Making Stitches Podcast

This time last weekend, Carry on Crafting celebrated its 5th birthday. The festival, based at Ardingley Showground in Sussex, played host to craft stalls, workshops, vintage stands, tasty food, music and fun.
Last March, I spoke to the festival's founder, Justine Robson on this podcast (for episode number 94. At the time, she invited me along to the festival - over a year later, I got there!
It was everything I imagined it would be, and more. I met old friends and made new ones too, I crocheted, I chatted, I watched football, listened to music and even got to interview a radio legend called Graham!
Thank you to everyone who spoke to me for this episode of Making Stitches Podcast including (in order of appearance):
Kerry Lord from Toft
Eleonora Tully from Coastal Crochet
Annah from Needle & Feather
Kitey from The Yarn Whisperer
Bex from The Pigeon's Nest
Making Stitches Podcast listeners, Clare & Sarah
Graham - the voice of Radio CoC (Carry On Crafting!)
Sam Sabido from Sam Sabido Crochets
Nicky Ward from A Heart Shaped Cherry
Justine Robson from Carry on Crafting
As well as everyone to helped make the weekend run so smoothly for us - especially the wonderful Carry on Crafting volunteers (particularly Clare who gave me a lift back to the station!).
It was a truly special experience!
This is the final episode in the current series of Making Stitches Podcast, I will be back again (all being well) in the autumn, with some more inspiring creative chats for you.
I hope you have a lovely summer!
Thank you for listening to Making Stitches Podcast!
For full show notes, please visit https://makingstitchespodcast.com/
To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link
The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.
You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson

In this episode of the Making Stitches Podcast, I'm joined by documentary filmmaker Paul Wyatt, director of the beautiful documentary film Sheep, Actually.
Although this conversation is a little different from my usual chats with makers, it explores something at the very heart of many of our crafts: wool.
Paul's documentary asks us to look beyond the skein and back to its origins, exploring the connections between sheep, farmers, wool and the people who transform this remarkable natural fibre into the textiles we love.
Inspired by the simple but powerful idea, "If you're going to work with wool, get to know how a sheep lives," the film follows the story of a sheep called Cow while opening up wider conversations about farming, sustainability, craftsmanship and our relationship with the materials we use every day.
Whether you're a knitter, crocheter, spinner, weaver, feltmaker, embroiderer or simply someone who loves natural fibres, I think you'll find this a fascinating conversation.
Find out more about Sheep, Actually, including screenings, news and ways to support the film:
https://www.paulwyattfilms.com/sheepactually
You can also follow Paul Wyatt Films on social media for updates on the documentary.
Thank you for listening to Making Stitches Podcast!
For full show notes, please visit https://makingstitchespodcast.com/
To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link
The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.
You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson.

In this episode, I'm delighted to be joined by contemporary textile artist Murron Fraser. 
Based in Manchester, Murron's work is inspired by nature, folklore and storytelling, creating richly layered textile pieces that invite us to look more closely at the hidden wonders of the natural world. Through a combination of machine embroidery, printmaking, and mixed media techniques, she creates artworks that are full of texture, colour and meaning. 
Alongside her artistic practice, Murron is also a passionate educator and workshop facilitator, helping others reconnect with their creativity through community projects, courses and nature-inspired textile experiences. 
In our conversation, we talk about the threads that run through her work, from Celtic folklore and the idea of hidden worlds, to the role of observation, curiosity and creative play in her practice. We also discuss how she balances life as a working artist, educator and community arts practitioner, and why slowing down can be such an important part of the creative process. 
Thank you Murron for speaking to me for Making Stitches Podcast!
You can see Murron's work over on her website: textilesbymurron.com
You can sign up to Murron's newsletter here: https://www.textilesbymurron.com/newsletter
Murron's Instagram profile is here and you can find her on Facebook here.
Thank you for listening to Making Stitches Podcast!
For full show notes, please visit https://makingstitchespodcast.com/
To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link
The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.
You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson.

Hello, and welcome to Making Stitches Podcast! This time, I'm delighted to be joined by Melissa Santiago-Val founder and CEO of Sew Positive. What began during the pandemic as a community effort making face masks to raise money for NHS charities has grown into an inspiring charity using sewing, mending and up cycling to support peoples' mental health and wellbeing.
In our chat, Melissa shares her own creative journey, the story behind Sew Positive and how stitching can be more than simply making something with our hands. We talk about creativity as a tool for connection, confidence and community, and explore how sewing can help people through difficult times while also encouraging a more sustainable approach to the clothes we wear.
You can find out more about Sew Positive over on their website and you can find lots of other information on their linktree here.
Thank you for listening to Making Stitches Podcast!
For full show notes, please visit https://makingstitchespodcast.com/
To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link
The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.
You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson

Upstairs in an historic industrial building in the centre of the West Yorkshire town of Slaithwaite is a vast collection of handmade items, tools and publications charting the history of knitting and crochet in the UK. The Knitting and Crochet Guild Collection was started in 1991 and is cared for by a team of dedicated volunteers.
Hidden away in this fascinating archive is an extraordinary collection of handmade garments, patterns, yarns, tools, publications and shade cards, all connected to the rich history of knitting and crochet in the UK. Thousands of items have been donated by makers from across the country, preserving not just beautiful pieces of work, but also the stories, skills and social history behind them.
The collection has grown into a real treasure trove, an invaluable research resource for academics and historians, but also an endless source of inspiration for contemporary designers, knitters and crocheters.
I feel hugely privileged to have been invited along to see some of the Collection for myself. I loved chatting with Angharad Thomas a Volunteer Textile Archivist and Isobel Holland a Collection Volunteer over in Slaithwaite, and am very grateful to them for speaking to me for Making Stitches Podcast.
You can find out all about the Knitting and Crochet Guild over on their website along with all the information we chatted about in our conversation about the Collection including when their upcoming events will be happening.
Thank you for listening to Making Stitches Podcast!
For full show notes, please visit https://makingstitchespodcast.com/
To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link
The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.
You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches  Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson