Stitching Tales

What's the secret to sewing awesome knit tops? In this episode, Malena and Johanna share their best tips for fitting and sewing a t-shirt rivalling high-end RTW. Fit for Knits Book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thelaststitch.com/fit-for-knits-book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Free FBA and SBA guide https://www.thelaststitch.com/bustguide Stitching Tales on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stitchingtalespod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ St...

Malena's day job is making patterns for one of the largest fashion companies in the world. Can you guess which one? In this episode, she shares what it's like to develop patterns in the professional world, and takes us through the process from a design sketch to the finished garment in stores. Fit for Knits Book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thelaststitch.com/fit-for-knits-book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stitching Tales...

Can you sew stretchy knits without a serger? Absolutely! If you use the right stitches, tools and techniques. In this episode, we share our best tips for sewing knit fabrics on a regular sewing machine. Video: Sew Stretchy Knits on a Sewing Machine: 5 Game-Changing Tips https://youtu.be/rr2hASfbuMY Fit for Knits Book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thelaststitch.com/fit-for-knits-book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stitching Tales on I...

Malena's free pattern launch has been a huge success. But now she is swamped with freelance work, with little time to develop new products and content. Johanna is back on YouTube and is blown away by the response. But can she produce weekly videos while also filming a sewing course, creating a new sewing pattern, plus working a part-time job? The struggle is real! Fit for Knits Book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https...

Do we really need a coverstitch machine? And why are they so fickle? Johanna and Malena cover (hah) everything you need to know about using a coverstitch machine and share their best tips. Coverstitch Success Course https://courses.thelaststitch.com/ [Code has expired] Free coverstitch troubleshooting guide https://www.thelaststitch.com/coverstitch-troubleshooting-guide/ Johanna's coverstitch reso...

Do we have to be on every single platform? And how do we create great content on every social media without burning ourselves to ashes? The answer is that we can't! But if we want our business to succeed, we must keep churning out new content. So how can we do that without losing our minds? Johanna and Malena brainstorm some ideas for more effective content marketing. Fit for Knits ⁠⁠⁠https://...

What are the secrets to sewing a really awesome pair of jeans? Johanna and Malena dive deep into this fascinating topic and offer tips and hacks you might not have heard before. Plus a few tales of jeans sewing disasters, because yes, they happen to all of us! Johanna's book Sewing Jeans https://www.thelaststitch.com/sewing-jeans-book Sewing jeans resources https://www.thelaststitch.com/sewing...

Malena is blown away by the response to her new free pattern. And Johanna is losing subscribers on YouTube because of the podcast! In this catch-up, we share some exciting and not-so-exciting things that have happened lately in our sewing businesses. Fit for Knits ⁠⁠⁠https://www.thelaststitch.com/fit-for-knits-book⁠⁠⁠ Stitching Tales on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stitchingtalespod⁠⁠⁠...

Marketing is the thing that both Malena and Johanna struggle with the most when it comes to running a business. Malena wants to rely less on Instagram and is currently trying out new platforms. Johanna is only comfortable with time-consuming, high-quality, content marketing, which incidentally is what stops her from doing any marketing at all. We also address some legal and taxation complications...

Curious about the process of developing sewing patterns? What tools do we use? How much is digital vs pen and paper? And are pattern testers required to ensure a good fit in all sizes? These and a lot more questions are answered in this episode where Malena and Johanna talk candidly about the process of creating sewing patterns as a small company. Fit for Knits ⁠https://www.thelaststitch.com/fit-f...

Malena has released the Malva tee, which you'll get for free if you sign up for her newsletter. Malva is guaranteed to become a wardrobe staple, and Johanna can't rave enough about the balanced and clever silhouette.  Johanna hasn't released a new pattern (yet!) but Malena has some strong opinions on what type of sewing pattern Johanna should create next. This is where Johanna lets her...

Do we really need newsletters? Do readers find them useful? Or are they simply a waste of both inbox space and precious time for us business owners? Malena wants to start a monthly sewing newsletter. But her concept flies in the face of all conventional sewing newsletter wisdom. Johanna is both impressed and a bit sceptical. Will Malena be a newsletter disrupter or stick to a more conventional app...

Johanna and Malena have made a book together. It's about how to fit and sew beautiful knit clothes. Listen to this episode to learn a ton of tips that could blow your mind. Fit for Knits Book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thelaststitch.com/fit-for-knits-book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stitching Tales on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/stitchingtalespod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Stitching Tales on YouTube ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Stitchin...

Malena and Johanna get candid about their own struggles when it comes to sewing clothes made with knit fabrics. We talk about fabrics that can't handle sewing, disappointing necklines and having the serger knife slice up your garment (again!). Luckily they have figured out some great tips along the way, so listen carefully to save you from making the same mistakes. Some of Malena's and Joh...

Malena and Johanna talk about the realities of running a sewing business. Can you quit your day job, or even make money at all? And does creating content take the fun out of sewing? Johanna likes to pretend she is running a big sewing media house with a staff of highly skilled professionals. But in reality, she is mostly a one-person show. Malena is more down-to-earth and likes to apply the "...