The results of the recent US elections represent a massive blow to the future of our planet. The fight for equality and all forms of social justice have also suffered a huge setback. So, what do we do now?

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(image source: Lucas Favre via Unsplash) 

I outlined the mission and values of Check Your Thread in the following episode:

• Ep. #71: Making Personal Manifestos with Kim Witten

Many of us sew in a small space, or in an area of our home that’s also used for other activities and by other people. If that’s you, how’s the space working for you? Whatever the constraints of your space, there are tons of changes you can make and heaps of tips that you can deploy to make things work more smoothly. Today’s episode is a guide that collates all the awesome ideas from last week’s episode, with a whole bunch more thrown in as well. We’ll cover furniture and storage solutions, organising and orienting your space, managing what comes into your space and the stuff that’s already there, and how to develop processes and methods of working that will reduce frustration and increase your sewing enjoyment. 

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(image source: Darling Arias via Unsplash) 

This episode is the second part in a mini-series. Listen to Part 1:

• Ep. #158: Small and Shared Space Sewing, Part 1

Craft storage trolley (this one is from Hobbycraft):

Small, table top ironing board (the classic one by Ikea):

Wool pressing mat (this one is for sale in the UK from Love Sew)

Buy or make a pocket organiser that can hang on a wall or the back of a door (Closet Core patterns have a tutorial):

Thread Pegs make amazing thread, cone and bobbin peg organisers:

Under shelf storage baskets (I found some that are very cheap on eBay):

Listen to:

• Ep. #145: 5 Simple Tactics to Save on Sewing
• Ep. #11: Sewing Vs Kids
• Ep. #101: How to Prioritise Sewing with Jenny Drew

Is the space you have for sewing pretty small? Or maybe you sew in a space that is shared with other people and also used for other activities? Or perhaps your sewing space is both small AND shared? We’re spending this week’s and next week’s episodes finding out how we can make these situations work better for ourselves, so that we can have successful and fulfilling sewing lives, no matter the configuration. Today we’re going to hear from lots of sewers about their small or shared sewing spaces: what’s working well and what frustrates them about it, and they’ll be sharing useful tips that you can apply today!

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(image source: Lucas Favre via Unsplash) 

Caro organises their sewing resources using the Stash Hub app:

How does a small business advertise the products it sells so it can stay afloat without encouraging over consumption? In the second part of my conversation with Bevan O’Daly,  owner of Bawn Textiles, we hear how she navigates this conundrum. Bevan also explains the difference between a small business and a micro business, and the additional challenges faced by the latter. Plus we get a fascinating view into her other world: textile conservation. 

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Bawn Textiles in a bricks and mortar shop in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as an online shop. You can also follow them on Instagram (@bawntextiles). 

Listen to the first part of the conversation:

• Ep. #156: How to Run an Ethical Textiles Shop with Bevan O’Daly

The Govanhill Baths Community Trust run an endeavour called Rags to Riches where you can learn skills including sewing. 

Another option for in-person sewing classes in Glasgow is Sew Confident. Listen to the pep talk that owner Jenny Drew gave us previously:

• Ep. #101: How to Prioritise Sewing with Jenny Drew

Swedish fashion and sewing pattern designer, Ann Ringstrand, elicited feedback from Bawn customers before writing her second book. 

Bawn Textiles also stock sewing patterns by:

• The Assembly Line
• Merchant and Mills 
• And others…

Two popular books are:

• Zero Waste Patterns by Birgitta Helmersson
• Creative Visible Mending for Knitwear by Flora Collingwood-Norris

If you ran a shop that supported makers to create more sustainably, what would it look like, and what would you stock? Bevan O’Daly is the owner of Glasgow-based Bawn Textiles and her goal is to provide responsibly sourced fabric, yarn and haberdashery for ethically minded makers. In this episode, Bevan tells us about the criteria for the items she stocks, why she sometimes talks customers out of purchasing, and the ingenious solution she’s devised to help makers pass on their unwanted me-mades.

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Bawn Textiles in a bricks and mortar shop in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as an online shop. You can also follow them on Instagram (@bawntextiles). 

If you haven’t already, listen to the initial episode that initiated our conversation:

• Ep. #143: No Small Business on a Dead Planet

Read about Bawn Textiles’ commitment to Net Zero.

Bevan’s next step is to research B Corp Certification as a possible future option. 

Much of the fabric Bawn stocks is compliant with one of the following:

• GOTS certification
• Soil association
• Better Cotton initiative

There are multiple Oeko Tex certifications, learn about them all on their website.

Bawn donates the unsold, unwanted me-mades to the Glasgow-based charity, Refuweegee. 

Bawn Textiles stock fantastic thread storage by Thread Pegs from Cornwall. 

Glasgow-native, Jen Hogg, creates amazing tools for makers via her brand Jenerates. I spoke to Jen at last year’s Knitting & Stitching show:

• Ep. #110: Knitting & Stitching Show 2023

Second Cashmere mending yarn is reclaimed from unsalvageable cashmere garments.

The Bawn spotify playlist can be enjoyed by all!

Maria, AKA @wildknitsglasgow, is a knitwear pattern designer who designed a gorgeous hat pattern and is donating the sales to the charity Refuweegee until March 2025. 

Have you ever made a sewing pattern straight out of the packet and been disappointed with the results? Pattern designer and fitting expert, Elisalex Jewell, gets us excited about the possibilities of pattern hacking and learning to fit clothes to your body. She also talks about how having Orsola de Castro, founder of Fashion Revolution, as a mum impacted her own relationship to fashion and sustainability.

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Elisalex Jewell is the co-founder of sewing pattern brand By Hand London. You can also follow her on Instagram (@elisalex).

Listen to my previous episode with Elisalex:

• Ep. #131: Self-Drafting for Fitting Success with Elisalex Jewell

If you want to hear more about the possibilities of pattern hacking, listen to:

• Ep. #90: Introduction to Pattern Hacking 

Elisalex featured on Episode 30 of The New Craft House Podcast. 

Elisalex´s mum is Orsola de Castro (@orsoladecastro), the co-founder and creative director of Fashion Revolution, a not-for-profit activism movement which works towards a sustainable fashion industry.

Are you ‘clothing self-sufficient’? If that’s a goal you’re interested in working towards, what are the potential benefits of being on that journey? Inspired by gardening expert Huw Richards, in this solo episode I explore two approaches to clothing self-sufficiency.

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(image source: Galina Kondratenko via Unsplash)

Follow gardening expert, Huw Richards, on his YouTube channel.

Huw wrote ‘The Self-Sufficiency Garden’ book with Sam Cooper (@chef.sam.black on Instagram): 

Are you ready for a bit of a shake up this week? We have a guest host for this episode: we’re in the safe hands of regular guest Shams el-Din Rogers, and of course she’s presented us with an incredible conversation. Shams is talking to Toronto-based textile artist and mending workshop facilitator, Allie Davis. They have a fascinating discussion about whether it’s cultural appropriation or appreciation to teach techniques from a culture that is not your own. Plus, they explore the benefits and joys of working with materials that have had another life before you got hold of them…

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Find Shams el-Din Rogers on Instagram @shamseldinrogers.

Follow Allie Davis on Instagram @witchdyes and check out their website for dates of upcoming workshops dates and locations. 

Listen to her on previous episodes of CYT:

• Ep. #32: Textile Activism with Shams el–Din Rogers 
• Ep. #49: Sewing as Art and Political Action with Shams el–Din Rogers
• Ep. #77: Stashes and Spaces with Shams el–Din Rogers
• Ep. #81: Travel, Sustainability and Sewing with Shams el-Din Rogers
• Ep. #142: Values Based Spending and Making with Shams el-Din Rogers

Allie took a Domestika class called Introduction to Japanese Sashiko Stitching led by artist Atsushi Futatsuya (@sashikostory on Instagram).

Allie also took a clone-your-clothes workshop with Camilla Salcedo (@lil_arepa on Instagram). 

Shams and Camilla are part of a creative re-use collective called Works in Progress Toronto.

The Textile Museum of Canada, based in Toronto, host a reuse program through which you can purchase pre-owned fabric. 

Allie has also purchased pre-owned fabrics from Lucky Deluxe Fabrics.  

‘Wild Color’ is a book by Jenny Dean about natural dyeing:

I know that CYT listeners love to hear how sewing is being used to positively impact the lives of others, so I know you’re going to love today’s episode! For years, Mel Keane has been improving the lives of members of her community who are struggling through various types of volunteering. This has included setting up sewing workshops to help people clothe themselves and their families, as well as to build skills and confidence. The workshops Mel facilitated at a refugee centre helped forge a sense of community for people who found themselves isolated. And more recently, the sewing classes she runs help the participants find a sense of calm and stillness in otherwise very stressful lives. 

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Find Mel on Instagram (@melaniekeane).

Visit The Lighthouse’s website to learn more about where Mel volunteers:

The Stash Hub app helps Mel keep track of the donated fabrics. 

Mel starting (non-scrub) garment making using the PJs pattern in Tilly and the Buttons Love At First Stitch book.

She then moved on to Closet Core Pattern’s Carolyn Pajamas pattern.

Mel is active in the @SewOver50 community and helped start up @surreysews.

You can help them raise money for Sewing Stillness by attending the SewFizzTeaCated fundraising event that is taking place on Saturday 19th October 2024:

…or by participating in the #SewFizzTeaCated24 sewing challenge:

Mel will be hosting a session at The Virtual Sewing Room on Wednesday 18th September. 

Many of us sewers feel confused and even wary of the term deadstock fabric. Does buying fabric labelled ‘deadstock' really save it from landfill or incineration? Or are we enabling fabric producers and fashion brands to get away with overproduction, incentivising it even? And what’s the difference between ‘deadstock’ and ‘overstock’, and how, as consumers, can we tell the difference? 

This week, you’ll hear my conversation with Hannah and Rosie from London-based The New Craft House as they unpick this topic for us, leaving us all with a greater understanding. From school friends, to craft bloggers, to workshop facilitators to fabric purveyors, the current incarnation of their business is made possible by navigating the excesses and waste of the fashion industry. In this conversation Hannah and Rosie are super open and candid about how their business runs, and their plans and hopes for its more sustainable future. 

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Find The New Craft House online, via Instagram (@newcrafthouse) and IRL at their London studio:

They explain the nature of deadstock fabric on their website:

#sewyourselfsustainable is the hashtag they created to encourage the sewing community to explore more sustainable practices during September.  It also coincides with other sustainability-related endeavours, including Oxfam´s Secondhand September campaign. 

Do you want to hang with me and regular guest Meg Grandstaff as we grill each other about sewing plans and goals, and cackle over basically everything? This episode is a chatty conversation in which we have a catch up about our current creative obsessions, projects and plans. 

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You can follow Meg’s sewing and knitting endeavours, as well as learn more about #scrapbustingseptember via Instagram (@the_grand_stash).

Previous episodes with Meg Grandstaff include:

• Ep #22: Mending Workshops with Carla & Meg / Community Glue
• Ep #37: Pledges and Participants #1 with Rebecca & Meg
• Ep. #103: Swimming in a Sea of Scraps with Meg Grandstaff

Meg has been working on:

• The Ginger Jeans pattern by Closet Core Patterns
• The Gable Top pattern by Jennifer Lauren Handmade 
• The Granville Shirt pattern by Sewaholic 

Meg tried the Seasonal Stash organisation system I came up with. You can hear about it and check out the FREE downloadable PDF version. 

Meg took an alterations class at Sew On Central in Evanston, IL, USA

Check out Meg’s incredible, reversible fabric:

…and her Gingham with lobsters fabric!:

Meg’s thinking of using pattern McCalls 6696 to make her shirtdress. 

During Scrap Busting September last year, Meg pieced together scraps of black jersey to make a Lago Tank:

My downloadable resource, How to Sew Clothes with Fabric Scraps, can help get creative and resourceful with scraps. 

I highly recommend making a meditation cushion using this tutorial by The Daily Sew. 

I made a yoga bolster with removable cover for my friend:

My failed vest/gilet knitting project: