Sew Mindful Podcast

Have you ever wanted to take time out from a dressmaking project or sewing in general but felt like you can’t or felt too guilty to do so? Well that happened to me too recently with quite significant consequences so in today’s episode I wanted to share the value of taking time out and how to come back more energised after your break. A quick thank you to Justin & Diana at Raspberry Creek fabri...

If I ask you do you fancy making your own coat, what thoughts go through your head? I remember the first time someone suggested that to me and it was way out of my comfort zone. So what about you? Are you thinking - it's easy Jacqui I've already done it - if so, then kudos to you. Or are you thinking - I'd love to do that but it seems way too difficult? Whether you have already made...

As promised for season 2 we have a number of BONUS episodes with expert guests. Do you ever find that when you try to buy clothes that they often fit one part of your body but not others? For example if buying trousers or jeans, you can get them to fit your hips but they are too tight or loose on the waist and too tight or loose on the thighs. Or if you are trying to buy dresses, if you get the si...

Hello my lovelies and thanks for joining me for this week's episode. As the weather turns a bit colder I thought it might be good to talk about sewing with thicker fabrics so today I have 10 tips for you plus a couple of bonus tips on working with these sometimes trickier fabrics. First I'd like to just cover a couple of things I wanted to remember to share with you. Episode webpage:  ht...

If you have struggled to find the perfect garment to help you transition from the warm weather to the cooler temperatures then look no further. The trusty Duster Jacket also known as a long cardigan is the perfect make and the pattern I'm reviewing in this episode is a great for beginner dressmakers and experienced sewists alike. The Simplicity 8557 pattern includes 5 garments and is definite...

When you hear the long list of different clothes that Melanie Keane has made it's hard to believe that she only started sewing when the UK Prime Minister announced the lockdown in 2020.  When I was planning for Season 2 of the Sew Mindful podcast I asked the Sew Much More Fun facebook group what topics they would like to hear about. Mel responded and said that it would be good to talk about t...

In this first interview of season 2 I'm delighted to be talking to Mel Forrest of Mint Button Sewing School .  Mel was a primary school teacher for 15 years before leaving to pursue a 'portfolio career' in the home-sewing industry. She now teaches 1:1 sewing lessons and workshops. She also works part time as a retail assistant in a fabric shop - Home Town, Rochester . And if that wa...

Well it's been longer than I planned but better later than never!  The Sew Mindful sewing podcast is back for another season. Thanks for all of you that gave me the encouragement and friendly nudges to get back to my microphone. Have you missed me? Well, I've definitely missed talking with you and you have never been far from my thoughts. So this episode is a quick introduction to what t...

I'm so excited to share this week's episode with you as it is one of the topics that I have personally struggled with (and continue to work on) and that is understanding how to combine colours to create outfits that feel amazing . So when I want to learn more about anything style related I turn to the fabulous style gurus that have joined me on the podcast and this week it is a delight t...

SPECIAL OFFER CODE BELOW ! Do you get overwhelmed when you try to search for new pattern and fabric ideas ? Well if you do you are not alone. Lots of the dressmakers I speak to say that they can find it challenging to stay on top of the new pattern designers and fabric shops that are popping up all the time. So I was doing a bit of my own research to find out what I could do to help and I came acr...

CHANCE TO WIN a pack of Vlieseline Perfect Hem Tape! I am always on the lookout for ways to make my garments look more professional and so any opportunity to learn about how things are done in a manufacturing environment that I can bring into my home dressmaking excites me. This week I am delighted to welcome back the expertise of the wonderful Janet Kolle of Vlieseline to help me get genned up on...

Thank you so much for joining me again for another podcast episode. This week I am joined by the delightful Mary Broddle of Mary Broddle Embroidery. Mary is on a mission to share the well being benefits of embroidery.  It has made a dramatic impact on her own life, helping her to cope with disabling chronic illness and living in her own  lockdown before the world new what lockdown was.  I also bel...

Hello! Thank you for joining me for another Sew Mindful chat. This week is another Fabric Focus. The last one we did was with the lovely Harriet Kjellman when we talked about Denim . If you haven't listened to Episode 35 then be sure to go back and check that out. So in this Fabric Focus session I have chosen a fabric that seems to divide opinion - Bengaline . It is a fabric that I discovered...

Welcome and thank you so much for tuning in for this episode. This week I want to tackle a topic that I noticed myself struggling with and that is getting stuck in student mode, faffing and procrastinating. That was until I discovered the Power of Practice! Do you suffer from any of these? Do you watch hours of youtube videos, or attend lots of courses, or maybe start but don't finish lots of...

A short and sweet episode for you this week. Inspired by my love of the Great British Sewing Bee I wanted to talk a little bit about upcycling and recycling.  We are very lucky in the UK to have access to a wide variety of different fabrics and I do love to create garments from new fabrics but it hasn’t always been this way and from necessity comes creativity. During World War 2 for example the Ma...

I can't believe we are at Episode 40 already! Thank you so much for listening and supporting the show. This week I am joined again by my very first guest on the podcast , the wonderful Imogen Lamport . If you haven't listened to the previous episodes with Imogen and you at all interested in anything related to style then I highly recommend going back and picking those up (episodes 2, 8 a...

This week is all about underwear and I wanted to talk about making your own knickers .  I put off making my own underwear for a long time because I thought it was really difficult. Then I saw some fabulous knicker-making kits advertised by Flo-Jo Fabrics . All the hardwork of choosing what fabrics and which elastics was done for me and I decided to take the plunge and give it a go. I made my first...

Thank you so much for tuning in to this week's episode. We have an exciting giveaway for you alongside this episode. This week I am joined by the wonderful Janet Kolle of Vlieseline to talk all things interfacing. If like me you have been baffled by which interfacing or interlining to choose for your dressmaking project then Janet is here to help. In this episode you will hear : > Janet&ap...

Thank you so much for tuning in to this week's episode. For many years after I learned how to sew and make clothes I religiously followed patterns. Whilst I was making them my own by choosing my fabrics I wouldn't have thought of myself as creative. When I started learning about pattern drafting and later, fashion design I realised that we are all creative but we just don't always k...

Thank you so much for joining me again this week!  In this episode I am answering a great question raised by one of our listeners - Stephanie - who wanted to know how to pick the right sewing machine needle for her sewing projects. So in this episode you will hear: > Why there are different types of needles > What the anatomy of a machine needle is > What factors going into choosing which...

Welcome to this week's Sew Mindful podcast episode with one of my favourite titles to date. I can't take credit for it as it was the work of my wonderful guest this week - Harriet Kjellman. Harriet is a woman of many talents including lecturing in fashion at Wolverhampton University, running her own fashion label and consulting and teaching in fashion and fashion processes and product de...

Hello, welcome and thank you for joining me! I wanted to just do a quick intro to this episode to explain a bit about what to expect and how this week's topic relates to dressmaking (as it may not be apparent when you first start listening!) One of the considerations when I am making garments is the fabric and each fabric has colours and properties associated with it. We can choose colours ba...

Hello and welcome to this episode of the Sew Mindful podcast. Have you ever struggled to find just the right pattern for the garment or style you want to make?  Have you ever thought I wish I could make my own patterns - surely it can't be that difficult? Well in this episode I explore my thoughts and experiences with pattern drafting. When I first learned pattern drafting it deepened my love...

In the week of International Women's Day and Mother's Day in the UK, it seemed only fitting to dedicate this episode to the amazing women that have influenced and inspired my sewing and dressmaking. So in this episode you will hear: > about the sewing teachers that have helped me build my sewing skills and confidence > who from the Great British Sewing Bee made my list of top influ...

Full disclosure - my cheeks are still aching from all the laughing we did recording this episode! Thank you so much for joining me for episode 31 where I am joined once again by Claire Hutchinson for what is becoming known as the Claire Hutchinson Mini Series! If you have listened to any of our previous chats you will know that Claire loves fabric and so in this get together she shares her favouri...