Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably

What is the right choice when buying produce, the loose items, or the organic versions that are wrapped in plastic? Should we be worried about soil degradation and our ability to feed a growing global population? What are the trade-offs we need to make to increase crop yields whilst also protecting biodiversity? We all wear clothes and we all eat food, so if you’re interested in the sustainability of one, it’s likely you have questions relating to the other. In this episode, agricultural scientist and sewist Helen Metcalfe patiently answers all of mine! 

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Check out the fun new challenge/hashtag #scrapbustingseptember created by previous-guest Meg Grandstaff (@the_grand_stash).

Find and follow Helen Metcalfe on Instagram @helenlivesslow

Helen works at Rothamsted Research. 

My IG post that kicked off the whole debate over the validity and purpose of the ‘dirty dozen’. 

The Royal Horticultural Society website is a great source of information for those wanted to grow some of their own fruit and vegetables.  

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN has heaps of information if you wish to learn more about food security across the globe. 

Jenny Drew wants you to make sewing a priority, and she’s not going to take no for an answer! This is the pep talk that you might not have known you needed. From feminist and mental health perspectives, Jenny explains why we need sewing in our lives. She then tells us how to make sure we actually do it, even when you think you’re too busy. 

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Jenny Drew is the owner of Sew Confident, a sewing school and shop in Glasgow, with franchises in Chorley and Dundee.

You can follow the @sewconfident goings on via Instagram, and keep and eye on Jenny @sewconfidentjenny. 

Jenny is passionate about supporting and encouraging women and creatives in business. She’s turned everything she’s learnt into a book: ‘Stop Playing Small: Turn obstacles into advantages and enjoy unapologetic success whilst building a creative business to be proud of!’

Sign up to their waiting list for more info on the next round of their Confident Capsule Collection class series. 

To celebrate the milestone of 100 episodes, I wrote a list of 100 lessons that I’ve learnt (or relearnt) through making this podcast! From that, I selected ten that had the biggest impact on me, and in this episode I divulge what they are. Plus, we’ll hear from some wonderful listeners from across the globe who share the things they’ve taken away also…

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If you’d like to read all 100 lessons, you can access the documents by clicking the links below.

I’ve split these lessons up into four categories:

Thanks so much for listening!

Friends-of-the-podcast, Julia and Naomi, are back! The three of us make some sewing-related confessions…. 

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This episode features Julia Hincks. Her website is House of Miss Sew and you can find her at @juliahincks on Instagram. 

She previously featured on:

Episode #10: Overlockers & Coverstitch Machines with Julia Hincks

Episode #27: Zoe & Julia go Rag Rugging

Episode #67: Zoe and Julia Sew with Reclaimed Denim

This episode also features Naomi Bancroft and you can find her at @whatnaomimade on Instagram. 

They both appeared in Episode #53: First Birthday / Ask me Anything with Zoe, Julia and Naomi. 

Yet again, I talk about the Four Tendencies framework, developed by writer and podcaster, Gretch Rubin. Find out which of the Four Tendencies you adhere to with Gretchen Rubin’s free quiz. 

Image source: Gretchen Rubin. 

Want to hear about an exciting new development in zero waste sewing? ZW designer Birgitta Helmersson has written an incredible new book that presents a fresh approach to making your own clothes with minimal waste. Birgitta is back on the podcast to tell us all about it, plus she shares tips on using second hand linens for ZW garment projects.  

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Image credit: Emli Bendixon

Discover designer Birgitta Helmersson’s clothing and sewing patterns on her website, and over on Instagram @birgittahelmersson.

Listen to Birgitta’s previous appearances on CYT:

Find out more about Birgitta’s ‘Zero Waste Patterns’ book, including links for where to buy it in different parts of the world. 

ZW pattern designer Liz Haywood wrote a fantastic review of Birgitta’s book. Liz’s version of the vintage shirt is incredible!

A garment project that fails because it’s made from unsuitable fabric is both heartbreaking and costly. But navigating the selection available in fabric shops and online can feel overwhelming, particularly if you’re new to garment sewing, or have recently returned after some years. So in this solo episode, we’re going back to the basics of fabric. We’ll be laying the foundations on which to build our knowledge of fabric types, and what garment styles each fabric is suitable for. 

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The custom croquis app is MyBodyModel.

If you enjoyed Episode #50: The Future of Fabrics that I made last year, then I thoroughly recommend you listen to Episode #188: Future Fabrics: Sustainable Textiles Masterclass with Amanda Johnston of the Wardrobe Crisis podcast. 

This week’s episode is the second with pattern cutting and fit expert, Kate Roberts from Project Patterns. We talk about how we can build up our own bank of fitting knowledge, and we get into some trouser fitting nitty gritty. Kate also explores how to adapt seemingly gendered sewing patterns for different bodies. 

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You can find my road test/review of the free laminated wash bag tutorial by Polkadot Chair on my blog.

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

Listen to Kate’s previous episode on CYT, Episode #95: Refining Fit with Kate Roberts.

We spoke about the Palmer and Pletsch ‘Pants for Real People’ and  the Palmer, Alto and Weiland ‘Fit for Real People’ tissue fitting books. 

Kate offers a range of online pattern drafting and fitting courses, with both live and recorded options available.

Clayton referenced sewist @_donnyq on Instagram. 

Donny Q on IG.

Have your mind blown (I just did!) on DRESSX - a digital garment shop.

How much time do you set aside during your sewing project for fitting and making pattern adjustments? An hour? Half a day? None at all? Pattern cutter and fitting expert Kate Roberts tells us why we can’t expect sewing patterns to fit right out of the pack. Kate also shares her TNT method for assessing the fit of a garment, and gives awesome tips for successful solo fit sessions. 

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I will be teaching how to make Birgitta’s Helmersson’s ZW Cropped Shirt pattern in a class at Fabric Godmother on 16th September. Check out the listing if you’re interested. 

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

Kate offers a range of online pattern drafting and fitting courses, with both live and recorded options available.

Enjoy the ‘Pattern Diaries’ made with Charlotta Ayers from Charlotta’s Patterncutting School.  

This week I’m mixing things up and sharing an episode of the Garmology podcast by Nick Johannessen, AKA Well Dressed Dad. This episode features a genuinely engrossing conversation between Nick and his guest Rosanna Watson about outdoor gear and professional repair. If you’re interested in mending or product design, this is a must-listen.

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Find everything Garmology podcast related, along with the Well Dressed Dad blog, on Nick’s website. 

Garmology is a podcast about "clothes, and stuff", menswear, fashion, ethical and sustainably made, old and new, from a perspective of making, buying, wearing, collecting, evaluating and appreciating. With regular co-hosts and interesting guests, the aim is to provide a view of what we might wear and what we should wear, if we knew more about it. Expect plenty of opinions!

Image source: Nick Johannessen.

Follow Nick on Instagram @welldresseddad.

Rosanna Watson’s business is Snowdonia Gear Repair.

This episode’s original episode page can be found on the Well Dressed Dad website.  

Most of us who listen to (and make!) this podcast are used to thinking about sewing as a pastime and option for clothing ourselves. A hobby with many wonderful benefits. But for others, sewing skills are a powerful tool that can change lives: preventing isolation, providing connection, offering employment opportunities and raising self-esteem. Poornima Kirloskar-Saini started a social enterprise called Kundakala, in memory of her extraordinary mother, which is achieving all these things. In this episode, Poornima tells me all about this incredible and inspiring organisation, and the women whose lives it is changing.

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Discover more about the Kundakala social enterprise via their website. Follow them on Instagram @kundakala_org and via Twitter: @KundakalaOrg. 

Read about Kunda, Poornima’s extraordinary mother, the inspiration behind the whole endeavour. 

The scarves featuring Kunda’s paintings, stitched by the women taking the Make and Mend workshops, are available to purchase with all proceeds going to support more workshops. 

Poornima’s day job is for the Cook for Good enterprise. 

Once attendees have graduated from the Make and Mend programme, they can go on to participate in the Saree Upcycle Project.