Episode 19a—John Willis of Special Operations Equipment (Short Version)
Today’s podcast guest is John Willis of Special Operations Equipment in Camden, TN. Some of you may remember that I went to Tennessee twice last year: in April, to attend Nicole Sauce’s Living Free in Tennessee Spring Workshop, and again in October, to attend and present at the Self-Reliance Festival. SRF is held at Special Operations Equipment. When not being used to host events, SOE is a sewing factory making high-end tactical gear.
John and Amanda Willis are amazing people, and John graciously spent two hours last week visiting with me over Zoom. The story of Special Operations Equipment is fascinating and one that I thought podcast listeners would enjoy hearing. And John is a great storyteller.
Because our conversation lasted longer than a usual podcast interview, I’ve posted two versions of this week’s episode. The “short” version is about the length of a regular podcast episode and covers the sewing part of our conversation. The “extended play” version is the entire two hours and gets into more of John’s personal experiences and observations about life. There was so much wisdom in that part of the conversation that I felt it needed to be shared even if it veered off the topic of sewing a bit. Note that it is marked “explicit” for some language, but we’re all adults and I expect people to make the appropriate choice for themselves. Either way, I hope you enjoy the episode.
Special Operations Equipment website
Special Operations equipment YouTube channel—the build videos are especially interesting for sewists.
Self-Reliance Festival—held on the grounds of SOE in Camden, TN, in March/April and October
Living Free in Tennessee Spring Workshop—tickets for this year’s event are sold out, but you can get on a waiting list
The Survival Podcast with Jack Spirko
**********
Janet will be teaching knitting classes at Sew Expo 2024 in Puyallup, Washington! Registration open now.
Janet Szabo’s website
Big Sky Knitting Designs website—Purchase digital copies of Janet’s knitting patterns and order copies of her books.
The ‘Suck It Up, Buttercup’ Blog—Janet’s commentary on life in Montana
