will make a difference for SewGreen. Katie’s goal is to expand founder Georgia Carney’s vision of community by connecting with people in SewGreen’s immediate neighborhood. She regularly confers with board members and staff about ideas, and has already submitted eight grant proposals to local organizations. Katie’s objective is to share the sustainable skills of fiber arts with neighbors while breaking the barriers of food, housing, and healthcare. So far, Katie plans to address these needs by building a food pantry on Canal Street with donated supplies. She has also proposed Coming Home, an anthropological interview of people who lived in Rochester from the 1950s - 1980s about how businesses were part of the neighborhood, with the purpose of finding ways for SewGreen to be more community oriented. Since the Phillis Wheatley Community Library is located in the same zip code, Katie has reached out to the library so fiber arts programs can be added that will benefit the SewGreen neighbors. A more immediate possibility is to have class participants “sponsor a class spot,” making SewGreen accessible to everyone.
In addition to her role at SewGreen, Katie embroiders, crochets, regularly repurposes vintage clothes, and is willing to learn machine sewing. Katie currently has a science fiction short story being edited for a volume to be published at the University of Queensland. The editors of this academic publication believe that all activism is science fiction because you are imagining a different world. Her story shows how to make violent spaces more habitable, and is a perfect fit. Whether writing short stories or grants, Katie certainly has insights for a better future. When Katie is not busy using the prioritization of chemistry with a vision for change, you can find this coffee-loving Rochestarian curled up with her cats, Rambo and Buddy.
Community Connection:
Diane Phillips, Fiber Artist
Diane Phillips has pursued creativity all of her life, and believes that there is always more to learn. She started her fiber arts journey as a child, learning the rudiments of knitting, sewing, and embroidery. Her mother, who dabbled in these without proficiency, encouraged Diane to create, allowing her the freedom to explore. At one point, Diane had covered every white fabric in the house with embroidery, even her father’s underwear! Over time, Diane tried rug hooking, with her first project following a pattern. Since then, she’s been experimenting and making her own designs, while seeking new methods to tweak a process. She inherited the urge to constantly create from her father, and finds that solving artistic problems is a journey that she relishes.
Diane’s rug hook work has been featured in exhibits, articles, and books, and though she has taught numerous classes, occasionally studies with others to discover new techniques. She has also authored a book, Loose Threads, that follows stories of a fabric artist, complete with templates and photos for projects. Texture and color speak to Diane, inspiring the organic flow of her fiber work. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down and consequently decreased the number of shows, and combined with the reality of machine made goods available en masse, Diane has made changes. She and artist Gayle Torrey collaborate to make artfully fashioned bags. Rugs are the mainstay of Diane’s art, but she revels in the process of discovery and is currently processing old silk ties to colorfully dye white wool for fun and for projects. Every day there is a new creation, with some unfinished, but there is always the next thing.
In a recent move from her Rochester studio, Diane discovered the flexibility of working from home (in her bathrobe if she chooses), though she regularly visits her artist friends and attends their exhibits. After the move, she donated items to SewGreen, where she occasionally volunteers. Diane’s storage solutions for her work space are as mesmerizing as her artwork, and reflect her need to be able to see everything. Diane is pleased to make art in the comfort of the home that she shares with her husband and their four chihuahuas. Her life as an artist is an inspiration, and Diane is excited for the next creative adventure.
