The Sewcial Hour Podcast

Who Gets to Decide Your Sewing Level?
What does “advanced sewing” actually mean?
Is it mastering difficult techniques? Sewing with tricky fabrics? Pattern drafting? Perfect topstitching? Or is it simply having the confidence to try something new?
In this episode of The Sewcial Hour Podcast, Bethany dives into the complicated world of sewing skill labels — beginner, intermediate, advanced, confident beginner — and unpacks why those labels are far more subjective than most sewists realize.
Because the truth is: there’s no universal standard for sewing difficulty. One designer’s “easy weekend project” might leave another sewist crying over a seam ripper at 2am. And sometimes the projects we fear most end up teaching us the most.
In this episode, we discuss:
Where sewing skill labels actually come from
Why pattern difficulty is often subjective
What “advanced sewing” really means
Why troubleshooting is one of the most important sewing skills
The forgotten “intermediate beginner” phase
Why sewing skill is NOT linear
Comparison culture and social media perfectionism
Letting go of the idea that you need permission to sew certain projects
Redefining success in sewing beyond perfection
Bethany also shares a more realistic sewing skill progression and reminds listeners that you can be advanced in one sewing niche and a total beginner in another — and that’s completely normal.
Plus, in this week’s “You Love To See It” segment, we’re celebrating beginner wins, imperfect projects, cutting into “the good fabric,” and sewists realizing they already belong in the creative space exactly as they are.
Whether you’re sewing your very first garment or tackling your tenth ambitious project, this episode is a reminder that sewing isn’t about earning a label — it’s about curiosity, creativity, and learning as you go.
Listener Question:

What sewing level do YOU identify with right now?
And what project made you feel more confident as a sewist?
Join the conversation in our Facebook group, The Sewcial Sewists!
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If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and share the episode with your sewing friends!

Episode 46 of The Sewcial Hour is all about quilts, community, and building a business that feels like hanging out with your best quilting friends. This week, Bethany and Audra sit down with Kate Hay — the owner of Quilt with Miss Kate — to talk about growing up in the quilt world, working behind the scenes in the fabric industry, and creating an online quilt shop that makes quilters feel truly seen.
Kate shares what it was like growing up in her mom’s quilt shop, Patchwork Plus, before spending years as a sales rep for Moda Fabrics and eventually taking the leap to launch her own modern online quilt shop in 2024. From curating quilt kits and fabric bundles to documenting the entire journey online, Kate gives us an honest look at what really goes into running a quilt business in today’s sewing world.
We also dive into:
🧵 How quilt shops decide what fabric collections to carry
🧵 What quilters never see happening behind the scenes
🧵 Why community matters more than ever in quilting
🧵 The misconceptions people have about owning a quilt shop
🧵 Beginner quilting mistakes and favorite quilting tools
🧵 Trivia championships, escape rooms, and quilt naps
Plus, Kate teaches this week’s Spool School segment all about how quilt shops actually buy fabric — and why supporting your favorite small quilt shop matters more than you think.
And of course, there’s plenty of laughter along the way, including our “absolutely not” fabrics, rapid-fire favorites, and this week’s “You Love to See It” moments.
Follow Kate online:
✨ Quilt with Miss Kate Website
✨ Instagram @quiltwithmisskate
✨ TikTok @quiltwithmisskate
Be sure to follow The Sewcial Hour Podcast on social media for behind-the-scenes content, episode updates, and more sewing community fun:
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Join the conversation in our Facebook group, The Sewcial Sewists, and share your FPP wins with us!
If you’re loving the podcast, don’t forget to leave a review on platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts — reviews help more sewists discover the show and grow our amazing community.
New episodes of The Sewcial Hour Podcast drop every Tuesday on all major podcast platforms, with video episodes available on YouTube. Next week: The Myth of “Advanced” Sewing — let’s talk about sewing labels and who gets to decide what makes someone “advanced.”

Episode 45: The Confidence Ladder of Making
This week on The Sewcial Hour Podcast, we’re diving into something every maker experiences, but don’t always have language for: confidence. 🧵✨
When you first start sewing, everything feels intimidating: patterns are confusing, techniques feel overwhelming, and every project feels like a test. But over time, something shifts. You begin to trust your hands, your instincts, and your creative decisions.
In this episode, we’re breaking down what we’re calling The Confidence Ladder of Making: the four stages makers move through as they grow:
Imitation – following patterns and learning the basics
Modification – making small changes and creative tweaks
Ownership – trusting your instincts and solving problems
Authorship – creating something entirely your own
We’re talking about why imitation is not cheating, why so many makers stay in the modification stage (and why that’s okay), and how confidence is built through repetition, mistakes, and finished projects not talent.
If you’ve ever wondered “am I doing this right?” or felt stuck in your sewing journey, this episode will help you understand where you are and what comes next.
✨ Join the conversation:
If someone handed you a brand new sewing pattern today… would you follow it exactly, tweak it, or completely wing it? 👀
DM us or share in our Facebook group The Sewcial Sewists and tell us the project that first gave you sewing confidence.
🎧 New episodes of The Sewcial Hour Podcast drop every Tuesday on all major platforms. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a beginner maker who needs a little encouragement.
Next week: We’re chatting with Kate Hay of Quilt with Miss Kate, you won’t want to miss it! 🧵

This week on The Sewcial Hour Podcast, we’re joined by Karen Wade, founder of Bessie Pearl Binding Co. — a company that has helped thousands of quilters finally enjoy the finishing step with beautifully made, ready-to-use bias binding.
If binding is the part of quilting you dread (👀 you’re not alone), this episode is for you.
Karen shares how Bessie Pearl was born out of a very real sewing room frustration and how that one problem turned into a thriving product-based business. With a background in retail and over a decade of growth, she gives us an inside look at what it actually takes to build a business in the sewing world — and what most people get wrong about it.
In this episode, we talk about:
The moment Karen realized there had to be a better way to finish quilts
Why bias binding feels so intimidating for so many quilters
How Bessie Pearl evolved from an idea into a full product line
The realities of running a sewing-based product business
How Karen selects fabrics and designs binding that works across quilt styles
Tips to make binding feel less overwhelming (and maybe even enjoyable!)
Plus, we get to know Karen a little more through rapid-fire questions, hear what she’s loving right now, and chat about what’s next for Bessie Pearl — including a fun Quilt Top Maxi Skirt Sew-Along coming this summer 👗🧵
Whether you love binding, avoid it at all costs, or are somewhere in between, this conversation will give you a whole new perspective on the final step of quilting.
✨ Connect with Karen & Bessie Pearl:
Follow along on Instagram: @bessiepearlbindingco
Explore ready-made binding options, tutorials, and more to simplify your quilt finishes.
🎧 New episodes of The Sewcial Hour Podcast drop every other Tuesday on all major platforms. Be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a quilter who really needs help with their binding 😉
Next week: We’re talking about The Confidence Ladder of Making — how to build skills, trust yourself, and grow as a maker.

This week on The Sewcial Hour Podcast, we’re talking about a topic that can get uncomfortable real fast… money. 💸✂️
Why does fabric feel so expensive? Why do makers consistently underprice their work? And what are we actually paying for when we choose handmade over mass-produced?
In this episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on the true cost of creating - from materials and tools to the often-overlooked value of time, skill, and experience. Because spoiler: that “quick afternoon project” didn’t just take an afternoon… it took years to be able to make it that quickly.
We’re diving into:
What really goes into the cost of a handmade item
Why time is the most undervalued part of sewing
A reality check on what your projects would cost if you paid yourself fairly
Why handmade will never (and should never) compete with fast fashion pricing
The invisible labor behind every finished piece
Why makers fall into the trap of underpricing their work
The difference between hobby pricing and business pricing
We also get honest about the emotional side of pricing — how it’s tied to identity, confidence, and the fear that no one will buy - and why underpricing doesn’t make you generous… it makes you unsustainable.
Whether you’re a hobbyist, a side hustler, or running a full creative business, this episode will challenge how you think about the value of your work and help you decide what kind of maker you want to be.
✨ Join the conversation:
 DM us what you think your last project really cost (including your time 👀), and share one thing you’re going to stop underpricing this year.
🎧 New episodes of The Sewcial Hour Podcast drop every Tuesday on all major platforms. Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a maker who needs permission to charge more.
Next week: We’re chatting with Karen Wade of Bessie Pearl - you won’t want to miss it! 🧵