For most of us who sew our own clothes, basic garment repairs are not often a huge challenge. However, encountering knit items that are thinning or have holes? That can feel like a whole other ball game, especially if you’re not a knitter. In this episode professional repairer, educator and author, Skye Pennant, teaches us our scotch darn from our honeycomb darn, and shares her sometimes controversial opinions on the best type of threads to use for mending. 

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Photo credit: Kim Lightbody

Skye Pennant created Slow Stitch Club as a focus for her mending activities and business. Find the website, Instagram (@slowstitchclub), YouTube channel and the Slow Stitch Club Patreon. 

Listen to Skye on last week’s episode:

• Ep. #184: Mending and Overcoming Perfectionism with Skye Pennant

Skye wrote a book! ‘Well Worn: visible mending for the clothes you love’  is available through her website and elsewhere:

Some examples of knitwear repairs by Skye:

On Skye’s advice, I successfully mended my socks using the honeycomb darn technique:

Believing that we won’t be great at something can hold some of us back from giving it a go in the first place. And for those who are confirmed perfectionists, this belief can be even more of a barrier. Skye Pennant, creator of Slow Stitch Club, is a professional mender, mending educator and author, but suffers daily with perfectionism and imposter syndrome. If you experience those tendencies yourself, Skye has some wonderful advice about how to overcome them and become the visible mender you always hoped you’d be! 

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Photo credit: Celie Nigoumi

Skye Pennant created Slow Stitch Club as a focus for her mending activities and business. Find the website, Instagram (@slowstitchclub), YouTube channel and the Slow Stitch Club Patreon. 

The Seam is a UK-based company that matches menders with clients requiring repairs for their item/s. 

Skye wrote a book! ‘Well Worn: visible mending for the clothes you love’  is available through her website and elsewhere:

A chance discovery of a speed weave darning loom in a junk shop kicked off Skye’s fascination with mending:

Skye’s favourite mending book is ‘Mend it!: A Complete Guide to Clothes Repair’ by Maureen Goldsworthy, published in 1980.

Millie Moon is a fabric and haberdashery shop in Frome, Somerset, UK, that has been a big supporter of Skye and her work.  

We’ve been talking about reducing our fabric stashes so we can feel well stocked, but not overwhelmed. But once we’ve passed on the pieces of fabric that we honestly can’t see ourselves sewing, what are we meant to do with what’s left? How can we store it so that its contents are both accessible AND inspiring to us? I’ve developed an organisation method that I call the Seasonal Stash System. In this episode, I explain how it works so you can weigh up if it’s something that might work for you. 

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(image source: Mel Poole via Unsplash)

**CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE FREE DOWNLOADABLE PDF VERSION OF THIS GUIDE**

During the last few episodes we’ve been talking about reducing our fabric stashes: the idea being that our collection would then make us feel well stocked but not encumbered. But once you’ve selected the pieces that you can’t honestly see yourself sewing, what are you meant to do with them? There are a number of options, but fabric swaps have got to be one of the most fun AND most ethical ways of passing on what you no longer want. You might even pick up some new-to-you fabric that you’re inspired by, or even a couple of new sewing buddies! But if there aren’t any fabric swaps taking place in your location already, it might be on you to organise one. My guest this week, Nike Baruwa, is a maker who recently did just that for the very first time. I spoke with Nike before and after her fabric swap, and she shares what planning and considerations went into hers, and we’ll hear how it actually went! If you’re interested, or even on the fence, about planning a fabric swap, let Nike and this episode be your guide. 

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Follow Nike on Instagram (@sewlonglane). 

Nike was inspired to organise a fabric swap after visiting the London Destash Fabric Swap. Listen to the episode I made at that event:

• Ep. #144: London Destash Fabric Swap 2024

The London Destash Fabric Swap was organised by Sarah from Olive Road London and Yvette from Stash Hub app.

Sarah made a helpful YouTube video about how to organise a fabric swap. 

To help create connection and community between the attendees of her fabric swap, Nike created the hashtag #rotherhtithefabricswap.

To get on Nike’s mailing list to hear about next year’s (and any other) event. 

Check out some photos taken at Nike’s fabric swap taken by photographer Wida (@__wida on Instagram):

How do you feel about your fabric collection? If there are any uncomfortable feelings that are preventing you from feeling excited and inspired by what you have, it might be time to consciously reduce how much you own. In Episode #180, we heard from a bunch of lovely CYT listeners who have successfully reduced their fabric stashes, and they shared what mindset shifts and practical steps worked for them. This episode is another installment of the same. 

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Image source: Ekaterina Grosheva via Unsplash)

Listen to Part 1:

• Ep. #180: Secrets of Successful Destashing, Part 1 

Huge thanks to Lindsay Ashworth Fraser (@lindsayashworthfraser on Instagram) for voicing some of the submissions.

Fabric collections elicit all sorts of feelings. Ideally, they're a source of inspiration that gets our creative juices flowing. But for some of us, especially when the amount we own is out of sync with the speed at which we sew, we might grow to feel uncomfortable, embarrassed or even guilty about the resources we’ve accumulated. This episode is Part 1 of a practical deep dive into HOW to do it, so you can reach a point where your fabric stash feels well stocked but NOT overwhelmed. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Image source: Ekaterina Grosheva via Unsplash)

Huge thanks to Lindsay Ashworth Fraser (@lindsayashworthfraser on Instagram) for voicing some of the submissions.

As makers, we need materials to create with. And a love of beautiful textiles is often part of why we got into sewing in the first place. But as residents of a planet experiencing a climate and ecological crisis, we need to be mindful of what we’re consuming and how much. So is there a way to indulge in fabric purchasing that’s also inline with what’s best for our planet? My guest this week, Judith Staley, has recently implemented a system for herself that is backed by research called the rule of five, and it could be the answer for all of us! We also talk about Judith’s personal challenge to track everything she wore in 2024, and she shares what surprising and valuable insights she gleaned from it. 

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You can follow Judith on Instagram (@judithroaslind).

Judith founded and co-hosted the @sewover50 account. 

Listen to Judith’s first appearance on Check Your Thread:

• Ep. #12: Sew Over 50 with Judith Staley

Judith is involved in The Water of Leith Conservation Trust. 

Read more about the Rule of Five as invented/interpretted by Tiffanie Darke. 

Judith discovered the concept via Gemma Metheringham’s excellent IG account, @the_elephant_in_my_wardrobe.

The WRAP NGO is an excellent source of information about the impact of consumption, and how we can move towards a circular economy. 

The Hot Or Cool Institute is the source of the research that informed the Rule of Five. 

Read more about Judith’s interpretation of the Rule of Five. 

One tactic for reducing your fabric stash is to participate in the Last Sewist Standing challenge, invented by Lise Bauer. 

Judith makes most of her fabric purchases at Merchant & Mills. 

Hear from Tiffanie Darke about the Rule of Five on this podcast:

• Ep. 4, Season 2 of The Enoughness - Tiffanie Darke: How to be in fashion now, finding purpose, the joy of being less greedy. 

Judith also volunteers at The Remakery in Edinburgh. 

Previous-guest, Wendy Ward (@thatwendyward), is doing interesting work tracking the frequency of wear of her garments.

Check out the 1908 diary (@the1908diary), an account run by Louise (@theknitnurse).

Judith’s quarterly wardrobe tracking updates were posted to Instagram on:

• 2nd April 2024

Judith’s method for recording her garment wears:

Read the article ‘Forget Fitness Tracking: Wardrobe Tracking is All the Rage in 2024’ by Emily Chan for Vogue, 21st January 2024. 

Those of us who make our own clothes know that taking the time to make a toile or muslin, and altering our sewing patterns to fit our own bodies are steps we ought to take. We know that they’ll result in better fitting garments that we’ll want to wear more often. But these steps can feel like huge hurdles when you don’t know what to do with a toile or muslin once you’ve made it. Drafting and fitting expert, Kate Roberts from Project Patterns, joins us again to answer a ton of questions that will lift the lid on the whole process. By the end of this episode, I all but guarantee that you will have the confidence to give fitting a go. 

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Find Kate’s business, Project Patterns, via her website, on Instagram @projectpatterns and also on YouTube.

Listen to Kate’s previous episode on CYT, 

• Ep. #95: Refining Fit with Kate Roberts

Kate’s preferred ruler for drafting and pattern alteration is a pattern master:

Mine is a large set square!

Kate would describe a tracing wheel as a ‘nice to have’ piece of equipment.

Dot and cross / spot and cross pattern paper can be bought on large rolls making it pretty inexpensive per metre. 

Bella Loves Patterns is a brand that offers two height options for all styles, which might be a handy starting point for those who always have to alter the length of the sewing patterns they wish to make. 

For tall sewers, Sew DIY offers patterns drafted to fit a 5ft 10” body. 

Find out everything about Kate’s community Membership options!

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. 

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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.