Advertise on podcast: Check Your Thread

Do vintage sewing patterns make you swoon but you’re scared to try actually sewing with them? Vintage pattern obsessive and Youtube queen, Stephanie Canada, unpacks the perceived obstacles that may be holding you back. We also discuss the enjoyment of vintage style without the perpetuation of vintage values, and how using vintage resources might help us sew more sustainably.  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Sign up to the newsletter via the home page of CYT.com. Find Stephanie’s shop at her website ‘Backroom Finds’.  You can also find her on Instagram @backroomfinds and on Youtube @StephanieCanada. Stephanie recommends these reproduction pattern companies: Mrs Depew Vintage Wearing History  The podcast episode I mentioned that featured Gretchen Hirsch (Gertie´s blog for better sewing and Charm Patterns) was The Craft Industry Alliance: Episode #238: Gretchen Hirsch Laci Fay can be found on Youtube @LaciFayTheVintageGirlNextDoor.  Stephanie made a video addressing the question: Why are Vintage Patterns So Small?

What would it be like if we could enjoy complete freedom within our sewing lives? Free from the shoulds and shouldn’ts, the fears and even past experiences? My guest, Tony Rea, tells us how this mindset took him from sewing newbie to top-three-finalist of sewing’s most famous competition: The Great British Sewing Bee. Plus, Tony shares his formula for sewing more sustainably (spoiler alert: it involves a lot of thrifted duvet covers…). Support the podcast over on Patreon! Find out more about Tony on his website, and see his latest projects on Instagram @tonyr.maker. Tony’s Etsy shop is stocked with handmade cycling caps in fun prints.   This Postman Pat shirt was clearly inevitable: If you find yourself in Plymouth, swing by the Plymouth Scrapstore. Tony made a Fabric Godmother Peony dress for his wife to attend Christmas events in.  Tony first encountered zero waste sewing patterns during the pattern challenge on GBSB: Tony adapted Birgitta Helmersson’s ZW Block Pants and ZW Workwear Jacket patterns for his style and frame.  Image source: Birgitta Helmersson.  Tony wore a denim ‘suit’ created using these patterns which he modelled on the runway at the Knitting & Stitching show in London, October 2023.  Tony recently embarked upon the Studio Trouser Low Waste pattern by Norwegian brand, Indigo Indigo (@indigoindigo.no on IG). 

Is your wardrobe stuffed with me-mades? Whatever role garment sewing plays in your life, after a while, the clothes can really start to pile up. So how can we continue to take pleasure in sewing, without adding to your problem of too many clothes? Image source: Megan Lee via UnSplash Idea No. 1: Challenging ourselves. Hear more about hand stitching clothing: Ep. #15: Hand Stitching Clothes with Louisa Owen-Sonstroem  Ep. #73: The Seeds of Slow Sewing with Alexis Bailey  Learn more about improving fit: Ep. #95: Refining Fit with Kate Roberts Options for online courses to learn and develop new skills: Project Patterns Domestika Craftsy Idea No. 2: Sewing things that aren’t clothes. My favourite bag pattern designers: Noodlehead Tytka Studio Motif Studio Patterns Merchant & Mills Start your sew making journey at I Can Make Shoes. Get inspired to make a quilt more sustainably by listening to the following previous episodes: Ep. #19: Quilting and Considered Consuming with Shelly Sommer Ep. #26: Harvesting Materials with Eliu Hernandez Ep. #89: Threads of Sustainability with Bridget O’Flaherty Ep. #105: A Habit of Curiosity with Heidi Parkes Ep. #106: Reframing a Relationship with Clothes with Heidi Parkes Ep. #116: Improv Scrap Play with Sherri Lynn Wood Idea No. 3: Sewing clothes for other people Idea No. 4: Sewing for charity  Make washable menstrual pads for: Pachamama Project Days for Girls Make reusable tote bags for Boomerang Bags. Make dress and other children’s garments from pillowcases for Little Dresses for Africa. Idea No. 5: Mending! Hear from super creative mending expert, Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald: Ep. #39: Modern Mending with Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald Ep. #40: Experimend with Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald Get her book Modern Mending: Consider the spectrum of mending possibility: Ep. #68: Visible Vs Invisible Mending

What are the unique challenges that designing zero waste sewing patterns for children throws up? And the ways in which it might actually be easier? In this episode, Liz Elliott, the designer behind Thread Faction Studio, gives us a fascinating insight into her business and processes. We also discuss navigating life when your role as a parent and as a business owner are entwined.  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Find Liz’s patterns on her website, Thread faction Studio, plus follow her on IG @threadfactionstudio.  Sew 4 Bub was Liz´s first blog where you can still access some free patterns.   Like every ZW pattern designer, Liz was inspired by The Zero Waste Fashion Design book by Holly McQuillan and Timo Rissanen. See the ZW pattern look book on Thread Faction Studio website.  I’ve previously made the ZW Utility Jumpsuit pattern (my version) and the ZW Cap Sleeve Tee pattern (my version). Image source: Thread Faction Studio.   Liz is a big fan of previous-guest Birgitta Helmersson’s book, Zero Waste Patterns.  Listen to my conversation with another Australia-based ZW pattern designer, Liz Haywood: Ep. #31: Exploring Zero Waste Design with Liz Haywood Find some of Liz’s previous ‘Hatchlings Patterns’, including grow-with-me baby/toddler styles, in Liz´s Etsy shop. Listen to previous guest Alexis Bailey talk about her ZW pattern journey: Ep. #74: Recognition and Responsibility with Alexis Bailey I spoke about ZW sewing patterns on a reel made by Fabric Godmother in advance of a sewing class I taught that focused on Birgitta Helmersson’s ZW Cropped Shirt pattern.

Do you enjoy hearing the whys and the hows behind other people’s sewing projects? Previous-guest, Judy Williment-Ross, is one of the most prolific, resourceful and creative makers I know. In this episode, Judy talks us through the ideas and development behind some of her more recent projects. She also shares her secrets to creating professional looking garments out of op-shop finds and fabric scraps.  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Follow Judy Williment-Ross and her creative journey on Instagram @judywillimentross.  Judy´s previous appearance on  CYT: Ep. 69: Making Mindfully with Judy Williment-Ross Check out The Epic Dress. Judy has shared about the process (and again) as well as the finished version of her Scrappy Jacket.  Her Scrappy Pouch was proof of concept.  The logical step, after working with suit trousers and button up shirts was, of course, ties! The result being the All Tied Up Dress: Next up was a plethora of Blanket Coats! Including her pal Rhonda’s.  Judy started adding ‘My Mum Made It’ labels to her daughter’s garments: Judy’s Waste Coat is made using the scraps leftover from the All Tied Up dress: Judy’s previous waistcoat project used a pattern from 1895.  Does this look like a bog blouse?!  Holly McQuillan’s spiral trousers concept has also been made by previous-guest Liz Haywood.  Georgia´s professional upcycled and handmade wardrobe: We chatted about my patchwork denim quilted jacket.

Do you know what your sewing machine needs to stay in good working order? What equipment is required for that? What issues can be tackled at home, and when should we call in the professionals? And what’s the best way to become the professional, if that’s of interest to us? These are just some of the questions my guest, sewing machine technician, Bizz McKilligan, answers in today’s episode. Bizz is also the owner of a shop called The Green Thimble, that recirculates secondhand sewing equipment and fabric. She shares the long and interesting journey she went on to arrive in that situation.  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Bizz is the owner of The Green Thimble, an online and bricks and mortar sewing shop in Victoria, Canada, that helps to recirculate existing sewing resources.   Follow them on Instagram @thegreenthimble.ca. If you haven’t already, listen to: Ep. #104: How to Successfully Shop for Second-hand Sewing Machines Find out about the many ways in which The Green Thimble endeavours to be a more-sustainable business.  Bizz recommends the Bernina 830 Record if you are looking to purchase a robust and easy to fix machine. I now desperately want one! The Green Thimble has a wonderful, supportive relationship with The Makehouse Co-op, also in Victoria, Canada.  

Do you have a system for organising your fabric stash? I didn’t until recently. In this episode I’m sharing my own method of organisation that I’m calling the ‘seasonal stash’. This system is allowing me to unlock the potential in what I already own, whilst stopping it from feeling overwhelming. Could the ‘seasonal stash’ system help YOU?! Support the podcast over on Patreon! (image source: Mel Poole via Unsplash) **CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE FREE DOWNLOADABLE PDF VERSION OF THIS GUIDE** The Seasonal Stash Guide This is a simple step-by-step guide for implementing the Seasonal Stash system for sorting and organising a fabric collection. It won’t take you long to implement, and once set up, requires little maintenance.  This will help you to: unlock the potential in the resources you already own shift any negative feelings you may have about your collection plan projects and ACTUALLY SEW THEM.  Sounds good? OK let’s do this! The first three steps I’d recommend for whatever system of stash organisation you want to implement.  Step 1) Gather your fabric.  Gather it all in one place to sort and organise. Ideally, we also want to be storing it in the same spot as well going forwards. If at all possible, keep all your fabric lengths together in the same room, if not the same cupboard / set of shelves / collection of storage tubs. This will prevent you from: forgetting what you own losing items you’ve already bought/acquired being unable to compare suitable fabrics for a project plan annoying those you live with with random smaller stashes of fabric dotted around your home Step 2) Edit. To paraphrase William Morris: have nothing in your stash that you do not believe to be beautiful or know to be useful. Just hold each item and answer, honestly: Do I think this is lovely and / or  is it useful? If so, am I actually going to sew with it? Tips to help the editing process: Keep this step running smoothly and quickly: just react to each piece, place it in the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ pile, and move on Work out what you’ll do with the NO fabric another day. That concern will slow you down. Today we sort and organise only After the editing step you should be looking at only the pieces that: you genuinely like aren’t particularly exciting but you can see yourself using, like lining or toiling / muslin-making fabric  Step 3) Set aside anything small or scrappy.  Think about what that means to you. Some examples of definitions may include: anything that is too small to make a garment from anything too small to place a pattern piece on Anything smaller than an A4 or letter sized piece of paper Anything under 50cm Whatever your definition is, put aside those pieces to be stored separately. Scraps and leftovers are a great resource for sewing, however, finding uses for them will be much easier if they’re not wedged in between the longer and weightier lengths. **Note: the only exception to this might be if you have scraps of one of the lengths of fabrics in your collection. You might be able to cut some pattern pieces from the scraps when you come to use the length, so you should probably store those scraps with the rest of the length** If you have any garments that you’re keeping to either refashion or harvest fabric from, separate those out too.  Step 4) Separate your fabric into 3 piles.  Currently you’re just dealing with your main stash of garment-sized fabric lengths. Once again, go through them piece-by-piece and place them into one of three piles. Pile #1:  In this pile place the fabric pieces that are suitable for the season you’re currently in or are about to transition into. Only include the pieces that you have plans for, even if those plans are fairly loose.  Pile #2:  In this pile place the fabric pieces that are suitable for the next six months to a yea

Could you go for a year without buying fabric? Or even a couple of months? I speak to Lise Bauer about what Last Sewist Standing, the ultimate stash busting challenge that she created, can do for you. In this episode, the second in the Fabric Stash mini-series, we discuss shopping habits and motivations, perfectionism, habit building, resourcefulness, community, accountability and so so much more. Plus you NEED to hear how Lise’s own challenge went this year. As you can hear in the episode, I was SHOCKED! Support the podcast over on Patreon! Lise and her fabric-of-shame! Follow Lise Bauer @miss.taeschli on Instagram. Check out the IG posts relating to the #lastsewiststanding challenge. I first discovered the challenge through regular-guest, Shams el-Din Rogers, the ‘unofficial winner’ of the second year of the challenge.  The ‘unofficial winner’ of the first year of the challenge was Wilma Gerlsma @vladivos. Discover many of the participants through the comments on Lise’s most recent check-in post. Wilma wrote an excellent blog post about her relationship to fabric and fabric buying.  Lise is on a roll, making pouches for everyone she knows!  Lise is using the Pipa the Pouch pattern by Sewing Patterns by Masin, which is free when you sign up to the newsletter.  Image source: Sewing Patterns by Masin  You can read my road test of the Pipa the Pouch pattern on my blog as part of my Free Pattern Friday blog post series. 

Would you like to bring your sustainability values and your sewing life into closer alignment in 2024? If so, one key area to focus on is materials. In this episode, CYT listeners share their fabric-related goals for the year ahead. Which ones resonate with you?  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Check out the ‘Introduction to Garment Fabrics’ guide.  Find the Stash Hub app on their website, on IG @stash_hub, or in your smart phone’s app store.  Learn more about the #lastsewiststanding challenge via its creator, Lise Bauer, AKA  @miss.taeschli.  Read the blog post by Modern Sewing Co. that inspired Amy Dyce’s approach to planning her autumnal sewing.  Image source: The Modern Sewing Co.

Would you like to get more creative with your fabric scraps, but you’re just not sure how to approach it? You could be missing out on a whole heap of fun, if only you could learn how to be more receptive to their potential. My guest this week is improv quilting artist and teacher, Sherri Lynn Wood. Sherri Lynn defines the two types of creativity as ‘active’ and ‘receptive’. As garment sewers, we are used to actively creating the garments that we’ve envisioned. However, Sherri Lynn encourages us to access the second type by playing with fabric scraps and existing textiles, to see what we can create without a clear idea of the finished outcome. Whether that play becomes a quilt, a garment, or something else… Find everything Sherri Lynn Wood is involved in, past and present, on her website. You can also follow her on Instagram @sherrilynnwood. Find all the workshops in the Found Color series.  Learn about Sherri Lynn’s improv quilters’ community, Bravepatch. Eli Leon was a scholar and collector of African American quilts.  Quilters that inspire Sherri Lynn: Rosie Lee Tompkins  Arbie Williams  Sherri Lynn’s book, ‘The Improv Handbook For Modern Quilters A Guide to Creating, Quilting & Living Courageously’, was published in 2015. Sherri Lynn is offering a free warm-up class at the start of the series, which takes place on 6th January 2024. Sign up via her website.  Sherri Lynn recommends that garment sewers with scraps try strip piecing: My pieced cardigan that I was wearing during our conversation: Suay Sew Shop in LA is a fascinating businessthat are doing wonderful things to keep textiles in use for longer.  Listen to my episodes with improv quilt artist, Heidi Parkes: Episode #105: A Habit of Curiosity with Heidi Parkes Episode #106: Reframing a Relationship with Clothing with Heidi Parkes My scrap pieced denim dungarees that I was wearing during our conversation: Wool batting by Fairfields is Sherri Lynn’s preference if she’s buying new batting.

Is your pile of items to be repaired getting out of hand? Do you struggle to find the motivation to tackle it all? My guest, Jeanna Wigger, invented a challenge called Winter of Care and Repair, and it might be just the push you need to get on top of things! We talk about the fun and satisfaction that can be found through acts of repair, as well as the unique challenges and growth opportunities that come through completing a season-long personal project. Support the podcast over on Patreon! Jeanna Wigger wearing an outfit of invisibly mended clothes: You can follow Jeanna on Instagram @thepeoplesmending. The challenge was previously mentioned on the podcast in my conversation with regular guests Shams: Episode #32: Textile Activism with Shams el-Din Rogers  Engage with other participants via the hashtags #winterofcareandrepair and #winterofcareandrepair2023. Jeanna and I are both fans of writer and podcaster Gretchen Rueben. Gretchen developed the Four Tendencies personality framework, of which I am obsessed!  Katrina Rodabaugh, author of ‘Mending Matters’, played a key role in Jeanna’s mending journey.  Jeanna’s beautifully mended knit cardigan: Previous guest, Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald, creatively mended this stained toddler top: Image source: Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald Additional ideas of what could constitute an act of repair from Jeanna: - laundry care! level up your stain removal knowledge or learn about alternatives to washing such as spot cleaning or alcohol spritzes to refresh clothes between washes - depill a sweater with an electric depiller or a sweater comb - jewelry repair - fix a clasp or replace a battery in a watch (or take those items to a repair shop) - hand wash and air out wool knitwear - use a leather treatment on leather handbags, boots, jackets, furniture, etc - replace worn shoelaces - clean up or polish shoes - overdye a garment or other textile that needs a refresh - alter a garment for yourself or someone else - repair something with stitches that isn't clothing (like a pillow, bag, dog toy, curtain, etc). Remember, anything with stitches can be mended! 

All the materials that go into our sewing projects have an environmental impact. You’re probably starting to think about more sustainable fabric, and possibly even thread. But we can go further! This episode features the second half of my conversation with Richard Mendham from James Tailoring, a company dedicated to sourcing more sustainable haberdashery. In this part, he tells us about our options for more sustainable elastic, zips and buttons… Support the podcast over on Patreon! Listen to the first half of my conversation with Richard: Ep. #109: More Sustainable Thread Options with Richard from James Tailoring Find all the more sustainable haberdashery options Richard sources on the website James Tailoring. Find all their more sustainable elastic options.  Natural Rubber Activewear Elastic Organic Cotton and Natural Rubber Fold Over Elastic  Find all their more sustainable zip options.  Zips with recycled brass teeth: Image source: James Tailoring Find all their more sustainable button options.  Find all their more sustainable fabric options.  Learn about what has to be achieved to receive GOTS certification.