Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably

If I asked you what you consider fun, my guess is that laundry and garment care do not immediately spring to mind. However, keeping our clothing in good, wearable condition for as long as possible, is an important part of living more sustainably. And it really doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. I’m about to share five simple practices that, if you turn them into habits, will give your clothes the best shot at a long and happy life.Support the podcast over on Patreon!(image source: Annie Spratt via Unsplash) 5 Habits for Easy Garment Care1) Wash as infrequently as possible2) Don’t sleep on a stainWriter Nancy Birtwhistle (@nancy.birtwhistle on IG) is an expert on stain removal.3) Hang dry whenever possibleI´m a big fan of my DriBUDDi!:4a) Question if it requires ironing4b) Iron on reverseIf you want to go deep into pressing cloths, check out this guide from Threads Magazine.5) Store each item in your wardrobe correctly, according to garment AND fibre typeFriday Pattern Company recently released a free/pay-what-you-can garment bag pattern:(image source: Friday Pattern Co.)

Are you ready to wrap up 2024, to look back at a year’s worth of sewing wins and fails, and consider some hopes and plans for 2025? I got together with two of your favourite previous podcast guests, Lise Bauer and Meg Grandstaff, to have this unapologetically lengthy conversation. So if you’ve got a long journey this festive season, or you need some company during a stint in the kitchen, let the three of us join you. Also, we answer the all important question: what forms of potato the three of us are going to be enjoying over the Winter.Stick around a few minutes and we’ll crack on!GuestsLise Bauer (@miss.taeschli on Instagram)Listen to Lise in the previous episode:Ep. #118: Last Sewist Standing with Lise BauerMeg Grandstaff (@the_grand_stash on Instagram)Listen to Meg in previous episodes: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 Ep. #150: Momentum and Motivation with Meg GrandstaffSewing Patterns & Products MentionedDidi Pullover by Fibre Mood Bay Pants by Bel’ Etoile Brera Cardigan kit by We Are Knitters Saguaro Set by Friday Pattern Co Archer Button Up Shirt by Grainline Studio Donny Shirt by Friday Pattern Co I Am Sunshine Jeans by I Am Patterns (read my review post)Social Accounts & Businesses Mentioned@sewover50 community @virtualsewingroom Fitting expert Kate Roberts @projectpatterns @destash4palestine Charm Patterns Bianca @sleepless_in_bavaria is Lise’s co-host for the Whole 10000 Yards of Yarn challenge @shamseldinrogers @pinkmimosabyjacinta is the creator of the Whole 30 Fabric challenge @craftyguider Projects MentionedMeg's genius reinterpretation of her baby mitten fail into chair socks win!My daughter’s ‘Goblincore’ scrappy cardigan:My hideous knitted vest fail:

Did you participate in the Winter of Care and Repair challenge last year? Do you plan to do so this year? I’m welcoming Jeanna Wigger, the challenge’s creator and host, back onto the podcast. Jeanna and I have both been thinking about how we can use the challenge to implement the changes we want to see in the world, on a personal level, community level and global level. Jeanna and I share what important actions we plan to take in the months ahead. Support the podcast over on Patreon!Jeanna is the creator of the #winterofcareandrepair challenge, also #winterofcareandrepair2023.You can follow Jeanna on Instagram @thepeoplesmending.Listen to my previous conversations with Jeanna about the Winter of Care and Repair challenge: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 WiggerI plan to use the WOCAR challenge to help me enact the plans that I laid out in:Ep. #160: What We Do NowJeanna and I are both supporters of the writer Aja Barber over on Patreon.UK residents:find your MP and their email address petition Parliament to discuss bills that are important to youUS residents:find your congress people Find your federal, state and local elected officialsLearn more about the OR FoundationFashion Revolution is another awesome organisation that can also advise on how to take action. Discover how ethical or otherwise your current banking or investments are via Bank.Green You can also use the site to find an alternative and learn how to make the switch. Jeanna suggests taking the Fibershed Sustainable Closet Audit. Jeanna uses Appblock to set controls on her screen time.

Do you find yourself coming up against sewing related problems that leave you stumped and that subsequently sap your momentum? Today, regular CYT guest and our resident coach, Kim Witten, explains how to work through our stumbling blocks swiftly and effectively. To do this, Kim shares a series of five simple questions to ask ourselves that break down any daunting challenge into something far more manageable and achievable. Support the podcast over on Patreon!I mentioned the Buy Me Once website for products that are built to be long lasting. Kim Witten (@witten.kim on IG) is a transformational coach. 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 FestivalThe questions Kim suggests we apply to our challenges are:What is the problem I’m trying to solve? Where are we trying to get to with this? How will we know when we’ve got there? Why does this matter? So where´s a good place for me to start?Kim’s recent long-term sewing project was the Cosecha Pants pattern by Sew Liberated.