Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably

During the last few episodes we’ve been talking about reducing our fabric stashes: the idea being that our collection would then make us feel well stocked but not encumbered. But once you’ve selected the pieces that you can’t honestly see yourself sewing, what are you meant to do with them? There are a number of options, but fabric swaps have got to be one of the most fun AND most ethical ways of...

How do you feel about your fabric collection? If there are any uncomfortable feelings that are preventing you from feeling excited and inspired by what you have, it might be time to consciously reduce how much you own. In Episode #180, we heard from a bunch of lovely CYT listeners who have successfully reduced their fabric stashes, and they shared what mindset shifts and practical steps worked for...

Fabric collections elicit all sorts of feelings. Ideally, they're a source of inspiration that gets our creative juices flowing. But for some of us, especially when the amount we own is out of sync with the speed at which we sew, we might grow to feel uncomfortable, embarrassed or even guilty about the resources we’ve accumulated. This episode is Part 1 of a practical deep dive into HOW to do it,...

As makers, we need materials to create with. And a love of beautiful textiles is often part of why we got into sewing in the first place. But as residents of a planet experiencing a climate and ecological crisis, we need to be mindful of what we’re consuming and how much. So is there a way to indulge in fabric purchasing that’s also inline with what’s best for our planet? My guest this week, Judit...

Those of us who make our own clothes know that taking the time to make a toile or muslin, and altering our sewing patterns to fit our own bodies are steps we ought to take. We know that they’ll result in better fitting garments that we’ll want to wear more often. But these steps can feel like huge hurdles when you don’t know what to do with a toile or muslin once you’ve made it. Drafting and fitti...

Once again, it’s time to consider participating in Me-Made-May, the annual wardrobe challenge I accidentally started 16 years ago. This episode is a super quick explainer, or refresher, on what the challenge is all about and how you can participate.  Support the podcast over on Patreon ! For a lengthier, fuller explanation of the challenge, what it is, what it isn’t, how to participate and wh...

I’m guessing that there are at least a few garments in your wardrobe that fit you ok, but you’ve kind of fallen out of love with. Or maybe you fancy injecting even more of your personality and style into your handmade wardrobe. This week I’m bringing you a conversation with legendary sewing and craft teacher, Cal Patch. Cal shares heaps of tips, tricks and info on how you could go about embellishi...

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been looking at how to make quilts more sustainable, but what do you know about the quilt makers that came before us? What motivated their practices and influenced their designs? What techniques were deployed to be as economical with their fabric and fibres as possible? Did they make their quilts alone? And how did quilt making change with the introduction of th...

Do you dabble in quilt making? Or are you curious to give it a go someday? Well this episode is PACKED full of amazing tips submitted by CYT listeners on how to do so more sustainably. So you can get maximum enjoyment from the process and finished item, whilst knowing that the negative impact it had on the environment is just about as low as it could get. Support the podcast over on Patreon ! (ima...

Hopefully, full-on burnout is not something you have, or will, experience yourself. However, we all encounter periods of pressure and stress. My guest, Radha Weaver, is a recovering overachiever who worked in a demanding role at Levi’s for fifteen years. Travelling all over the globe developing multiple product lines eventually proved too much, and it was sewing and quilt making that Radha turned...

Get a sneak peek into the Virtual Sewing Room, a business set up by Jenny Babey that offers online connection with other makers around the globe. Jenny invited me to talk in the VSR last month about my specialist subject: sewing more sustainably. You’ll hear from Jenny about what drew her to setting it up and why you might want to attend, and then you’ll hear the first half of the session I partic...

Do you love bringing new life into existing clothes? How do you decide when a vintage garment should be faithfully restored, or upcycled and transformed? And what is the environmental impact of saving old clothes from landfill anyway? This week I’m bringing you a fascinating conversation with micro-business owner, Debbie Murphy. Debbie explains how a youth spent sewing clothes to fit in with the s...

Do you have a passion for vintage textiles but have yet to work them into your wardrobe? Are you unsure of how to deal with the limited yardage of thrifted textiles? Marcia Riddington and Lisa Hughes, along with the rest of their collective, ‘Curtains for Couture’, share a desire to demystify working with existing textiles and to encourage people to wear what they really want. In this episode, Lis...

Do you find that sometimes you lack the necessary motivation to tackle your mending tasks? Like many Check Your Thread listeners, you might be taking part in the Winter of Care and Repair challenge at the moment, and the zeal you experienced at the beginning might be flagging at this point. But even if you’re not participating in that challenge, today I’m bringing you a dose of motivation to help...

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, a whole industry has built up around home sewing with the primary goal of selling us lots of stuff. Most businesses rely on shifting a large volume of products, so much of what’s been designed for us is pretty bland and homogenous, including a lot of what comes out of the traditional publishing industry. However, some creators are sharing their sewing knowledge by creat...

Outdoor clothing and equipment often pose some very specific problems when they start to break. This is my second episode with Rosanna Watson from Snowdonia Gear Repair, and in this one she offers up tips for repairing down and puffy jackets, and items with seams and zips that are glued. And, on top of sharing her practical advice, Rosanna puts everything into perspective with her repair philosoph...

The clothes and equipment you buy to spend time outdoors often requires a sizable investment. And when they break, the idea of fixing them yourself might seem pretty daunting. Over the next two episodes, repair-expert Rosanna from Snowdonia Gear Repair, is talking us through the repairs you can tackle yourself at home, to keep your favourite jacket or backpack in use for longer. Rosanna also advis...

If I asked you what you consider fun, my guess is that laundry and garment care do not immediately spring to mind. However, keeping our clothing in good, wearable condition for as long as possible, is an important part of living more sustainably. And it really doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. I’m about to share five simple practices that, if you turn them into habits, will give your...

Are you ready to wrap up 2024, to look back at a year’s worth of sewing wins and fails, and consider some hopes and plans for 2025? I got together with two of your favourite previous podcast guests, Lise Bauer and Meg Grandstaff, to have this unapologetically lengthy conversation. So if you’ve got a long journey this festive season, or you need some company during a stint in the kitchen, let the t...

Did you participate in the Winter of Care and Repair challenge last year? Do you plan to do so this year? I’m welcoming Jeanna Wigger, the challenge’s creator and host, back onto the podcast. Jeanna and I have both been thinking about how we can use the challenge to implement the changes we want to see in the world, on a personal level, community level and global level. Jeanna and I share what imp...

Do you find yourself coming up against sewing related problems that leave you stumped and that subsequently sap your momentum? Today, regular CYT guest and our resident coach, Kim Witten, explains how to work through our stumbling blocks swiftly and effectively. To do this, Kim shares a series of five simple questions to ask ourselves that break down any daunting challenge into something far more...

Are you a regular refashioner of existing textiles? Perhaps you’re into the idea of it, but aren’t sure where to start. Portia Lawrie is a committed refashioner who came on the podcast a year and a half ago to talk about why more of our sewing projects should involve refashioning, and what the benefits are. This week, Portia is back to talk about how to do it. In this conversation, we cover what t...

The results of the recent US elections represent a massive blow to the future of our planet. The fight for equality and all forms of social justice have also suffered a huge setback. So, what do we do now? Support the podcast over on Patreon ! (image source: Lucas Favre via Unsplash )  I outlined the mission and values of Check Your Thread in the following episode: Ep. #71: Making Personal Ma...

Many of us sew in a small space, or in an area of our home that’s also used for other activities and by other people. If that’s you, how’s the space working for you? Whatever the constraints of your space, there are tons of changes you can make and heaps of tips that you can deploy to make things work more smoothly. Today’s episode is a guide that collates all the awesome ideas from last week’s ep...

Is the space you have for sewing pretty small? Or maybe you sew in a space that is shared with other people and also used for other activities? Or perhaps your sewing space is both small AND shared? We’re spending this week’s and next week’s episodes finding out how we can make these situations work better for ourselves, so that we can have successful and fulfilling sewing lives, no matter the con...