Once again, it’s time to consider participating in Me-Made-May, the annual wardrobe challenge I accidentally started 16 years ago. This episode is a super quick explainer, or refresher, on what the challenge is all about and how you can participate. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

For a lengthier, fuller explanation of the challenge, what it is, what it isn’t, how to participate and why you might want to, listen to:

• Ep. #84: What is Me-Made-May?

Visit this page if you’d like to learn more about the Me-Made-May workbook:

I’m guessing that there are at least a few garments in your wardrobe that fit you ok, but you’ve kind of fallen out of love with. Or maybe you fancy injecting even more of your personality and style into your handmade wardrobe. This week I’m bringing you a conversation with legendary sewing and craft teacher, Cal Patch. Cal shares heaps of tips, tricks and info on how you could go about embellishing your clothes to create a deeper connection to the items you own. 

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Find out more about Cal via her website and on Instagram (@hodgepodgefarm)

One of my first encounters with Cal was via her book, ‘Design-It-Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplified’:

I thoroughly recommend you listen to these other episodes of podcasts that feature Cal:

• Ep. #90 of Making Conversation: Color - Discovering your craft with Cal Patch

New for 2025 is Cal’s year-long virtual class, the Artful Garment.

Learn more about the Print Gocco home-printing set.

Unfortunately not currently available, a screen printing kit by Bobbinhood is what I occasionally use to embellish sewing projects. 

Watch the ‘One Stitch, Every Size’ videos by The Stitchery on the different effects you can get using different embroidery threads and thicknesses. 

If you haven’t already, listen to:

• Ep. #173: Quilting Through Burnout with Radha Weaver 

Find Radha’s Thrift Your Fabric map on her website.

Check out Cal´s Hack Club.

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been looking at how to make quilts more sustainable, but what do you know about the quilt makers that came before us? What motivated their practices and influenced their designs? What techniques were deployed to be as economical with their fabric and fibres as possible? Did they make their quilts alone? And how did quilt making change with the introduction of the sewing machine? We hear from historian Deb McGuire who lifts the lid on all these questions and explains how we can reintroduce some of these practices into our making future. 

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Discover Deb’s work at her website plainstitch.co.uk. 

Read more about Deb’s research with Dr Jess Bailey into the history of quilt making in the British Isles at withintheframe.co.uk. 

An example of a quilted petticoat from the V&A’s collection, made approx. 1750-1770 and later altered approx. 1870-1910:

You can also follow Deb on Instagram (@plainstitchdeb) to see what she’s working on. 

Deb also writes a column for The Quilter magazine, a quarterly publication for members of the Quilter’s Guild.  

The Within The Frame website provides a resource on where to source small flock fibre in the UK, as well as where you can buy an actual quilt frame (they start from just £160!). 

You can check out all Deb’s quilts in her gallery, including the Waste Not Want Not quilt:

Do you dabble in quilt making? Or are you curious to give it a go someday? Well this episode is PACKED full of amazing tips submitted by CYT listeners on how to do so more sustainably. So you can get maximum enjoyment from the process and finished item, whilst knowing that the negative impact it had on the environment is just about as low as it could get.

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(image source: Dinh Pham via Unsplash)

Quilt top made by Katie from scraps:

Hannah made a quilt from her dad’s shirts:

Another amazing scrap quilt, this one by Kathryn:

Andrea was inspired to try quilt making after visiting the American Museum in Bath, UK. 

Andrea’s quilting related book suggestions:

Books

World of Quilts - Cassandra Ellis

Farm & Folk Quilt Alchemy - Sara Larson Buscaglia 

Parson Gray Trade Quilts - David Butler  

Inspiration Kantha - Anna Hergert

Countless ones by Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably, but these use their fabric collections. 

Some free and pay-what-you-can resources, also suggested by Andrea:

Matchy Matchy quilt patterns (one is free)

Cedar Quilt Co (free pattern available)

Farm & Folk  I have Sara's amazing book, 'Quilt Alchemy' which focuses on dyeing fabrics to then use in quilts; her blog also has lots of useful information on how to quilt. 

Sew Diy - Beth has a pay-what-you-can course on improvisational quilting. I haven't purchased the course but I basically stole the idea to make various bags as gifts. I think I've posted some photos in the Patreon group. 

Watch the YouTube video by Mary B about sorting scraps that Louise found inspiring. 

Here’s some of the strips and 5” blocks that Louise has been creating from her scraps:

The mini quilt and the Wild Star quilt from Plains and Pine made by Kat:

Hopefully, full-on burnout is not something you have, or will, experience yourself. However, we all encounter periods of pressure and stress. My guest, Radha Weaver, is a recovering overachiever who worked in a demanding role at Levi’s for fifteen years. Travelling all over the globe developing multiple product lines eventually proved too much, and it was sewing and quilt making that Radha turned to to reconnect with her creative identity. And, ironically, it was reclaimed denim that she’s since been most drawn to working with. In stark contrast to her former job role, Radha is now carving a path for herself promoting the reuse of existing textiles, and she explains how and why we could incorporate them into our own work also. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Find Radha Weaver via her website, Sewing Through Fog, and follower on Instagram (@sewingthroughfog).

Radha mentioned the Fibershed movement that’s committed to the production of ethical and environmentally sound local textiles. 

Radha compared two Check Your Thread episodes:

• Ep. #151: Explaining Deadstock Fabric with The New Craft House

I recommend you check out Radha’s appearance on the Quilter on Fire podcast which was episode #177. 

Radha has developed a range of patterns and online classes to help people work with reclaimed textiles and upcycle their jeans, including her amazing tote bag backpack combo pattern:

Find the Thrift Your Fabric map to discover your nearest creative resource centres.

Radha volunteers at Scrap SF, the happiest place on earth, apparently!

Swanson’s Fabrics is a well known source in the US for preloved fabric and notions.  

Radha recently acquired Feel Good Fibers, a US-based destash market place! 

Get a sneak peek into the Virtual Sewing Room, a business set up by Jenny Babey that offers online connection with other makers around the globe. Jenny invited me to talk in the VSR last month about my specialist subject: sewing more sustainably. You’ll hear from Jenny about what drew her to setting it up and why you might want to attend, and then you’ll hear the first half of the session I participated in. We get into the fundamentals, as I see them, of sewing more sustainably and I offer up some easy starting points. And we get into a discussion about zero waste sewing patterns, and Jenny and another attendee share their experiences. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Find the Virtual Sewing Room website to learn more and book a session. 

During the Making for Charity sessions, Jenny often makes washable menstrual pads for the Pachamama Project to help fight period poverty.

A couple of the regular attendees took part in the Last Sewist Standing challenge last year, inspiring other attendees to be more mindful in their fabric purchases also. 

We also talked about the Stash Hub app as a way to track your project ideas and inspiration. 

Zero waste pattern designers we mentioned:

• Liz Haywood

My version of the ZW Workwear Jacket pattern:

Do you love bringing new life into existing clothes? How do you decide when a vintage garment should be faithfully restored, or upcycled and transformed? And what is the environmental impact of saving old clothes from landfill anyway? This week I’m bringing you a fascinating conversation with micro-business owner, Debbie Murphy. Debbie explains how a youth spent sewing clothes to fit in with the style tribes of the 1980s led her to a career in costuming and vintage clothing restoration. She also shares how a health diagnosis sharpened her commitment to zero waste practices in her business, and the study that was done on her business which revealed incredible facts about the impact she's having. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Check out Debbie’s creations on her website, Missfit Creations, and follow her on Instagram (@missfitcreates). 

We referred to the small and shared spaces sewing episodes. Queue them up to listen if you haven’t heard them already!

• Ep. #158: Small and Shared Space Sewin, Part 1

Read the study undertaken on the environmental impact of Debbie’s business. 

Debbie referenced mender, Suzie Ellis (@tailsandtextiles on Instagram) 

Do you have a passion for vintage textiles but have yet to work them into your wardrobe? Are you unsure of how to deal with the limited yardage of thrifted textiles? Marcia Riddington and Lisa Hughes, along with the rest of their collective, ‘Curtains for Couture’, share a desire to demystify working with existing textiles and to encourage people to wear what they really want. In this episode, Lisa and Marcia share their tips on sourcing, sewing and styling, so you too can wear ‘curtain couture’ with confidence and joy.

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Follow Marcia Riddington on Instagram (@marcialoisriddington). 

Follow Lisa Hughes on Instagram (@vintage_dahling). 

Along with Jill, Sorrel, Claire and Nicky, they form the Curtains to Couture collective that can be followed on Instagram also (@curtainstocouture). Four members of the crew:

You can use their hashtag #curtainstocouture to share your own upcycled curtain creations!

The Sussex-based fabric and pattern company, Merchant & Mills, started the #lessthanametre hashtag, in part to showcase their range of ‘Less than a Metre’ patterns.   

Recommended patterns:

• The Pilvi Coat pattern from the book ‘Lotta Jansdotter Everyday Patterns’ by Lotta Jansdotter. 

(image source: The Trapeze Dress pattern by Merchant & Mills)

Marcia recommends following mending expert Alexandra Brinck (@alexandrabrinck)

A detail from Marcia’s favourite pair of mended jeans:

The jeans are worn here with the jacket Marcia made from a thrifted needlecord tunic:

Marcia’s Christmas frock is a great example of how you can incorporate smaller pieces of fabric into a larger garment by combining them with other fabrics:

Do you find that sometimes you lack the necessary motivation to tackle your mending tasks? Like many Check Your Thread listeners, you might be taking part in the Winter of Care and Repair challenge at the moment, and the zeal you experienced at the beginning might be flagging at this point. But even if you’re not participating in that challenge, today I’m bringing you a dose of motivation to help you tackle the broken items that need your love and attention. We’ll hear from a bunch of lovely CYT patrons who have kindly shared what mending they’ve been up to, to remind us that we’re part of a wider global community of people who are all trying to care for our belongings.

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

(image source: Elios Santos via Unsplash) 

Learn about the Winter of Care and Repair challenge and hear from its creator here:

• Ep. #115: Winter of Care and Repair with Jeanna Wigger

Hannah’s awesome jeans repairs:

A related episode is:

• Ep. #137: 5 Ways to Update Unworn Me-Mades

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, a whole industry has built up around home sewing with the primary goal of selling us lots of stuff. Most businesses rely on shifting a large volume of products, so much of what’s been designed for us is pretty bland and homogenous, including a lot of what comes out of the traditional publishing industry. However, some creators are sharing their sewing knowledge by creating really interesting products outside of the usual production and distribution methods. In this episode I talk to zero waste sewing expert, Liz Haywood, about her recent innovative project: a series of self-published zines that can be combined to form a book. We explore why creators might choose the DIY route, how you might go about it, AND how it can be better for the planet. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Listen to my previous conversation with Liz Haywood:

• Ep. #31: Exploring Zero Waste Design with Liz Haywood

Liz created an amazing minimal-waste sunhat pattern:

And a zero waste beanie hat pattern!

Read more about Liz’s collaboration with Nicole Akong on the beach towel kaftan pattern:

Liz created the Optimatium dress pattern for Tauko Magazine, see below how the photoshoot looked for the magazine layout:

Check out Liz’s denim coat version of the Optimatium pattern. 

All the ‘A Year of Zero Waste’ zines and book are available on Liz’s Etsy shop, and January’s FREE instalment can be downloaded via her ‘The Craft of Clothes’ blog.

Gregory Lagola (Gregory Joseph) is the New York-based designer featured in the December zine.  

Quilter Zak Foster has created a range of printable, digital zines. Included in that range is the ‘Cutting Up Jeans’ zine made with previous CYT guest Eliu Hernandez:

• Ep. #26: Harvesting Materials with Eliu Hernandez

Liz made the Cris Wood Sews Cinch Belt Pattern, a FREE sewing pattern. 

Liz also made these amazing trousers from the book ‘Couture Zéro Chutes’ by Charline Durpoix and Mylène L’Orguilloux.

AND she made the FREE ZW Eccles Cardigan pattern by Empty Hanger Patterns.

Find all my downloadable resources through which I share my own hard-won sewing knowledge!