Stitching Tales

Zippers can feel either completely manageable or like a trip straight down to anxiety land. So Johanna and Malena take a deep dive into the surprisingly broad world of zippers, looking at coil, metal, plastic and invisible zippers, and how to choose the right one for different garments. They share practical tips for getting zippers to behave, including choosing the right length, stabilising fabric...

The T-shirt might be one of the most ordinary things in your wardrobe, but it has a surprisingly eventful past. Johanna and Malena trace its history from men’s underwear, athletic wear and workwear to James Dean, band tees, slogans and the everyday fashion staple we know today. Along the way, they talk about the rise of jersey, Coco Chanel, and the practical origins of the white T-shirt. They also...

Johanna threatens to jump out of the window if she has to sew one more striped garment in 2026. Luckily, Malena talks her off the ledge. Instead, they get into the weeds of sewing striped fabrics: Cutting as a single layer, deciding whether to follow the grainline or the stripes, figuring out where a hem stitchline should land, and discovering that sleeve caps have absolutely no interest in cooper...

Johanna and Malena open up the mailbox and answer some great listeners' questions, which takes the conversation into Swedish sewing culture, personal style and why making your own clothes can be about much more than filling a gap in the wardrobe. They compare Swedish, Danish, Finnish, and Japanese style, talk about how sewing can become several hobbies at once, and share their thoughts on adjustab...

Fancy elastic sounds like something that should come with a tiny handbag and an attitude problem, but it’s actually surprisingly useful. In this episode, Johanna and Malena look at fold-over elastic, stretch lace, picot and plush elastic, and where each works best. They talk about stretch and recovery, choosing the right width, testing before committing, and different ways to attach elastic with a...

It’s catch-up time! Malena has some cool news about her work, including a brief moment of proximity to a famous couturier. Plus a new part-time job at a bridal shop. We talk high-fashion pattern making, brides and the surprising joy of having a job where you interact with others. Meanwhile, Johanna has been wrestling with podcast hosting, monetising the podcast and the small matter of recutting mo...

What are the sewing habits, tools and construction choices that have made the biggest difference to our sewing? In this episode, Johanna and Malena share their personal sewing game changers, including pressing throughout construction, pre-pressing hems, inserting trouser zippers on the flat, making toiles, and cutting tricky fabrics in a single layer. They also discuss what home sewists can learn...

Knit bindings are one of those sewing techniques that might seem simple. Just wrap some fabric around an edge, right? Well, not quite that easy, unfortunately. Plus, there are plenty of ways to do it, so how do we know which one is the best? Essentially, a perfect topic for Johanna and Malena to dive deep into. Malena even confesses that she has never sewn a binding before. So Johanna breaks down...

Why wait until January to start fresh? Fall has all the ingredients for a new beginning, right? That's when we crave routines and want to reset, reorganise and make new plans. This is why Johanna and Malena make a case for September being the start of a Sew New Year. To kick off this new concept, they discuss habit stacking, journaling and mood boards, along with some very practical sewing tips. P...

What does fall 2026 actually look like when you stop scrolling past the runway photos and start thinking about what you'd actually wear? Johanna and Malena compare fashion magazines, runway coverage, AI trend research and a very Swedish source of trend intelligence: watching what young people are wearing at a music festival Johanna visited recently. They talk about the return of visible craft,...

Summer is almost over, routines are returning, and Johanna and Malena are back with a catch-up. They talk about trying to take time off, getting back into work mode, Swedish summer weather, and the small matter of a health scare that gave Johanna an unexpected break from coffee, spices, wine and basically all the things she enjoys. The conversation also delves into the less glamorous side of creat...

Darts. Tiny folds of fabric that somehow manage to cause a surprising amount of confusion. In this episode, Johanna and Malena unravel one of sewing's most fundamental techniques, exploring what darts actually do, why they're still relevant, and how they transform flat fabric into garments that fit real bodies. Along the way they discuss bust, waist and shoulder darts, when you can replace them wi...

It's time for another To A Tee update, and this time Johanna and Malena have plenty to share. After months of writing, drafting, testing and revising, the book is finally starting to look like... well, an actual book. In this episode, they take you behind the scenes of the latest stage of the project, from sewing instructions and paper pattern layouts to neckline options, grading and all the tiny...

Most people picture one job when they think about fashion: designer. Or perhaps a pattern maker if you are deeply into sewing (like us!). But the clothing industry is a whole ecosystem, and most of the key roles happen far away from the sketchbook. In this episode, Malena and Johanna break down how the apparel business actually works. From global players to small independent brands, they walk thro...

It's time for another catch-up episode, which means Johanna and Malena are chatting about everything from summer sewing projects to the not-so-glamorous realities of running a sewing business. Malena has been sewing a new boat-neck knit top and they swap some practical sewing tips, including a clever neckline trick, moving shoulder seams for a better fit, and ways to reduce bulk when sewing kn...

Sizing a sewing pattern is rarely as simple as making everything bigger or smaller. In this episode, Malena unpacks what pattern grading actually involves, from choosing a base size to adjusting proportions for areas like the bust, waist, neck and sleeves. You’ll hear why grading is about balance rather than mathematics alone, how fabric choice affects the process, and why there are so many differ...

Sometimes a business pivot starts with a carefully planned strategy. Other times it starts with panic, burnout, a global crisis… or just the growing feeling that something isn’t working anymore. In this episode, Malena and Johanna talk about the messy reality of changing direction as creative entrepreneurs. From freelance work and sewing businesses to bridal alterations, PDF patterns and unexpecte...

Johanna and Malena unravel the surprisingly complicated world of elastic, and hopefully they didn't stretch this topic too far! This elastic deep dive covers everything from comfy waistbands and sports bras to swimwear and activewear. Plus lots of practical tips for measuring elastic, joining the ends neatly, preventing twisting and rolling, and even how to use elastic for gathers. Johanna also ex...

You spend days making a precious garment. And then, with wash and wear, it starts to break down. In this episode, Malena and Johanna talk about what affects how long handmade clothes actually last, such as fabric choices, how you wash your makes, and the things that slowly wear garments down. If you’ve ever had something you made lose its shape, fade faster than expected, or just not hold up, this...

The sewing world has never been more connected, or more fragmented. 15 years ago, most online sewists gathered in a handful of forums and blogs. Today, conversations are spread across Facebook groups, memberships, Discord servers, Substack, online courses, Instagram, YouTube, and platforms that may or may not still exist by the time this episode airs. On one hand, it's easier than ever to find...

Sewing thread seems simple, until you realise that there is a thread jungle out there, and that choosing the right thread can affect everything from seam durability and stretch to stitch quality and how smoothly your machine sews. In this episode, Malena and Johanna are diving deep into the world of sewing threads. From regular all-purpose thread to overlock cones, stretch thread and heavy topstit...

What happens when the thing you used to enjoy doing starts feeling like dread? Because burnout and exhaustion often creep up on us, and can be hard to nip in the bud. In this candid conversation, Johanna and Malena talk about their own experiences with burnout, losing motivation, and what happens when a hobby, passion, or creative business no longer feels inspiring. Because even something you genu...

Summer has (almost) arrived in Sweden, and Malena and Johanna are ready to talk about warm-weather sewing. It starts with a linen pants therapy session where Johanna has some saggy struggles; luckily, Malena has the solutions. They move on to shorts and how we can hack our favourite pants sewing pattern into a pair of shorts (hint: the answer might surprise you). Then Malena pulls out a roll of fa...

The coverstitch machine can easily become an expensive hemming machine. So in this episode, Johanna and Malena talk about why it can do so much more than just finish the bottom of a t-shirt. Johanna is on a roll in this episode, and dishes on everything from reverse coverstitching and bindings to seams inspired by ready-to-wear activewear and even denim! Then the conversation turns to using woolly...

Malena and Johanna open the mailbag again and answer your pressing sewing questions! Should you purge patterns that no longer fit? Who gets the final word when Malena and Johanna disagree on a technique? And can you skip the grain line when sewing samples? These and many more questions are answered in this very meaty Q&A episode. Email us more questions at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod...