Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably

• #176: Creating Connection Through Embellishment with Cal Patch

  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 embellishing your clothes to create a deeper connection to the items you own. Support the podcast over on Patreon!Find out more about Cal via her website and on Instagram (@hodgepodgefarm)One of my first encounters with Cal was via her book, ‘Design-It-Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplified’:I thoroughly recommend you listen to these other episodes of podcasts that feature Cal:Ep. #90 of Making Conversation: Color - Discovering your craft with Cal Patch Ep. #63 of Pattern Shift: Taking Yourself Seriously as a Business Owner with Cal PatchNew for 2025 is Cal’s year-long virtual class, the Artful Garment.Learn more about the Print Gocco home-printing set.Unfortunately not currently available, a screen printing kit by Bobbinhood is what I occasionally use to embellish sewing projects. Watch the ‘One Stitch, Every Size’ videos by The Stitchery on the different effects you can get using different embroidery threads and thicknesses. If you haven’t already, listen to:Ep. #173: Quilting Through Burnout with Radha Weaver Find Radha’s Thrift Your Fabric map on her website.Check out Cal´s Hack Club.

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• #175: The Secret History of Quilt Making with Deb McGuire

  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 the sewing machine? We hear from historian Deb McGuire who lifts the lid on all these questions and explains how we can reintroduce some of these practices into our making future. Support the podcast over on Patreon!Discover Deb’s work at her website plainstitch.co.uk. Read more about Deb’s research with Dr Jess Bailey into the history of quilt making in the British Isles at withintheframe.co.uk. An example of a quilted petticoat from the V&A’s collection, made approx. 1750-1770 and later altered approx. 1870-1910:You can also follow Deb on Instagram (@plainstitchdeb) to see what she’s working on. Deb also writes a column for The Quilter magazine, a quarterly publication for members of the Quilter’s Guild. The Within The Frame website provides a resource on where to source small flock fibre in the UK, as well as where you can buy an actual quilt frame (they start from just £160!). You can check out all Deb’s quilts in her gallery, including the Waste Not Want Not quilt:

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• #174: How to Make Quilts More Sustainably

  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!(image source: Dinh Pham via Unsplash)Quilt top made by Katie from scraps:Hannah made a quilt from her dad’s shirts:Another amazing scrap quilt, this one by Kathryn:Andrea was inspired to try quilt making after visiting the American Museum in Bath, UK. Andrea’s quilting related book suggestions:BooksWorld of Quilts - Cassandra EllisFarm & Folk Quilt Alchemy - Sara Larson Buscaglia Parson Gray Trade Quilts - David Butler Inspiration Kantha - Anna HergertCountless ones by Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably, but these use their fabric collections. Some free and pay-what-you-can resources, also suggested by Andrea:Matchy Matchy quilt patterns (one is free)Cedar Quilt Co (free pattern available)Farm & Folk I have Sara's amazing book, 'Quilt Alchemy' which focuses on dyeing fabrics to then use in quilts; her blog also has lots of useful information on how to quilt. Sew Diy - Beth has a pay-what-you-can course on improvisational quilting. I haven't purchased the course but I basically stole the idea to make various bags as gifts. I think I've posted some photos in the Patreon group. Watch the YouTube video by Mary B about sorting scraps that Louise found inspiring. Here’s some of the strips and 5” blocks that Louise has been creating from her scraps:The mini quilt and the Wild Star quilt from Plains and Pine made by Kat:

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• #173: Quilting Through Burnout with Radha Weaver

  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 to to reconnect with her creative identity. And, ironically, it was reclaimed denim that she’s since been most drawn to working with. In stark contrast to her former job role, Radha is now carving a path for herself promoting the reuse of existing textiles, and she explains how and why we could incorporate them into our own work also. Support the podcast over on Patreon!Find Radha Weaver via her website, Sewing Through Fog, and follower on Instagram (@sewingthroughfog).Radha mentioned the Fibershed movement that’s committed to the production of ethical and environmentally sound local textiles. Radha compared two Check Your Thread episodes:Ep. #151: Explaining Deadstock Fabric with The New Craft House Ep. #156: How To Run and Ethical Textiles Shop with Bevan O’DalyI recommend you check out Radha’s appearance on the Quilter on Fire podcast which was episode #177. Radha has developed a range of patterns and online classes to help people work with reclaimed textiles and upcycle their jeans, including her amazing tote bag backpack combo pattern:Find the Thrift Your Fabric map to discover your nearest creative resource centres.Radha volunteers at Scrap SF, the happiest place on earth, apparently!Swanson’s Fabrics is a well known source in the US for preloved fabric and notions. Radha recently acquired Feel Good Fibers, a US-based destash market place!

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• #172: Sewing More Sustainably in the Virtual Sewing Room

  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 participated in. We get into the fundamentals, as I see them, of sewing more sustainably and I offer up some easy starting points. And we get into a discussion about zero waste sewing patterns, and Jenny and another attendee share their experiences. Support the podcast over on Patreon!Find the Virtual Sewing Room website to learn more and book a session. During the Making for Charity sessions, Jenny often makes washable menstrual pads for the Pachamama Project to help fight period poverty.A couple of the regular attendees took part in the Last Sewist Standing challenge last year, inspiring other attendees to be more mindful in their fabric purchases also. We also talked about the Stash Hub app as a way to track your project ideas and inspiration. Zero waste pattern designers we mentioned:Liz Haywood Goldfinch Textile Studio Thread Faction Studio Birgitta Helmersson (in particular, her ZW Cropped Shirt pattern and ZW Workwear Jacket pattern)My version of the ZW Workwear Jacket pattern:

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