Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably

Have you ever consciously infused your handmade garments with personal magic? And how can we create clothing that feels like emotionally protective armour? This is the second part of guest-host Kat Camfield’s amazing conversation with textile artist Justice McNeil from Thread + Sprout. They touch on so many topics, including pattern instructions that work better for some neurodivergent brains, and the importance of physical movement within a sewing practice. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Listen to Part 1 of Kat and Justice’s conversation:

Justice McNeil’s multi-faceted and evolving company is Thread + Sprout (@threadandsprout on Instagram):

Purchase the Soft Armor sewing pattern:

You can see many examples of the Magic vest in the galleries, and keep your eyes peeled for future Magic vest classes like the one Kat took part in.

Learn more about Justice’s Movement for Makers offering. 

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

Hear Kat on previous episodes of CYT:

Is it possible to create a successful sewing business making desirable products using scraps that allows you to leave your corporate job? Spoiler alert: Yes! Amazing guest-host Kat Camfield talks to Justice McNeil about the origin story of her inspiring business, Thread + Sprout, and how it’s evolved into something quite different, but equally inspiring. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Justice McNeil’s multi-faceted and evolving company is Thread + Sprout (@threadandsprout on Instagram)

Justice’s ‘breakout hit’ was the Nature dress which is now available as a tutorial for you to make your own:

The launching of the Nature top tutorial was a significant step in the evolution of Thread + Sprout. 

You can see many examples of the Magic vest in the galleries, and keep your eyes peeled for future Magic vest classes like the one Kat took part in.

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

Hear Kat on previous episodes of CYT:

Are you ready to share mending skills with others? Mary Morton and Jeanna Wigger, authors of the excellent book, ‘Stitch It, Don’t Ditch It’, have a ton of practical advice learned through hosting lots of in-person mending events. We discuss the different event formats for sharing skills, how to coordinate with venues and the best free resources available to support your efforts. 

Plus, there’s audio from the last event I attended with Jeanna and Mary on their tour of the North of England taken at Left Bank Leeds, a truly awesome creative and inclusive space that serves and supports its diverse community. 

Leah Anderson is the Arts and Community Manager at Left Bank Leeds (@leftbankleeds on Instagram). 

Jeanna Wigger can be found @thepeoplesmending on Instagram. Jeanna also has an excellent Substack. 

Mary Morton can be found @edinburghstreetstitchers and @mvm13 on Instagram.

Mary volunteers at the Shrub Coop, a ZW charity based in Edinburgh, Scotland (@shrubcoop on Instagram). 

Listen to my previous conversations with Jeanna and Mary:

Find their awesome book, ‘Stitch it, Don't Ditch it’.

To be honest, this episode’s link to sustainability is very tenuous, but when repeat-guest Lise Bauer hits you up saying she needs to talk - you drop everything and talk. The main topic of conversation is where we’re both at with the latest round of the Last Sewist Standing challenge. I wonder if our statuses will surprise you….

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Find Lise and the Last Sewist Standing challenge updates at @the.craft.camp on Instagram. 

Check out Lise’s personal account @miss.taeschli on Instagram.

Listen to my previous conversations with Lise:

Whether or not you identify as neurodivergent, you’re going to want to hear this episode. In Episode 222, Kim Witten and I requested submissions about people’s experiences of neurodivergence and craft. My goodness did we receive a fascinating selection of submissions. If you are at all interested in people, how they think and move through the world, you’re going to love this episode. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Kim Witten (@witten.kim on IG) is a transformational coach and writer:

She has appeared on the following previous episodes:

We thoroughly recommend that you sign up to Kim’s excellent fortnightly newsletter, ‘Hold That Thought’. 

Those of us who make some or all of our own clothes ourselves might feel like we’ve opted out of the fashion industry. However, as citizens of this planet and feminists, we can’t ignore the problems caused by clothing and fabric production. And, in fact, us home sewers might be well placed to have a huge positive impact. Because, as Sophia Yang, the founder of the world’s leading youth-led ethical fashion NGO, Threading Change, discusses with guest-host Kat Camfield, we know that clothes aren’t just commodities: they are creations that contain stories. And that concept is potentially powerful enough to disrupt the perception that clothing is disposable. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Sophia Yang is the founder of Threading Change. You can also find them on Instagram @threadingchange.  

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:

Learn more about The Shoe Project.

Engaging people by making community quilts is one aspect of Threading Change’s many actions:

Most of us think of sashiko as a type of visible mending that we discovered via Instagram or Pinterest. But what actually is sashiko, and how should we engage with it? Is it an artform to be revered and put on display? A common household practice borne out of necessity, used for survival? Is it a form of meditation? Or some lovely hand stitching patterns we can emulate to fix and customise our jeans? Atsushi Futatsuya, is a sashiko practitioner and story teller who helps fill in the blanks in our knowledge about this fascinating and multilayered practice. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Photo by Kim Lightbody.

Atsushi Futatsuya has a website and can be followed on Instagram @sashikostory. 

You can also watch his videos on YouTube. 

There are three ways to take a class with Atsushi:

Check out where to order Atsushi’s new book, ‘Sashiko: The Untold Story’, around the world. 

There are lots of online marketplaces out there through which you can sell or give away your unwanted crafting materials, but they all have their drawbacks. Destasher is a new UK -based platform JUST for sewists and yarn crafters wanting to buy, sell, giveaway or claim materials and supplies within the maker community. Its creator, Caroline, tells me what makes Destasher such a great option for those of us trying to make more sustainably and affordably.

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Check out and sign up to the Destasher website and follow them on Instagram @destasher_uk. 

Makers’ accounts that Caroline is inspired by:

She's just so fun and inventive. And I really loved her YouTube video where she talks about sewing being a form of rebellion.

Creates gorgeous jackets from old sleeping bags, blankets, and pre-owned materials, also offers the Boxy Jacket pattern.

Revolutionising children's fashion by recycling fabrics to create gorgeous gender neutral clothing as unique and fun as little ones.

Sustainable sewing and creative workshops for all ages in Walthamstow.

Handmade, one-of-a kind garments, all made by Nancy in Suffolk from vintage and rescued fabrics that have had a previous life.

Specialising in making bags and accessories using vintage fabrics.

I love hearing and reading practical tips for how to stay creative when your budget is tight. But what is rarely acknowledged in those types of content is how rubbish and frustrating trying to maintain a creative hobby when you’re skint actually feels. In this episode, we acknowledge and gently challenge some of those negative feelings, so that applying those practical tips feels positive and rewarding. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Image source: Sasun Bughdaryanvia Unsplash

Other episodes to listen to related to this topic include:

Download the free Seasonal Stash Guide.

Check out my Free Pattern Friday blog post series. 

The next installment of the SIDDI tour with Jeanna and Mary. I speak to Charlotte from Stitched Up - a Manchester-based not-for-profit with the goal of building an alternative fashion future by sharing sewing, mending and upcycling skills, and facilitating clothing swaps and textile recycling. I spoke to Charlotte Vinsen who freelances with Stitched Up, about what Stitched Up do, how it works and who it’s for. I also catch up with Jeanna and Mary after they deliver their first interactive talk, and we debrief on what went down and what went well. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Charlotte Vinsen freelances at Stitched Up. Follow Stitched Up on Instagram @stitchedupcoop and Charlotte @charlottevinsen. 

The Stitched Up team are (l-r) Winona, Sarah, Charlotte, Katy & Bryony:

Jeanna Wigger can be found @thepeoplesmending on Instagram. Jeanna also has an excellent Substack. 

Mary Morton can be found @edinburghstreetstitchers and @mvm13 on Instagram.

Mary volunteers at the Shrub Coop, a ZW charity based in Edinburgh, Scotland (@shrubcoop on Instagram). 

Listen to my previous conversations with Jeanna and Mary:

Find their awesome book, ‘Stitch it, Don't Ditch it’.

Mary and Jeanna giving their interactive talk and triaging the damaged items brought by attendees: