Have you ever tried pattern hacking (making changes to a sewing pattern to create a different look)? This episode is a wide ranging introduction to the topic. Whether you are new to this practice, or are a more seasoned ‘hacker’, by the end of this you should feel emboldened by the infinite possibilities!   Support the podcast over on Patreon! The patchwork denim quilted jacket is finally finished! Read all about it on my blog.  One way of thinking about pattern hacking is by breaking it down into these three approaches: Pattern-first - that is Choosing a pattern you own and considering how you can alter it to come up with a different look Style-first - that is finding inspiration for a garment from elsewhere, then looking through your patterns to find a good candidate to hack to get close to that inspiration. Frankensteining - taking two existing sewing patterns, or the parts of existing sewing patterns, and splicing them together to create a different looking garment.  My Fibre Mood Ermine/Norma Franken-garment is an example of taking the sleeve piece from one pattern and the bodice from another to create a new look. Suggested equipment for pattern hacking: Large format paper / pattern cutting or drafting paper / the dot and cross type or plain. Also consider large sheets of paper from an art shop or printing shop, the back of wide rolls of wrapping paper or rolls of paper from a business that regularly prints out plans and so on Some kind of ruler or set square (a metre or yard ruler is also super helpful) Pattern weights or pins Sharp pencils  Paper scissors Some kind of tape such as scotch, masking or washi tape Tape measure

This week we’re diving into the world of quilting more sustainably! Quilter and textile artist, Bridget O’Flaherty, makes Threads of Sustainability: a podcast with remarkably similar motivations to CYT. We discuss the many parallels between our perspective disciplines in relation to sustainability, and some of the areas where they diverge. Support the podcast over on Patreon! Tips on how to build and maintain beneficial bee hotels by the Entomologist Lounge.  How to encourage bees and other pollinators: Fill gardens with pollinator friendly plants. Allow lawn 'weeds' to flower by cutting less often. Provide water for pollinators. Avoid using pesticides wherever possible and never spray open flowers. Provide nest sites for wild bees. Find out about the many facets of Bridget’s work, including her podcast, ‘Threads of Sustainability’, via her website. She can also be found on Instagram @thesustainablequilter.  Image source: Bridget O’Flaherty Bridget frequently uses a technique called thread painting in her work: Image source: Bridget O’Flaherty You can hear the conversation we recorded for Bridget’s podcast via her website, wherever you listen to podcasts. It’s Episode #26! The conversation that Bridget had with Eliu Hernandez that first alerted me to the Threads of Sustainability podcast is Episode #18.  Listen to my conversation with Eliu for this podcast:  Episode #26: Harvesting Materials with Eliu Hernandez.  The Festival of Quilts that takes place in Birmingham, UK, recently introduced a Sustainability category.  Bridget wrote a series of articles for the Canadian Quilters’ Association. Read part one, part two and part three.  Bridget appeared on Episode #64 of the ‘Quilter on Fire’ podcast which kick started her desire to create her own podcast. Bridget cites these quilters and textile artists as inspiration: Zak Foster  Eliu Hernandez Janine Heschl

Do you have questions about natural dyeing? Like, what is the most accessible way to have a go? Return-guest and natural dye expert, Amy Taylor, breaks it all down and answers all the questions submitted by CYT listeners.  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Find Ms Amy Taylor at her website and on Instagram @msamytaylor.  Listen to Amy’s first appearance on Check Your Thread: Episode #13: Natural Dyeing with Amy Taylor.  The naturally dye skeins I found at Seedy Sunday in Brighton in February 2023: Listen to Episode #52: Grow, Cook, Dye, Wear with Bella Gonshorovitz. Amy is a big fan of Bella’s book, Bella’s book, ‘Grow, Cook, Dye, Wear – From seed to style the sustainable way’. Read the article Amy wrote with her dad, ‘Art at the edge of chaos: Shibori and Indigo’.  Amy has taken a class with dye stuff growing expert Kristin Field @fieldandgardner on Instagram.  Amy and I both LOVE following Alexis Nikole AKA @blackforager on Instagram.  Recommended reading: ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ by Robin Wall Kimmerer:

Were you unable to attend the Sew Sustainable Fair in London last month? Would you have liked to have been there? Well, through the power of audio, in this episode you can come along with me to the event! Hear some of the awesome conversations I had with the organisers, helpers and businesses in attendance, plus my ramblings as I travel to and from the venue.  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Find some info about this year’s event, plus keep an eye on the details for next year’s as they are revealed, at the Sew Sustainable Fair website.  The event is organised by Sarah Richards, owner of Olive Road London, a source for original vintage fabrics.  Sarah told me about ‘Secrets of the Singer Girls’ and ‘Secrets of the Sewing Bee’, both books written by her friend Kate Thompson. The Sew Sustainable Fair took place at the wonderful Craft Central building.  Other sellers at the event included: Bornella Fabrics Missy Mop Fabrics Maven Sewing Patterns Find Rebecca Evans-Merritt on IG @revansmerritt Listen to my previous conversations with her: Episode 24: Conscious Making in Real Life with Rebecca Evans-Merritt and Episode 37: Pledge and Participants #1 with Rebecca and Meg When I met Rebecca in real life, she was wearing her Birgitta Helmersson ZW Gather Dress in Merchant and Mills Lunar Jacquard.  We also discussed her railroad stripe two-piece and her Refashioners project lounge wear set.  Find the Stash Hub app on their website, on IG @stash_hub, or in your smart phone’s app store.  You can contact Yvette’s friend Mel who works with the charity Guildford Refugee Aid via their Facebook page.  Find Louise’s business, Ethel & Joan, on her website, Etsy shop and IG @ethelandjoan.  Louise used to make videos for the Youtube channel, Pattern Pals. We talked about her popular flower buckles.  My favourites are the turquoise Deco buttons.

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 more. We cover when it’s worth attempting an alteration, when it’s better to live with the issue, and when it’s time to find the garment a new owner. Plus, Naomi shares her hot takes on the best ways to make garments smaller and larger, and we even get stuck into the thorny issue of trouser fitting… Support the podcast over on Patreon! Find the Me-Made-May Workbook in the new CYT shop!  Find Naomi Fata on her website and on Instagram @naomifata.  Naomi was on The Strike a Balance for Working Homeschool Moms podcast talking about how she runs her sewing business whilst homeschooling her three children.  Find out about the in-person and virtual sewing and alteration classes Naomi teaches.  This Fit Tip Tuesday video by J Stern Designs on YouTube shows how to add a gusset to lengthen a rise on an existing garment.