Used2Sew

Thanks to our Patreons we have a hefty new book to talk about over this entire season of Used2Sew! We also have fanmail, exciting supply hoards, and a new Patreon to thank. Fabricating Consumers by Andrew Gordon: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/fabricating-consumers/hardcover

New year, new season of Used2Sew! TR starts the year off by talking to us seriously about the need to be wise in our sewing machine collecting habits. Also we talk a bit about what we’ve learned in the podcasting journey so far, and what we’re excited about this coming year. Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payme...

Originally published on December 29th 2024. Welcome back to Used2Sew, where we are wrapping up our first season of the show! We reflect on what we’ve learned this year, thank our first Patreon we aren’t directly related to, and talk about how to shed unwanted items from the sewing room that are blocking your creativity. Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   B...

Originally published December 22nd 2024. Welcome back to Used2Sew, where TR has another bizarre retail story to relate, and we are also considering what gift giving with a sewer can look like.  Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474   Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Used2Sew/61565705042...

Throwback to the first time we talked about Planned Obsolescence in season 1. Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Used2Sew/61565705042098/   Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/used2sew/   YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Used2Sew   Stagecoach Roa...

Throwback to the first time we talked about Fast Fashion in season 1. Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474   Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Used2Sew/61565705042098/   Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/used2sew/   YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Used2Sew   Stagecoach Road Vinta...

TR and Aradia review the last year of episodes from the podcast and look forward to season 3 which will be coming in 2026. Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474   Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Used2Sew/61565705042098/   Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/used2sew/   YouTube:  http...

Singer’s ubiquitous presence through the world of sewing machines extends beyond what they actually manufactured. Today is a deep dive into the model 15 and all of its clones! https://tallysew.com https://ismacs.net   https://sewing-machines.blogspot.com   https://steelsewing.blogspot.com   https://institchessewing.ca/bring-in-the-clones Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreo...

A sewing machine is more or less useless unless it is in a case, base, or cabinet. Let’s talk about how those designs have changed over time and what to do about the stench of featherweight cases. https://www.historymuseumsb.org/singer-sewing-machine-company  Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474...

TR and Aradia both grew up on the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, so last week and this week will be looking at how sewing history intersects with this famous series. PioneerGirl.com   LittleHouseOnThePrairie.com   PioneerGirlProject.org   https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/what-should-be-done-about-racist-depictions-in-the-little-house-books/16587   https://www.npr.org/2018/06/2...

TR and Aradia both grew up on the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, so this week and next week will be looking at how sewing history intersects with this famous series. Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474   Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Used2Sew/61565705042098/   Instagra...

Did you know that there is more than one way to make a stitch with a sewing machine? Today’s episode covers the chainstitch, a useful and dynamic stitch that can be created on machines that are toy sized! Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Used2Sew/6...

Some topics are so seasonal that they bear repeating, and as we’ve just celebrated our first podcast birthday it seems fitting to revisit an old episode from back before we had learned most of our production lessons!  Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Buy stickers:  https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474   Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/peo...

TR and every other sewing machine hobbyist has been asked to do a quick appraisal of the monetary value of a sewing machine, and they have some very strong opinions about it! Here’s a practical description of how to keep “the worth bug” from taking over your hobby.  ISMACS early Singer serial numbers: https://ismacs.net/singer_sewing_machine_company/early-serial-numbers/singer-sewing-machine-pre-1...

TR and Aradia took a field trip to an old house, found an oddly named sewing machine, and then fell down a rabbit hole of learning about badged sewing machines. What are they, why do they exist, and how can you identify the machine when the name is meaningless??? Buy a sticker! https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474 Shelton McMurphy Johnson House: https://smjhouse.org

Bobbins! What are they, and how have they evolved? How did the very practical gizmo of an auto-winder give way to the innovation of…. A digital clock? Today’s episode covers a lot of ground, but trust us, it is all connected. https://extension.wvu.edu/files/d/dbc6f7a0-9b40-4917-8432-6c4976526c96/wlg-42-backstitch_needles_digital.pdf 

Is there anything more Peak America than tailfins on a sewing machine? Buy a sticker! https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474 The Swing Needle episode: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-swing-needle--65860681 Pungo Living Home: https://pungolivinghome.com    AC/DC name origin:  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/TtrqUCdWU7g

Electricity is intimidating, but with a few basic principles it is something we can work with as sewing machine repairers! TR walks us through the process of evaluating and fixing vintage sewing machine wiring.

Continuing last week’s discussion of all kinds of projects in the sewing room, fanmail, and other sidequests. Buy a sticker! https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/WYGY99FBLA474

The sewing room is bustling with projects as the podcast approaches its first birthday. We’ve got lots to talk about, especially the latest addition to Aradia’s stable of machines!

Originally published September 2024.  A combination of two episodes from Season 1 of the podcast to show both our progression as a podcast and two sides of the story of the invention of the sewing machine. Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Used2Sew/61565705042098/   Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/used2sew/...

TR tells Aradia about 16 of the many sewing machine attachments that have been invented. Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Used2Sew/61565705042098/   Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/used2sew/   YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Used2Sew   Stagecoach Road Vintage Sewing Machine: https://www.stagecoachroadse...

TR and Aradia exchange costuming stories from their respective July events. WoTCon: https://wotcon.com   OCF:  https://oregoncountryfair.com   Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/people/Used2Sew/61565705042098/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/used2sew/   YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@Used2Sew   Stagecoach Road...

TR tells Aradia about the history of needles, and how to be a good needle consumer. West Virginia Extension: Backstitch: A Brief History of Needles, Bobbins and Stitches | WVU Extension Order a Wawak catalog:  https://www.wawak.com/request-a-catalog   The three needle brands:  Organ, Schmetz, Groz-Beckert  Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Facebook:  http...

Today we get into some sewing machine history and personal lore, with the second half of TR’s infamous Sewing Machine Song! We will dissect and explain every line through the lens of the lessons learned so far on this podcast. Originally published January 26th 2025 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rana_Plaza_collapse   Get ad-free episodes through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Used2Sew   Faceb...