Lissa Ziranek, Founder and Owner of Moving Thread
Lissa Ziranek’s creative roots trace back to her upbringing in South Africa, with an artist mother who filled their home with vibrant portraits and landscape tapestries and an engineer father who was always tinkering. Though Lissa’s creativity was always encouraged, it was her mother who first taught her to sew, passing down simple techniques that sparked a lifelong passion. By age 12, Lissa had discovered her niche in sewing. Wanting more clothes than her family could afford, she honed her skills and soon had friends commissioning her work, even selling her designs in local boutiques—her first official clothing label that would flourish for years.
After high school, Lissa studied Fashion Design, and an entrepreneurial award boosted her label into stores nationwide. Her designs graced the pages of South Africa’s Elle, Marie Claire, Fairlady, Seventeen and more.
Eventually, love brought Lissa to Los Angeles, where she immersed herself in the fashion industry from a new angle, designing for denim and t-shirt brands and creating custom clothing and wedding dresses. She launched her second label, Zita Roma, but after starting a family, her focus shifted toward a career with deeper meaning. In 2019, she transformed her home studio into a small sewing school. Word spread, and her classes quickly filled with eager students.
In 2022, Lissa took a big step, opening her current studio on Washington Blvd., alongside These Hands Collective, led by a close friend. The studio has been buzzing ever since, with a growing team of talented instructors adding new energy and creativity.
Lissa teaches Intro to Sewing 4 Week Workshop, Alterations Workshop, Pant Making, Dress Making, Kimono Workshop, Intro to Pattern Making, T-Shirt Workshop, Private Workshops and co-hosts Kid and Teen Fashion Series and Fashion Camp with Rob Younkers.
Rob Younkers
Rob Younkers is a fashion designer, educator, media personality, and former Professor at Parsons School of Design.
He has designed and consulted for Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, Patricia Field, Mattel, Vogue Magazine, Elie Tahari, Elle Magazine, and Threadymade. In 2007 he began designing a custom women’s tailored collection under his own label. Rob has been instructing up and coming designers for over fifteen years. He has taught internationally at Istituto Marangoni in Milan and for over 15 years at Parsons, his alma mater, where he began teaching three years after graduation, having been scouted by Tim Gunn. His involvement with a younger generation of designers began in 2006 when he mentored a 14-year-old designer on MTV’s “MADE”. Afterwards, Rob created fashion camps for several art studios in and around New York City. These ventures were the initial spark for what would become STITCHED Fashion Camp, started in 2013.
Rob teaches STITCHED Fashion Camp, Kids Fashion Series, Teen Fashion Series, Open Studio and is available for Private Workshops.
Rosie Ponizil
Rose Ponizil is a Los Angeles based designer and educator with a focus on slow fashion. She learned to sew around age 5 and has been in love ever since! Rose spent 10+ years creating custom swimwear and bras and now teaching others how to make their own. In addition, her work is focused on the afterlife of our textiles and finding ways to transform them into art. This can be seen in her personal practice through her slow fashion brand, Rosie Barker as well as in the classes she teaches. Rose believes that sustainability is much more than just the textiles we use, it’s about intentional consumption. This translates to sharing sewing techniques, pdf patterns and education. She believes that when you create something from scratch, that fits your body just right, you are less likely to throw it away.
Rosie teaches Bikini or Bra Set Workshop and Intro to Patchwork.
Michelle Kim
Michelle Kim is a fashion designer and lifestyle artist known for her maximalist aesthetic. Her work features striking combinations of new and found materials, colors, patterns, and themes. Michelle started designing and taught her self how to sew from a very young age. She followed her passion for the arts and fashion to Carnegie Mellon University, Parsons School of Design in New York City and received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the London College of Fashion. Afterwards, she worked for some notable companies (such as Anna Sui, Rebecca Taylor, Foundrae, Goop, and Cravings by Chrissy Teigen) while balancing her own work. In March 2022, Michelle launched her outdoor tabletop collaboration with Williams Sonoma, where her decoupage work meets a new dimension with printing on melamine and textiles.
Michelle lives in Los Angeles with her partner Bryan and rescue dogs, Pom Pom, Tilda, and Burt. Michelle enjoys teaching the next generation how to sew and stay creative, remembering how important this exposure to the arts was to her and her trajectory.
Michelle teaches Hand Sewing, Mending and Embellishments and Intro to Sashiko.
Dona McKenzie
A skiing accident in 2007 left Dona McKenzie with a broken leg and a passion for quilting. She has received numerous national awards for her work from quilt shows, including the Vermont Quilt Festival and MQX. As a recovering graphic designer, Ms. McKenzie spent 35 years as the Managing Director of a creative services firm in New York and Connecticut. Now her energy is dedicated to quilt design and creation. In 2019, she decided that she had had enough of snow, and moved to Los Angeles from the East Coast, happily settling in Venice with her husband, Nick Hubbell. In 2022, she became a certified instructor for Studio 180 Design, focusing on precision piecing and teaching.
Ms. McKenzie holds an undergraduate degree in Art and English from Occidental College, and an MA in Graphic Communications Management and Technology from NYU. She is currently on the board of the Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild.
Dona teaches Improv Mini Quilt and Quilters Choice.
