Love to Sew

Interested in quilting, but don’t know where to start? Start here! Bhiravi Rathinasabapathi, quilt designer and owner of Strawberry Creek Quilts, teaches us all the basics in this episode.

The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.

Previous Episodes:

Find Bhiravi online!

Strawberry Creek Quilts Patterns:

Bhiravi’s Cat, Reggie

Quilts Mentioned in this Episode:

Quilt Patterns and Books: 

Resources:

Quilting Styles and Traditions:

Quilting Materials and Tools:

Quilted Garment Sewing Patterns:

Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Caroline: Hello and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Helen: Join us for today’s interview with Bhiravi Rathinasabapathi.

Hello, Bhiravi. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.

Bhiravi: Hi, Helen.

Helen: We are so excited to chat with you about quilting, a topic that we have yet to cover on the show, if you can believe that. So thank you for coming on today to chat with us about it. Um, can you please introduce yourself to our listeners?

Bhiravi: Yeah. My name is Bhiravi, and I am a quilter and a quilt pattern designer. I’ve been quilting for a couple of years but sewing for a long time. And I, I love to teach people how to quilt.

Helen: And where are you from?

Bhiravi: So my parents are both from India, so I am Indian, and I’m Tamil. And I, personally, I grew up in Florida, and I now live in Berkeley, California.

Helen: Awesome. Okay. You mentioned that you just got into quilting a couple of years ago. So I think we need to hear this story, like, how and when did you learn to sew and then how did you get into quilting?

Bhiravi: I learned to sew a long time ago. I learned to sew when I was in middle school, and I am 28 now, so there’s been quite a few years of garment sewing. But a couple years ago, I, kind of, started to see stuff in the quilting world online that was really appealing to me, and I loved all the patterns I was seeing, and I just started making stuff. Um, I think the first thing that I made was the Antelope Canyon Throw from Vacilando Quilt Co.’s book, Simple Geometric Quilting, and I, kind of, just went with it from there, and I got really into it.

Caroline: Amazing, and we’re so excited to talk to you about quilting today because this is actually our first episode covering quilting, and we want to get all into Quilting 101. But before we do that, we wanted to ask you a few questions about your business, Strawberry Creek Quilts. Can you tell us the story of your business?

Bhiravi: Yeah, absolutely. So I have always been a very creative person, and I knew that that was something I wanted to start a business in, in the creative space. Um, and when I found quilting, it, kind of, felt like I had found my thing. I felt really good about being able to design patterns and express myself creatively and also run the business side of things around that. So, a couple of years ago when I started quilting, um, I picked it up really fast. And then about a year ago, in October of 2020, I left my full-time job to basically start a business in this space. And the name Strawberry Creek Quilts is actually based on a creek called Strawberry Creek in Berkeley, California, which is where I live.

Helen: Oh, cool. Man, this is all so recent, so I just want to ask, like, how’s it going?

Bhiravi: It’s going well. It feels like every day is a new adventure, basically. I’m still in that really early, like, baby business stage where I’m, kind of, learning what works and what I like to do. But yeah, every day is exciting. Every day is an adventure. I used to work in tech, so it’s super different, and I, kind of, love it.

Helen: Very cool. Okay, tell us a little bit about your patterns so far because you have three available in your shop. So let’s get into it. Tell us a bit about your patterns.

Bhiravi: Yeah. So when I come up with quilt designs, I just start sketching. And, like, when I land on something I love enough to write into a pattern that is when that goes from idea to, like, actual pattern that you can, you know, purchase and make and have fun with. I actually have three patterns in my shop right now, and it’s, kind of, great because they are all different difficulty levels.

So my latest pattern called the Civil Stripes Pattern is just this really bold, simple, easy quilt pattern that is beginner friendly. And then I have one called the Redwood Coast Quilt Pattern. And that one is more of, like, an advanced beginner, like, maybe you’ve made a quilt before, but maybe, you know, you don’t have to know a ton of skills to do it. And then the last one is the Petal Points Quilt Pattern, and that one is more of that, like, intermediate level, just because there’s more complexity to it.

Helen: Yes, and they’re all so different. I really love the aesthetic in all of the designs. Do you feel like you have, like, an aesthetic for your collection or are you, sort of, testing the waters and figuring things out as you go?

Bhiravi: I feel like I’m definitely figuring things out as I go. The common thread is these are just all patterns that appeal to me aesthetically. And at this point, I would call my style, like, modern traditionalism, like, that’s the quilting umbrella that it falls under, but definitely having fun within that and exploring a lot.

Caroline: And you were saying that when you have an idea, you, kind of, sketch it out and then once you really love it, you decide, you know, to turn it into pattern. I wonder if you could tell us a little bit more about what that process looks like from, you know, when you decide to turn a sketch into a pattern and how long does that take?

Bhiravi: Good question. It takes awhile. The initial sketching, it can take as long or as short as I want, basically, because I can sit down with that notebook and you could leave me alone with that notebook for months, and I would just keep sketching things. Um, so it’s a matter of just, you know, playing with the designs, playing with the visual style. Um, and I love to take traditional patterns and, kind of, remix those in new ways, so that’s a favorite. Once I’ve, kind of, done that and I’m like, this looks nice. I want to turn it into a quilt. Then, I start doing math. So that is, kind of, seeing what sizes of pieces would go together well for this. Um, how much fabric do I need? How big do I want the finished quilt to be? Do I want multiple sizes? So then I go through that process of doing the math, coming up with, like, the basic, how this gets sewn together.

And then I will start to actually write the instructions to make it. Once I’ve written the instructions, that’s usually the point where I start testing, um, myself. So I try to, like, actually make the pattern, and then there’s, like, a whole editing process and a process with, like, external testers, and that can take awhile.

Caroline: I imagine the testing process takes a while to get it perfect.

Bhiravi: It does. It does. And luckily with quilts, I feel like it depends a lot on the quilt, but one good thing with quilts is I am relying a lot on traditional techniques or things that I’ve done a lot of times before, so the individual components aren’t too fiddly. Where things can really change is how things are worded or, um, you know, how I decide to give instructions on a particular section or how the whole top comes together.

Helen: Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. And you also say on your website that your patterns “teach and inspire.” So we’re curious what you mean by that. Why did you choose to teach quilting skills through your patterns?

Bhiravi: I think it’s because that’s how I learned to quilt. So I didn’t grow up with a quilter in the family, and I didn’t, like, learn to quilt by watching someone or doing videos. The way that I learned was books and digital patterns, and I had so much fun with that. I would be able to, like, see something, imagine it in different colors, and then just follow the pattern to make it. And I, kind of, felt like each pattern writer was taking me through this journey where I was, like, met at my skill level, I was taught to do a new thing, hopefully, challenged the right amount, and it was such a good experience, and that’s what I want to recreate for people.

Helen: Yeah. I really like that in patterns, obviously, with quilting patterns, too, because I’ve had a few experiences where I’m looking at a pattern and it assumes that I know how to quilt already. So it’s, like, here, like, cut out these pieces and then just put them together. Like, what’s the problem? I’m like, but I don’t know how. I don’t know how to do it. So, I like when there’s, like, tips and advice in the pattern about how to actually make a half square triangle or something like that. Because as a beginner, I just don’t know these things.

Bhiravi: Yeah. It’s hard as a beginner because, like, sometimes, yeah, you just don’t know where to start. And sometimes, if you don’t have somebody, like, to look over their shoulder, like, if you don’t have someone to watch, it can be hard to figure out where to start.

Caroline: I have a business question for you. Obviously, Helen and I are both business owners, so we’re interested in this kind of thing, but I wonder, like, quilting, the quilting world is so huge. There are so many designers out there. And as a new designer in a market that’s fairly saturated, I wonder how you connect with your audience and get your designs out there so people can find them and sew them.

Bhiravi: That’s a really good question. I feel like this is still something I’m figuring out. So I’ll, kind of, give that caveat. But one of the main ways that I connect with people is actually through Instagram. I actually started with just my account. I didn’t know anybody in the quilting world. And I took a quilt pattern writing course from Amber at Alderwood Studios, and basically, through that, I met a lot of people who were in the same stage as me, who were getting started in the world of quilt patterns. Once I, kind of, met those people, I felt like I had a community. I started posting stuff and sharing stuff and commenting on stuff. And I’ve just met a ton of quilters through that process.

Caroline: Very cool.

Helen: So smart.

Caroline: Instagram, love it.

Bhiravi: Yes.

Caroline: And you also sew garments. Can you tell us a little bit about what your experience has been like sewing clothes versus quilts?

Bhiravi: Yeah. When I started quilting, I thought it was going to be super easy because I had made so many garments, and in many ways, it was. It was pretty straightforward, but I learned pretty quickly that it was a totally different skill set. So to me, garments are all about, like, the breadth of your skill set, working with curves, working around the body.

And with quilting, it’s so much about, like, how do you have this straight seam and a precise seam allowance? And you often have to repeat things a lot of times to get a whole quilt done, and there’s all these areas that you can play with precision and shape and line, and so those were all new to me.

Caroline: Yeah. Awesome. Yeah. There’s definitely some, some major differences, and it’s true. Like, when you sew clothes, you, kind of, think, well, I’m putting together this 3D object, and there’s, like, darts and style lines, and it’s so much more complicated, but then like Helen said, you get into quilting and you’re like, wait, what do I need to do here?

Helen: It’s even more precise, too. That, like, threw me off when I started quilting because I’m not the most precise garment sewer, and I know you can be, but a lot of the things I make are, kind of, loose and flowy. So, you know, seam allowance can vary a little bit, but with quilting it’s really important, um, so I had to practice a bit more. Yeah.

Bhiravi: That was a lesson that I had to learn when I started quilting. I think the first quilt that I made this seam allowance was all over the place. And luckily, it was from the book, Simple Geometric Quilting, and so it was, like, a really forgiving beginner friendly design.

Helen: Yeah. That’s good advice to start somewhere simple like that where you have a bit more wiggle room. I bit off a bit more than I could chew with my full, like, bed size quilt right now. And I’m just hoping that when I go to put the sashing on, and we’re going to get into all of these terms, but I’m hoping that it’s all going to work out, and I’ll, like, be able to true everything up, and fingers crossed. We also really love seeing Reggie, your orange studio cat, on your Instagram, and we were wondering if you had any special tips for quilting or sewing when there’s a pet around?

Bhiravi: Amazing. Um, I’m so glad you like him cause I like him too. Reggie is always around when I’m sewing, and he actually likes to come and sit on the desk in his little crate while I’m sewing.

Helen: Aw.

Bhiravi: Those are the good, good times for sewing with a cat. Um, he also likes when I’m mid-project to just come and sit on the project, like, just squarely on it, and he won’t leave until I’ve given him, like, 10 minutes of attention.

Helen: Aw, forced breaks. Maybe it’s a good thing.

Bhiravi: Exactly. With a pet, like, that’s how I, kind of, treat it. I’m like, okay. He wants attention right now. Like, I guess this is my cue that I need to take a break from the sewing element of my work or whatever.

Helen: Amazing. Well, we both really enjoy following you on Instagram. You share lots of great tips, and you’re in stories all the time talking about quilting. So, um, if you want to get into quilting I do recommend following Bhiravi @strawberrycreekquilts, but let’s get into the nitty gritty, this Quilting 101 episode we’re doing. What is quilting?

Bhiravi: That is a great question. I feel like quilting can encompass so many things depending on where you’re from and what you’re talking about, but basically, it’s just joining together different pieces of fabric, often multiple layers of fabric, and creating a blanket.

Helen: Amazing.

Caroline: It’s as simple as that. Hey.

Helen: Mind blown.

Caroline: And quilting has a long and storied history. I think beginners see a lot of terminology that references traditions they might not have heard of, so we were wondering if we can go over some of the quilting traditions that are out there?

Bhiravi: Yeah, absolutely. When I think about the whole wide world of quilting in the Western world, and specifically, I am in the United States, there are a few key, kind of, terms and key things that I think about.

So the first type of quilting is called “wholecloth quilting,” and it is exactly what it sounds like. It is when you take a piece of fabric, like whole pieces of fabric, a backing, a middle, like, fluffy batting layer, and a top piece of fabric, and you, basically, sew the three of them together. And in whole cloth quilting, this has been around for probably 200-ish years.

You can do all kinds of designs and techniques with the actual quilting to create, like, shapes, uh, when you’re stitching those layers together. So that is the first one.

So the next kind of big quilting tradition that we think about is “patchwork.” So in the Western world, and in many parts of the world, patchwork is just taking small pieces of fabric and sewing them together to create designs. So if you have seen a traditional quilt, this is probably what you’re thinking of. It is probably some kind of patchwork. This is also what I do. Um, so it was probably what I can speak to best.

Helen: That makes sense.

Bhiravi: On top of that, you also have different kinds of “paper piecing.” So there is, um, there are different types of quilts where you use paper and designs drawn on paper as a guide when you’re quilting and when you’re sewing fabric pieces together. Um, so one is called “English paper piecing.” This is really popular in the UK, but you basically cut templates out of paper, wrap them in fabric, and sew them together by hand. There’s also “foundation paper piecing,” which is where a block or a design is drawn onto a piece of paper, and you literally stitch your fabric on top to create that design.

And then other than that, there’s many other things out there, but the other big category is appliqué, which is where you have one piece of fabric and you attach other pieces of fabric on top to create a design.

Helen: Mhm. Very cool. Okay. This is a maybe obvious question, but with the paper piecing, you take the paper off after, right?

Bhiravi: Yes you do.

Helen: Okay. So you’re stitching onto the paper, and then you’re, like, ripping the paper off, uh, along the stitching lines.

Bhiravi: Exactly. So for foundation paper piecing, your needle is actually going through the paper and creating, like. a perforation you can tear off.

Caroline: I have a question about English paper piecing cause I’ve seen people do it on Instagram and it, it seems to me like they’re such teeny tiny little blocks and they’re all hand-sewn together. Is that, like, truly what it is like? It must take so long.

Bhiravi: It does. I mean, I’ve only done a little bit of it. It does take a long time because you are hand sewing this thing that’s already, like, a million tiny pieces of fabric, but your shapes can be bigger or smaller, so if you’re thinking of, like. hexagons, like hexies, you could have one inch hexagons or you could have, like, three inch hexagons, and it’s all fair game.

Caroline: Okay.

Helen: Whoa.

Caroline: Okay. I mean, three inches to me still feels really tiny. I can imagine, but I can imagine it being quite, like, relaxing if you’re doing English paper piecing and you can do all hand sewing, like, that’s something you can do while you’re watching a show or something, kind of, like knitting, right?

Bhiravi: Mhm, exactly. A lot of friends who English paper piece have told me, like, I just like to keep it in my bag so if I’m, like, on the go or waiting somewhere, I can just work on that.

Caroline: Oh, it’s a whole new world. Very cool.

Helen: Okay. So for those of us who are not in the U.S. or Canada, or, like, um, English speaking countries, are there other types of quilting that are out there that we can touch on?

Bhiravi: Yeah, absolutely. So there are quilting traditions all around the world, and I definitely don’t want to leave those out. So a few terms that I’ve heard recently are “trapunto,” which is, like, an Italian form where you’re adding stuffing to your quilt to create three-dimensional shapes. There’s Japanese “boro,” which is based on patchwork and mending. I feel like I’m going to say this wrong, but there’s also a Korean patchwork form, I think it’s called “jogakbo.” We might have Korean listeners who better know how to say that term, but it is a beautiful form of hand stitched patchwork. I also came across, of course, Indian “kantha” stitching, which my family doesn’t have a tradition of, but I do have a cousin that’s getting very into kantha stitching.

And then also Central American “molas,” which are, like, a reverse appliqué where there are stitch designs, and there’s some, like, cutting and slicing that happens to create patterns. Um, so there are all of those all around the world. And then even within the United States, I feel like there are so many groups of people that have been quilting, and I feel like there’s a lot of diversity out there in the quilting community if you take a look. So there are also a lot of, like, native American and African-American cultures that have created quilts to, like, tell their story and preserve their heritage.

I grew up in Florida, and so one type of quilting that I, kind of, came in contact with was Seminole patchwork. And I more learned about it in, like, history books rather than meeting actual cultures. Um, but it is this really unique and intricate form of strip piecing that was created by, uh, the Seminole Indian community in Florida for many, many, many years. And then I think you’ll also see in the art world, you’ll see, um, the Gee’s Bend Quilters and their improv style which is really bold and modern and visual and again, really different from that traditional patchwork that is based on precision, so all kinds of stuff out there.

Helen: Yeah, we, Caroline and I watched a really good documentary about the quilters of Gee’s Bend, so we’ll put that in the show notes because it was so fun to see their designs and hear their story.

Bhiravi: Absolutely.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. And we’ll, we’ll totally link up all these different, uh, traditions, patchwork traditions, quilting types, in the show notes with some pictures and stuff, so everyone can go check that out. Let’s talk a little bit about the different parts of a quilt because I feel like, when I think of quilting, it’s not just about the piecing on the quilt top, right? So can you walk us through that a little bit?

Bhiravi: Yeah, absolutely. So Caroline, like you mentioned, the piecing of the quilt, the patchwork that goes together is often the quilt top. That is, again, it’s just the top layer of the quilt underneath that you have some kind of stuffing, so this is called batting, and that is what makes your quilt soft and squishy and warm, and then you’ll have some kind of backing fabric, usually just one big piece of fabric on the back, and all three of those get stitched together. Then, you, on the edges of your quilt, you have binding, and that is the fabric that’s, kind of, wrapped around the outside, holding it all together and finishing those edges.

Helen: Right. Okay. So if we’re talking about quilting, is it okay to say like I’m quilting tonight? And if I’m referring to just, like, the piecing part, not the, like, stitching part. Like, how do you am I the only one who gets confused about this? How do you say, like, I like quilting or I’m quilting when you’re, like, only doing part of it. Like, what if you never do the stitching part? Are you still a quilter?

Bhiravi: You are absolutely still a quilter. I think those of us who quilt a lot, like, we call it quilting no matter what part of this process that we are doing ourselves. You’re absolutely a quilter, if you’re doing the patchwork, you can call it quilting. Specifically, when I write patterns or tutorials, sometimes I’ll refer to piecing versus quilting to talk about different parts of the process I’m describing.

Helen: That makes sense. Thank you for clarifying. I just didn’t want to be left out. Okay, let’s walk through the steps of making a quilt. Obviously, the first thing that people are probably going to do is the piecing part or picking out the quilt top, so can we talk about that first?

Bhiravi: Absolutely. Um, so the piecing of the quilt top is the part that you’ve done, and it’s the part that involves cutting out the different pieces of fabric, sewing them together, pressing them, and putting them together in different orders and shapes. So the quilt top is usually either made up of blocks, which are just blocks in a row, or it can be a medallion style, which is, kind of, like, a central design or, like, a big design over the entire quilt. And those are a couple of the big visual designs that we have.

Helen: That makes sense. And are most quilt blocks, when you are doing a block design, are they typically, like, 12 by 12, or do they come in lots of different sizes?

Bhiravi: So 12 inches is a really common size for a quilt block. It does tend to be one of, like, the go-to standards, but you can have all kinds of sizes, and often a designer or a quilter will choose the size based on what works best for the pieces they’re cutting.

Helen: Right. That makes sense. Like, what works best with the design. And then I’ve noticed some block-based quilts also have, like, borders around them or sashing and some don’t. What’s the design, like, thought process there?

Bhiravi: I think it’s totally up to the designer or the quilter to, kind of, choose that stuff. When I’m doing a block-based design, I will create the block and then I’ll often see what it looks like with and without sashing, and I’ll even vary the size of the sashing to decide if I want that in there.

Helen: That makes sense. I guess you can eliminate that, as well, if you’re the quilter and you just don’t want to put it in there.

Bhiravi: Absolutely. You can just directly sew your blocks together. And in fact, one of my patterns, the Petal Points Pattern is like that, there’s no sashing, and that is so that there’s a secondary design created by the block, so there’s, like, a couple of different focal points going on basically.

Helen: I find that so satisfying when you make the blocks and then you put them together and there’s, like, it’s, like, an optical illusion almost. And there’s, like, another pattern that develops when you put them together. It, like, blows my mind every time.

Bhiravi: Exactly. That’s my favorite.

Helen: Yeah. So fun. Okay, what about different common patchwork components? Um, it seems like there’s some recurring themes in quilting design.

Bhiravi: Absolutely, and especially if you start looking at traditional quilts through the ages, you will see some stuff that shows up over and over and is, kind of, the foundation. So I like to think about, um, bars and strips, so those are just, like, long, straight lines in your quilts. Um, you’ll see blocks that are four patch, which is, like, two squares by two squares in the little square grid, a nine patch, which is three by three, or a 16 patch, which is four by four. So these are squares pieced together to make bigger squares.

You’ll also notice half square triangles, so that is when you see a square, and it is divided on the diagonal, and there’s two different fabrics creating that square. There are also flying geese, so this is when you have a rectangle with a triangle inside of it. And then there’s also some less common or more advanced elements, and those would be half rectangle triangles, so a rectangle that’s divided on the diagonal, quarter circles, and then you’ll also see half or whole circles as well. ‘

Caroline: Mm. The circles always blow my mind.

Helen: Oh, I know, right?

Caroline: So cool. I mean, how do you do it?

Helen: So cool. I mean, how do you sew a sleeve into an armscye, Caroline? It’s not that different.

Caroline: I know, but then it’s, like, flat. I don’t know. It really blows my mind. What about improv quilting? I want to ask about that as well. Like, can you tell us a little bit about how that works and I mean, is it really improv? Do you plan a little bit of it out at all? How does it go?

Bhiravi: Improv quilting is really improv. It’s totally on the fly. And I think it varies culture to culture, like, how much you plan ahead of time and how much you don’t. I like to just sit down with, like, piles of fabric that are, like, color coordinated and start to piece different shapes and see how they look together. I also know improv quilters who will say, hey, I’m making this small quilt, and I will lay out the fabrics by quadrant, so I can at least see where the colors land and stuff like that. But you can basically either just start randomly sewing these fabrics together, or you can take these, like, classic shapes and elements and just, kind of, put them together on the fly. It’s really fun.

Helen: It’s so fun. I’ve done a little bit of it. I made some Christmas stockings, and then more recently, I made a little improv, like, tapestry, and it’s a great way to use up fabric scraps from your garment sewing, especially if you’re not too worried about the durability of the final project, you can mix different fabrics together and just have fun with it playing around and seeing what comes up. And I find it to be very, like, creatively cathartic, personally.

Bhiravi: Yes, it’s actually, it’s one of those things that I do when I’m feeling creatively blocked is I’ll just sit down with a pile of fabric and sew it together, improv style, and see what comes of it, and it’s, kind of, refreshing.

Helen: Yeah, but it is really amazing that so many quilt designs seem to be based on these, like, five or six different patchwork components, like, is there more than just these things or is it really just, like, different combinations of these common elements?

Bhiravi: There are definitely more things out there. Like, there’s no way as a quilter that I would, like, know all of the different components. Um, these are top of mind, but I know people also make all kinds of templates and different units that they’ve come up with that are traditional, so there’s tons out there.

Helen: Oh, ok. But you can do a lot with a half square triangle.

Bhiravi: You can.

Helen: I also find it really satisfying when I’ve encountered instructions that have you make multiples of something. So instead of just cutting out a bunch of squares, you’re doing, like, long strips, and then you’re cutting those strips up, and it’s making squares, or instead of making one half square triangle, you’re making four at once. And there’s all these cool techniques to multiply and get more of these pieces so you can be faster, more efficient. Um, and I find that very satisfying as well.

Bhiravi: Yeah, absolutely. I love, like, doing half square triangles, like, eight at a time is a common method or flying geese four at a time, and it saves a ton of time, and it also feels like this really cool hack that you figured out, even if, you know, you read it in a pattern or whatever. It’s really fun.

Helen: Yes. Okay. I want to talk about pressing because this is probably my biggest challenge with quilting is that there’s so many intersecting seams, especially when you’re working with complex block design. So what are you supposed to do in these situations?

Bhiravi: Yeah, absolutely. So there are many different ways to press. And my first tip would be, if you were working off of a pattern, look at what the designer says cause I know it’s super tempting to skip that little, like, notes or, like, about this pattern section, but if there is a really important pressing instruction, they will give it to you, hopefully.

Helen: Fair.

Bhiravi: Um, when you press seams for a quilt, what you’re basically doing is, you’ve sewn the two pieces of fabric together, and you need to, like, flip that over and then basically, iron or press your seams down to make sure they don’t create a ton of bulk or, like, sit weird. When you do that, you can either open up your seams and press open where the fabric on either side is just pressed to that side, or you can press to one side. So maybe that was a little confusing, but basically, you can press open, or you can press to one side, and that determines where the extra fabric goes compared to your seam line.

Helen: Right, and then as you think about where it’s going to intersect with the next piece, deciding, like, if you’re going to press it to the right or the left, and then maybe you have, like, opposite directions so that when you put them together, they’re less bulky.

Bhiravi: Yes. So first of all, if you press open, you don’t have to worry about any of this. I don’t often press my seams open because I feel like it’s a little less durable, or you can have some issues with, like, fraying if you’re not careful, but it is a really simple way to avoid the whole seam issue. Press all your seams open.

The other thing that you’re talking about is pressing to one side, and you can press to one side and then where you seams intersect, um, your seams can do what is called nesting. So you can press so that, you know, at an intersection, the seams on one side go one way and the seams on the other side go the other way. And so there’s less bulk, and they, kind of, fit together like puzzle pieces. So that’s another way to do it.

Um, a lot of people who press to one side, myself included, will default to pressing towards the darker fabric. So if you’re sewing a navy next to a white, you press to the navy, and then from the front, you won’t be able to see any of, like, the fabric overage.

Helen: Right. That makes a lot of sense. I feel like a lot of our listeners have done this before in sewing. Maybe they weren’t even aware of it with making garments, but, like, at the, you know, underarm seam or the crotch seem, like, having one seam go one way and one another. So you’re nesting those seams, so you don’t have that much bulk in your project. So it’s a similar, well, it’s not similar, it’s the same, kind of, idea.

Bhiravi: Yes, it is.

Helen: Yeah, yeah. The other thing I was wondering about is that I feel like I’m, this is just turning into, like, Helen’s help with quilting, um, I think that I might be, like, over pressing when I’m quilting, like, is there a right amount to press? Can you, sort of, misshape your pieces by doing too much pressing to try and get everything, like, super, super flat?

Bhiravi: Great question. I will say that this is the part where it becomes super important to make the distinction between pressing and ironing. So I know I’ve heard you guys talk about that before, but pressing with quilting, we mostly want to put our iron down on the fabric and let it sit there until the fabric, kind of, like, takes shape versus ironing is going to be more of a back and forth motion and that can distort your quilts a little bit.

Helen: Right. Yeah. That makes sense. It’s challenging sometimes because the pieces are so small, and you just start, like, wrestling your iron in there.

Bhiravi: Yeah. Helen, I also know that the pattern that you’re working on is a little more advanced. It definitely has the smaller pieces and tons of seams, so that might be a bit…

Helen: Yes. We were mentioning this in the break we’re like I’m, I’m making the, uh, Nova Star Quilt by Then Came June. If anyone’s interested, we’ll put a picture in the show notes of my progress, but yes, there’s a lot of small pieces, and I definitely bit off more than I can chew, so this is really good, helpful information for me.

Bhiravi: I love that pattern. It’s beautiful. And then if you make that one, anything you make after that is going to feel pretty approachable, I think.

Helen: Yes! Alright, I have one more pressing question, pressing question. Um, I see a lot of quilters on YouTube doing finger pressing and not even using their iron for a lot of their pressing. So can you touch on that?

Caroline: It’s, like, a double pun.

Bhiravi: Absolutely. Oh my gosh. I love finger pressing. So finger pressing is just, instead of an iron, you’re using your finger to create a crease where you would press with your iron, and it’s super handy. It’s really fast. And I don’t really think there’s that many downsides to it, especially if you’re piecing something simple and straightforward. I would say if you were pressing along a bias edge, like, something that’s cut on the diagonal of the fabric, then you want to be a little careful with finger pressing because you don’t want to pull too much on your fabric.

Helen: Right. So would that apply to, like, half square triangles and things like that?

Bhiravi: It depends on how your half square triangle is made, which I know is a frustrating answer. Um, I will fingerpress half square triangles, but I’ll just be, kind of, gentle with that seam, especially if they’re small.

Helen: Okay. Cool. Okay. I think we can move on from pressing. We have so many things. What about the basting? There’s that moment where you’ve got your top and you’ve got your bottom and you’ve got your midsection, the batting. How do you, sort of, put the, all of those things together?

Bhiravi: Good question. So there are many ways to put your quilt together. The one that I use most often is called pin basting, and it is basically taking safety pins and pinning all three sections together, and they make special bent safety pins that are for quilters, so that is what I do. And I actually have a tutorial on my blog as well. So if you search “basting” on my website, that will come up about how to pin baste.

And then on top of that, there’s also spray basting. This is not one I use often, but if you go to the fabric store or you go to the craft store, you will see a spray based spray on adhesive. And basically you spray your quilt backing, you put your batting on top and smooth it down, and then you spray that again. And then you put your quilt top on, and it basically temporarily glues it all together.

And then the last one, the most traditional, like, old school, kind of, method is to thread baste. The nice thing about this is you can take any thread. I usually do a contrasting color to my quilt. You take a needle and you just, kind of, loosely, um, stitch the three layers together, and you’ll basically do your quilting and then pull out all the thread at the end. And it’s really easy, and you don’t have anything, kind of, getting in your way as you’re trying to quilt.

Caroline: And you mentioned that you are in a small space, you’re in a small apartment. So I want to know how do you, baste in a small space, do you have any tips for our listeners?

Bhiravi: Yeah, and I actually have a tutorial about that, too. So if you look at “small space basting” on my website, that’ll come up. But basically what I do is I use a desk, a tabletop, a couch, some kind of smaller surface, and I baste in sections and then just hold my quilt together with pins. So you have to go a little more slowly, but you can do it if you don’t have a huge floor to lay out.

Caroline: And with the spray basting, that spray adhesive, is there any sort of considerations to make about how and when or where I guess you do it so that you’re not getting that gluey spray on other things, like, do you have to put plastic down or something?

Bhiravi: Honestly, I’ve never used the spray adhesive myself. What I’ve heard from friends is that you do want to either have a floor space that you can clean, or you can do it outside or you can put down plastic.

Caroline: Okay. Got it. Cool, cool, cool. And I wonder, like, is there a reason that the backside of quilts is usually just, like, a whole cloth or solid color? Like, why not make both sides patchwork?

Bhiravi: If you’re really ambitious, I think you can totally make both sides patchwork. And actually Ameri from @nextgenquilting on Instagram made a two-sided quilt where it was, like, the same design patchwork on the front and back but different color schemes. So that one is really cool and worth checking out. I personally keep my backing solid because I feel like it is a lot easier to not get wrinkles in that backing when I’m sewing. And also it’s just nice to, like, make two quilt tops and make two quilts, and it’s half the work.

Caroline: Right. I imagine, like, Helen, when you’re finished all of your complicated blocks, you’re not going to want to, to a whole other side.

Helen: Here’s the thing I was thinking about. Like, I have these leftovers from when I cut out all the pieces for this quilt, I have some fabric left over and I’m like, can I not just put these pieces together, like, not in, like, a cool pattern or anything, just, like, a few rectangles together to make up the back so that I’m not, like, wasting that fabric. And it sounds like that would be fine.

Bhiravi: It would totally be fine. And actually some quilters will, if you have extra units leftover from your quilt top, like, half square triangles or flying geese, they’ll put that in with the rectangles or with fun colors and do a pieced backing. Um, and there’s actually an Instagram hashtag that is #partyinthebackquilt. And I feel like I’ve seen people share with that all the different backings they’re making.

Helen: Oh fun. Okay. I’m going to follow that one. That sounds like the right hashtag for me.

Caroline: Yeah. I’ve seen quilt backs that are, like, they’ll just do, like, a strip of blocks along the back and the rest is solid. And I think that’s a really cool way of, like, incorporating a little bit of piecing on the back. Also, often, like, the fabrics that you use for a quilt back are not wide width. So if you’re doing a large quilt, you still have to attach, like, two pieces of fabric at least together, right?

Bhiravi: Mhm. Yeah. Absolutely.

Caroline: Okay. Very cool. Okay. What about the actual quilting part when you’re, you know, stitching onto those three layers? How do you do it? What are the different methods? Can you talk a little bit to that?

Bhiravi: Mhm, so when you actually do the quilting section, that’s where you’re attaching three layers together, um, and you can either do it by machine. You can do it on your domestic sewing machine at home. You can do it by hand, so needle and thread, which is, I guess, how people have done it for a very long time. Or you can have your quilt long armed, and you can either do this yourself, or you can send it out. But basically what a long arm is is somebody with this, kind of, like, fancy sewing machine set up loads your quilt onto a frame, and they have the quilt stretched out, and then they have this sewing machine that will, kind of, move that’s, like, the long arm portion. Um, and it will move over your quilt, and they can move it in different patterns to create designs with the quilting. So those are the three main categories.

Caroline: And which one do you most commonly do?

Bhiravi: I usually quilt by machine at home. It’s just, it’s something that I can do myself on my own schedule. And it’s also pretty fast compared to something like hand quilting, but I am getting more and more into hand quilting because it’s really fun. I love the feel and the texture of it. It’s just, it’s very meditative, too.

Helen: Yeah, I saw that you recently hand basted in one of your Simple Stripes Quilt Designs using Baptist fans, so they’re, kind of, like, arching, sort of, semi-circles that overlap like scales. How long did that take you to do?

Bhiravi: Good question. So right before my Simple Stripes Quilt Pattern released, I was working on my sample, and I was hand quilting it. And because it was for a release, it only took a few days of, like, many hours of hand quilting on each day. It was, kind of, deadline sewing.

Helen: Yeah. Fair enough.

Bhiravi: But it does take a little while.

Helen: And do you, kind of, chalk out the design before you sit down and start to quilt it? Or I guess you could probably improv hand quilt as well.

Bhiravi: You can. On that one, I specifically drew out the lines with, like, a washable fabric marker. Um, so I use a blue one from Dritz, and it always comes out which is nice. So yeah, I drew my lines, and then I just stitched directly over them. And I actually have that tutorial up on my website as well.

Helen: Perfect. I’m curious, like, when you’re quilting at home on your machine, are you just using a regular sewing machine? Like, is that something that I could do with my garment sewing machine for, like, this bed size quilt? Or is that, how am I going to get that? How does that work?

Bhiravi: Absolutely. So first of all, um, you can absolutely do it on your home machine. And for a long time, I used my Singer Heavy Duty at home for quilting all my quilts. So I would roll up the quilt on one side and then I would, like, do a straight line through my machine. And then I would, like, unroll it a little bit and do it again. It totally works. And the only question is: how heavy is your quilt? Right? Like, a bed size quilt is pretty heavy to move through the machine.

And then your sewing machine needs to have, like, enough space underneath that arm for you to, like, push the rest of the quilt through, but you can absolutely do it yourself. That said, a lot of quilters, especially for something like a bed size, that is really hard, will send that out to a long armer, and I think that’s a great option, as well, because it just, you get to skip that portion and outsource it to a different artist who is going to, like, really take care of your quilt. I definitely think you can do that, too.

Helen: Yeah, I’m leaning that way, for sure. The bigger this thing gets the more, I’m like, this is not happening.

Caroline: And then the long armer will give it back to you quilted, but then you still have to do the binding along the edge.

Bhiravi: Yeah. And I think most long armers will just have you do the binding, but basically they will, you will ship them your quilt. Or if they’re local, you’ll drop off your quilt. They’ll often either have batting for purchase, or you can give them the batting that you have if it’s compatible with their machine. And then you’ll work with them to pick out a specific design, and they will help you with thread color, all that stuff, and they will give it to you beautifully quilted. And then you just trim the edges off your quilt and bind it, and you’re done.

Helen: Very cool. So in that scenario, you don’t even have to do the basting part, like, the pinning and stuff.

Bhiravi: Yeah.

Helen: Oh, amazing.

Bhiravi: Exactly.

Helen: Okay. I’m sold.

Bhiravi: Because they’re also loading all of the layers into their machine. So you, all you have to do is, you have to press your quilt top and your quilt back and make sure that’s sewn together, usually. Most long armers will have a website with an FAQ page, so just do whatever they tell you to, but it’s really easy.

Helen: Awesome. I do like the quilting on the machine, like, for the smaller projects I’ve done, but I’m thinking that this is a bit large, large undertaking.

Bhiravi: Large and heavy if it’s a bed size quilt.

Caroline: So we want to talk next about the supplies you might need to make a quilt, both, like, on the materials side and the tools side. So can we start with fabric and maybe you can tell us a little bit about the types of fabrics that you can use for quilting?

Bhiravi: Yeah, so quilting, I normally just use quilting cotton. So that is all those cute prints that you see at the fabric store, if you go to, like, a JoAnn’s or something, but you can also use cotton poplin. You can use linen. Anything that is woven and a natural fiber does pretty well. Even polyester broadcloth and things that are a sturdy woven will work. I also find that I can use offcuts from my garment sewing in patchwork, especially if I’m working with, like, a woven shirt or a dress or something, I’ll take those offcuts and quilt with them.

Helen: Yeah. I’ve been enjoying using some of my garment sewing scraps as well. But one thing that threw me off when I got into quilting was the way that the fabric is sold, because it’s a little different than the way that we sell garment fabric to, um, garment sewists. So why is it all so delicious sounding? Like, what’s with the jelly rolls and the layer cakes and the fat quarters and, like, what’s the deal? It’s all different.

Bhiravi: Um, so that is a great question. Um, I buy a lot of my fabric just as yardage, and then there’s also something called a fat quarter, which is a quarter of a yard, but instead of, like, a nine inch cut vertically on the whole strip of fabric, it is an 18 by 22. So a fat quarter is an 18 by 22 square, or rectangle, instead of, like, a nine by 44 cut on the fabric. So that is, like, the first term.

There are also terms like jelly roll and layer cake and charm pack, and those are referring to different sizes of pre-cut fabric. So Moda Fabric, kind of, started all of this. A fabric store owner friend told me this recently. Moda started all of this and actually trademarked some of these names, so they may have other names as well. But a jelly roll is, for instance, a roll of two and a half inch strips of fabric, and there’s usually about 40, 42 of them. You’ll also see layer cakes, um, those are 10 inch squares. And you’ll also see charm packs which are, like, little five inch squares as well.

Caroline: So when you’re working with, like, a jelly roll or a layer cake, for example, where they’ve already got these squares cut for you, do you just take those and then sew them right into a quilt as they are? Or do you take those and then cut them down using a pattern and then turn them into a quilt?

Bhiravi: You can do either. Um, one thing that you’ll notice is that sometimes, especially layer cakes and charm packs, will have a pinked edge, so they’ll have a zigzag on the edge. If that doesn’t bother you, you can just start sewing with it directly. But there’s also patterns that will tell you how to cut into them or turn them into half square triangles or stuff like that.

Caroline: Mm, very cool. Okay. One more question about fabric. I always preach, like, prewashing fabric before you sew with it, but I feel like it’s different in quilting. Like, do you need to prewash your fabric?

Bhiravi: Yeah. Great question. So, first of all, I always pre-wash for my garments, too, but with quilting, I never pre-wash. And here’s the reason for that. When you get your quilting fabric, it’s all nice and crisp, right? And I find that easier to work with. And then the thing with the quilt is, if it’s all made of quilting cotton, and then you throw that whole thing in the wash, it’s going to shrink in this pretty predictable and even way. Um, so there’s not like a huge issue with the shrinking. I also, on my first wash with, like, a whole quilt, I will throw in a shout color catcher, which is this, um, little sheet that will catch excess dye in the wash. And I feel like that helps to prevent any bleeding or anything.

Caroline: Ah, and then once you wash the quilt that ha-, if the fabric hasn’t been, pre-washed it, kind of, scrunches up and creates that really cool look that we all love in quilts, right?

Bhiravi: Yeah. I personally love it. Um, a lot of people call it quilt crinkle and, um, it’s something that people actually really like, but again, if you’re not wanting that crinkly look to your washed quilt, you can just prewash your fabric and press it really well before you start.

Helen: There’s something so satisfying about, like, cutting into not pre-washed cotton because it’s so stiff and nice and flat off the bolt, and then you can just cut into it and sew it, or use those jelly rolls or layer cakes right out of the package, and it is very satisfying to not have to press things before you get started.

Bhiravi: Oh yeah. Caroline, how do you feel about that as someone who runs a fabric store?

Caroline: I feel fine cause I really do see quilting as, like, a whole different world. And I personally love the quilt, what did you call it? The quilting scrunch?

Helen: Quilt crinkle.

Bhiravi: Quilt crinkle.

Caroline: Quilt crinkle. I love the crinkle look. So I totally support that. Also, I’m, kind of, like, all for, like, less as, as little extra work as I can do in sewing, like, the quicker I can get to the end result, the better. So the idea of not having to prewash and press fabric before getting started on a project is very appealing. I’m all for it.

Bhiravi: Absolutely.

Caroline: Okay. So we’ve talked about fabric. Can we get into thread? Cause I feel like this is another thing that is a little bit foreign or different for quilting than it is for garment sewing.

Bhiravi: Absolutely. So when I started quilting on my first few quilts, I just used the same Gutermann All-Purpose thread that I used on my garments, and it worked great. So you can absolutely do that. Um, these days I like to use like a hundred percent cotton thread and I use Aurifil, and basically, it’s a 40 to 50 weight thread that you want to use.

Helen: And why did you make that switch? What’s the benefit to using cotton?

Bhiravi: I mean, first of all, with just my quilts being otherwise all cotton, it was, like, it would be nice to have it match. I also like Aurifil cause it’s, like, super smooth, and it’s, like, intended for quilters, so it comes in a really wide color range, and it feels like it’s, kind of, like, built for this craft, so that’s why I switched over.

Helen: Fair enough, the right tools for the job.

Bhiravi: Exactly.

Helen: And then the actual quilting part can be done with a heavier thread, right?

Bhiravi: Yeah, absolutely. So with the actual piecing and patchwork, you’ll definitely want to use that thinner thread, so, like, 50 weight is a good place to start for the actual quilting. You can go as heavy or as light on that thread as you want. I will often use my 50 weight thread if I just want a subtle, straightforward quilting line, but I will switch to, like, a 40 weight, a 28 weight, or, um, even thicker weights for hand quilting, if I want the quilting to stick out more. And I want it to stand out more.

Helen: Right. That makes sense for the hand quilting, especially. I could see wanting, like, almost an embroidered look with that.

Bhiravi: Exactly. And then when you do the machine quilting and you go for a thicker thread, let’s say you put a 28 weight in your machine, again, that just makes the quilting lines stand out more. And I will say in that case, you would probably just put the thread through the top of your machine and into your needle, and then you’d have a standard, like, 50 weight or 40 weight in your bobbin.

Helen: Right, just like top stitching on jeans or something.

Bhiravi: Exactly. Same thing.

Helen: Cool. Okay. And then what about the batting? Do you also do a hundred percent cotton typically for your battings?

Bhiravi: I use cotton, I just use a hundred percent cotton or a cotton bamboo blend. A lot of that for me is based on what’s available, what’s a natural material, but also affordable. And I find that cotton is that nice middle ground for me, but there’s all kinds of stuff. You can use polyester. Polyester tends to have, like, kind of, a poofier look in your finished quilts versus cotton will often lie flatter. There’s also all kinds of silk/cotton blends, silk/bamboo/Tencel, all kinds of stuff. And then you’ll also see wool batting, which is less common and requires some careful handling, but it can also be really puffy and really warm.

Caroline: And is the wool batting? Is that washable?

Bhiravi: It is washable. Um, I haven’t used it myself. Basically, with wool batting, I think there might be some prewashing that needs to happen or, you know, just accounting for shrinkage in your finished product.

Caroline: Okay. And are there any specific brands that you go for, uh, in terms of batting?

Bhiravi: I am not, like, a brand loyalist with quilt batting. I will, kind of, just, kind of, see what suits my needs at the moment. I have used Quilter’s Dream. That’s a kind of go-to for me. And there’s also things like Warm and Natural that’s available pretty widely.

Helen: And do people ever just not put batting? I want to ask this question now, like, is that allowed? I mean, I’ve also noticed, like, the, I mean, quilting can be, kind of, an expensive hobby, and the batting is quite pricey. So, like, can you just not, if you want to just put the backing and the top together?

Bhiravi: So you can. It also depends a little bit on how thick your backing is because if you have a flannel backing, it’s going to provide, like, a little bit of that warmth and like squishiness. You can also use things like different kinds of fleece on the back of your quilt instead of batting. And then the other thing is instead of using traditional batting, you can use anything that’s squishy. So you could use, like, a, kind of, sweatshirt material. I think I’ve seen some quilters use, like, repurposed old t-shirts, and it is a little more work, and it can get a little bit bumpier, but you can use whatever you want in the middle or nothing.

Helen: Ah. That’s interesting. Like, you could put, like, an old fleece blanket in there.

Bhiravi: Exactly. And that’s your batting layer.

Helen: Cool. Awesome. That’s great. Okay. What about other tools? I mean, obviously our listeners probably have a lot of sewing tools already. Are there specifically quilt tools that they might want to get their hands on?

Bhiravi: So with quilting specifically, the first thing that you’ll run into is that you need to cut your fabric, and if you’ve done a lot of garment sewing, you may already have a acrylic ruler and a rotary cutter, but for me, those are, kind of, must-to-have just so that you can cut accurately at the sizes that your pattern or your quilt design needs.

You’ll also need basting pins or spray or something to, kind of, hold your quilt together. Both of them work really well, and it’s just a matter of preference, so either one is great. If you’re hand stitching, you will need needles that are a little bit thicker for that. You can either use Betweens which are meant for, like, small quilting stitches, or I will often use a needle that’s meant for, like, embroidery or millinery work if I’m hand quilting with thick thread.

And then also when you get to the binding stage, you may want binding clips to, kind of, hold your quilt sandwich and your binding together. That is going to help you get really neat stitches if you’re machine binding or hand binding. But overall, my philosophy is, kind of, that you can start quilting with what you have on hand because patchwork is an old art form and it’s based on using what you have and, like, available materials and repurposed materials, so I would say just dive right in.

Helen: Yeah. You can even use old garments, like, patchworking denim together looks really cool. So just try it, just give it a go and see if you enjoy it. And if you do, then you could take on a bigger quilting project.

Bhiravi: Yeah. Helen, your patchwork Ashton Dress has lived on my Pinterest board for forever.

Helen: Oh. Thank you so much.

Bhiravi: It’s so beautiful.

Helen: I had so much fun with that project. Yeah, I absolutely loved it. And it’s just really cool to reuse those older things or scraps that you have lying around. It makes you feel very accomplished.

Bhiravi: Absolutely and sustainable too.

Helen: Yeah. Well as garment sewists, we’re used to using patterns. So what are our options for learning traditional quilt patterns?

Bhiravi: Yeah. So there are certain books that are encyclopedias of different quilts and blocks and patterns. And one that I see referenced often is called the Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns by Barbara Brackman, and that will give you a great library to start from.

Helne: Amazing and blocks also seem to go by lots of different names or vary by region or some names just mean different things. So how do you, like, look up and find what you’re looking for?

Bhiravi: Yeah. If I see inspiration somewhere, if I go to a museum and I look at a quilt, or I hear something online, I will just type in whatever name into Google that I know, and sometimes you will see those additional names, variations come up. A good reference book will list out the multiple names that a quilt block might have. And then when you start to look at quilt blocks, you’ll, you’ll hear all sorts of names, and just know that you might have multiple names for the same thing or very similar. In particular, if you’re into star quilt blocks, I feel like that’s super popular. You will see things like the Sawtooth Star. Um, and then a variation on that is the Ohio Star. And then you’ll see the Feathered Star, the Lone Star, the Blazing Star, um, and some of those have regional variations as well. There’s also things like the Carolina Lily or Cat’s Cradle or the Churn Dash, the Friendship block. And you’ll, kind of, learn as you get more familiar with quilt patterns.

Caroline: And none of these are really trademarked, like, you can, different patterns designers will use these different, special blocks in their patterns. There’s no, like, rules about whether or not you can use them.

Bhiravi: Yeah, so the colloquial names kind of belong to everyone, right? They’re just in like, common domain, I guess. So all of these names that I’m, kind of, saying right now are just common names for quilt blocks, things like the Log Cabin. And then if you go to an individual designer’s site, say Then Came June’s Nova Star, that is something that Megan came up with, and so that is, like, her name for her pattern.

Caroline: Ah, got it. Okay. Next question that I have is what would you recommend, like, what quilt size should a beginner start with? I’m asking for a friend.

Bhiravi: I feel like this is aimed at Helen.

Helen: I feel very attacked.

Bhiravi: Um, so you can start with any size you want, and I know that a lot of people will start with baby size quilts cause they’re really small. They’re super manageable to get through your machine. You could also do a wall quilt which can be a baby size or smaller. All works. For me, like, I don’t have a baby. I didn’t have anybody to give my quilts to, so I started with throw size quilts because I knew that’s what I would use most often, but it wasn’t necessarily as big as a bed size quilt that was really hard to wrangle through my machine. Um, so I would say a baby size or maybe a throw size, but the smaller your quilt, the easier your job will be on that first one.

Caroline: Okay. What size calls are you making Helen?

Helen: Um, it’s a bed size quilt.

Caroline: Cool, cool, cool.

Helen: I did pa-, when I passed the, like, throw sized marker, when I had enough blocks to make the throw size, I thought about stopping, but I’d already cut out all the pieces, so…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …I want to, I want to go all the way, but, um, I love the idea of a wall quilt. If you don’t want to, you know, necessarily have, you know, quilt a throw quilt or you don’t have babies in your life you want to give quilts to. A wall quilt is a really cool idea, or you can do, like, table runners or placemats, those kind of smaller projects can be really fun. And another thing I’ve seen, speaking of all these, like, classic blocks, uh, is people making lots of different blocks that are completely unrelated. You know, you’re just trying, I’ll make a Sawtooth Star and then I’ll make a Churn Dash and then I’ll make a Flower Basket. And then you put all those together into a kind of patchwork quilt where you’ve just explored all these different techniques.

Bhiravi: Yes, and if folks are interested in learning more about that, those are usually called sampler quilts, and there are specific books or patterns, or even, like, traditional ones you can look at that have an assortment of techniques in them.

Helen: Oh amazing. Okay. Sampler quilt. I’m on it.

Bhiravi: By the time that this episode comes out, actually, in November, I think there’s actually going to be a sampler quilt project that I’m part of, and that is going to be, um, in partnership with Amanda, from Broadcloth Studio, a bunch of other, um, quilt pattern designers, and we’re putting together a sampler quilt to go with, by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston

Helen: Oh, so cool.

Bhiravi: That would be a free pattern and sew along.

Helen: Wow. So like all these different designers are contributing a block, and then they all go together.

Bhiravi: Exactly. So if you want to make that, I will be sure to link it on my webpage and in my Instagram. You’ll see me posting about it if you listen to this episode when it airs.

Helen: Oh, cool. Yeah. It’s such a great way to learn different techniques, and then in this case, get exposed to lots of designers, which brings us to our next question. There are some amazing modern quilt patterns and designers out there, including you. So what are some of your favorites? Where should our listeners go and start following people for inspiration?

Bhiravi: Absolutely. So jumping right in, I made a list of some of the quilt patterns that are my favorites and that I would recommend to people just starting out. So the first one is the Meadowland Quilt by Then Came June. This is, kind of, I think of it as the internet’s favorite pattern because everybody wants to make a Meadowland Quilt. Um, Then Came June, Megan Buchanan, is one of my favorite quilt pattern designers because I absolutely love her style, and I love the way that she shares her quilting practice and her life as well. So I would go follow her. You can also, if you’re more advanced or if you’re ambitious, like Helen, you can make her Nova Star Quilt pattern.

Helen: Thank you. Thank you. Applause. No applause needed. It’s fine.

Bhiravi: Alright, and then another quilter that I really love because of the way that she teaches and the way that she puts colors together is Susie from Susie Quilts. And specifically, I really like her Maple Quilt, which is just a few big strips pieced together in a medallion style, and I also really like her Gather Quilt as well. And so she really plays with construction, and she’s a graphic designer by trade, so she has really great diagrams on her quilts.

Helen: Cool. I’m clicking through all the links as you’re talking, so it’s really fun. I encourage our listeners to do the same.

Caroline: I love the Maple. Okay, here’s the problem: I’ve already made two quilt tops and not actually quilted them. And now I want to make another one because this Maple Quilts is so cool.

Helen: But, Caroline, those were, like, five years ago. Like, you got to move on. What advice would you give somebody if they were like, I made two shirts five years ago, and I never finished the binding on them and now I can never sew again?

Bhiravi: Well, Caroline, I think what you need is a long armer. I think you need to send the quilts to a long armer, and they will do the quilting.

Caroline: Yeah, no, I know.

Bhiravi: And then, they’ll be finished.

Caroline: Okay, thanks for the pep talk, guys.

Helen: It was a little bit of, like, harsh love. I’m sorry.

Caroline: Yeah, no, that’s totally fine. I can take it. Okay. What else? What other quilt patterns, uh, do you love, Bhiravi?

Bhiravi: Okay, so my friend, Amanda at Broadcloth Studio has a quilt called the Sonnets Quilt. I really love this one because it has, like, it’s basically a gentle introduction to modern improv quilting. So you make all of these little improv squares, and then the pattern has you join them together with this solid sashing, and it looks really, really beautiful. So I would recommend that one.

And then Erin at The Blanket Statement has a lot of great, like, modern, graphic, kind of, quilt patterns that feel, like, really fresh. And in particular, I start-, when I first started quilting, I remember seeing her Pine Falls Quilt on Pinterest, and I now test for her, but I, I did tell her that story of, like, when I first learned about modern quilting, I remember seeing your pattern and it, kind of, got me interested. And then she also has the Crosslake Quilt and the Birch Point Quilt, and those are two designs I really love.

In terms of newer designers, Tesselate Textiles, Christine, has the Karnak Quilt, and it is this beautiful half square triangle, kind of, based pattern. That is, it looks a lot more complex than it is. It’s really, really gorgeous. Archaios Quilt Company, the Demeter Quilt, is a really good one that plays with flying geese and color. And then Anna at Wax and Wane Studios has, um, the Quilt Runes Mini Patterns series, and that is a series of, like, wall quilts that come with, like, advice on hand stitching and just look gorgeous. I think.

Caroline: I love them. So inspired.

Helen: You should see Caroline’s face right now.

Caroline: I love that there are so many options for smaller quilts that you can use as wall hangings cause that feels very approachable to me. Like, just dip your toes, you know, that’s how. I’m so excited about this.

Helen: You’re feeling inspired. That’s good.

Bhiravi: Yeah. I will also say that if you are looking at a block based quilt and it looks really cool and you want to make it and you don’t want to commit to a whole quilt, you can just make a block and turn it into a tote bag. There are definitely tutorials out there for that, or a wall hanging or whatever you want. You don’t have to make a whole thing.

Caroline: Awesome.

Helen: Um, that is so true. It’s, kind of, like that mantra where if you don’t like a book, you don’t have to read the whole thing. Like, you can try it, and if you don’t really enjoy, maybe you just didn’t like making that pattern for some reason, it’s fine. You don’t have to finish.

Bhiravi: That’s true.

Helen: Yeah. Oh, this is such a great list. Thank you for prioritizing beginner friendly patterns. I definitely encourage our listeners to check these out. We’ll be putting them all in our social this week, so you’ll see them on there if you follow us @lovetosewpodcast.

Caroline: I had one other quick question about patterns because I think a lot of our listeners are used to reading, like, indie garment sewing pattern instructions. And I wonder if there are any, like, differences that you want to point out between quilt patterns and garment sewing patterns when you’re, sort of, reading them and using them?

Bhiravi: Yeah. So when you start reading a quilt pattern and you look at a quilt pattern for the first time, I would say, don’t skip any of the notes sections upfront, like, make sure you read through it and don’t just skim it. Um, because some of the base assumptions like seam allowance are different. And just reading that beginning section will give you a good foundation. And if you don’t understand something from there, just Google it. I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to figure it out. So that’s the first thing.

The second thing with quilt patterns is the cutting charts can be, kind of, overwhelming. Most quilt patterns don’t have templates like garments do where you print it out, piece it together, and cut it out with scissors. Some do, but most quilt patterns will give you a chart of cutting instructions, and they will say, cut this many strips of fabric and cut it into pieces of this size. So when you first look at that, that can sometimes be a little bit overwhelming, but I would say just go slow, one step at a time, and you’ll be fine.

And I will also say that it is really helpful to print that sheet out so that you don’t get confused. So I like to print out my cutting chart, and then I circle, like, the column or whatever that is for my size of quilt. And then I, like, check off each item as I cut it, so I don’t get confused. So those are my tips.

Caroline: Awesome. Thank you for that. That’s really helpful. And are there any books that you would recommend to our listeners?

Bhiravi: Yes. So the first quilts that I made was from this book called Simple Geometric Quilting by Vacilando Quilt Co., and I highly recommend this book because it is super approachable. It is organized by order of difficulty and types of units and everything in there looks really modern and I, I think it’s great. There’s also Urban Quilting by The Weekend Quilter, um, by Wendy Chow, and that book is full of amazing quilt patterns again, in that, like, modern, fresh style. So both of those, highly recommended.

Caroline: Fabulous. Okay. And we want to tie it back to garment sewing one more time. Obviously, you can make, kind of, quilted garments. So do we have any good options for garments that include quilting techniques?

Bhiravi: Yes. So I was mostly thinking about quilt coats with this section, specifically because quilt coats have been having, kind of, like, a moment lately, and I feel like everybody wants to make one.

Um, recently there is the Hovea Jacket, I hope I’m saying that right, from Megan Nielsen. So that is one that is actually designed to be a quilted jacket. And there are plenty of tutorials from both garment sewists and quilters available through Megan Nielsen’s blog that will, kind of teach, you how to make it.

There’s also the Tamarack Jacket from Grainline Studios, and that one I know is a Love to Sew classic. It’s TnT. Um, so that is again a pattern that is intended to use quilted fabric which is really great. And then there’s also the Grainger Coat that is from Muna and Broad, and I saw that you guys had added it to the list, and I was, like, I’m so glad that you mentioned this one because it has a really complete size range, and again, is intended to work with quilted fabrics. And then the Nova Coat finally is one that I have seen be turned into a quilt coat, um, even though, you know, you have to change the instructions slightly to make it work.

Caroline: Awesome, and that one is a Papercut Patterns.

Bhiravi: Yes.

Helen: Papercut Patterns. You really can get creative with adding quilted elements to your garments. It doesn’t have to be something that’s designed to be quilted. You could use a small piece of quilting in a garment or, like, do some patchwork on a garment. We were talking with, um, Francisco from @ciscosews about that earlier in the season. So get creative. You can start, uh, implementing some quilting techniques in your garments, or you can start actually making a quilt or a quilted project if you want to get into quilting. I’ve been super enjoying it myself in the last year, so I hope that some of our listeners will dive into quilting or maybe you’re already a quilter, and you knew everything in this episode, and this just made you feel really good.

Bhiravi: And I will say the Ashton Dress, uh, from Helen’s Closet Patterns is really great in a denim patchwork, and you can check that out on Helen’s website.

Helen: Thank you. Oh, wait, I have one more question. I just noticed it here. Okay. this is very applicable. How do you stay focused on a quilt and actually finish it? Because after this episode I want to make, like, 10 more quilts, and it’s so hard to resist starting a new one when I’m not even done with the one I’m currently on. Does that happen to you?

Bhiravi: I often have multiple quilting projects going at once, so I may not be the best person to ask. But in terms of, like, actually finishing a quilt start to finish, um, it can be hard, especially for those bigger bed size quilts, so I would say, just give yourself time on that. And then I also like to divide out my tasks. So, like, I will devote, you know, a couple evenings to cutting out all the pieces for a quilt. And then on a separate day, I will start sewing. And then I’ll give myself again, like, several days, several weeks, several, you know, long stretches of time to actually do the sewing of the patchwork. And then when it comes to basting, like, I like to do that on a separate day, so I, kind of, split everything out, so it’s not too much at once.

Helen: Yeah, that makes sense. And then just try to resist buying supplies for more quilts.

Bhiravi: Yeah, I can’t help you with that. I have too much fabric.

Helen: Fair. Fair. I’ll just struggle on my own. No, no, it is so fun to collect, uh, the different quilt patterns on Instagram and Pinterest, and I’m just building up a library of things that I’m excited about. So thank you for all of your suggestions and thanks for giving us Quilting 101. It was really informative, and I don’t know about our listeners, but I feel very excited. I’m going to go work on my quilt right now.

Bhiravi: Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. This has been really fun, and you guys are my favorite podcast, and I really appreciate you having me on.

Helen: Aw, thanks.

Caroline: Ah, thank you. Before we say bye, tell our listeners where they can find you online.

Bhiravi: Yeah, you can find me online on Instagram @strawberrycreekquilts, or you can find me strawberrycreekquilts.com.

Caroline: Amazing, and we’re going to have some awesome show notes for this episode with tons of links and pictures, and yeah, we really appreciate you coming on. Thank you so much, Bhiravi.

Bhiravi: Thank you.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com. We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Helen: Go to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode, all that quilting goodness. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, send us an email at [email protected].

Caroline: If you love Love to Sew and you want more, you can sign up for our Patreon. For $5 a month, you get a full length bonus episode and weekly behind the scenes pics. For $10 a month, you get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off discount codes for Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making this quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Helen: And did you know that we have Love to Sew swag? You can visit our shop to get tees, pins, and tote bags with art by Josie Adams of Hey Miss Designs. Tell the world that you’re a stitch witch, that you can make anything, or that you are a Love to Sew listener. Go to lovetosewshop.com to get yours.

Thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you so much for listening. We’ll see you next week.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Buh-bye.

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Four years of Love to Sew? This calls for a celebration! In this fun, chatty episode, we share big changes in our lives from the past year, answer questions from listeners, and play a game with our partners, Sam and Shea!

The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.

The whole gang! From the top: Shea, Sam, Helen, and Caroline!

Caroline’s photos:

Helen’s photos:

Caroline’s recommended recipes: 

Helen’s recommended games:

Helen and Caroline’s Favourite Makes: 

Helen’s Recommended Resources for Pattern Making: 

Vancouver Sewist Destinations: 

Sewing Patterns Mentioned: 

Shea’s three favourite things:

Sam’s three favourite things: 

Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Caroline: Join us for today’s show. It’s our fourth anniversary Q&A!

Helen: Woohoo!

Caroline: Happy four year anniversary, Helen.

Helen: Happy four year anniversary, Caroline.

Caroline: We’re a little late celebrating this, uh, because our anniversary was in August, but we were on a break, okay? Let us live.

Helen: Yeah, since we switched to seasons, we’ve been off during our summer anniversaries, but I’m so excited to do a more fun and chatty, just the two of us episode. We’re actually going to bring Sam and Shea on a bit later in the show for a bit of a throwback for our longtime listeners. Um, but it’s mostly going to be just us here. And you may have noticed that we’ve moved a lot of our catch-ups and, kind of, silly banter and things like that over to our Patreon bonus episodes. We’re not doing so much of that on the regular show, trying to get right into the content for you all. But since we started our Patreon episodes, we haven’t focused as much on our friendship here in the main podcast, but we are still friends. Promise.

Caroline: We are?

Helen: Yeah, right?

Caroline: No, of course we are. We are totally still friends, and we still, you know, get to work on the podcast all the time together which is such a gift because it means that we get to keep in touch, even though we live far away from each other now.

Helen: Yeah. So in this episode we thought we’d do a good catch-up and then answer some questions from listeners and then, of course, at the end, Sam and Shea are going to join us for a few questions from us and we’re going to play a little game, but first we have a voicemail from Beverly.

Beverly: Hi, this is Beverly and I’m calling from Baltimore, Maryland. And I’ve been wanting to make this comment for awhile. People always say that they can’t tell Caroline and Helen apart, but I have a tip for you, if that’s you. So when they’re talking about clothing being against the skin or moving something against the grain, um, Helen says it like I do, uh-ghenst, but Caroline says, uh-gain-st. So if you get the opportunity to hear them say those words, then you’ll know who’s who.

Caroline: Thank you so much for calling in with this, Beverly. I love this comment, and I imagine that there are several examples of this, where we say words differently. I can remember, um, early on in the show we used to pronounce contribute, or I would say con-trib-you-t or no, you would say, con-trib-you-t. I would say contrib-you-t. I don’t know.

Helen: Both acceptable.

Caroline: Little things like that, where we say things differently could be a way that you could figure out who’s who, if anyone has any ideas of, of ways that you’ve been able to tell us apart in the past, let us know.

Helen: We always tell our guests that they can just imagine us as one, big, happy person because during the interview, it can also be challenging to tell us apart and figure out who’s asking the questions. So we’re like, don’t worry about it.

Caroline: Yeah. We’re just one person. Oh my gosh. Well, thank you so much again, Beverley, and yeah, let’s get into this anniversary episode, Helen. I’m really excited to catch up.

Helen: Me too. It’s so fun every month when we catch up on Patreon, and we share things that are going on in our personal lives and also, like, how our businesses are going. If you run a business, you might find that part of our Patreon episodes really interesting. So, Caroline, what’s been going on? I feel like we need an update over the last like year or two.

Caroline: I know. It’s been so long. I thought it would be fun to, kind of, share just some highlights of, like, what life is like lately for Caroline, for me. So, okay, well, on the personal side, um, just over a year ago, Shea and I moved out of the city. We were living in, uh, like, East Van Mount Pleasant area in an apartment. And we decided to move into a rental house in West Van, near Horseshoe Bay in this area called Caulfield. It’s really cute and quaint, and it feels like its own little community, but it’s still, like, a 30 minute drive from my office, even less some days. Uh, so still very much commutable. And this was, like, mid-pandemic, and Shea was working from home full-time, he’s still working from home full-time, so it just felt like the right move for us.

We were craving more space and more outdoors-y-ness. And yeah, we love this house so much. It’s big enough to have guests stay with us and big enough for all of our hobbies. And it has this amazing garden with space for Pepper to play fetch. It’s really a dream, and we love it so much. We feel really lucky that we found this place. Right now, we’re, kind of, like, hoping to stay here until we can save enough money to maybe buy a house some day. So we’ll be here for a while, hopefully, if all goes well, cause we really do love it here.

And then I don’t think I’ve actually shared this on the regular show, but Shea and I actually got engaged last year. He proposed on Christmas Eve 2020, and it was super lovely. He wrote me a song and then we went out and picked out a ring together, and it’s, like, a really beautiful, simple, emerald stone in a gold setting, and I’m super obsessed with it. And green actually reminds me of Shea and, like, living in the Pacific Northwest. So it, kind of, has a special meaning to me, too. But if anyone’s wondering, which you probably aren’t, but I’ll just tell you, we aren’t planning the wedding yet, but it’ll probably happen sometime in 2023. So that’s another little exciting development.

Helen: Yay! Congratulations! I know I’ve said it before.

Caroline: Thank you!

Helen: But it’s awesome. I’m so happy for you. And it makes sense to put off the planning a little bit, what with everything being up in the air right now. So wait, and then you’ll just be calmer.

Caroline: Yes.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Yeah, I’m definitely not ready to dive into that yet. We’ve got a lot of other stuff going on and also just, you know, who knows? I don’t want to postpone a wedding, so we’re going to give it some time. And then yeah, over the past year and a half, I have fallen hard for pottery and ceramics. I have, kind of, mentioned it in passing on the show before, but Shea and I actually do this together. This is one of the reasons why we wanted to move into a bigger place so that we could have space for, like, a home pottery studio.

Uh, we took a class together in February 2020, January/February, 2020. And then we joined, uh, that studio for a little while, and we just were, like, completely in love with pottery. And, uh, Shea is amazing at it. I’m, like, okay at it, but Shea really is, like, so creative, um, and he’s an artist in his day job, so it just translates really well to pottery, and he just loves it so much. So we have a studio at home now which is awesome, and it’s just been really fun to do a hobby with our partner, like, with my partner, I don’t know.

I’ve never had something like that before where we can sort of work together, but we’re working on different things, and we can relate on this new level. And we’ve also, like, learned a lot about each other through the process because when you’re going through a creative process, sometimes it can be frustrating. Sometimes it can be challenging and hard. Sometimes it can be really fun. And we’re, sort of, like, seeing each other through those different phases in this creative process. So it’s been really fun to support each other through this.

Helen: Yeah. And you guys have made some really cool stuff. Like, I’ve been so impressed.

Caroline: Oh yeah. It’s so fun. We even have our own, like, little kiln setup now. So we can do it from, like, start to finish, the whole process. We don’t have to take our pieces anywhere to be fired. And Shea is really into mixing our own glazes, so that’s, like, a whole other world. And that has been, it’s been really fun to experiment with that. A lot of trial and error. Uh, pottery is definitely not a hobby where, like, everything you make turns out really well. We have a whole box of things that we don’t like that we’ve made that whenever people come over, we’re like, go check out the box. See if you want anything. But yeah, no, it’s, it’s been such a fun and, like, enriching hobby for our lives, so we’re really happy.

Helen: You know, my mom was a potter for many years and still does pottery and what she does with the things that don’t turn out is she smashes them and uses them as, like, drainage in pots for her garden.

Caroline: Which is so smart.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: I’ve heard, I mean, so many people do different things with these pieces, and at the end of the day, like, sometimes you just, if it’s really bad or unusable, you can just throw it out. It’s, you know, it’s not the end of the world, but we try to recycle as much as we can.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: But yeah, no. And your mom is so, it’s been so nice to connect with your mom a little bit, too, through pottery. She gave me a few things from her studio when she was cleaning out her studio and some really awesome books. So I’m really grateful that she was willing to chat with me about pottery and connect with me on that level, too.

Helen: Oh yeah. She was so excited. It’s amazing when new people want to take up pottery. it’s such a, like, vast hobby and the, like, there’s a lot of barriers to entry as far as getting a studio set up, so it’s amazing what you guys have accomplished already.

Caroline: Oh, yeah, it’s been really fun. And aside from that, um, home life is, like, a lot of Pepper and Fraidy snuggles. Shea’s also learning to play piano which has been really fun. And I continue to love cooking, elaborate meals for Shea, right now, but also family and friends when they come over. And obviously I fit in sewing whenever I can. So that’s, kind of, just been life lately, is just being at home, hanging out, living, like, a bit of a slower life. It’s been really nice.

Helen: Aw, that sounds great.

Caroline: Yeah. And then at Blackbird, um, I wrote down, I’m still learning and growing each day.

Helen: Wow. It’s a little cheesy.

Caroline: I know, but it’s true. I mean, like, I, we just celebrated our seven year business birthday, and, uh, I’m definitely proud of how far we’ve come. I have a team of 20 people working with me now, and my role has changed so much over the last couple of years. You know, instead of leading my whole team, now I have managers handling different departments and key functions of the business. And I feel like I’ve really come to this place where I’m wearing, like, the quote-unquote CEO hat which is, kind of, wild, but it’s true.

Like, I make the major decisions, and I handle the finances of the business, and I do, like, the big picture thinking, planning, strategizing, and making sure everything is functioning well overall, but I’m not so much, like, working in the day-to-day grind of the business anymore. It’s, like, much more removed from that which is different and nice and comes with its own set of challenges, but it’s been a really interesting, uh, couple years of my role just, sort of, changing and evolving.

Helen: Yeah. I cannot believe you have 20 people working with you and that amazing new space that you moved into a couple of years ago, it still looks gorgeous, and you’ve expanded even beyond that to the place next door. It’s just…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …it’s so fast. It’s happening so fast.

Caroline: I know! Sometimes it feels like a bit of a runaway train, but I’m working on that because one of the things that I want to work on is just feeling a little bit more grounded, like, in my personal life, because I think that having this business that’s growing so quickly and the stress that goes along with that has made me feel, like, a little bit reactive and not just, like, stable, you know, in my day-to-day life, so I’ve been working on that.

I actually recently hired a leadership coach to help me figure out, like, what the next five years looks like at Blackbird. I, kind of, see her as like my life slash leadership slash executive coach because she does a lot of things. Um, and she helps me in a lot of different ways. She’s also, like, helping me to feel more grounded in my purpose and manage my, sort of, stress and anxiety in a more sustainable way, so working with her has been a huge game changer and really, really helpful for my mental health and just for, like, my day-to-day, kind of, managing all of my responsibilities and stuff, so that’s been really, really cool.

But I don’t want to lie. Some parts of running this business have been really hard. Like, I feel so passionate and connected to my business, but that also, for me, means that I take a lot of work home, and I get stressed and anxious if something isn’t going well or going perfectly. So I don’t want everyone to think it’s just, like, sunshine and roses over here. I know, like, sometimes, especially on social media, everything can look so great. So yeah, I know my struggle is not unique, and I’m really thankful that my business is thriving. Don’t get me wrong. We have the best customers at Blackbird and just like we have the best listeners at Love to Sew, um, I love you guys so much, but yeah, it’s been, it’s been a challenge, but it’s also been really fun. So yeah.

Helen: Yeah. It’s so, again, just incredible how much the business has grown, and it’s been so fun to watch, and I think you’ve made incredible strides in the last two years. Like, truly amazing.

Caroline: Thank you. You’ve seen me through it all every month on Patreon. We get to catch up, and you get to hear all of my updates and stories.

Helen: I love it. It’s like an audio journal. I feel like it’s something that you’re probably going to look back on, and it will be very interesting to hear how you were feeling in those moments, you know?

Caroline: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I thought I’d give a little sewing update, too, because I have really been pushing myself to wear and sew with more color in the last year, and it’s been such a source of joy for me. Like, I used to be all about the muted, like, rusts and greens and denim blues and blacks and grays. And I mean, I still love those colors.

They’re definitely still in my wardrobe, but now I also wear purple and bright red and white and chartreuse and royal blue. And I’m really, really loving it. I love, kind of, expressing myself a little bit more through color and based on my mood and what I wear every day. And I just want to say it’s never too late to redefine your style. I think it helps for me that all of the birdies at Blackbird wear amazing handmade outfits on the daily, and they are definitely a constant source of inspiration for me to, like, push myself a little bit out of my style comfort zone. But yeah, wear more color. It’s really fun.

Helen: I do feel like working at Blackbird would be so fun just for the fashion inspiration and the encouragement to wear some of those more statement pieces that you might not necessarily feel comfortable wearing in a lot of work settings. Uh, but when we see the behind the scenes at Blackbird, I’m like, oh my gosh, I want to be on this team just so I can also wear, like, a bold, floral print, floor length dress to work, you know?

Caroline: And I mean, we have a lot of different people working for us and different styles, so it’s really fun to see how different individuals play around with our fabrics and yeah, totally, like, constant source of inspiration every day, so it’s a, it’s a real fun place to work in that way. But that’s my catch up, Helen. I want to hear how you’re doing and, yeah, catch everyone up on, on life lately in Helen’s world.

Helen: Yes, okay, so life update: some of you may know this, but a couple of years ago, Sam and I moved to a new town on Vancouver Island. We’re about five hours journey away from Vancouver, and we’ve been really loving it. Like, this change of scenery and change of pace has been great in so many ways for us. We were able to get a dog. Our dog, Emma, she’s a six year old Rottweiler, and she’s very sweet.

Um, and that’s meant that we’ve been spending a lot more time outdoors in the past year or so because we take her for walks every day. And we’ve just been doing more exploring, like hiking and going to various beaches and stuff, trying to find new places to hang out with her. And we’ve also taken up more water sports like paddleboarding, um, a little bit of kayaking, thanks to our proximity to the beaches here, and swimming and being in the water is, like, our top tier activity for both of us. So any chance we get, we just want to be in the water.

There’s lakes, there’s oceans, there’s rivers here, and they’re all within 30 minutes of our house, so we’ve been taking full advantage of that. And we even got wetsuits so that we could go swimming in the off-season, too. And it’s so much fun to go on, like, a blustery, November day down to the beach in your wetsuit and just, like, get in the waves and just, like, bounce around for, like, half an hour and then go home.

Caroline: It’s so awesome, and I have to say, Emma is amazing. Just to go back to Emma for a second.

Helen: Of course.

Caroline: I love your dog so much. She’s so sweet, and her and Pepper have met a few times, and they get along really well which is such a bonus for us.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: But yeah, water’s amazing, Helen. I agree.

Helen: Yeah, I know, and I, you know, we used to live in Vancouver which is also a coastal city. There’s tons of beaches and lots of water access around Vancouver, too. But it’s just one of those things where we were just, like, that much further from the water, and there’s that much more traffic ,and things are busy, and we didn’t even have a car for most of the time that we were living in, in East Van in our apartment, so it just wasn’t that feasible to go to the beach on the day-to-day. But these days, we try to go, like, once a day, if we can, and it’s just been such a really positive change in our lives. Lots of nice relaxing beach strolls, you know?

Caroline: And what’s it been like living in, like, a smaller town? I feel like I would love not having to line up for brunch. That would be, like, a huge one for me, but what, what has it been like for you?

Helen: Um, it has been really nice. I do miss certain aspects of the city, like the variety of cuisines that you can get. Um, we definitely don’t have as many options here for food, like going out to restaurants and also groceries. But other than that, it’s been amazing. And particularly, I found just the people here to be so friendly and welcoming. And a lot of folks here are from Vancouver, Victoria, like, larger cities that are nearby, so we’ve connected with lots of people who have similar stories to us, like, wanting to move to a smaller place and, and just, like, have a smaller community.

And I’ve connected with some local sewists here, too, and that’s been amazing. That’s, like, kind of, the source of how I got to meet people when I moved here which is pretty cool when you think about it. Like, otherwise, I wouldn’t have known anybody, but because of this wonderful hobby that we share, I ended up meeting up with a few people and become good friends, so that’s been really awesome. But yeah, I do enjoy the less traffic. When people complain about traffic here, I just laugh. It’s, like, nothing compared to Vancouver which has notoriously bad traffic, but yeah, it’s just been really nice, a little bit of a change of pace and change of scenery and to switch things up a little bit.

Caroline: Oh, good. I’m glad. You definitely, you guys were an inspiration for us when we were thinking about moving, we were like, oh, it seems so nice. Helen and Sam have so much more space. And that’s, kind of, like, was one of the things that inspired us to look for a house to rent so that we could have that, too, because it seemed so nice.

Helen: It is really nice to have extra space. And speaking of that, we’ve actually taken up some new hobbies since we moved, too, because we now have a garage, kind of, workshop space. So I knew that I wanted to take up woodworking. I’ve always wanted to. My dad does a lot of woodworking, and I did some in high school, and I worked with him on a few projects. And so as soon as I had the garage space, I got myself a miter saw and, like, built a miter saw bench and a table and some shelving. And then I started building, like, trellises and planters for my yard. I haven’t done any indoor projects yet, but I am excited to try making some, like, legit furniture which involves a little bit more polish and finishing. But I’ve been enjoying doing the outdoor projects where you can just, kind of, screw boards together and be like, yeah, I did it.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Yeah, it’s been so fun. I’ll definitely share some pictures of the miter saw station I built cause I’m pretty proud of that. Um, and then I also took up spoon carving because Sam got me a spoon carving kit for Christmas, so that’s been really fun. So I’ve been enjoying working with wood. It’s, sort of, similar to fabric and sewing in that you’re assembling something from pieces, but the, the actual thing, like wood versus fabric, even though some fabrics are made of wood pulp, they’re pretty different when you’re actually handling them and the tools that you use, so it has been really interesting to, kind of, switch gears and try a different hobby.

And then I also started gardening in a major way because we’re on about a third of an acre here, and there’s a lot of garden beds and a lot of beautiful, established plants which I’m very grateful to have inherited, and I just want to make sure that they don’t die. So I’ve been learning a lot about how to care for all these plants, and I’ve been having so much fun playing around and learning all about the different plants that you can grow in our climate. And I have a very shady garden, so that’s been a fun challenge, just figuring out, like, what I can put in my garden that will actually thrive in the shade. Um, so if anyone has any fave shade plants they want to share, please do.

Caroline: Awesome.

Helen: Yeah, and, of course, I haven’t stopped sewing. I’m still doing loads of sewing for the business and personally, and I’ve actually taken up quilting recently, so that has been another great creative outlet for me that’s sewing, but it’s not related to work, so for me, it really does feel like a personal sewing thing that I can do, and I’ve kept it pretty separate from my business, and I’m just enjoying working with cottons that I wouldn’t normally get to work with in my business and the process of sewing. We actually have an episode coming up all about quilting. So the process of quilting is just a little different, and I’m really enjoying that, too.

Caroline: Yeah, and tell everyone what you’re making for your first quilt.

Helen: Oh yes. I’m making a bed-sized, we’re laughing because this has been a struggle. I’m halfway through, but it’s a lot of blocks. It’s 40 blocks in this quilt. I’m making the Nova Star Quilt from Then Came June, and it’s going well. Yeah, I’m over halfway done with the blocks, and I have really been enjoying it. I’m mixing and matching loads of different, fun colors to keep myself interested and excited about the project.

Caroline: It’s so beautiful. I mean, I am so impressed with you and your quilting journey because you’ve gone full on with the bed-sized quilt, and the blocks that you’re doing are so intricate looking. Like, I can’t imagine how much time it takes to put together a block, and it just seems, like, really hard to me to wrap my head around all those points.

Helen: I tend to do this when I get into a new hobby, like when I first took up knitting, I was like, I’m going to make a color work sweater.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Out of fingering weight yarn, like, and I did it, and it was really, really hard, but it’s almost like I like to dive in, like, literally to the deep end and then swim to the shallow end after.

Caroline: I mean, that’s, if that’s what you enjoy in a creative hobby, then that’s absolutely what you should do.

Helen: Thank you. I’m really, I’m committed to finishing this quilt. I’m going to do it.

Caroline: Oh, you 100% will do it.

Helen: Yeah. It may take years, but it’s going to happen.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: And then at Helen’s Closet, it’s been a pretty exciting past year because it’s been all about getting more help with my business. I did feel like I hit a bit of a wall about a year and a half ago where I was feeling so overwhelmed, and like, burnout was, like, right around the corner. Like, I’m like, if I keep feeling this way on, like, a day-to-day or week-to-week basis, like, I’m going to get to a point where I don’t want to do this anymore.

And that’s obviously not where you want to be because I do love making patterns, and I love sewing, and I love my community and my customers, but it was just all of the things, like, having to do all of the development and marketing and social media and administration, accounting, and like, I didn’t really have anybody helping me with anything other than Sam, of course, my support system and helping me with emails.

But this year I’ve brought on so many more people to help with the business, and it’s been a really positive experience. So I am super proud of the changes that we’ve made in the past year, and I’m really thankful for the freelancers that I now have helping me out regularly. It’s been a total game changer.

Caroline: Good Congrats. That is so awesome that you made those changes. You, like, saw the problem, you figured it out, and now you’re in a better place.

Helen: Yes. Yeah. So now, if anyone’s curious, I have a social media manager, uh, I have a pattern developer, a customer service person, that’s Sam. If you email us asking for your pattern files, he’s the one who will get back to you. Um, a sample sewer and a newsletter and blog content creator/curator person. So in addition to our pattern drafter that we work with to draft our patterns. So it’s a lot. There’s a lot of people involved now, and I do spend more time touching base with all those people and meeting with them each week.

But, it doesn’t feel too much like I’m managing a bunch of people. It feels more like I actually have a team, um, and that’s really exciting, and I’m really enjoying that feeling and not having to, like, bear the full load myself, um, and spreading the responsibilities around and just having other people to weigh in and pitch ideas and, and get excited about things that we’re doing in the business. So I really look forward to seeing what more we can do with all these people in the next year and potentially hiring more help as well. I’ve really seen the light of what can be, so I’m just really excited about the prospects.

Caroline: Aw, congrats. You have also come a long way in the last couple years. So, congratulations on where you’re at.

Helen: Aw, thank you.

Caroline: It’s a good place to be.

Helen: I also feel grateful that there’s been such a boom in sewing. Like, I do think that that, sort of, stereotypical like, I made a mask, and now I make my clothes. This thing happened for a lot of people. Like, it was a real thing, and we’re still seeing new people coming in every day and buying patterns and discovering the podcast and fabrics. And it’s just so fun to have new people coming in. And I’m so grateful for, like, the boost in the business. Um, and I hope that’s a trend that continues.

Caroline: Aw, yay.

Helen: Yeah. So currently we are working on patterns for release in 2022, but taking a little bit of a break from releasing things this fall, um, so that we can get ahead. I’ve always wanted to be working a bit further ahead, but I’ve never really been able to achieve that. And I’m often, like, developing patterns down to the wire, but in order to get ahead, I, kind of, need to take a breather and then start working on things off-season. So right now we’re working for, like, the end of winter and spring of 2022, and I’ll tell you what we have planned if you’re curious.

Caroline: Uh, yeah.

Helen: We have a classic button up shirt with the collar stand and the plackets, and I’m just so excited about the instructions for this one cause they’re going to be amazing. We are also working on a pair of jeans. Ah, jeans!

Caroline: Ah! My gosh!

Helen: I’ve always wanted to do jeans in the collection, and it’s a little intimidating, but I’m so excited with the direction that these jeans are going. They are tapered but loose fitting still, and they have, like, a high waist, nineties’ style, I don’t want to call them a mom jean cause I’m not a huge fan of the term, but I would say they’re more, like, an original cut.

Caroline: Mhm. Okay. I feel like this is right up my alley.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: I cannot wait to make them.

Helen: I think you’ll really like them.

Caroline: I’m so excited.

Helen: And then we have a wrap top coming out as well as a pair of undies that I’m really excited about. These have been a long time coming. I’ve teased them on the show previously, and I just did not get around to them in 2021, so those are still on the docket. And then we started doing a new overalls design which I’m really excited about. I love my Yantas, but these ones are going to be a little different, a different direction. Who says you can’t have two overalls in your collection?

Caroline: Oh, nobody. I mean, I would never say that.

Helen: Right? Why not have three? Anyways, we’re so excited for all the new patterns, and I can’t wait to share more, and thanks for listening to me ramble.

Caroline: Yeah. Well, thank you to everyone for listening to both of us ramble. Hopefully, that was fun for you to get a little catch-up. Um, but we did ask our listeners to send in questions, and you guys definitely delivered, so let’s get into some questions.

Helen: Yes. The first one is very much for you, Caroline. @weedstowildflowers asked, “What are your favorite recent recipes?”

Caroline: Uh, yes. Well, they, they actually said, “What is your favorite recent recipe?” but I could not pick just one, so I appreciate that reframe, Helen.

Helen: I knew this would happen.

Caroline: Um, I share recipes a lot on Patreon, as well, cause I’m always trying to make different new things, and I love sharing my favorites. So I have three today. The first one is so good and adaptable. It’s not the most seasonal because it includes tomatoes, but, um, or fresh tomatoes, but I had to mention it because it’s one of my new favorites. It’s bon apétit’s Falafel-Spiced Tomatoes and Chickpeas on Flatbread. And this recipe actually has you make flatbread, but I’ve done it with, like, thicker pita bread or, like, a naan bread, um, any kind of flatbread that you can buy in the store totally works.

I think the star of this is really the yogurt, and there’s, like, a spice mixture that you’re putting on top of the tomatoes and chickpeas and, and, kind of, layer it on top, and you, sort of, eat it like an open-faced sandwich or something. Um, but it’s so good. It has, like, warm spices and, like, a really fresh, tangy yogurt. And I really like mixing the spices into the chickpeas and almost making, like, a chickpea salad. This is where it comes, the adaptable side comes in. Like, you can have it as, like, a flatbread, but you can also have it almost deconstructed in a bowl. And it’s just so, so good. The flavors are amazing and just really, like, refreshing, a great vegetarian meal if you’re looking for veggie meals. So had to plug that one.

Second recipe I need to share, because Shea and I are obsessed right now, is Smitten Kitchen’s hot fudge. We’re living, like, a hot fudge lifestyle right now, okay? We both love ice cream, and we have, like, our little bowl of vanilla ice cream with hot fudge almost every night, and it’s so, so good. This recipe makes, like, a tub of it, and then you can keep it in your fridge, and you just warm up, like, a scoop and it’s delightful. So I need to, need to tell everyone to try it.

Helen: Cannot stress this enough.

Caroline: And then finally, I recently made the Strip Steak au Poivre recipe from Molly Baz which is in her cookbook, Cook This Book, but it’s also online, so we’ll link it in the show notes. Really good, like, fancy steak recipe if you’re looking for something to make for guests or for a loved one, or just for yourself, if you want to treat yourself. So, so good. It has, like, cognac and onions and, like, lots of pepper in it. It’s delicious. So those are my three favorite recipes, but I have to say, it was practically impossible to choose. I could go on.

Helen: I really think you need to start a food blog, Caroline. Come on. Give the people what they want.

Caroline: Shea keeps telling me I need to, like, have, like, a cookbook, like, write, eventually release a cookbook.

Helen: Aw! That would be so great.

Caroline: Alright, our next question is for you, Helen. And it’s from @selenatothemax, “I know Helen’s mentioned playing board games in the past. What is your and Sam’s current favorite?”

Helen: Oh, I love this question. Yes, we still very much enjoy board games. I mean, there was a little bit of a lull there during the pandemic where we were just playing two player games all the time, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Two player games can be awesome, um, but it’s exciting to be able to play in person with people. And one of our favorite games right now is called Wingspan, and it is a bird collecting themed game. So you have a habitat, and then it’s a card-based game where you get to, like, put, play birds in your habitat and then you lay eggs on them, and it’s just so satisfying. We’ve really been enjoying it. It’s absolutely beautiful, too, which is something I always gravitate towards in a board game. So definitely recommend Wingspan.

The next one is called Gans Shon Clever, and that’s a German game. Translates to, “That’s Pretty Clever.” And it’s a dice rolling game where you fill out a chart as you roll the die, and it’s super satisfying. Great two player, but it scales upm and it’s a fast one, too. Fast and small, so a good travel game.

And then lastly, for the people out there that love a long haul strategy game, the game Scythe. I feel like this is one of the best games ever made. It is just so good. Sam’s actually currently painting all of the minis that come with this game, and I think he’ll be done by the time this comes out, so we’ll get a picture for the show notes, but he’s been working really hard on that. And it’s one of our absolute favorite games. Uh, I think it plays up to nine if you get the expansion. So that’s a, that’s a big one if you have that many people, it can take, like, five or six hours. So it’s a commitment…

Caroline: Wow.

Helen: …but thoroughly enjoyable, like, area control, kind of, game.

Caroline: Sounds awesome.

Helen: I know I am such a board game nerd.

Caroline: What is an area control game? I have no idea, but I’m sure there are people out there who will know what you’re talking about.

Helen: Well, you know, like, Risk or something, like, classic, like, I got this area, you have that area, and then we’re trying to, like, get more areas and take over each other’s spaces.

Caroline: Cool.

Helen: Yeah. Cool.

Caroline: Awesome.

Helen: Is it though? It is, yeah, it is.

Caroline: It is. It totally is. Oh my gosh. Okay. This next question is a difficult one to answer, but we have to try. It’s from @faithmonster93, and they wrote, “What is your favorite garment you have ever sewn for yourself and why?”

Helen: Oh, I missed the “and why?” part. I don’t know if I can do ever sewn. I had to go back and look at my blog to, like, see what I’ve made over the years and try to pick something. But I just went with this year because I couldn’t narrow it down. So, um, this year, my favorite two makes have been my boiled wool Pona Jacket. It’s, like, a long, almost floor length, gray boiled wool Pona Jacket, where I did all the exposed seaming, and I made some modifications to the pattern to have some really cool style lines happening. And it is just so luxurious. I feel like I am like a queen when I’m wearing this jacket, and it’s just perfect. I don’t wear it often. I’ll admit that. But when I do, I feel so…

Caroline: It’s so chic.

Helen: …so chic. And then second is my railroad striped Yanta Overalls because these make me feel so freaking cute. I just love wearing them. I’m, like, walking on cloud nine when I’m wearing these overalls. And I really like the belt loops that I added to the pattern to, like, cinch it in at the waist. So we’ll put pics in the show notes. How about you, Caroline?

Caroline: Oh my gosh. This was really hard. I also, like, went back and looked at my Instagram and I went to my closet and I, like, stared at my closet for a while. I was like, what is my favorite? And it, sort of, depends to me, like, what I’m weighing, you know. Is it, like, my favorite in a sentimental way? Or is it my favorite in the sense that it gets the most wear?

So I’m going to say more on the side of, like, a garment that has served me super well, and that I still love to wear, like, even a couple of years after making it. And that is my black Yanta Overalls. And I would say the reason is because they can take me from, like, a cute outfit at work to the pottery studio, and I always feel really adorable in them. I always get compliments on them. People always ask me like, where I bought them or what the pattern is if they sew. They just, like, are really comfortable. They’re really easy to throw on. And now they’re mostly just, like, my pottery studio overalls. And I just love them so much. They’ve seen, like, a lot of life out of life, a lot of my life.

Helen: They’ve seen some stuff.

Caroline: They’ve seen some things. Yeah.

Helen: This is a thing I find with Yana Overalls and I’m, I know I’m tooting my own horn right now, but every time I wear them, people ask me where I got them or compliment me on them. They are, like, very comment-able. And I’ve heard this from other folks as well. Like, every time I wear these someone inevitably asks me about them.

Caroline: Yeah, no, absolutely. Absolutely. They’re such a good pattern.

Helen: Alright, Carolyn from [@covestitchworks] wants to know, “Favorite indoor plant?”

Caroline: Oh, this one is really hard, too, because my house is brimming with plants, and they’re all my babies. It’s, like, really hard to pick a favorite, but if I have to pick a favorite, uh, it would be my dwarf fiddle leaf fig. I got it recently, and I have not killed it yet. It’s actually quite happy right now, and it’s so cute. It’s, like, a fiddle leaf fig but mini.

Helen: Aw, I want one.

Caroline: I love it so much, so that would be my favorite right now. What about you?

Helen: Ooh,, I have to say I have a Ctenanthe, which I had to look up the pronunciation of because it starts with a C, surprise C, but it’s commonly known as the Never Never Plant. And the leaves on this plant are so beautiful. The underside is, kind of, reddish and then the front side is, like, a sage-y green with, like, a forest green outline. It’s, like, stripey almost. Just gorgeous.

And I have to mention, also, that I have a very large fiddle leaf fig that I had at my office in Vancouver, and it almost died in the move. Something fell on it in the truck and snapped one of its, like, main branches off.

Caroline: No!

Helen: And then it was, like, wilting and, like, dropping all its leaves for months, and I, like, persevered, I just, like, kept watering it, and I was like, you’re gonna be okay. And it’s finally bounced back, so that has been so much fun to watch. It’s about, like, nine feet tall, and I’m just really glad it survived because I think it’s so awesome.

Caroline: Oh, it is no joke that plant. It is huge.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: And very happy. Last time I was at your place, it looked very happy.

Helen: Yes. I think it has finally come around, and it’s enjoying its new spot.

Caroline: Congrats. You brought it back to life. @e_sassyflower asked, “Favorite animal?”

Helen: Oh, I love this question. I love octopuses, and I loved them before the Octopus Teacher came out. Although, that was a really great little bit of television. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Caroline: Isn’t it octopi, not octopuses?

Helen: Oh yeah. You’re right. Helen, how can you love octopi if you don’t even know how to say octopi?

Caroline: That’s okay. I totally, um, did not do this question right, I don’t think, because I put Pepper is my favorite animal.

Helen: Like choosing between your pets?

Caroline: Yeah. Or just, like, generally fav-, she’s just my favorite animal in the whole world.

Helen: But you, you and Shea have been very honest that, like, Pepper is your favorite, and Fraidy is Shea’s favorite, so they both get love.

Caroline: Yes, they do. Yes. Yes. Fraidy is Shea’s boy, and Pepper is my girl. Absolutely. And I think that they, it’s, like, a mutual feeling. Like, Fraidy definitely loves Shea more than me, and Pepper loves me maybe a little bit more than Shea.

Helen: Fair.

Caroline: So, it’s okay. Oh my gosh. Okay. What’s this next question, Helen?

Helen: @thelyristitch asks, “If you could bring back any fashion trend, what would you pick?”

Caroline: Okay. I did some Googling for this one cause I was like, I, I feel like fashion trends recycle often, and so a lot of the ones that I was thinking of are ones that, like, already are being brought back or already are, have been brought back out.

Helen: Or the ones I could think of that came to mind is, like, things I wore when I was, like, early teens, I would, I don’t want them to come back.

Caroline: Yeah. Like, I don’t want the low waisted jeans to come back from my, from my high school years.

Helen: I feel like there was a couple of, there were everyone had, like, a sweater and a sweatpants that had, like, cute written across, like, the chest or the butt.

Caroline: No, but I was thinking don’t you think that, like, really lovely, fancy gloves would be fun, especially right now?

Helen: Yes!

Caroline: At the time that we were living, I was looking it up and in the early 20th century, gloves were worn practically everywhere, regardless of the occasion. So I feel like we should bring that back.

Helen: It makes so much sense. I was just thinking the other day that I would love to have a pair of, like, well-fitting leather gloves that, like, molds to your hand, even, like, a faux leather that would just, like, I don’t know, grow into your hand and, like, become super comfy, and I think that would be a step up from my, like, dollar store gloves that I usually wear in wintertime.

Caroline: What is your fashion trend that you would like to bring back?

Helen: Well, I don’t know if these are out of style necessarily, but bandanas because Sam has been wearing these a lot lately, like, tying them around his forehead and wearing them under, like, a ball cap or just, like, cause to, you know, to keep the hair, because he’s growing his hair out, so to keep that out of his eyes, and they look so cute. You can tie them around your neck, or you can tie them around your pets. I mean…

Caroline: Oh, it’s so cute. Shea used to wear bandanas when I first met him, like that, like across his forehead like that.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: So cute.

Helen: It is adorable.

Caroline: I love that look.

Helen: I think that’s awesome. So bring back the bandana.

Caroline: Yeah, bring it back.

Helen: Okay, now we have a few questions about our businesses. Maya wrote, “Hey Helen and Caroline! I recently started a small business, and I am wondering if you have any advice or things you wish you’d known or realized in your first year. Much love!”

Caroline: This is a good question that I actually get asked a lot, and I feel like it’s hard to say because I wouldn’t necessarily change how things went with my business. I feel like I learned a lot and yeah, just, like, every experience that you have as a business owner buil-, you build on that, and you learn from that. And so I probably wouldn’t be where I am today without all of the things that happened before, including all the mistakes that I made.

But one thing I did think of is that I wish I had sought out a quote unquote board of directors early on in my, like, personal/professional life. I’m using quotes because I’m not talking, like, board of directors, like, you know, shareholders or, or, you know, like a, an official board of directors. It’s more just a group of people that you really trust and you can talk business to and use as, like, a sounding board support system, and that will give you honest feedback.

So not necessarily, like, your partner or your best friend, but somebody who maybe has a little bit of a business background or maybe extended family or friend of a friend, just people who you can connect with. And sometimes you can find that person or those people through, like, a small business group. And I know I joined a small business group a few years into my business, and that was amazing for me to keep me accountable and keep me moving forward. So I wish I had done that sooner, like, joined a small business group or done something to try to connect with people that are in the same stage of their business as me.

Um, because in my first couple of years I was quite isolated. I was working from home. I was doing everything myself, and that was really hard. And I think it, sort of, meant that things moved a little bit slower in those days. And I was really hard on myself, and I think it would have been helpful to connect with other business owners at that time in my business.

Helen: Yeah. That’s a really good piece of advice, and it can be challenging when you feel like you don’t have all the answers or you don’t know what you’re doing, to walk into those spaces and share with other business owners, and you feel intimidated about, like, what are they going to think of me if I don’t know how to do my accounting properly? Or, like, things like that. But you learn so much, and people are generally very supportive in those kind of environments. So that’s great advice.

Caroline: Yeah. What about you?

Helen: I thought about this for a while, and the one thing that kept coming up was that I wish I had, like, let myself appreciate where I was at, rather than thinking about where I wanted to be so much. And I know you want to, like, think about your goals and that can help to push you forward, and it’s really great to have, like, a vision for where you see your business and where you see yourself, but that can sometimes take away from all the amazing stuff you’re doing when you’re small, and being small is so awesome. Like, you have more chances to connect one-on-one with people and your customers. You have more freedom to explore ideas and take your time. You might have less time pressure in the early days of your business.

Um, and there’s so many firsts to celebrate. So I also want to say, like, don’t skip the celebrations. Like, you only do things first once. You’re only going to launch your first product once or get your first customer once or make your first dollar once. And like, yes, you know, if you make $10, you might think to yourself, like, well, that’s fine, but obviously, I need to be making way more than that to, like, support myself and sustain myself and be where I want to be in five years.

But you made $10, it’s so cool. Like, you made that money. Really need to stop and appreciate those small wins and, like, take pictures and document because it’s so cool that you’re doing this, and you are going to want to look back at those early years. So I definitely recommend taking your time, enjoying being small, and documenting and celebrating the small wins.

Caroline: This is such good advice, Helen. This is something my leadership coach is trying to have me do more, even right now at this stage in my business, because I feel like as a business owner, you focus so much on the challenges and that’s, like, what, kind of, occupies your brain space most of the time. So when something goes well and something is worth celebrating, it’s so important to take that time to acknowledge that, as a business owner, even if it’s just, like, a toast with your partner that evening or doing some kind of a self-care act for yourself and recognizing, like, I’m doing this because I’m celebrating this success that I had or this milestone that I reached. So that’s such good advice.

Helen: Yay. I love giving out business advice.

Caroline: Okay. Elizabeth @poppinselizabeth wrote, “I am wanting to start my own pattern making business and want to ask Helen how you got the skills needed to draft and sell patterns and how you got started.”

Helen: Ooh, perfect. More business advice. Okay. I do recommend Pattern Workshop. It’s an online course that you can take, and it is specifically about indie pattern design in this niche industry. It’s, kind of, the only course available right now of its kind. It’s quite good. So I would recommend checking that out. We’ll link it in the show notes. I also recommend the book Patternmaking for Fashion Design by Helen Joseph Armstrong, fellow Helen. Um, just a great book. They often use this book in fashion design school. Um, it outlines how to draft lots of different things. Um, so it’s a really great learning resource if you want to just start playing around with drafting stuff for yourself.

And then there are some cheaper software options out there. There’s Seamly2D which I believe has a free option. And then there’s Wild Ginger which is fairly affordable. A lot of drafting software can be really pricey. So before you get too far into it, maybe check out these cheaper alternatives first.

And then my last piece of advice is to sew all the indie patterns you can get your hands on. Of course, you can do the big four as well. You’ll learn lots from that experience, too, but sew lots of different companies. Take notes as you’re going along. What do you like? What do you don’t like? What are they doing well? What trends are you seeing? Um, how do you want to approach it?

Think about all of these things as you’re sewing these other indie patterns. It’s, sort of, like, competitive analysis, if you will. And you’re also gonna learn so much about sewing and lots of different techniques that you might want to incorporate in your patterns, too. So I think that is, like, the biggest thing that you can do right now if you’re interested in starting a pattern,making business and doing indie patterns, is just sew lots of indie patterns.

Alright, @iamacraftymama asks, “How do you balance your jobs, podcasts, and sewing life? What does that look like?”

Caroline: Ooh, it’s a, it’s a fun, fun thing to balance what we do.

Helen: Balance is an interesting word.

Caroline: No, honestly, I feel like I have become more balanced in recent years. Um, and part of that is just putting less pressure on myself to do it all. But in terms of my day job, which is Blackbird, uh, generally I work, like, a standard schedule of nine to five, Monday to Friday. Wednesdays, I work from home to give myself some, like, really focused work time and a little bit of flexibility in my schedule. I find having that break, working from home in the middle of my week, really helps with my, kind of, stress, anxiety, mental health, so that has been really great.

With the pod, so we used to meet a lot more often, but we’ve, sort of, managed to streamline things quite a bit with the podcast in recent years. So we batch record the pod four to five times a year for about two to three days straight. Is that, that’s probably accurate, right?

Helen: Yeah. I think that’s what we’ve been doing lately, and it’s been working so well. And yeah, those two to three days are great cause we take time off from our regular gigs, and we just get together on Zoom and we record, record, record.

Caroline: Exactly, and then we also meet monthly to record our bonus content for Patreon. And every week, especially during the season, uh, we have a call with our assistant where we can just, like, connect and catch up on everything that’s going on and, sort of, touch base on different projects and episode preps and all the different things that go into making this podcast run smoothly.

And I would say, like, the podcast is just, kind of, part of our routine now. It doesn’t feel like too much work. It’s, like, just enough. We’ve really managed to make some changes over the years to make it, like, a really sustainable side hustle for us, or I’ll speak for myself, I don’t know if you would agree, but, um, it feels very sustainable and just, like, part of my life now.

Helen: Um, I’ve actually been meaning to talk to you, Caroline, about…

Caroline: I thought you were serious for a second there. I was like, you’re going to do this now, Helen?

Helen: Now? Really? No, some of you may know we’ve switched to seasons in the last year, and that has been really great for both of us, just giving us a bit more time to prepare for the show and to work with our assistant to do that. So that has been a really great shift in making it more sustainable. I’m so glad we made that change because it did, sort of, reinvigorate our energy for the podcast.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. I’m happy, too. And then in terms of my sewing life, um, I’m definitely in, like, a low pressure season of sewing. So I’m thrilled if I sew more than one garment a month, and I try to fit it in in, like, little chunks when I feel up for it. And I try not to worry too much about finishing a project, and I just, kind of, make small progress. So I sew a couple of times a month, I’d say, and I’ll just fit in whenever I can.

And then other life stuff that, kind of, balances between it all would be, like working out. I do a morning ritual now where I meditate and I gratitude journal, so that happens every day. I cook a lot. I go for walks with Pep. I do pottery. Staying grounded with my morning ritual has helped me so much to, like, focus and feel like I can, sort of, balance it all. So if anyone is feeling, like, ungrounded or out of balance, try a little, like, 15 minute morning ritual. It has really changed my life.

And yeah, sometimes, like, being able to balance it all just means, like, letting some things go and listening to my mind and my body when I need a break. Um, and really becoming more in tune with that has helped me to feel like I can balance all the things I have going on.

Helen: Yeah. I love hearing about your morning routine over on Patreon.

Caroline: So tell me, how do you balance it all, Helen?

Helen: Well, I will say the balance has improved a lot in the last year thanks to all of the help that I was talking about earlier. So for my work day, I work about five hours a day on Helen’s Closet stuff, usually, um, from about eight to two, so more in the morning time, and then I’ll take a bit, a lunch in there somewhere, and I’ve found this to be, sort of, my max hours for the day. Sometimes I do go over, but for the most part, I can’t work for more than, like, four or five hours without, like, I just can’t, it just doesn’t work. My brain stops working.

Caroline: And that’s fine.

Helen: Yeah, exactly.

Caroline: That’s awesome that you have a job where you can do that, right?

Helen: Totally, and I think a lot of other folks would probably be in that same boat, but the structure of the, sort of, nine to five workday that has become the standard is challenging when, like, you can’t mentally do more than that successfully. So in, you know, times when I have had day jobs, there’s definitely been, like, trying to balance that throughout the day.

And, like, there’s moments when you’re, sort of, sitting there refreshing your inbox, trying to, like, force yourself to work more. So being an entrepreneur, it’s been nice for me being able to scale back and just be like, I’m just going to work for four hours straight, like, deep, dedicated work and then have the afternoons off.

And sometimes I do sewing in the afternoon, as long as it’s not screen time, that’s fine. It’s just a lot of computer time, uh, with what I do, surprisingly. You’d think I’d be sewing all the time, but it is a lot of computer time. So I do try to balance that, and sometimes I’ll do more sewing in the afternoon, um, and even into the evening for the business.

But I do try to take evenings and weekends off as best I can. And then when I’m not working, the rest of my days are primarily spent with Sam. We’re, kind of, joined at the hip. We both work from home and live at home together, so we’re spending a ton of time together, um, and that’s the way we like it. We take Emma for walks, we work on house projects together, do hobbies. We love to hang out in our kitchen. We’re almost always in there, cooking and listening to records. It’s another thing that changed when we moved to our new home is that we got a record player and started a record collection, so that’s been growing over the past year or two, and it’s been so much fun, um, to listen to music via records instead of via Spotify. I’m really enjoying that.

Caroline: That is awesome. Yeah, you guys do have quite the record collection. When Shea and I came to visit recently, we had, we’ve spent tons of time in your kitchen, and the records are playing in the background, and the vibes were just so good.

Helen: There is something about spinning a record while you’re hanging out, having a cocktail and a little appetizer and yeah, I just love it. It’s great. Um, I’ve also been going to my local gym regularly. My friend Morgan owns and runs a gym here, and it is so much fun there. I’ve been doing kettlebells, um, which I didn’t know was actually a sport that people compete in, not just, like, a bell that you use during workouts.

So I’ve been going to these kettlebell classes where I’m learning the sport techniques that they do, um, and it’s been so much fun. Maybe I’ll join the club and compete one day. We’ll see. That would be cool, but that’s a great way for me to get out of the house and the studio because I do spend so much time at home. So I need things like that to just force me to leave and go and interact with other people in other spaces. Uh, that can be a challenge sometimes.

And then I do larger, personal sewing projects on the weekends. And I prefer to sew on rainy days when I know I’m not missing out on any sunshine that’s happening, or I feel like I should be out in the garden or something like that. So if it’s pouring rain, I’ll often be in my studio on the weekends, and I’ve been pretty good about not working on weekends these days. It’s something that took years to prioritize and figure out, especially in the early years when business was a side hustle, so it was only happening on the weekends. So to adjust, to taking evenings and weekends off can be challenging, but I think I, I’ve got that down now.

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. I think that’s something we ha-, we could probably work on for the podcast a little bit cause we find ourselves sometimes recording on a weekend day or evening once in a while. And when we’re there, we’re like, why are we doing this? We should do this during the day. But sometimes, um, schedules don’t necessarily allow it, but we should try.

Helen: Yeah, I know. It’s one of those things where you’re looking at a calendar you’re like, oh, future Helen won’t mind if we just record on a Sunday. It’ll be great.

Caroline: Okay. Our next set of questions is all about sewing which is obviously our favorite thing to talk about, think about, and do. So let’s start with this question from Sylvie, “As a sewist planning a trip to Vancouver, I would like to know your favorite shopping spots for fabric and yarn shopping! Thank you for the best sewing podcast!”

Helen: Ooh! Perfect. Okay, so you’ve got to go to Dressew. Absolutely hands down, number one, got to go there. There’s also Spool of Thread which is really great. There’s Atex which is right across the street from Dressew, so you can hit them up. Button Button right around the corner from Dressew and Atex, so there’s, like, a little nexus of shopping and all in one area. Um, and Button Button only sells buttons. It’s a store dedicated to buttons. They have so many buttons, and it’s amazing. Um, and then for yarn, I would check out Baaad Annas in East Van. Uh, that’s where I used to buy all my yarn, and I miss it there.

Caroline: And all of these places are in really good areas of this city where there’s, like, yummy food and other things to check out like good bookstores and shops and stuff. So definitely worth visiting all of those places.

Helen: Yeah. You’ll have so much fun. Okay @katelearnstosew asks, “What are you planning to sew as Christmas gifts?”

Caroline: My reaction to this was like, I don’t sew Christmas gifts.

Helen: If anyone’s getting a gift from me, they are very lucky.

Caroline: Yeah. That was what I wrote down. So my answer is nothing. What about you, Helen?

Helen: I am planning to make some aprons because we are actually working on a free apron pattern. It’s coming your way very soon. Hoping to get it out, like, mid-November so that people can get started on it for the holidays. But I know we have aprons in our collection already, and I love aprons. So this one is a classic chef’s apron. It’s going to be called the Sam Apron. It’s named after Sam because he is chef extraordinaire. Uh, so that’s gonna be out soon, and I’m so excited to make a bunch of them as holiday gifts. So, yeah.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Okay. That’s exciting.

Helen: Yeah, you gotta try it.

Caroline: Okay. What’s a mistake you keep making over and over, like a sewing mistake?

Helen: A sewing mistake. I was like, oh no. I always try to cut stripes and plaids on the fold because I really don’t want to cut things flat and, like, have to flip the pattern piece over and go through that rigmarole and, like, spread things out on the table, and it takes up so much more room. So I always try to cut stripes and plaids on the fold, and then they’re always wonky.

Caroline: Yeah. I’m, I’ve been there.

Helen: How about you?

Caroline: Um, my thing would probably be that I don’t always read through instructions before I start sewing, and sometimes I pay for that later, which is fine, but that would be the mistake that I tend to make over and over.

Helen: It’s like when you flip back in the booklet, and you’re like, oh, oh…

Caroline: My most recent one would be, um, I’m working on a Granger Coat from Muna and Broad. And you were, like, if I had read the instructions, I would have known that I was supposed to cut out the pieces with, like, an inch of extra around because when you quilt it shrinks, and then you, like, then trim it down to the pattern piece size after it’s been quilted, but I cut my pieces to size and then quilted them. So it’s not as oversized as maybe it was designed to be because everything just shrunk down a tiny bit, um, but it’s fine. It’s going to be fine.

Helen: Yeah, it’s, kind of, an oversized jacket. You’ll, you’re good.

Caroline: And that question was from, uh, @bethkalexander. I forgot to say. Thank you, Beth, for your question.

Helen: @karenmiliemcbride asks, “What is your most disastrous make?”

Caroline: I had to think back for this one cause I haven’t had any major disasters recently. I would say probably the time I burned a hole in, like, the boob area of my brand new top. I was finished sewing it and just doing a final press, and it was a polyester satin, that was my first mistake. And then the iron just totally burned a hole. I was, like, very shocked at the time, definitely cried, but it was almost 10 years ago. So I’m, I’m over it. I swear.

Helen: You also mended it and wore it. So…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …good for you.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s not in my rotation or wardrobe anymore, but I d-, I did wear it. Yes.

Helen: I cut a big hole in a dress when I was serging it in high school. I was running it through this, it was, like, basically done, and I was running it through the serger to finish the seam, and you know how sometimes fabric can get caught up underneath, and it, like, went through the blade. I wasn’t being careful, and it went through the blade, and I cut this, like, big gash in the front of this dress. Uh, I’ll never forget that feeling. Like, just like, like, you know, when the world just, sort of, stops, and everything’s like, whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop. What did I do? No! Yeah. Terrible, terrible, terrible.

Caroline: Okay. @thelilacelk asked, “If you could sew only one pattern for the rest of your life, what would it be?”

Helen: Ooh. Um, I mean, I’d love, like, a jumpsuit pattern with, like, a zillion views that had everything I could ever need.

Caroline: This is cheating. It has to be a pattern that exists, Helen. You can’t just conjure up a non-existent pattern.

Helen: I mean, I’m a pattern maker, so I can do that. Thank you very much. Probably the Ashton top. I mean, it’s got the sleeve expansion. You can turn it into a dress. I could probably hack some legs on there if I need to. Uh, it’d be great.

Caroline: Yeah, I’m, sort of, in a similar thought process. I think I would do the Wiksten Shift Top and Dress, and I would just hack the crap out of it.

Helen: Perfect. @queen_ambrosia_ asks, ”Is there something about sewing slash fabrics that still has you mystified?”

Caroline: Ooh, I couldn’t think of one for this, but yours is pretty good.

Helen: Yes. I would like to know which is the warp and which is the weft.

Caroline: I have a trick for this one.

Helen: Oh, good.

Caroline: The weft goes from left to right.

Helen: Oh, wefty lefty.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Okay. That’s actually very helpful. I think I will remember it now.

Caroline: Okay. @lalu.bymaria asked, “If you could magically do one sewing thing at the snap of your fingers, what would it be?”

Helen: I put taping and cutting patterns. Often, we’ll print copy shop these days, but sometimes I’ll still print and tape if I’m really jazzed, and I just want to get going. So if I could just snap my fingers and have that part all done, the paper part done, that’d be great.

Caroline: That’s a pretty good one. I wrote welt pockets because they just stress me out so much cause you’re cutting in to your fabric before you’ve, like, completed the thing and, like, so many things can go wrong and yeah, welt pockets, I’d love to snap my fingers and have that be done for me.

Helen: Totally. I just snap my fingers and skip it. I’m like, nope. Patch pocket.

Caroline: Okay @sewing.at.no99 asked, “Do you have any unfulfilled sewing ambitions? Example, types of garments or techniques you want to try?”

Helen: Oh, I love this one. Most of mine involved fancy fabrics. Like, I’d love to make, like, a see-through organza top or dress, or, like, a lace top or a velvet jumpsuit or, like, a sequined gown. Like, I want to work with all of the fancy, shiny things that I don’t wear on my day-to-day, and I don’t prioritize those projects for that reason cause I won’t wear them, but it would be so fun to do those kinds of things.

Caroline: Oh yeah. I love the idea of an organza top or dress that you can, like, layer. So cool.

Helen: Yeah. I wasn’t gonna layer it.

Caroline: Oh, okay, cool. Al-, Also, cool. I support you. Okay. I dream of, like, a gumdrop pink linen blazer and trouser set.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: I have the fabric, Helen. I have the patterns. I’m going to make this.

Helen: Which patterns are you going to use?

Caroline: Heather blazer and the pants I want to, like, muslin a couple different versions to see which one I want to do best. The Fabric Store has, um, a trouser pattern that I really like, but it has welt pockets, so I’m, kind of, avoiding it. I could also do, like, an elastic waist pair of pants. I think that would maybe, like, make me wear them more. But I just love the idea of, like, a really chic matching, like, bright pink linen pantsuit.

Helen: You have to do this. You have to. It’ll be so cool.

Caroline: It’ll be so cool, right?

Helen: It’ll be so good.

Caroline: Yeah. It’s going to happen.

Helen: Spring 2021.

Caroline: Okay. There were some listeners who wanted to know a bit more about the podcast. So let’s start off with @studio.sarchelle. They asked, “How have you each personally changed or evolved through your podcasting journey?”

Helen: I love this question, and I think that the show has really taught me how to be more open to feedback. Like, running a business and putting ourselves out there for this show has been a real whirlwind, a huge learning curve, and it’s still early days. I mean, four year anniversary, amazing, but who knows where we’ll take it from here? And we’ve heard lots of different opinions and points of view from our listeners over the years. And that has been really helpful in not only guiding the show but also our respective businesses. And I think I’ve learned how to take on feedback, and even criticism, with a more open heart and open mind, not take it so personally and being respectful of other people’s points of view and trying to see things from other people’s perspectives, and that has been so valuable, not just with the podcast, but my personal life as well.

Caroline: Mhm. Yeah, it’s so true. I’m, kind of, my answer is pretty similar to yours. I wrote that the podcast has really opened up my world, like, in ways that I don’t think I would have experienced otherwise. And I’ve learned so much from our listeners over the years and from our guests. I think we’ve learned a lot from our guests. And even some of these things have been, like, hard lessons to learn, but it’s definitely kept me on my toes. And while it has been, you know, challenging, sometimes I know that I’m a better person for making this podcast, so…

Helen: Yeah. So cool. Also, like, global friends, you know?

Caroline: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Those connections have been amazing. @sewnotapro asked, “What has been the most rewarding part of hosting and working on the podcast?”

Helen: Oh, well, similarly, it’s connecting with you, like, our community episodes are always so much fun, the ones where we ask for your feedback on certain topics and we read it on the show, and we feel so lucky to be able to connect and share about sewing with you all and make this show all about sewing for people to listen to who love sewing. And we love working with our team members and with each other. It’s a really fun part of our week. We are quite busy in our usual businesses, and the podcast is just, like, a nice, sort of, almost quiet space where we get to, like, celebrate our love of sewing and come together and hang out, and it’s, it’s really, it’s really nice.

Caroline: It is. I’m so happy to be doing this with you, Helen.

Helen: Me, too.

Caroline: Well, speaking of how much love there is in this room, we just have invited our partners, Shea and Sam, here. Thank you guys for being here.

Shea: Hello.

Sam: Hi.

Helen: That was adorable. Unison hello.

Caroline: Yes. We have gained quite a few listeners since you two were last on the pod. We did a couple of episodes with you early on. One was super early on Episode 20, and then the second one was three years ago. So can you reintroduce yourself to our listeners?

Sam: Hi, I’m Sam. I am from Vancouver Island, and I like to paint miniatures, and I like to play board games, and I love to cook.

Helen: Our listeners might recognize Sam from the outro of the show because you used to edit the podcast, too.

Sam: That’s true. I did used to do that.

Helen: We let you off the hook.

Caroline: We used to say, “Thank you, Sam” at the end of the show. Okay, Shea, tell everyone what you do, where you’re from, and what some of your interests are.

Shea: Hi, uh, I I’m Shea, uh, I am an animator in video games. I have a lot of random little hobbies, uh, pottery, music, all sorts of things. Uh, yeah, and, uh, I live in Vancouver with Caroline. Originally from Kamloops, BC.

Caroline: Awesome. Okay, Sam, I have a question for you.

Sam: Yes.

Caroline: What is your favorite thing that Helen has made for you?

Sam: Ooh, right now, my favorite thing is a robe. She made me a terry cloth robe cause it’s cold in the morning.

Caroline: Is it like a housecoat vibe?

Sam: Yeah, exactly.

Helen: Yeah. I think I used a Butterick, like, a vintage Butterick pattern years ago, and that robe has gotten a lot of use over the years. It’s still going strong.

Sam: Still going strong.

Helen: Yeah.

Sam: I really like that one, and we have a long history of Helen making me really nice shirts that then don’t fit me because I changed size by the time they’re made.

Helen: It happens.

Caroline: This is why I don’t sew for my partner. Speaking of which…

Helen: Yes, Shea, what’s your favorite thing Caroline’s never made for you?

Shea: Uh, well right now, actually, I think it’s the same answer as the previous years is, uh, sweatpants, uh, which I’m currently wearing. I think the most recent version. And at this point, now with work from home, they’re pretty much my, like, the uniform, uh, my work attire, uh, my going out on the street to walk the dog pants, my everything pants.

Caroline: They’re not just for sweating in sweatpants.

Shea: Yeah. If Caroline made me a robe, uh, the danger would be, I would end up going to work in a robe, walking the dog in a robe, and just getting a little too comfortable.

Sam: Yeah.

Shea: Yeah. So I love the sweatpants life, so I’m very happy to have the ones I have and potentially more in the future.

Helen: Oh, potentially more.

Shea: I can dream.

Helen: And that brings us to our next question: what is a dream project that you would love for Caroline to make for you?

Shea: Aside from more sweatpants?

Helen: Dream big, Shea.

Shea: I think, uh, like, a winter coat would be cool. Something, something nice, something fancy.

Caroline: What is, like, what is a fancy winter coat? Like, what makes it fancy, honey?

Shea: I don’t know. Buttons?

Sam: Gold piping.

Helen: Yeah. Gold piping.

Caroline: Buttons.

Shea: Okay. I know. Yeah. Tassels and all that sort of, no, uh, I think most of my jackets are function over form, so it’s meant to just be, like, poofy and warm and not necessarily be the best looking, so it wouldn’t be bad to, you know, Vancouver’s winters are pretty mild, to uh, have one that just looks a little nicer.

Caroline: Okay.

Shea: Rather than be ready for, you know, a snowstorm.

Caroline: Okay. Okay. Noted, noted.

Helen: I can see you in, like, a classic peacoat. I think that would look great.

Shea: I think that’s the…

Caroline: Oh, yeah. A peacoat is totally Shea’s vibe. Okay, Sam, what is your dream project for Helen to make you?

Sam: Uh, you think I would’ve thought of something while I heard Shea being asked. Um, I’m going to go with sweatpants. So, I do have my favorite pair of sweatpants that Helen first made for me was finally just, like, removed from the closet, like, a week ago, and they were in tatters. Um, so maybe a new pair of those, and then I wanted more button up shirts.

Helen: They’re coming your way. Sam has already agreed to model our upcoming button up shirt pattern.

Caroline: Ooh, exciting.

Helen: So you’re going to get some shirts from that photo shoot, for sure.

Sam: Right.

Caroline: That is awesome. And it needs to happen because it’s, like, part of Helen’s Closet work.

Helen: Exactly. It will happen, and then maybe you’ll sew one for yourself, too. Sam’s currently making some Arden Pants.

Sam: Yeah.

Caroline: Ooh, love it.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Shea, would you ever make something with me in my sewing room?

Shea: Yeah. I mean, I have so many random little hobbies and stuff that sewing could definitely be one. It’s just. uh, I have to keep it to simpler. I don’t think I could have a project that requires, like, a whole bunch of extra days or weeks or something to focus on. I need to, I need to be in and out so…

Helen: Mm, quick wins.

Shea: Uh, yeah, like dishcloths.

Helen: Sweatpants are surprisingly fast. I think you could do it.

Caroline: That’s, kind of, how I sew regardless, so I think that could work, in and out. Helen, do you have, like, a dream project that you want to make for Sam?

Helen: Ooh, that’s a good question. I’m into this jacket idea. Like, I could also see making you a coat. How about you? Do you think you’d make something for Shea?

Caroline: Yes. I do think that Shea has more gifts in his future, potentially, of things that I’ve made him. But I, I feel like I’m into the housecoat idea, Sam.

Sam: It’s pretty great.

Caroline: Um, I think Shea would really appreciate a housecoat. We’d have to have some rules about where it can be worn, but I think that, that would be a fun one. Also, just, like, a suit would be a fun project. If I’m talking about, like, dream of dreams, like, making Shea a suit.

Shea: Yeah, I didn’t even want to say that.

Caroline: Yeah, like, a linen suit. Like, something that’s, like, breathable cause…

Shea: Custom tailored suit. There you go. Sleeveless suit.

Helen: Sleeveless suit?

Caroline: Shea gets really hot.

Helen: Actually, I would love to make you a vest, like the Belvedere Vest from Thread Theory. I feel like I’ve had that on my sewing list for you for years, and I think that you would look so cute in a vest, so…

Sam: I love a vest.

Helen: He does, he does love a vest. It suits you.

Sam: A vest and jean shorts.

Shea: Yeah, that’s a dream I’ve had, too.

Sam: Everything cut off.

Helen: Yeah. Perfect.

Shea: I’ve never owned a vest before.

Caroline: Do you want a vest, honey?

Shea: Sure. Yeah.

Caroline: Okay. Okay.

Shea: Can we have matching vests?

Caroline: The list is getting longer.

Sam: We should have matching vests.

Caroline: This is right after I told everyone on the podcast that I’m not making anyone Christmas presents this year. Okay. It has become a tradition now to play a game where we come at you guys with some really specific names of garments and you have to guess what those garments actually look like. So are you two ready?

Shea: Yeah, just let me grab my phone.

Caroline: No, no phones allowed. Okay. The first one is shacket.

Shea: Is that a shirt jacket? Whatever that might mean. A very, very thin jacket.

Sam: Yeah. That seems the most plausible.

Shea: Is it a shoe jacket? Shacket, it’s like a…

Sam: It’s like a jacket you wear in your shack.

Shea: Yeah or a shack made of a jacket. It’s a tent, I think.

Caroline: Ok, you guys were on the right track early on. It is a combo of a shirt and a jacket. I would say it’s more like a jacket that has the lines of a shirt cause it’s not necessarily, like, a super light jacket. I think shackets can be substantial.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: But they just look like shirts.

Shea: You could wear it inside, and it doesn’t look like you’re wearing a coat.

Caroline: Yeah. Or you can wear it outside.

Shea: And it looks like you’re wearing a hefty shirt.

Caroline: Yeah, exactly.

Shea: Oh my god. It’s, like, the spork of shirts.

Caroline: The spork of shirts. Perfect.

Helen: Ok, this is a good one.

Caroline: Yeah. I feel like this one’s a good one.

Helen: Dickey?

Shea: I feel like we were asked that before, weren’t we? Isn’t that the, uh…

Sam: …overalls?

Shea: Yeah.

Helen: Nope.

Sam: Oh, okay. Well, I was so confident.

Shea: Or is that the little, like, flappy thing?

Sam: Oh, like…

Shea: Yeah. Uh, like, in, uh, you know…

Sam: Yeah. Yeah. I think that’s the dickey. And it curls up.

Helen: Yeah, I think that is what it is, like, a fake shirt front that you tuck into a sweater or a suit.

Shea: Ok, I think we only know of it because of the Simpsons, and it’s a novelty dickey that curls up on itself. I guess they’re not supposed to do that probably.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Okay. I love this. Um, how about handkerchief hem skirt?

Shea: Well, let’s re-hem a handkerchief under the end of your skirt.

Sam: Is that it? For boogies?

Caroline: No.

Helen: So handy. You can wipe your nose.

Sam: Is it a skirt with a, like, voluminous, fluffy hem.

Helen: This is close.

Shea: What are you talking about?

Caroline: I think that’s, that’s pretty close. It’s a skirt that falls on the bias and has points instead of being hemmed evenly. So it, kind of, has, like, a handkerchief effect.

Sam: Right.

Helen: It’s like, if you took, like, a handkerchief and held it in the middle, and then it all draped down.

Sam: And then you put a little ball at it and you tie it off and it’s a ghost?

Helen: Exactly.

Caroline: Yes. Okay.

Helen: Perfect. Full points.

Caroline: Okay. I don’t have high hopes for this next one, but, um, petti-pants?

Sam: Is that, like, underwear? Like, petticoats?

Helen: You’re on the right track.

Shea: They’re very petty.

Sam: You guys are being all cagey. Is it period underwear?

Helen: We just don’t want to give it away.

Sam: Oh, is it like, like bike pants? Like, peddling pants?

Shea: Is it like knickerbockers?

Caroline: What are knickerbockers?

Shea: Knickinbockers.

Caroline: I have to look that up.

Shea: Is it knicker- or knickin-bonkers?

Helen: I think it’s knicker.

Shea: Knickerbockers. Yeah.

Caroline: Oh yeah. Knickerbocker. No, it’s not really that.

Shea: Old timey pantaloons?

Helen: I mean, I think you get the idea. They’re like a slip, but pants. Uh, or shorts instead of a skirt. So they are a form of undergarment that you wear underneath pants.

Sam: I think I was right the…

Helen: Yeah.

Shea: Bigger underpants?

Helen: Okay. What about an infinity scarf?

Sam: It’s, like, a scarf that, like, drapes off the edge of a balcony.

Helen: No. Like an infinity pool?

Sam: Yeah.

Shea: Is it just a scarf that’s a big loop?

Helen: Yeah.

Sam: Mobius strip?

Shea: No, that would be if you, like, twisted the one end where you attach it, then you could have a Mobius scarf.

Helen: Yeah which is a thing.

Sam: What’s in? What’s out? Ooh.

Caroline: Okay. Just a couple more. Um, Palazzo Pants?

Shea: Mm, I don’t know what they are, but they sound cool.

Sam: Yeah. Are they similar to culottes? They’re, like, thigh, wide legged, or not thigh, like, thigh high, mid-calf, wide legged pants.

Helen: Typically, they go all the way to the ground.

Sam: Oh, is that the difference between a culotte and a Palazzo Pant?

Helen: Mhm.

Sam: That makes sense.

Helen: Yes. Very wide leg.

Sam: Like raver pants.

Helen: Yeah, totally. Less pockets usually, but…

Sam: Pockets and chains. Very utilitarian.

Helen: I really need to do a raver pant hack of the Winslow Culottes.

Sam: Yeah, put some soothers on there.

Shea: Glowstick holster.

Helen: What are you guys doing on the weekend?

Shea: Look, I only know raves from TV.

Sam: Can we go back to that dream project answer?

Helen: Yeah.

Sam: Palazzo Pants.

Shea: Raver pants.

Helen: You would probably love Palazzo Pants.

Sam: Yeah?

Helen: Okay. Bolero?

Shea: Not a clue.

Sam: Uh, is it a bolo tie? Is it a, like, scarf tied around your neck? Like, a bolo tie? Is it a, I don’t know man.

Shea: A hat?

Helen: It does sound like a hat, doesn’t it?

Caroline: Yeah, it kinda does.

Sam: Like a bowler? Is it a place? I think, I don’t think we have this one.

Caroline: Okay. It’s a cropped open jacket.

Sam: Oh.

Shea: Oh, sure. Oh, now I remember. That’s not fair. It doesn’t have any keywords in it.

Sam: That sounds like a fancy jacket that’s not too warm.

Helen: That’s true. You can make Shea a Bolero.

Caroline: True. It’s, like, a tiny project. Smaller than a jacket. Okay. What is the difference between a button down and a button up shirt?

Shea: It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

Sam: A button down shirt has, like, buttons up for the collar, like, an Oxford collar as well as buttons, and a button up shirt just has a free collar.

Helen: Ooh. Correct.

Caroline: Ooh, Sam, you must be, uh, dating someone who’s working on a shirt pattern. I love it.

Sam: I edit a sewing podcast.

Caroline: Okay. Let’s move on because I’m really excited about this part. It’s something we do every month in our bonus episodes on Patreon iis name the three things that we are loving right now, so this can be anything. We usually end up sharing recipes or things we’ve bought, new experiences we’ve been trying out, media recommendations, that kind of thing. But this time we thought it would be fun to ask you guys, what are three things you’re loving right now?

Shea: Wow. Do you want to start off, Shea?

Helen: I wasn’t, I didn’t prep Sam for this.

Caroline: I’ve been bugging Shea for the last, like, two days. Like, what are your three things, Shea? Gotta think of your three things.

Helen: Okay, Shea. You go first.

Shea: Well, Caroline and Pepper and Fraidy.

Caroline: No.

Shea: No, I said I wouldn’t do that. That’s cheating. Uh, let’s see. It’s going to be nothing sewing related I’m afraid. And Caroline’s the chef, so my recipe’s on the back of a Kraft dinner box. Uh, well lately I’ve been, uh, learning to play piano which I’m really, really into. I, I’ve played guitar and stuff for years and other instruments and stuff and always been pretty musical, but a piano is, we never had one growing up, never had one around or anything, so I’ve always wanted to play around on them, and, uh, we got a free one from someone’s basement a couple months ago, so I’ve been learning that and just loving it.

And I can also recommend a video game I’ve been playing a lot called Mini Motorways for anyone who likes, uh, or has a partner or a friend maybe who likes video games. It’s a fun little one where you’re managing traffic in a town. It’s very relaxing and then suddenly frustrating and stressful.

And, uh, the third thing that I’m absolutely loving is I’m, uh, for my work, uh, I’m learning, like, branching out, I mentioned I’m an animator and, but I, I have a lot of interests in all the different departments and fields, and I’m getting more and more opportunities to try the stuff, so I’m learning all about shaders. If anyone knows what a shader is in, uh, computers.

Sam: Yeah.

Shea: So it’s, how do we even explain it? The basic, most basic way, it’s, kind of, like, how materials show up. So say I made a, a cla-, a shirt in a video game. It’s the, the way light refracts upon it, the way reflections happen, uh, all the different things. You can branch off into, oh my gosh, so much stuff. A lot of math. Uh, so it’s a little hard as an artist, but, yeah, send any shader tutorial recommendations if you got them. Thank you.

Caroline: Okay. We’ll report back on that one. Thank you, Shea.

Helen: Yes. Thank you. Alright, Sam, you had a solid five minutes to think about it.

Sam: Um, I also like shaders, and I also love Pepper. Yeah. I can’t say the dog. I have been really, really, Helen can attest, into a podcast called With Gourley and Rust, which is a horror movie, cozy, podcast. A long form discussion of horror movies and mostly just random junk. And they’ve been going through a lot of mediocre to okay horror movies, and I’ve been watching along and listening and laughing a lot, and I enjoy it thoroughly. If there’s any horror and comedy fans out there. Helen’s nodding at me like she knew I was going to say that.

Helen: Well, it’s just that it makes you so happy. You’re, like, always smiling and laughing, walking around with your headphones on. I know you’re listening to Matt Gourley and Paul Rust talk about, like, Halloween 8 or something.

Sam: Yeah, that was a good episode.

Shea: Oh, I know. Uh, Matt Gourley from, uh, Conan O’Brien’s podcast, which I’m also loving.

Sam: Absolutely. He did the James Bonding podcast, too. There’s so much Matt Gourley out there for us. I’m also loving making pho from scratch. I feel like maybe Helen’s talked about this before.

Helen: Possibly but not this episode, so…

Caroline: Yeah, I think on Patreon, but this is the regular show, so…

Sam: I, yeah, I’ve been working on my pho broth and making the bone broth really perfect. And it takes all day, but it’s worth it. And then have the vermicelli noodles and the toppings. And then for the, like, sliced beef, I don’t have a beef slicer or a meat slicer, but I do have, but so I’ve been, like, freezing, half freezing, like, steak for, like, 45 minutes to an hour, depends on your freezer. And then when you can, like, slice it off in really, really thin like they do in the restaurant. Good little, good little tip.

Helen: Mhm, that’s a great tip.

Sam: Yeah, it’s been great since there was no good pho restaurants in our new town.

Helen: Uh, shade.

Sam: I stand by it, and finally, I have been loving…

Caroline: Well, we painted miniatures together the other day.

Sam: Yeah. I have been loving painting miniatures in general, both with Helen and the other project I’m working on, which is the board game Scythe, and I’ve painted, like, 35 tiny robots and people with their animal companions, and it’s going great. It’s a big project, but I’ve been enjoying it thoroughly. And then I’m going to make Helen play it with me over and over and over again.

Helen: Gladly. I’m very excited.

Sam: It’s been getting cold again, and I don’t feel as compelled to go outside and do yard work. So I’m really digging into, uh, rainy day painting.

Helen: Fall is always great for hobbies.

Caroline: It really is. Oh, well, thank you so much, you two, for joining us. It’s been really fun. We love you each, respectively.

Shea: Aw, thanks.

Sam: Sorry if we were, kind of, slow on the draw. I feel like we might have to tighten this up a bit.

Caroline: That’s okay. You’re perfect. Just the way you are, you two.

Shea: Aw.

Caroline: Alright, Helen, I guess we should wrap up this episode. It’s been a really good time. I can’t believe we’re at four years of podcasting. My gosh.

Helen: I know it was so fun to just have an episode where we chat about personal lives and business and answer some questions and get to chat with you guys being on the show.

And if you enjoyed this episode, you might want to check out our Patreon because we do monthly bonus episodes there. You get access to those if you pledge $5 a month. And that’s where we do all of our regular catch-up and hang out and talk about what we’re sewing and things like that. So please come join us over on Patreon. We would love, love, love that. Patreon.com/lovetosew.

Caroline: Yeah. Alright. Bye, everyone.

Helen: Bye.

Sam: Bye.

Shea: Bye.

That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com. We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Sam: Go to lovetosewpodcast.com to find the show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. If you’d like to get in touch with us, send us an email at [email protected].

Shea: If you love to sew and want more, you can sign up for Patreon. For $5 a month, you get a full-length onus episode and weekly behind the scenes pics. For $10 a month, you can get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off codes for Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics. Patreon is the best way to support the pod so that they can keep making quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Sam: We have Love to Sew swag. Visit our shop to get tees, pins, and tote bags with art by Josie Adams of Hey Miss Designs. Tell the world you’re a stitch witch, that you can make anything, or that you’re a Love to Sew listener. Go to lovetosewshop.com to get yours.

Shea: Thanks to the amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is the creative assistant. Jordan Moore is the editor. Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you for listening. Talk to you next week.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Bye.

Caroline: We’ll talk to you next week. Thank you, boys.

Shea: You can find me Caroline. Should read this ahead of time. That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me, wait, what, what do I say? You can find Caroline. I was going to say, you could find me Shea at blackbirdfabrics.com.

Caroline: Just say you can find Caroline at blackbird…

Shea: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I should have read it a third time.

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Collars can be tricky to sew, but they’re worth it! In this episode, we go over the parts of a collar, the different kinds of collars, and lots of collar sewing tips. Plus, we answer a listener question about how to make more things you like, share some collared sewing patterns, and even talk about how to eliminate a collar!

Photo Credit: “Archer Sew Along: Assembling & Attaching the Collar” by Jen on the Grainline Studio Blog

The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.

Previous Episodes Mentioned:

Helen and Caroline’s Collared Makes:

Collar images:

Resources:

Sewing Patterns:

Tools:

Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Caroline: Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Helen: Join us for today’s topic: collars. Yeah!

Caroline: Hello, Helen.

Helen: Hi, Caroline.

Caroline: How are you?

Helen: I’m good. How are you?

Caroline: I’m really good. Just chillin’ here. Staring at your beautiful face over Google Hangouts.

Helen: You’re wearing a collared shirt today. Is that on purpose?

Caroline: I am. It’s a colorful collar, too.

Helen: What color is your collared shirt?

Caroline: My collared shirt is the color magenta. No. What would you call this?

Helen: Um…

Caroline: Purpley-pink?

Helen: Yeah, like a li-, like a lilac?

Caroline: Lilac-y but, like, more, it has some pink undertones to it.

Helen: Yeah. It’s, like, a bright lilac, like a cartoon lilac.

Caroline: Yeah. I like it.

Helen: You should totally call a fabric at Blackbird cartoon lilac.

Caroline: I’ll pitch it. I’ll pitch it on your behalf.

Helen: Thank you.

Caroline: We’ll see what happens there. But today we’re going to talk all about collars.

Helen: Yeah!

Caroline: Are you excited?

Helen: I am excited. I’m working on a button up shirt pattern, so I’ve been working with collars lately, so this is well-timed.

Caroline: Ooh! Spoiler alert. Love it.

Helen: But we have a question before we get started. And today’s question comes from Karen.

“Dear Helen and Caroline,

I love your podcast, and I hope you can help me figure out how to make more clothing items that I like and will wear. I know that many sewists are hesitant to purge their closets of ‘me made’ items. I have the opposite problem. I hate about 80% of what I make. The most recent disaster was a pair of silky, flowing pants that turned into clown pants as soon as I put them on. I tried taking them in, but they still looked frumpy. I decided to scrap the project rather than inflicting my poor fashion and fabric choices on humanity.

The ironic part is that I really like about 20% of what I sew. I have two pairs of Yanta Overalls–a long pair in navy blue corduroy and a short pair in soft denim–and I love them both. I also have a York Pinafore that I feel great wearing. I have some t-shirts made from the Montlake Pattern by Straight Stitch Designs which has become a favorite TnT pattern.

Am I destined to make overalls, t-shirts, and pinafores for the rest of my sewing life? What can I learn from making the items I love? And how can I use those lessons to prevent me from making so many items I dislike?

Thanks for all you do to connect the sewing community.”

Caroline: Aw, well, thank you for your question, Karen. I’m sure you’re not alone here. Clothing has a lot of emotions tied to it, especially since people are often made to feel bad about their bodies. And we have a few ideas for you that we think might help you to make more clothes that you are going to love.

So our first idea is to define your style. There are a lot of ways to do this. You can use our Create Your Dream Wardrobe Worksheet. We also recommend The Curated Closet by Anuschka Rees. Having a strong idea of what you want your style to be will help you make more projects that are more in line with what you really want to wear.

Helen: Yes. And our second idea is to make your own croquis. We had Erica Schmitz from MyBodyModel on the podcast awhile back. They offer custom croquis based on your body. However, there are also tutorials out there on creating your own croquis with Photoshop or by hand, sketching over your figure. Making a croquis and sketching out your ideas before you make them can help you visualize how the finished garment is going to look with your proportions, maybe your skin tone, your hairstyle, if you want to sketch that stuff in there, too. And if you don’t like how the sketch looks, then you can make some more sketches to test out other things.

Caroline: Yes. And our third idea is to just be kind to yourself. Act like you are a dear friend when you look at yourself in the mirror. A lot of the time we’re so much harsher and more judgmental to ourselves than we would ever dream of being to others.

Helen: Yes. You can get second opinions, too. And I often find that for some reason, that moment when I finish a project and put it on for the first time, that’s, like, the moment I like it, the least. Sometimes, like, I’ll put it on and I’m just so, it’s like all this pent up emotion and buildup of, like, making the project and, like, anticipating what it’s going to be like, and then when you finally put it on, you’re like, oh, I don’t know. Do I like this? I’m not sure. And it can actually take me, like, a day or two to fall back in love with that project, especially if I had a somewhat frustrating sewing experience. So being kind to yourself in that regard as well, I think is really important.

Our fourth idea is to count up the lessons that you learn. Every learning process comes with mistakes and failures, and sewing is a lifelong learning process. So it might feel like a total loss when you make a garment that you don’t love, it doesn’t work out, but in those moments you can count up all that you learned from making that garment. Think about whether you learned new techniques or you worked with a new fabrie, maybe keep a sewing notebook so you can write down those accomplishments. You are moving forward, even though it might not feel like it. And it’s worth it to take those design risks sometimes. Yes. Maybe they turned out like clown pants. Maybe you can wear them as pajamas. But you can’t win them all, and it’s worth it when you do win one, and you actually end up with something you’re really excited about.

Caroline: Yeah. And our last suggestion is to try refashioning the clothes that you don’t like. So maybe there are some changes you could make that would make that garment much more wearable or maybe you could just use the fabric to make something completely different. In the end, you’re doing amazing by making any garments that you love. So being able to make multiple garments you love is, kind of, a superpower. Just remember that.

Helen: Yes, and it sounds like you’re Helen’s Closet fan. So just keep making Helen’s Closet patterns.

Caroline: Yeah, that sounds like a great suggestion.

Helen: Alright, so collars are having a major moment right now. I’m sure you’ve seen them around. Of course, they’re a classic design element, too, but they’re definitely trending right now in fashion. Collared button up shirts and shirt dresses that are buttoned right up to the top. We’ve seen giant pilgrim collars with ruffles around them, even pie crust collars. They’re everywhere, and they’re so much fun.

Caroline: Can we just talk about what a pie crust collar is for a second? Cause I had to Google it.

Helen: Sure. Do you want to describe it?

Caroline: Yeah. It’s like a stand color, like a simple standard color, but then it has a ruffle or, like, pleated piece of fabric, kind of, all around the collar which sticks up, so it sort of looks like the edge of a pie crust.

Helen: Yeah. It’s almost like your head is inside, like, a muffin holder.

Caroline: I love that visual.

Helen: It’s cute. I mean, if ruffles aren’t for you, that’s fine. But it’s a style. It’s a statement. We’re into it.

Caroline: I love it. I love it. And I’m seeing a lot of those, like, detached collars with just, like, a bow tie in the front that you can just throw on with, like, a t-shirt or something.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: They’re totally having a moment, like you said, and in this episode, we’re going to discuss different types of collars, the different parts of a collar, how to sew a collar, and some cool collared patterns to get your creativity flowing. And we’ll even talk about how to remove a collar from a collared pattern which is, kind of, sacrilege considering the topic we’re talking about today, but we’re going to cover it.

Helen: Sometimes. You want collars, sometimes you don’t. Yeah. Okay. So back to basics, a collar is a band of fabric that goes around the neck of a garment. Sometimes it stands up, and sometimes it’s folded over. And before we start with all the technical info about collars, we have some interesting historical notes to share.

Caroline: Yeah. So in Western Europe, standing collars appeared on men’s clothing in the 15th century. And by the 16th century, collars had reached their peak size with the large, starched ruffs worn by elites. You’ve probably seen them on portraits of Queen Elizabeth I of England or William Shakespeare. Collars became softer as Enlightenment ideals spread through Europe. A popular style in the 18th and early 19th century was a cravat tied around a standup collar. The cravat is the precursor to the tie.

Helen: Bring back the cravat, I say.

Caroline: Right? Love a cravat. In the 19th century, removable collars were invented and became super popular because they could be laundered separately. Laundry took a lot of time and effort back then, and being able to wash and starch the part of the shirt or dress that shows dirt the most was really handy. People could also refashion old clothing to new styles by switching out the collars and trims, or they could keep using an heirloom lace collar even if a dress was worn out. Collars softened again in the 1930s when sportswear and lighter fabrics became fashionable. And this is where the polo shirt was invented, and knitwear was all the rage.

Helen: Oh yes. Okay, but Western fashion is definitely not the only source of iconic collars. The color that is commonly known in English as the Mandarin collar, a standing collar seen on many traditional Chinese garments, has its origin in the Ming Dynasty. In the early years of the Ming Dynasty, collars were low and crossed over at the front. By the late years of the dynasty, collars grew in height and fastened at the front. These collars are now usually associated with garments developed during the Qing Dynasty: the cheongsam and quipao.

Caroline: And another example might be the camp collar, like the one on Helen’s Closet Gilbert Top. It comes from Guayabera or Camisa de Yucatán. Guayaberas are summer shirts that are popular in Cuba, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. They have a flat spread, notched collar and neat tucks going down the front of the shirt. Guayaberas were probably derived from the Filipino barong Tagalog through galleon trade in the 16th to 19th century. We’d love to continue with this history lesson, but we need to get to some sewing content at some point here.

Helen: Yes. There’s a lot to look into when it comes to collars, especially visually, so if you’re interested in the history of collars, we’ll put some links in the show notes and you can check some things out there.

So in order to even start talking about collars, we need to go over some terms for the different parts of the collar. The part of a collar that stands up off the shoulders of the garment is called a stand or a band. Collar stands are there to allow space for a tie. They also raise up the collar on the neck for a more formal look. When you think of a classic button up shirt, chances are, it has a collar stand.

Caroline: Mhm, and the part of a collar that folds over is called the collar leaf. The pointed or curved ends of a collar are called collar points. And the length from where the collar leaf meets the band to the point of the collar is called the point length

Helen: Yes, and the distance between the collar points is called the point spread. The whole thing together is called the collar. And we’re going to post an image from Mood Fabrics. They have a blog post that illustrates all these different parts, and we’ll put that in the show notes. Um, but of course you see lots of different proportions of collars, and that’s why it’s fun to understand the terminology so that we can talk about them.

Caroline: Yeah, and here’s another tidbit about collars that we’ve brought up on the show before, but if you haven’t heard this before, button down shirts have buttons that attach the color points to the shirt. So if you’ve ever wondered about the difference between button down and button up, this is it.

Button down shirts have collars that button down while button up just means that the shirt closes down the front with a row of buttons. See, even if all you did today was chill and listen to this podcast, you still learn something.

Helen: Yes! I was so into calling button up shirts, button down shirts just by default, always button down shirts. And I didn’t know that button down shirts just have buttons on the color points, but now I’ve switched because mostly, I only wear button up shirts. I don’t think I’ve ever owned a button down shirt, so…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: It’s all semantics. It’s fine.

Caroline: Totally.

Helen: And there are a lot of different styles of collars. They all fall into basic types. There’s the stand collar which is a collar that points straight up and doesn’t fold over. Stand collar styles include the Mandarin collar, the Nehru collar, and the funnel neck collar.

Caroline: Then there’s the flat collar which has no collar stand. So the collar leaves lay flat over the fabric. Flat collar styles include the camp collar, the Pilgrim collar and the Chelsea collar. Because collar stands can be a bit tricky to sew, it’s a good idea for beginners to start with a flat collar.

Helen: Yes, and finally, there’s the roll collar which has the stand and the leaves that fold over it. This is the type of collar usually found on dress shirts.

Caroline: All of these collar types can be made into many different styles by changing up the size and shape of the leaves and the width of the point spread. You can also add details like ruffles and notches for different looks.

Helen: Yes. Uh, I love the idea of nailing the fit on a shirt pattern, and then just experimenting with different collars to get different looks.

Caroline: Yeah, me too, especially, if you have a TnT pattern, and you don’t want to keep making different patterns. You can just change the collar size or the collar shape.

Helen: Absolutely.

Caroline: Okay, so sewing collars can be tricky. You’re working with a bunch of small fiddly pieces, and often, they are worked with a smaller seam allowance than the rest of the garment. And this means that there’s a little less of a margin for error. There are also contrasting curves that you’ll be working with. You may be sewing a straight stand into a curved neckline, or even harder, you might be sewing a curved collar leaf onto a neckline curved the opposite way.

Helen: Yes. Petro from Easy Peasy Creative has a great article about how to sew concave and convex curves together that could be helpful for sewing collars, so we recommend you check it out. Here are some of the tips. One: pin the heck out of it. Use a pin every quarter inch, if you need to. I mean, I think this is definitely true if you want to have that extra control, you can pin the heck out of it. Um, but I also find that fewer pins sometimes is easier because there’s more room for me to get my fingers in there and, like, pinch things together where needed. So you do you.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. And if your machine has variable speed, you can slow it down so that you can make the curve smooth and readjust as needed.

Helen: Yes, and curved pieces should be pressed with an up and down motion, not a back and forth motion. You can actually stretch out the fabric along the bias if you’re pulling the fabric taut and running your iron over it, so be careful with the direction that you’re ironing. I also find having things like a ham can be helpful when I’m pressing collars because of the curves, so you have something that’s actually curved to lay the garment on top of. Can come in really handy.

Caroline: Yeah, absolutely. And you should be comfortable with interfacing fabric if you want to make a nice collar. Collars are usually stiffer than the garment fabric so that they can hold their shape. And if you need some help with this one, you can listen to our Interfacing 101 Episode for lots of advice.

Helen: You will also probably do some topstitching when you’re doing collars. Topstitching is often done on collars so that it holds a really nice, neat shape. An edge stitch foot will help with this, but you can also learn to do it with a regular sewing machine foot and some practice. It’s often done, like, an eighth to a quarter of an inch from the edge. And then you’re going to pivot in those corners, and you pivot by putting your needle in the down position and turning your project.

Caroline: And pressing is not skippable when you’re making a collar. Again, the whole thing about collars is their shapes, so you’ll need to press all those pieces to get it to look right. And for a really sharp looking collar, you can level up your pressing skills. We’ll link our Pressing Episode in the show notes, too, but definitely don’t skip this because if you want that beautiful, crisp, accurate looking collar, you want to use your iron.

Helen: Yes. So sewing a collar is on the more difficult side of sewing skills, but you can absolutely learn to do it well. And like anything else in sewing, it’s a series of skills that you can build up to get a great result. I don’t think that collars are off the table for beginner sewists. I think you can do them. I think camp style collars are a good place to get started. Um, we have the Gilbert Top and the Pona Jacket. They both have really nice, easy beginner collars in them.

Caroline: Nice. Okay. So we have some tips for sewing a great collar. Collars are pretty much just there for how they look, so make sure they look the way you want. Take the collar piece and hold it up to yourself to quote unquote, try it on. If you wish it looks different, now’s the time to change the shape of the collar. So you can trace out your original piece, make changes, cut out, and try it on again until you find the right look. Just make sure not to change the part that attaches to the neckline or collar stand. I mean, you can, but you’ll need to make changes to the neckline or stand as well.

Helen: Yeah. I’ve even seen people sew the collar stand and the collar out of muslin fabric so that they can properly try it on their neck, not only to check if they like the shape of the points and things like that, but to check and make sure they like the fit around the neck. If you prefer to button your shirts all the way to the top, that could be something that you want to consider.

And your choice of interfacing can make a big difference in how your collar looks as well. So for a really crisp collar, interface the upper and lower pieces. That’s, like, the part that’s showing on the top, plus the underside, um, or use several layers of organza in there to get that nice crisp look.

Caroline: And if you want a medium crisp style, you can interface the upper collar only with an interfacing the same weight as your fashion fabric.

Helen: Yes, and for a softer collar, interface only the lower pieces or use a cotton batiste sew-in interfacing. You can also try not interfacing at all, but I think with collars, it really helps to have some stabilizer in there, especially just to make the sewing process a bit easier. Uh, so I do recommend at least interfacing the upper or the lower, one of the two.

Caroline: Mhm, and interfacing small collar pieces is hard, so you can definitely save yourself some effort and block fuse a piece of your fabric with a piece of interfacing and cut out the pieces as one.

Helen: Yeah, block fusing.

Caroline: I just did this recently for a facing, and I don’t often do block fusing, but it really helps so much. It’s, like, such a game changer. It makes the process of interfacing just, like, so much less daunting.

Helen: It’s fun cause after you block fuse, you can cut your pieces out with scissors, too. And I find cutting interfacing with a rotary cutter very frustrating. So..

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: It’s nice to use scissors sometimes.

Caroline: Okay. When you’re cutting out a collar, here’s a few things that you wan-, might want to think about. First of all, it’s a good idea to cut flat, not on the fold. This is going to give you a more accurate shape which will make putting the collar together a better experience because it sucks when the pieces don’t match up and some button up shirt patterns, or collared shirt patterns, will have the collar pattern piece on the fold. And if that’s the case, then you can still cut it flat. You just need to, like, trace around one side and then flip the piece over.

And I find that if I try to cut pieces that have, like, a really narrow fold, like, a collar or collar stand, and you try to put that on the fold of your fabric, it’s really hard to make sure that you get it straight and then after you unfold it there’s, like, a little, like, angle in it or something. Like, it’s just hard to get that perfect. So I think that’s a benefit to cutting flat is that you can make sure that that part right at the center back is really nice and smooth.

Caroline: And even harder to get it perfect because you’re cutting, like, the upper collar and the under collar. And so if you have them sitting at, like, even slightly different angles, then they’re not going to match, so cutting flat is definitely a good call.

Um, you also want to keep in mind the way that prints and stripes will be distorted on collars. Because collars are typically curved in shape and the points of the collar will point down towards your chest, you want to cut your fabric accordingly. So if you’re working with a directional or a novelty print, think about what’s going on the collar points and what direction it will be facing on the final garment.

Helen: Yes. I put this tip in here because I have done this before with printed fabrics where you cut everything out, according to the grainline. And then when you actually go to sew it together, there’s like an upside down bird on the collar point or something like that because it ends up facing the other way. Um, so just something to think about.

And you can also choose a contrasting fabric for the underside of the collar or the inside of the collar stand. This is a good place to use scraps of the amazing fabrics that you’ve been saving. And it’s a nice little highlight when you’re wearing your button up shirt, like, a little open at the top, you can just catch a glimpse of that fabric on the collar stand and, and then maybe you use that same fabric on, like, the inside of the yoke or the wrong side of the cuffs, so you’re, kind of, tying it all together.

Caroline: I love that. So cute. Okay. Another tip that we have is to trim down your under collar by a small amount so that the top edge rolls over the under piece. So this is happening before the sewing part, right? So when you’re cutting out your pieces, and it makes it look a lot neater if you trim by an eighth of an inch around the sides and the top of the lower piece of the collar leaf, tapering to nothing at the points. This is going to really make a difference and have that, kind of, edge roll over, like we said. You can also trim about an eighth of an inch off just the curves of the lower piece of the collar stand to give that same, kind of, clean effect where you’re not seeing the backside coming through.

Helen: Yes. I love this tip. It’s one of those, like, level up your sewing game things that is really not that complicated, just a simple trim down. And then when you sew it together, you have to stretch it to the edge, but when you turn it all right-side out, it’s like magic. Just slightly scrunches the outer fabric towards the wrong side. It looks super cool.

Caroline: Mhm. Yeah. Really slick and crisp.

Helen: If your collar has pointy points, technical term, like, if the points of your collar are actually pointed and not rounded, like a Peter Pan collar or something, we have some tips to get them nice and pointy. There’s a few different ways to tackle that point. You can make a sharp angle of stitches at the collar point by sewing to the seam allowance, pivoting, and sewing the rest. This is just, like, a classic way that you would sew around a corner.

But some sewists swear by allowing a couple of diagonal stitches at the collar point. I personally love doing this. So to do this, you would sew almost to your seam allowance point, pivot, you sew two to three stitches at a 45 degree angle to the point, and then pivot again, and sew the rest. And this just gives you a little bit of extra room in the corner for the bulk of the fabric to sit when you turn it right side out.

Caroline: Mhm, and another way to do the diagonal stitches is to sew a sharp point and then go back and sew a line of stitches at a 45 degree angle to the point, allowing one or two stitches to go in the tip of the point. And that’s just another way to do it that maybe will work better for you and your sewing practice. And there doesn’t seem to be a consensus on which of these methods is best. We’ve seen home and professional sewists use both. So try both out and see what you think.

Helen: Yeah. Some people also like to clip the seam allowance at the collar point and some don’t, so clipping the seam allowance can make it easier to get a good point because there’s less fabric there to bunch up into that corner. So to do this, you’ll snip off the seams at a 45 degree angle, about an eighth of an inch away from the stitches.

Caroline: And the late David Page Coffin, our past guest, used a hemostat to fold his seam allowance. A hemostat is a surgical tool that looks like scissors but the ends clamp instead of cut. He folded the seam allowance in a particular way, held it with the hemostat, and then turned the collar out while the hemostat was clamping the folded parts. We’re going to link the article he wrote for Seamwork called “How to Make a Perfect Point” in the show notes.

Helen: Caroline, what’s your preference when it comes to collar points?

Caroline: I have not tried the hemostat method. I usually just clip. What about you?

Helen: I tend to clip collars. But I will say that, I don’t have a hemostat, but since talking to David Page Coffin, I have, I tried that method and used it many times just using my fingers, like, folding the fabric together and then pushing it inside out, like, at the top of, like, a patch pocket, for example. I used to always clip those areas, but it really isn’t necessary if you get everything folded in the right way, you can just, sort of, tuck it all in there and then sew over it and put your bar tacks or whatever, and you can’t even tell.

Caroline: Yeah, and I think David’s method is maybe a little bit better for longevity, especially depending on the fabric that you’re working with because when you clip into, like, those corners, if you go just a little bit too far and your fabric frays just a little bit too much, you can end up with some almost fraying coming through the corner and just having to do mending, and it can end up being a bit of a nightmare, so it’s good to test different methods.

Helen: Yeah, totally. Okay. Turning out the points is the magical part. Your collar starts to really look like a collar at this stage. And again, there are several methods to choose from. You can use a point turner to get a sharp collar point. A point turner is a flat wooden or plastic stick with a pointy end that you can use to situate your collar before you press it.

I’ve seen people use, like, a chopstick instead of a point turner or some other pointy object. But don’t be too rough when you turn your points. You don’t want to push through. Don’t use your scissors. It’s very tempting to use your scissors, but they’re sharp at the end, and it’s just a bit too risky. You’re going to push through. I would say also don’t push too far and stretch out the fabric cause then you almost get, like, a little bottleneck point happening. You want to be gentle and not push too much in this case.

Caroline: Oh yeah. I’ve been there. That’s so frustrating. That’s where that, like, couple stitches at a 45 degree angle really helps to create that perfect point because you’re not ending up with, like, a really skinny bit at the end that, kind of, turns into, like, I don’t know, a weird, what did you call that?

Helen: A little bloop.

Caroline: Bottleneck?

Helen: I called it a bottleneck because I didn’t want to say condom, but I mean, we’re all thinking it, right?

Caroline: And there’s another method that Pamela Erny calls a Shirtmaker’s “Secret” Technique. You basically sew a folded thread into the point of your collar and then pull the thread to turn it out into a perfect point. It’s hard to explain the technique over audio, but we’ll definitely link that article in our show notes.

Helen: Yes! I haven’t tried this, but I’ve heard it many times. And it seems like fun, like a little secret thread that you get to pull at the end.

Caroline: You just have to remember to put the thread in when you’re sewing.

Helen: Yeah, exactly. Okay. Attaching the collar to the neckline is another somewhat fiddly part of sewing collars. Many patterns will call for you to make the collar leaf, then attach it to the collar stand, and then attach the whole thing to the neckline. But there’s another method that I’ve seen in patterns and Sarah of Sew Sarah Smith outlines this in a great article from her blog, and we got some tips for this episode from this article, so we’ll link that in the show notes.

But basically, you baste the outer collar stand to the neckline, then you sandwich the finished collar leaf between that and the inner collar stand, and then you flip everything right side out and attach it to the shirt. Um, so there’s lots of pictures in this article that we can link to. Obviously, it’s a little tricky to explain over audio.

Caroline: Mhm. Yeah, it seems like there’s just so many different methods for doing this. Speaking of which, I’m going to outline a whole other option. And this is something that you’ll find on a lot of vintage and antique garments. You can finish the neckline of your garment and then make a detachable flat collar, and you can either wear your collar on top without attaching it, or you can whip stitch it to the finished neckline. And then if you want a different look later on, you can just take out those whip stitches and you still have a wearable garment. This could be a good idea for a trendy collar that might go out of fashion in a couple of years.

Helen: Oh, I love this idea. It makes me want to, like, sew some Ashton Tops with, like, some statement collars.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: That are, like, detachable or maybe you just lay them on top so you can just, like, wear them optionally.

Caroline: Yeah. I’m so into that look. Very cool.

Helen: Alright, well, no matter which method you choose, it’s a good idea to draw the seam allowance onto the collar stand so that you have a curved line to follow when you sew. It makes sewing those small curved pieces a lot easier. This is that area at the front of the shirt that’s, like, a little curved, like, semicircle, and when you go to stitch that, it can be quite tight to turn that on your machine. So having those stitching lines to follow will just give you a lot of confidence.

Caroline: Yeah, and you don’t want to over trim your seam allowances on your collar stand especially. You’re going to want a slightly longer seam allowance to support the structure of the collar leaf. And you also want your topstitching to grab onto the seam allowance below it. So grade your seams to prevent bulk, but don’t trim them super short. A quarter of an inch to three-eighths of an inch is a good length to trim the shorter side of your seam allowances.

Helen: Yes, and when you’re sewing a collar, hand sewing is your friend. We’ve talked about this many times, but taking the time to hand baste the pieces will give you the control that you need to sew the pieces together precisely. And for finishing, a slip stitch done by hand will look great. It’s invisible from both sides, and it saves you from having to wrangle the collar and collar stand through the machine to do that final pass of topstitching.

Caroline: Ooh, and if you don’t want to slip stitch to finish the collar, Closet Core recommends using a fabric glue stick or wonder tape to baste the lower collar stand instead of pins. And this is going to help you to align your collar correctly without puckers when you’re going to topstitch.

Helen: Yes. It’s like, it’s all tucked in there and perfectly flat and ready to go. And then all you have to do is topstitch around.

Caroline: Love it. Okay. Let’s talk about collar design and embellishment. This is such a fun part, and I’m excited to chat about, like, ideas because I’m getting really inspired to sew myself some collars. Shirts, but also collars.

Helen: Pie crust collar, perhaps?

Caroline: Imagine a detachable pie crust collar.

Helen: Yes. I love it.

Caroline: I don’t know. I don’t know if that would work. It would be a very specific look, maybe one that, like, peeks out from under, like, a sweater so that you don’t have to wear, like, a whole… Is this totally kooky? Like, you don’t have to wear a whole shirt, but if you want that layered look, you can have, like, a sweater and then just a pie crust collar that you, like, attach.

Helen: I love it.

Caroline: Come on.

Helen: Or, like, a Wilder Gown. I mean the Wilder Gown already has some, like, neck ruffles, but you can put, like, a pie crust collar underneath. It’s like ruffle on ruffle.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. So kooky. I love it. Okay. So we’ve talked about changing the shape of your collar. If you keep the neckline side the same, you can make changes to the collar pattern pieces, and you won’t have to alter the neckline of the garment. There are so many places to get ideas for collar shapes. You can window shop at ready-to-wear stores. You can make a board on Pinterest. You can flip through an art history book. There are tons of variations of collars out there.

Helen: Yes. For example, you could scallop the edge of your collar. So to do this, you would trace off the collar pattern, draw in the seam allowance, if necessary, draw another line at the depth that you want your scallops to be, and then take a round object that has the curve you want for your scallop, and draw your scallops on the pattern. Scallops would be like, sort of, a bumpy edge. Um, and the bottom of each scallop should just touch the same line and the top should touch the depth line and then you can add your seam allowance back in. You have your new pattern piece. After you stitch your collar leaves together, either pink close to the edge or make a lot of little notches before you turn it out and press. You’re going to need those little notches in order to actually get that scalloped edge. This sounds hard, but cool.

Caroline: I have to say, like, have you ever done a scalloped edged anything in sewing?

Helen: No, I have to admit that I haven’t, but it’s been on my bucket list since I started sewing because I have, like, a Singer Sewing Book that detailed how to make a scallop edge, and I probably read that section of that book, like, a hundred times because I was just, like, this is so cool. Like, it looks so amazing, and it seems so detailed and interesting, and I’ve always wanted to try it, so maybe now’s my chance.

Caroline: It is really cool. I, I’ve definitely seen patterns out there with the scalloped edge. And every time I look at them, I’m like, that looks like a lot of work. And, like, it would be really hard to get precise and perfect, but I totally respect anyone who is willing to go through that to get a perfectly scallop edged collar. I want to see it.

Helen: Somebody did a scallop edged mark-, March Top hack, um, that was really beautiful. And I definitely put that on my list of things to copy.

Caroline: So cool. One cool way to embellish collars is to add ruffles, those big statement collars with ruffles all around them are so fun. So to do this, you can make a super long strip of fabric. The width should be twice the width you want your finished ruffled to be plus double your seam allowance, and the length should be one and a half to two times the length of the outside edge of your collar. So press that in half lengthwise with wrong sides together and gather it. And then when you’re ready to sew your collar leaves together, you need to sandwich the ruffle in between the upper and lower collar pieces with the raw edges aligned with the raw edges of the collar leaves. Sew it, trim it, notch it, turn it out. I feel like that needs to be a song. Sew it, trim it, notch it, turn it out. Sew it, trim it, notch it, turn it out. Sew it, trim it, notch it, turn it out.

Helen: It’d be, like, a Todrick Hall song.

Caroline: Needs, like, dance moves to go with it.

Helen: Yeah, exactly. I feel like this would work best on a rounded, oversized collar because I’m imagining doing this on a pointed smaller collar, and you’re not going to be able to cram all those ruffles in there in order to, like, then turn it inside out. It’s just going to be really hard, so a larger rounded collar, statement collar, I think would be the way to go if you want to put some ruffles on there.

Caroline: I think, like, it depends on how intricate you want to be. I agree on the point, like, I wouldn’t do it with a pointed collar, but I think, like, a small, curved, like, Peter Pan style collar with a little, teeny, tiny ruffle, like, wouldn’t that be adorable?

Helen: It would be so cute, Caroline. Just, like, let me know how it goes.

Caroline: ‘kay, ‘kay, ‘kay.

Helen: And you can let me know how your scallops go.

Caroline: Cool. Deal.

Helen: Okay. Embroidery and beading also look amazing on collars. The easiest way to do this is probably to embroider the fabric before you sew it or even cut it out. You can chalk out or baste out your collar shape and then embroider before you cut. You can mark out the fabric with the shape of the pattern piece and then embroider it and then fuse the interfacing and cut it out.

Um, or you could even fuse the interfacing before you embroider for a little extra stability. Beading’s a little bit more complicated. If the beading doesn’t go too far out to the edge, then you can bead before you sew it, um, but you could also do all your embroidery and beading after it’s finished. But keep in mind that a hand stitching onto a stiff collar will be a little bit more difficult than hand stitching into a soft one.

And also on the underside of the collar, you might see the wrong side of the stitches or that beading, um, so that’s something to keep in mind as well, but I’ve seen so many examples of this on Pinterest, just beautiful artwork. And you don’t have to do the whole collar. You can just do something at the points of the collar. It’s just a really nice place to put a little bit of detail.

Caroline: Yeah. Oh my gosh. I love embroidery on button up shirts. It is so beautiful.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: Okay, Helen, what if you want to sew a pattern that includes a collar but eliminate the collar.

Helen: Um, #youcanhackit, obviously.

Caroline: Yeah. This is definitely a pretty straightforward hack as well. If it’s a two-piece collar, you can leave off the collar leaves to make a standing collar. You would just skip the steps where you sew and attach the leaves, and you would sew the collar stand pieces right sides together and attach it to the neckline. But if you want to take off the whole thing, you’re going to need another way to finish the neckline, so you can either draft a neckline facing, or you can finish it with bias binding. It’s a pretty easy heck.

Helen: Yeah, totally and very legit. Don’t feel bad if you want to take off the collar. It’s fine.

Caroline: No, exactly.

Helen: Okay. Before we wrap up, let’s talk about some great sewing patterns for collared garments. I sure wish my pattern was out right now, but it’s not, so it’s fine. We’re letting it go.

Caroline: Are we? Are we?

Helen: Yes. Okay. There are so many good ones for a button up shirt with bust shaping, the Harrison Shirt by Cashmerette is a great option. It has princess seams and a neat collar, and they have so many cup sizes with that pattern. There’s also the Tarawi Shirt by Muna and Broad. It’s a more relaxed button down, and it has options for bust shaping or no bust shaping. And then the Fairfield Button Up by Thread Theory is a classic shirt with a slim collar and no bust shaping. So those are three, kind of, standard button up shirts that you can choose from.

Caroline: Yeah, all very classic. And then, like we said before, the Helen’s Closet Gilbert Top is a good option for a camp collar style. It’s also real cute. Love that pattern. It has a little tie in the front if you want. The Bakerloo Dress and Top by Nina Lee has one of those big pilgrim collars with ruffles we’ve been talking about. Super cute with puffy sleeves, too. And also Make by The Fabric Store has the Bloom Shirt and Dress. It’s, like, a classic button up shirt or dress, and it has a few different collar options. You can do a pointed collar, a half penny collar which is, sort of, has that curve to it, and they even have a box pleated collar which is unlike anything I’ve seen before. It is very cool and very, like, pilgrim chic vibes.

Helen: And speaking of those big frilly collars, Tilly and the Buttons has a free pattern for one. It ties in the center with a bow. It’s so cute. Super trendy. Would look great over a fall sweater or a dress. Um, and you can make it detachable and wear it with anything.

Caroline: Yeah, it is. It’s just the collar this pattern. It’s just a free pattern for only the collar. It’s so cool.

Helen: There’s also the Mary White dress by Merchant and Mills. That one has a sailor collar. It’s a knee-length sack dress, and it looks traditional and modern at the same time.

Caroline: And the Tilda Dress and Shirt by Fibre Mood has a Chelsea collar. It’s a v neck with a flat pointed collar.

Helen: Those are just a few. We’re scratching the surface. It’s, like, endless. There’s so many good collared patterns out there, so let us know your favorites. If you’re really, really wanting to share, hit us up on Instagram. Uh, what collared garments have you made recently, Caroline?

Caroline: Yeah, I recently made a Gilbert Top that I love. I did it without the tie in the front, so I can, like, tuck it into jeans, in one of our, um, like, yarn dyed cottons from Blackbird. It’s, like, a cream background with, like, a purple and red window pane checked design to it. I love that shirt so much. It’s, like, really lightweight and breathable and lovely. I also still have in wardrobe rotation my Rita Shirt Dress from years ago. We made matching ones, and I still wear my black one all the time. I love it. I always get compliments on it when I wear it. And that again is, like, a camp style collar. I have made the Elbe Textiles’ Cornell Shirt which is technically just the collar stand. It doesn’t actually have a leaf in the collar. It’s just the collar stand. Um, but I love that pattern so much. It’s one of my favorites for sure. And then Closet Core Kalle Shirt in a stripe linen, definitely a fav as well. So I’ve made a good number of shirts in my day. What about you, Helen?

Helen: Oh, my gosh, I can’t even count. Like I said, I’ve been working on a button up, so I’ve been sewing a lot of collars for that recently. Um, this button up that we’ve been working on is going to be, kind of, a classic button up shirt. And, you know, we’re just going to go all out with these instructions for the placket and the collar, so I’m really excited to share more about that. Um, of course, lots of Gilbert Tops. This summer, I made a Gilbert Shirt Dress hack, and I absolutely love the way the collar turned out on that because I did the facing for the Gilbert on the cross, uh, so the stripe was oriented differently, so that turned out, uh, looking really cool.

Um, the Ilford Jacket, I’ve made a few of those. That’s a great beginner collar as well if anyone’s looking for, like, more of a chore coat style and wanting a simple collar that they can tackle. Kalle Shirt, Archer Button Up from Grainline Studio, I mean, just so many, I definitely don’t shy away from collars. I don’t make that many statement collars. I’m intrigued by this removable pilgrim collar style. Like I said, I think that would be really fun to try over an Ashton Top or something like that, so I’m going to give it a go. I’ll get back to you.

Caroline: Yeah. I wonder if we’re going to make even more collared garments or maybe just some detachable standalone collars that we can use to accessorize after we’ve done this episode and talked all about collars.

Helen: Only time will tell.

Caroline: I also will report back.

And that’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com. We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Helen: Go to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes and see all the beautiful collars. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, send us an email at [email protected].

Caroline: And if you love Love to Sew and you want more, you can sign up for our Patreon. For $5 a month, you get a full length bonus episode and weekly behind the scenes pics. For $10 a month, you get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% codes for Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making this quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Helen: And we have Love to Sew swag. You can visit our shop to get tees, pins, and tote bags with art by Josie Adams of Hey Miss Designs. Tell the world that you’re a stitch witch, that you can make anything, or that you are a Love to Sew listener. Go to lovetosewshop.com to get yours.

Caroline: And thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you for listening. See you next week.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: Bye.

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A great garment pairs a good design with the perfect fabric. In this episode, we guide you through pattern and fabric matchmaking, whether in-person or online. Plus, we answer a question about using natural fiber fabrics for interfacing, share a listener’s recommended sewing gadgets, and share our best and worst fabric choices.

The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.

Past Episodes Mentioned:

Helen and Caroline’s Best Fabric Matches:

Resources:

Other Mentions:

Transcript:

Caroline: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Helen: Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Caroline: Join us for today’s topic: Choosing the Perfect Fabric.

Hello, Helen.

Helen: Hi, Caroline.

Caroline: How are you doing today?

Helen: I’m doing…

Caroline: I don’t know why I said that weird.

Helen: I’m doing well. Thank you. It’s sunny today, and I just went for a walk with my dog, so I’m feeling good.

Caroline: Nice. I… It is also sunny here in Vancouver, really beautiful blue sky right now. And I did a little meditation before we started recording, so I’m feeling really good.

Helen: Awesome. Well, today’s episode is right up your alley: Choosing the Perfect Fabric.

Caroline: Oh yes. Such a good topic. Another one of those ones that I’m like, how have we not covered this before? This is a question we get all the time, so I’m really excited to dive into it.

Helen: Yes, but first we have some feedback from Corinne who’s one of our patrons on Patreon. Thank you for supporting us there, Corrine.

“Hello. I‘m so glad to have discovered your podcast. I am in my car all day, and it killed me that I had been wasting all of that time on nothing but true crime podcasts.”

Not a waste of time. We’re with you.

Caroline: Relatable.

Helen: “I saw that you once did an episode on ‘sewing revelations’ and helpful sewing knicknacks. I know I already missed the boat on that one, but in case you ever do part 2, these are some discoveries that changed my sewing life:

One: the magnetic seam guide ruler by Madam Sew. Holy cow! I thought I would NEVER reach a point where I could sew a straight line. I popped this thing on and BAM. Factory level precision. If for some reason your stitch plate isn’t metal, I’ve also seen people use ‘building block tape’ (picture a roll of legos that you can cut and stick like scotch tape). Amazing.”

Caroline: “Number two: a dedicated scrap fabric drawer. Ok, so anytime I try a new fabric with my serger, I end up having to get up and cut a few extra scrap pieces to test on. It adds an extra layer of frustration to the whole process. Today, I cleaned out a drawer in my sewing table, divided it into 3 spaces (wovens, knits, & silky fabric), and filled it with some precut scraps. Why didn’t I think of this before?”

Helen: Ooh. I love this tip. So smart. Just have those right on hand.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: “Number three: a mini vacuum cleaner. This was huge for me. I have 3 cats, all of whom love to eat things other than food. I was terrified when I started sewing that one of my ‘children’ would end up eating my thread scraps. We’ve had vet emergencies for similar incidents, so I am extra paranoid. The vacuum makes me feel so much better! I keep it in my drawer, and whenever I end up having to pick a seam or cut off some tail threads, I grab it and clean up the mess in 10 seconds or less. You can also use it to suck the fuzz out of your machine. I think that’s what it’s actually for.”

Caroline: Wow. Thank you so much, Corinne. I love all of this. A magnetic seam ruler is great. You can also put washi tape or painter’s tape on your machine at the seam allowance if you need. And keeping small scraps for testing your stitches is a great idea. A drawer is good. A bin or some jars would work well, too. And the mini vacuum cleaner is obviously also a great idea for pet owners or really anyone who wants to corral all of those tiny threads that end up everywhere when we sew and cut. So good to keep a clean sewing space.

Helen: Yes. If you have a dedicated sewing room, I think a dedicated sewing room vacuum, if that’s something that you’re able to get your hands on, would be pretty awesome cause that way it’s just that much easier to clean up at the end of the day.

Caroline: Totally. Okay. We have a question from Amy today.

“Hello! I have been wondering about interfacing. I am very aware of the environment and concerned about the sustainability of, especially, fusible, but also the stereotypical non-fusible interfacing. What happens to the glue used in fusible as we wash our garments? Most interfacing is also polyester.

I do think about using horsehair, as was traditionally used. But I looked those up recently and what I saw are a blend which includes polyester and all sorts of other materials. So I don’t think that that was any better than the straight polyester interfacing I can buy.

What is the history throughout garment sewing? Before synthetics were invented in traditional tailoring, I wonder what they used. I think about using an extra layer of cotton or linen as interfacing, but I don’t know how that would react. I have no problem hand sewing my interfacing in. It means I can have a more sustainable garment and practice. Can I just use another layer? Is there an ideal fabric to use? And what is the traditional horsehair?

I love the podcast, listen to episodes repeatedly, and appreciate the whole team!”

Helen: Ah, thanks so much, Amy. This is such a great question. If you’d rather not use synthetic materials to interface, there are options for you. So many times you can interface with a layer of the same fabric that you’re using for the outside of your garment. It’s just adding that extra level of stability there.

If you’re working with an especially shifty fabric, though, you might want to choose something with a bit more of a stable weave, so you can use cotton muslim, broadcloth, silk organza, cotton organdy, or quilting cotton. Prewash all your fabrics to get them to their final level of shrinkage, and then try to match the weight of your project with the stabilizing fabric that you choose.

So if you’re working with, like, a rayon or Tencel, for example, and you want a more crisp structure behind that, you can use a cotton. Just make sure that you preshrink everything. And if you’re worried about things like shifting or shrinking at different weights, you could maybe sew, like, a test collar and then throw that in the wash and just see what happens so that you know what you’re going to get.

And in answer to your other question, horsehair canvas is very stiff and is usually used to tailor structured jackets. There are options available that are a blend of cotton and horsehair. It helps to search for cotton horsehair canvas. And that actually is made of horsehair, right, Caroline?

Caroline: Yes, it is.

Helen: Yeah, but there are polyester alternatives. Um, it is quite pricey, as well. You’ll notice that when you go shopping for horsehair interfacing. Um, and with, sew-in interfacing, you treat the fashion fabric and the interfacing fabric as one. So once you sew it together, you can trim away the interfacing fabric close to the seam in order to reduce bulk in those areas.

And for more information about all kinds of interfacing, you can check out our Interfacing 101 Episode.

Caroline: Awesome. Thanks, Amy. Alright, let’s move on to the show. Fabric shopping is one of the most important and fun parts of the sewing process. And if it wasn’t clear from our stash numbers in the Fabric Stash Org episode, we love fabric shopping. I mean, I have a fabric store, so I have to love fabric shopping.

Helen: Yes, I think it was Emilia who said that fabric shopping and sewing are like two different hobbies, and you can spend lots of time doing one or both.

Caroline: Yes, you really can. And you can learn a lot from just fabric window shopping. Um, what kind of designs and fibers are out there, what patterns are recommended, and if you’re shopping in person, you can get your hands all up in the fabric. That is totally allowed in a fabric store. I personally can’t walk by a fabric bolt without touching it. It’s kind of a problem.

Helen: Yes. It’s amazing to get a chance to shop in person and touch all the fabrics. Um, one of the biggest challenges, I think, in making clothes comes before the sewing part. It’s actually ensuring that your fabric is a really good match for your pattern. That is what the whole episode today is going to be about because we both get a lot of questions about that in our inbox, and people wanting to make sure they’re going to invest this time, money, energy, into making this project, and they want to make sure that the fabric they’re choosing is going to be the right fabric for the project.

Caroline: Yeah, of course. It’s a really obvious thing, right? You want your project to work, so you want to be able to pick the perfect fabric for your project, and it’s not always the most obvious thing. Picking the perfect fabric should not be rushed, and getting the right choice really sets you up for success and longevity. So if you can nail the fit and the fabric, you’re going to have a garment that you can love for years to come.

Helen: Yeah, and if you’re new to fabric shopping, or if you’re more experienced and you want to make sure you know all the basics about fabric, we also have episodes like Fabrics 101, that’s Episode 27, Fabric Q&A, where we answered lots of listener questions about fabric, that one’s Episode 103. We’ll link those in the show notes. I think we also have Fabric Shopping Online. I’m not sure which number that is, but that would be another good one to check out. So today we’re going to be talking specifically about pairing patterns and fabric.

Caroline: Yes, and so there are lots of things to consider when you’re searching for the perfect fabric. And I think, for most, the first step is picking a sewing pattern. Or if you’re a self drafter, you might be drawing out your idea and drafting a pattern at this stage. Your first step is to figure out what you’re going for with this garment. So this is, like, the research phase.

Helen: Yes, you can use Pinterest or Instagram Collections to create mood boards, collect small groups of images that have the vibe that you’re going for, and look for commonalities in the images like colors, textures, shapes, prints, et cetera.

Caroline: Yeah, and you can also shop in person. Look closely at pieces that you like. How are they constructed? Feel the fabric, check the fiber content on the tag, take a photo with your phone, or jot down some notes. So you can go to, like, a retail store and look at finished garments to get inspiration for the types of fabrics that would work with what you want to make.

Helen: Yes. And you can also check out your own closet. Note the garment shapes that you love, as well as the fabrics that you feel best in. You can look at the fabric labels to find out what they’re made out of. A lot of ready to wear clothes, I find are blends. Um, so it might not be possible to find, like, that specific blend from your favorite t-shirt, but you might be able to find something similar based on what’s in that blend.

Um, and I also want to say that it’s totally okay to, like, copy something that you see. Like, if you collect something, um, in one of your Instagram albums, like, somebody has made, you know, the Kalle Shirt Dress, and it’s exactly what you want, just use that exact same fabric. That’s totally cool. I think that’s awesome. Or use the exact fabric the designer used in their photo shoot for the pattern. That’s cool, too. I think it’s a good way to make sure that you’re getting a garment that’s going to work with that fabric.

Caroline: Absolutely. And with this information that you gathered during the research phase, you want to now make some decisions. So pin down the pattern you want and decide on any hacks you’d like to make. You can even sketch it out to get a better idea of what it will look like on you. If you have a croque, use that. This is great for visualizing your personal proportions.

Helen: Yes, and now comes the fun part: the fabric shopping, finally. So it’s a good idea to look at the fabric suggestions from your sewing pattern. We’ve talked about this many times on this show. If you’re newer to sewing clothes, it can be especially useful to stick to these suggestions, and you’ll know exactly the types of things that you’re looking for. So pattern makers have gone through sample making and testing, and they have tried lots of fabrics, so they know which fabrics are gonna work best with the pattern that they’ve designed.

But remember there are a lot of different fabric possibilities out there. Those blends that we talked about, and they might not all be mentioned, or the listing in the pattern description might be a little bit more vague. It’ll just say, like, denim, it’s not going to say specifically the weights of denim or, like, all the different variations on kinds of cotton that you can use, it might just say cotton. So it can be a little challenging, but there is a bit of reading between the lines that will come with time as you sew more and more.

Caroline: Mhm. Yeah. So you’re looking at the pattern envelope and, kind of, figuring out what types of fabrics you want to, sort of, lean towards. And I think you also want to go in before you shop for fabric, having a general idea of what you want that fabric to look like.

So I’ll give some examples. Let’s say I want to make a swishy skirt. I’m looking for a dark, small-scale floral print in a lightweight drapey, breathable, woven fabric. So maybe I have an inspo image, and I see that that skirt is, like, really swishy and drapey, and so I’ve decided this is, kind of, what I’m looking for to recreate that look. If I’m going for, like, a slouchy, let’s say lived in shirt, I’m looking for a lightweight, laundered look, maybe soft linen fabric. And then another example would be, let’s say, I want to make a structured chore coat. In that case, I’m looking for a mid to heavyweight woven fabric with body and durability, probably a cotton.

So writing these things down before you go shopping is going to help, kind of, guide you and not get distracted by those, like, shiny, beautiful fabrics in the fabric store where you’re like, I could probably use this, right?

Helen: You go looking for just, like, navy cotton canvas, and you leave with sequins. I mean, been there, right?

Caroline: Exactly.

Helen: So once you pin down what you’re looking for, you can start shopping, and while a lot of the concepts we just discussed apply to shopping in person and online, when you are searching for a specific fabric, nothing beats shopping in person, especially if you’re a beginner, because you are going to be able to touch all those fabrics. Sorry, Caroline. You just need to open a brick and mortar store.

Caroline: No, that is a-OK. I can totally appreciate the value in shopping for fabric in person, especially as a beginner, because when you’re just starting out, you want to be able to feel the fabrics with your hands and see how they look in the light and test their drape. And this is really only possible when you have the fabric in front of you.

Once you’ve built that knowledge of fabrics, then you can make more reliable decisions when you’re shopping online. However, if you really need to shop online, you can maybe have a more experienced sewist help you select your fabric, or you can rely on the wisdom of shopkeepers and online sewists by checking out their recommendations or contacting them.

Helen: Yes, I’ve been doing this for some newbie sewists in my life. Like, if they want to make a project and then they’ll send me some links to fabrics on Blackbird and be like, is this appropriate? And then I can give them a yea or nay and just, sort of, validate their decisions more than anything else and make sure that, because they can’t feel the fabric and they don’t know, you know, what does 5% spandex even feel like, it’s really helpful to have somebody just be like, yes, you’re on the right track.

Caroline: Totally. And Helen mentioned Fabric Shopping Online, that’s actually episode 155, and in there, we have tons of our best online shopping tips. So definitely check that out if you’re, kind of, limited to shopping online for fabrics.

Helen: Yes. Okay. So what if you’re starting with your fabric and you need to match it up with a pattern? I mean, we all have some fabric in our collection, so it’s great to shop what you’ve got when it comes to starting a sewing project.

Caroline: Yeah. So working with fabric first makes sense when you’re, kind of, trying to use your fabric collection or stash or maybe gifted fabric scraps or thrifted fabric that you found. So the first thing you want to do is take note of the fiber content and weave. So does the fabric have stretch? What’s it made of? Is it light, medium, or heavy weight? How does it drape? How much of it do you have? All of these will affect what kinds of garments you can make.

Helen: Yes, and if you have a mystery fabric, you can do a burn test, be careful, please, to figure out if it’s natural or synthetic fibers. So synthetic fibers will kind of melt together while natural fibers turn to ash and dust. Sometimes you can even distinguish between different natural or synthetic fibers. Obviously, again, be careful when you’re burning anything, just burn a small, little piece. Don’t, like, just take your whole yardage and burn the edge of it. Cut a little piece. And By Hand London has a great post on burn testing with a flow chart to help you identify the fiber content.

Caroline: Yeah, always a good idea to do burn tests outside or on some kind of a plate. Uh, I’ve seen, like, pie, like, those metal pie plates that are, kind of, disposable almost. You can use something like that so that you’re not worrying about something catching on fire and then that can snowball and become a disaster. So just be careful.

Helen: When I was a teenager, I had a, like, a school project where we had to make, I don’t even remember, it was some, kind of, like, creative history report, and I wanted to put it on a piece of paper that had, like, singed edges so it looked old. So I took a lighter to my project in my bedroom. And thankfully, I mean, the project was fine, but, like, a chunk of…

Caroline: Was your bedroom fine?

Helen: …it fell onto the carpet and burned a hole in the, like, wall-to-wall carpeting so…

Caroline: Oh no.

Helen: Not, not great.

Caroline: Yeah. So do this safely, and then you want to compare your fabric’s weight, drape, and fiber content with the recommendations given by pattern makers. So even if they don’t list your specific fabric, if it’s similar to a fabric they list, it will probably work well.

Helen: Yes. Okay. Now we’re going to go into the basic components of fabric, those characteristics that will determine whether your fabric will work for what you’re envisioning. When you’re fabric shopping, consider these components. So first is the content of the fabric. Basically, what is it made out of? There are lots of fibers out there, and they can all pretty much fit into one of two categories: natural and synthetic.

Caroline: Yeah. Natural fibers include linen, cotton, wool, silk, and hemp. Rayons like Tencel, viscose, cupro, EcoVero, those are usually heavily chemically processed, and the raw materials are natural wood, pulp and cotton, so they fit into the natural substrate category, but they are more processed, so they’re, kind of, like a semi-natural, semi-man-made fabric. Um, natural fabrics tend to be breathable, so they’re more comfortable to wear. They also look really gorgeous and are suited to nearly any garment, and most natural fabrics also have a lower environmental impact than synthetic fibers.

Helen: Yes, and synthetic fibers include things like polyester, nylon, acrylic, elastane or spandex, those are the same thing, and polyurethane. Synthetic fabrics tend to be more affordable than natural fabrics. An elastane spandex content is a must for knits with good recovery. That’s the amount that it bounces back after you stretch it out. So you want to look for, like, 5% elastane or spandex for things like leggings and sports bras, swim fabrics. Synthetics are also best for swimwear. Nylon or polyester combined with elastane will help keep that shape without taking on a ton of water.

Caroline: Yeah. I think synthetic substrates tend to get a bad rap which they are definitely, generally speaking, like, harder on the environment. But when you’re looking at selecting a fabric, I think it’s also important to consider longevity. So the reason why we would say, like, synthetics are best for swimwear or for athletic wear is because something like a swimsuit made out of cotton or linen is just not going to work. You’re not going to wear it. You’re not going to, um, like the way that it looks cause it’s not going to give you that effect that you’re going for.

So I think that there is a time and a place for synthetics when you’re, kind of, weighing it against how you want to use that garment and considering, you know, hopefully, that piece is going to be in your wardrobe for a really long time and, sort of, offset the fact that it might have a higher environmental impact.

Helen: Yes, and many fabrics are blends. We talked about earlier. Some are blends of natural substrates, like linen and cotton or linen and rayon, and others are synthetic like poly and spandex, but there’s also blends of both natural and synthetic substrates like poly cotton and rayon spandex. Um, so you can find all sorts of blends out there. And again, it just helps to be able to touch the fabrics when you’re learning what these kind of fabrics feel like and what something being blended with spandex means.

Caroline: Mhm, and you can check out our Fabric Deep Dive Episodes for more info about particular fabrics, and the fabric episodes we mentioned at the beginning of the episode also have a really good overview, so some of this information might be repetitive, but obviously, we want to include everything we can, all the info in this episode as well. So if you want more info, go back, but we’re trying to cover as much as we can today.

Helen: Well, fabric is at the core of sewing, so it never hurts to reiterate things.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. Okay. Let’s talk about construction next. So this is also called the fabric’s weave, and most fabrics fall into two categories, so either woven or knits, and these are usually kept in different sections in shops or on websites.

Helen: Yes, and remember wovens and knits require different patterns, different construction techniques, different fitting, so it’s best not to switch between them unless you are ready to alter the pattern or ready to accept the consequences if it doesn’t work out. Your pattern should say whether it’s intended for wovens or knits, and there are the occasional pattern you’ll come across that is suitable for both, usually things that are a little bit looser fitting.

Caroline: Yeah, totally. And woven fabrics typically have no stretch or very little stretch. You’ll see different weaves out there in the fabric world, like a plain weave, twill, corduroy, satin, velvet, jacquard. Those are just a few. Plain weave is what we usually think of when we think of weaving. There’s a vertical warp thread and horizontal weft thread that goes over and under the warp.

And twill is a weave with tiny diagonal ribs going across it. Denim is usually in a twill weave, and a satin weave floats long threads across the top of the fabric so that it looks soft and shiny. So two fabrics made of the same fiber could look very different with different weaves, so it’s important to consider both the fiber and the weave.

Helen: Yes, and we were talking about elastane and spandex earlier. So if you have a woven that’s blended with elastane or spandex, it might have some stretch to it in which case the pattern will probably recommend a stretch woven. And if it doesn’t, you’re probably best to avoid those as a beginner. But if you do want to use them, like, a question we get a lot is: can I make the Yanta Overalls in, like, a stretch denim or a stretch corduroy, and you can, but you might end up wanting to size that garment down or take it in at the sides because that stretch is just going to give you a little bit more of a roomy feeling, so you’ll want to take it in. So as a beginner, I think it’s best to avoid stretch wovens unless the pattern calls for them.

Caroline: Would you say that it’s easier to use a stretch woven for a pattern that recommends just, like, regular woven and not the other way around, like, I wouldn’t use a non-stretch woven for a pattern that recommends something with, like, a little bit of spandex in it, right?

Helen: Definitely, like, for example, uh, Closet Core has the Ginger Jeans Pattern, very popular jeans pattern. That is a stretch denim jeans pattern. So it’s drafted to be tighter on the body, and so you need that stretch in the fabric in order to put that on. So I wouldn’t recommend trying a non-stretch fabric in that case. I do think you’re right. It’s, like, it’s easier to use a stretch woven for a pattern that doesn’t call for it then vice versa.

Caroline: Mhm. Yeah, and we’ll talk a little bit more about stretch percentage in a second and, kind of, how to figure out what type of stretch fabric to pick out for the pattern.

Helen: Yes. Okay. Knit fabrics have natural stretch. They’re not woven. They are knit on machines. It’s like a tiny version of what knitters do when they’re knitting. If you look closely at the right side of a jersey knit fabric, you’ll see lots of tiny little v’s made by the threads. Knit fabrics can include jersey, interlock knit, rib knit, French Terry, and fleece. Some fabrics have more open knit and a thicker yarn, and those are called sweater knits. They’re also sometimes called hacci. That’s spelled H-A-C-C-I, um, so you’ll see those, and those typically refer to sweater knits. And then swimsuit fabrics are also knits.

Caroline: Mhm and there are some fabrics that are not wovens or knits, like leather or faux leather and a lot of interfacings. Sometimes, like, Melton or felt are also non-woven and they’re just, kind of, all the fibers are, like, bonded together.

Helen: Smushed.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Okay. You mentioned stretch percentage, and this is really important, uh, patterns that require stretch will often name the smallest amount of stretch that is needed. For example, it will say at least 25% stretch or at least 50% stretch. And it will often say in one direction or in both directions and specify which direction is needed.

I think for our Blackwood cardigan, it’s, like, at least 40% horizontally and at least 20% vertically. And that’s because I tested it on a lot of different knits, and without that vertical stretch, it’s just not as comfortable. So there’s a reason why those stretch percentages are in there, and it’s best to adhere to them. Um, it does say “at least,” so you can definitely go beyond that and use a stretchier knit for those projects.

Caroline: Mhm, and how do you test the stretch percentage of your fabric, Helen?

Helen: Okay. So to test the stretch percentage, you first need to find the direction of greatest stretch, and that’s the DOGS. Um, it’s pretty easy to find. You stretch the fabric parallel to the cut edge, then perpendicular to a cut edge, and whichever direction is stretchier is the direction of greatest stretch.

Now you want to measure 10 inches along the DOGS, with your hands at either end of the 10 inches, you stretch it out. So if it stretches to 12 inches, it has 20% stretch, stretches to 15, that’s 50% stretch. And you can also calculate this with less than 10 inches of fabric. I think in our patterns, we recommend five inches, and Megan Nielsen has a good article going over this formula on her blog, so we’ll link it in the show notes.

So you don’t have to use a certain size of fabric. You can cut a square or you can just cut a piece of the fabric. There’s lots of different ways to go about it, but you’re essentially stretching it against a ruler to calculate the amount of stretch that it has.

Caroline: Yeah. Some pattern designers even include in their pattern instruction booklet, like, a little ruler, and then you can, sort of, line up your piece of fabric on the DOGS along that ruler and stretch it, and they’ll, like, indicate, it needs to stretch at least to this point for it to work for the pattern, so that can be a helpful thing to look for as well.

And if you choose a fabric with less than the required stretch, it’s going to fit too tightly. That’s just a simple fact. Knit fabrics are designed for the ease that comes with the stretch of the fabric that they’re are designed for. So you’re also going to want to check your woven patterns to see if they require stretch as well. So, like Helen said, some jeans patterns are designed for stretch like the Ginger Jeans while others aren’t. So if you use a stretch fabric for a non-stretch pattern, it’s going to come out baggy, and if you use a non-stretch fabric for a stretch pattern, you won’t be able to get it on.

Helen: Yes, and with knit fabrics, if you find that you’re not, if you’re coming up short on that stretch percentage, you can size up in order to, like, make that difference up, but it doesn’t always work. So again, you’re into, like, trial and error territory where you’re like, I really want, you know, Avery Leggings out of this fabric, but it doesn’t meet the requirement. Maybe I’ll just size up a couple sizes and hope for the best, and it might really work out, but it also might not. There’s no guarantee in that scenario, so just keep that in mind as you go forth. Go forth and experiment.

Caroline: It’s also worth mentioning that. I think it’s not possible to size up for some people. Like, personally, a lot of the time I’m like at the top of a size range so being able to size up is, like, not really an option. So it’s always good to just, like, especially with your first go at a pattern, pick a fabric that is suitable and that, you know, kind of, follows the designer’s instructions and what they’ve drafted for. It’s just going to create way less frustration and tears later on.

Helen: That’s true. Okay, drape is another huge factor that’s going to affect your fabric choice. It means how a fabric lays on the body, how it actually drapes from, like, your shoulders and your upper body or how it drapes from your knees if you’re seated. So thinking about how that’s going to look with the garment that you’ve chosen.

Really drapey fabrics will flow over the body and form shapes that are closer to your natural form. Think, like, Tencel, twill, or silk charmeuse, things that are a little bit more, not necessarily clingy, but because they do drape so much, they end up sitting closer to the body.

Caroline: Mhm. And fabrics with a stiffer drape stand out from the body and create more volume. So think, like, mid-weight linens or poly organza here. And you can test drape by holding a square fabric at the middle so that it drapes on the bias. A really drapey fabric is going to make a thinner shape while a different fabric is going to stand out at the sides. And this is going to give you an idea of how the fabric will fall over your body and affect the look of the pattern you choose.

Helen: Yes, and I love when fabric stores will showcase that kind of thing on social media, or even, like, in videos in the product listings where you can actually see the drape, and that can be really helpful if you’re not able to shop in person, following some fabric accounts to just get an idea of what the fabric looks like when someone’s holding it up or draping it over a stool or something like that.Not that we’re like stools, but…

Caroline: No, it’s helpful because it just shows how the fabric hangs and that’s so important.

Helen: Exactly. Another thing that’s going to affect the way that your finished piece looks is the weight of the fabric. Weight is how much your fabric actually weighs per square meter or yard. In shops that list the weight, it will either be in grams per square meter or ounces per square yard. I think at Blackbird, you guys do ounces, right?

Caroline: Uh, we do both in the product listing, but in the actual title of the product, it’s usually ounces.

Helen: Oh, okay, cool. This can be confusing as a beginner sewist because you’ve never encountered weighing fabric. It’s really hard to know if something’s nine ounces. Well, what does that, that has, like, zero meaning to you, right? So again, it does come with time, um, and there’s lots of information online, like charts and things that you can find that will tell you, like, these fabrics fall into this category.

So lightweight fabrics that are best for things like shirts, tops, dresses. However, there are also some lightweight wools that could be great for, like, suits and dress pants. And some typical lightweight fabrics would be, like, cotton lawn, poplin, uh, rayon challis, uh, charmeuse. These are all nice lightweight fabrics, and a lightweight fabric would be anything from, like, what, six ounces or less, Caroline?

Caroline: Yeah, like, around 200 GSM is what we would consider, um, the top of a lightweight category which is about 5.9 ounces. So anything under that I would consider lightweight. Obviously, there’s, like, a lot of variation in there. It depends on how the fabric feels, too. So, um, some lighter weight fabrics might, kind of, read a little bit more mid-weight so you might say light to mid-weight.

Helen: It is tricky because I think drapier fabrics tend to feel lighter as well. Like, you could have a five ounce Tencel twill that feels quite different from a five ounce denim. The denim is going to feel heavier than the Tencel just because it doesn’t have as much drape.

Caroline: Yeah, and it’s quite nuanced and arbitrary. Like, I think different fabric stores might say differently. That’s just, kind of, how we categorize them at Blackbird.

Helen: Okay. So what about mid-weight fabrics? What’s in that category?

Caroline: Yeah, these are probably the most versatile because you can make a lot of different garments, tops, pants, dresses. A Blackbird seven ounce linen is a good example of a mid-weight fabric. And there are also mid-weight rayon twills, denims, flannels, and cotton shirtings. Uh, so definitely the most versatile, but you want to consider that a mid-weight is going to just have a little bit more structure generally and just be heavier on your body, so it might not work for all garments.

Helen: Mhm. Great for bottom weights. If you’re looking to make a pair of pants, you want to stay away from lightweight fabrics and go more into the medium weight fabric category. Most of the fabrics that garment sewists are going to work with are going to fall in the lightweight to medium weight fabrics, unless you’re making more specialty garments out of heavyweight fabrics which usually have a much stiffer drape and are suitable for things like outerwear, that’s coats or jackets, or hard-wearing work pants, classic heavyweight jeans, like, we’re talking, like, 12 ounce plus in this category.

Caroline: Yeah, and I want to come back to something you just said for a second. Cause you said, like, mid-weight fabrics will be more suitable for pants, and I totally agree with that. And it’s not to say that you can’t use, like, a lightweight drapey rayon to make a pair of pants, but when we’re also considering longevity of a garment, just because something works and looks good and you, you know, like the way that it drapes and maybe even it sews up beautifully, when you’re talking about a pair of pants that you’re going to be sitting and crouching and squatting and maybe throwing rocks at the beach in, you want to think about, like, how much stress those seams are going to get.

And in a pair of pants, those seams get a lot of stretch from our hips and our bums and our legs bending all the time. So those seams are not going to last as long as something that’s a mid-weight. So even if it, like, works, quote-unquote works, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be a garment that’s going to last a long time. And I would say that’s an important thing to consider.

Helen: Yeah. It all comes back to how you envision wearing and using the garment. Like, you could make a pair of rayon Arden Pants for lounging around the house in, or, you know, a pair of Tencel Ninni Culouttes for wearing to the office, and it’s not going to be the rocks on the beach situation. So it really depends on what you’re going for. But fabric weight is super important, and it is, unfortunately, one of the harder things to wrap your head around when you get into sewing.

So ordering swatches, keeping track of how heavy things were, if you keep a sewing notebook, we’ve mentioned that a few times on the show, just to, like, jot down your project, make a note of how heavy the fabric was that you used so you can come back to that and be, like, oh, that shirt was five ounces. I thought it was less. I thought it was more. And it just lets you check in with the weights that you’ve been using and the weights that you like.

Caroline: Mhm, yeah, absolutely. And for any garment that’s going to be next to your skin and that’s most of them, hand-feel is going to be a really important thing to think about. So hand-feel is going to tell you whether a fabric is going to feel wonderful or awful, and there’s, kind of, everywhere in between as well. And the only way to really tell is to feel it with your hands. So imagine what it would feel like to wear that fabric for an extended time, rub the fabric together.

Some fabrics have a lovely, soft rustle, while others will almost squeak when you rub them together. And rub it against your skin and see how it feels against your skin. I think different people have a different tolerance for scratchiness of fabric, and sometimes you’re going to wanna weigh, you know, how much do I love the weight and drape and, um, fiber content of this fabric versus how does it feel against my skin? And can I make a compromise somewhere to be able to use this fabric.

Helen: Mhm, and, like, whether or not you’re going to be comfortable heat-wise, I think is a big consideration, too. Cause you could be like, I love this fabric, but if I wear a polyester shirt, I, like, I’m only going to last, like, 30 minutes before I need to take that off of my body.

Caroline: Totally. That’s why it’s so important to think, like, consider all these different components and not just one because, like, a poly sweater knit might feel amazing against your skin. Like, I’ve seen some really beautiful, soft, poly or poly blend sweater knits. And if you’re a person that runs hot, that might not be the right fabric choice for you. It might be for someone else, but it might not be for you because polyester doesn’t breathe as well, and you’re just going to end up, like, a sweaty mess when you’re wearing it, so you got to consider all of the different things.

Helen: All the things. Okay, and on top of all those considerations, we also want to think about our skill level when we’re choosing fabric. Some fabrics are just trickier to work with than others. So consider whether you’re ready to take on a more difficult fabric or a new fabric that you haven’t worked with before. For example, slippy, shifty, or shiny fabrics like satin and organdy will take a lot of maneuvering to, kind of, pin them together and get them through your machine.

Caroline: Yeah, and fabrics that fray a lot can be difficult because they get worse with handling which is something you do a lot of when you’re starting out so loose weave fabrics like some wool coatings or hace knits and fabrics with smooth fibers like silk or silk poly tend to do a lot of fraying.

Helen: Another thing to consider is print. So large scale prints could require more pattern matching, if pattern matching is the way you want to go with your garment. And we have an episode on this to help you out, it’s episode 150. That’s something to think about if you’re working with a big print or thinking about, like, the style lines in the garment, too, and whether they’re going to disrupt that print or highlight that print.

Caroline: Mhm, and thick fabrics like denim, canvas, and wool coatings can be tough to get through your machine, especially when you’re sewing several layers. So you want to consider what your machine can handle when you’re choosing a fabric, as well. And what you can handle in terms of, like, how many layers and thickness of fabrics, um, you’re used to working with.

Helen: Totally, and this is not to dissuade you from making your dream garment from that really cool fabric you’ve always wanted to try. Adventurous beginners are welcome to tackle whatever they want to. If you fall into that category, it just means that you’ve sewn a few things. You’re not a beginner anymore. It’s not your first time sitting down at the machine. So you’re ready for the adventure. You’re ready to try new things and up your sewing game.

And that means taking on fabrics that you may not have worked with before, and you might discover you love them, or you might discover, mm, not quite for me just yet. I’m going to stick with the more stable things like cotton for a little bit.

Caroline: Yeah, definitely. It’s all up to you and what you want to do. And finally, we, you want to be considering the durability of the fabric? So ask yourself where you’re going to be wearing this garment, what kinds of things are you going to be doing in it, and how long you want it to last? This, kind of, ties back to what I said earlier. If you have an active lifestyle and you’re making an everyday garment that you’re going to be wearing and being active in, you probably want a durable fabric.

Medium and heavyweight fabrics are more durable than lightweight fabric, so look for tightly woven fabrics because they’re going to resist snag and tears. And if you’re making a going out dress or a special occasion outfit, that’s the best time to go for those less durable, but prettier fabrics, like those silky, slinky things, and maybe the sequins that you bought when you were really looking for canvas.

Helen: I mean, there’s something very beautiful about a nice, solid, durable cotton canvas.

Caroline: Oh yeah. I’m all for it.

Helen: Okay. Here’s another fun part of fabric shopping and that is picking the right color. So do you have a palette that you’re trying to stick with for your wardrobe? Some of us like to have our wardrobes in a similar palette, so it’s a bit easier to mix and match on the day-to-day when you’re getting dressed. It’s also great for picking out the colors that you like best and that make you feel really good. So if that sounds good to you, maybe you could make a mood board and figure out what colors keep popping up when you’re pinning things on Pinterest or saving things on Instagram or fabric shopping online. It can be so much fun.

Um, but it’s also okay to not be into this kind of thing. If you like to mix it up and you love all colors and you just want to dress sort of intuitively on the day-to-day and not worry about sticking to a palette, that’s wonderful also. So one way to figure out if you are swaying one way or the other would be to look at your wardrobe and see if there’s colors that are jumping out at you, that you tend to wear a lot, or maybe there’s a color that you’d like to try that just isn’t in there yet.

Caroline: Mhm. Absolutely. And if you’re shopping in person, you want to check the fabric against your skin or your face to see if you like how it looks. I think this is such a personal thing and not something that, like, other people should say, like, a fabric color looks great on you or not great on you. I think this is, like, such a personal decision, but you can, kind of, drape it against yourself and look in the mirror and see how it looks.

You could also use, like, a photo editing program or maybe art materials to draw different colors on your croque or a sketch of yourself, or even, like, super impose different colors on a picture of yourself in Photoshop. I feel like there’s a few different ways that you can figure out what your favorite colors are.

Helen: Yes, and just like we said, that you’re allowed to touch the fabric in the store, you’re also allowed to pick up the bolt, unroll it, walk over to the mirror, and hold it up in front of you. I remember my first few times going to a fabric store, I was so nervous to, like, move anything or touch anything or, like, be seen holding fabric up against my face. I’d, like, sneakily try and do it in, like, the mirror in the corner. Cause you’re like, I don’t want anyone to see me looking. But it’s okay, you’re supposed to look. You need to be able to just see it, drape it over your shoulders, see how it falls on your body, like, really make sure that you’re making the right choice because this is your money.

Caroline: Make friends with the fabric before you decide to take it home.

Helen: Yes, and then think also about whether you want a print or a solid. What are you going to wear this piece with? Do you like to mix prints? Or do you like to only have one print in your outfit? Or do you just love solids and no matter how much you appreciate prints, you never seem to want to wear them? That’s fine, too. Maybe you’re just a solid person.

Caroline: Yeah, I think that’s totally valid if you just like solid fabrics. And if you’re choosing a print, think about how it’s going to affect the details of the garment. So some patterns look great in prints, like a gingham button up with the plackets, cuffs, and yolk cut on the bias can look amazing, but some other patterns might end up losing their details in a print, especially if it’s, like, a medium or small scale.

You also want to be checking if a print is directional. So that means if you turn it over, is the print upside down, then it’s directional. And if not, it’s not directional, and you can cut pieces out either way. If it’s directional or if the fabric has a nap, like a corduroy or a velvet, you want to make sure to buy extra so that you can lay all your pattern pieces out in the same direction. And then you’re going to end up with a garment that you love even more cause there’s no weird changes in print direction.

Helen: Yeah, and if you’re looking at a more pricey fabric, like a velvet, something like that, and you want to make sure that you’re not buying too much extra. I would say consult the cutting layouts that are in the pattern. Those are those diagrams where it shows you how all the pattern pieces get laid out in order to cut it out the best way. And then you can actually see visually, are all the main pattern pieces, like, facing up? Um, how much extra fabric do I think I’m going to need in order to turn the back of this dress around?

Caroline: Mhm.

Helen: Alright, let’s talk a moment about care instructions. So even though the care instructions for certain fabrics don’t seem like an immediate concern. It’s something to consider when you’re choosing a fabric. Our best advice is to be realistic about how you’re going to care for your clothes. Don’t buy a dry clean only fabric, if you are just not a dry clean person. If you don’t have the space to hang dry, buy fabrics that you can throw in the dryer with confidence. Or maybe hand washing relaxes you, then you can go for those kinds of fabrics, and you don’t need to shy away.

Caroline: And care instructions can be found, usually listed on the end of the bolt or on the website where you buy the fabric. And if you can’t find them, just use instructions for the fiber that makes up the fabric. And this is where Google comes super in handy.

Helen: Yes. I love that Blackbird includes those little tags with the. It’s so helpful, and I, like, read them and then sometimes I follow them and sometimes I don’t. I’m, kind of, like, a throw it all in the washer and dryer person and, like, what will be, will be.

Caroline: Yeah, I’m kinda the same way. Like, I think pre-washing is so important, so I usually throw everything in the washing machine and hope for the best. But it’s also comes with experience, like, I think you would probably recognize that a wax canvas, for example, doesn’t get thrown into the washing machine…

Helen: Wait, what?

Caroline: …before you sew with it. So with that experience, you’ll learn, like, what is okay to wash and what isn’t. And if you’re not sure, we always recommend cutting a piece of the fabric and test washing it before you wash your full yardage, just to avoid any sadness if you ruin a fabric by washing it.

Helen: Mhm, I did this recently with some silk that I got. I just cut a little swatch, and I threw it in the wash and the dryer, and it came out totally fine. And I was like, I’m happy with this. I want to be able to make a shirt that I’m gonna wear and be able to wash, so I am choosing to just wash this silk, and I think that that’s fine.

Caroline: And once you’ve selected the perfect fabric, you need to decide how much to buy. Pay attention to the fabric width. This is really important. Fabrics usually come in widths anywhere from 43 to 60 inches, but there are definitely outliers, and you can really get any width in between 43 and 60 as well, so…

Helen: I’ve seen beyond 60, like…

Caroline: Oh yeah. I mean, I’ve seen, like, 70 inch wide denim before plus even more. So there are all, all different widths available. And your pattern is going to tell you how much fabric they recommend you buy based on your size and the fabrics width. Keep in mind that these recommendations can tend towards the generous side. So you can probably buy a little bit less if you feel confident about squeezing it out. Also, keep in mind, these recommendations are based on set widths, so a lot of pattern designers will do… What do you do, Helen? What are your two widths?

Helen: Um, we do 45 and 60.

Caroline: Yeah. So that’s, I think that’s pretty standard. Um, but if you have, like, a 65 inch fabric, then you might be able to get away with a little bit less, or if you have a 50 inch fabric, you might, you know, go with a fabric length somewhere in between the 45 and 60 inch recommendation. So there’s definitely some wiggle room there, and you kinda have to use your best judgment, and worst case scenario: if you have the pattern pieces already ready to go, you can, kind of, tape out the width of that fabric and lay it out yourself and figure out exactly how much you need. It’s more involved, but it’s more accurate.

Helen: Yes, much more accurate. You’ll probably save some money in the long run, and you won’t have that extra bit of fabric lying around in the end. Um, and there’s a few other things to consider when you’re deciding how much to buy. We mentioned the directional nap or a print, um, that you might want to match things like large-scale plaids and stripes, you might want to order a bit extra in order to be able to match across the side seams or the shoulders. Some patterns will tell you how much extra to buy if you have a napped fabric, but most probably won’t, so it’s something you’re going to have to work out.

Another thing to consider that if you have a print with a long repeat, so the repeat is, like, the print has been designed a meter at a time. And then that same print is being repeated down the bolt of the fabric. So if it has a really long repeat that you’re going to want to match up, you might want to buy extra in that case. Um, you can do less if the print is smaller or the repeat is smaller or maybe it’s just designed well so that you can’t tell where the repeat is. That’s something to think about and something, another reason to, like, unroll the bolt in the fabric store, so you can really get a sense for how that print.

Caroline: Yeah, totally. In some prints that are, like, huge scale might not be worth trying to match, just because you’ll need so much fabric to get all those matches to work out depending on your size and what the pattern is and how many seam lines there are. So you might just want to consider no pattern matching sometimes.

Helen: Yeah, saves you some trouble that’s for sure.

Caroline: Well, choosing the perfect fabric is one of the best parts of sewing your own wardrobe. And I wonder if you could talk a little bit, Helen, about what your favorite fabrics are and how you, kind of, make your fabric choices personally?

Helen: Oh! I love all fabrics. No, I really do have a broad range of fabrics that I sew with. And since we develop patterns, I’m often looking for what other alternatives might be available for the style that we’re designing. Like, for designing a button up shirt, of course, it’s going to look great in cotton and flannel and things like that. But how would it look in a drapey fabric? How would it look in a see-through fabric? It’s exciting to experiment with things.

For my personal sewing and wearing, I like linen. I also love denim because I think it’s so satisfying to sew with, so satisfying to press, so satisfying to topstitch. It’s just, like, feels good. Same for cotton. It’s just really fun to work with cotton because it’s so stable, but I also love rayon, Tencel, EcoVero, those prints that you’ve been coming out with at Blackbird. I just really enjoy a good print. I have a fairly bold, especially my dress section of my wardrobe, is very print heavy, and I really enjoy just, like, a nice, bright, bold print, so I gravitate to those a lot.

And I’m enjoying mixing the structured fabrics with the more flowy fabrics. Um, and I also like to choose based on the colors I love to wear. I buy a lot of orange-y, pink, rusty colors, which is great because you always have one in everything you launch, there’s always, like, a clay or rosewood. Like, that one’s for me.

Caroline: Absolutely. Yeah. You definitely have, like, a very clear aesthetic with your colors and the prints that you gravitate towards, so it totally makes sense that you would choose those colors. And we love bringing in those colors at Blackbird.

Helen: Yeah. How about you? What’s your favorite fabs these days?

Caroline: Yeah, I mean, I personally love a staple woven, like you mentioned, linen and cotton. Love that. I specifically really like solids, textured or stripe linens, um, yarn dyed cottons or cottons with, like, patterns woven in, like, ikats. Love those. I have a lot of those in my stash. Also, like, soft knits, like bamboo jerseys or modal jerseys and drapey prints, like a rayon viscose, EcoVero, so, kind of, similar. I think we have fairly similar tastes in fabric. We like wearing similar garments, so totally makes sense.

I do think I’m a bit of a unique case because I see dozens, literally dozens, of new fabrics pass across my desk each week. So at this point in my sewing journey, it’s really the unique ones that excite me the most, that are the ones that come home with me.

Helen: Mhm, like, I’ve never seen this before. It’s so cool. Yeah.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Fair enough.

Caroline: That’s usually what I’ll gravitate towards or, you know, I definitely have some, like, TnT fabrics that we’ve carried at Blackbird for a long time that I know I’ll always like default to if I’m making a certain type of garment, but when I’m just picking a fabric because I love it, and I don’t necessarily have a project in mind or have a plan to sew it up right away, I usually go for those ones that are, like, really cool and exciting to me.

Helen: Neither of us are silk people though.

Caroline: No, it’s interesting. Hey, I think silk just doesn’t have the durability that I need for my lifestyle.

Helen: That is totally fair. I have definitely bought several silks. I was just talking about pre-washing that silk. I still haven’t sewn it up. So I have a few in my collection, but I do not sew with it very regularly, but I’d like to do more. Maybe that’s something I can push myself for. We’re actually doing an episode all about silks, so that should be…

Caroline: We are. Maybe we’ll be inspired. Try some more silk sewing.

Helen: We should sew something with silk before that episode.

Caroline: We’ll see. We’ll see. Helen, have you had any fabric match fails?

Helen: Oh, so many. I mean, I can’t think of a specific one, but I know that, especially in the early days of sewing, I was constantly making things out of the wrong fabric, and at the time, I was fairly confident that it was the right fabric which is, kind of, hard to impart upon a beginner because you don’t want to discourage people, but, like, you’re going to make pattern and fabric matching fails. It’s just going to happen. That’s how you learn what’s going to work. It does take a lot of experience to get good at choosing the right ones.

And I made a lot of stuff out of quilting cotton when I started sewing which is totally normal, and a lot of people have that experience, and those garments just didn’t get a ton of wear because it’s just a little bit too stiff, a little bit too thick for me personally, for wearing on the day-to-day. So, um, that was a lesson that I learned early, and now I’m a little better at choosing.

But I think that’s a lot in part because of stores like yours that cater to garment sewists. So I feel pretty confident knowing that if I’m buying something from Blackbird, that it’s going to be suitable for a garment. It might not be exactly the one I had in mind when it arrives in my postbox, but I could take it out and be like, oh, this drape would be perfect for this other thing. So it’s always just good to shop somewhere where you know that the fabrics you’re getting are going to be suitable for garments if you’re interested in garment sewing.

Caroline: Yeah. It’s so true. Like, I think it can be really hard to see a fabric in person for the first time and have it not be exactly what you envisioned for the project, but I love this idea of, like, pivoting and being like, it’ll work for something else cause I know it’s perfect for garments.

Helen: Yeah, exactly. How about you? Do you have any fabric match fails?

Caroline: I feel like this is very relatable, like, hasn’t everybody had a fabric match fail in their sewing journey? I used to be really terrible at looking at, uh, the, like, recommended knit stretch percentage, uh, for different patterns. So I definitely have made my fair share of, like, t-shirts and leggings that didn’t fit around my legs or were, like, really tight around my legs or arms. Um, but I’ve learned my lesson there, and I definitely try to check that now cause it’s always such a bummer.

Helen: Um, yeah.

Caroline: What about fabric match successes? Can we, like, think back to any garments that we feel like we really nailed it?

Helen: Oh yes. I have a dress from this past summer I made as a Reynolds Dress in this batik rayon print, and it’s black and white and it’s just, I just wish I could wear it every day. And I wear it a lot around the house, and now that the weather’s cooled down, not so much outside, but there’s something about this, like, the perfect amount of drape, it’s not like a challis, it’s, like, a medium weight rayon drape. And I just love, love, love, love, love this dress.

Um, and then the other article of clothing that came to mind is this Ilford Jacket that I made in mid-weight linen. It’s, like, a deep green color, and I wear this jacket constantly. It’s a perfect dog-walking jacket. Just, like, throwing on, go-to-the-grocery-store jacket. I love a mid-weight linen, like, six or seven ounces. I think that fabric can work for pretty much all things. I don’t think I’ve ever had a pattern fail using the mid-weight linen.

Caroline: Yeah. I love that Ilford Jacket so much. I have a mid-weight linen Pona Jacket that you actually gave me that, it’s, like, the perfect weight for, sort of, like, a layering jacket, which is, you know, really nice for, like you said, walking the dog or just throwing on if you need just an extra layer, so those are great. I want to say, cause you mentioned that you don’t wear the Reynolds as much in the fall, I feel like it would be so cute with, like, a little white t-shirt layered underneath…

Helen: Oh, that’s true.

Caroline: …for fall.

Helen: I don’t own a white t-shirt.

Caroline: Do you not?

Helen: I’ve never been a white tee wearer.

Caroline: Or even a black tee, I think would be cute…

Helen: That’s true.

Caroline: …because it’s a black base print.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Or gray. I dunno. I just like layering my, like, tank dresses over t-shirts to take them into fall.

Helen: I do think that Reynolds is definitely a great layering piece with a turtleneck or a t-shirt underneath. And I’ve seen a few people doing that on Instagram, so I need to get on board.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Get with the program. Okay. What about you? Do you have some successes to share?

Caroline: Yeah, I mean, I have had, like, a, quite a few successes. I feel like I have really learned a lot about fabric and pattern matches over the years. So I feel pretty good about my decisions often, but I would say, I made a pair of black Ninni Culottes in washed linen, um, that I absolutely love. I’ve had them for, like, probably three years now, still in regular rotation. It’s just the perfect fabric and pattern match to me, um, and really integrates well into my wardrobe.

I also wanted to highlight a skirt that I made and wear to Frocktails because, at the time, I wasn’t sure if it was going to be something that I’d wear often cause it’s quite a bold print and a really, like, kind of, swishy, midi skirt. Um, it’s a rayon crepe, like, deadstock print. And the skirt that I used is the Style Arc Sorrento Skirt. So it has this, like, flounce at the bottom and honestly, I love that skirt so much. I would wear it weekly if it wasn’t so bold because I think people would know, would notice how often I wear it.

Helen: They would know that you wore your clothes more than once.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. I have, like, a complex about that, I think. But no, I, I definitely pull it out, like, at least once a month and I think not only is it a great skirt to pair with, like, a dressier top for, like, an occasion, I’ve worn it to, like, my family Christmas, I wore it to Frocktails, but I also just pair it with, like, a t-shirt or a little crop tank and wear it to work. And I just think it’s, like, such a good match. It has such a nice weight to it, such a great drape. And the print is just, like, perfect for that pattern. So I’m really proud of that one.

Helen: This is a perfect example of, like, going out of your comfort zone with something and having it turn into something that you wear all the time. So you experimented, and it paid off.

Caroline: Totally. But we would love to hear about your fabric match successes and fails, too. Let us know on Instagram, over email, or leave us a message, a voicemail message. And now if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to spend the rest of the day dreaming about perfect fabrics.

Helen: Yeah. I have a Blackbird order I got to unpack.

Caroline: Oh my gosh, go do it.

Helen: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com and Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com. And we’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Caroline: You can go to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. If you’d like to get in touch with us, send us an email at [email protected].

Helen: If you love Love to Sew and you want more, you can sign up for our Patreon. For $5 a month, you get a full length bonus episode and weekly behind the scenes pics. For $10 a month, you get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off codes for Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making this quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Caroline: And did you know that we have Loved to Sew swag? You can visit our shop to get tees, pins, and tote bags with art by Josie Adams of Hey Miss Designs. Tell the world you’re a stitch witch, that you can make anything, or that you’re a Love to Sew listener. Go to lovetosewshop.com to get yours.

Helen: Thank you to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you so much for listening. See you next week.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: You can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com. Nope.

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What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started sewing? In this episode, Love to Sew listeners share the hard-earned advice they wish they had when they were new sewists – and Helen and Caroline commentate!

The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.

Previous Episodes Mentioned:

Resources:

Tools:

Check out the many responses we got to our Instagram post for this episode!

A post shared by Love to Sew (@lovetosew.podcast)

Instagram Handles of Listeners Featured in this Episode:

Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Caroline: Join us for today’s topic: What I Wish I Knew When I Started Sewing.

Hi, Helen.

Helen: Hi, Caroline.

Caroline: How are you today?

Helen: I’m doing great. Thanks. How are you?

Caroline: I’m good. I love our recording from home days.

Helen: Me too. Especially since we don’t live in the same city anymore. It feels like I get to hang out with you which is so fun.

Caroline: Yeah, I know. We get to do a little video chat, and it’s almost like we’re in the same room.

Helen: Yeah, pretty much. I can imagine what it would be like.

Caroline: Me, too.

Helen: You’d probably give me a nice snack or something, which I don’t have, but…

Caroline: Not while recording though. In between.

Helen: Soft snacks only.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Well, I’m really excited about today’s topic, but let’s talk about some feedback first.

Helen: Yes. Today’s feedback comes from Judy in Madison, Alabama.

“I enjoyed your elastic episode. Here is an additional hint when you join elastic by butting the ends together. I zig zag each end to a small piece of fabric or non woven interfacing with the ends butted up to each other. I then trim the fabric piece to match the width of the elastic. I used to just zig zag the butted ends together, but I’ve had that method pull apart.”

Ah, this is such a great tip, essentially strengthening that place where you’re joining the elastic together, using a small piece of scrap fabric, and then you don’t have to overlap your elastic at all which can make it kind of bulky in that area. So hot tip, Judy. Thank you.

Caroline: Mhm, I love this tip. Next up we have a question from Chloe.

“Hello!! I was wondering. I am a teenage sewist, and I love sewing and designing clothes. I want to dedicate my life to sewing!!! But the problem is: I’m afraid to tell other classmates and other people that I love sewing, and that it’s my passion. The fear of them telling me that sewing is for grandmas or making fun of me. Every time some of my parents’ friends come over or we meet them in the street, I’m afraid that my parents will tell them that I love sewing, and I always tell them not to tell someone unless I don’t mind. What can or should I do??”

Oh my gosh, Chloe. I love this question. First of all, I just want to say, we think you are so cool. Sewing is a super power. And we also understand that being a teenager and being at school can be stressful. So first of all, you don’t have to tell anyone you sew if you don’t know. Just let that pressure go. You’re totally free to only tell a few close friends and that’s it.

Helen: Yes, but it seems like you want to be more open about sewing and you want to know how to get over your potential embarrassment around this sharing of this passion that you have. So, one thing you could do, especially with your peers, is emphasize the design part of what you love to do.

You could say, “I’m really into fashion, so I make my own designs”, or “I love designing clothes.” Other people, your age might understand that fashion design is cool, even if they don’t know how cool sewing is. Um, and another thing you can do is just act with confidence and the knowledge that sewing is cool. Even if you don’t feel like that’s true.

Like, if someone says, “You sew? That’s for grandmas.” You could say, “No, it’s not. I’m not a grandma, and I sew. Is every fashion designer a grandma?” Obviously not. Or you could say, “Yeah, grandmas are cool.” Or you could just ignore them. I mean, sewing is cool. That is a fact, especially when you’re in our circles, but if other kids can’t recognize it, that’s their problem.

So, you know, we wish you all the best, and we’re so glad that you love sewing. We do, too. Please dedicate your life to sewing. I think that would be amazing.

Caroline: Yeah. And thank you so much for writing in, Chloe.

Helen: Yes. Thank you.

Caroline: Okay. We have a really fun episode today. When we asked all of you listeners, what you wish you knew when you started sewing, we got an incredible number of responses, over 600. So obviously, we can’t share every response we got, but we want to just say that we appreciate every single one of them. Thank you so much for sharing your lessons with new sewists. They say experience is the best teacher, but another source might be the second best.

Helen: It’s true. We can all learn from each other’s experiences. Before we get into our listener responses, why don’t we share what we wish we had known when we started out? I know that’s probably a tough one to narrow down, but do you have one thing that you want to share, Caroline?

Caroline: I love that you specifically said one thing because mine is two parts.

Helen: Oh no! I didn’t even notice that.

Caroline: It was really hard originally. I had one and I was like, no, I have to say this other one too. They’re both, kind of, touchy-feely which is totally in line with, like, my vibe. But, um, yes. Okay. So my first thing that I wish I knew when I started sewing is that my body isn’t the problem.

When I started sewing, I was at the top of a lot of size ranges and sometimes sized out. And this was, like, 10 years ago when I started, kind of, getting into the indie sewing pattern world and sewing more for myself, and most indie sewing pattern designers didn’t go above, like, a 16 or 18 at the time.

And while I loved sewing and I was just discovering this, like, amazing world of making clothes to fit me, it was really disheartening to not fit into a lot of patterns. And at the time, I didn’t have the confidence that I had now. So it really, kind of, led to a lot of, like, shame and feeling like my body was not good enough.

And I think, like, over time, sewing taught me that that wasn’t the case, but also the sewing world has changed a lot in the last 10 years. Sizing has come a long way, but most pattern companies still don’t cater to all bodies. So this is, kind of, for anyone out there who has trouble finding patterns that fit them or that come in their size: your body is not the problem. I wish I could tell my 21 year old self that my body’s just fine the way it is and that just because not all companies cater to me, it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with me.

Helen: Oh, preach. Love it. Okay. What’s part two?

Caroline: Okay. Part two is I wish that I knew or recognized that how frequently I sew or what I sew or how I sew does not make me more or less of, like, a quote unquote good sewist. I used to compare myself a lot to others and, like, beat myself up for not sewing more often, not making more clothes, not trying, like, the new patterns or pushing myself to try, like, new techniques that everyone was, like, talking about on Instagram.

But however you want to sew is just right for you. And you’re no better or worse than someone who sews more or less or differently than you. And it’s okay to take a break from sewing. That doesn’t make you not a sewist. It’s going to be there when you pick it up again. So that’s my second.

Helen: That’s a really good one, too. I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that feeling, like, do I still even sew? I haven’t sewn in months. Yes, you still sew. it’s fine.

Caroline: And I love yours, too, Helen, because it’s much more practical, and I can, so, relate to it. So tell everybody what your thing is that you wish you knew.

Helen: Okay. I was thinking back on my early days of getting really into sewing, and, like, one of the biggest, I wouldn’t, I don’t want to say, problems that I had, but one of my biggest hurdles was just that I was overwhelmed by the options. And so my piece of advice is to resist the urge to plan too far ahead.

When I discovered indie patterns, I had a list of things I wanted to sew that was so long, like, hundreds of things long, and there’s nothing wrong with, like, writing and sketching out ideas. But in my case, I was thinking of this list as, like, the plan. And I was buying fabric and patterns for every make and then feeling really stressed out about not completing them in a timely fashion or whether I would finish them in time for the season that I wanted to wear them in.

Or I would even, like, cut things out and then not sew them right away. Only to be disappointed when I was no longer that exact size, or I had some regrets and wished I could do something else with that fabric. So the thing with sewing as a journey and a process is that each project is going to shape you as a sewist. So try to leave space for that growth so that it can influence your next projects. And it’s a bit more fun and fluid that way.

So I still brainstorm ideas for my makes, and I get really excited, and I plan out some of my sewing, especially at times of year when the season is changing, and you get really pumped about what you might want to make for this upcoming season. But I let the list and the plans be a part of the making process, and I don’t try to hold myself to them.

And I try not to get all of the materials and supplies and everything all at once, to actually, like, solidify that plan as if it’s set in stone because I want to be flexible, and I want to have space to make room for those things that I’m excited about sewing and my brainstorming and my lists and plans at this point is more to just clear my mind of the possibilities so that I can actually focus on what’s on my table, what I’m really excited about doing next. Just make the next thing.

Caroline: Mm, I love this idea of, like, you, kind of, empty your brain of these ideas, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that that list is the plan, like, what you called it earlier. And I also think it’s so true that each project that you complete shapes you as a sewist, even if you don’t complete it, any project that you work on is going to shape you as a sewist and shape your future decision-making and techniques and maybe even your style. So it’s just such great advice, Helen.

Helen: Aw, thanks. Well, we have even more great advice from our amazing listeners, and we’ve grouped this advice into different sections as per usu with these kinds of episodes. So we’re going to start with a big one and that is encouragement.

Caroline: And we’re going to kick it off with Amelia who left us a voicemail.

Amelia: Hi, this is Amelia from Edmonton, and I wanted to provide some feedback around what I wish I knew when I started sewing. For me, sewing’s been such a great journey. I’ve loved every second of learning a new skill or task, but I wish someone had told me at the beginning to practice kindness on yourself. That it’s completion, not perfection that’s important. And that a finished garment is something to be enjoyed and loved. And nobody really notices those tiny imperfections other than you. So you need to let it go. So that’s it from me. Um, hope you guys have a great day, and I love the podcast. Thanks, again. Bye.

Caroline: Amelia. Thank you so much for this voicemail. When you’re starting out with a new skill, being kind to yourself can be hard to keep up. Maybe you’re not used to being new and making mistakes. And also, we fully agree that garments are meant to be loved and worn. Be proud of your makes. You work hard on them.

Helen: Yes. Beata from @beata.sews wrote, “You will get better with practice! Sewing is made up of a hundred little skills that will all improve the more you do them, and contribute to a better finished product. Things like how to pin, how to hold the fabric as you stitch, how to press up the hem, start off feeling slightly awkward but become second nature.”

Ah, so true. Thanks Beata. This is a great follow-up to what Emilia said. That learning curve can feel steep when you start, but if you keep going, you’re definitely going to see progress.

Caroline: Katie @millie_and_katie wrote, “Focus on learning a new skill or skills with each project, that way even if it doesn’t turn out how you want/expected it doesn’t feel like wasted time, just more practice so you’re ready to make something you’ll love!”

Thank you, Katie. If you don’t like something you made or even if you do like it, count up all the lessons you learned and all the ways you improved by making it. It makes it feel a lot more worth it.

Helen: True.

Lilli @_lillimade_ wrote, “Hi there, just quick as I’ve got the baby sleeping on me haha. I wish someone told me that there would be projects that go badly wrong, and IT DOESN’T MATTER. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad sewist. It’s just fabric, no one is perfect, and you are doing great just for having this amazing talent of being able to make things from nothing.”

Caroline: It’s so true. You have to cheer for yourself and recognize your hard work. Like Helen once said, “I bet I’m the only one on this bus who made their own clothes.”

Helen: I feel like the sewing industry has had such a boom lately. I don’t know if that would be true anymore.

Caroline: That’s true. That was a throwback.

All right, Lisa @artsylisa left us a voicemail.

Lisa: Hi, this is Lisa Beynon from Instagram, @artsylisa. And one thing that I wish I knew when I started sewing was that it is totally okay to make mistakes, and failure is actually growth. And also, just cut the fabric. It’s okay. Thanks guys. It’s so nice to be able to have a podcast to listen to, um, with something that you truly, truly enjoy and are passionate about.

So thank you both so much. Bye.

Helen: Aw, thanks, Lisa. Failure is growth, and I love your tip about just cutting the fabric. Just cut the fabric. There will always be more fabric, just, cut it.

Caroline: Yes, totally. Speaking of mistakes, Anna @sew.spanner wrote, “I actually wish I had been more bold and willing to make mistakes when I began sewing! Don’t feel too bad about the failures, they all add to the learning, and there is so much to learn to be a great sewer (I’m still getting there!). Try new techniques, choose more expensive fabrics… things may go wrong but they also might not!”

Helen: Aw, I love this perspective. Like, take a few risks, see how things go. They might be really, really, really good. And as a beginner, you totally deserve to have good quality tools and the best quality fabrics that you can purchase and make sure that you’re not selling yourself short when it comes to giving yourself the supplies and the tools that you need to do this hobby that you like.

Caroline: Yeah, totally.

Helen: Our former guest, Andie @sewprettyinpink wrote, “There is no right way. There is just your way.”

Caroline: Love that, Andie. Thank you.

Okay. Our next batch of responses is all about sewing techniques, and we’re going to kick it off with a voicemail from Breanna.

Breanna: Hello, I’m Breanna, and I’m from Utah, United States. And the thing that I would go back in time and tell my younger self is that finishing seams is not an option. It is mandatory. Thank you. Bye.

Helen: Speaking the truth, Breanna. I love this. I feel like there’s a story here which, you know, you can email us and tell us. But there are a couple of types of fabric where you can get away with leaving the seams unfinished. We have a whole episode on finishing seams if you’re interested, but the vast majority of fabrics do need it. It’s going to vastly improve the longevity of your garments. So definitely something that you want to work on when you’re getting into sewing and just figure out what’s the best way to do it for you.

Caroline: Yes, not optional.

Helen: Not optional.

Caroline: @missdaisysewing wrote in about this, too. They wrote, “How to finish seams on garments – most patterns don’t explain what to do with them so you just kinda skip them not knowing better. I finally found a sewing book that showed you what the seams should look like on the inside, and it was a total eye opener. Taking a little extra time gives a really professional finish and makes the clothes last much longer.”

Caroline: Yeah, this is one of those things that I think, as someone who’s an experienced sewist is, I, kind of, forget that a newie, a newbie, newie…

Helen: Newie.

Caroline: I kind of forget that a newbie might not know what a seam finish is supposed to look like, you know, and it might not be an obvious thing to go out and seek out. Um, so thank you so much, @missdaisysewing, for pointing that out and just keep in mind, if you don’t finish seams that you run the risk of your seam allowances fraying, and your garment falling apart. Like Helen said, it really adds to the longevity of a garment. And we have a whole episode about seam finishes that we’ll link in the show notes.

Helen: Yes. And speaking of seams, Ames from @seamripstress wrote, “Seam allowances! I just sewed every seam right at the width of my presser foot and wondered why nothing ever fit.”

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Thank you, Ames. Most patterns have a built-in seam allowance of five-eighths of an inch and a presser foot’s width is about quarter inch to a third of an inch. So if you add that difference up over several seams, you could be adding inches to the width of your garment. So seam allowances are very important.

Helen: Yes. And they can vary from pattern to pattern, and they can vary within the pattern. So keep your eyes peeled for that.

Caroline: Yes. Lynne @chadders1965 wrote in with a seam allowance tip. She wishes that she could go back and “learn how big a seam allowance is and mark my sewing machine up accordingly with washi tape writing on each piece the relevant measurement.”

Helen: Thank you, Lynne. This is a great idea. Your seam allowance will always be written in the booklet of your pattern, like we mentioned. Sometimes it will say five-eighths of an inch or otherwise noted or something like that. So look out for those steps where the seam allowance is different and then marking your seam allowance with washi tape will make it easier to sew in the right spot. So if you don’t have clear seam guides on your machine, you can just tape right onto the bed of your machine. And then it will just be easier to visualize that.

Corina from @awesomecash wrote, “I wish someone told me how important pressing was! I always ignored it when I first started, but it was such a GAME CHANGER.”

Caroline: Thank you. Corina. Pressing is actually such a big part of sewing because it helps you sew accurately, it sets the seams, and it keeps the seam allowances in the right place. We have, of course, a whole episode about pressing. So check that out if you want more info about pressing.

Helen: Woohoo.

Caroline: Alright, Melanie @sunshineandwhiskey75 wrote, ”Common sense I’m sure, but I never knew or even thought about ironing my paper pattern pieces. It was like a lightbulb went off and made sense why my edges did not match up or it did not fit properly.”

Helen: Ah, this is awesome. I don’t think that this is common sense because I feel like every time I’ve shared this tip on my Instagram, we get a lot of messages. People saying like, I didn’t know you could do that. Paper isn’t one of those things that you’re taught to iron, but Melanie is right.

You can get a much more accurate cut if you press the creases out of your pattern with a dry iron, so no steam, on, like, a low temperature. And if you have tape on your pieces, you want to make sure you’re not pressing on any tape. So try to press on the wrong side. Um, avoid ink, even if you can. But it does make such a big difference. You can do this with tissue as well, and it will mean that you don’t accidentally have crinkle lines that make your pattern piece a totally different shape.

Caroline: Yeah. It can really make a difference. Like, if you look at a piece pre- and post- ironing to the size of the piece, so it is a really good tip.

Helen: @happyskrappy wrote, “Make sure the pattern pieces are going in the same direction if your pattern has a specific direction or the front will be right side up and the back will be upside down!”

Caroline: Thank you, @happyskrappy. Yes. Some prints are directional, and this means that there is, like, a right side up and an upside down. And if you have a print like this, you want to pay attention to where you’re laying those pattern pieces so that you don’t cut them upside down, unless that’s what you want.

Helen: Of course. Yes. And if you accidentally do this and make it all the way to the end, I have been there. It’s fine. Like, I feel like it’s one of those things that people will point out. Someone will be like, oh, I like your blouse. And you’ll be like, the print’s upside down. They’ll be like, I didn’t notice. Like, unless it’s, like, a huge animal print or, like, and by, I mean, like an animal print, like, there’s a whole zebra on your shirt, and it’s upside down. Maybe people will notice, but it also might look kind of awesome. So, whatevs.

Caroline: Yeah, you can make it an intentional thing, too. I’ve done that where I accidentally cut one piece the opposite. So then I just continued doing that with alternating pieces so my whole garment was, kind of, like, uh, upside down and right side up mish-mash.

Helen: Fun.

Caroline: Jessica @@jessica.hurtubise wrote, “Shortcuts to make sewing projects move a bit quicker! For instance, using a rotary cutter instead of scissors when cutting out projects. Pre-ironing all my hems. Hemming in the round takes way longer if it’s not pre pressed! Doing all my ironing at once, like hems, bands and bias tape, interfacing. Oh! I’m also a fan of basting things in that may need easing! Like sleeves, collars, etc. If you just go for it and make a mistake easing, it’s a total pain in the butt to unpick. But if you baste those seams first, it’s super easy to pull out the stitching and adjust!”

Helen: Thank you, Jessica, for this not single tip. We asked for one thing, just one. It’s fine. I’m giving her a hard time cause she’s my quilting buddy.

Alright, listeners might want to check out our episode on speedy sewing for more of these shortcut ideas. Basting, which Jessica mentioned, it’s a long line of temporary stitches, and it’s really great for putting pieces together not at the machine. I mean, you can do it at the machine, but you can also just do it by hand.

So those finicky pieces where you find yourself getting really stressed out and you go to the machine and you try to wrangle everything together, try hand basting those things together first, and then going to the machine. It doesn’t actually take that much longer, and you’re going to have a much calmer experience. So, try it.

Caroline: Yeah. It’s great, too, because it really holds things in place. Instead of, like, when you’re working with pins, you’re sort of, like, like you said, wrangling the pieces you’re trying to figure out, you have to pull out the pins as you sew. You can just sew right over basting stitches if you need to. So just, like, holds everything in place in a more secure, like, way so you’re not having to go back and unpick, like Jess said.

Helen: I love this.

Caroline: Yes.

Helen: Totally. Okay. MaryBeth from @mbeenolt wrote, ”Hand sewing is not that hard…”

Oh, here we go.

“Hand sewing is not that hard and can really give you a lot of extra control with garment finishes, like bias facing.”

Caroline: Thank you, MaryBeth. Yes, kind of, similar to what we were just saying, hand sewing is a great skill to have for a garment sewist. It is a great thing to give you more control over your project. You can put on a good show or podcast and relax into it, and you’ll get faster and faster the more you do it. So don’t be intimidated by hand sewing. Like Mary Beth said, it’s not that hard.

Helen: It’s not that hard.

Caroline: Okay. Kirsten @kirstencreates wrote, ” What a huge difference understitching makes! I had a lot of issues I thought were because of fit but were actually because I didn’t understitch my facings/linings.”

Helen: Oh, thank you. Kirsten. I love understitching. Understitching is when you stitch a lining or a facing to the seam allowance, close to the seam, so it helps keep those things like linings and facings from popping up and showing on the right side of the garment. If you picture, like, a neckline that’s finished with a facing, we don’t want the facing peeking out through the neckline. We want it to stay on the inside of the garment. It also keeps the shape of the garment as the pattern maker intended, like Kristen said. So it can really help if you’re having weird puckering, fitting issues. Understitching helps to make everything line nice and flat and stay on the inside.

Caroline: Yes, it does.

Helen: Rachel @rachelgailwells said, “Stitch length. I’ve taken apart some of my early garments and am puzzled and frustrated by the teeny tiny stitches which I’m sure kept me from using the seam ripper back then and getting better results.”

Caroline: Yes. That’s such a good point, Rachel. A good standard stitch length would be two to three millimeters. And when you’re using that standard stitch length, it even makes it easier to seam rip, like you mentioned, or if you’re working with, like, a sturdy fabric, sometimes you can even, like, rip your seams apart. Am I allowed to say that, Helen?

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: Without using a seam ripper. Anything that’ll go a little bit faster. And when you do the, like, really short stitches, teeny tiny stitches, like Rachel said, it’s, like, impossible to unpick. So love this tip.

Helen: Yes. Another point in favor of basting stitches.

Caroline: Okay. So that wraps up our technique section, and next we’re going to move on to a topic that’s always hot in the sewing community which is fitting and sizing.

Helen: Yes. We’ll start with a voicemail here from Dana.

Dana: Hi, Caroline and Helen. This is Dana calling from Bellingham, Washington. And I love the question about, uh, if I could go back in time and tell my brand new newbie sewing self, um, a tip that would save little Dana a lot of tears and sadness. I think, I started sewing when I was a teenager, and I didn’t have any resources like we have now, like YouTube and podcasts to learn.

So first thing is, I would have said, find someone who can help you when you get stuck. Um, because that’s something that I didn’t have back then, but now I think we have a lot of really wonderful resources that you guys talk about a lot on your show, like, um, Instagram and social media groups and that kind of thing.

And then the second thing, if I could go back in time when I began sewing garments is, make sure that you are selling based on your measurements, not on your ready to wear size. Um, because I definitely would just say, oh, I’m a size this, and I would buy the pattern, and I would cut it out, and then I would get angry and not have it fit and have to throw it away. And I actually gave up sewing garments for a long time because it was so frustrating, and I didn’t know how to fix that.

So get somebody to help you with your measurements, um, practice, all that good self-talk and body positivity, that you’re sewing for the body that you have and not the body that you imagine. And that when clothes fit well, they are flattering, and it doesn’t matter what size the packet said. Um, if that feels different than what you might buy at the store. Um, but that’s, once I figured that part out, and once I found some more resources for myself, I’ve restarted sewing garments as an adult, and I just absolutely love it, um, now.

Thanks so much. Love your show. I’ve been listening since episode one. Um, and I’m glad to hear you back for the new season.

Helen: Thank you, Dana. Thanks for listening from episode one. Appreciate that. And we got so many responses along these lines, so make sure to measure yourself to find your size, even ready to wear sizes aren’t standardized. And of course, nobody has a standard body, whatever that would mean.

But it’s a good idea to measure yourself every time you’re going to sew something. Measure yourself regularly, make that a part of your sewing process, so you make sure that you’re actually sewing something that’s going to fit.

And we also love the tip about connecting with sewists who can help you out. And if you don’t know anybody who sews, you can go to online spaces like Instagram or sewing Facebook group, or maybe socialize in your local community. If there’s a sewing studio, you might be able to take a class or something or an online class and connect with other sewists there.

Caroline: Awesome. Okay. Next up, we have Kim @sewing_with_olive who wrote in about measurements, too. So she said, “I wish someone had told me how to properly measure my bust! For months I cut out the wrong size because I was using my bra band size instead of my actual bust measurement! It wasn’t until I used one of Helen’s patterns and had to measure my high bust and bust that I figured it out.”

Helen: Aw, thanks, Kim. Okay. So there are a few bust measurements that you can take. There’s your high bust which is measured right under your armpits and, kind of, goes over the top of your breasts, where it’s a bit flatter on the top of your chest. And then the full bust measurement is taken around the largest part of your bust, right at the apex of the bust. That might be where your nipples are, but it also might not be, and that’s totally fine.

And then there’s the under bust measurement which is taken underneath the breasts. And that’s typically what we think of as, like, the bra band measurement. Um, and if a pattern just has bust, waist, and hip measurements, the bust that they’re referring to is the full bust.

Uh, so this stuff can be very confusing when you’re starting out and there’s tons of adjustments you can do around busts, so experiment there, too, because making some of those adjustments can really help. And then you can apply those things to all the patterns that you make in the future.

Caroline: Mhm.

Helen: Okay. Jennifer left us this voicemail.

Jennifer: Hi, Helen and Caroline. It’s Jennifer from Reno, Nevada. Well, I first started sewing when I was a kid, but I really got into it in my early teens. And of course, I’m still sewing, and I’m passed 60. Love to sew, love to quilt. And I gave up so many garments for about, oh god, 40 years, more maybe.

Because the one thing that nobody ever told me is that the big four patterns are not gonna fit you if you just go by your measurements. They’re going to be huge. They will not fit no matter what you do. So I have learned that if you’re going to use a big four pattern, you should probably tissue fit it. That one works well for me.

I’ve also learned that the indie patterns are awesome, and they fit much better. And it’s really good if you can find one where the designer has a body like yours and, kind of, fits you a lot better right out of the box. So that’s my, uh, that’s my two cents, and I hope a lot of young women will get into sewing. I teach sewing, sewing to kids and teens in Reno, and I love it, and they love it. And I think it’s such an awesome hobby. So I hope more get into it. And just realized that fit is number one. You got to learn about your body and how to fit it.

Alright, thanks, guys for all you do. You guys have been a lifesaver at difficult times in my life, and you guys have just been plain old fun the rest of the time. I always listen to your podcasts, and I am a Patreon subscriber, too, and I enjoy every one of them. Thank you so much. Bye.

Caroline: Thank you so much for calling in, Jennifer, and for supporting us on Patreon. That is so awesome. And it’s really cool that you teach sewing. We need more sewing teachers out there. So thank you for that, as well.

In regards to the big four, Simplicity, McCall’s, Butterick, and Vogue, they are known for having a lot of ease in them. I think it depends on which, sort of, subdivision of the big four. I think some of them have more ease than others, but like with anything, like you said, fitting is huge. So you have to learn how to fit to be able to be successful at sewing.

And tissue fitting is also a good idea, especially when you’re working with the big four which often come in with that, like lightweight tissue. If you want to learn more about tissue fitting, we have a whole episode about it. So check out our show notes for the link.

Helen: Yes. And this brings us back to size charts. Not only do you want to measure yourself and look at the size chart, but patterns will have finished garment measurement charts. So once you have your size chart measurement, you can look and see how big is this garment going to be.

And if there’s 10 inches of ease at the bust and you prefer four, and of course, this is going to come with time and the more garments you make, the more experience you have, but it’s going to give you an indication of whether you may or may not want to size up or down, depending on the fit that is implied by those finished garment measurements. So don’t forget to look at that chart, too.

Lynne who’s @old_sewl, and that’s sewl spelled S-E-W-L, love a good sewing pun wrote, “Toile, toile and toile again until you get the fit right! Don’t just assume that because it’s your measurements it’s going to fit well! And measure yourself before every project!”

Thank you for reiterating, Lynne.

Caroline: Yes. Making a toile is a great idea for your projects that are really fitted. A toile, which is also called a muslin, is a tester version of a pattern. And you can make adjustments to the toile and then transfer those to your pattern so that you can get a good fit on the final version. And if making a toile is too much for you as a beginner, you can choose simple, loose garments to make. And it’s also a great tip to measure yourself before every project. Sometimes our measurements change, and we don’t realize it.

Christine: Hi, Caroline and Helen. My name is Christine. I’m 53 and live in Chicago and have been sewing avidly for about 10 years. Long enough that I can’t remember exactly when I started. Um, I feel like I can, I’ve made every mistake you can make when sewing garments, and I’m sure there’s a lot more to come, but I think the thing that would have helped me the most back then was to know that, just like with clothing you buy at the stores, sewing patterns come in standard sizes, too.

I remember, in particular, working so hard on a dress, and it actually turned out really nicely for someone who just started sewing, but it didn’t fit me well at all because I am a human person who was not a standard size. And now it’s just second nature for me to automatically add two inches to the waistline of every pattern and grade between sizes to fit my shape. But I wish I would have been, uh, uh, known that beforehand cause I would have been a lot less frustrated.

If you want to see what I’m making, I’m on Instagram @xtineonline and have a great day and thanks for all you do. Buh-bye.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s so true, Christine. Thank you for pointing this out. I know we’ve talked about, you know, you’re gonna need to fit and, and there’s no standard size, but this is, kind of, a, a different way of saying it or a new way of looking at it. And that’s just that every pattern company is going to have their own quote unquote standard size that they’re designing for.

And keep in mind that, you know, it’s going to be very rare that you’re going to line up perfectly with that. So expect to make those changes and those adjustments. And if you’re looking for some resources for grading between sizes or maybe common fit adjustments, Cashmerette has some really great resources, and we’ll link them in the show notes.

Helen: Yes, I do think it’s such a beginner hurdle because you open up that packet and you’re like, great. Measure myself. Got the numbers. Look at the chart. Oh, I’m a 16 here and a 14 here and a 20 here. What am I supposed to do? And the answer is grade between sizes, and there’s lots of resources online about this. So like we said, we’ll link them in the show notes, but it’s totally normal. Most people have that experience. So you are not alone.

Alright, Kim @voorbijdekim wrote in to say, “Take your time. After all the preparations, like pattern tracing, cutting, pinning, I wanted to sew the garment as fast as possible just to finish it, but it’s not a good idea. Sloppy seams and hard to make fit adjustments afterwards. So sew, stop, look, try it on, adjust, try it on again, and continue.”

Caroline: Thank you, Kim. This is so true. It’s always a good idea to try on your garment several times while you’re sewing it so that you can make changes along the way. Just be careful not to stretch it out as you’re trying it on. That’s why we like to staystitch things like necklines and waistlines before we try things on. Um, but you will have a much higher chance of getting a good fit at the end if you take your time. And like Kim said, sew, stop, look, try it on, adjust, try it on again, continue.

Helen: I need this on a poster. Sew, stop, look.

Caroline: Or, like, a song that we can sing to ourselves.

Helen: Oh my goodness. Somebody out there mix us up a song, and it’s like, sew, stop, look.

Caroline: Former guest, Simone @intenselydistracted, wrote, ”Take notes! My sewing notebook has been a very important part of my routine, and I’m always grateful for those notes to go back to, especially if fitting is a challenge from the start. I have a highlight on my page showing how I layout my pages! I basically write the pattern, size, fabric, and any mods or notes as I work through the pattern. It’s helped me keep track especially as I’ve learned how I like things to fit.”

Helen: Thank you, Simone. Your notebook is so dreamy. We’ll link a picture in the show notes. But even if you just jot down your notes on your phone, it can help you out in the future or write it on the pattern if you keep your patterns all organized. And I do think this is such a great tip.

I recently started doing this for my gardening because I’ve been learning so much and, like, trying to keep track of all the plant names and where I put them in the garden and how they’re doing what they need. It can be a lot. So a notebook goes a long way to just help track that information.

Caroline: Mhm. If we could do an episode on like quote-unquote sewing regrets, I feel like this would be one of mine is not documenting my makes better along the way, even if I’m just, like, cutting something out that I’m going to sew later. Like, writing down any small adjustments I made or what’s, you know, what size I made or what my measurements were when I cut it out. That’s, like, such key information, if you’re going to come back to a pattern later on, right?

Helen: Yeah, definitely. You could even take pictures and put them in, like, an album on your phone and then write some notes on the, like…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …add a note to that picture, little things like that, but of course, Caroline, you can start now.

Caroline: I know.

Helen: It’s not too late.

Caroline: I do have a sewing notebook now where I take notes, like, at least my measurements and what size I made for every project, but I, kind of, wish I had some kind of album of, like, everything I’ve ever sewn. Wouldn’t that be great?

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: That’s like your blog for you.

Helen: But, but if you think about it, you know, you’ve been sewing for, like, maybe 10 years making your own clothes for yourself, longer than that, but, like, seriously for that long. And you probably have, like, 40 or 50 years of sewing ahead of you. So it’s still early days.

Caroline: That’s true. I can definitely start now. It’s never too late.

Helen: Okay. Helen @helou on Instagram wrote, “The patterns can be altered to fit you. Not vice versa.”

This totally ties back to yours, Caroline.

Caroline: Yeah, really. And this is super important because your body’s never wrong, but sometimes the pattern is. And a pattern can be changed to fit your body, so take advantage of that and be kind to yourself.

Helen: Yes. Okay. Our next section is all about tools and Jen left us a voicemail.

Jen: Hi there, my name’s Jen from South Carolina, and I work in a sewing machine dealership, so I get to sell sewing machines. And I really love my job, but in teaching people how to use their new machines, I often encounter that folks are afraid of their sewing machines. They don’t want to mess them up, and they’re afraid to actually use all of the features. And I don’t know, I’ve just never seen someone mess up a machine so badly it can’t be fixed. And I was wondering if you guys could maybe talk about that cause I think that’s really interesting. I don’t hear people talk about that very often. Love the podcast, and you guys are doing a really cool thing. Thanks. Bye.

Caroline: My first thought with this one, Jen, is, like, is that a challenge? Like, how many layers of denim do I need to attempt to get through my machine to really screw it up?

Helen: I’m going to turn my handwheel backwards over and over again. We’ll see what happens.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. No, but honestly, Jen, you have a really cool job, and you’re so right. Sewing machines are pretty hardy, and if you mess it up, you can get it fixed. So don’t be afraid, everyone, just go for it.

Helen: Yes. Especially with those new machines. I mean, there’s the temptation to baby them, and you don’t even want to try all the features, or you’re not sure. You’re being really delicate, but like Jen said, I mean, it’s unlikely that you’re going to hurt it to the point where it can’t be fixed, so…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: You got this.

Caroline: Totally. You got it.

Okay. Camielle @stillcamielle also wrote to us about machines, “Take the free lessons that come with your machine and learn how to use your machine for more than just one stitch. This is especially important if buying an overlocker, even if you’re more than a beginner sewer. Overlockers can be so great if you know how to use them properly and less heartache if you know how to fix threading issues.”

Helen: Yes. This is a great idea. If you could take a lesson, go for it. Even a couple of lessons can get you going with the basics. Maybe you can find a YouTube video or just read through that instruction manual from front to back and try the stitches. Grab a piece of scrap fabric. It’s a great way to just get in touch with your machine and learn the basics, um, and then some. I mean, try the little elephant stitch. It’s so cute.

Candie @alaskacandie wrote, “If you can’t afford a good machine then buy the best used machine you can find and afford. I sewed for way too many years on a junker that caused me so much heartache when I should’ve just gotten something better so much sooner than I did.”

Caroline: Thank you, Candie. There are a lot of quality second-hand machines out there that are waiting for you. And we would add, if you can, try out a machine before you buy it, whether it’s used or new, always a good idea to make sure it’s working correctly.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: Okay. Jacqueline @jacquelinecurtis47 wrote, “That using an unpicker doesn’t make you a bad sewist!”

Helen: Yes. Thank you, Jacqueline. It’s so true. Unpickers and seam rippers are there to be used. It is a tool. It is at your disposal. It’s actually a really great thing that most things that you do in sewing are reversible. You can hit the undo button, as it were. Not the case in some hobbies like woodworking. And sewists of all experience levels use seam rippers. I use mine all the time, so don’t feel bad if you need to take out some stitches.

Caroline: Okay. We have Bhiravi from @strawberrycreekquilts, and she wrote, ”What a huge difference a fresh rotary cutter blade makes! Turns out a sharp one will save your cutting mat, and your fabric!”

Helen: Yes. We just talked about this in our cutting episode. Sharp cutting tools make your life and your sewing so much better. For those who use scissors, you can get them sharpened, as well, so you can also have a nice sharp tool. What a difference! If I’m feeling, like, annoyed when I’m cutting something, switch the blade. I always just switch it, and everything is better. It’s like a rainbow.

Caroline: It’s like a weight lifts off your shoulders and also, kind of, off of your arm because you’re not having to press so hard.

Helen: Totally.

Okay. Alex @amassonlifestyle wrote, “Nobody told me the amazingness of the invisible zipper foot. And let me tell you, it. Is. Life changing.”

Caroline: Thank you, Alex. We would have to agree. And there are actually a few feet that we think are life changers, the zipper foot, the topstitch or edge stitch foot, and, like you mentioned, the invisible zipper foot. And add on a walking foot for sewing slinky or stretchy fabrics, and you are set.

Helen: Yes. The invisible zipper foot has, like, a little tunnel where the teeth go, and it pries it away from the zipper tape and lets you put your stitches, like, right in that ditch just perfectly. It is so nice.

Caroline: It really is.

Okay. Our next set of responses is all about fabric. Yay. And we got so many versions of this next comment. This one is from Erin @banalaiche, “You can’t use quilting cotton for every single pattern, no matter how pretty it is.” And another Erin @zimmer.made also wrote, “To step away from the quilting cotton lolol!”

Helen: Step away from the quilting cotton. No, I mean, quilting cottons come in so many cool prints, and we can totally understand why beginner sewists love them. They’re also nice stable fabric, so it’s actually not a terrible choice when you’re first getting into sewing because it is structured, and it does press really well, and it’s cotton so it’s nice to sew. But, however, caveat: they don’t drape well, and they can be a little bit too structured and scratchy for garments.

They just aren’t going to create clothes that are like the clothes that you’re used to buying from the store. There are some garments that could work well with quilting cottons, like maybe a button up shirt or a crisp gathered skirt, but most patterns just aren’t going to turn out quite right in a quilting cotton, unless you’re really wanting that, like, novelty print or that structure.

Caroline: That’s, like, a little reality check.

Helen: I mean, a lot of times it’s just hard to get your hands on something other than quilting cotton when you start depending on what your resources are. Um, but I mean, there’s this website. It’s called blackbirdfabrics.com. Check it out.

Caroline: Thank you, Helen.

Helen: Okay. Shona @shona_tan wrote, “Take note and adhere to the fabric suggestions on the patterns. Following the suggestions will MAKE the MAKE!”

I love that.

“I have had too many mistakes thinking a woven could be used for a pattern that suggested knit and vice versa.”

Caroline: Thank you, Shona. Yes, knits and wovens require different techniques to sew, and patterns are drafted specifically for one or the other. So especially when you’re starting out, it’s a good idea to go by the suggestions that the pattern makers give.

Helen: Yes. And you can look at the hashtags to see what other people are using, and you can email, too. A lot of the emails we get in our inbox are about what fabric to use. I think that’s probably the same for you, Caroline at Blackbird. Um, and that’s totally fine as well.

Caroline: Yeah, we love giving advice about that kind of thing. Okay, Louise @loopyloup wrote, “tThat it is important to buy good quality fabrics and to prewash them so that your gorgeous outfits can be worn more than once!”

Helen: Thank you, Louise. Pre-washing is important because you can expect your fabric to shrink a bit the first time you wash it. You don’t want to end up making a top that fits really well and then wash it and having it be way too small. So wash and dry your fabric according to the care instructions and how you intend to wash and dry your finished garment.

Caroline: Yes.

Helen: Amber @amber.rose.sews wrote, “STOP…”

This is all caps. I don’t know how to approach this one.

“STOP BUYING RANDOM FABRIC FROM EBAY!”

Caroline: I love it.

Helen: “I still have lots of the cloth from those early days in a cupboard because it’s not really suitable for the kinds of things I want to make but I thought it was pretty at the time…”

Caroline: Thank you, Amber, for this PSA. When you’re starting to make clothes, you really need to be able to feel the fabrics that you’re going to work with. This is going to help you learn what kinds of fabrics you like. And when you feel a fabric, imagine it against your skin. Look at how it drapes off the bolts. Compare it to the fabrics that your favorite ready to wear clothes are made of. If you can’t get to an in-person fabric store, you can also order swatches. And once you have a better idea of what you like buying online, will get a lot easier.

I’ll also say that probably random fabric from eBay category means that there’s not a lot of information about that fabric. So you’re not really learning a lot when you’re buying that online. I think some fabric stores will make that experience easier for beginners by providing a lot more information, but, Amber, stop buying fabric from eBay!

Okay. Eugenia @ggseamstress wrote, “Buy fabric for and finish one project at a time. Buying fabric is faster than sewing.”

This is so true. It’s like two separate things.

Helen: Thank you, Eugenia, makes a lot of sense. Give yourself time to learn and figure out what fabrics you really like before you buy a whole lot. Otherwise, you can end up with a bunch of stuff that you won’t end up using. And this comes back to what I said at the beginning of the show which is just don’t plan too far ahead. Give yourself room to grow.

Caroline: Yup.

Helen: Okay. Now let’s move on to some responses about patterns. Anna @annamadeit wrote, “I would tell myself that you don’t have to start with something boring like a pillowcase or shorts that you’ll never wear. There are plenty of awesome patterns out there that are simple but gorgeous.”

Caroline: Thank you, Anna. You are absolutely right. Unless you really, really want a pillowcase or pajama shorts, you can forget about typical beginner patterns and just go for something simple that you love. Many patterns are rated by difficulties. So find one that says beginner and go for it.

And we have some recommendations in our Beginner Sewing and Beginner Q&A episodes as well. And we’ll link those up in the show notes for you.

Next up, Sari Ann @justsariann wrote, “Don’t start with the ‘Big Brand’ pattern companies. They don’t give you all the instructions (like when to finish a seam) and are better for when you have more experience. You will spend less time being sad because your seams have unraveled in the wash.”

Helen: Aw, thanks Sari Ann. It’s true that patterns by the big four pattern companies typically have less detailed instructions than indie patterns. Although, of course, there is a wide range out there with indie patterns, as well. Indie patterns do tend to have less ease than the big four which means a more accurate fit, like we were talking about before, and more instructions that come with the pattern, so they’re going to teach you how to do those beginner things like finishing seams and telling you when to press.

Caroline: Mhm.

Helen: Mhm.

Caroline: Mhm.

Helen: Mhm. Same. Makenzie @sew.persistent wrote, “To make what I like and what I know I will wear. The sewing community is amazing for learning about new patterns, but I’ve realized I don’t have to make every pattern the sewing community loves if it doesn’t suit my preferences or lifestyle.”

Caroline: This is so true, Makenzie, you learn so much about your personal style when you start making your own clothes. And if you want to define your style and don’t know where to start, you can sign up for our mailing list and we’ll send you our free Create Your Dream Wardrobe worksheet. And we also recommend Anuschka Rees by Anuschka Rees. Once you have a clear idea of your personal style, picking up patterns and fabrics that you love will become so much easier.

Helen: Yes. Okay. Our next section is the biggest one, and this is general advice. Surprise. It’s all those little nuggets of wisdom about the sewing process and mindset that stick with you for your whole sewing life. And you’ve just been dying to share it with somebody. And now’s your chance.

Caroline: Oh, so much good stuff in here. Okay. Georgina @georginamabey wrote, “The amount of time that you spend planning, measuring, printing, cutting, sticking, preparing etc before even touching the sewing machine! I used to think sewing was just literally sewing.”

Helen: Thank you, Georgina. Georgina’s my middle name, actually. Thank you, Georgina, for this reminder. There’s so much that goes into sewing that is not the actual sewing part, and you can space out all of these different things on different days or different times of the day, whatever works for you. Make sure you’re giving yourself enough time to do all of those pre-sewing steps because they’re a big part of the process.

Caroline: They are. Okay. This is related. Laura @hebewolff wrote, “I wish that someone had told me that you didn’t have to finish a garment in the same day you started it, and that people would add how long patterns actually took to make (included with the rest of the hashtags) when posting Instagram pics. Like, #hour6 or #5hours

It’s so easy to get caught up in thinking that things ‘should’ take a single sitting due to inexperience, enthusiasm, and the easy access to hundreds of pictures of the simple looking item and the happy wearers. Even easier to attempt it in one sitting and then beat yourself up with the perception of failure, rushing to finish in a perceived time window, and then ending up with a garment that either doesn’t fit/ isn’t finished well, and never trying again. There are generally skill levels on patterns, but time is nearly always totally overlooked.

Realistically, sewing can be really hard. Often trying to read flat diagrams and then translate to a 3D item. (For example, navigating multiple identical terminologies between patterns, trying to read and process illustrations and instructions) I always find something that catches me out and pushes me to understand. This is skill growth which is a direct benefit of the end product and accumulated (if we continue to try.)

However, time is finite and a guide for how long an item should take to make (by a beginner/medium/experienced sewist) would be so helpful to help manage enthusiasm and ground the ‘making’ into reality. Like, ‘How much time do I have today?’, ‘Which aspect of the item can I work on?’, etc. Experienced sewists would likely know this, but for beginners, even estimating how long cutting out a pattern takes is really hard.

In an age where it’s also so easy (as a perfectionistic person) to judge our own attempts to all the other images (when in fact others might have taken double the time and been much more enjoyable to make) I think it would remove a stress barrier to making to include the time.”

Caroline: This is a really interesting point, Laura, and thank you so much for your email. I think it’s like different people have different approaches to sewing and different brains in the how, like, they think about sewing. Cause for me, how long a project takes doesn’t necessarily help me decide whether or not I’m going to make it.

Cause I like sewing in, like, smaller chunks, but I could see how this could be so helpful for certain people and how they approach their making. And I, kind of, like the idea of people sharing how long it takes them to make a project if they can, or if they remember. Coming from wearing all ready to wear, it can be so easy to underestimate everything that goes into making something.

So having a more realistic idea of how long something takes would be a big help for beginners, especially. Obviously, we’re not beginners, but I, kind of, want to know how long it takes you to make something, Helen, like a Reynolds Top from cutting out to finish? How long would that take you?

Helen: I think the Reynolds top would take me about three hours. Because cutting takes so much longer than you think it does. It would probably take me an hour just to cut it and then you have to do some fusing, some interfacing, that takes time. And then the sewing part. Yeah. Maybe, like, an hour and a half to two hours to actually put it together. And that’s something that I have sewn a bunch of, so I wouldn’t need to look at the instructions while I’m doing that. And then if it was a more involved project, like a pair of jeans, I would think it would take me like between eight to 12 hours to sew that probably. How about you?

Caroline: Yeah, I’m pretty much in the same boat as you. I would consider myself, like, an advanced sewist or a moderately advanced sewist.

Helen: You’re an advanced sewist. You earned it. Just own it.

Caroline: But no, I would say it probably takes me, like, three hours to make a simple top. That’s something I feel like I can totally knock out in an evening of sewing, like, uninterrupted sewing. A pair of jeans, it’s harder to say because I feel like I do that in chunks and with jeans, like, I cannot be on a time crunch for that. So I’m not really paying attention to time. I like to take breaks to pause for snacks or get distracted by entertainment, like podcasts or TV shows on my laptop. So hard to say, but I would agree, like, maybe 12 hours total for a pair of jeans.

Helen: Yeah, it is going to be different for every person, and that’s totally fine. And I think that’s part of why it’s not been something that’s caught on as a, as a like, point to share necessarily about makes or particularly with patterns. I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting an expectation of time on my patterns because I don’t want people to, to feel like they should be doing it in a certain amount of time because there is no right answer, you know, um, even if that might give them a bit more of a realistic, appr-, like expectation. But maybe as a beginner, if you know that it’s going to take you five hours to make something, maybe that information would make you not try. And then if you had tried, you might love it, and it wouldn’t have mattered that it took you five hours, you know?

Caroline: Mhm. I think it’s, like, it also depends so much, not even just on skill level, but also, like, sewing style. Just from teaching classes, like, I remember, you know, people have the same skill level have completely different paces in sewing, like, depending on if you’re a perfectionist or if you’re, like, I’m more of a slap dash sewist. I like to get things done. So I think I move quicker than somebody who really, really maybe cares about every single little detail and will unpick something if it’s not perfect.

I also think, like, how many times you’ve used that technique or made that particular pattern will definitely factor in to how quickly you can sew it. So there’s, like, so many variables in there. I think it would be really hard to almost standardize how long things would take. But I do like the idea of just sharing that information in, like, a caption on Instagram or on your blog…

Helen: Totally. Yeah.

Caroline: …when you’re talking about it. I have seen some people have, like, stats at the bottom where they’re like, this is how much I spent on the fabric and the pattern, and here’s how long it took me to make this thing. Like, I like those stats but probably not for everyone.

Helen: Yeah, exactly. You got to do you in the end, but it’s a really interesting idea. And I appreciate the message of just understanding that it’s going to take a little bit longer than you think. I think that’s always a good approach when you’re heading into a project of any kind, any hobby, um, and just being willing to let yourself take the time that it takes.

Caroline: Yeah. Thank you so much, Laura. You really got us talking.

Okay. Next up we have a voicemail from Eva Allison.

Eva Allison: Hi, Helen and Caroline. This is Eva Allison from the DC Metro region. And I wanted to share what I wish I had found out when I first started sewing. First, I want to say I’m still pretty new to sewing and discovering this has really helped me on my journey, and that is to try to watch other people’s sewing process and not just look at their finished garments, whether that’s on YouTube or in classes or on Instagram stories, I think there’s so much value to watching people’s process because A. you just get to see the behind the scenes of how much work really goes into a garment and B. getting to see people’s, um, problem-solving skills or the fitting issues that they run into with a particular pattern are really, um, fun and interesting to see, and they give you ideas about how you can overcome some of those same issues in your own sewing. Love the podcast. Thanks so much. Bye-bye.

Helen: Thank you, Eva Allison. This is such a great tip. So many more sewists are able to share their process online now. And for the ones that aren’t, you can assume that there’s a lot of effort and mistake and fixes behind that finished make that’s getting displayed on social media.

So it’s good to remember that and great to spend some time on YouTube. It’s just really endless resources watching people sew. Saremy, past guest, from @sewsewlive does these, uh, sewing live streams where you can watch her sew, and ask her questions, and those are so much fun. So if you can join in on one of those, I encourage you to do so.

Caroline: Mhm. Yeah. Such a great way to see the process.

Helen: Oh, yeah. Janet from @7pinedesign wrote, “Your best friend is a good sewing technique book. Every library has them, as do better fabric shops. Sure, you can Youtube any question, but sometimes ‘you don’t know what you don’t know.’ For example, I see a lot of comments about seam finishing. How would you even know that you’re supposed to finish the seam? If you browse through a good sewing technique book, you’ll find what you’ve been missing!”

Caroline: Yes. Thank you, Janet. This is a really good idea. And a lot of people in the sewing community love the Vogue Sewing book, if you’re looking for a recommendation. But it’s so true that you don’t know what you don’t know. And when you’re a beginner, if you want to just, like, immerse yourself in sewing and, sort of, learn the basics, a book is usually a great place to look because it’ll have a lot of comprehensive information all in one place and, kind of, cover a lot of different topics depending on the sewing book. So a great way to, kind of, learn a lot in one place.

Helen: Totally.

Caroline: Okay. Lisa @stitchtwotogether wrote, “Read the instructions and follow the rules so that when you’re more confident you know which ones you can break and which ones are important.”

Helen: Thank you, Lisa. It’s true that at the beginning, it’s a good idea to at least learn all of the sewing rules that you can or read the whole booklet and know what you’re getting into. Then. once you know all the information, you can use your judgment that you got from your experience to decide whether you want to be a rebel, which ones you want to do, and which ones you feel like you can skip.

Um, I know a lot of people like to read the sewing instruction booklets, like, outside of the sewing room. Maybe it’s something that you read, you know, when you’re in your bed and you’re, like, done for the day. And you’re just going to flip through the book and, like, see what’s coming so that you can get ready for your project tomorrow. It can be, kind of, fun to do that.

Caroline: Yeah. You used to do. Do you still do that?

Helen: No, I don’t do that anymore.

Caroline: Maybe cause it’s your job now.

Helen: I’m in that rebel camp for… Like, I skim, I flip through, and then I’m like, yeah, yeah, I got this. And it definitely gets me into trouble a lot.

Caroline: Oh yeah.

Helen: Lindsey @thestitchfitz wrote, “I wish someone would have told me that it’s really not that hard. You just have to be able to read instructions and give it a go. Also, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Nobody notices those little mistakes.”

Caroline: Thank you, Lindsey. We say it all the time on the podcast: just take it one step at a time, and you’ll be fine. If you’re stuck, you can look up a particular technique online, and you’ll probably find a good tutorial. And some pattern companies even make videos or posts or sew-alongs where they walk you through each step of a pattern. So, yeah, it’s true, Lindsey. It’s really not that hard.

Helen: No. And nobody notices those little mistakes. Three foot rule. You got to take a step back.

Caroline: Yes. Sarah left us a voicemail that we’re going to play.

Sarah: Hi, my name is Sarah, and I’m from Madison Heights, Michigan in the US. And I love your podcast, love all the tips and great things I learn every time I listen. Um, one thing I would tell a new sewist is don’t try to do complicated sewing late at night. As a mom of young kids, I find myself sewing after they go to bed, but time and again, I’ve tried to pick up the invisible zipper or the, um, do even a regular zipper or just complicated instructions and when I’m tired and I end up having to do them over and over again and being frustrated. So put that difficult sewing away until you are a little bit fresher and can have the focus for it. Thanks, ladies.

Helen: Thank you, Sarah. I feel like my piece of advice from this episode should have been, like, no zippers after 10:00 PM.

Caroline: You’ve definitely given that advice before. It’s a good one.

Helen: It’s a good one. No buttonholes, no zippers. No, I mean, ultimately you do you, of course. Um, but when your brain is done for the night, it’s probably a good idea to put the sewing down and return to it tomorrow, even though you really, really want to keep going.

Caroline: I can’t follow this rule. I’ve been known to do too many sewing all-nighters.

Helen: That’s good. You got your sew-jo going. You just got to run with it.

Caroline: Yeah. Okay. Gina @ginapetzer wrote, “Slow down and enjoy the process. Yes, having a finished garment to wear is a great feeling, but when you really take your time to do things slowly, properly, and take the extra steps to do fun, little bind offs on seams, et cetera, you will love the finished product even more. Also, be tenacious. Don’t give up. Step away when you’re frustrated, but step away with the intention of coming back when you have the energy.”

Helen: Thank you, Gina. There’s so much to love about wearing something you made, but there’s a lot to love about perfecting sewing techniques and learning something new and doing a job well. So you put all those things together, and I do think that it makes a big impact on the love for that final piece.

Caroline: Yes.

Helen: Jessica from @themadcutters wrote, “That sewing lingerie isn’t as difficult as people think. (I got told by another sewer when I was learning that it’s not something you want to make and it requires a lot of special machines, etc.) so instead of trying it in my teens I didn’t get into it until years later because I truly believed it’s not something that is possible to make yourself.”

Caroline: Wow. Thank you, Jessica. It’s really great that you’ve finally started making lingerie. Helen and I love making lingerie, and it is totally doable. Like, our tote bag says you can make anything, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Helen: Yes, making lingerie is so much fun. Those little pieces, I mean, the lace, if you want lace, you can really do what you want with the personal style cause it’s hard to find lingerie that really feels like you sometimes in ready to wear. So being able to choose the colors and the styles and, uh, it can be so much fun, and it can be pretty quick, too.

Caroline: Yeah, and totally doable on just your regular sewing machine.

Helen: Absolutely. Kristen @sheseamsfun. She seams fun. S-E-A-M-S. Love it. Okay. They wrote, “I wish someone had given me a list of free resources – everywhere I look, there is something else to subscribe to, to buy, and I just can’t afford that.”

Caroline: It’s so true. Thank you, Kristen. Check out the show notes of Episode 160 of Love to Sew for a list of free resources. There are actually so many, and I’ve seen lots of roundups online as well, so they’re out there. And if you’re telling someone that they should start sewing or introducing someone to the world of sewing, it’s such a great idea to hook them up with some free resources, just lowers that barrier to entry, and maybe will get them into sewing quicker.

Helen: Yeah. Give them some fabric, too, while you’re at it. We know you’ve got it.

Caroline: You have enough. Okay. @bonnylittlebabes wrote, ““That knowing how to sew doesn’t mean you have to do hemming and alterations for friends and family!!!”

Woo. Amen to that.

Helen: Ah, the dreaded, will you sew this for me? I mean, we have a whole episode on that, by the way, it’s basically 45 minutes of how to say no and stories of being asked to sew ridiculous things, but for a lot of us, sewing is the time where we recharge and that can, kind of, disappear with the pressure of making something for someone else because let’s face it, it is a little bit of pressure or maybe a lot of pressure if you’re making something for another person or even hemming something for another person.

Um, it’s okay just to keep your sewing for yourself. It doesn’t make you selfish. We talked about that in that episode, too. No such thing as selfish sewing. You’re just enjoying the hobby the way that you want to. Then if you really want to say yes to making something for someone else, you can really mean that and feel good about that decision because you’ve thought about it, and it’s something that you want to do.

Caroline: Mhm. Or better yet, don’t say yes. Just make that decision on your own.

Helen: Oh, a secret surprise. Yeah.

Caroline: Then there’s really no pressure cause nobody’s expecting it.

Helen: That’s so true. You know, when I started sewing, I did, I got really into it, and I would say to people, like friends and family, like, oh, I’ll tell, I’ll make you one. Just thinking, like, it was again, like, I had this huge list, and I thought I was going to do it all.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: And I overcommitted. Like, I would tell people I would make them things. And then literally years later I would be like, so I need to apologize to you because three years ago, I told you I was going to make you Yanta Overalls and I never did. And then they would be like, it’s fine. I forgot all about it.

Caroline: Oh, I’ve totally been there, too. I still have anxiety over some of the things that I promised people I would make and then never mentioned again. So I think we’ve all experienced that.

Helen: Maybe you need to do…

Caroline: Like, a cleansing.

Helen: Yeah. You need to go back and apologize to all those people.

Caroline: I’m gonna send out some cards.

Helen: No, you don’t. They won’t remember. I promise.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Okay. Angie from @sewingceleriac wrote, “I wish I’d known earlier that there is a lovely supportive community of sewists on Instagram who you can ask for help, get inspiration from, and share your successes and failures with!”

Caroline: Yes. Thank you, Angie. We love the community on Instagram. And if any of you are hesitating, we encourage you to sign up and start using those hashtags cause it is a great way to connect with people.

Helen: Yes, and it can take some time, of course, to find your niche in the community. You may not have a lot of followers. You might not feel like you’re getting a lot of engagement on your posts when you’re sharing, but just let that build up over time. And the more that you reach out to people, compliment them on their makes, um, engage with people that you find inspiring in the community, the more people are going to engage with you back.

Caroline: Absolutely. And here is our last response for this episode. It’s from Sharon @mtbsharon, and they wrote, “That the greatest satisfaction comes from going slowly, being careful and precise, and not ‘cutting corners’! (ha ha). That way you avoid mistakes, avoid time wasted unpicking silly errors and you will have an end product that you can be proud of, inside and out!!! It is also worth buying the best quality fabric you can afford, as cheap fabric can have disappointing results and you are more likely to take less care knowing that errors are not as costly. I love making wedding dresses for all of the above reasons.”

Helen: Thank you, Sharon, a rushed sewing experience is just not as fun as a relaxed one. And it’s not about speed, it’s just about how you feel in the process. I often try to rush to the finish line even still.

Caroline: Me, too.

Helen: I have to remember this. Take this great advice from Sharon because it’s not about the finish line. It’s about the journey. I mean, I should have a podcast.

Caroline: Oh my gosh, Helen, so much great advice in this one little episode. We have such wise listeners.

Helen: We do. Thank you all so much for your responses. There’s many, many more on our prompt on Instagram. So we’ll link that up in the show notes if you want to go read more advice from other sewists. And we have some other beginner episodes and lots of resources, so check out the show notes at lovetosewpodcast.com.

Caroline: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com. We are recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Helen: Go to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. If you’d like to get in touch with us, send us an email at [email protected].

Caroline: If you love Love to Sew and you want more, you can sign up for our Patreon. For $5 a month, you get a full length bonus episode and weekly behind the scenes pics, including lots of pictures of Pepper and Emma and for that I think it’s worth it. For $10 a month, you’ll get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off discount codes for Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making this quality sewing content for you that we love to make. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Helen: And we have Love to Sew swag. You can visit our shop to get tees, pins, and tote bags with art by Josie Adams of Hey Miss Designs. Tell the world that you’re a stitch witch, that you can make anything, or that you are just a Love to Sew listener, a lovely listener. Go to lovetosewshop.com to get yours.

Caroline: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you for listening and sending in your advice. We love you, and we’ll see you next week.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: Bye.

Okay. Let’s move. Wait, let’s do it in sync. Let’s do it in sync.

Caroline & Helen: Now, let’s move on to responses…

Helen: No, no, we’re not doing that.

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Christi Johnson is a textile artist and teacher. We talk with her about mystical empowerment through wearable embroidery, clothing vs. fashion, and her new book!

The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.

Follow Christi:

Christi’s Book:

Some of Christi’s work:

Materials Christi Mentioned: 

Stitches Christi Likes (P.S. Christi has videos illustrating these in her free embroidery portal!):

Other Mentions:

Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Caroline: Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Helen: Join us for today’s interview with Christi Johnson.

Hello, Christi. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.

Christi: Yeah. Thank you guys so much for having me. So wonderful.

Helen: We’re so excited to chat with you. Can you please introduce yourself to our listeners?

Christi: Yeah. So my name is Christi Johnson. I am a textile artist and teacher. Um, I work with mostly embroidery, natural dyes, and clothing making. And I wrote a book recently called Mystical Stitches, um, Embroidery for Personal Empowerment and Magical Embellishment.

Helen: Which sounds incredible. Like, I want to read that book just based on the title.

Christi: Amazing.

Helen: And where are you from, Christi?

Christi: Oh, I was originally from West Palm Beach, Florida. I lived there until I was 18. I went to LA for 10 years, and now I live in upstate New York or, I mean, it, kind of, like, west state New York, not really up, but…

Caroline: Very cool. Very cool. And we love to hear our guests sewing stories. And so can you tell us a little bit more about how you learned to sew and also how you learned to embroider? Cause that’s obviously a big part of your life and your career.

Christi: Yeah. Most of my sewing skills and all of the, like, basically all of my textile skills, I learned from my mother. She was a avid text-, still is an avid textile artist. Um, she just always, she always had some project going on. Like, we had, the other room in our house that was the office also had, like, yarn all over the walls.

And you know, there was, like, a computer, a TV and a knitting machine and, and a couple of sewing machines. So it was very much, like, it was always part of my life. My sister, my older sister, she’s 12 years older than me, and she went to school for fashion design. And so I was very young when she was doing that. Um, so I was able to experience, sort of, her education through that, through a children’s lens, and I ended up studying fashion myself.

But, uh, basically it’s like, I think it’s, kind of, a family thing on, but my grandmothers on both sides, my, both my dad’s grandmother, my mom’s grandmother, both had, um, were very talented seamstresses, um, very talented sewers and could, like, kind of, make anything. And I ddn’t learn that about my dad’s mother until much later in life. I was like, why didn’t he ever tell me that? But maybe I was just too young, and I didn’t listen, so.

Helen: It sounds like you were going to be drawn to fashion no matter what and textiles.

Christi: Yeah. Yeah. Like, I didn’t really have a choice.

Helen: So did you end up working in the fashion industry after you studied it in school?

Christi: Yes, I did. I worked in the fashion industry for maybe seven or eight years, and I worked at a few different places. Um, you know, we worked with manufacturing, kind of, all over the place, LA, Korea, China, India, and so I was pretty familiar with all of the sort of ins and outs of the fashion industry. Um, and it just was really pretty exhausting for me where I was like, I just feel like there’s a better way to do this.

And yeah, it felt very, um, extractive. Like, you know, we were constantly trying to figure out how to make more and more and more. And that really sort of, as a person who’s pretty, um, sustainably minded, I’ve always been pretty interested in conserving materials and just conserving as much as we can, as many resources as we can, working in fashion was just like, I feel like we’re doing this wrong.

Helen: There’s gotta be a better way.

Christi: Yeah, I think we’re good. I think we made enough clothes, like, last season and the season before that and we’re like, oh no, we’re good. Let’s do another one. Okay, great.

Caroline: Tell us a bit more about that. Like, how did your experience in the fashion industry lead you to what you’re doing right now?

Christi: Yeah, so I had worked, um, one of the earlier jobs that I had was working with a designer who manufactured in Los Angeles, and it was these really beautiful, sort of, art pieces of clothing that they were incredibly thought out. And the materials that she used were a little unusual, like, you know, different, sort of, pieces from the hardware store and things like that. And so that, for me, working for her was really inspiring because it wasn’t necessarily about how many units we could produce. It was more for her about the art of it.

But because of this model of, you know, of business, she did not necessarily, um, she didn’t have the most economically sound business model. Um, and so there was a lot of overworking, um, a lot of late hours, a lot of working weekends. And that, for me, I was like, I can’t live like this. Like, this is just completely unsustainable for us as people.

Um, and so then I started working at a different job, and it was like all of this, I was working at a much, sort of, more, not fast fashion, but a much faster form of fashion. And it was just, like, the amount of units that we were trying to get out. And the amount of time we spent trying to get the lowest price point was really disturbing to me. And I was like, this isn’t the answer either.

So, I had yet to find a way to sort of consolidate the way that I wanted things to go and the way that the industry needed to run. Um, and so I tried to, kind of, figure it out on my own, and I wanted to have my own line of clothes, and I tried and I realized I was like, this is not really, this isn’t really working. And I wasn’t really that passionate about getting the clothes out into the world.

I was more passionate about that initial thing that attracted me to the first designer I worked with, where it was all about making these works of art and making these pieces that existed, not just to clothe you maybe for a few seasons, it was really these, like, heirloom articles of clothing. And that was what interested me more. And so I, kind of, started focusing a little more on that and then eventually on teaching that to people, so.

Helen: Yeah, that’s so cool. And we noticed that you said that fashion is different than clothing, and we were wondering what exactly you mean by that.

Christi: Yeah, so I think that they’re, kind of, often, you know, used interchangeably, and they’re not necessarily for me. Fashion is something that is all about the next season and the next season and, like. what’s in and what’s out. And fashion is quick, and clothing is something that exists with you. And so clothing is something that holds you and it’s something that is warm and comforting, and fashion feels forceful. And fashion feels, you know, like we were saying, extractive, like, we’re extracting all of these resources, and clothing is something that is nourishing and supportive.

And so I feel like when we start to conflate the two with each other, we’re, kind of, missing the point of what clothing can be for us. And we are cheapening the product and making it much more disposable when we think about it as something that, you know, comes in and out and trends that come and go and like, oh, well I wore that dress a few too many times and now people are going to see me in it and they’re going to think whatever.

And so I think, you know, having those special pieces in your closet that have a lot of meaning to you in there, really deeply associated with how you feel about them. Um, I think that’s, kind of, where the difference between clothing and fashion comes in is. Like, what’s our personal relationship with our clothes. Fashion is much more of, like, a societal relationship with concept that I don’t necessarily think it’s that strong. Yeah.

Helen: Yeah, it’s exciting to hear you talk about it in that way because I think for a lot of our listeners crafting their own clothes, they are deepening that relationship with the clothing that they’re wearing, but there is still an element of consumption when it comes to fabric and materials and always wanting to have the new pattern and new designs. So do you have any advice for us as far as how we can continue to deepen that relationship with our clothing and, um, really appreciate the items in our closet?

Christi: Yeah, I think my favorite way is to just, um, you know, if I find something that’s, like, not really working for me anymore, it’s like, how do I kind of bring that piece back to life in a different way? And that, for me, I love working within limitations. And working with a pre-existing garment there, that’s like, a built-in limitation where you’re like, I have this construct, constructs of, like, how this has already been made. And so how can I make this into something else? And that’s like, oftentimes what I feel like is going to help us out most when we start to think about how to… And this can be a really creative process when we start to think about how we can bring that, like, longer-term relationship into the pieces that we own.

Um, and things, you know, things like shrinking a sweater and being like, okay, how can I reuse this in some way? And then it has such longer of a story. And so if that, if that shrunken sweater gets patchworked into another sweater that eventually gets turned into a pillow and then we can tend to remember and lock onto each point in our life when that sweater existed in its previous form and connect us to really how far we’ve come.

And that’s what I think is so beautiful about having that history in our clothes is, you know, a look at, uh, something that I’ve patchworked, that I remember what the individual pieces were, and I remember where I lived when I was wearing those pieces before they were this patchwork. Um, yeah, I feel, like, that is how we can really form a much stronger connection with the pieces that we’re working with.

Helen: I love that. I think patchwork is so much fun. I personally really enjoy doing projects like that. And, um, we’re going to talk to you a little bit more about how you use up your scraps and do your projects like that a bit later, but we’re curious because you have such an incredible breadth of creative work that you do. What is filling your days lately? What does your day look like?

Christi: Right now, I am doing a lot of teaching. A lot of it is, kind of, just, like, email correspondence with people, trying to figure out the details of things. Um, but then I, in the summertime, I try and also take as much time off as possible because where I live, there’s, like, six months of snow and six months of sun.

So during the six months of sun, I try and enjoy it as much as possible and spend as much time in the garden as possible. So for me, my, no, no day ever looks the same. No week ever even looks the same. It’s so dependent on the weather. Like today it rained, so I’m not going to be out in the garden. So it was kind, kinda, I, kind of, had to reframe, like, how my morning went.

A lot of the times the day-to-day interactions is, like, okay, you gotta make sure to fill orders. And then also making sure to, as a self-employed individual, it’s, like, making sure I have time to focus on the projects that I want to do for the future instead of focusing so much on the day-to-day aspect of things.

Really being like, okay, I have this dream of something. What, what one little thing could I do today to bring me closer to that new course or to that new book or to that new jacket? You know, like how can I do one little thing each day that moves me forward, and so I’m not just stuck in the bus-, in the doing of the business.

Helen: Oh, such good advice. We feel you. You mentioned your shop and fulfilling orders. What kind of things do you sell in your shop?

Christi: Yeah, so in my shop, I still have, um, a few ‘zines, even though I have my published book, I still have a few little ‘zines that I sell. Um, there’s one on botanical dying, and there’s one on embroidery which I don’t understand why people are. I’m getting it when I have the other book. But I’m like, okay, if you, you know, I think it’s, it’s just a different book. And so I’m kind of like, well, if people are still interested in it, then I definitely want to still offer it. Um, and you know, maybe people will connect with it on a different level.

But I have those, and then I also have these little hand embroidered talismans. And so they’re little patches that I have hand embroidered. And then the intention of it is that you would then sew it into a garment of your own while using that as a way to set your own intentions for the future and, kind of, use it as a anchor for how you want to personally bring yourself forward in your life or make changes in your life. Um, and having these little embroideries as, uh, as a symbol for that experience.

And then I also, I’m still making and selling clothes to some degree. Um, and so the clothing is a little less of a daily, um, situation as far as online orders go. But, um, it’s still every once in a while a clothing sale comes and I’m like, oh, I got to, yeah, I think that’s, yeah, that’s on the clothing rack. Okay. So yeah. So just making sure to keep up with the shop.

Caroline: Yeah. I definitely encourage our listeners to go check out your website, mixedcolor.net, because you have some amazing garments on there with embroidery on them. And they’re just so beautiful and special and unique, so definitely go check that out. But we also have to mention the Stitch Wish podcast because you have your own podcast. Can you tell us a little bit more about that and what kinds of topics you cover?

Christi: Yeah, totally. So I don’t, um, I just had always thought about doing a podcast, but I was like, oh, it’s going to be, I know it’s a lot of work, and I wasn’t sure that that would be something that I could take on, but I’ve been surprised, like, I’ve done this for 12 weeks, which is, you know, more, more than I’ve ever done something weekly before ever.

But it is basically about crafting your own magic and threads. And so the idea, I love talking with other artists all the time about our creative process, about, you know, how we work with our materials, things that we’ve learned. And so I wanted to be able to bring that into a more recorded situation where I could just talk to my friends basically about these different ideas and about how we’re working with our art and how we’re working with our art and business, especially.

Um, I find that to be really interesting, um, because I don’t feel like that is as clear for people who maybe want to start businesses where it’s their art form. There’s, there’s a relationship where you, kind of, have to figure out, um, where your business comes in, where your art comes in and you really, like I said, you need to make time for future artwork. Um, and so just, I think having those conversations with my friends about that, and also talking a little bit more about how our art, how our creativity, and how our different projects start to combine with our own spirituality and with our own, sort of, intention settings and ideas that we have for how we want the future to be.

And I think that seeing the creative act as, like, kind of, a microcosm of our ability to enact change in the greater world. I feel like is a really important sort of micro/macro to look at. And so those are some of the topics I like to consider on the show is, like, how is our creative process feeding us and feeding our communities and how can we work with textiles in ways that really support our creative process, but also support, um, different, more sustainable ways of living with them.

Helen: That’s so cool. And I don’t know about our listeners, but I’m already subscribed and I hope that they go subscribe to. It’s Stitch Wish. So I’m sure you can find it on your podcast apps, and go listen to Christi.

Okay. Let’s talk a little bit more about your book. I’m going to repeat the title. It’s Mystical Stitches: Embroidery for Personal Empowerment and Magical Embellishment. First of all, congratulations.

Christi: Thank you.

Helen: Can you give us a bit of an overview of what the book is all about?

Christi: Yeah. So the book is basically considering embroidery as a much more meaningful experience where in our modern society, maybe not your listeners as much, but I think in a lot of different spaces, people think that, you know, embroidery is just kind of this pastime. Um, it’s just, you know, something that people do when they’re bored. And I think that that is, that really takes a lot away from it. Um, and really, it takes away from its root.

And when we look at the history of embroidery and the history of needlework in general, humans started creating symbols and imagery decoration with embroidery really shortly after they discovered how to stitch two pieces of fabric together. So we had this, we’ve had this relationship throughout time with creating imagery with a needle and thread.

And I wanted to bring that through in a book form and, kind of, bring that back to the forefront of our relationship with embroidery where it’s not just about reproducing an image. It’s about what am I using? What, uh, what are the visuals that I’m incorporating in this? And what are those visuals mean to me? Or how have those visuals been used historically as, um, intentions or as protection or as a form of conversing with different deities and, sort of, different worlds?

So I thought that being able to basically have a library of symbols which is what, in the book it’s called the Treasury of Symbols, that are meaningful to me. It’s not, it’s by no means a totally comprehensive overview of symbols, but they are the ones that I have seen exist throughout many cultures as I study and do research on embroidery in different cultures.

And so I really wanted to be able to show those and present those to people in a way that would inspire them to start to create their own designs and start to allow embroidery to be more of a spiritual event and allow embroidery to be more comforting for them and encouraging them to develop their own creative relationship with it. Um, and so then that’s where Mystical Stitches came from. That idea.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s so wonderful. Similarly, to how you were speaking about, kind of, building relationships with our clothing, building a relationship with the embroidery that you’re doing can be so powerful, I think, um, as a creative practice. I wonder because you’ve shared about embroidery online before and on your website and you have these ‘zines, what inspired you to share this process and ethos in book form?

Christi: I really love the form of a book. It’s an amazing way to really wrap up imagery and text, and you, sort of, get lost in the pages of a book. And I wanted to be able to bring that to people in a way that, for me, has been so influential and so embroidery, or embroidery books, from, like, the sixties and seventies are one of my favorite things to collect as far as books go and as far as anything goes, really.

And that was something that I, kind of, grew up with where I was, I would be at the library, like, looking for the oldest craft books I could find. And you would just get lost in these pages of just really wild styles of clothing that didn’t even make any sense, um, you know, figuratively. But it, it just really inspired me to get a little bit crazy with the styles that I was going to try and make.

And so I wanted to bring back that feeling, bring back that sort of liberation that existed in those earlier books. And I also just, yeah, the, the way that a book combines all of these different mediums, it feels like a really beautiful, sort of, collection of my ways of thinking and my ways of working in the world. And yeah, I just, I love books. I wanted to include my own.

Caroline: I love books, too. There’s something so great about having this, like, tangible thing that you can cherish and lend to a friend and have on your coffee table and have people look at it with you and just, like, really experience that in a different way than, you know, staring at a screen, so I totally agree with you. Books are so special, and we’re so glad that you wrote one. Um, how was that process like for you, the book writing and, like, publishing process?

Christi: Yeah, the writing and publishing. I, um, I really enjoyed my experience working with my publisher. I know that’s not everyone’s experience, but I just, they were really supportive through the whole thing. Um, and I just really appreciated the amount of creative liberty I was given. I feel like there was a lot of opportunity for me to have input in the design and have input in how things were going to be laid out and everything. And so I really appreciated that.

Um, but it was, I’m not a writer. Like, I don’t write. I do write, I do a lot of writing, but I don’t consider myself a writer, and I hadn’t ever really been formally taught in any way about writing. And so that was something for me that I was really self-conscious about. And that was, I basically started the book with the writing. I started drawing the symbols, first and foremost. I drew all of the symbols that I wanted, and then I sent that off to the publisher, and while they were laying out the symbols, so that I could then stitch into those layouts, I had a couple months to finish the writing for the book.

And there was a lot of working through my own personal, sort of, um, “who am I to be writing this?” issues. And so that was a really interesting process. And I found that, you know, as I was writing these ideas about how people should feel about embroidery and how they should allow it to be a little bit more expansive for them, I was like, oh, I need to actually be a little bit forgiving with my writing and allow myself to get a little more expansive with the writing if I want this book to, if I want the writing to match what I’m actually trying to say, and so that was really important for me.

But basically, just to give you a timeline, I signed the contract for the book in December of 2019. And so I started writing it at the beginning of 2020. Um, and so then as we know, 2020 just started falling apart month after month after month. And I had this deadline of May 2020. And so the book really, kind of, gave me something to anchor into and gave me something to continue to work towards. And I was like, I have no idea what’s happening after this book gets written. I don’t even know, you know, if the world’s still going to be, if the world’s going to burn by then.

Um, and so I had to really work very hard to not get distracted and not get caught up because I was like, no matter what happens, no matter what’s happening in the world, like, me looking at the news every 10 minutes, isn’t going to fix any of it. Um, so I really need to focus on the work that I’m, that I am capable of doing.

And so, yeah, I really found the process of making the book to be really therapeutic in that way, the actual stitching of the book, which I also felt like very much fell hand in hand with the concept behind the book. So yeah, just trying to make sure that the making of the book and the process of the book did not start to become something completely different than what I wanted the book to be. I wanted the creative process to continue to be transformative and continue to bring me forward.

Helen: That’s so amazing to hear. And, like, the book really does resonate that. It feels so transformative and magical just looking at it. I love the way that the embroidered stitches actually look tactile, even though they’re on a flat page. I think that the design just worked out really well. And I would love to hear a bit more about the magical potential of embroidery and what makes embroidery such a transformative process for people.

Christi: Yeah, so I feel like embroidery, just in the very physics of it, where we are pulling a needle and thread up and above the fabric, and then we’re inserting the needle and thread down below the fabric. I feel like that mirrors this idea of, you know, that, the magical phrasing, “As above, so below.” Um, and so the idea of how is our internal world and our external world, um, matching? In what ways do they match? Um, and also seeing that just through the process of stitching. I’m coming up, I’m going back down, I’m coming up, I’m going back down and, sort of, connecting those two worlds.

And in addition to that, I think, you know, more literally, the, just the amount of time it takes to create an embroidery, the way that you need to slow down, and the rhythmic nature of the motion of in and out and in and out and in and out, reminds me of it’s, it’s, like, kind of, like taking a breath or like meditation. Um, you know, it’s a very mindful experience of having to slow down and focus and make this repetitive motion. And as you’re doing this, this imagery is slowly unfolding before your eyes. And so you have something that you’re working towards, but you’re still really embracing this slowness and embracing this being in the present moment. And so I think that, for me, is where I see embroidery and magic, kind of, sitting hand in hand.

Caroline: Hm, yeah, no, it’s true. It is a slow process. And I think a lot of us are used to crafts that progress a little bit faster, especially our listeners are sewists, so, you know, you can whip up a garment in an evening if you want. Um, but do you have any tips for, kind of, settling in and enjoying that pace?

Christi: Yeah, I mean, I find that music helps a lot of the times, or even getting caught up in an audio book, like a story. Being told a story while I’m embroidering is really fun. And then I, and then you have the added benefit of then you look at the embroidery and you’ll see the little parts and you’ll almost, it’s almost becomes a map of whatever story you were listening to. And you’re like, oh, I remember that little part here where the fern comes up and over here.

Um, so yeah, I think, and also allowing it to take as long as it’s going to take, um, I don’t necessarily when I’m making, when I’m embroidering clothes that I’m going to sell, there’s, like, some, sort of, idea of, like, this needs to be, you know, this needs to not take forever, but even then I still fail at that. When I’m, when I’m working on my own art pieces, it’s like, this can take as long as it needs to. I can put it down and I can pick it back up and the size and, kind of, collapsibility and transportability of embroidery allows that to happen really easily. So I encourage people to allow a project to take years if it needs to. We’ve got it, so.

Helen: Oh, that’s great to hear. I’ll relax next time I’m doing my embroidery and try not to take it too seriously. Um, we do love that you embroider on garments though. It’s such a fun way to embellish things. And since our podcast is focused on sewing garments, we’re pretty clothes-obsessed. Um, so we’re wondering, what is it you like about embroidering on an already existing article of clothing?

Christi: Yeah, that’s, I just feel like there’s this conversation that happens between the clothing and whatever it wants to be, between the clothing and me. And so I’ll put on an article of clothing. I find this to be, especially with vintage clothes, not so much with new clothes that I’ve made, but when I’m working with vintage pieces, you know, I might have an idea for it. When I see the jacket, I’ll say, oh, maybe I want to do a little, you know, a little something on the collar here.

But then it feels like when I put the vintage garments on there’s all of a sudden this whole personality that comes out and I, kind of, can’t deny it where it’s like, oh no, this jacket doesn’t want, like, a little accent on the collar. This jacket wants a whole scene across the shoulders. And it wants, like, they have, they, kind of, have their own idea of how they get to be reborn and come into new form.

And so that, I, I just find that to be so much fun. But even when I’m working with garments that I’ve already sewn or that, that I’ve just recently sewn, I still feel that. Depending on how the garment sits on the body or how the fabric drapes or whatever it is, I can start to feel like, okay, this, this would actually look really great with something on the sleeve or like, oh, that would, you know, this isn’t going to work here.

Or, kind of, having that, that experience of collaboration with a piece with, with this form that we’re having to deal with as opposed to stitching on a flat surface. I just think it’s so much fun in the way that it can really completely recreate an article of clothing with stitching.

Helen: Yeah, and it really makes it such a unique piece, too. Talking about, like, deepening that relationship with your clothes and having strong connection, once you’ve spent hours embroidering that jacket, I mean, you’re never going to let that go.

Christi: Yeah, totally.

Helen: So how does it work? Do you use, like, stabilizers and hoops, and how do you get in there on these little small areas, like collars and stuff, to put embroidery?

Christi: Right. Well, when I do, um, I don’t actually use stabilizer ever, but I also don’t work with fabrics that might need a stabilizer. So I know some people who are like, oh, you know, you can embroider a t-shirt if you use a little… That doesn’t interest me. Like, I, kind of, I guess I’m just, like, you know, the, the quickest way, which is funny because the work that I do is so slow, but I’m like, oh, the stabilizer seems like it would take so much more time to, like, it doesn’t take, it takes, like, three seconds to put stabilizer on.

But I mean, for many years I wouldn’t use a hoop. Um, and then finally I started using a hoop and I was like, I don’t actually know how I was doing this without it. But I do, I always use it, I almost always use an embroidery hoop unless I’m working with thicker fabrics, like jacket fabrics. So if I’m embroidering something on the back of a jacket, let’s say. I’m going to rip open the seams at the back of the lining or at the side seam of the lining. And then I’m able to work within just the outer layer of the jacket. Um, and it’s not, the stitches aren’t going through the lining, and so then I’m able to hide all my stitches. But when I have those heavier fabrics, like jackets, I don’t have to worry as much about the stitches bunching.

And in cases like, let’s say the collar where I can’t really use a hoop because it’s not convenient to fit a hoop on a collar, it might distort the shape. Um, I just make sure to leave my stitches a little loose. And I think that’s something, that’s something that I always recommend in all my classes, in my book. It’s like, I’ve never met somebody who made their stitches too loose. In all my teaching, people always make their stitches too tight. Um, we, and it’s, you know, I see something about that in all of us as well, where it’s like, all right, we all need to loosen up just a little bit, myself included. Um, and so, bringing that into the stitches and just keeping the stitches a little bit loose makes it so it’s really easy to embroider on those strange areas.

Caroline: Oh, that’s such a great tip. And how do you mark out your designs? Do you use any special tools for that?

Christi: I use, um, heat erasable pens. And so it’s this company called, uh, Pilot. They have these pens called Frixion. F-R-I-X-I-O-N. And I’ve heard that maybe if the temperature gets to, like, a really extreme cold that the color can come back, but I have yet to experience that. So I still use them, but I draw freehand on the garment how I want the design to be. And you know, that way when I’m using the heat erasable pens, if I am like, oh, I don’t actually like that, I just iron it. And it, um, it steams the pen right out. And then after I’m done stitching my garment that I’ve drawn with a heat erasable pen, I can just take a hairdryer to it. And so I don’t have to press out the, uh, because with an embroidery, you don’t want to necessarily press your embroidery flat, cause it’s just gonna flatten all your stitches.

So by just steaming it a little bit with an iron or just using a hairdryer or, you know, in the winter time, we’ll just, kind of, flop it in front of the woodstove and get some heat on it. So that’s, yeah, that’s my favorite, the Frixion pens, the heat erasable. They’re also really affordable, and I don’t have to necessarily get the garment wet which has worked really well for jackets cause I don’t, you don’t necessarily want to, like, wash a wool jacket.

Caroline: Mhm.

Helen: Yeah, that’s good to hear because we’ve heard those pens mentioned many times for sewing as well and the little, like, cold, too cold, it will come back thing, but you live in a cold climate, so if you’re not noticing that, then I think we’re probably good.

Christi: Yeah. Like, it’s gotten to, like, negative 20 here before, and I don’t think I was outside for very long with anything embroidered that I noticed, but, but it’s, kind of, like, what are the, what are the chances of being in that?

Helen: If you spend a lot of time in a walk-in cooler, maybe not for you.

Christi: Right, exactly!

Helen: So are there other special considerations when we’re embroidering on clothing that you wouldn’t necessarily worry about if you were making, like, a framed piece?

Christi: Yeah. So anytime that I have an area of clothing, that is, there’s a lot of drapery happening. And so this is a lot of the times, like, in the area, sort of, under the arms or, you know, down the sides of a dress where our fabrics are draping. I, kind of, avoid embroidering those areas cause I think the embroidery stiffens the fabric.

So if you’ve got a fabric with a bunch of drape, you don’t want to ruin that drape by having some, like, thick boxy embroidery on it. And it’s also going to, the embroidery is going to, kind of, fall into the folds. So when I’m embroidering clothes, I try and stick with the flat planes of the body, So that’s going to be like the outer surface of the arm. It’s going to be the yoke, the back yoke or the front yoke.

Um, it’s going to be, if it’s a more fitted dress, you know, you can, kind of, around the belly area, around the belly button, like, that kind of area, up and down the front to the neck, that’s a pretty safe spot in more fitted garments. Um, so yeah, I try and keep it either, you know, borders around the edges or the flat planes of the body.

Caroline: Mm, awesome. Thank you for that. And do you have any kinds of needles and floss that you like to use?

Christi: I always use DMC because I can find them everywhere. They come in 500 different colors, and I’ve never found any of the colors to bleed. I’ve heard that some people had problems with, like, the brightest shade of red, but I don’t, I just don’t use that much red.

So I guess it’s not really a problem for me. So yeah, I love DMC. They also have so many different kinds of threads and so many different sizes that it’s, kind of, like, if I want to use a different thread, I know that I can get the exact color that I want. And at this point, I think colors in DMC numbers. So I’m like cop-, like 975 copper, you know, so that’s something that has just become natural for me.

And then also as far as sewing needles go or embroidery needles, I don’t use needles that are labeled for embroidery because I use the full thickness of embroidery thread. Embroidery thread’s made up of six strands or at least embroidery floss, like the regular kind that you’ll see at the store. And it’s made up of six strands and many artists that work with embroidery, we’ll use two or three of those six strands. I use all six.

And so I need a needle, embroidery needles are made for using two or three strands of the embroidery floss, so I need a little bit thicker of a needle to get all six of those strands in. So I use what is called a chenille needle, and I have them in size 22, 24, and 26. So chenille needles are my favorite because they have a really big, long eye. And so they’re really easy to thread, but then they still have a pointy tip.

Helen: Oh, this is so interesting because I’ve done a few projects. And when my first one I did, I used the full embroidery floss, and then I was reading online and I was like, oh, I’m doing it wrong. I should be using 1, 2, 3 of these strands and, like, separating them out. But then I did my second project doing that, and it was a hot mess because there was just floss everywhere and all these nests. So I’m really happy to hear that it’s okay to use the full floss.

Christi: Yeah, totally. And that was one of the reasons that I was like, I need to write a book on this because everything that I would read was like, you’re not, you know, you’re supposed to split it down. Nobody uses six strands of floss, and I’m like, okay, well I do. And I can tell just by looking at it, all of the folk artists whose work I love most, I can tell they use all six strands.

And so I wanted to, yeah. I wanted to, like, liberate people and be like, it’s okay. Like, you can do whatever you want with these threads. Like, we are, we are all artists at our core. We’re all creative. So use it in a different way and try things out and see how it works. And yeah, don’t feel like you need to do it exactly the way that we’re prescribed, so.

Caroline: Yeah, totally. That’s such a liberating way of looking at making art for sure. And what embroidery stitches do you like to use in your pieces? Are there any specific types of stitches that you love?

Christi: Yes! I am pretty limited in my stitch, stitch range when it comes to my artwork. I like to get, you know, I like to get a little more creative every now and then and try out some new stitches. But for the most part, I do satin stitch, chain stitch, and stem stitch, and a little bit of French knots here and there, but almost everything else is satin stitch, stem stitch, chain stitch.

And then within chain stitch, there are, like, a hundred different variations of different chain sitches that you can do. And so that’s something that’s really exciting for me with this single stitch I can, you know, just by going in and out of the fabric at different points, you can use the same method of creating this loop and pinning down the top of the loop but create a bunch of different visual effects. So the chain stitch I find is probably my favorite if I had to pick one.

Caroline: Awesome. And I wonder if it’s necessary to use, like, classic embroidery techniques or if you think there’s room for, kind of, like, freestyle with embroidery.

Christi: Yeah, definitely. I love seeing different freestyles. And I think, like, as a teacher, that’s something that people, kind of, do intuitively where they’re like, oh, like, I think I’m doing the stitch that you’re teaching wrong, and I’ll look at their fabric. I’m like, I mean, yeah, technically that, wasn’t what I was teaching you, but, like, you’re doing a totally different stitch, and I think just go with it, you know, if that, if that feels good in your hands and you’re able to create that, like, keep going with it.

And so, yeah, I think I do encourage, and I have an online course called Magic Threads, and it teaches all of the different potentials for each and every stitch. And so I go, like, into, some of the videos are, like, 30 minutes long for a single stitch, and I show different examples of how that stitch can be manipulated in different ways to create different effects. And I think, yeah, I like to encourage people to really go to the edges of what this idea of the single stitch is.

Caroline: Very, very cool. That is great to know. Okay. We want to talk a little bit about the symbolism in your designs because they are full of symbolism and they’re so beautiful and also so meaningful. So we, kind of, want to know, like, what kinds of symbols are you drawn to in your work?

Christi: Yeah, I’m definitely, so the natural world is a really big inspiration for me, especially this time of year. I love looking at different plants, different herbs and how they were, not only how they were historically used medicinally, but also how they were used magically and how they were thought of. For example, the borage flower. Women used to embroider borage flowers on the undergarments of knights’ clothing. And the idea was that borage is a flower of courage. And so embroidering these flowers on, on their undergarments was, was to infuse courage into them on this, on this close level.

Researching different herbs is really important for me. Um, herbalism is something I’ve always been interested in. And so I find that that, sort of, combination, that crossing over of textile arts and herbalism and growing a lot of those herbs in my backyard is a really fun place to play around in.

Um, and then also other symbols for me that constantly come up are snakes. I love snakes. I just, and some people are totally creeped out by them, but I just love the way that they find their way in and out of just about any mythology that you read, like, there’s a snake in there somewhere. Um, and I just love the way that their meanings shapeshift and the way that they themselves are these shapeshifters where they live subterranean, and then they’re also bathing out in the sun.

Um, they are shedding their skin constantly. And so they have these, they become these symbols of transformation and these symbols of evolution for me. And I think that exists very much that way in, with, throughout the world. And also the idea that they, in some cases, are the venom and in some cases are the cure for that venom. And so the idea that the poison is the cure, um, is an interesting sort of cyclical thing to think about.

Some other symbols that I find really inspiring, for me, is the eye, just the symbol of an eye and all the different ways that we can think about that. Like, different visions that we have for things and the single eye, for me, just seeing one single eye, I think of that as, kind of, the third eye point and how we are able to connect to our intuition and connecting to, sort of, other worlds, I guess, is the best way that I can describe it, connecting to that, which is not necessarily known through intellect, that, that, which is coming to us through channels that we can’t describe, that science can’t describe, that mathematics can’t describe, something that’s a little bit more intuitive. So yeah, those are, those are, kind of, probably my, a few of my favorites.

Helen: Aw, it’s so cool. I, again, just love seeing all of these symbols in your book, but it gets me thinking about, like, how do we know if we are connecting with a symbol? Like, is there some way that people can tap into what symbols they might feel represent them best? Or can they turn anything in their life into a symbol? Like, can I make my dog a symbol, you know?

Christi: Yeah, totally. I think, and I think that’s the beauty of it is seeing, seeing the multitudes in the existence of a single form. And that for me is what turning something into a symbol is. And so, for example, um, another symbol that I love and I’m drawn to are things like vases or bowls, the idea of this vessel. And, you know, we can think about a vase as, like, something pretty to put a flower in. We can, you know, we can think of that on a very surface level, but if we start to think about what that, what this idea of a vessel means for us and how many different ways we can define a vessel and how many different ways that works for us.

And so the vessel is, it’s containing, it’s preserving, it is holding something for us. Um, and, and often the vessels are considered something that would reflect, uh, like the vessels can, are considered a metaphor for, let’s say the womb. Um, so this place where we’re holding and sustaining and nurturing. So I really think it’s about looking at what might be a seemingly inanimate object or just an animal or just a plant and seeing all of the multitudes that it contains and really elevating it into something that is more than just, you know, what it is.

And that for me, I mean, some people are a little more literal in their translation of things and they’re like, what are you talking about? But, uh, but you know, I think it’s just, it’s more fun to live in a world where we consider the deeper meanings of the everyday objects around us.

Helen: Yeah, I imagine it could be a process for some people, especially if they’re learning embroidery at the same time, as they’re trying to think about all of these other deeper meanings, but I really like that you’re connecting these two for makers. And in your writing, you also describe making and performing rituals. And we were curious, what kind of rituals do you incorporate into your textile art practice?

Christi: Yeah. So for me, rituals are, I keep rituals very simple. I mean, I think some people can bring in a lot of different elements where you’re lighting candles and you have an ultra space. Um, and I do keep an ultra space, but I think it can be as simple as just allowing your hands on these materials to infuse your desired energies into that piece. And for me, a big part of what I, the ritual that I like to use is visualization. And so after I’ve finished a piece, I like to hold it between my hands and visualizing, and the more you try to visualize, the easier it gets. And so when people are like, I’m not seeing anything, I’m like, just keep trying. You know, just keep playing around with the idea of closing your eyes and seeing what’s not necessarily there but what might energetically be there.

So, for me, I’m holding, let’s say a finished embroidery, I’m holding it between my hands and I’m seeing the energies of my body. I’m seeing colors that are coming through and that are infusing this embroidery. And, you know, I’m seeing this glowing, this embroidery piece turning into sort of a glowing orb in front of me and allowing whatever else I want to pull in from wherever.

Um, you know, I’m, I’m not one to define any sort of universe, god, whatever. That is for anybody. I don’t try and put names to it because I have no idea what it is. And I have yet to find an explanation that totally tunes in for me. And so I just, you know, whatever you want to pull in from, wherever it’s coming from, and allowing that energy to pull into the piece that you have in your hands and that, for me, I feel like is the strongest ritual, is believing that A. believing that that’s possible, believing that you’re capable of it and believing that your energies put into something actually matters.

Because, once again, that, there is that micro/macro where when we understand that what we are creating in the physical world on a small scale actually matters. We can start to understand how what we are doing in our life on a daily basis, what we are doing out in the world actually matters. And then we’re allowed to step into our power and actually take actions that propel us forward.

Helen: Yeah, it’s so interesting to think about how that affects just the way that we create. And we’ve talked a lot on the show about intentions before and taking a moment to set intentions before you start creating and making sure that you’re in the right headspace to create. And I think there’s a lot of opportunity for bringing in rituals to this, whether it’s just taking a moment to put your hands on your sewing machine before you get started and just, like, taking it all in and making sure that you are mentally ready for the process. And then you can get the most out of it.

Christi: Yeah, definitely. And I think, yeah, even just that, the idea of taking a moment before you’re working on something and appreciating the materials, or, you know, just, just setting the intention, yeah, for that to be, you know, maybe a learning experience that is you’re setting your intention for whatever you want it to be.

Helen: Yeah, exactly. I try to just make sure I’m going to have fun, so that’s usually my goal. Um, but for everyone it could be different, right?

Christi: Yeah. Yeah. Totally.

Helen: Um, okay. I also want to talk about these talismans cause they’re very intriguing. So what is a talisman exactly?

Christi: Yeah, so a talisman is, first of all the word talisman is based on the Greek word telesma which means to consecrate or to make into a rite. And so talisman is a talisman because you make it so. So you can embroider some-, you can spend a thousand hours embroidering something, but if you’re just like, well, whatever, it’s just a pretty, pretty thing I embroidered. Um, then it’s not necessarily holding any specific power. Maybe it still is, but you know, not as strong as it necessarily could be.

So, but when you decide to infuse the energies that you desire into that piece, that’s really what turns it into a talisman. And that, you can see that in the, sort of, root word of “to consecrate.” So by having a little ritual, even if, like I said, it is just holding it between your hands and pulling these energies towards it, or visualizing it lighting up in maybe whatever color that you feel would reflect that.

Like, I love golden light, sort of, showering into pieces that makes it feel really glowing and abundant and resourced, well-resourced. And so, for me, it, yeah, making a talisman is all about what, for you, is the easiest way to put your intentions into piece, not the easiest way. What, for you, is the most meaningful way to put your intentions into a piece?

And I’m not necessarily saying that that talisman is then now in view, imbued with these magical powers and can totally transform your life. But it is, it does become a social anchor in your daily experience. So, for example, if I am stitching a talisman for an intention that I have to, let’s say, I don’t have kids, but if it’s, like, I just want to be nicer to my kids. I want to be more appreciative of them, and I want to understand where they’re coming from a little bit better.

Um, and then I embroider that symbol into something that I encounter on a daily basis or frequent ex-, that I’m frequently experiencing. Let’s say I put it in a purse or something. Then when I’m seeing that image every time I go into my purse, I understand I’m like, I check back into that intention. And so it becomes a way of just reminding yourself through imagery, through visuals, of what your intention really is.

So you might be, like. ready to yell at them, be like, get out of here. And then you see that, and you’re like, right, right. I’m like, I’m making a concerted effort to make this change in my life. I have a visual anchor for it. Um, and so that’s how I think personally, that talismen work on a, sort of, literal level, a very intellectual level. That’s how I think they work. I also do think they work a little bit behind the scenes, but.

Helen: Can you actually describe what your talismans look like?

Christi: Yeah. So my talismans are these, they’re little three inch squares of fabric. Um, they have raw edges on all four sides. They are embroidered, kind of, in the center of that shape. And then basically the idea is the talisman come with a needle and thread. So the idea is that you would then take this embroidery and sew it into a garment or sew into a place that you want to keep it, or even just, you know, keeping it around your house that’s just not sewn into anything.

But, for me, the idea of these little talisman patches was, like, kind of, a little bit of, like, a, a bridge to get people to start embroidering where it’s like, oh no, you don’t have to learn how to embroider, just sew this little patch into something. But like, oh wow, I can actually use a needle and thread, it turns out. So that was a little sneaky, sneaky on my part.

Helen: You’re just getting them in the door.

Christi: Yeah, exactly. I’m like, oh, so you have a needle and thread now. How interesting. And you have a sewing needle that you can actually use with embroidery floss which was also important for me. So all of the talismen come with a big eye needle that I use regularly.

Helen: Oh, that’s so great. Yeah. We definitely encourage our listeners to go check out the talismen on your site, um, cause you do have a few for sale and they’re just so beautiful and inspiring. I could definitely see this being a great beginner project for somebody who wants to get into embroidery because they’re quite small and manageable from the looks of it.

Christi: Yeah. And you just, you just sew it and patch it in, and it, you know, if you have, like, let’s say a stain on a shirt or something like that, it can be a really great way to like cover up a stain or hide a hole, um, and be able to sew a little bit while you’re doing it. And the, some of them are dyed with natural dyes as well.

And so that’s, like, another element of it where I’m like, this one’s dyed with marigold. And so they get, the fabric gets infused with these different natural energies. I’m looking into how marigold has existed throughout time and how its, what its intention has been. So I think that’s a really fun way to, kind of, merge those two arts as well, embroidery and natural dyes.

Caroline: Fabulous. And you also teach how to make these in your book, so everyone should just go buy your book.

Christi: Yeah, totally.

Caroline: Um, another topic that you cover in your book is creativity. Um, so we wanted to touch on that for a minute, and I wonder how you nurture your creativity.

Christi: Yeah, one of my favorite acts for nurturing creativity is really just closing my eyes. Um, I feel like we are able to experience a little bit more of what’s going behind, going on behind the scenes in our minds when we close our eyes. And I think that’s really a fun way to slow down and, you know, you can call it meditating if you want, too. You can call it, I’m just going to lay down and close my eyes for a minute, or I’m just going to sit in the chair and close my eyes and see what comes up.

That’s a big deal for me, especially because I feel like we’re inundated with so much imagery and so many, kind of, like, fast moving things from the internet and from our phones. And so that really helps all that by just, like, sitting still and closing my eyes for a few minutes, it helps all of that fall away. And then I’m able to get back into, sort of, where I, where I end and the world begins, I guess. It’s, kind of, get back into myself.

And I also love, a big part of my practice, creative practice is just doodling and just taking watercolor pens and pencils, and, or sometimes just playing with thread and have, making things with no intention of becoming a work of art. Um, I think that is a really important part of my relationship with creativity is just making things for the sake of making things that I don’t think anyone is ever going to see. And I’m able to, sort of, mentally process, visually process imagery by doing things like that.

So that’s, yeah, I really love a little doodle, you know, I’ll just be like in the next 30 minutes, I’m just going to play with these paints and make nothing of any intention. It’s just going to be seeing what comes through my wrists, seeing what I’m naturally drawn to color-wise, seeing how that paint brush wants to flow across the page.

Helen: Oh, you make it sound so easy, Christi.

Christi: And I have to say that, like, you know, these pages are never, like, they’re not that pretty. And I think that’s an important note is, like, nobody sees them. And so I almost feel bad because it’s like, oh, you don’t, you know, I make a lot of uninteresting artwork, but, um, but it’s, it’s a way of, sort of, getting out ideas I’m processing, visual processing for me that I think is really fun.

Helen: Yeah. Unlocking that potential. I really like that because I find myself drawn to sites like Pinterest or even Google image search when I’m thinking about doing a project, and I’m looking for, I’m looking for inspiration, but I want it, sort of, fed to me by way of someone else’s work. And it’s interesting to think about the potential of closing your eyes or opening your notebook and just seeing what comes out of you without that input. Um, but I think that’s really intimidating, too.

Christi: Totally, and I think that there’s this, I think, you know, we have this idea that the artwork that we see on the, on the Pinterest boards of that, like, that artist just naturally, kind of, came up with it. But, you know, there was, like, hundreds of pages of, like, bad projects that that artist went through to get to that point.

So I do, you know, I’m just as likely to, kind of, hop on Pinterest and look for something, but I, I try and, sort of, not. I do it, like, in a bunch, like, I try not to visit it every day, you know, like, maybe once every couple of weeks I’ll go, I’ll, like, let myself binge on Pinterest.

Helen: Oh, there’s so much beautiful embroidery on Pinterest.

Christi: Yeah, totally.

Helen: But yeah, I think it can be limiting, too, because especially with embroidering this classic elements like flowers and things like that. And it might start to feel like it’s not okay to want to embroider, like, a skull or, like, a frog or something else. And it’s really fine. You can do whatever you want. Um, everything is fair game. So keep that in mind, listeners.

Christi: And that’s why I think it’s fun to look at other, like, I love looking at books on, like, archeology or books on other, I’m trying to think of what other books I have, but books outside of embroidery. I collect a lot of different arenas of books and being able to get inspiration from, you know, a sculpture, a Greek sculpture from thousands of years ago, or Iranian bracelet or something. Like, all of these different areas where we can start to pull from that’s not just embroidery, I think, is really fun to try and see how we can translate it then using the stitches that we know, that we’ve seen those florals stitched in, but using it to embroider this skull.

Caroline: And there’s a quote from your website, kind of, related to creativity that I really wanted to share with our listeners. You wrote, “Intentionally developing your creative abilities is a way of liberating your mind from previous experience. When we consider new possibilities on a regular basis, we learn to liberate ourselves and allow space to embody new ways of being.” And I’d really love to hear more about this and how we can liberate ourselves through creativity.

Christi: Yeah, definitely. Oh, I love that you touched back on that. I love that. I love that piece of writing. Yeah. I think it’s really important. You know, I’ve done a little bit of research through, just through books, not through any classes or anything on, um, art therapy and working with textiles in art therapy and all of a sudden hearing therapists talk about the way that, the way that art can help us deal with problems that can help us cope with different issues, um, just through having this form visual form of expression.

Reading all these therapists’ writings gave words to so many of the feelings that I had about my own creative work, where when I don’t know what to do or when I’m feeling a little bit lost or scattered being able to just doodle and just like, let the pen move. It becomes a way of mental processing. And another part of it for me, a big part of it is the way that, through the creative practice, we start to develop, um, a tolerance, I guess the best way I can say it is, like, a tolerance for failure.

Like, when things just continue to go wrong, and I think, like, anybody who sews a lot, you see that, like, when things go wrong, you’re just, like, you don’t always necessarily expect it to go right. Like, we’ll do a little bit of a scrap test on this one, you know, this one edge finishing before because we know that everything we do is not going to be right.

Um, and so I feel like we can bring that tolerance for failure into our own lives and consider, like, okay, how can, when I get a little bit more confident and a little bit more brave in my actions, um, and I understand that they might not always work out. It takes a little bit of the, it doesn’t take the fear away, but it helps us manage that fear.

Um, and it helps us, um, yeah, like I said, it helps us cope with different experiences just by helping us to process them, but also by allowing us to talk about that experience and not just words, talk about that experience in imagery, which might not necessarily make sense to our rational mind, but to our psyche, and to the rest of our mind, all of a sudden that image makes so much sense, and it was able to express what words couldn’t touch.

Caroline: Yeah. So power-, it can be so powerful to, kind of, just exercise those muscles without, like, a necessarily, a tangible goal in mind. Just giving yourself that space to play.

Christi: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.

Caroline: Okay. Before we, kind of, wrap up, we have so many things we want to talk to you about. So let’s, um, let’s talk about sustainability a little bit because we’ve noticed that that’s really an essential part of your making philosophy. And one thing we’re wondering is just what sustainable practices you’ve incorporated into your sewing and embroidery?

Christi: The most, I guess, sustainable practice that I incorporate is reusing cause I feel like the production, overproduction and over-consumption is one of our biggest problems. And to fight that, I mean, I still buy new fabrics, but I don’t try and make that happen very regularly. And I try as best as I can to work with resellers who collect remnants from different designers.

So one example of that is fabscrap.org. They are an amazing resource. I’m sure, like, many of your listeners maybe heard of FABSCRAP before, but, um, I, I just love having those resources of fabric that’s already been manufactured and has already been brought into the world already been dyed, printed, whatever. And it’s just sitting there because it’s maybe only 10 yards, and a designer couldn’t necessarily do something with that 10 yards.

Um, so reusing, repurposing, taking old clothes and making them new again, I find those are, sort of, my favorite is really just working from the materials that we’ve already extracted.

Helen: Yeah. I love that angle, especially for us as sewists, we have a lot of scraps that we’re creating in the process of making clothes often. So it’s interesting to see you work with those grafts in the artwork that you do, and especially the patchwork work that we’ve seen you do. So I was wondering if you could share any tips you have about working with scraps to create a whole new garment or a whole, like, work of art, like a tapestry.

Christi: Yes. Oh my God. I love, I love being left. I try the best I can to cut out my garments with as little waste as possible, but we’re just naturally, there’s going to be a little bit of waste. There’s going to be these odd shapes, you know, where there’s, like, a quarter yard left that we can’t really make a whole new garment out of.

And I love allowing those weird little shapes, like that curved shape that you end up with from cutting out a pair of pants, like the two crotches together, but that, like, little curve, I love trying to figure out, like, new fun ways to apply those. And the shape that I have cut out really starts to dictate the shape that it’s going to take form in cause I’m trying to use as much of it as possible.

So I end up with this weird triangle that I’m going to say, like, how can I, what other pieces do I have that match this weird triangle in a way that I can start to rebuild this piece of fabric? So I look at it like a puzzle when I’m doing those patchwork pieces. I really like to look at it like fitting together pieces of a puzzle. And so, first of all, I try and patchwork them all with the grainline going up and down, so I make sure that all of my grainlines are matching. That’s really important for me cause that’s going to make the patchwork lie flat as a garment.

And so I start to piece them together with the grainlines and, you know, sometimes I still have to cut a little bit here and there. Um, but then as I lay them out, I usually do this on the carpet, on my floor, as I lay them out, I overlap the edges about a half an inch, and that accounts for my seam allowance.

So I basically make this, you know, layout on the floor with all, matching up my grainlines so that everything is all, the grainlines are going up and down, overlapping my edges, and then I start to piece it together and iron the pieces as I go, lay them out on the floor and see if the puzzle still matches. Um, and sometimes it needed a little trim over here or a little trim over there, but for the most part, um, it works out.

Or sometimes the shape that it takes on, like, you know, sometimes when we start to sew these scraps together, it naturally starts to curve. And I’ll just, kind of, put that on the dress form and go, maybe this wants to be a totally different garment. And I, some of my favorite pieces have come from putting, putting a few pieces sewn together on the dress form and allowing the natural desires of those pieces of fabric to start to speak to the new form that they’re going to take.

Helen: Oh, that is so cool. So do you usually start with a garment in mind and then sometimes that changes or are you sometimes just putting fabric together for the heck of it?

Christi: I usually, I usually always start with the garment, garment in mind, and it usually always changes. And like, even though, and like, it’s funny as I’m saying that, like, as I hear you ask that I was like, oh yeah, I don’t think any of my intentions for these patchwork garments have ever gone how I thought it would. Um, and there’s always that little, there’s like a little conflict that I have where I’m just like, no, but I wanted this to be a jacket and now it’s a dress and I don’t.

Caroline: I feel like sometimes scraps and, like, collecting scraps can be really intimidating cause there’s just so many of them and it’s really hard to keep them organized. I wonder if you have any tips for organizing your scraps that they’re, sort of, more available and inviting for you to use in the day-to-day practice.

Christi: The idea of, like, having bins of scraps is frightening. So I love that you brought that up because just throwing all your scraps in a pile is no-, you’re never going to use them. So I think a very important part of saving scraps is, like, saving them neatly. And this, this comes down to, like, whenever you’re done cutting out the garment, and then you have the scraps, it’s, like, don’t just throw those scraps in the bin.

If you fold them nicely, and I always fold mine to about the same size, so that when I put them in my little cubby that I keep my fabrics in, um, so that they all line up neatly. And that way I’m way more inspired when they’re neatly put away. I’m way more inspired to want to go ahead and take them out of that bin and usually make a bigger mess with them. But, you know, it’s always trying to keep them as neat as possible. Um, and when you, when you folded them, as opposed to just shoving them in a bin, they’re already flatter.

And so they’re going to be much easier to lay out on, you know, if you’re laying them out on a table or on the ground. When they’re already basically pressed, you’re going to be much more inspired to start to do that. If you, for example, already have a bin full of scraps and you’re like, what am I supposed to do with this? Um, spending a little time, just pressing those out and folding them up, um, you know, while you’re watching TV or whatever, just put, put them, putting them away in a bin together.

And also sorting them by, like, I always separate my wovens and my knits, but then within that, I also have my heavier weight wovens or my lighter weight wovens. And then if there’s certain fabrics like, let’s say you’re a quilter and you work with a lot of calicos, keeping all your calicos together, you know, keeping all of that, the fabric of a very specific weight together is going to be integral to starting to patch them together.

Because if I’m patching a piece of denim with a piece of chiffon, that’s probably not going to turn out in the way that I want it to. So I think that is a very important part of how you can, how you can start to store these scraps in a way that makes a little more sense, in a way that makes you want to work with them.

Helen: Mhm, yeah, that’s such great advice. I am very excited to go and organize my scraps after this. We’ve been talking about it on the season. We had an episode about fabric organization, so thank you so much for your tips.

Christi: Yes, yes. I have actually still have that one pinned to listen to. It’s I think I still have that episode downloaded.

Helen: Um, we’ve also seen you work with some of your scraps to make tapestries, and I don’t think we have time to get into this too much today, but you did a video with the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance where you made a tapestry, um, start to finish within the video and it was so fun to watch. So I definitely encourage our listeners to go check it out, but how does that work? What’s the process of making a tapestry?

Christi: Yeah. So the tapestries, um, you know, we start with a sketch, and the sketch takes time. I don’t usually start with a sketch that day and then work on it. My sketches, kind of, take place over a course of time. So my sketches will, you know, they’ll just be little details in my sketchbook, and then I’ll start to, kind of, compile those details. Um, so once I have an idea for a finished design, I’ll then go ahead and get my newsprint pad out. I draw that design on newsprint. Um, and then I start to pick my fabrics and laying those out and seeing how the concentration of color is going to go.

And I usually always do, like, a computer or an iPhone markup or mock-up of, um, how the piece should look just to see how the colors are going to work with one another. And so there’s that markup tool on the iPhone where you can draw on it. So I’ll take a photo of my drawing, and then I’ll draw on it with all the different colors and see how the layout works.

And then from there, it’s all about making little pattern pieces for different areas that are going to be appliqued or deciding which areas are going to be embroidered. Um, and that heavily depends on, like, what area of space it takes up. Like, if there is a big, bold space, I’m going to applique that. If it’s a lot of lacy linework, I’m going to embroider it because the applique is much faster on large areas. And the embroidery is much faster when I’m working for, when I’m working with, sort of, curve lines or tree leaves and things like that. The embroidery actually ends up being faster because there’s a lot less little ins and outs that I have to do with the applique.

Um, and so, yeah, that’s, sort of, my process for it. And then I just start to lay them all out and allow things to change as they go. Like, sometimes I’ll, if I make a mistake, like, can I work with this mistake or do I need to, like, spend the next hour seam ripping?

Helen: Well, I was fascinated watching this video because I’ve never done applique before, but it was so cool to see you taking scraps and laying them on top of what looked like, I think, a piece of denim and then sewing around it in the shape and then basically, like, zigzagging around that to actually hold the piece in place. And I hope you don’t take offense to this, but it looks fairly straightforward.

Christi: Yes, totally.

Helen: I was like, I could do that.

Christi: Yes, it is. And that’s something that I’ve been considering. I’m like, oh, I need to actually have some sort of a class or something on applique and all the different types of application that you can use and the different fabrics that it works best for, like, yeah, some fabrics work really great with that sewing machine technique. Some fabrics work almost better with, like, a hand sewing technique.

And so, yeah, I think there’s, it’s one of those techniques that can seem really complex. And I think sometimes people make it a little more complicated than it needs to be. Um, but I do think it, there’s just so many options with it, so you can make it more complex, and that actually might make it look a little bit neater than the way that I do it. But you can also, kind of, take a much more, like you said, straightforward approach.

Helen: Yeah, well, it’s very cool. Again, I encourage our listeners to go check it out cause it really made me think about the potential to create art with my scraps where I’ve always been thinking about how I can create more clothing with my scraps, but, um, you’ve reframed that for me. So thank you for that.

Christi: Yeah. Applique is a really fun way to use the scraps. And it’s also fun because, like, trying to figure out which scrap fits into which shape, like, it becomes this whole other, like, like, I described working with vintage clothes as a collaboration. I also think working with these strange, um, scrap shapes becomes this collaboration to where it’s just like, yeah, there’s, like, a preexisting form that you then get to work within.

Helen: And what do you do with the teeny tiny offcuts of all of these projects? Do you stuff them all into a bean bag somewhere?

Christi: Oh, um, some of them, I save. Some of them, like, if I’m just like, hey, my studio is a mess, and I need to clean it. Sometimes I throw them out. Sorry, I try, I try my best to, like, save them for it, but I’ve never found, like, a really proper application for them. And so I just try not to make them, but then, you know, I have a few, I definitely have quite a few bins of them that I just haven’t figured out how to use yet. Um, but yeah, the idea is, like, I would stuff something with it. One day I will stuff something with all of these.

Helen: Every sewist has, like, some, kind of, bean bag or poof in their studio where they’re stuffing all this crap.

Christi: And if it’s like, if it’s cotton or silk or some natural fiber that I’ve, like, I naturally dyed, I’ll put it in the compost if there are these tiny little scraps, like that’s another, if it’s, if I don’t know the, um, the fabric origin, like, or if I don’t know the fabric material, if I think it might have some polyester in it, I’m going to throw it out. But if it’s, or if it’s, you know, I don’t know what the dyes are. I’ll probably throw it out, but, um, or save it. But if it is naturally dyed, I’m like, throw that on compost.

Caroline: You have a way of making age old skills feel brand new, Christi, and we love your work, and we’ve loved talking to you today. Thank you so much for agreeing to come on the show. I wonder, before we wrap up, if you could tell us if you have any new skills you’d like to learn on your wishlist?

Christi: Um, for me, um, rug making is something, rug hooking is something that I started getting into last year during the pandemic cause I was like, I got all the time in the world. Um, but, and so that’s something that I started getting into a little bit.

Um, but also, crochet. I already know how to crochet, but I want to, that’s something that I want to have a little more time to explore and to, like, learn a little bit deeper, like, learn different stitches and, kind of, how to make, like, more 3D sculptural pieces. So that’s something that I’m definitely been playing around with a little bit.

Caroline: Very cool.

Helen: Crochet sculpture is wild. I love looking at it. It’s so cool. So I can’t wait to see you get really into that and write a book about it.

Christi: Yeah, totally.

Caroline: So apart from your book, which is amazing, where can our listeners learn more from you? Where can they find you online?

Christi: Yeah, well, um, like you mentioned, my podcast, Stitch Wish radio, you can find that, um, I’ve got that on Spotify, I’ve got it on iTunes, the Podcast app. Um, I also do a lot of online workshops. Um, some of them are longer courses. Some of them are one-off workshops. And the courses are, usually they come out, I think about three times a year. Um, cause I like to do them all together so that if anybody has any questions, we can, kind of, address them as a group.

Um, and so I have right now I have three different courses. I have my Soft Work online, um, garment making course. And it’s not for if you want to make, like, jeans and professionally tailored jackets and stuff like that, it’s not for you. It’s for anybody who’s had problems making clothes in the past and, kind of, wants to learn a different, like more basic method.

Um, and then I also have an embroidery course called Magic Threads, and, as I described that earlier, it’s all about walking through the different potentials of each stitch. And then they have my little beginners workshop, Stitched Visions.

Um, and then I also have my blog which I like to share a lot of different tips and tricks there. And I have a, also, if you want to get started with embroidery and you haven’t done it at all, and you just want to see, try your hand on it, I have a totally free online portal. I call it the Embroidery Portal, and I’ve done a video of each and every stitch of each of the nine stitches that I use most frequently and how to make those. And I try to do it as basic as possible so that people can really use it as, like, a starting off point. So if you haven’t done it at all, feel free to sign up for that.

Um, and all of those are linked up on my website mixedcolor.net. And you can find me on Instagram, the account that I use most frequently as my personal account, which is @christijay. And that’s C-H-R- I-S-T-I-J-A-Y.

Caroline: Amazing. Well, we’ll definitely link all of that up in our show notes as well, so our listeners can go to our website to get those links if you’re looking for them. And thank you so much, Christi, for coming on the show, it was such a pleasure chatting with you today. You’re so inspiring.

Christi: Yes. Thank you both so much. This has been really, really wonderful. I really appreciate you having me on here. I love this podcast though, so.

Helen: Aw, thanks. Well take care, Christi.

Christi: Alright, you too.

All: Bye.

Helen: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com and Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com. We are recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Caroline: Go to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. If you’d like to get in touch with us, send us an email at [email protected].

Helen: If you love Love to Sew and you want more, you can sign up for our Patreon. For $5 a month, you get a full length bonus episode and weekly behind the scenes pictures. For $10 a month, you’ll get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off discount codes for both Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Caroline: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore is our editor and Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you for listening. We’ll see you next week. .

Helen: Buh-bye!

Caroline: Bye!

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Cutting is a big part of every sewist’s life. In this episode, we share tips for cutting patterns and fabric, recommend the best cutting supplies, and have a Team Rotary Cutter vs. Team Scissors smackdown!

The transcript for this episode can be found on this page at the end of the show notes.

We are doing an episode all about fitting with expert Alexandra Morgan of In-House Patterns!

 Would you like to be featured on an upcoming episode and get expert fitting advice at the same time? Alexandra will be evaluating photos of listeners’ fitting issues and giving advice on how to get the perfect fit. If you would like to be featured in the episode, send photos of one garment to our email, [email protected]. 

Alexandra has some advice for taking your pictures. 

Please include a written description of your fitting issue that we can read on the show! Remember, this is an audio format, so we need to be able to describe the issue. 

The photographs you send in will be posted in the show notes on our website so that listeners can follow along! This is a fabulous opportunity to get some amazing fitting advice and to help other sewists learn how to fit garments. We hope you’ll consider sending in some photos!

Previous Episodes Mentioned:

Resources:

Scissors:

Rotary Cutters:

Cutting Mats:

Other Tools: 

Other Mentions:

Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Caroline: Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Helen: Join us for today’s topic: cutting patterns and fabric.

Caroline: Hi, Helen.

Helen: Hi, Caroline.

Caroline: How you doing today?

Helen: I’m doing well. Thanks. How are you?

Caroline: I’m good.

Helen: It’s our recording week. And in between recording, I like to do some sewing in my studio, so I can just relax and take a little break. So right now I’m working on a Reynolds/ Winslow mashup jumpsuit situation.

Caroline: Ooh, I like that.

Helen: Right? I think it’s going to be cute.

Caroline: Are you doing pleats in the Winslow’s or…?

Helen: No, I’m thinking I’m just going to use them as the legs for the jumpsuit. We’ll see how it goes.

Caroline: So cute.

Helen: I’m going to do a muslin first.

Caroline: I’m excited to see this. It sounds amazing.

Helen: Me too. How are you doing?

Caroline: I’m good. Yeah. In between recording, I like to sit outside in my yard, read a book, and last night, I made, like, a very elaborate dinner.

Helen: Ooh.

Caroline: So, yeah. Lots of self care in between.

Helen: Wait, that’s it? Deets?

Caroline: Oh, I guess I’ll tell you, I made steak tacos, kind of, inspired by the meal that, uh, you and Sam made for us when we were visiting recently, and I made homemade tortillas, too.

Helen: You did?

Caroline: Yes, I did.

Helen: I’m proud of you.

Caroline: And they were really, really good.

Helen: They’re so tasty, right?

Caroline: Yeah, it did take me like three hours to make dinner. Sam makes it look so easy.

Helen: No joke. I mean, I think it took us three hours when you guys were here, too.

Caroline: But we were drinking and, um, yeah, no, definitely like at 9:00 PM, we sat down to eat, and I was like, okay, that took me, like, three hours. Wow. Cool, cool, cool.

Helen: Three hours well spent.

Caroline: Yeah, cooking is definitely relaxing for me, so it was good.

Helen: And then you eat three tacos, and it’s, like, an hour per taco.

Caroline: We do have a lot of leftovers that I’m hoping will last for a few days so…

Helen: Nice. Okay. Should we get into our show, Cutting Patterns and Fabric?

Caroline: Yes. But before we get started, we have a couple of things to talk about.

Helen: It’s true.

Caroline: We actually have a reminder for everyone today. Um, as we mentioned in an earlier episode this season, we’re doing an episode all about fitting with fitting expert, Alexandra Morgan. And if you’d like to be featured on that episode and get expert fitting advice, we need you to send in your pictures.

So Alexandra is going to be evaluating photos of listeners’ fitting issues and giving advice on how to get the perfect fit. So if you want to be featured, send photos of one garment to our email, [email protected]. And we have some tips for taking pictures. Helen, do you want to go through those?

Helen: Yeah. So first, make sure you press your garment. Alexandra needs to be able to see what’s going on. Secondly, stand with your feet hip width apart and your hands at your sides, and you can sit, if you’re not able to stand. Um, have someone else take the pictures or use a tripod and a self-timer. And if you’re taking a picture of a top or dress, have the camera at the level of your chest. If you’re taking pictures of pants or a skirt, have the camera at the level of your hips. So send in photographs, and we need the front, back, and side views so we can fully evaluate the fitting issues.

Caroline: Yes, and the photos you send will be posted in the show notes on our website so that listeners can follow along for that episode. So, yeah, this is a fabulous opportunity to get some amazing fitting advice and help other sewists to learn how to fit garments as well. So we hope you’ll consider sending in some of your photos. Again, our email is [email protected]. Thanks in advance.

Helen: Yeah, and you can totally be anonymous. You can put a little, like, black circle over your face…

Caroline: Or, like, cut out.

Helen: Cut off your head. Cut off your head.

Caroline: Cut off your head.

Helen: I mean, in the picture, in the picture.

Alright, we also have some feedback today. And this is from listener Shem. Shem writes, “Hello, Helen and Caroline. I wanted to drop you a note about sewing for and with kids.

I’m a gay man with a two and a half year old daughter. In the early days I did sew, but once I was living on my own, it was something that got dropped due to just trying to keep on top of life. When I look back now, I see that some of the reasons I dropped sewing was that I wasn’t very happy with certain aspects of it.”

Caroline: “Jump forward nearly 20 years later and now I’m married, I have a daughter, I moved from the hub-bub of California to the slow pace of the Midwest. I am fortunate that I am a full-time, stay-at-home dad. I’ve always been creative, but it wasn’t until my daughter’s first birthday that all my interests collided together. Of course, being a proud dad of an adorable daughter, I wanted to pull out all the stops for her birthday. I talked to my mom who loves to sew and loves to sew for her granddaughter about doing a birthday dress. I sketched up what I wanted and chose the fabric and then she pattern hacked til she got something close. This kicked off a tradition. Every year for her birthday, my mom and I collab on an outfit for my daughter based on the theme of the party.”

Helen: “It was while my folks were out here for her second birthday that I asked my mom to give me a refresher crash course on sewing. I purchased a pattern and fabric and off we went. That visit we cranked out three dresses for my daughter.

Tip number one: find a good pattern and make multiples. Each one sews up quicker than the last. Tip number two: pattern hacking is key when sewing with kids. Once you have something that fits well for your kids, the possibilities are endless by swapping out a collar, a sleeve, or changing the length from the dress to be a shirt or vice versa.”

Caroline: “Now here’s where it gets crazy… My ultimate hack for sewing for my daughter? Draping and drafting most of my own patterns, I do have a toddler dress form, but it does not capture the unique body shape of toddlers. They typically have a belly, the crotch and butt are dependent on a diaper silhouette, and their posture is more curved than straight.

Tip number three: Laying a small piece of muslin on their torso or back and making dots with a Sharpie for reference points is actually not hard. Kids are curious and want to interact. So if you catch them at their best time of the day, they might find it fun for you to be drawing on them, well the muslin. I then clean up the lines, trim it down slightly, and hold it on her again to see how well it’s fitting. Essentially, I’m making a Sloper.”

Helen: “I do still buy the occasional pattern, but it’s usually for a detail that I’m not familiar with. I would say when sewing for kids, it’s all about the muslin mock-up. Once I know it fits, I can go to town sewing while she’s playing.

Tip number four: sewing doesn’t have to be isolated from little ones. They might enjoy seeing what you’re doing. Ironically, my daughter is the pin finder. She can spot a pin I dropped and comes to me, ‘Daddy. I found a pin.’ Now that she’s almost three, she loves sticking them in my pin cushion. It looks like a hedgehog, so she loves it.”

Caroline: “Tip number five: I have a bin with my current sewing project in it, and I always have it with me in the living room where she plays. I’ll do all my hand sewing and basting my pieces together in the room with her. Then, after she goes down for a nap or has gone to bed for the night, I run those basted seams through the machine. It only takes a few minutes.

Tip number six: kids need independence. They need a space to feel safe and the ability to explore. I have the baby monitor set up in the living room, so I can be at the machine sewing and watching her play. She feels free to do what she wants without me hovering, but I get the peace of mind that she’s not scaling bookcases.”

Helen: “I now sew relentlessly. I love it. She loves everything I make for her.

Oh, and tip number seven: Quiet time is key. Every day I get up two hours before she does. I get to have my coffee, balance my checkbook, read my email, and plot out what needs to happen in my sewing projects for that day. If there’s something I need to do that takes focus, I can knock it out in the time as well. Since August, 2019, I’ve made 14 garments and one of those was an elaborate and highly tailored coat for my mom with pad stitching and everything. This calendar year, I have 42 pieces planned. We’ll see how far I get. Oh yeah. One of my biggest hurdles I identified from when I sew: unfinished seams. I hate how they look. What got me back into sewing: felled seams.

Love the show. Susan Khalje is my favorite guest you’ve had. I’ve been working my way through all your old episodes. Keep loving to sew, I know I will.”

Helen: Oh, thank you so much for your email, Shem. There was so much great advice in there, especially with the perspective of somebody with kids which Caroline and I don’t have. So we really appreciate your tips, and we’re so glad that you’ve made sewing such a happy part of your family life. We’re really inspired.

Caroline: Yeah. Thank you so much. We love hearing from you all. So please do keep sending in your feedback cause we’re going to be reading more of it on the show on the regular.

Helen: Yeah. Okay today, we’re talking all about cutting.

Caroline: Cutting!

Helen: Cutting patterns, cutting fabric. Hopefully, not cutting yourself at the same time.

Caroline: Anyone who sews knows that sewing is more than stitching fabric together. Cutting can take up to a third of the time it takes to make a garment.

Helen: Yes. And in this episode, we’re going to talk about cutting out patterns and fabric. We’ll share our favorite tools, go over some strategies for making the most of small spaces, and give some tips for cutting success. Okay, Caroline, you and I have spent a lot of time with our scissors and rotary cutters over the years. I want to know what lessons have you learned from cutting?

Caroline: Yeah. We’ve also spent a lot of time together cutting projects, I feel like, and putting together PDF patterns.

Helen: True. It’s a good activity for, uh, hanging out with friends.

Caroline: It really is. Yeah. I think my biggest piece of advice is to take your time. I used to rush through cutting and try to get through it as quickly as I can so I can get right to the sewing, but it would definitely lead to, like, mistakes and frustration. So I think, like, go through all the steps to set yourself up for success.

So definitely it’s important to prewash your fabric. Often, this requires pressing afterwards which yes, I know it’s, like, super annoying, but I never regret pressing my fabric before I cut out a project. Carefully laying out your fabric and then making sure that your pattern pieces are on the grain, marking things out, or, like, pinning and weighing your pieces down carefully, using a sharp blade or, like, a sharp pair of scissors, possibly pattern matching, like, all of these things take time, patience, concentration to get right. So don’t rush it. That’s my biggest piece of advice. And it’s a piece of advice I need to take often.

And then my other piece of advice would be just investing in the right setup. That was really key for me. Um, and I don’t necessarily mean investing money, but more like investing time to figure out what’s right for you and what’s right for your body. A lot of things can be DIY-ed, like, on the cheap, but, like, I learned really quickly, cutting on the floor is not for me. It gives me a really sore back and even sore legs from, like, kind of, being hunched down and with my legs, kind of, like, folded under me. So yeah, if at all possible, try to set yourself up ergonomically so that you’re, kind of, taking care of your body. And I think you’re going to thank yourself later.

Helen: Definitely. Great advice.

Caroline: But what have you learned Helen? Tell me.

Helen: Um, I think my biggest piece of advice is just to let the cutting be the important part of the process that it is. I like to separate out this step from the rest of my sewing so that I can focus on it and take my time, like you said. So I cut out projects one day and then I’ll sew on a different day, or at least a different time of day, so I’m separating that process out.

When I started sewing, I would often underestimate the time and the energy that it takes to cut something out. I would rush through it so I could get to the good part, the sewing. You come up with an idea in your head, like, I want to make this thing. And you think, oh, cutting it out will just take, like, 30 minutes. You know, two and a half hours later, you finally got everything ready, and you’re exhausted. So I would frequently feel, like, annoyed and tired and, kind of, over it by the time I got to the sewing part.

So cutting can be a lot sometimes, and that’s okay. It’s just, like, making sure that you let it be the event that it is. There’s the pattern prep, the fabric, cutting, the marking, cutting the interfacing. So I like to treat it as its own important step, and that really helped me to get better at it and enjoy that process.

I often watch TV when I’m cutting out or sometimes, you know, we’ll have Zoom calls with friends, Caroline, and, like, I think cutting out is a great thing to do on a Zoom call cause you can have your laptop right there and you can just be on the call and cutting, just enjoying it, having fun with it and the feeling of sitting down fresh to sew a project that’s already cut out and ready to go is so nice, too. So I know I’m setting myself up for sewing success later or the next day when I actually come back to the project to sew it.

Caroline: Yeah, that’s such a good piece of advice. This idea of, like, kind of, taking a breather in between the cutting step and the sewing step, I think is so helpful because you can get so, sort of, exhausted cutting out a project and then you get into sewing, and you’re, like, starting not on the best foot, you know? So setting yourself up for success, giving yourself some time in between, and treating it as its own thing, I think is great advice.

Helen: Aw, yeah. Thank you. I think that your advice was great, too. Basically we have the same thing. Just take your time, people.

Caroline: Exactly. And we’re going to talk all about all of the things you can do to set yourself up for success today and lots of tips and things. So, the first time you’ll take out your scissors in the cutting process is probably to cut out your pattern. So we’re going to talk a little bit about cutting out sewing patterns first.

Now some of you are Team Trace. You use tracing paper to trace off only the size you need, and you leave the original pattern intact. If you are Team Trace, then you can use these tips for your traced version on paper, or just, you can laugh at us knowing that you don’t mess around with this stuff and wait until the section on cutting fabric.

Helen: Get the upper hand. Alright, so to cut patterns, you’ll want a few specific tools. First, quality scissors that work for you. Preferably, these should be different than your fabric scissors, and paper can dull scissors quite quickly to make it more difficult to cut through the fabric, so that’s why we want to have two different pairs. If scissors aren’t your thing, a dedicated rotary cutter for paper can be really great, too. I have one of those, and I like using it for those long straight cuts.

Caroline: You could also invest in a paper cutter, lots of PDF patterns need to be trimmed before you can assemble them, and this makes that much quicker. You can get them in plastic or old school wood and metal, like, literally old school. They, these things are a must for teachers. Um, so yeah, this is a great, kind of, tool to have around if you have the space in your sewing room.

Helen: Yes. For a long time, I was cutting out my paper patterns with, like, a dinky little pair of, like, craft scissors that I had kicking around my apartment. And when I finally spent the $12 to get the nice pair of paper scissors, game changer. So much less hand cramping. The blades are super sharp. I mean, if you are in that boat and you have a dinky little pair of scissors, invest in something nicer. You won’t regret it.

Caroline: And then obviously to assemble patterns, you’re going to need tape and tape dispenser potentially, and, or a glue stick. A lot of people use glue sticks to put patterns together.

Helen: Yes. Okay. So here are some tips for cutting out patterns. First is to print only the size or sizes that you need. So if your PDF pattern is tiled, that means that you can turn the different layers on and off and just choose the sizes that you need. Not every pattern company provides this, but most do nowadays, so check it out in, like, Adobe Acrobat and see if you can turn on and off the layers.

Choose your size or sizes you’re grading between and then only print those ones, so this will save you ink and make the pattern look less confusing later on. Some patterns also have different page ranges for different sizes. So make sure to look through the pattern’s printing instructions, so you don’t end up printing out a bunch of sizes that you won’t use.

Caroline: Mhm, this is especially true for, uh, bra patterns.

Helen: Yes!

Caroline: It’s often just a few pages that you have to print. Another good idea is to highlight your cut line before cutting. Raise your hand if you’ve ever cut along the wrong size line.

Helen: Both my hands are raised. That’s how many times it’s happened to me.

Caroline: But things can get confusing with all the different sizes overlapping and all the different types of lines. Some of them look similar. So highlighting your size, lets you double-check before you cut which is always a good call.

Helen: Yes. I know that this can get so confusing. And as a pattern designer, I try so hard to make sure that you can see in those areas where it starts to get really close, but sometimes you just can’t. There’s, like, no way to position the pieces, so there isn’t an area where it’s just all black lines and, like, you can’t see anything. Oh yeah. It could be really, really confusing. So printing off just one or two sizes is great and then highlighting. And then make some adjustments before you cut out the pattern. This can make truing up the pattern lines easier.

So, for example, if you want to lengthen a tapered trouser, you’ll need to slash and spread the pattern and then true up the seam lines. And truing up is just smoothing out that seam line, so there’s no weird lumps or bumps or angles. Um, if you’ve already cut out the pattern, you might need to add extra paper to the pattern to get that trued up line to be nice and smooth. But if you slash and spread the pattern before you cut it out, you’ll already have paper there, so there’s plenty of paper to work with.

This is something that I’ve only started doing in the last year, and I really do prefer to make my adjustments before I cut out the pieces.

Caroline: Mhm. Yeah, that’s a really good tip. And then don’t be afraid to add extra markings to your pattern. So, for example, let’s say you have a dress with a short length view and a long length view. If you cut out the short length, you’ll be cutting off the longer length. Keep that piece you cut off and label it so you can make a longer dress later on. You can just tack that onto the bottom and use it for a future project.

Another great thing is to label the date you cut out that project and what your measurements were at that time. Then, if you want to make the pattern again, it’s going to be easier to decide on any changes you want to make because your measurements will be right on the pattern piece.

Helen: Oh, love that. And if you’re taping your pattern pieces together, try to only put tape on the right side so that you can press the pattern pieces from the wrong side. You can flip them over, use your iron on a low heat with no steam, and then you can just press that paper flat. The creases that we make in patterns when we fold them up to store them can cause us to cut wonky shapes out of the fabric later, so you’ll be much more precise with a nice flat pattern piece.

Caroline: Yes, and although we mostly use PDF patterns on printer paper, we know that there are so many great patterns out there that are printed on tissue, kind of, the traditional old school type of sewing pattern. So we have a couple of tips for cutting out tissue paper patterns. Our first one is to be delicate. Tissue paper rips easily, and vintage tissue paper patterns will rip even more easily. So keep some tape around to quickly fix any tears.

Helen: And if you know you’re going to want to keep using a tissue paper pattern, you can interface it to add strength to it. So to do this, you iron your tissue pattern piece flat on your iron’s lowest setting with no steam. And then you place a piece of interfacing larger than the pattern piece on your ironing surface with the glue side part facing up, then you place your pattern piece on top, and then put a scrap cotton piece of fabric as a press cloth over top of that, and then you just give it a nice big press. You’ll probably get some of the adhesive on the fabric scrap. So it won’t be a reusable piece, but you can save it for stuffing pillows or soft toys or something like that. And then after you’ve fused your interfacing, cut around the pattern piece. And this will give you a really nice stable piece of what was tissue but is now tissue plus interfacing, um, to work with moving forward.

Of course, an alternative to this is to trace that tissue onto some craft paper or computer paper or something you’ve got on hand.

Caroline: Mhm. Yah, that’s a really good tip because the more you, kind of, fold and unfold tissue paper patterns, they just, like, get so crumply and ripped and messy. And anytime I use tissue, I’m like, oh, I want to trace this onto paper even though I’m not even Team Trace.

Helen: I think that I found that so exciting when I got back into sewing and found indie sewing patterns was that I could print them off on stable paper cause I always fumble the tissue paper and rip it to shreds. I don’t know what it is. I guess I’ve got, like, two left thumbs or something.

Caroline: Alright, so now we’re at the heart of the episode, Helen, cutting fabric. And I know I’m pretty excited to talk about fabric.

Helen: But you love fabric. You shouldn’t want it to get cut up.

Caroline: No, then it becomes something beautiful that you can wear. Of course, I want you to cut.

Helen: This is true.

Caroline: Okay. So first you need something to cut on. Although some sewists have a dedicated sewing room and maybe a big cutting surface to cut on, most sewists are dealing with limited space.

Helen: Yes. And many sewists do cut on the bare floor and a million kudos to you if that is you. It’s certainly not for the weak of heart or back. YouTube sewist Rachel Maksy calls herself a floor troll when she’s cutting up her projects, which I love. She’s so funny. But one thing that you can do is get a folding cutting board. They’re very useful, even for floor cutters, cause it will protect your floor as well.

Dritz makes a super board that’s made out of sturdy cardboard, and it folds out to be about 40 inches by 70 inches. So quite large. And then it folds away to be 40 inches by 12 inches. So it’s essentially a big cardboard accordion. You can fold it part way out to make a mid-sized cutting surface. It has a grid marked in inches plus a bias line. You can definitely use this on the floor, but you could also put it onto a table or even a bed. It will protect your duvet or your tabletop or your carpet. Plus, you can pin into it because it’s cardboard, and it’s like 20 bucks and it’s so useful.

Caroline: Um, Helen, it’s 39 by 71 inches…

Helen: I rounded.

Caroline: Just in case someone is out there like, oh, I have the perfect size table for that cutting mat.

Helen: You’re right. I should have been more specific. I used to have one of these, and I kept it folded up next to my fridge in my apartment, and I would get it out and put it out on my bed, and it does make a great surface, especially for bed cutting. It’s not like the most stable thing. And if you use a rotary on it, you will eventually just shred it. So it’s more useful for pinning and cutting with scissors, but any kind of surface like this that you can get your hands on is going to improve the experience.

Caroline: Mhm. Didn’t you used to have plywood or something that you put on your table back when I met you?

Helen: Oh yeah. I’ve used many different methods over the years. Converting spaces into sewing rooms.

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah, no, I mean that totally worked. Whatever works, right? If you have the space to keep a piece of wood or cardboard around, then it’s definitely worth it to have that, that extra cutting space, if you can hack it up.

Okay. So if you’re bending over the table to cut your fabric and that hurts your back, you can get table risers to bring the height of your table up. Um, so the actual feet of your table will rest on these risers, and if you combine risers with a foldable table, then you have an ergonomic and space saving setup.

Helen: Yes. I recommended these to my mother-in-law, Laurie, and she got a set for her table, just a regular kitchen table. And then you pop these little plastic cones underneath and they have a little divot in the top. So the leg goes in the divot so everything’s nice and stable, and it just raises it up, like, six to eight inches. Game-changer. Really, really nice to have that extra height.

Caroline: Yeah, they work really well. We have a bunch of them on hand at Blackbird if we ever need to make any like makeshift cutting tables at a moment’s notice.

Helen: And our former guest, Brooks Ann Camper, actually made a portable table extender. So the base of this is a sturdy, adjustable height ironing board. And then the top is just a piece of plywood attached to a layer of homasote which is a type of fiber board that you can actually pin into. The top is attached to the metal ironing board base with a screwed in wooden block. And finally, Brooks Ann covered it in brown craft paper, so she can take it out, put it at the side of her table to extend it into a larger cutting surface and then fold it flat to put it away. So genius. We’ll link her blog post about that in the show notes.

Caroline: Awesome. Cutting mats are also an essential for rotary cutter lovers like us. The bigger, the better really. It makes it so much easier if you don’t have to reposition a pattern piece to finish cutting it. And you can get cutting mats in standard sizes and custom sizes. You could get one made to the size of your table for maximum cutting space. That’s what we do at Blackbird, and I love our giant cutting mats, uh, at the office. They’re so great to cut on.

Helen: Yeah, it’s pretty magical to have just a full table, but prior to getting one for myself, I had the, I think just Fiskars brand two foot by three foot mats, and I had three of them, and I would butt them up next to each other and cut things out that way. But, of course, there’s always that little spot in between the cutting mats that doesn’t get cut, and it hangs on the fabric. And so when you’re moving things around, things can definitely get a little bit messy, but there are two general types of cutting mat: there’s self-healing and hard surface.

So self-healing mats have a few layers to them, including a soft vinyl or plastic top layer that appears to close back up after cutting onto it. Olfa is a popular brand of self-healing mat. Um, the downside to self-healing mats is that thin fabrics can get pushed into the soft surface and the grooves that are made by our rotary blades which I actually have experienced with interfacing on my soft mat. I don’t know if you have experienced that, too, Caroline, but there’s so many little tiny bits of interfacing, like, jammed into the grooves of my mat now. I don’t even know how to get them out. Maybe I’ll figure that out later.

Caroline: There are cleaners that you can get to, like, sort of, rub the surface to rub it out, but it never quite goes back to the original stage. I think you just have to replace them every once in a while, especially if they’re getting, like, super heavy use.

Helen: I mean, I’m just calling BS on this whole self healing thing. I can see the lines. My fabric’s getting jammed in there.

Caroline: Especially, like, if you’re cutting sort of in the same spot all the time, you know, it’s definitely, you’ll see a lot of wear and tear in that spot. Maybe you can rotate your mat around.

Helen: That’s true. I need to move around my table a little bit more, but there are also hard surface mats. Our former guest, uh, the late David Page Coffin, referred to the BIG MAT which is a thin, hard surface mat. Uh, we’ll link it in the show notes. And he said it didn’t have the same problems with the thin fabrics as the self-healing mats.

Although a hard surface mat shows cutting grooves very visually, it doesn’t affect the function of the mat as much as the softer mats can. And this is what I do when I cut interfacing now is I get out my old two by three Fiskars mat that is a hard surface mat, and I cut my interfacing on that instead because it doesn’t get stuck in the groove. So I guess having both is really the way to go.

Caroline: Yeah. I mean, if you, if you can do that, then you can get the best of both worlds. Amy of Cloth Habit has a great post called “Adventures in Cutting Mats,” where she sought the advice of Mike Barnette, the owner of the now-defunct, oh cry, cutting-mats.net. He had some great advice for prolonging the life of your cutting mat. I’m crying because cutting-mats.net is where we got our custom cut cutting mats, and we’ve recommended them a bunch. Um, but it seems like now they’re closed sadly. But the most important thing is to change your blades often, Amy says, and you can also rotate the mat regularly, clean it regularly with warm, soapy water, and try not to use more pressure than necessary to cut the fabric.

I’m definitely guilty of putting a lot of pressure on my mat, especially if I’m working with a blade that potentially needs changing or has, like, a little kink in it. Sometimes you put a brand new blade on a rotary cutter and it will immediately have like a little diver or divot in it. And that will really affect your cutting, so sometimes I’ll just, you know, really push hard and, sort of, go over the same spot over again. It will, definitely will put more pressure than is probably necessary on my cutting mat.

Helen: I’m guilty of that instead of, like, one smooth pass, I’m going, like, eh oh, eh oh, eh oh, all the way down, back and forth.

Caroline: You’re like, I just don’t want to lift my fabric and realize that a pattern piece is hanging on by, like, two threads, you know?

Helen: Yeah, exactly.

Caroline: It’s the worst.

Helen: Well, it sounds like I should have read this article before I complained about my self-healing mat. But if any of our listeners know of a good place to buy custom cutting mats that are sized to your tables, let us know because we’d love to recommend them, and we need a new source.

Caroline: Yeah, we need a new source. Okay. So next up, you’re going to need tools to cut with, obviously. So let’s start with scissors. A pair of good fabric sheers can last you a lifetime or longer. Eight inch dressmaker’s sheers will work for pretty much all your cutting needs. And if you have pain or difficulty with clenching your hands to make the cutting motion, look for spring loaded sheers. They spring open after you squeeze them closed, so your hand is only doing half the movement of cutting with a regular pair of sheers.

Helen: Yes. And even though all you really need are dressmaker’s sheers. There’s a few other types of scissors that can make your sewing life a little bit easier. First of all, one of my favorite tools, duck bill sheers, or applique scissors, are good for grading seam allowances or trimming seams. The handles are angled, so you can cut with them parallel to the fabric instead of perpendicular, like with regular sheers. One side of the scissors has a large paddle or duck bill that holds down the fabric you don’t want to cut so you can see what you’re doing and that’s why it makes it so good for grading seams. I also love using my duck bill sheers for cutting notches because they’re so sharp, and I find them very precise. So they’re my go to for cutting notches.

Caroline: Oh, yeah. I love my duck bill sheers. I will say there’s like a pretty big range of quality with duck bill sheers. So go for something a little bit higher end if you can afford it. Cause I’ve noticed a big difference in different price points with those. The more quality ones tend to work a lot better.

Helen: True, I love my Gingher Duck Bill Sheers.

Caroline: Snips can also be handy for cutting threads away when you’re at the machine. They’re usually lightweight and springy with, like, short, sharp blades. And they’re also good for notching if you keep them sharp.

Helen: True. Embroidery scissors can be used the same way as snips as a lightweight option for snipping threads. They’re so tiny and cute. Embroidery scissors aren’t springy like snips. However, their super pointy tips are great for spearing into and cutting buttonholes, and they can cut notches well, too.

Caroline: Spearing into button holes. Oh my gosh. I’m going to have a heart attack.

Helen: Our assistant Lisa’s very brave apparently.

Caroline: Pinking sheers are a good way to finish seams on tightly woven fabrics. They cut, like, a zigzag edge. So those are really useful to have around.

Helen: Yes. And brand-wise for scissors, I mean, we both love Kai, that’s my dressmaking sheer go-to, Gingher, as we already mentioned, and LDH also makes really nice scissors. They all hold a sharp edge, and they’re made to last, as long as you get them sharpened on a regular basis,when you feel like you need to.

Caroline: Mhm. And, of course, we both use rotary cutters for the bulk of our cutting. A 45 millimeter rotary cutter is a good all-purpose choice. Just go slowly around curves, and you’ll be totally fine.

Helen: A 28 millimeter rotary cutter is great for curvy, smaller pieces. Get this one if you’re going to get into bra making or smaller projects.

Caroline: And you can go bigger with a 60 millimeter rotary cutter, but it’s mostly useful if you’re going to cut many layers all at once. There are also tiny 18 millimeter rotary cutters. I imagine this would be good for doing complicated applique or something.

Helen: True. And rotary cutters can be even easier on hands than spring loaded scissors because you don’t have to open and close them. But, of course, it depends on your personal preference. You can get a rotary cutter with a safety guard that slides up, then it will only cut when you want it to and avoid any disasters.

Caroline: Mhm. Rotary cutter blades need replacing. There’s no official rule on how often to do it, but if you notice your blade blunting as you’re using it to cut, that’s a good time for you to replace it.

Helen: Yes. If you are struggling, it needs to be replaced.

Caroline: If you’re putting a ton of pressure, you need to replace it.

Helen: And another tip I have with rotary blades, and this is something I tell anyone who comes into my studio to sew with me, it’s like have fun using the tools, but, like, please close the rotary cutter blade when you’re not using it. Do not leave it open on the table because one bump and that’s going flying onto the floor and who knows where it will land. So it’s always a good idea to close and lock the blade when you’re not using it.

Caroline: Mhm. And if you’re using a rotary cutter or marking your pattern onto the fabric, you’ll need some pattern weights. There’s some really cute pattern, weight options on the market. We found some adorable polymer clay weights shaped like donuts on Etsy. There are some Liberty print cloth ones too filled with rice and shaped like pyramids.

You can DIY pattern weights, too. Professor Pincushion has a video and free pattern on how to make the pyramid rice-filled pattern weights. We’ve also seen people do cool stuff like paint metal washers with nail polish, or you can just do what we do: use regular household stuff. I use hockey pucks for my cutting. And Helen, you use plain metal washers, right?

Helen: Yeah, I have a couple of different sizes for different projects. Um, and I think I have about 20 total, and I’ve had them for years, and I’ve never needed anything else. One of my favorite tips though from a past podcast episode was the person that wrote in and said they use cutlery, like, just go in your cutlery drawer and grab all your knives, not the sharp ones obviously, like the butter knives, and then just use those. And I think that’s genius because they’re the perfect weight and size to hold down your pieces.

Caroline: Oh, yeah. Listeners might know that I have been getting really into ceramics and pottery lately with my partner, Shea, and I really want to make a set of, like, hand-built pattern weights out of clay.

Helen: Ooh.

Caroline: Um, yeah. And do some fun glazes and make them really extra heavy. I feel like it would be a really fun, easy project. And then I’ll get to look at them all day when I’m sewing.

Helen: Great idea. Okay. So if you’re using scissors, you will need pins to keep your fabric and paper pattern together. We both like the Clover brand for pins. I like the flower head kind, literally has a little flower on the top, and Caroline likes the glass head kind. We recommend pinning perpendicular to the edge of your pattern piece, so your pin is pointing outward. If you pin parallel along the edge, it can be easy to add tiny pinches of fabric here and there to make your cutting less precise. But of course, as always, you got to do what works for you.

Caroline: Okay. Cutting out your pattern pieces accurately is a big deal. If you’re a quarter of an inch off on every pattern piece that can add up to change the fit of your clothing. So we do have some quick cutting tips for you.

Helen: Yes. One of my favorites, and this is hard in small spaces, is try not to let your fabric dangle off the edge of your cutting surface. This can shift the layers of your fabric or even stretch it out, especially with knits so that you’re no longer cutting on grain or the piece is actually stretched out so it’s going to shrink up to be smaller than it was when it was on the table. Roll up the edge of your fabric or fold it up and just place it at the edge of your cutting table instead as best you can to make sure that it’s not dangling off the edge.

Caroline: Mhm. And like I mentioned earlier, pressed fabric is always easier to cut. Pinning a pattern piece to a wrinkled edge is kind of a nightmare. Plus, the wrinkles could add length or width to your project that you don’t want.

Helen: Oh, the number of times I’ve skipped this step and cut something out and then afterwards it’s got that, like, jagged edge. I’m like, oh yeah, the wrinkles really didn’t help. Yeah. Okay. Make sure you’re on grain, also, when you’re cutting. The grain of fabric runs parallel to the selvedge along the length of your fabric so your pattern pieces should have grain lines marked on them.

If you’re using a pattern for woven fabric, make sure that long arrow for the grainline is going down the grain of your fabric. And you do that by putting your pattern piece down on the fabric and then measuring from that grainline to the selvedge edge or to the folded edge to make sure that it’s nice and straight. It is worth the effort to do this. I know it’s one of those things for new sewists where they’re like, really does it matter? I could just squeeze the pattern pieces in closer if I just angle it slightly. No.

Caroline: It does matter. We are here to tell you it does matter.

Helen: It matters. Yeah.

Caroline: So what if you have a mystery piece of fabric and you don’t know where the selvedge or the grain is. Maybe you got it from a fabric swap or a thrift store and the selvedge edge is cut off, or it’s, like, a half cut piece of fabric that you just can’t really identify the grainline. You can try to do that yourself. So to do that, you can gently stretch it in different directions. Lay the fabric down on a flat surface and gently tug the fabric away from a center point.

If you’re on the grainline, it should barely move at all. If you’re on the bias of the fabric, it should have quite a bit of stretch to it. And if you’re on the crossgrain, which is perpendicular to the grain, it should stretch a little bit. Some crossgrain fabrics don’t stretch at all. And obviously, we’re talking about wovens here without spandex in them. So if you’re working with a knit or, um, fabric that has spandex in it, those rules don’t really apply cause you’ll have stretch in a lot of different directions. So this is really for, like, a plain woven fabric.

Helen: Yes. And one of my favorite things to do is just hold it up to the light and see if I can see the grain…

Caroline: Or the weave.

Helen: Yeah. The weave. Exactly. You might be able to find it. Once you have an idea of which direction the grain is going, there are a couple things you can do to make the grainline even clearer. You can fray the edge of your fabric and pull the yarns out in one direction until it forms a straight edge. This will be parallel with your grains. You’re actually grabbing one of those pieces of thread that makes up the fabric and trying to pull it out. You’re going to be able to do this on some fabrics, and on others, it’s going to be quite tricky, so it really depends on the weave. And Evelyn Wood has a YouTube video where she demonstrates these methods. So we’ll have it in our show notes for you. Past guest Evelyn Wood. That was such a fun interview.

Caroline: Yes, definitely. Okay. And then some patterns for knit fabrics use direction of greatest stretch instead of grain, so look out for that. Some patterns we’ll have the dogs labeled instead of the grainline, so this is pretty easy to find. Stretch your fabric parallel to the selvedge, then perpendicular to the selvedge. Whichever one stretches more is your dogs or direction of greatest stretch.

Helen: One of my favorite sewing terms. Okay. If you’re cutting your fabric with scissors, try not to lift your fabric to cut it. You want to keep it as flat on the table as possible as you cut. You can even lay the palm of your non-dominant hand down on the fabric to hold it down as you cut along the edge. Lifting up curves the fabric, and when you lay it back down, you can see how inaccurate your cutting lines were. So just try to make sure you keep your scissors as flat as possible. This is the tricky part with scissors I find and why I prefer rotary cutters.

Caroline: Mhm. Yeah, especially if you’re working with, like, really big, fancy scissors. They will, they’ll lift the fabric more, and it does make a difference.

Okay. Our next tip is to get your scissors and rotary cutter blades sharpened. Sharp cutting tools are necessary to a good cutting experience. You don’t need to buy new tools every time. A lot of fabric stores actually have independent blade sharpeners come in regularly. So you can ask your local store for their info. You can also mail your scissors to some manufacturers for sharpening. Gingher will do this for any of their scissors. You can also check with hardware stores.

Quilting Digest recommends the Colonial Needle rotary blade sharpener. It’s a little tool where you insert the blade and twist it and it will sharpen the edge. I’ll also mention that a lot of knife sharpeners will also sharpen scissors, and some of them even have, like, cute little trucks, and they’ll, like, come to your house and do it right outside.

Helen: What?! That’s cute.

Caroline: So it’s not as annoying or hard to get your stuff sharpened then you might think.

Helen: Okay, we’ve got our tools. We’ve got our place to cut. We’re ready. And we have some tips. There’s a few different methods you can use when you’re actually cutting out your projects. You don’t have to choose one. You can switch around depending on the fabric and the pattern and the project and all those things.

So the first is, cutting on the fold or two layers at once. And this is a pretty common way to cut out garments. A lot of cutting layouts will instruct you to cut on the fold. So one question that I get a lot is should the right side or the wrong side face out when you fold the fabric. It’s a great question. And I think that a lot of the time it doesn’t really matter, but it depends on the fabric and the markings that you need to make.

So if you’re marking out a dart, for example, it might make sense to have the wrong side facing out because you want those dart markings to be on the wrong side of the fabric when you go to sew that dart. Conversely, if you’re marking a patch pocket placement, you probably want the right sides facing out because that’s where you want the markings to be.

So obviously, a lot of garments will have both inside markings and outside markings, so it might not be super clear, but you can take your pick on which side you think is going to be better for facing out. I also think that some fabrics, it makes sense to have certain sides facing out. Take, like, a French terry, for example. It has a looped back, and if you try to fold that with wrong sides facing, the loops against each other, they can get, kind of, clingy and stuck. So I like to fold my French terry with the right sides together because it’s smoother. Can you think of any other examples, Caroline?

Caroline: Any fabric that has, like, a double side like that? I think you can decide which side is best. I have to make a confession though. I honestly never think about this. I just, like, fold my fabric in half and cut. I do not think about which side is in or out.

Helen: What?!

Caroline: Ever!

Helen: What if it’s a print though? Cause sometimes you want the print to face out so that you can see the placement of what you’re doing. Like, if it’s a one-sided print where the, the reverse side is just white or, or…

Caroline: Yeah. Then, I do think subconsciously…

Helen: Subconsciously you’re figuring it out.

Caroline: I think subconsciously I’m like, yeah, I want the print to be out, but I’m not, it’s, like, not a thing I’m, like, actively thinking about.

Helen: I find with some stripes if I fold them with the print face out, I start to get dizzy looking at it. Like, it’s overwhelming to look at that much stripe. So I’ll fold that with the, with the print facing in so I don’t have to look at it.

Caroline: That’s so funny.

Helen: It’s a case by case basis.

Caroline: Yes and cutting on the fold is definitely faster than other cutting methods because you’re doing the, twice the amount of cutting in the same amount of time. Uh, but it can be less precise. You can’t see the bottom half of the fabric, so you can’t be sure how it’s placed. It’s not a good idea to cut on the fold if you’re trying to pattern match. Definitely you want to be cutting flat if you’re really trying to pattern match.

Helen: Yeah. Or if it’s a print that has, like, a really clear vertical and horizontal line, like a plaid or a stripe, I like to cut flat, so it can be the most accurate. Um, and here’s a tip for cutting on the fold. Your fold doesn’t have to be in the middle of the fabric. You don’t have to fold the selvedge edges together and have the fold, uh, in the middle. You can try folding both selvedge edges in towards the middle, so you can cut a t-shirt front and back on the fold at the same time next to each other or save fabric by folding creatively.

Just make sure that your fold is along the grain. Sometimes you can get away with cutting on the crossgrain, but just make sure it’s stable before you do it. So if you’re looking at those cutting layouts in the pattern and you’re like, do I have to do it this way? No, as long as you’re on grain, get creative with your cutting because that is going to save you fabric, and you might discover a really cool way to fit it all in there and have some leftover to make something else.

Caroline: Mhm. Oh, I have a really good example of this. Like, let’s say you’re cutting out something with a lot of different pieces. And often what I do is I save a lot of small pieces for the end, um, if I’m not able to fit them in sort of in between in empty spots, I’ll save all my little pieces at the end. A lot of them are on fold, so instead of, like, folding my fabric selvedge to selvedge and then cutting along the fold, and then when you unfold the fabric you end up with, like, cut pieces, sort of, in the center of the fabric and a lot of dead space along the edges. Just, like, lay your fabric flat and just fold that edge just a little bit up, just enough to cut your pieces. And then you end up with so much more usable fabric, often enough to make, like, a whole other garment, so…

Helen: Yes, love this tip. It makes so much sense. I hate when I have a big hole in the middle of the fabric.

Caroline: I’m always like, damn, why did I do that?

Okay. The second cutting method is cutting flat, of course and that would be only one layer of fabric. So cutting flat is more precise than cutting on the fold. It’s great for prints because you can be fiddly about placement and matching. We’ve all had the, like, flower on the crotch situation or, like, weird intersecting lines that, like, decapitate an animal or whatever. So it’s always a good idea to cut flat when you’re cutting prints or stripes or things like that. It can also save fabric because you can cut from the edge of the fabric instead of the middle.

Helen: Yes. However, it is a bit more time consuming than cutting on the fold, and it can be easier to make mistakes because many pattern pieces are designed to be cut on the fold. So there’s only half of a bodice or half of a dress. So you have to remember to flip the pattern piece over to cut the other half and make sure that you don’t accidentally cut it right down the middle. Been there. Definitely done that.

You also have to make sure that the fabric’s not shifting while you pin or trace out the second half. So you’re moving things around, there’s more opportunity for things to shift. Marking the center line before you cut the first half can make it more precise. And if a pattern piece is intended to be cut in two layers, make sure you cut out the right number of pieces. It’s easy to forget a piece or two when you’re cutting flat or even cut two left sleeves because you forgot to flip the pattern piece over to make sure that you get the reverse. So I do find that it’s a bit more mental energy to cut flat, but if you’re trying to save fabric, definitely the way to go.

Caroline: The worst is, like, you cut only one pant leg or, like, the same, like, two pant fronts but both, like, the right front and not the left front.

Helen: Exactly. It can be hard to remember to flip things over, even when I’m making those cutting layouts for the patterns I get confused. I’m like, okay, which ones need to be flipped and reversed and which ones can lay…? Yeah, it’s, it’s a lot.

Caroline: Yeah. Okay. The final method is to chalk out the whole pattern before cutting. And you can do this either by weighing your pattern down and marking around it or using a projector. For more information on projector sewing, check out the Projectors for Sewing Facebook group. I had a look at this group. It has, like, over 40,000 members.

Helen: I know! It’s popular!

Caroline: It’s such a popular community, little sub-community in the sewing world. With projector tracing or laying down your pattern and tracing, there’s less room for error here because there’s no paper getting in the way. You can lift up the fabric to cut it if you’re cutting in one laye. And you need a pretty smooth marking tool to do this, as well, and not tug on your fabric too much. However, your outside markings will probably get trimmed away, so you can pretty much use whatever marketing tool you like.

Helen: Ooh, are you saying, like, a Sharpie or something?

Caroline: I mean, potentially if you’re only marking on the outside of the cutline.

Helen: More, more info needed. I’ll give it a try.

Okay. Now it’s time for a little bit of a smackdown.

Caroline: Rotary cutter versus scissor cutter.

Okay. So I feel like I have to have the mean voice for this whole thing.

We’re Team Rotary Cutter. They go fast!

Anyway, back to being us. Um, Helen and I are definitely Team Rotary Cutter. They do go really fast, and you don’t have to worry about pins snagging your fabric. Weights forever!

Helen: Yes, they’re, I find they’re easier on the hands. Um, and it’s, it’s harder to be accurate with scissors, and I know that a lot of scissor fans out there might disagree, and that’s totally fair. I think I’m just out of practice with my scissors. Um, but with the fabric flat against the mat, you can just zip the rotary cutter around the edges, and it’s really nice and clean. You’re not lifting up that fabric at all. Scissors take a little bit more time to use, and the pinning alone just pinning things down, takes time.

Caroline: Helen, this is a smackdown. You’re not out of practice with your scissors. Rotary cutters are better.

Helen: I just know that there’s so many people out there who use scissors and, like, especially for space saving, too, scissors can be the way to go. I guess I’m not treating the smackdown very seriously.

Caroline: Okay. Well, our assistant Lisa is one of those scissor people. She is Team Scissors, and here are her pro-scissors sentiments: buy one good pair, and you’re set for life. No need to buy replacement plates; just get your scissors sharpened occasionally. If you have a rotary cutter, you’ll still need scissors for snipping threads and trimming seams. Good point, Lisa. If you have scissors though, you don’t need a rotary cutter and rotary cutters need a lot of space. You have to buy a pricey big mat to go with them.

Bing bing bing bing bing bing. Who won that round?

Helen: I guess, like, everyone? We’re all happy with our tools. You can weigh these pros and cons and make your own decision. If you have the opportunity to try both these methods, please do because you never know what you might find out, and you’ll discover which one it’s best for you.

Caroline: Yes, of course. Um, this was all in good fun, and we support anyone who wants to do… Whatever way you want to cut, it’s all good. We love you. I don’t like smackdowns.

Okay. And then when you’re cutting out your project, you’re going to need to make some markings as you go along. So this is just a little friendly reminder that we have a whole episode about marking tools and you can check it out for more info on all the different types

Helen: Yes. Okay. Most sewing patterns include cutting layouts and fabric requirements. We’ve touched on that a few times this episode, and surprise, surprise, these are often incorrect, I mean, maybe you’re not surprised, maybe you’ve noticed this when you’re using sewing patterns. They aren’t super accurate, and there’s a few reasons for this. Not trying to be defensive, but here are the reasons.

Fabric widths vary. They aren’t all 45 inches or 60 inches wide, but those are the ones we typically cover in sewing patterns. There’s usually a range between 42 to 47 that the narrower fabrics come in and then, like, 55 to 62 the wider fabrics come in. Sometimes even up to 70 inches wide. Literally, everything in between.

So pattern writers often leave room for error. Squeezing everything into, like, the last centimeter would leave a lot of sewists feeling short or potentially not having room for that pattern piece because their pattern’s just, like, an inch or two narrower. So pattern writers will take that into account and try to make sure that the cutting layouts are going to work for as many people as possible.

Um, we also often group sizes when we’re writing cutting layouts. If there were a layout for every single size, the booklet would be so, so long, I’ve done this in the past. I think for our Blackwood Cardigan, we had about eight pages of cutting layouts, and yes, it was more accurate, but I also feel like, and maybe we should do a poll on Instagram or something this week, do people even use these cutting layouts?

Caroline: I was just thinking that!

Helen: Or am I just wasting my time?

Caroline: I was like, we need to do a poll because I literally never look at them, or I’ll look at them and be like, pff. I don’t need that. And I make my own cutting layout.

Helen: I think a lot of people feel that way because it is fun to play pattern piece Tetris, and every situation is a little bit different. It can be hard to follow a cutting layout for four meters of fabric when your table’s only a meter long, too. So you’re not even going to be able to lay everything out before you get started. And you only have so many pattern weights or so many pins. And so, realistically, I don’t think that people are staying as true to these cutting layouts as maybe we like to think they are. Try to make them as accurate as possible, but lately, we’ve been trying to just fit the pattern pieces into these groups of sizes so that we have a few less pages dedicated to this in the booklet.

Caroline: Yeah. I’m Team Less Pages, Less Cutting Layouts, More Freestyle.

Helen: Yes. And on that note, too, with the fabric requirements, also not always a hundred percent accurate, and it’s for the same reasons. It’s the difference in the fabric width. It’s the difference in the fabric shrinkage, too. We like to leave a little bit just in case the fabric shrinks. Thinking about how we can lay pieces out so that we’re getting most of them one way up, so if you’re using a directional print, you’re not going to have issues, like, having to flip them around things like that.

So if you want to be the most accurate with your cutting, what I recommend doing is cutting out your pattern, laying it out on the floor in the width that you think of your fabric is going to be, and actually measuring what that amount that you need is, and then you can buy exactly the amount of fabric you need, so you’ll have less leftover.

Caroline: So you’re basically creating your own cutting layout and fabric requirements based on exactly what you know you’re going to be using.

Helen: Exactly. That’s the most accurate way to go about it, but I know that’s a whole extra step in the sewing process, so I get it.

Caroline: Mhm. Yeah, and you can also add or remove seam lines to create a cutting layout you like better. So, for example, you could add a center back seam to your facing so that you can fit it into a better spot on your fabric.

Helen: Yes, and you can leave certain pattern pieces out of the layout. Make the most of the precious fabric you have by cutting things like facing bias tape, pocket bags, undercollars, things that aren’t necessarily going to be visible from the outside, the inside of a yoke on a shirt, you can cut those pieces out of a different complimentary fabric, maybe something of the same weight or something of the same fiber content, so that it’s going to pair well with your other fabric, and that way you can use less of that precious fabric, and you have all those pieces cut out of something else.

Caroline: Mhm. Yeah. It’s a fun way to add a little pop of color or whatever.

Helen: Totally.

Caroline: So changing your pattern’s grainline is another way that you can cut creatively. You can often cut on the crossgrain. So the crossgrain sometimes will have a small amount of stretch. So if you cut large pieces on the crossgrain, your garment might grow a little bit. So you definitely want to be testing this out before you decide to cut on the crossgrain. Um, but this can be really nice if you’re making something that’s flowy or comfortable. It also doesn’t drape, uh, smoothly as fabric cut on the straight grain, but this won’t matter as much with crisp fabrics, but it might change the look of a drapey fabric. Small pieces like yolks, collars, cuffs, plackets, and pockets can always be cut on the crossgrain and even on the bias.

Helen: Yes, it’s true. It’s fun to play around with cutting on the crossgrain. One tip I have in this area: do it for all the pieces of the same kind. So, for example, you don’t want to cut half of your dress front on the crossgrain and half on the grain or the front of your shirt on the crossgrain and the back on the grain. You want that whole body of the garment to be all one direction, so you can do it all on the cross or all on the grain. But, like we said, those little pieces are great opportunities to cut on the cross.

And you can cut large pattern pieces on the bias as well. They will drape differently and probably hang a bit closer to the body, but this would be great for something like the Saltwater Slip from Friday Pattern Co. And it’s something that you would want to avoid in, like, a crisp, button down. More something for a drapey project. So to cut pieces on the bias, it’s easiest to draw a new grainline on the pattern piece, draw it at an exact 45 degree angle to the grainline.

And make a muslin when you’re experimenting with cutting patterns on the bias that weren’t designed for the bias. Because the bias has so much more stretch, it can really change the fit of the garment. So it is recommended that you test it out before you cut into that precious silk or something.

Caroline: Test it out or deal with the consequences.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Okay., and we have some fabric specific cutting tips before we wrap up this episode. So firstly is in regards to interfacing. Some fusible interfacing doesn’t have a grain. So if you’re buying the kind of interfacing that’s, sort of, like, a bonded, almost papery type interfacing, um, that you can find it, a lot of craft stores, you can put your pieces on there any which way and cut them out. But a lot of interfacings, and especially knit interfacings, do have a grain, or for knit interfacings, they’ll have a dogs, direction of greatest stretch. So you want to make sure to position your pieces accordingly. And if you’re interfacing and fabric pieces aren’t lining up, shift them around until they do.

Uh, sometimes interfacing can, like, stretch out a little bit more than fabric. So sometimes you have to, kind of, like, smooth things out flat, and you can even check against the pattern piece for any inaccuracies that may have caused these pieces not to line up. And if you are finding inaccuracies, you can totally just trim them away and then fuse to your heart’s content. You also have the option of block fusing. This can work really well if you’re cutting out a lot of pieces that need to be fused. You can take a block of fabric and a block of interfacing, fuse them together and then cut them out as one piece.

Helen: Yeah. So much faster. Okay. Next thing is that knit fabrics curl at the edges. Ugh, so much curling jersey in my life.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: You can combat this by using spray starch on the edges and then pressing it. It will lie flatter so that you can cut and sew it. And after you’re done, you can throw it in the laundry and that spray starch will wash away. You can buy bottles of spray starch at the supermarket or online. You can also make your own easily. There’s lots of recipes online. Spray starch is super handy for lots of different fabrics. If you’re having difficulties sewing and cutting, like, knits and shifty, lightweight fabrics, try spray starch. Might be a life-changer.

Caroline: Mhm. The next tricky, tricksy fabric is swimwear knits. They’re so slippery. So you want to be cutting these in a single layer if you can. And if you’re using scissors, pin the heck out of it, and using a rotary cutter is great for stretchy fabrics because you’re, kind of, keeping them flat, um, which is gonna make your really accurate.

Next, shifty, lightweight wovens like rayon, Tencel, and silk. This is where rotary cutters are super handy. Once you get the grain in line, try not to move the fabric at all. Lay down your pieces, weight them down, double check your grain, and then cut.

Elisalex of By Hand London says, “If you must use fabric scissors, always cut from the left of your pattern pieces. This means have the inside of the scissors against the edge of the pattern rather than the outside. Like, if you’re right handed cut counter-clockwise rather than clockwise.”

This is good advice. You want to make sure you’re getting the edge of your scissors as close to that pattern piece as possible and so that you can see what you’re doing. Um, you can also give light and slippery fabrics a light spray with a starch to stiffen them. Um, and you can pin your selvedges together. You could even tape your selvedges to your cutting mat. Also, block interfacing with these shifty fabrics is a good idea because, like we said, the interfacing gets shifty, the fabric gets shifty. Before you know it, the piece you cut out looks nothing like the pattern piece, so block fusing is going to be a lot easier.

Caroline: Yes, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, heavyweight denim and canvas can also be a little bit tricky to cut out. So you want to make sure your sheers or rotary blade are really sharp for these and cut them flat to save your hands from hurting. Sometimes cutting, like, a lot of heavyweight denim and canvas can give you, like, crampy hands.

Helen: Oh, definitely. And napped fabrics like velvet, corduroy, and suede, or other things you might encounter, find the direction of that nap when you’re using these fabrics. You can do this by rubbing your hand up and down parallel to the selvedge. When you rub one way, you should encounter more resistance. And when you rub the other way, it should feel smoother and shinier.

You usually want the smoother and shinier direction to be running down the length of your body. I think I’ve done this on the show before, but, like, run your hands down your body, you know, a little bit sexy, that’s the way you want the nap to go. And then you want to orient every pattern piece in that direction.

Double-check everything before you cut. If you cut pattern pieces with different nap directions, they can look almost like two different colors. So that’s why we want the nap all running in one direction. I mean, if you end up making a mistake on a pocket here or there, I did this recently on my corduroy Yanta Overalls. Didn’t have the heart to unpick it. Just going to live with it.

It’s fine. It’s not a big deal, but if you want the nap all going in one direction, then definitely double check before you cut. And keep your vacuum handy because velvet and corduroy shed way more than you think is ever possible. Those little fibers are going to get everywhere, so make sure you leave some time for cleanup at the end of the day.

Caroline: Funny aside, Laura and I were looking at corduroys the other day, deciding what colors to buy, and we found this new supplier with, like, a million different colors of amazing corduroy. And she was sitting on the opposite side of the table as me, and we had all these samples laid out and we were picking colors, and honestly, even in a small little swatch, looking at it from her side of the table and my side of the table, it looked different, so we had to keep flipping the color around to see the true color. Um, it really, really does change. It’s subtle, but once, you know, it’s there. You can’t unsee it.

Helen: So you’re saying I should unpick my pocket?

Caroline: Helen, I’m saying you should do what makes you happy.

Helen: Yay. I’m already wearing them, so it’s fine.

Caroline: Perfect. And sequined fabrics can be tricky, too. Check if your sequined fabric has a nap. For sure if the sequinz are placed haphazardly, probably doesn’t have one, but if they’re all overlapping in the same direction, it does have one. So you want to be cutting sequins in a single layer, wrong side up and consider wearing safety glasses to protect your eyes from flying sequins.

Helen: Ooh, that’s a really good tip. Faux fur is another one you may encounter, especially coming up to this, uh, Halloween season. This one definitely has a nap, so be sure to find it before cutting. Mark out your cutting lines with a pen if you want. They’re not going to be visible underneath all that fur, and cut in small snips, trying to catch only the matting and not the fur pile. This will help with the cleanup in the long run. Caroline, have you ever made anything with faux fur?

Caroline: No.

Helen: I think I did once. I made a faux fur collar for a jacket, like, a detachable collar that I could put on a coat.

Caroline: Cute!

Helen: And it was super fun. Yeah. Just a little project. I think I still have some leftover.

Caroline: I’m not ruling it out. I feel like I, I would totally make something with faux fur one day, but I have heard horror stories about how much fur will end up all over your sewing room.

Helen: Oh yeah. When I went to go buy that faux fur, I, like, got it down off the shelf and I went to the cutting table at the fabric store and the look on that person’s face, like, I think they were genuinely mad.

Caroline: Don’t make me do it. Just don’t make me.

That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com. We are recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Helen: Go to love to sew podcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. If you’d like to get in touch with us, send us an [email protected].

Caroline: And if you love Love to Sew and you want more, you can sign up for our Patreon. For $5 a month, you get a full length bonus episode and weekly behind the scenes pics. For $10 a month, you’ll get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off discount codes for Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics, and you can use the codes again and again. It’s really good value. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Helen: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant and user of scissors. Jordan Moore is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you so much for listening. We’ll talk to you next week.

Caroline: Bye!

Helen: Buh-bye!

Caroline: Okay. Cut. Cut. Cut. Cut. Cut. Cut. That’s the episode.

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Tailoring for everyone! Emilia Bergoglio makes amazing tailored garments. In this episode, they chat with us about tailoring techniques, degendering fashion, and their favourite learning resources.

The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.

Follow Emilia Online:

Emilia’s Linen Suit

Emilia’s White Sport Coat

A Demonstration of Two Buttonhole Types

Some more of Emilia’s amazing tailored outfits:

Written by Emilia:

Recommended Resources:

Gender neutral patterns and pattern companies Emilia mentioned: 

Other mentions:

Fabrics, thread, and notions:

Transcript:

Helen: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Caroline: Join us for today’s interview with Emilia Bergoglio.

Helen: Hello, Emilia. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.

Emilia: Oh, thank you for having me.

Helen: We’re so excited to chat with you. Can you please introduce yourself to our listeners?

Emilia: Sure. My name is Emilia Bergogolio. I apologize for the unpronounceable Italian surname. I’m from Italy, and my pronouns are they/them.

Helen: Fantastic, and we know that you’re from Italy, but where are you living now?

Emilia: So, now I live in Tokyo. I came here for my master’s degree, and I stayed for my PhD, and now I work here.

Caroline: Amazing. How long have you been living there?

Emilia: Uh, about six years now.

Caroline: Wonderful. I want to know a little bit more about what you do because you have a pretty cool day job.

Emilia: Uh, so as a background, I’m a neuroscientist, but related to biology, not psychology. So very much about cells, et cetera and specifically, geneticist. So, for a long time, I worked on the genetic basis of various disorders, especially disorders of the development, like autism. And now I work for a startup which makes, uh, software as medical devices. So we make some AI which helps doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia. So still in neuroscience but less, less in the lab and more in front of the computer.

Helen: So you’re making robot doctors?

Emilia: Doctors who live inside a very powerful computer. Yes.

Helen: Perfect. I understand completely.

Emilia: Yes. I hope, I hope they don’t wake up one day and say, “Emilia, you’re being terminated.”

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Well, obviously we’re here to talk about sewing today, as fascinating as all of that is. Um, why don’t we start off with you sharing a little bit about your sewing journey and how and when you learned to sew.

Emilia: So, actually I started sewing fairly recently, so when I was starting my PhD, so about four years ago, for three reasons, basically, one of it I desperately needed a hobby and, uh, besides, I dunno, like lettering and calligraphy, uh, something more engaging. And then I was really into, uh, ethical fashion and I was br-. So, first of all, as a PhD student, I had, like, no money whatsoever, and I was browsing these ethical fashion collections thinking, this is not so, I mean, it doesn’t look so hard. How hard can it be? I can do it myself.

And I was not completely new to sewing because I come from a very, very tiny village, actually a hamlet, in the very north of Italy, in a region which is famous for wool manufacturing. And everybody in my family works in wool manufacturing. And so, I mean, I, I knew how to operate a sewing machine, but I didn’t never, I never, I had never sewn anything start to finish. Uh, so I got a sewing machine, and the rest is history.

Helen: Amazing. And what was your first introduction to the sewing online community? When did you discover that part of it?

Emilia: Actually, when I was looking for a specific, so at the beginning,I was self drafting a lot, but I discovered that you could buy patterns. And actually, the first thing I found was the Ogden Cami. And from that, I discovered that there was an entire universe of sewing on Instagram, but I actually didn’t engage until maybe a couple of years ago.

Caroline: Very, very cool. I want to go back to something you said, just because I’m curious, um, you mentioned you were, kind of, on a budget and you decided looking at ethical fashion, “I can do that for cheaper maybe.” How do you feel about that now? Do you still feel like sewing is maybe a budget way of, of getting cool clothes in your life?

Emilia: I think it depends on the fabric you use a lot. So for me it is very budget because I get most of my fabrics for free. If it is for, for suits, yeah, I get most of them for free, so definitely a cheap way. And if you upshop your fabrics or if you upcycle, yeah, sure. However, generally speaking, definitely not a cheap way to achieve a whole new wardrobe, especially now in the age of fast fashion, but you know, you will have, if everything considered, uh, considering that you will make something which is completely custom for you and fits you perfectly and in fabric of your choosing when it ends and you can wear for a very long time, then it ends up being cheaper, but upfront costs not so small, I would say.

Caroline: Mhm. Mhm. And then when you factor in the time and everything.

Emilia: Yeah, exactly. I mean, I try not to factor in the time too much because it’s my hobby. So it’s hobby time. If I were sewing for pay, yeah, then definitely, but, I mean, you have to keep that in mind.

Caroline: Of course. Of course. I want to talk a little bit about your style because we absolutely love your personal style, and I’m hoping you can describe it for our listeners who maybe haven’t discovered you yet.

Emilia: So, actually, I shouldn’t, um, if I have to describe my style, it will be the three M’s: modern, minimalist, and monochrome. I, 90% of the time, wear total black. Uh, there is always black. And generally, it’s total black or black and white. If I really want to feel extravagant, I wear gray. And it’s modern, I would say in its silhouettes, and minimalist because I don’t do prints. So everything is pretty much more, I rely more on structure and texture than on flounces or, like, fun details like that. And I enjoy tailoring a lot.

Helen: Yes. We love your more tailored pieces, and we’re really excited to get some tailoring tips from you a bit later on, but I’m curious if you feel like your style is influenced by the places that you’ve lived, like first, Italy and now, Japan.

Emilia: Yeah. People do ask me that, but I don’t think so. So, of course my style has evolved with time, but it’s more, I think, influenced by the people in my life. So when I was younger, I was much more into, so not really preppy, but that’s more or less the style I was into, and then, I mean, I still have this very good friend who was into modern minimalism, Scandi minimalism, and she influenced me a lot. And now, when I got into tailoring and now wear a lot of tailoring, but like, if you look around in Japan, there are a bit of all the styles. So I wouldn’t say that I’m influenced by one in particular. It’s more like an actual evolution of my persona.

Helen: That makes a lot of sense. And the other thing we were curious about is the role that sewing has played in your gender presentation over the past few years, since you’ve learned to sew.

Emilia: Oh boy, where to start, and so honestly, there’s been up’s and down’s because, so on one end, uh, it has been a godsend for my dysphoria because now I don’t have to go to a store and shop in a specific section. I can just make it myself and, uh, the garment I make doesn’t have any gender attached to it. There’s just something I’ve made.

On the other hand, when looking for patterns online, it’s often clear, even if it’s not stated that it’s often clear, what is the type of customer a pattern maker is looking for. And this still brings me a bit of, um, yeah, dysphoria, I would say. But overall, I would say it’s, uh, it has been better for me to sew than to shop, gender wise.

Caroline: Yeah. And we’d really love to dive a little bit deeper into gender and degendering fashion and sewing and, kind of, really get into that topic. But before we get into that, I want to ask you just a quick question about your handle on social media and on your blog because you’re called @emilia_to_nuno. Let me know if I’m pronouncing that right. Um, but what does that mean?

Emilia: So it means Emilia and fabric in Japanese. So Emilia is obviously my name and to means and in Japanese and nuno is one of the ways to say fabrics, actually, it’s this specific way to say fabric as opposed to kijiji. Actually, when I was looking for a handle, I have this dear friend who was a lab colleague, and she was like, oh no, no, no, you have to have a handle in Japanese. Absolutely. And so we spent, like, three days brainstorming and she proposed like very difficult country games because she loves puns like that. Who, nobody who doesn’t speak Japanese would ever understand. And in the end we settled for @emilia_to_nuno because even before sewing, uh, I was a collector of fabric. So as I said, as I said earlier, I come from a place, uh, famous for wool. So, you know, like, relatives would always give me like offcuts or leftovers for me to play, and even in Japan here, there is a strong, kind of, like in Italy, there is a strong fabric, uh, history everywhere you go in Japan. So every little town will have its own special craft and its own special fabric. So I was traveling in Japan by means of fabric. So it was like a no-brainer to have fabric in the handle.

Caroline: Yeah. I think a lot of, uh, sewists can probably relate to that, uh, love of fabric. And it’s such a huge part of the sewing process as well.

Emilia: Yeah. I feel like collecting fabric and sewing are actually two distinct hobbies.

Caroline: Yeah, we love to call fabric stashes “fabric collections” because you’re just going to have them for a long time, hopefully. Well, let’s talk about, uh, some of the work that you’ve been doing in this sewing community. You’ve written some really great pieces related to being non-binary, and we really loved your degendering fashion series in Seamwork magazine and your “Tailoring for Them” series on your blog, for example. And we’re thinking before we dive in, we’re hoping you can tell us and our listeners about what we mean when we say gender and what it means when something is gendered.

Emilia: So before talking about gender, we have to take a step back and characterize what’s gender as opposed to sex. So sex is the biological sex, so, you know, chromosomes, hormones, primary and secondary sex characteristics, which historically has been defined as a binary as well. But this, I mean, this could be an entire different podcast episode, but actually even sex is not really a binary, but this is besides the point at the moment.

So, gender, on the other hand, is a societal construct that includes norms, roles, relationships between two groups. So in, in many Western society, uh, gender is assigned on the basis of sex, based on sex. So if somebody is born female sex, they will be set, they will be called, “Oh, girl.” So, gender girl. And if they’re born with a male sex, then gender boy. And then when they grow up, they will be woman and man. Actually, something that I really want to stress is that, uh, gender really varies a lot with societies and times, and actually, modern gender is a complete fiction.

It’s an European imperialist invention, even, even in European history until pretty much the 17th century. And here actually I’m referencing the scholarship of, uh, for example, Ann Orlander, Thomas Lacquer, and Greg Thomas, so who are three among the many scholars who have researched this topic. So, like, until the 17th century, the great vision in clouds was mostly about class and not gender, which doesn’t mean that everybody was wearing the same, but the garments were, kind of, similar.

And, um, in, on the other end, there were not, um, cross-dressing laws, but there were sumptuary laws. So laws defining, even in Japan, in the Edo period, actually defining who in which class could wear what, and then we for European imperialism, gender, this very big divide, gender distinction, became much more radical and it’s how we see it now.

And this was used as a racist plot to show how European, white European, settlers were actually superior from, because of their big gender distinctions when compared to the colonized countries and the colonized peoples. So in this, this political dynamic trickles down then, as I, kind of, touched on earlier, with cross-dressing to cross-dressing laws, so prohibiting one gender from wearing items of another.

And now we’re not in the era of cross-dressing laws anymore, but still, clothing is still very much gendered. And, um, so this is what we mean when we say something is gendered. So a gender label has been applied onto it for no apparent good reason.

Caroline: Right. Yeah. No, thank you for, thank you for explaining that. And it’s interesting because I think it can be hard to see the culture that surrounds you. Kind of like asking a fish to look at the water. Like, obviously fashion is gendered right now. Um, and you know, we’re hoping that that will change in the future, but what are some real-world examples of how we see that right now?

Emilia: But for example, so for women’s wear, this is now less clear because women have taken many of the items of clothing of men, traditionally of men, like, like pants, but the opposite is not so true actually.

So becau-, and this is also because of the misogynistic conception that everything adjacent to femininity is bad, so fashion and frivolity are completely to be disregarded. So for example, people who are AMA or assigned male at birth, or even men dressed in something which is perceived feminine, like making fun of, or even assaulted.

So, and, uh, I mean, gender fashion can seem like completely benign if you’re not gender nonconforming, but actually, it is deeply problematic. I mean, not just for everybody who is a, I would say, I mean, in finger quotes, of course, outside the norms, whatever those norms are, but then even for people who are not into, you know, not non-gender nonconforming, um, still restricts options, and fashion should be for everybody who wants to participate in it, not classed into, you know, distinct and separate groups.

Helen: Yeah. We couldn’t agree with you more on that point. And I’m curious what your thoughts are about where we’re currently at with quote unquote gender neutral fashion because I’m noticing more and more companies marketing towards this group of people and creating fashion for them. But what are your thoughts on that? Because it seems like a lot of these fashions, like you said, are derived from mostly men’s wear.

Emilia: Yeah. So I have a big issue with that. And, uh, so first of all, in terminology because many say unisex and I’m like, what is this term? This makes no sense. So we’re not even talking about gender anymore. What is this unisex? One sex? Whose sex? Who decides? No. And, um, and also, like, some of these companies market as androgynous which is another term I have issues with. Sorry. I have plenty of issues.

So, so because actually androgyny-, so I also use androgyny for myself when I first came out. But when I re-, because I took it semantically, being a very semantic person. So, you know, from the Greek, it means just mix-, mixing of female and male, a intermediate form. But then in the use of the English language, this has lost that semantic connotation.

And in the end, what androgyny and unisex do is just perpetrating gender stereotypes. So, you know, of men, maleness, and masculine dress being the standard, and female bodies and female dress and femininity being, like, the subpar version we should really avoid. So actually they’re quite reactionary. Instead, what I would like to see is, um, first of all, calling your colle-, if you want to do an open to everybody collection, call it gender neutral, gender inclusive or a term I recently discovered, which I love, gender expansive.

Helen: Ooh.

Emilia: Great. Yeah. And instead of just doing adapted men’s wear on different bodies, put everybody on your offerings, like put people in a dress, put a man in a dress. So, you know, like, because that’s the core of degendering fashion. It’s not making, it’s not a style. It’s not the, like, the potato sack, everything in beige. No, degendering fashion means opening up, having more options and removing labels in favor of, for example, descriptions so that anybody could really wear whatever they want.

So, and I am a big advocate for going to stores and instead of reading, I don’t know, women’s tops, which means nothing outside of a specific cultural context, having descriptions. So, I don’t know, darted blouses, cami tops. Or like, just straight shirts, button up shirts. Um, and this would help everybody cause actually, this is something like I really came to realize is living in Japan.

Because this is now they have, now everybody uses Western dress, right? And so I get many questions from my colleagues who, and because many want to participate in tailoring, but they don’t know what’s what, because this is not part of their cultural context. And they come with this gendered language and I’m like, or these ideas that, oh, like if I’m a man, I should wear blue. Not necessarily! Like, if you want to rock an orange suit, rock an orange suit. So, yeah, definitely, it’s just, you know, all cultural and, and these gender norms and gender dress is really not carved in stone, so it was built 200 years ago. We can, you know, unbuild it and build something new.

Caroline: Yeah. Can we talk a little bit more about gendered fashion? You mentioned it’s problematic, the terminology that, that way of thinking, but can we get specific about some of the downsides to gendering fashion?

Emilia: Well, as I said earlier, so it’s a restriction of options for everybody, right? Not just for people who are living, I mean, who are gender nonconforming and by perpetrating this ideology, so to speak, I mean, I wouldn’t really even call it ideology, just like, you know, this, the status quo, this basically, kind of, reinforces division between the two genders. So it’s profoundly, like, backwards. Now here, like, oh yeah, we’re for gender equality and in this and that, but then this is just words, right?

If it doesn’t also manifest itself in more freedom of choice in dress, then I don’t know. I don’t know what we’re talking about then because, you know, dress is also a language. It’s the first thing people see, the first thing which gives them an idea about you even before you open your mouth. And, you know, even in the gender nonconforming community, or in the trans community, there is a lot of tension because we also can’t make up our mind about what we want because being clothing a language, people who are, for example, binary trans, they want to be read as man, or they want to be read as woman. So, it is a difficult issue which we are, I mean, it will take time to resolve, but we have to work together toward some resolution which makes the majority, I mean, the most amount, the greatest number of people happy.

Helen: Mhm.

Emilia: I don’t know if that answered your question.

Helen: It does. And I think, like you said, there’s a lot of progress to be made, and we need to work together because I think sometimes there’s this idea that, well, I don’t care. People can wear whatever they want, but it’s not that simple because other people might not feel safe wearing whatever they want.

Emilia: Yeah, exactly. And if you see the amount of attacks and violent attacks and even murder of trans and gender nonconforming people in the west, it’s really astonishing. So when people tell me, oh, but of course you can wear whatever you want. I laugh at their faces because clearly some people cannot and, um, and people are attacked not just because of what they wear, not even for them, I mean, the attack for the personhood in addition to that, for what they wear.

So it’s very tricky if you’re a, a young trans person in the west now, um, not to be afraid. You know, because people will just, like, hate you and violently attack you just because of you existing.

Helen: Yeah. And I mean, it might seem obvious after saying that, but what are some of the benefits of degendered fashion? And in your vision for it, at least, how do you see us getting there?

Emilia: So the benefit is more options for everybody which from a producer perspective is bigger market. So already it should be a no-brainer, right? So I think I want to stress is also that we cannot just, so maybe I’m hoping that degendering fashion will be the proxy for bigger societal change. And so if, if possible, deconstruction of gender, as we know it now because that would actually impart a lot of change in society as well. So we can start from something so simple as, uh, dress and then work our way upwards. It will be a great added benefit.

Helen: Yeah. I really like that perspective because it is such a constant in our everyday life. And if we can make some small changes to that area, it could definitely spread and become a much bigger thing. And one thing that I’ve heard when it comes to degendering fashion is people saying like, oh, if we do that, then we’re all going to be walking around in shapeless sack dresses, which is hilarious, but what would you say to somebody who has this, sort of, initial reaction to the idea of degendering fashion?

Emilia: Well, it’s, uh, I mean, it’s, it’s funny, indeed. Um, so as I said earlier, degendering doesn’t mean that everybody will be wearing, you know, luta dresses. It just means opening up options and, uh, yeah, degendering means, degendering just means options basically. So, no, of course, you can still wear whatever you want.

And if you like, uh, garish paisley motifs from the seventies, wear that. And if you like luta dresses then wear luta dresses. So it’s not, because degendering is not, like, a style. Degendering means degendering, that’s it. It’s just a, it’s just the removal of labels. So it’s not a style.

Helen: Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. Do you think that all paisleys are garish? I have to ask.

Emilia: No, it’s just the first thing which came to me. No, but I don’t, I don’t do prints actually, so except in my ties. And I do have, I do have paisley ties, so…

Helen: Yeah. I mean, I read on your website that you don’t like the color orange which happens to be my favorite color, so…

Caroline: Helen’s feeling a little defensive.

Helen: Yeah.

Emilia: Yeah, so, like, I really can’t send the color orange because it’s between two great colors, yellow, which is my favorite color, and red, which is like a badass color. So I’m just like, why, orange? Why?

Helen: Fair enough. Fair enough.

Emilia: But, no, no issue with people who like orange. Um, like, we all have our flaws. No, I’m joking.

Helen: Wow. Okay.

Emilia: This will definitely be in the podcast. And I will be canceled by everybody who loves orange.

Helen: I’m just going to cut it together so that you’re saying “I love orange.”

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Oh, well obviously, yeah. It’s, it’s, it’s a shame that we aren’t in this place now where we can just walk into a store and not have a men’s and women’s section and have clothes for everybody, you know, but we aren’t there yet. And I wonder what advice you would give to someone who wants to dress in clothing outside of the quote unquote norms of their gender, but needs a bit of encouragement in that area?

Emilia: So, uh, to this person, I would say first and foremost, hi, and I love you. And you’re seen and valid and, but think of your safety. So, safety should come first. So, I mean, you have to consider if it is, if you can actually go out in the world expressing your gender as you want safely. And, and if, if you can, then maybe start small. Start from accessories and work, so you don’t have to go full diverting the gender norms all at once. You can do, like, one thing at a time. And also it’s, you know, it’s so people think, oh, if I am a, for example, if I’m AMA so assignment at birth, and I want to be gender nonconforming, I should then automatically wear skirts and stilettos. No, you can do it more subtly or not that wearing skirts and stilettos is not subtle, but you can do, like, small things or take colors, which in your culture are not generally associated with, uh, your gender or, yeah, just start small.

And you will have to develop a very thick skin because people will make comments and, you know, just don’t care about them. You do you. You’re valid.

Helen: Aw, thank you for that. I’m sure there are some listeners out there that really need to hear that, so we appreciate it. I’m curious, too, what are some actions that us in the sewing community as a whole can take to start to degender fashion, maybe in the ways that we’re presenting our makes online or the way we’re commenting with other people when we’re interacting?

Emilia: So from a single sewist’s perspective, there is not so much you can do except being respectful of others. And if you enter a space, sewing space, don’t automatically default to, “Hello, ladies.” Just, “Hello, friends.” I dunno, “Esteemed guests,” or whatever. I don’t know, comrades. That’s what I would say, “Comrades, hello.”

Then, if you’re, like, a pattern maker or a brand of some sort, feature more people and more diversity. So already we have made great improvements. I mean, not fast enough if you ask me, but still we’re, we’re getting there with size inclusivity and race inclusivity. So why not also gender inclusivity? And as I was saying earlier, if you sell patterns, so don’t take this personally, but, uh, if you sell patterns and you just basically, if you been, don’t say anything about the gender, so you don’t say women’s wear patterns, but then everybody in your offering is, in your pictures is AFA people or women, then that sends me a message about who is the person you have in mind will make your patterns. So change that and, uh, feature more diverse sewists, more diverse models. Put gender nonconforming, or even completely rock the gender boat, by putting somebody who is a man, identifies as a man, is very sure of his manhood, in a dress because, you know, there is just, it makes no sense to attach gender into so much cultural meaning to something which is inanimate, you know, so…

Helen: Definitely. Yeah. And I, I’m definitely not offended. I find your work very inspiring, and it’s informing a lot of decisions moving forward for me, personally, as a pattern designer. So I’ve learned a lot from you, and I was excited to chat with you today to learn even more. It’s something that we’ve been working on at Helen’s Closet. So I’m hoping to continue to improve things moving forward.

Emilia: I think you’re already kind of ahead of the curve though, so that’s good. That’s good for you. Good business sense.

Caroline: I wonder, Emilia, if you can give us some examples, if you can think of any companies that are doing this well right now that are setting a good example.

Emilia: Oh boy. Actually, I have a, kind of, comprehensive list on my, both on my website and on my Instagram page. Um, because basically, there are very few people who are really like, I mean, there are many pattern companies, which do not say, state any gender, so, but that’s just the first step, right? So, and I think Muna and Broad is one of the few who actually features, at the least, non binary, uh, models.

I mean, it also has to be said Muna and Broad models are Muna and Broad. And then, I mean, they’re, you know, the two people behind the pattern company, and then they, they do have another model who isn’t binary. So that’s number one. Um, then, uh, Free Sewing is one where actually they take it further because they have two blocks and one is, like, curved block with shaped bust and the other one is not shaped bust.

Um, so that’s what I mean, like, just put descriptions. So there is a very small company called Petite Stitchery which has just adult patterns. Uh, I’m thinking Rational Dress Society, but they have, like, one pattern. Also, they’re Marxists, so it’s awesome. Oh, but Wendy Ward! How can I forget? Wendy Ward in, in their books, everybody wears whatever. So, it’s good. And I was not very familiar with their patterns until I found the pattern books in Japan. And I was like, oh, this is interesting.

Actually, another one which comes to mind is, um, Spokes and Stitches. I believe is the name. There’s one person. And so far they have only made one pattern, but they Kickstarted, they did a Kickstarter campaign to develop more patterns. And everything is, like, starts completely gender neutral. So, yeah, that’s the thing. So, because it’s, I think if you’re like an established pattern company, it’s a bit harder to, like, retrofit all your patterns to be gender neutral, but, like, new parent companies, they have no excuse. So, I really appreciated, like, Spokes and Stitches because they started immediately with, like ,gender neutral and gender inclusive and gender expansive across the world. Sorry I really love this word, gender expansive.

Helen: Yeah, I really like it, too.

Emilia: Yeah.

Helen: Yeah, no, those are great tips. We’ll put all of those in the show notes. I mean, it is a little bit hard to retrofit, but it’s not that hard. Like, we’ve gone through and removed the gendered language from our patterns, and it really wasn’t that hard to do. Um, so I think that it’s a great thing if companies can go back and fix that up.

Emilia: Another thing I appreciate is being open to advice, not advice but opinions. So recently, I can’t remember who it was, a major pattern company, they released a pants pattern. And they wanted to be, like, I appreciate the sentiment because basically, they, they had different models to model these pants. And there was also, like, I believe the brother of the pattern maker. I mean, a guy who’s AMA, a person who’s AMA, who turned out to be a guy. And, and in the description they said something along the lines like, oh, it’s certified to fit also men.

So, and I emailed them and said, listen, maybe you can say, this can fit a variety of bodies and gender expression. Just don’t say that, that’s really rubs the wrong way. And, um, and we had a discussion, and they were, like, super open to the feedback. They even wanted to compensate me for the feedback. And I was like, listen, no, just change it. It’s fine. So, also that, not being so, because somebody is coming to tell you.

Generally, people don’t want to attack strangers, right? I mean, generally speaking, at least, so somebody who is gender nonconforming, or even who is offended by what you say comes and politely tells you, explain to you why, then don’t take it the wrong way. Listen, and you can have a conversation. But I guess I’m very used to not being listened to when it comes to degendering and being trolled. So I found it refreshing that somebody was listening.

Helen: Aw, yeah, that’s really awesome. I mean, we try to remain open here on the show, too, to feedback. So if any of our listeners have thoughts on this, they’re welcome to reach out as well. But when we launched our Jackson pattern, we got some feedback about using the term gender neutral and maybe switching to gender inclusive, or now I know gender expansive, which is pretty cool. And also just pointing out that if you’re marketing one pattern in a collection as gender inclusive, then what does that make all the other patterns?

Emilia: Exactly. Yeah.

Helen: Which was not my intention at all cause I, I do want anyone to make our patterns who wants to make them, so that really made me think. And now we’ve been going back and changing a few things and moving forward, not going to be marketing things as specifically gender inclusive because that’s all of our patterns. So yeah, it’s, it’s interesting. And I always appreciate when people are willing to give their time to give that feedback.

Emilia: Yeah. So, I mean, the language is one step, and it’s the first step. And thank you for doing that. Thank you for doing that work, but that also has to have actions. So more variety models is clearly something which is needed.

Helen: Oh yeah, definitely. I, I’m excited for that moving forward, as well. Can you tell us a bit about your Tailoring For Them series on your blog?

Emilia: So, first of all, I have to give credit where credit is due. So if the name is not my invention, was suggested by Marcy, @oonaballoona. Cause I was brainstorming a name which was, like, catchy, and she messaged me, oh, why don’t you do Tailoring For Them? And I was like, you’re a genius. I will. Thank you. You’re a genius.

Um, so basically my idea behind the series was to, kind of, really deconstruct, first of all, deconstruct what degender is and when we use it, but in the context of tailoring, and then provide inclusive and expansive, I mean, gender inclusive and expansive, and also inclusive of many things, instructions and, like, tips and tricks and also my own personal experience with tailoring to whoever wants to read, basically.

Caroline: Yeah. And your tailored pieces are so, so cool. We’ll definitely be sharing some photos of, uh, your gorgeous garments on Instagram this week, but we’d love to learn a little bit more about tailoring from you. My first question would be, how did you start? Like, how did you start to build this skill? It seems like there’s so much to know.

Emilia: Uh, yeah, there is actually. I mean, it’s complex but very rewarding. And, uh, I was always into this more structured pieces, and I always enjoyed tailoring. And one day I was just like, you know what, I mean, this is actually hard, and I can get some books and build on it. And also, I befriended a tailor, so I, kind of, stald this poor guy, not stalk but, uh, like, every, every time I see him, uh, we talk basically, maybe we have, so it’s my, my spouse’s tailor. And so my spouse gets to do the fitting for, like, half an hour. And then there is, like, an hour and a half of the two of us chatting about tailoring.

So, um, and he gave me a lot of advice, and I want to stress the fact that, um, so because if you approach tailoring from online sources, and especially on the Instagram sewing commun-, community, you will be scared. You will think tailoring is one thing, but actually, tailoring is many things.

Tailoring is actually only about two things, honestly: balance and creating an illusion. And so visual balance and portraying the image that you want to portray. And, uh, and so, and there are many schools of thought, and the differences, now famously, there is, kind of, a tug of war between two particular schools, the Neapolitan school and the Savile Row school.

And if you look online, some somewhat encounter tendency from people who blog about suits, specifically, who enjoy a lot Neapolitan tailoring. Now, Savile Row tailoring is very popular among sewists, and if you see that, if you approach that as a start, it’s very intimidating. So I would say don’t be intimidated. Just take it one step at a time. Get some books. I can recommend some books, and there is a thorough list on my blog as well. And be, and be, the only skill, the only thing you need, the only item you really need is patience.

Caroline: Yeah. I think that’s a given. I wonder, um, I’m pretty intrigued by this Neapolitan versus Savile Row tailoring thing. Like, can you give us the Coles Notes of what the differences are between these two? I don’t know if we’re jumping down a rabbit hole here, but I’d love to know.

Emilia: So, I mean, it’s bit of a rabbit hole, but actually, it’s very important to make this distinction. And I, and I will never be tired of saying that in tailoring, there is no right and wrong answer. It’s all about the effect. It’s all about what you want. So you can mix and match from different tailoring schools, for example, but also, also works if that creates the silhouette you want. Um, but I believe it’s important to know the basics and know the history and, like, what are finger quotes, again, the rules, so then you can put them in the toilet.

Um, so but coming to your question, so Neapolitan tailoring is all about the ease and the ease of movement and the, because Nap-, I mean, life in Naples is quirky and chaotic and hot most of the year. And so Neapolitan tailoring reflects this, and there is absolutely no shoulder padding, no padding whatsoever, minimal amount of canvassing, no lining. Generally, lining is superfluous. One of the features is for simple spalla a camicia, specific construction of the shoulder or slight con rollino and lapels are different. They’re slightly wider and the quarters are open, uh, and the jacket is generally a bit more cropped. Um, so all this, kind of, tiny things and, like, the buttonholes, the placement of the buttonholes and how the buttonholes are constructed is different.

I’m really summarizing greatly here, but on my blog, I have a more in-depth description.

While Savile Row tailoring is, like, what we think of for, this prototypical suit, right? This is for the banker, my spouse says. So, like, heavy padding, heavy canvassing, very structured, and very conservative looking. That’s basically it, but this is even, I mean, in Italy and in England, then there are multiple styles and then there are styles in between like, uh, so if you think Neapolitan suitings are rakish, look at Cifonelli which, and they do exaggeration of everything, exaggerated con- and let’s see, exaggerated lapels, exaggerated pagoda shoulders, and people like it. Because as I said, you know, there is not right and wrong. It’s all about what you like.

Helen: Mhm, and do you think that you personally, like, lean towards one school or another?

Emilia: Actually, yeah, I, kind of, do a mix because I, I do very little canvas. I mean, we should really talk about canvas here and, but I don’t do shoulder padding. so in the way I structure, I mean, the silhouette and the general construction is more Neapolitan, but then I do take some things, some piece of advice from Savile Row tailoring because they serve my purpose. But yeah, but I more mix and match which is, uh, maybe we should really do some comparative study because online, I see a lot of people doing really what it’s more British tailoring, and, but they don’t really know about it. And then they, because then they think that that’s tailoring, but that’s no, one style of tailoring.

Caroline: Oh yeah. It’s so interesting. I mean, I had no idea that there, that there were, kind of, two schools, so this is, this is fascinating. I’m learning a lot, but let’s get more technical on this cause we definitely have a question about canvasing in here. But first off, I just want to talk about your amazing tailored jackets and pants that you make. And I’m hoping you can describe some of the suit jackets and blazers, particularly, that you’ve made for our listeners.

Emilia: So yeah. What do you want to know specifically?

Caroline: Um, do you have any favorites, like, that you can, kind of, spotlight maybe, and we’ll share those on, on social this week?

Emilia: In the summer, nothing really in the summer. I’ve made it in spring. But for the summer, I made a linen suit which so far is, like, the best fitting. And then immediately after I made just a white sports coat so, like, a blazer, which also fits very well. And basically, it’s always works like that. So I developed my own patterns. And then, you know, you make the first one and then you wear it it, and you discover, oh, I would like the sleeve to be a bit shorter or the armscye to be smaller. Or I don’t really like the positioning of this vent. I want to move it a bit inner or whatever.

So generally speaking, if you ask me what’s my favorite, always the last one I’ve made because it’s the one which is going to fit the best. But they’re all, kind of, special in some ways because I, with every piece, I experiment a bit, especially with the wools because I have quite a stock of wools which are given to me as factory seconds from my relatives. So I get to sew, some are like, even, I even made fully fused to see how it worked out.

So, but my advice to everybody who approaches jacket making is to find a pattern you like, and then experiment with it and experiment with the gorge or the size of the vents or the location of the vents or the size of the lapels, the quarter. So really, like, find your silhouette. This will take time, obviously, but it will be very rewarding.

Helen: Yeah. That’s really good advice to get a pattern that you like to start with. Um, when it comes to, like, fitting a blazer, do you make many, many muslins before you get started or do you just start messing with the actual fabric and taking things in here and there and adding padding and things like that?

Emilia: So for this particular blazer I’ve made, I actually did one muslin. And, I mean, one toile, and that was it. Then, when I immediately cut on the good fabric because I mean, from the toile, you get the idea, okay, this is going to fit, or this is going to be a disaster. And I found some trouble spots which I corrected. And then I immediately started on the good fabric. Um, because I mean, I knew it was going to fit, but, um, only way I find that, the only way where you can really find, uh, the moment that the spots which really need targeting, um, because sometimes, you know, you don’t realize until you move, you move around a bit.

And, um, and it’s very difficult to move around when you just have a pin muslin or the toile doesn’t have, you know, all the layers. That’s why the canvassing, that’s why tailors do multiple fittings. You know, the first fitting is for the tailor to check that everything is where it should be and everything hangs straight. And then you do more fittings for the client. See how they feel. And the fitting is not, like, 10 minutes, it’s, like, hours.

Helen: That makes sense.

Caroline: I have to ask, too, cause you mentioned gorge, and I’ve never heard that word before. What is that?

Emilia: So the gorge is the line where the lapel meets the collar, and historically, it has moved up and down. Um, so for example, in the sixties, oh no, in the thirties, the gorge was, like, super low. And uh, so now the gorge is very high, or too high in the case of Cifonelli. Sorry, no love lost between Cifonelli and me. Cause people like it, so I don’t know. I don’t like the style of tailoring, but people like it, so I’m happy for them. Because the gorges are very, very high.

And because tailoring is all about visual balance and you have to, kind of, be careful to pick the gorge which complements, complements you, or, I mean, meaning gives the effects you want to achieve. So, for example, I have very broad shoulders. So I have, having a high gorge makes my chest look very expanded which is what I want to minimize. And my shoulder look, kind of, like they’re hanging out on top of this gigantic chest. So I lower my gorges a bit, so the chest looks smaller, and it really emphasizes my broad, muscular shoulders.

Caroline: Of course. Yeah, it makes so much sense. So it’s that point, kind of, where the, the collar and the lapel meet, where it makes that little V-shape, that line, and it can impact that, the look of your jacket so much. So that makes so much sense that that’s something that you would explore when you’re, kind of, finding your style. So cool. Thank you for sharing. Okay. Let’s talk about canvassing cause we we’ve mentioned it a couple of times. Can you, can you describe what that is and how do you canvas a suit jacket?

Emilia: So the canvas is an additional piece of fabric which is used as interlining to give structure. And there are actually multiple types, it’s very confusing because there are multiple types of canvas. And actually, I didn’t know the names in English. I only know them in Japanese, so I had to Google them.

So first of all, there is a canvas which is a the canvas, which is the French canvas which is generally made of linen. And you use for the collar to pat stitch the collar because it gives, like, a nice structure, so you can really shape it to be in this nice curve. And some people use it for shoulders, too, but that only comes into play if you’re, when doing padding.

And then there is the canvas proper which we can divide into two categories. One is the body canvas which is generally made of wool. So it’s called kejin in Japanese which interesting in Japan comes in different weights, depending on your fabric choice. So now I use very fine ones which are generally recommended for summer wear, but I use it year round because I am, I’m contrarian, like that. It’s heso-magari in Japanese. It’s such a fun term because it means your navel is twisted.

Helen: Oh, really?

Emilia: Yeah, so I have a twisted navel, I’m heso-magari. Yeah, so and then on top of the body canvas, you put the, the famous horse hair. So umasushin in, in Japanese. Uma is horse which is, um, a bit prickly because it’s made with actual horse hair, I mean, with the mane of the horse. And so that and that you put on lapel and chest and that you have because it’s prickly, you want to line it with domette or flannel, so, so you doesn’t prick you. So, but then, so this is like the tea on canvas, you can absolutely use all the three canvases and do, like, a multi-layered thing on your top.

However, I mean, but this is really coming from British tailoring, and as we all know, England not famous for, for it’s four seasons. So, um, so tailoring, tailoring schools really evolved as a factor of the climate and the people, so if you’re living in a place like Japan where it’s hot most of the year, um, you will not want something which is so canvas because it’s just too hot. So instead, what you can do is, I, this is what I do, I just use body canvas and I do half, half a canvas actually.

So in this case, the canvas, instead of going from your shoulder line to the bottom of your jacket, it’s only on the lapel and chest area. And then in the rest, if you really want to get some structure, you can fuse. And I’ve actually had good results with a fully fused jacket that you have to buy, you have to be careful to buy, like, high quality fusible. I had good luck with, like, three core types. So you can, like, fuse the front and, um, invent canvas half of the body, and you can do some stitch-.

Now what’s essential though I found is to really tape all the edges. So you might get some twill tape which you, like, attach cat stitch to all your edges which fold because that really gives a crisp line. And I think that is what makes or breaks a blazer because there is this idea that the good bla-, good jacket, a good suit has to be with this three layer structure. But actually, no. The good suit is the suit which makes you feel awesome and fits you well.

Caroline: Of course, of course. Yeah. I wonder, I mean, it sounds like there’s so many elements that you can either do or not do based on your style and your preference, but are there any, like, what would you say are the essential components of a tailored jacket? For example, would you say canvassing is pretty much essential to a certain extent? Or, you know, the, uh, you had just mentioned the twill tape. That sounds pretty essential. Is there anything else?

Emilia: So yeah. Twill tape. Functioning vent on the sleeves. Sorry, this, this is my personal beef with, um, jacket patterns, which don’t, uh, don’t have functioning vents. I mean, even, I mean, nothing is really essential actually. Um, because even, even padding is, you know, really depends on you. I feel like the, the most essential part is, uh, something which fits you well. Yeah, that’s about it.

So don’t think that if you do something with not canvas, it’s going to be easier. Actually, it’s harder to fit and to sew something with no canvassing. So if you want to start with tailoring, start with full canvas. So don’t do, maybe don’t do the full, uh, three layers. Doing like one layer for something maybe a bit more, like, relaxed. But start with canvas or with fused, something with structure because, like, completely unstructured requires a great knowledge of fitting.

Helen: So is it the structure that comes from the canvas is what helps you to achieve a better fit when you’re using it.

Emilia: Yeah, because basically the canvas will correct anything, uh, like everything you want to hide or, like, you know, the canvas will help you conceal that. So actually there are even specific styles, so, like, for example, drape cut, that’s great if you have a chest you want to conceal because there is all this, kind of, extra fabric which is, kind of, integrated into the front jacket front and is just a style. And then, it looks like you’re completely flat underneath. So excellent for people like me.

Helen: Oh, interesting. Yeah. So I guess, like, it would help to hide any areas where there’s, like, lines happening because the fabric is draping onto the natural shape of our bodies. Um, and give you more structure there. That makes a lot of sense.

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. It helps to create that illusion that we were talking about earlier, right? Can we talk about lining for a second? Like, do you line all of your tailored jackets and do you have a favorite lining fabric that you use?

Emilia: Oh, yes. Thank you for asking, because I really want to set the record straight here about linings. So I do line occasionally, I mean, generally, I do half lining. But then I’m going to start working on my winter suits and those will be fully lined. So, as for lining, you hear at first, do not use polyester. Do not absolutely under any circumstances use silk, unless you enjoy changing your lining every two years because silk breaks down with water and sweat, so you don’t want to use silk for your linings. That’s actually what was done in the old days. And then people had to go to their tailors to change the lining.

Instead, use cupro. Cupro is king. Or, like, I use Bemberg which is the proprietary brand from Asahi Kasei which is Japanese manufacturing, chemical manufacturer. And Bemberg is made of cotton linters. And, at least in the case of Asahi, they use a closed loop system, so they recycle everything. So, if, I mean, because otherwise cupro, as any rayon, can be very polluting, so check that. But then, uh, cupro has the advantages. I mean, it looks like silk and feels like silk, but it’s, uh, doesn’t break down with your sweat.

And the only issue is that it’s very difficult to work with because it’s very slippery. So what I do generally is I starch it a lot. I really starch it, starch it, starch it, so it becomes like a flat sheet, and so then I can cut it. But yeah, cupro.

Caroline: Mm, yeah, I love cupro, and it’s quite breathable to wear as well which is really nice, right?

Emilia: Yeah. So you can buy cupro specific for linings. So like, uh, if you live somewhere with a garment district or with some tailors, you can ask the tailors or people in the garment district where you can find this, or I’m sure online, you can find anything.

Caroline: Yeah. Bemberg is, is pretty readily available. I would say, I know we stock it at, at Blackbird in the fall/winter for coat making. So yeah, people should be able to find bemberg and cupro lining online as well. Ok, let’s touch on pants for a little bit. Cause I feel like we’ve been giving all the love to blazers, but you also make some really cool pants. Um, can you talk a little bit about maybe some of your favorite pants that you’ve made?

Emilia: Sure. So, well, one is self-drafted. Actually, we-, actually, it’s not entirely self-drafted. It was inspired by Calvin Klein model I saw, and then, I had, like, a pants block, which was flat front, and I took that and I made it into two pleats, as one does. So I like pleats. I don’t like flat fronts, so all my pants are pleated.

And then barring that? So there was one pattern I really liked, but, um, I don’t want to support that particular pattern maker anymore, but because it, which is a shame because the pattern was so great because it is, kind of, like, vintage-y silhouette like, high waist, double pleats, and really just right but not the norm.

So I’m sorry I can’t recommend specific patterns. But if you enjoy two pleated trousers now, they’re kind of popular. Finally. They deserve the popularity. So there are many patterns available, and as with jackets, uh, find a pattern. My advice for everybody is find a pattern you like, and then just experiment with it and make it so it’s perfect. So you can just, that’s what I do, I just make, like, a couple of patterns, and then I reuse them a lot.

Yeah. And also if you, I mean, you can also mix and match. Look like if you have a pants pattern, you really like, and you want to have a jacket to go with it. Not all jackets will look good with all pants and vice versa. So experiment a bit and see what silhouette goes well with that of the pants.

Caroline: Of course. And how do you decide whether you’re going to make, like, a full suit or, sort of, a standalone pair of pants or blazer?

Emilia: Depends on need. So actually I really got full-on on suit, on making suits recently because I started working, so I had great hopes. But actually, my, I work for a startup, guys, so very cas, very cas. So I’m the only one in a suit, let alone a tie. So, like, now I’m just making suits. And then it depends a bit on need. So sometimes I feel like there is a gap in my wardrobe, which is uh, I don’t know, I need more stand-alone or trousers, right?

So I make a pair of trousers or sometimes, really, for example, I made a white blazer because it’s very hot in Japan. And you know, if you wear all black, uh, not recommended to avoid heat stroke. Also, in the case, it’s, you know, it was need dependent because I try to keep my closet to, like, a minimum. So I try not to, because sometimes I would like, just like to make things because it’s my hobby and I enjoy it, but I try to not do that otherwise the closet, which is very tiny, would explode.

Caroline: Yeah. Tiny closet problems. I get that.

Emilia: And also my spouse also wears suits only. So we, uh, there is like, you know, the battle for who has space in the closet to put the suits. I said, no, but I was here first. It’s my space. We decided, but the left is for you and the right is for me. Why are you in the right now? That’s my space. Yeah.

Helen: And do you make things for them as well?

Emilia: No. I mean only casual stuff because my spouse is, kind of, like, picky. So it’s like, oh, I want the sleeve at one centimeter shorter. And, uh, and the back a little bit more fitted and the collar, I don’t really like the shape. And I’m like, make it yourself. Um, no.

Helen: This is why they have their own tailor.

Emilia: But for casual stuff, I like to make us matching things, so we have, like, house, uh, not house, but, like, things we were inside, but we can wear also outside because are presentable and not pajamas. And I made us matching ones. Or some shirts, like casual shirts with, like, a spread in. In Japan they are called Aloha shirts. So, like Hawaiian style.

Helen: Mm, yeah.

Emilia: So I made us matching ones in the same fabric. So, but that’s the extent I ma-, I made them pants as well, but that’s the extent.

Helen: Yeah. We actually wanted to touch a bit on your shirt making adventure series on your blog. Um, and one thing that really intrigued us was that you set in your sleeves using only one pin.

Emilia: That’s the only method of setting the sleeve.

Helen: How does that work? How is it possible?

Emilia: Actually, so, you know, I’ve tried five or six methods to set in your sleeve, and I ended up using this one because it’s just the least mendokusai, as we say in Japanese, the least bothersome. But I just love mendokusai. It sounds so good. But it works very well because, so basically the final effect is the same as you’re setting it in the round. So, like, the ease is very well distributed, thanks to the fact that you use only one, one pin because when you move your layers synchronously as you go, so that distributes very well, the ease, and it’s only one pin, and it’s done on, already, you do it on the flat, which is easier.

Helen: Right.

Emilia: And then you only use one pin and it, now, yeah, it’s the only way. So the only thing I have to say which I didn’t, I made a tutorial, and illusory tutorial, and the only thing I regret I did not include is that when you want them to topstitch your armscye, you should really gather it a bit. So what I do is I do some long stitches and then I pull them and I do a little bit of gathering because that’s all curved in the end. So it helps with, if you gather it, it helps, uh, making it really lie flat and nicer. But yeah, that is the only way to do it. Period.

Helen: Well, we’ll link up your tutorial, but just for a visual, the one pin goes at the shoulder, right? At the very top?

Emilia: It basically connects the center of your sleeve and the center, to the center of your armscye. So yeah, since they’re at the top of the shoulder.

Caroline: And do you start sewing from the center out or are you starting from…?

Emilia: Correct.

Caroline: Okay.

Emilia: So you start from the center out and you move towards the side seam and then you flip it and you do the other side.

Helen: One side at a time.

Emilia: Yes. You do one side at a time.

Helen: Yeah, very cool. I love it.

Caroline: With shirt making, there are so many different collar styles and I wonder, like, how do you figure out what collar styles you like best?

Emilia: So, as with everything in tailoring, it’s all about the visual balance, right? So, you have to take into account the geometry of your face. And just, you know, I started with, I really did trial and error because I’m a scientist, so I took it very methodically. And I was like, okay, I will print out, make a bunch of patterns, and try all of them. And then, you know, you look at the mirror and you see, oh, this makes me feel this way or that way.

I mean, there are some, kind of, finger quote rules. So if you have a long face, you should wear this collar. If you have a square face, you should wear that. I’m like, whatever. Maybe use that to start but then just try different styles and see what, what fits you best. So the only thing I have to say that if you’re planning to wear your shirt with a tie, this is actually a pet peeve of mine.

If you’re planning to wear your shirt with a tie, the collar has to be quite snug, very snug, actually. So you should be able to only fit, like, a finger inside. So it should not be suffocating, obviously, but quite snug. Otherwise, the effect is just not visually pleasing. I mean, it conveys a very seventies vibe, which, you know, may be your thing, but generally speaking, you would like to avoid that. So actually more than the collar, finding the correct size of collar is very important.

Caroline: What are your best shirt making tips? Do you have any other tips for our listeners?

Emilia: Length of sleeves, also very important. So always check, so if you’re planning to wear a jacket on top, check, uh, the length of the sleeve of your jacket because it’s traditionally, the sleeve of your shirt should stick out a little bit. So maybe, like, a centimeter or so, but I like to show a lot, so mine is, like, two or three. Typically, you should show a little bit. So take that into account if you’re making, if you’re making a suit and you want to have a shirt to go with the suit.

Also, in this case patience. Oh yes. And get, so I think I will probably most likely do some tutorials on how to set in collars. Don’t be flat because. Try not to get flustered by the collar because it’s a bit tricky to set in the collar and the collar stand and get a felling foot. So actually my machine maker, they don’t make them, but they’re generally readily available. And that really helps a lot with flat felling the side seams.

Actually, it has been revolutionary cause otherwise it’s a lot of steps, and it’s overwhelming. Whereas with a felling foot, it’s, like, two steps, and that’s it. And burrito method, burrito method for the win.

Helen: Yes. Love the burrito.

Caroline: We’re big fans.

Helen: Does the felling foot, I’m assuming you still have to trim down one side or does it do that?

Emilia: No, the felling basically you, you stitch them together at the beginning with an offset. So the part which fells on top, it’s already longer, the similar allowance, so this should be reflected on your pattern pieces. So, generally, you do the top, the front of the shirt is going to be felling on top of the back. So then your pattern piece of the front would have a slightly wider seam allowance. And so that’s, that part is longer and you stitch them together and then you, the flat felling, the flat fooled, no felling foot, uh, such a difficult term, then folds everything, kind of, similarly to, um, of the baby hem (speaking Japanese) that’s in Japanese, similar to the baby hem but slightly different, but that’s a similar concept. It will fold the, your longer seam allowance on top of the shorter one.

Helen: Oh, that makes a lot of sense. I have to get my hands on one of these feet. I’m curious, too, if you do much hand sewing when you’re doing all of these tailored garments. Do you use a lot of hand sewing?

Emilia: Yes. So actually, another thing I want to clarify is cause there is a lot of, like, snobbism around tailoring and which is really unnecessary. I’m full of, I’m very opinionated, I’m sorry, but basically you don’t have to hand sew anything if you don’t want. So it’s not, like, bespoke. It doesn’t mean hand sewn. Bespoke means it fits you correct. It fits you well, and it’s made to your own specifications. It’s custom made for you. The pattern doesn’t exist anywhere else. That’s bespoke. You can have bespoke all done by machine.

So on the same vein, you can make, I mean, I find personally that some things are easier and more precise by hand, but if you can do them by machine, do them by machine ‘cause it’s very presumption and ableist to think that you should sew all this stuff by hand, maybe you can, maybe you have arthrosis and you can’t hand sew. So, having said that, I do a lot of hand sewing because I can, and I enjoy it, and I can do it on the sofa drinking bourbon, the superior form of whiskey. So, and while chatting with my spouse, and I think for jackets, maybe 80% is hand sewn, but for pants, maybe only 20, I only do the hem and the waistband by hand, and everything else is machined because it’s, you know, straight seams.

So but for, for jackets, I find it actually more convenient in, to some extent to hand sew, and especially with buttonholes and, I mean, besides the pat stitching, et cetera. So which, you know, if you fuse, you don’t even have to do that, you can just fuse everything. Um, so not pat stitching. If you are then going the completely hand sewn route, uh, yeah, there is supposed pat stitching. And when you may do the buttonholes by hand. What I do recommend doing though, which I think really makes a difference, is setting in the sleeve by hand. I think that really helps.

Helen: Yeah, it’s such a tricky area with those contrasting curves and the collar as well. You could get out your hand sewing needle and at least baste it together beforehand, then it’s a lot less stressful when you hit the machine.

Emilia: Yeah. So don’t pin, at least baste. And uh, if you use shoulder pads, so actually there is, I want to plug a book here. So there is this book series by Cabrera and somebody else. Unfortunately, it comes in two volumes. One for women’s wear and one for men’s wear, which escapes me because the books are absolutely identical. The only difference is that the women’s wear one has skirts and no vests. And so that’s the only, and maybe slightly more fitting tips for the bust area. But, you know, I think even some AMA people may need that. So, um, like if, if, if the publisher of this book is listening, please merge them. It’s ridiculous. The only, the only reason why they’re separating them is so that you can sell more books. Yeah.

Caroline: I love your faith in the fact that the publisher might be listening to our podcast.

Emilia: Yeah, I’m manifesting it.

Caroline: Amazing.

Emilia: I am manifesting this. So, but this book is very insightful and, um, has, uh, kind of, many tricks on how to set in different areas, including the sleeves and teaches you, like, what you should remove. Like, yeah. Is there, is there in several, it’s very, I mean, there are many steps for setting in the sleeve and try not to pin. Try to baste by hand and then you can hit your machine.

Helen: And what is the book called?

Emilia: So it’s Tailoring Techniques. Actually, I, it’s on my blog.

Helen: Okay. That’s alright. We’ll find it.

Emilia: I’m just like the Cabrera, like, everybody, um, actually, yeah, that’s a thing you need. You need that. I mean, if you want to, you can use that. And also I would say a good pattern cutting book is also a good thing to have because understanding how the pattern is constructed helps you a lot when you have to do fitting adjustments. This is my hot tip.

Caroline: Those are, those are really great tips. And what we’ll find that book in and link it in the show notes for sure. You mentioned buttonholes, hand sewing buttonholes, and I want to learn a little bit more about that. Like, how do you feel about a hand worked buttonhole versus machine stitched? What are the pros and cons there?

Emilia: I mean, both have their, their places. I’m not a purist, but now of course there are buttonholes you should always do by hand. Now, I mean, whatever. Like, I personally enjoy making handworked buttonholes but doesn’t mean that they’re superior. And also actually, you may argue that the, in some cases they’re too much because even in buttonholes there are different schools and, uh, and I will have a, on my Instagram, some posts about, like, the different types.

Because typically we think of buttonhole thread, right? And gimp? But no, you can also use no gimp or use the buttonhole thread as a gimp and finer stitch and that gives a much softer buttonhole which goes better with certain soft fabrics. So you would argue, instead of spending one hour doing that, you could just do it by machine instead of doing the buttonhole with gimp which becomes very rigid. So as with everything in tailoring, it’s, you know, everything has its uses.

Caroline: Can you explain quickly to our listeners what the gimp is?

Emilia: So the gimp is this mythical creature which is not being produced anymore so it’s very hard to find, and it’s, kind of, like a thick thread generally made with, at least in Japan, we can find it made in linen. And basically, you use it as a core for a buttonhole. When you make a buttonhole by hand you cut first. You cut it, and then you do some little overcast to, you know, keep it from fraying. And then you do this buttonhole stitches which, kind of, look like blanket stitches, but they’re a bit different because the direction of thread is different and yada yada, and in between you sandwich this gimp, this thick thread, and that creates this effect of this buttonhole being very raised, very prominent, uh, and, and also made because the buttonhole stitch, uh, is quite thick and the buttonhole thread is also quite thick, it makes the entire process relatively fast. I mean, not very fast, but relatively fast as opposed to using no gimp, where you have to stitch a lot more. That’s what Neapolitan tailor’s do. So Neapolitan tailors do, like, no gimp or use the same thread they use for the buttonhole for a gimp, and it’s a finer thread.

So the buttonholes are tiny, and they look a bit messy. So people are like, oh, but this doesn’t look very good as compared to the buttonhole with gimp. But actually, it’s just a different style, and it’s a completely different buttonhole. So these are on my Instagram, too, because this post tailor, Chiro. Hi, Chiro! So I call him Chiro by his Japanese, but he started in Naples. So speaks Italian fluently. Ah, so I’m like, hi, if you’re listening. So he, he loves all this little details. So I had a full array of different buttonholes, and we spent, like, half an hour discussing buttonholes.

Caroline: And when you’re hand working a button hole, we’re not just using all-purpose thread, right? There’s a specific type of buttonhole thread?

Emilia: Yes. There’s a specific type of buttonhole thread which is in silk, and it’s in a Z direction instead of S direction unlike all other hand sewing threads. Oh wait, maybe we should talk about this. So thread has a direction of twist. So machine thread has a Z direction of twist which helps with the, well, the way the machine is constructed and the stitches produced. Whereas hand sewing thread has S direction., so opposite direction.

So which is why you should not use, um, you can’t use them interchangeably. And especially if you try to hand sew with machine thread, it’s going to be a disaster, I mean, not going to be a disaster, but you may encounter problems depending on the stitch you do. People who embroider know this very well. And I came to know in this from embroidery, actually myself. So but buttonhole thread, that is a Z direction.

And that means that then when you do the buttonhole stitch, you have to do it counter-clockwise, I think. Where you go from, normally you would do from, from right to left. In this case, you have to do from left to right. It makes no sense like this, but once you start doing the stitch, you’re like, ah, yeah, makes sense.

Caroline: Okay. Yeah. This is so much information. So I’ll definitely be directing our listeners to your blog and your Instagram to get some visuals on this, but thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. It’s, it’s so cool to hear from you and your experience. I want to ask you about tools because I feel like you must have some pretty interesting sewing tools. And do you have any favorites or any special tools that you feel like is, are needed for tailoring garments?

Emilia: Uh, so a good ironing board, I mean, as big as you can have. That helps a lot. And, uh, I think a clapper, so I didn’t have a clapper for the longest time. And then my spouse made one, and I think the clapper is revolutionary. So I recommend the clapper because for all those, you want all those folds to be very crisp. So you steam them and then you put the clapper on top of it. Really helps.

And then I think also a ham helps, uh, with, um, curved edges, like, armscyes and those things. And then a good set of hand sewing needles also, also in, kind of, different lengths and different thicknesses, which, I mean, because ideally you should match it with your thread then, you know, one does what they can. But yeah, that’s about it actually. You don’t need, yeah, anything, but you don’t need a lot of equipment to start tailoring. Actually, even, like, instead of a clapper, you can use a cutting board. Like, if you have a small cutting board in hardwood that’s works, too.

Helen: Perfect.

Emilia: Yeah. Or, like, a, sort of, hams, you can make your own ham and, uh, or you can use something else around which can take steam. I don’t know, like a pillow or, the problem is very, it’s not going to be very stiff. So because you want them to have some resistance and the ham provides that.

Helen: Yeah. It sounds like an emphasis on pressing tools to help you get those pieces nice. Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. And how do you launder your finished pieces? Are you getting all of these things dry cleaned?

Emilia: I don’t wash them. You don’t have to, again another thing, so actually, so if you’re making it in wool, you really don’t need to wash it. What you need to do is for after wear, you need to brush it. Brush it thoroughly. Get in some nice hard brush, and then you hang it out of the sun, obviously. So it can aerate a little bit, but, I mean, you can spot clean. And, uh, while I have successfully washed pants in water, you have to remember that wa-, water, any washing, even dry cleaning changes the color with time. So you should always dry clean everything together. So jacket and pants, not just pants or just jacket.

Helen: Oh, that’s a good tip.

Emilia: Um, and don’t wash in water things which have a lot of iron work. So your jacket, ideally, you don’t want to wash it in water. So just don’t. And maybe when, what I do is that every few years, two or three years, I dry clean suit. Yeah, because…

Helen: That’s blowing my mind.

Emilia: So like, I think I have not dry cleaned any single one of them. I’m going to send for dry cleaning in October, maybe, summer suits I’ve made, like, two years ago for the first time. The issue is also that it’s more important to learn to press your suits yourself because oftentimes the dry cleaners, unless they’re specialized in suits, they will not know how to press it, and they will press it in the presser which is how they do in dry cleaners. They have, like, a machine which presses everything, and they would flatten your lapel roll. And you imagine you spend all these hours doing the puss stitching to get the magnificent curvaceous, very sexy lapel roll to have it been all flat.

So it’s also the issue and this things are expensive, so, and I always advocate for learning to press it yourself. So if maybe it’s not dirty, but you could use a press and if you learn to press it yourself, and there are many, uh, tutorials online, actually for, I advise people to follow, I’m sorry for this term, men’s, men’s wear bloggers, especially the ones dedicated to tailoring.

You will cringe. Let me tell you. Some are really cringe worthy of these people, but occasionally, they do have good tips, and there was one where the entire guide on how to press well your suit yourself. So that’s good to know. So, um, yeah. And then just brush and spot clean. Avoid washing when pos-. Yeah.

Helen: It’s certainly taking the pressure off. If I’m like, what’s involved with laundering these amazing pieces? And you say just don’t wash them. Like great, perfect.

Emilia: So, like, I have odd trousers, so trousers which don’t have a matching jacket. I sometimes wash in water which means I make a bucket of cold water with castille soap. I dip the pants. I wait 10 seconds. I removed the pants and then I, kind of, like, twist it a little bit, not too much, to remove the excess water. And then I, it, because they’re wool, right? So you don’t want to agitate or anything. And then I roll them up in a towel and then yeah, and I let them dry. And then I press them.

Caroline: That’s a great method. If we, if we do end up having to wash anything. But, um, I, I like the sentiment of, of not having to, as well.

Emilia: Yeah. Actually, if my, if my mother hears me saying this, uh, she will be appalled because my mother is like, never wash any wool in water ever. So she’s… Yeah, because when she was growing up, but I mean, now wools are treated so they don’t shrink like 50%, but when she was growing up, that was the case. There was massive shrinkage. So I feel she’s scarred for life, and like, never wish any wool. Out of the, out of the bathroom, out of my sight. Never wear it, if it’s raining,

Helen: But it’s always raining where we live.

Emilia: Also, also where she lives. So, like, the place we’re from, I mean, we’re not from there, but my family ended up there for reasons. It’s also raining a lot, and it’s really mountainous. Hence, all the manufacturing cause it’s, like, a good place for that.

Helen: Right.

Caroline: What do you want to do in the future? Kind of, what’s coming up for you? Do you want to go deeper into tailoring and degendering fashion? Or are there other directions that you’re interested in taking with your sewing journey?

Emilia: So, well, I want to write more about, I mean, I want to continue the Tailoring for Them because I feel like, you know, you will never exhaust the amount of things you can cover in tailoring because and actually on that I would really like to know what people want to hear from me. Cause I’m thinking of starting a Patreon with, you know, more content. So if people can reach out, if people are really interested in some specific aspect, please do reach out.

And then I’m also moving my blog to a slightly different direction already. I’ve started, like, this May to use sewing just as a pretext to make a blog post about something else and generally, in the political slash social justice sphere. Because I think that it’s, kind of, a bit of a need, I mean, I don’t know. Sewing is nice, and I love it. And I like the fact that sometimes it’s very escap-, is purely escapism. But for me personally, that’s not enough. I need to also, you know, have my thoughts provoked, so, kind of, merging my two passions, politics and sewing together, is where I want to take my blog. And then we will see. So, you know, it would be more politics and less outfits, I guess.

Helen: Well, that sounds pretty exciting. I really look forward to reading your work and your Patreon sounds cool, too. How can our listeners support you right now if they want to find you online or is there a way that they can support your work at the moment?

Emilia: So I have a coffee and, um, so you can support me or buy me a coffee. Coffee. But then the only thing I can say in the Brooklyn accent, a coffee, um, and then if you cannot support me economic, financially, then you can take my stuff and share it. Of course, always credit me, but, you know, share it, talk about it with friends but also helps and, uh, I mean, I’m only one person.

And if my content, if you find my content useful or insightful or thought provoking, then please share it and use it as a starting point for discussion cause that’s the only way we can actually impart any change. Otherwise, it’s just me screaming into the void.

Helen: That’s a great point. And what is the website so people can go find you?

Emilia: So I’m emiliatonuno.blog which is like a, like my blog, and there, there is, there are all the links to, to support me basically everywhere. You will not miss it. It’s like on the, on the first page, on every blog post. Yeah, you will not miss it. Or if you look on coffee also, it’s linked on my, I have a link in bio. It’s also linked there. And, or if you go on the coffee directory and you type emiliatonuno, you will find me there, too. Yeah. Plenty of ways.

Caroline: Fabulous. And speaking of links, obviously we’ll be linking all of this up in the show notes, including your coffee or coffee, all the ways that our listeners can support you. Thank you so much for chatting with us today, Emilia. I know I really, really loved this conversation, and I learned a lot, so thank you.

Helen: Yeah, same here.

Emilia: Thank you for having me.

Helen: It was wonderful.

Caroline: Awesome. Well, you take care.

Emilia; Yeah, you too.

Helen: Bye.

Caroline: Bye.

That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com. And we’re recording today in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Helen: Go to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, you can send us an email at [email protected].

Caroline: If you love Love to Sew and you want more, you can support us on Patreon. For $5 a month, you will get a full length bonus episode and weekly behind the scenes pics. For $10 a month, you get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% discount codes for both of our stores, Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Helen: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you so much for listening. We will talk to you next week.

Caroline: Bye

Helen: Buh-bye..

Caroline: Ciao.

Helen: Nope. Take it out, please.

Caroline: Pretend that didn’t happen.

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Linings can make your clothes last longer, make sheer fabrics more versatile, and even make your jackets warmer. In this episode, Helen and Caroline review how to sew linings, how to draft linings, and how to choose the perfect lining fabric for your garment.

The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.

We are doing an episode all about fitting with expert Alexandra Morgan of In-House Patterns!

 Would you like to be featured on an upcoming episode and get expert fitting advice at the same time? Alexandra will be evaluating photos of listeners’ fitting issues and giving advice on how to get the perfect fit. If you would like to be featured in the episode, send photos of one garment to our email, [email protected]. 

Alexandra has some advice for taking your pictures. 

Please include a written description of your fitting issue that we can read on the show! Remember, this is an audio format, so we need to be able to describe the issue. 

The photographs you send in will be posted in the show notes on our website so that listeners can follow along! This is a fabulous opportunity to get some amazing fitting advice and to help other sewists learn how to fit garments. We hope you’ll consider sending in some photos!

Previous Episodes Mentioned:

Helen wearing the bridesmaid dress she made for her sister’s wedding! The pattern is the Flora Dress by By Hand London (Helen accidentally called it the Hannah Dress in the episode).

Learning Resources:

Sewing Patterns Mentioned:

Selected Fabrics Mentioned (plus one machine foot): 

Transcript:

Caroline: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Helen: Join us for today’s topic: lining.

Caroline: Hello, Helen.

Helen: Hi, Caroline.

Caroline: How are you doing today?

Helen: I’m doing well. Thanks. How are you?

Caroline: I am really good.

Helen: I’m actually very excited to talk to our listeners about a little announcement we have about a future episode.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. I am so excited about this, too. Let’s, let’s fill them in.

Helen: Yes. We have gotten so many requests over the years about doing more episodes about fitting, and we really want to deliver on this. And one of the challenges is that it’s hard to do it without the visuals because, of course, with fitting issues, we want to see those drag lines. We want to see that fabric pooling. So we’ve decided to do a whole episode about fitting with fitting expert, Alexandra Morgan.

And if you’d like to be featured on this upcoming episode and get expert fitting advice at the same time, Alexandra will be evaluating photos of listeners’ fitting issues and giving custom advice on how to get the perfect fit. So if you would like to be featured in this episode, you can send photos of one garment to our email, [email protected].

Caroline: And Alexandra has some advice for taking your pictures. So first you want to make sure to press your garment. Alexandra is going to need to be able to see what’s going on, so you don’t want any errant folds or, you know, weird, wrinkly lines that might distract from the actual drag lines or fit lines that she’s going to be looking at.

Helen: Second, you want to stand with your feet hip width apart and your hands at your sides, and you can totally sit if you’re not able to stand.

Caroline: And have someone else take the pictures or use a tripod and a self-timer, so you get that perfect angle.

Helen: Yes. And speaking of angles, if you’re taking a picture of a top or a dress, have the camera at the level of your chest. And if you’re taking pictures of pants or a skirt, have the camera at the level of your hips.

Caroline: And you want to be sending in photos of your front, back. and side to make sure that we get all the angles.

Helen: Yes. And please include a written description of your fitting issue that we can read on the show. Because this is an audio format podcast, we need to be able to describe the issue, but in addition to the audio format, we’re going to have these photographs that you send in posted in the show notes. So make sure you’re comfortable with that also. It’s going to be on our website so that listeners can follow along with the episode, see the pictures that we’re referring to, and follow along with the fitting advice that Alexandra’s going to be giving.

Caroline: Yes, it’s such a good opportunity to get amazing fitting advice and help other sewists to learn how to fit garments, so we really hope that you’ll consider sending in some photos. Again, our email address is [email protected]. We thank you in advance and Helen, honestly, I’m so excited for this episode. When we came up with this concept, we were, kind of, blown away. Like, how have we not done this before? And I have hosted some workshops at Blackbird with Alexandra Morgan, and she is so good at what she does. So we have so much to learn from her. I’m so happy she agreed to come on the show and do this.

Helen: Yeah, me too. I can’t wait.

Alright. We also have some feedback from Brendan via email. I have been sewing garments for myself, my partner, and my father for about a year now and have amassed a small collection of English language patterns for more masculine styles and men’s fashion on Pinterest. I thought it might be useful to share this Pinterest board with listeners of the podcast.

Of course, there might be more interesting or useful databases in collections out there that I just haven’t found yet, but there’s a surprising variety of digital and print patterns online. They’re often difficult to hunt down since they don’t seem to be frequently shared. I’ll be adding to this collection as I find more and plan on creating sections within the board for different garment types. And I also want to add a sew along section, so people can easily find those since they tend to hide within the vastness of the internet.

Oh man. That is true. Thank you so much for writing to us, Brendan. This resource is really fantastic, so we’re going to share it in the show notes, and we hope you go check it.

Caroline: Yes. Thank you, Brendan.

Okay. We’re going to also answer a question on today’s episode. So this question is really more of a statement actually. Back when we posted our sewing vocabulary episode, @i.am.nataleem on Instagram commented: “Armscye has me stumped but it wasn’t on the list!”

How did we forget armscye?

Helen: I can’t believe we forgot armscye. Okay. This does stump a lot of people. It’s such a strange word. It’s not something you hear in the real world, but in the sewing world, you hear it all the time.

The armscye is the arm hole opening in the bodice of a garment. So if you’re looking at a shirt’s front pattern piece, it’s the curved line on the outside seam that your arm is going to go through or that the sleeve is going to connect to. And that’s it.

You’ve probably heard about armscye adjustments. The length of an armscye is the full measurement around the opening. Lengthening the armscye opens up the arm hole to make more room for your shoulder so you can move your arms more easily. Shortening it closes it up for a closer fit up into your armpit. And if you’re making a top with sleeves and you lengthen or shorten the arm side, you’ll need to adjust the sleeve cap as well. That’s the part that attaches to that armscye.

There’s a lot of different fitting and adjustment things that you can do around armscyes, and they can be a little mysterious, but there’s a tutorial on the Sonia Estep Designs blog for making these adjustments that we will link in the show notes. It took me a while to figure out how to say this word because it is spelled rather strangely, but it is pronounced: arm-sigh.

Caroline: Armscye.

Helen: Armscye.

Caroline: Armscye.

Helen: Kind of sounds relaxing. Yeah. The armscye.

Caroline: I actually find arm side dress adjustments really stressful. So yeah, it’s good that it has a relaxing sounding name.

Helen: That’s true. I also have a little enamel pin that says, “The scye is the limit.” And it’s a little picture of an armscye.

Caroline: That‘s adorable.

Okay, Helen, let’s get into the show cause this episode is all about lining.

Helen: Yes! A lining goes inside a garment, and it’s usually made from a different fabric than the fashion fabric on the outside. It covers the inside of the garment and usually fits closely to the shell, meaning the outside of the garment.

Caroline: And today we’re going to discuss why you might want a lining, ways to sew a lining, and how to draft a lining, and variations on lining.

Helen: Yes, but first let’s share our personal experiences with lining. Caroline, any thoughts?

Caroline: Okay. So I’ve definitely had some experience with lining. I’ve lined coats, jackets, blazers, skirts, and dresses. We covered drafting a lining and sewing a lining when I was in school. So I’m familiar with the, kind of, drafting process. Definitely don’t get much practice with drafting my own lining. I usually will opt for a pattern that already has it built in or already has it drafted. I’d say the most common type of lining I do is, like, the bodice of a dress or maybe the lining in a coat or a swimsuit lining if that counts.

Helen: Totally.

Caroline: Definitely always line my swimsuits. Personally, I love a rayon bemberg or, like, cupro for lining coats. That’s my favorite fabric, uh, for that purpose. And for dresses, I generally line in a similar fabric to the shell of the garment, but it definitely depends on the fabric.

And I mean, I will mention here, as everyone knows, I love a quick and simple sewing project, so I don’t line garments all that often. And I will usually opt for projects that don’t have a lining if I can. But I do think, like, it’s good to practice patience and slow sewing once in a while. So I do try to make something with a lining, like, every once in a while.

Helen: Once a decade.

Caroline: Maybe once a year.

Helen: Once a year. Yeah.

Caroline: What about you? What’s your experience with lining?

Helen: I thought I hadn’t had a lot of experience, but when I started thinking about it, I realized, like you said, like, swimsuit lining, I think totally counts. Or lining a coat or a jacket, I’ve definitely done that many times. I don’t have a ton of experience lining dresses or trousers, in particular. Um, my first lined jacket, I learned a hard lesson. I used a poly fabric because of the adorable flamingo print that was on it, but it was so unbearably hot. And it just ripped at the seams cause I didn’t finish any of the seams cause I didn’t think I needed to, but it just unraveled as I wore it. And, like, it wasn’t a very high quality poly, so it just came apart.

And so since then, I switched to using other fabrics like silk or even flannel, if you want a nice cozy lining. I love a slippery silk lining, especially in, like, the sleeve of a garment. It just feels so luxurious. I also think rayon bemberg is amazing, as you mentioned.

And I did line a couple of By Hand London Hannah Dresses that I made a few years back, uh, one of which was for my sister’s wedding, so maybe we can put a little picture of that in the show notes. We were using a poly satin for the bridal party dresses because the color was just perfect for the palette of the wedding, but I didn’t want that up against my skin because I find that irritates my skin, so I lined mine in a rayon challis, and it actually worked out really well. So it wasn’t the, kind of, pairing that you would expect, but I think that it just worked really well. It gave me a nice soft finish underneath.

Um, I also tend to shy away from projects with linings. I mean, I usually like a quick sew as well. And I do have quite a collection of sheer fabrics, but I haven’t used them because of this. So I do want to sit with them, and I know that I need to do a lining or just embrace the sheerness, one or the other. So this might be the push I need. Let’s learn about lining.

Caroline: Let’s do it. We’re going to learn all together.

Helen: So what are some reasons that one might want a lining?

Caroline: So you might want a smoother fabric on your skin than your fashion fabric. Jacket and coat fabrics, for example, will often feel a bit scratchy and can irritate your skin. So a smooth lining fabric will feel nicer.

Helen: Yeah, linings can make dressing easier. A smooth lining makes your jacket easier to take on and off, keeps it from bunching up against the fabric of the top that you’re wearing underneath or getting caught on, like, your hips as you put it on and take it off.

Caroline: You might want to line a sheer or semi sheer fabric to feel less exposed. There are so many gorgeous sheer fabrics out there, as Helen knows. There are some in year stash, but there aren’t a whole lot of us prepared to wear those without something underneath. So a lining will expand the wearability of those fabrics. There are also fabrics that seem like they would be opaque, but in the sunlight, they show the full shadow of your body. So if that makes you uncomfortable, a lining might be the answer for you.

Helen: A lining can also make a garment last longer. The outer fabric is protected from your skin’s natural oils and moisture, so it won’t look as worn from the outside as it would without a lining.

Caroline: Totally and a lining hides your garments guts. So all those interfacing, seam allowances, pocket bags, they can be hidden under a beautiful, smooth layer of fabric. And the bonus is you can use cool colors or prints for your linings as a special detail.

Helen: Yeah. If you’re using a lining, you don’t necessarily have to do fancy seam finishes because everything is going to be enclosed inside, so that is definitely a benefit. And there’s lots of good reasons to consider a lining, but there are also drawbacks to linings. Maybe? Yes.

Caroline: Yeah. I think there could be a few, one would be linings increase the amount of time spent on a project. So it’s, kind of, like making two garments and then sewing them together.

Helen: Yes. And linings can also add bulk. So even the thinnest lining fabrics can change the look of a garment depending on what the outside fabric is like.

Caroline: Linings can change how a garment feels to wear. So, for example, if you make a pair of wool pants but use a satin poly lining, you could lose the breathability of the wool. Or if you’re making a summer dress out of linen, adding a lining would make the garment thicker and maybe warmer to wear, so you might not feel like wearing it during the hottest weather.

Helen: True and linings can be tricky to sew. You might need to hand sew some of it. If you’re not comfortable with hand sewing, you can do the bagging out method, but be careful because if you make your lining too short, it could pull at your outer fabric and distort the shape of the garment, depending on how that lining is attached to the inside.

Um, so it does take a little bit of practice when working with linings. And lining fabrics are quite shifty and slippery so, not the easiest fabrics to work with either, especially when it comes to cutting things out and fraying and stuff like that.

Caroline: Yeah. But I hope we didn’t scare you off because linings are definitely doable. They just take a bit of know-how and consideration at the early stage of sewing. And a beautifully done lining can really raise a garment to couture levels. So…

Helen: Yeah, up that sewing game.

Caroline: Okay. I think we should talk about fabric first cause choosing the right fabric for your lining is absolutely essential. So let’s go over some of the lining fabrics that are out there.

Helen: Yes. Most of the fabrics you’ll find labeled as lining in fabric stores are made from polyester. Woven polyester is lightweight, thin, it can be very smooth and slippery and all of these qualities make it good for lining. They’re usually very affordable, too, which is a nice bonus.

But the drawback to these, as we mentioned previously, is that they’re not super breathable. So if you have a light, floaty garment, it might not make a huge difference, but if you’re a sweaty person like myself, it might make your clothing less comfortable to wear.

Also, synthetic linings tend to have issues with static. So to cut that static down, you can moisturize your body with lotion. Ooh. The moisture will kill the static, or you can spray your lining or body with some hairspray. No big deal. Just, like, quick hair spray.

Caroline: I love that this is a tip that we’re giving, but also spraying my body with hairspray does not sound like a good time for me. It’s just sticky.

Helen: No, I think that might clog my pores, personally, but I do like the moisturizing tip.

Caroline: Yeah. Okay. Another type of lining fabric that you’ll come across is lightweight rayons like viscose, Tencel, lyocell and EcoVero. These can make great linings. Rayons are breathable, and they have a cool hand, so they’re really comfy against the skin. Plus, they’re often smoother than other breathable fabrics like cotton and linen. Bemberg rayon is a popular and beautiful choice for linings. It’s almost as smooth as satin.

Helen: Yeah. That’s why it’s our favorite.

Caroline: Yeah, exactly. It’s true. It’s like you get the breathability of the rayon, but you’re not going with a poly satin, you’re going with, you know, something a little bit more, that feels a little bit more natural against the skin and also, kind of, on the affordable side in compared to silk. So we love rayon bemberg. And you typically want a lightweight fabric for a lining, so the weight is not distorting the outer garment. So fabrics like Tencel Twill are going to be a little bit too heavy, generally speaking, for lining.

Helen: Yes, I did line a jacket once with Tencel Twill and, uh, it worked out well, but the jacket is heavy. Like, it feels like I’m putting on a weighted blanket and, you know, for some people that might be a really nice feeling. And in certain climates, it certainly feels lovely, but something to consider.

Yeah. Okay. Silk is a beautiful choice for lining. As we mentioned, you will want to choose a lightweight and smooth weave like a charmeuse, habotai, or crepe de Chine. These fabrics are what the polyester lining fabrics are trying to imitate. Silk is breathable and feels really lovely on the skin. The only thing is that it’s pricier, and it might need to be hand washed or dry cleaned. So it’s definitely a little bit more of an investment.

Caroline: Yeah, and I want to talk a little bit more about habotai since it’s a fabric we’ve never really talked about on the podcast before. So habotai is a plain weave silk fabric that’s super lightweight and smooth. It’s also known as China silk. And if you see a fabric labeled as silk lining, it’s probably habotai. It’s typically used as a lining for higher end garments like wedding gowns. And it’s on the more affordable end of silk fabrics, so that’s one thing to keep in mind as well. And because of its weave, it frays a lot. So French seams are always a good idea.

Helen: Yes. I see this fabric recommended for sewing your own wedding dress. Um, and I’ve seen it around the internet, so that’s really cool. Maybe one day I’ll get a chance to use it.

Caroline: Mhm. Okay. So cotton can also be a solid option for a lining. A lightweight lawn, batiste, or voile under a summer dress or skirt is super nice and breathable. It’s also easily washable. And a thicker cotton, like flannel, can be really good for, like, a warm interlining. We’ll discuss interlining a bit later in this episode. The drawback of cotton is that it doesn’t usually have the smooth surface you’d want for a lining, so you might notice some bunching as the lining and the shell fabrics drag across each other.

Helen: Yes. And cotton works really well for lining embroidered fabrics like eyelets because you get that little pop of color underneath or you can do something that will blend in a little bit better. Um, linen has similar properties to cotton. It will be breathable but could bunch up since it isn’t as smooth. Um, it also wrinkles, so, as we know, expect the lining to be wrinkly as well. Linen is stronger than cotton though, so it will last longer. So that’s something, too.

Caroline: Mhm, and wool, isn’t usually used as a lining. Wool garments are usually lined with something else. However, this could make a nice interlining for a super warm coat or jacket.

Helen: Yes, and stretch linings are a smaller category. They’re usually used for swimsuits or performance wear, like for dancers or ice skaters. They come in a few neutral shades, and you can make your swimsuit more opaque and give it a little bit more structure by using a lining. They’re usually made of polyester or nylon which makes them wearable in the water. And there are many types of swim linings on the market. Um, there’s also power mesh, firm power mesh, tricot. There really isn’t a right or wrong choice. You just have to experiment and figure out what your favorite one is.

Caroline: Mhm. Okay. Self linings are another option. This is where you use the same fabric for the shell and the lining of a garment. This is an unusual choice because typically the fabrics used for the outside of garments are more expensive than the fabrics used for lining. However, it’s definitely an option.

If you have a ton of lightweight, solid color fabric that’s just a bit too sheer, why not use the same fabric for a lining? Although if you have a print that’s a bit too sheer, you don’t want to use that print as a self lining because the print will show through on the right side and, kind of, create a weird visual effect, unless you’re going for that.

Helen: Yeah, it could look really cool. Double layer print.

Okay. So choosing your lining and shell fabrics is definitely a bit like matchmaking. You want them to be a great couple. So here’s some things to consider: is your shell fabric breathable? Then use a breathable lining fabric, so you don’t lose that lovely property.

Caroline: Pair rough with smooth. So if you’re making a boucle jacket, you will want a smooth lining so that the textured fabric doesn’t catch on it.

Helen: Think about the bulk. So for dresses, skirts, and pants, you want a lightweight lining to keep a smooth line. For bigger jackets and coats, you could go with a mid-weight fabric that won’t disturb the structure of the garment.

Caroline: And if you’re lining a sheer or semi sheer fabric, you’ll want to be particular about the color you choose since you’ll see it from the outside. So you can lay a swatch of your shell fabric over the lining fabric to see how it will look from the outside. And here’s a tip for semi sheer fabrics. If you choose a lining color that’s close to your skin tone, the lining will seem invisible from the outside.

Helen: Ooh, lining can affect the drape of a shell fabric, too. So you want your lining fabric to have the same or more drape than your shell fabric. So to see what kind of drape your fabric has, hold it from the corner so that’s falling on the bias. This is what you always see fabric stores doing in Instagram videos. Drapier fabrics will fold together to form a thinner shape and less drapey fabrics will stick out at the sides and make a wider shape.

Caroline: Yeah, that’s a really great tip. And you also want to consider how you’re going to wash it. You will need to follow the care instructions for the most restrictive fabric you use. So if your lining is dry clean only, you need your whole garment to be dry clean only.

Helen: Yes and make sure to prewash all your fabrics. If your lining fabric shrinks in the wash and your shell fabric doesn’t, it will mess up the shape of your final garment when you go to wash it, or like we said, you can just commit to dry clean life.

Caroline: You may also want to use a stronger fabric for pockets. Pockets can get a lot of wear from holding your stuff and from you jamming your hands into them. So you might consider using a strong tightly woven fabric for them, usually cotton works best. I remember making coats with you and our friend Tasia and, uh, Tasia had some extra, like, thermal lining, and I used it for my pockets, and I love that coat because the pockets are, like, extra warm for my hands.

Helen: Ooh, that’s so good. I love that idea. Okay. You can have fun with color and print with linings, too. It is so fun to choose a lining. You can go really matchy-matchy. Or you can do something with a lot of contrast. So pairing a neutral fabric with a pop of color for the lining or a solid exterior with a fun print on the inside. Just watch out for areas where the lining might show through, like peeking out at a neck or an arm opening. Um, you can do a facing there to hide the lining. Uh, if you plan to roll up your sleeves on your jacket, that’s another opportunity for that to peep out, and, you know, that might be exactly what you want. I love seeing, like, a nice neutral gray coat with, like, a gold or red or blue lining. It’s just so much fun.

Caroline: Mhm. Yes. You can really have a blast with that. Special mention about sleeves. If you choose something that isn’t slippery like a cotton or flannel, you might want to have a slippery fabric lining just for the sleeves of the, your garment. This is going to ensure that your arm glides smoothly into the sleeve.

Helen: Yes. I love a smooth glide. Okay. So you’ve got your fabrics picked out, hopefully pre-washed. The next hurdle is sewing your lining. First, you’re going to be okay.

Caroline: Yes, you will. Okay. There are a couple of general methods for sewing in linings that we want to go through. The first method is “bagging out.” This is where you sew up the shell fabric part of the garmen first. Then, you sew up the lining the same way you sewed the shell. Then, you sew the shell to the lining, right sides together, leaving an opening large enough to turn the garment right side out. After you turn it out, you hand sew the opening closed. So, this method is quick since you’re using the sewing machine for almost all of it.

The drawback is that if you need to adjust the lining, you have to turn the entire garment inside out, restitch, and then turn it right side out again. It can be a little bit stressful, especially with fabrics that fray easily. But seam rippers exist for a reason, right? So just make sure not to trim your seams before you turn the garment right side out to check that everything looks good. This is what we called lovingly in Jasika’s episode, “birthing the coat,” where there’s a tiny opening and you’re, kind of, pulling a coat like the, all of the bulk of the coat fabric through, and then magically, you end up with a lined coat you, kind of, as you’re doing it you’re like, is this really happening? Oh my gosh. Is it working? And then it works and it’s great.

Helen: So yeah, it really is one of those magic moments, and it makes you feel like you have super powers the first time you bag a lining. Uh, definitely recommend if you’re looking for a project to up your sewing game.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Okay. The second method is hand-setting the lining. This is when you sew up the shell of the garment, then you construct parts of the lining by machine. When you go to attach the lining to the shell, however, it’s going to be mostly hand sewing. This is obviously slower than bagging out, but it gives you the opportunity to adjust the lining where you need to. You can carefully ease in the shoulders, make sure the lining isn’t tugging on the shell fabric. And generally, just give it a much more couture finish and just have a nice relaxing time on your couch with your hand sewing needle.

Caroline: Mhm. Yeah, I think this is probably the safest way to go if you’re worried about, maybe your fabrics are particularly shifty, or you noticed as you were constructing your lining, oh, it’s looking a little wonky for whatever reason. This method is slower, but it’s going to get you, like, a really, really professional finish.

Some linings can hang free at the bottom hem. So linings for tops, skirts, dresses, and pants generally aren’t attached to their shells at the hems. They’re hemmed separately about an inch shorter. So they don’t peek out from the bottom.

Helen: Yes. I mean, on a skirt or a dress, you could even hem it, you know, two feet shorter if you’re working with, like, a long dress and then you have a bit of a, like, a sheer fabric on the outside, and you can just see that lining poking through on the inside. I think that can be a really beautiful look as well.

Um, once you’ve figured out which method you like, you can do this on pretty much every garment, even if the pattern instructions say to do it another way. If you haven’t figured out which one you like yet, try them both and see how you feel. Of course, if you’re not confident yet doing your own thing, pattern instructions can be a lifesaver. So in that case, follow each step carefully, and check twice before you do anything permanent, and just choose a pattern that has great lining pieces and instructions included.

Caroline: Yeah. I always tend to follow pattern instructions the first time I make a garment because sometimes I’ll discover, like, a new way of doing things that’s really, you know, exciting and different. And sometimes I’ll like it more than my own, like, tried and true method. But then if I realize I like my method better, the next time I make it, I’ll make an adjustment.

Helen: Then you get that satisfaction of being like, no, I’m going to do it my way.

Caroline: My way is better. Yeah. Okay. So that’s the basics of lining garments, but of course, there are some tricky parts that you’ll face with different garments.

So let’s talk about some special lining situations.

Helen: Yes! Okay. So, for example, working around closures like zippers. So with a regular zipper, you have a couple of options for how to sew your lining around it. The first method is machine only. So you baste the zipper openings of both your shell and your lining closed. You baste the zipper to the shell at the opening, and then you position your basted lining opening over the zipper and shell and pin it in place. The shell and the lining should be wrong sides together, and the zipper’s teeth should be centered over the basted seam on both the lining and the shell. The zipper pole should be facing the shell as well.

So, once you have your sandwich all pinned, you can use your zipper foot to sew a rectangle a quarter of an inch around the zipper teeth. And now you can pull out your basting threads, and your zipper is all finished. This way is pretty fiddly. And if you need to move the zipper pole so that you can sew your straight line, it can be difficult, or near impossible, to push it down.

A long stick, such as a chopstick, can help when you’re at your machine, and you can pull it up again by tying a string to the hole in the pole and having it hang out of the sandwich at the top. So with this one, you’ll really need to take your time and adjust, adjust, adjust. Easy Peasy Creative has a blog post on this method with lots of pictures cause, of course, me explaining it, probably not that helpful. So check out our show notes so you can see it for yourself.

Caroline: I can picture it in my mind’s eye.

Helen: Yeah, totally.

Caroline: Of course, this isn’t the only method. So, the second method uses some hand sewing. First, you use your machine to sew the zipper to the shell the way you normally would. Then, you press your lining seam allowances to the sides around the opening. You don’t baste it close. Finally, you hand sew the lining to the zipper tape, only. That way you won’t see any stitches on the outside. With this method, you don’t lap the lining over the zipper. Instead, you use a slip stitch to attach the lining to the zipper tape close to the zipper teeth. This way takes a little bit longer, but it’s easier to get a really clean finish.

Helen: Yeah, I definitely think this is the way I would go if I wanted to just, like, quickly hand stitch my lining over my zipper. And then, like we said, there’s no stitching on the outside. It’s perfect.

The third method is to hand sew the zipper entirely. This obviously takes a little more time, but it makes the zipper nearly invisible from the outside and leaves a gorgeous clean finish on the inside. And it’s going to give you a lot of control when you’re inserting your zipper. So, if you’re nervous about inserting a zipper, try hand sewing it. It’s actually easier sometimes than using a machine. So there’s a good article on how to handpick a lapped zipper on Craftsy that we’re going to link in the show notes. After you do that with the shell, you hand sew the lining opening around the zipper the way that we just talked about previously.

Caroline: Yeah, actually I’ve mentioned this on the show before. A handpicked zipper is definitely my preferred zipper insertion method, especially when I’m making, like, a party dress or something to wear to a wedding, which is often the only time I’m sewing a zipper into a garment, other then, like, pants. Um, so I think it’s, like, a great way to get control, get a couture method, and it just looks really good. So, yeah.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Okay. So that’s all for regular zippers. What about invisible zippers?

Helen: Yes. And you can sew an invisible zipper using just your machine. You can use a zipper foot to sew the zipper to the shell garment. There’s even invisible zipper feet that you can use that will be a lifesaver here. And then you sew the lining onto the shell piece with right sides together. It’s like a sandwich of shell garment, zipper, and lining piece. Then, when you turn the lining into the garment, you’re left with a really neat seam where only the zipper teeth are visible at the edge. This is fast but a bit fiddly. Christine Haynes has an article on sewing an invisible zipper and a lined bodice that demonstrates how this all works.

Caroline: Awesome. Okay. What about lining a sleeveless bodice? This can be tricky, but there are definitely work arounds. So you can bag it out. If you have a front and back piece without an opening for a zipper, you’re going to need to leave the shoulder seams open so you can turn it out. And once you do, you can hand sew them together. It can be difficult to make this look neat though because you’re sewing like a small circular seam.

Helen: Yes, a great alternative to bagging out a sleeveless bodice is the burrito method! Seamwork has a great video on this lining technique that we’ll link in the show notes for you, but we’ll walk you through it now. We actually use this for our Ashton Top pattern to do the all-in-one facing which can easily be extended into a lining, as well.

So, first you sew the shoulder seams of the shell and the lining together. Then, you sew the shell to the bodice at the neckline and under stitch the lining to the seam allowance. Then, lay your bodice right side out, and it’s time to do the burrito. Starting at one side seam, roll the garment up until you reach the second side seam. Wrap the arm hole edges around the burrito so you can sew that long arm hole seam with right sides together.

Make sure not to catch the burrito in your seam when you’re doing this which can be tricky depending on the bulk of the fabric, but you can do it. Pull the garment out through the arm hole so that it’s right side out, and then, repeat the little burrito method to sew the other arm hole seam. So now you can sew your side seams with right sides together, and you’ll have a beautifully matched sleeveless shirt or bodice. Burritos: great for dinner and for sewing.

Caroline: Imagine eating a burrito while you’re… actually that’s not a good idea. Burritos are too messy.

Helen: Burritos are, like, quintessentially messy.

Caroline: Um, no, I actually love the burrito method, but I find it really difficult to visualize with just words. So definitely recommend checking out that video cause it’s going to blow your mind when you actually see it in action.

Helen: Yeah. It’s so fun. Okay. Another special lining situation is underlining, also known as interlining. Interlining is usually used for warmth in coats and jackets, and it’s a great way to beef up your outerwear for colder climates.

Caroline: One way to interline is to baste your interlining to your lining pieces and then sew them as one piece. So, you’ll still be going through the steps of sewing your shell fabric to your lining fabric, but the lining will just be a lot thicker because of the interlining. Heather Lou from Closet Core Patterns interlined her Oslo Coat this way with Thinsulate which is a technical fabric developed for outerwear and sleeping bags. So you can also interline with batting or thick flannel, but Thinsulate is a really cool fabric if you’ve never worked with it before.

Helen: Another way to interline is to sew the interlining as one piece with the shell fabric, then finish the seams the way you normally would. A Hong Kong finish is a good idea for this because the seam allowance will probably be quite bulky.

Caroline: Yes, and another cool way to line coats and jackets is to make a removable lining. A removable lining makes a jacket more versatile for different temperatures. Amy from Closet Core Patterns made a canvas Sienna Maker Jacket with a removable lining, made from thick buffalo plaid. It’s so lumberjack chic. She made a post on the Closet Core blog with the details of how she made it, so we’ll link that up in the show notes. But essentially, she made a shorter sleeveless version of the jacket and put snaps all around the edge.

Snaps aren’t your only option, though. Amy of Amy Nicole Studio has a video tutorial for making a removable liner for the Grainline Thayer Jacket that zips in and out. So we’re going to link both of these resources in the show notes. Really, really cool, innovative ways to attach linings. I love it.

Helen: Ooh, I love the idea of interlining in a swimsuit, too. We just released the Sandpiper Suit this past summer, and you can actually use swimsuit lining and power mesh if you want. You could double up the lining and have that support structure, but if you don’t like the texture of power mesh, then you have that nice soft lining on the outside, so you can do this with knits, too.

Caroline: Very cool.

Helen: Okay. What if you want to line a garment, but the pattern doesn’t include a lining?

Caroline: Whew. I don’t know, Helen, throw in the towel.

Helen: No way! You can totally draft your own lining. It’s actually pretty straightforward. Each garment is going to have different pieces for making a lining. So we’re going to give you some general tips to help you out, but of course, depending on your project, it’s going to be a unique situation.

So your first step for drafting a lining is going to be to trace the pattern pieces onto fresh paper. You’ll need to make small but significant changes to the pattern pieces, so you don’t want to cut into your original pattern. Plus, you may want to save these pieces so you can use them again. Don’t forget to trace out markings like darts and notches, and make sure to label your pieces. Some sewists swear by specialty tracing papers like Swedish tracing paper, but artist tracing paper or craft paper will work just fine if that’s what you have on hand.

Caroline: Yes, and it’s a good idea to remove the seam allowance from your traced pieces. This makes things a lot less confusing as you move through the changes to the pattern pieces.

Helen: Now, you’re ready to make the changes to your pieces. There are some places where you’re going to want to make the lining bigger than the shell so that the lining doesn’t pull and distort the outside of the garment. On a jacket or bodice, you may want to incorporate a small pleat across the back. If you’re sewing a lining into a hem facing, you probably want to add a bit of ease by lengthening the lining piece. Both of these are achievable by slashing and spreading the pattern or simply extending out the areas as needed if it’s, like, a basic rectangle shape or something like that.

Caroline: Yeah, and there are other places where the lining should be smaller than the shell. The armscye of a jacket lining should be a bit higher than the armscye on the shell. And of course, linings that hang free at the hems should be shorter than the shell hem so that they don’t peak out.

Helen: Yes, and if there are seams in the garment that are more for style than for function, you can potentially eliminate them for your lining by taping those pattern pieces together, and then you don’t have to have that seam in your lining. You don’t have to match the fullness of the shell garment if your lining is hanging free. Like, for example, if you have a tiered skirt, you could line it with a simple, a-line skirt and save yourself from adding gathers to your lining which will of course add a lot of volume.

Caroline: Totally. You also may not have to line the whole garment. You can save yourself some time and effort by leaving sleeves unlined if that’s not important to you. And after you make the changes you want, add the seam allowances back to your pieces. And now you’re ready to cut out the lining.

Helen: Yeah, there’s a great article in Seamwork called “A Lesson in Lining” by Sabrina Lee that walks you through drafting and sewing a lining for a jacket or coat. We’ll definitely link that one in our show notes. It’s helpful for understanding linings, even if you don’t plan to draft your own.

Caroline: Yes. Okay. So what if your pattern is drafted for a lining, but you don’t want to line it?

Helen: Oh, this I can get behind. Okay. So all you have to do is sew up the pattern as planned and not attach the lining. Look through the pattern instructions to check if there’s anything that you’re going to need to change to go lining-less. Is that a word?

Caroline: Uh, now it is.

Helen: Lining-less. So with most patterns, you can sew it up and simply finish the seams in a different way. Maybe even do a decorative seam finish. You can check out our episode on seam finishes to go over your options. You might need to make another plan for finishing a neckline or arm holes though. Like bias binding could be good for that, or you could draft yourself some facing.

Caroline: Before we wrap up, I think it’s a good idea to mention something that’s like a lining, but not quite, slips.

Helen: Ooh.

Caroline: There was a time when pretty much every woman was expected to wear slips under every garment. I’m really happy we’re past that, Helen. We’re not arguing that we should bring that back, but instead, think of a slip like a lining that you can use for a bunch of different garments. It’s useful if you love sheer fabrics but don’t feel like showing a lot of your skin. Or if you love wool, but don’t like how scratchy it can be. Also, slips don’t need to be gendered. Slips for everybody.

Helen: Yes. You can make a super simple half slip to wear under skirts. There’s a good tutorial on Craftsy that recommends rayon bemberg fabric, but you could use any lining fabric. Essentially, very simple gathered waist skirt that you can just throw on under a skirt or a dress.

Caroline: Yeah, you can make a full slip to wear under dresses. Seamwork’s Cinnamon Slip and Friday Pattern Co’s Saltwater Slip Dress are good options.

Helen: You could also make a camisole. You don’t have to make a full slip, just like a simple little cami, maybe using the Ogden Cami pattern would be a good option. And then you can wear that under sheer blouses.

Caroline: Yeah. I also love that slips are an opportunity for a little bit of slow sewing, maybe a little bit of customization, like adding a lace trim or, I don’t know, some other kind of more finicky details because you can use it again and again. It’s not just going to be used for one garment.

Helen: Mhm, and Jess of Muna and Broad made some petti-pants which is a hilarious word for a very useful thing. She made pocketless Glebe Pants out of lining fabric and then finished them with foldover elastic at the waist. And now she has a lining she can use with a bunch of different pants. I’m so into this idea of a pants slip, like, to make it just more comfortable to wear certain fabrics. I think this could be really useful.

Caroline: Yeah. Especially if you wear a lot of, like, wool pants, I could totally see this working.

Helen: Yeah. So again, extending the wearability of your clothes or making them more durable in the long run because they’re not going to be as, I’m thinking of another word for soil cause I don’t want to say soiled…

Caroline: Exposed to our bodies’ natural oils?

Helen: Yeah, lovely.

Caroline: Okay. So, yeah, linings are here to make your clothing more wearable, and we hope that this episode made you feel more confident and comfortable with linings. And if not drop us a line about lining or just send us an email or a voicemail.

Helen: And tag us in your lined garments. I want to see all the beautiful work that you’ve put into those lined garments over on Instagram. So make sure you tag us this week, and we can do some reshares, and we love to see it.

Caroline: We love to see it.

That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me Caroline at blackbirdfabrics.com and Helen at helensclosetpatterns.com.

Helen: We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. Go to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, you can send us an email at [email protected].

Caroline: If you love Love to Sew and you want more, you can sign up for our Patreon. For $5 a month, you get a full length bonus episode and weekly behind the scenes pictures. For $10 a month, you get all that plus a mini episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off codes for Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew for more info.

Helen: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber.

Caroline: And thank you for listening. We’ll see you next week.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: I usually like a quick sew also-le.

Caroline: A quick sew a-lol.

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