You’ll have heard me say it a ton of times before: sewing clothes yourself isn’t necessarily the most sustainable way to clothe yourself or your family. But obviously, you’ll be prizing my sewing machine out of my cold, dead hands. However, with literal mountains of existing garments already in the world, there are plenty of other ways to source clothing with a reduced environmental and social impact. In this episode, I speak with Izzie Eriksen, founding director of a Glasgow-based social enterprise called ApparelXchange, about the various ways we can clothe our young people more sustainably. We also hear what ApparelXchange is doing to tackle child poverty AND nurture their local community. 

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Izzie Eriksen is the founding director of Glasgow-based social enterprise ApparelXchange. Follow them on Instagram @apparelxchange. 

This episode is the sister to:

Photos from the ApparelXchange shop and warehouse:

Many of us experience the sewing and crafting communities as a welcoming haven in which we find self expression, safety and belonging. But just how inclusive are sewing spaces, both virtual and IRL? And how can we build them better? Guest host Kat Camfield is back with an incredible conversation with Frances Andonopoulos, the visionary behind a different kind of sewing school, Sincere Studio in Portland, Oregon. They discuss how Sincere Studio was built from the ground up with everybody and every body in mind, and why only the social enterprise model can work when creating a space that truly serves all members of a community. 

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Kat Camfield is a sewing teacher and sewing retreat organiser living in Victoria, Canada. You can follow Kat on Instagram @cooperativekatsews. 

Hear Kat on previous episodes of CYT:

Frances Andonopoulos is the founder of Sincere Studio in Portland, Oregon. 

You can follow them on Instagram @sincerestudiopdx. 

What does it take to be a self-sufficient maker? How do we acquire our knowledge? And to what extent are we subject to crafting influencers and advertising? This is the second part of my most recent conversation with return guest Shams el-Din Rogers, in which we explore this idea. We also share what’s giving us hope as we push into 2026. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Find Shams el-Din Rogers @sepia_textiles on Instagram.

Listen to her on previous episodes of CYT:

Shams is on the board at the Textile Museum of Canada, Toronto.

Shams regularly recommended the seminal book ‘Affluenza’ by Oliver James to her students.  

Watch the trailer for the Japanese film Rashomon, directed by Akira Kurosawa.

Follow Works In Progress Toronto, the collective Shams is a member of, on Instagram (@works.in.progress.to)

During our conversation we references the following previous CYT episodes:

I’m guessing that most of us find that a cluttered crafting space affects our creativity. It can also lead to over buying when you repurchase something you already own but weren’t able to locate. Very good friend of the podcast, Shams el-Din Rogers, is back to talk to me about the tactics she’s been using to get her space and her in check, and the impact that’s having on her creativity. Maybe these are tactics that would work for you….

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Find Shams el-Din Rogers @sepia_textiles on Instagram.

Listen to her on previous episodes of CYT:

Shams is on the board at the Textile Museum of Canada, Toronto.

Shams’s favourite embroidery designers:

Listen to Shams on the Black Women Stitch’s podcast, Stitch Please:

Whether or not you’re a New Year’s Resolutions kind of person, setting some intentions about what you’d like more or less of in your life as you head into a new year can feel really positive. All of us want to spend more time making and being creative, and less time being sold to. My guest, Hayley from Sew Hayley Jane, and I discuss the issues faced by makers and small business owners when it comes to navigating social media, and Hayley makes some great suggestions that we can all apply today to spend more of 2026 doing the things that bring us joy. 

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Read more about Puff and Pencil’s ‘Hands First January’ challenge. 

Find Hayley on Instagram @sewhayleyjane and discover the Thready Set Go community that she runs. 

Hayley loves the Fold Line, especially their ‘New In’ section, for discovering new potential sewing projects.  

A recent project that helped Hayley level up her skills was the Falconer Pants by Helen’s Closet Patterns:

Do you want to feel more connected to the place you live and the people who also live there? Then consider not buying new fabric. My guest, Berlin-based Mariel Davies, chooses to live a frugal lifestyle, both to reduce waste, and to create and deepen her connections with others. We also discuss the gamification of resource acquisition, and her radical approach to gift giving. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Follow Mariel on Instagram (@a_to_zerowaste)

Learn more about Holly McQuillan’s Spiral trousers on the Zero Waste Design Collective’s website.

ZW designer Liz Haywood has explored historical pattern making and tessellating sleeves. 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.

Learn more about writer Mark Boyle, AKA The Moneyless Man. 

Bea Johnson is the author of ‘Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste’.

Follow green-living activist Robin Greenfield on Instagram (@robin.greenfield). 

The @destash4palestine account is a great source for genuinely pre-loved dressmaking fabric. 

Edinburgh-based mending legend, Mary Morton, can be found @edinburghstreetstitchers and @mvm13 on Instagram.

Learn about the Lutterloh pattern system. 

Whether or not you plan to participate in the Winter of Care and Repair challenge, we all have items we’re responsible for maintaining. Although, if you’re anything like me, there might be things you don’t even notice that are well within your control to improve, and will make your life better as a result. In this episode, we hear from a bunch of amazing CYT Patrons about what items they intend to fix over the coming season and how they plan to do it, to provide inspiration for the rest of us. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Image source: Kwon Junho via Unsplash

Access and download the FREE WOCAR tracker sheet. 

The Winter of Care and Repair challenge was invented by Jeanna Wigger. Jeanna can be found @thepeoplesmending on Instagram. Jeanna also has an excellent Substack which includes this explainer about WOCAR. 

Listen to my previous conversations with Jeanna:

Find and order Jeanna’s book written with Mary Morton, ‘Stitch it, Don't Ditch it’. 

Watch the tutorial by Arkdefo for the reusable party hats that Mary Morton mentioned. 

Addams Family Stitches by Yonah and Rebecca:

PSA: The Winter of Care and Repair challenge is kicking off on 21st December! I used its imminence as an excuse to talk to the challenge’s creator, mending expert and author Jeanna Wigger, about the wider impact participating has had for her. Jeanna tells me how it’s helped her shift her consumption habits, challenge her perfectionism and reframe her ideas around productivity. Maybe it will do something similar for you! 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Access and download the FREE WOCAR tracker sheet. 

Photo credit: Elaine Pieczonka. 

Jeanna Wigger can be found @thepeoplesmending on Instagram. Jeanna also has an excellent Substack which includes this explainer about WOCAR. 

Listen to my previous conversations with Jeanna:

Find and order Jeanna and Mary’s book, ‘Stitch it, Don't Ditch it’:

Katrina Rodabaugh, author of ‘Mending Matters’, played a key role in Jeanna’s mending journey. 

Jeanna’s men(D)iagram! Click through to read her explanation. 

We all experience shifts in our personal style. Usually, those shifts are gradual, but occasionally they can happen rapidly. My friend, freelance musician and singer, Lindsay Ashworth Fraser and I are both at a style crossroads ourselves. In this episode, we talk about where we’ve found ourselves stylistically, what brought us here, what’s next and how to ethically pass on the items that are no longer serving us. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Lindsay Ashworth Fraser can be found @lindsayashworthfraser on Instagram.

You might have heard Lindsay in the previous episodes:

Check out the episode of Love to Sew podcast that got Lindsay thinking about the three-word method of definition your personal style:

The green jumpsuit Lindsay wore to the cinema to watch Wicked with her choir:

A pattern that was a key turning point in a previous style shift I had was the Luna Pants pattern by Made by Rae:

Is there any point in trying to sew more sustainably for kids when they’re just going to grow out of their clothes in five minutes? Of course there is! And there are a TON of ways to do it. From pattern and fabric selection, to ensuring durability and repairability, in this solo episode we cover ways to create clothes that the kids you’re sewing for will love to wear, for as long as possible. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Check out related episodes:

Apple Tree Pattern Co. has a ton of ‘Grow With Me’ styles, including this cool Dolman hoodie pattern:

Check out the ‘outgrown’ extend system by Columbia clothing company:

Buttonhole elastic is great for making adjustable waistbands:

My son’s ‘Pig from Bunny Vs Monkey’ World Book Day costume with leggings that he now uses as PJ bottoms:

The ‘Looshkin’ costume that became a regular sweatshirt when the white tummy was removed:

No shame in buying a ready made patch to make a garment more wearable to a child!