Can a stereotypically female activity such as sewing be an appropriate medium through which to tackle male loneliness and isolation? This is a question that return-guest and GBSB finalist, Tony Rea, has been tasked to help answer. In this episode, Tony tells us all about the pilot of an awesome endeavor he’s involved in called Thread Brothers. We also get into the weeds about traditionally gendered crafts and spaces, and explore how sewing can help push us back against ageism. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Listen to my previous conversation with Tony:

• Ep. #124: Fearless Sewing with Tony Rae

Find out more about Tony on his website, and see his latest projects on Instagram @tonyr.maker.

Follow the Thread Brothers on Instagram (@threadbrothers.makers) and learn more about the project on the Wellmoor website. 

Check out Tobit Emmens’ Substack. 

I took a palette bench making workshop with The Salvage Sister.  

Tony (and myself) will be at this year’s Knit + Stitch show at Alexandra Palace, London, in October. 

I’m a firm believer that there are NO stupid questions when it comes to sewing. If you need to ask it, even if it’s something you think you should probably already know, then it’s valid. But it’s not always easy to find the answers you’re looking for. So I’ve asked my guest, sewing author and expert dressmaking teacher, Julia Hincks, on the podcast to talk about her new beginner’s guide to dressmaking book AND to answer some burning questions from members of the CYT community. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Find Julia Hincks and her website is House of Miss Sew and you can find her at @juliahincks and @houseofmisssew on Instagram. 

Listen to Julia on previous episodes:

• Ep. #10: Overlockers & Coverstitch Machines with Julia Hincks
• Ep. #27: Zoe & Julia go Rag Rugging
• Ep. #53: First Birthday / Ask me Anything with Zoe, Julia and Naomi
• Ep. #67: Zoe and Julia Sew with Reclaimed Denim
• Ep. #99: Sewing Confessions with Julia and Naomi

You can sponsor Julia’s cycling to raise money for Cancer Research UK. 

Julia’s first book is The Overlocker Technique Manual, there is also a US version entitled The Serger’s Technique Bible. The book has also been translated into Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian. Her second book is The Coverstitch Technique Manual.

Julia’s third book is The Beginner’s Guide to Dressmaking. Signed copies are available via her website. It is also available in the US and in Australia. 

There are additional resources on Search Press’s The Bookmarked Hub. 

Julia recommended Maraflex thread which is stretchy (link to buy it in UK via Fabric Godmother, but is sold elsewhere). 

I like using Tencel thread from James Tailoring. 

Julia’s pattern recommendations for garments that are adjustable in their finished form:

• Palazzo Pants by Sasha Starlight
• Mitchell Trousers by Closet Core
• Meriam Trousers by Cashmerette
• Zadie Jumpsuit and Dress by Paper Theory Patterns
• Kielo Wrap Dress and Lilja Dress, Pinafore and Blouse by Named Clothing 
• Tie Dress by Sewing Therapy
• Lisi Dress and Blouse by Fabric Godmother 

The Garden Dress and Blouse by Frux Studio is the pattern with lots of pin tucks.

Julia recommends FriXion pens by Pilot for marking. They contain ink that disappears with the heat from an iron.

Have you ever consciously infused your handmade garments with personal magic? And how can we create clothing that feels like emotionally protective armour? This is the second part of guest-host Kat Camfield’s amazing conversation with textile artist Justice McNeil from Thread + Sprout. They touch on so many topics, including pattern instructions that work better for some neurodivergent brains, and the importance of physical movement within a sewing practice. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Listen to Part 1 of Kat and Justice’s conversation:

• Ep. #231: A Business Based on Scraps - Kat Camfield with Justice McNeil

Justice McNeil’s multi-faceted and evolving company is Thread + Sprout (@threadandsprout on Instagram):

Purchase the Soft Armor sewing pattern:

You can see many examples of the Magic vest in the galleries, and keep your eyes peeled for future Magic vest classes like the one Kat took part in.

Learn more about Justice’s Movement for Makers offering. 

Kat Camfield is a sewing teacher and sewing retreat organiser living in Victoria, Canada. You can follow Kat on Instagram @gatherandstitch.ca. 

Hear Kat on previous episodes of CYT:

• Ep. #196: Eco Printing - Kat Camfield with Carly from Lorelei Textile Design
• Ep. #200: Making Check Your Thread - with Zoe & Kat, Part 1
• Ep. #201: Making Check Your Thread - with Zoe & Kat, Part 2
• Ep. #204: The Sewing Machine, A Novel - Kat Camfield with Natalie Fergie 
• Ep. #214: Is Inclusivity Enough? - Kat Camfield with Frances from Sincere Studio 
• Ep. #221: Upcycling Secrets - Kat Camfield with Brynn, Emily & Meagan
• Ep. #227: Threading Change - Kat Camfield with Sophia Yang
• Ep. #231: A Business Based on Scraps - Kat Camfield with Justice McNeil

Is it possible to create a successful sewing business making desirable products using scraps that allows you to leave your corporate job? Spoiler alert: Yes! Amazing guest-host Kat Camfield talks to Justice McNeil about the origin story of her inspiring business, Thread + Sprout, and how it’s evolved into something quite different, but equally inspiring. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Justice McNeil’s multi-faceted and evolving company is Thread + Sprout (@threadandsprout on Instagram)

Justice’s ‘breakout hit’ was the Nature dress which is now available as a tutorial for you to make your own:

The launching of the Nature top tutorial was a significant step in the evolution of Thread + Sprout. 

You can see many examples of the Magic vest in the galleries, and keep your eyes peeled for future Magic vest classes like the one Kat took part in.

Kat Camfield is a sewing teacher and sewing retreat organiser living in Victoria, Canada. You can follow Kat on Instagram @gatherandstitch.ca.

Hear Kat on previous episodes of CYT:

• Ep. #196: Eco Printing - Kat Camfield with Carly from Lorelei Textile Design
• Ep. #200: Making Check Your Thread - with Zoe & Kat, Part 1
• Ep. #201: Making Check Your Thread - with Zoe & Kat, Part 2
• Ep. #204: The Sewing Machine, A Novel - Kat Camfield with Natalie Fergie 
• Ep. #214: Is Inclusivity Enough? - Kat Camfield with Frances from Sincere Studio 
• Ep. #221: Upcycling Secrets - Kat Camfield with Brynn, Emily & Meagan
• Ep. #227: Threading Change - Kat Camfield with Sophia Yang

Are you ready to share mending skills with others? Mary Morton and Jeanna Wigger, authors of the excellent book, ‘Stitch It, Don’t Ditch It’, have a ton of practical advice learned through hosting lots of in-person mending events. We discuss the different event formats for sharing skills, how to coordinate with venues and the best free resources available to support your efforts. 

Plus, there’s audio from the last event I attended with Jeanna and Mary on their tour of the North of England taken at Left Bank Leeds, a truly awesome creative and inclusive space that serves and supports its diverse community. 

Leah Anderson is the Arts and Community Manager at Left Bank Leeds (@leftbankleeds on Instagram). 

Jeanna Wigger can be found @thepeoplesmending on Instagram. Jeanna also has an excellent Substack. 

Mary Morton can be found @edinburghstreetstitchers and @mvm13 on Instagram.

Mary volunteers at the Shrub Coop, a ZW charity based in Edinburgh, Scotland (@shrubcoop on Instagram). 

Listen to my previous conversations with Jeanna and Mary:

• Ep. #115: Winter of Care and Repair with Jeanna Wigger
• Ep. #132: A Season of Mending with Jeanna Wigger
• Ep. #135: How to Triage Your Mends with Jeanna Wigger
• Ep. #163: How to Effect Change This Winter with Jeanna Wigger
• Ep. #190: The Four Tendencies and Sewing with Jeanna, Kim & Lise 
• Ep. #191: Stitch it, Don’t Ditch it with Mary Morton & Jeanna Wigger
• Ep. #208: Challenging Consumption and Perfectionism with Jeanna Wigger
• Ep. #217: Mending for Mental Wellbeing with Rebecca from The Big Fandango
• Ep. #223: An Alternative Fashion Future with Chalotte from Stitched Up

Find their awesome book, ‘Stitch it, Don't Ditch it’.

To be honest, this episode’s link to sustainability is very tenuous, but when repeat-guest Lise Bauer hits you up saying she needs to talk - you drop everything and talk. The main topic of conversation is where we’re both at with the latest round of the Last Sewist Standing challenge. I wonder if our statuses will surprise you….

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Find Lise and the Last Sewist Standing challenge updates at @the.craft.camp on Instagram. 

Check out Lise’s personal account @miss.taeschli on Instagram.

Listen to my previous conversations with Lise:

• Ep. #118: Last Sewist Standing with Lise Bauer
• Ep. #164: Sewing Wins and Fails with Lise & Meg
• Ep. #189: Are Zoe & Lise Still in Last Sewist Standing?
• Ep. #190: Sewing and the Four Tendencies with Jeanna, Kim & Lise
• Ep. #218: Fabric Confessions with Lise Bauer

Whether or not you identify as neurodivergent, you’re going to want to hear this episode. In Episode 222, Kim Witten and I requested submissions about people’s experiences of neurodivergence and craft. My goodness did we receive a fascinating selection of submissions. If you are at all interested in people, how they think and move through the world, you’re going to love this episode. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Kim Witten (@witten.kim on IG) is a transformational coach and writer:

She has appeared on the following previous episodes:

• Ep. #71: Making Personal Manifestos with Kim Witten
• Ep. #91: Self Knowledge for Sewing Success with Kim Witten
• Ep. #92: Self Coaching for Sewing Success with Kim Witten
• Ep. #110: Zoe & Kim go to the Stitch Festival
• Ep. #162: How to Solve Your Next Sewing Problem with Kim Witten
• Ep. #190: Sewing and the Four Tendencies with Jeanna, Kim & Lise
• Ep. #222: Neurodiversity and Craft with Kim Witten

We thoroughly recommend that you sign up to Kim’s excellent fortnightly newsletter, ‘Hold That Thought’. 

Those of us who make some or all of our own clothes ourselves might feel like we’ve opted out of the fashion industry. However, as citizens of this planet and feminists, we can’t ignore the problems caused by clothing and fabric production. And, in fact, us home sewers might be well placed to have a huge positive impact. Because, as Sophia Yang, the founder of the world’s leading youth-led ethical fashion NGO, Threading Change, discusses with guest-host Kat Camfield, we know that clothes aren’t just commodities: they are creations that contain stories. And that concept is potentially powerful enough to disrupt the perception that clothing is disposable. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Sophia Yang is the founder of Threading Change. You can also find them on Instagram @threadingchange.  

Kat Camfield is a sewing teacher and sewing retreat organiser living in Victoria, Canada. You can follow Kat on Instagram @cooperativekatsews. 

Hear Kat on previous episodes of CYT:

• Ep. #196: Eco Printing - Kat Camfield with Carly from Lorelei Textile Design
• Ep. #200: Making Check Your Thread - with Zoe & Kat, Part 1
• Ep. #201: Making Check Your Thread - with Zoe & Kat, Part 2
• Ep. #204: The Sewing Machine, A Novel - Kat Camfield with Natalie Fergie 
• Ep. #214: Is Inclusivity Enough? - Kat Camfield with Frances from Sincere Studio 
• Ep. #221: Upcycling Secrets - Kat Camfield with Brynn, Emily & Meagan

Learn more about The Shoe Project.

Engaging people by making community quilts is one aspect of Threading Change’s many actions:

Most of us think of sashiko as a type of visible mending that we discovered via Instagram or Pinterest. But what actually is sashiko, and how should we engage with it? Is it an artform to be revered and put on display? A common household practice borne out of necessity, used for survival? Is it a form of meditation? Or some lovely hand stitching patterns we can emulate to fix and customise our jeans? Atsushi Futatsuya, is a sashiko practitioner and story teller who helps fill in the blanks in our knowledge about this fascinating and multilayered practice. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Photo by Kim Lightbody.

Atsushi Futatsuya has a website and can be followed on Instagram @sashikostory. 

You can also watch his videos on YouTube. 

There are three ways to take a class with Atsushi:

• In-person in the US. 
• Online as a mix of recorded and live sessions. 
• Recorded online introductory course via Domestika.  

Check out where to order Atsushi’s new book, ‘Sashiko: The Untold Story’, around the world. 

There are lots of online marketplaces out there through which you can sell or give away your unwanted crafting materials, but they all have their drawbacks. Destasher is a new UK -based platform JUST for sewists and yarn crafters wanting to buy, sell, giveaway or claim materials and supplies within the maker community. Its creator, Caroline, tells me what makes Destasher such a great option for those of us trying to make more sustainably and affordably.

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Check out and sign up to the Destasher website and follow them on Instagram @destasher_uk. 

Makers’ accounts that Caroline is inspired by:

• @madebysjp
• @afrayedupcycling

She's just so fun and inventive. And I really loved her YouTube video where she talks about sewing being a form of rebellion.

• @_lostfabric

Creates gorgeous jackets from old sleeping bags, blankets, and pre-owned materials, also offers the Boxy Jacket pattern.

• @sleepyrabbitdesigns

Revolutionising children's fashion by recycling fabrics to create gorgeous gender neutral clothing as unique and fun as little ones.

• @oneofsixdesign

Sustainable sewing and creative workshops for all ages in Walthamstow.

• @littlebrowndogvintage

Handmade, one-of-a kind garments, all made by Nancy in Suffolk from vintage and rescued fabrics that have had a previous life.

• @mcbeebags

Specialising in making bags and accessories using vintage fabrics.

I love hearing and reading practical tips for how to stay creative when your budget is tight. But what is rarely acknowledged in those types of content is how rubbish and frustrating trying to maintain a creative hobby when you’re skint actually feels. In this episode, we acknowledge and gently challenge some of those negative feelings, so that applying those practical tips feels positive and rewarding. 

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Image source: Sasun Bughdaryanvia Unsplash

Other episodes to listen to related to this topic include:

• Ep. #58: Sewing On a Budget
• Ep. #64: Sewing Trends More Sustainably
• Ep. #145: 5 Simple Tactics to Save on Sewing
• Ep. #173: Quilting Through Burnout with Radha Weaver
• Ep. #183: Get Your Stash Sorted!
• Ep. #195: Introduction to Pattern Hacking

Download the free Seasonal Stash Guide.

Check out my Free Pattern Friday blog post series.