Do you have garments in your wardrobe, self-made or otherwise, that you really like but you never wear because they don’t fit you well? Could you use some advice on how to approach the alteration process, evaluate those garments and work out what’s possible? Alterations expert, Naomi Fata, talks with me about all this and…
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Could you sew only with second hand fabric? No more fabric shopping, only thrifting and receiving donations. Would that feel frustrating, or would it unlock some inner creativity and resourcefulness? Space scientist and passionate maker, Rachel Kirby, sews almost exclusively within this limitation, and spills the tea on how and why it works for her. …
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Today’s episode is another installment which looks at using sewing skills to save money. With the rise in energy and fuel costs, many of us will be keeping the heating off in our homes as much as possible this winter. So how can we use our sewing skills to keep the chills at bay? I…
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The second part of a two-part mini series about sewing and saving. Episode 58 focuses on how we can keep sewing-related costs down to make it more accessible to those working with a tight budget. Specifically we look at saving money on machinery, fabric, haberdashery and sewing patterns. This episode is packed with tips and…
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This is first of a two-part series about sewing and saving and buckle up because it starts with an unapologetically political rant about the current cost of living crisis. I then explore the question, ‘Can sewing save you money?’ looking at mending, garment making, quilt making and making reusable products. I also share a listener…
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Textile activist Shams el-Din Rogers is back on Check Your Thread! In this episode, #49, Shams shares more powerful and thought-provoking ideas focusing on sewing as it relates to sustainability, economic self-sufficiency, feminism, gender/relationship dymanics and cultural appropriation. For example, she encourages us to question how and why those of us who have periods have…
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For Episode #32 of Check Your Thread, I got to talk with textile activist Shams el-Din Rogers. For me, this is the most powerful and thought provoking conversation I’ve had for the podcast to date. Shams shares her thoughts and perspective as an activist, advocate, teacher and campaigner. We get into the sources of Shams’s…
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Let’s be honest, for those of us who sew, spending a couple hours at our sewing machine is probably preferable to the same time spent wandering around the shops or trawling websites trying to find someone the perfect gift. In this solo episode, I’m sharing heaps of ideas for presents we can create for our…
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It’s the sixth episode of the Check Your Thread podcast, and the second episode featuring parts of the great conversation I had with Amy Dyce. Last week Amy shared heaps about her small business, Craft & Thrift. In today’s episode, the conversation moves from running a sustainability-minded business, to running a sustainability-minded life! We discuss…
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It’s the second episode of the Check Your Thread podcast, and I’ve got my first guest! Wendy Ward has integrated sustainable thinking into her making so deeply that she has literally written a book called ‘How to Sew Sustainably’! In this conversation Wendy shares tips on sewing more sustainably from her book and from her…
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