PODCAST · leisure
Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably
by Zoe Edwards
- Do you love sewing, AND are passionate about fighting the climate and ecological crises? - Are you wondering if your sewing could be made more sustainable? - Do you want to enjoy your creative passion in a way that really reflects your values? Join Zoe Edwards, a sewing nerd and creator of Me-Made-May, on her journey to explore how to sew (and live!) more sustainably. In this podcast we discover ways to sew with sustainability in mind, by flexing our creativity and resourcefulness in new and exciting ways. Check Your Thread’s goal is to show that sewing more sustainably can be fun and fulfilling, (HOLD the side order of guilt, eco-snobbery and FOMO.)Topics covered include:-Mending and garment repair-Upcycling and refashioning-Natural fabric dyeing-Fibre and fabric selection-Slow stitching-Zero Waste sewing patterns-The social and political dimensions of sewing-Craft as activismFind out more...checkyourthread.com
Episodes
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#244: Holding and Working to Your Values with Tatjana Harttung
Have you ever found yourself having to justify your values, creativity or worth? I recently had a conversation with psychotherapist and coach, Tatjana Harttung, for her podcast, The Human Greenhouse, which explored that experience, and plenty more. Tatjana kindly allowed me to share our chat on…
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#243: Sew The Precious
Imagine if all of us sewists piled up the contents of our fabric collections into one big heap. That would be a huge amount of fabric! Collectively we have A LOT of beautiful and useful fabric already in our possession that just isn’t getting used. You know me, I’m nosey, I want to know WHY that...
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#242: Quiet Care from Loose Ends – Kat Camfield with Masey Kaplan
As crafters, we usually develop a personal bond with our creative projects. But we might not consider the value and importance our crafting projects have for those close to us. And what do you do if a half finished project started by someone close to you falls into your possession that you are...
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#241: Teatowel Treasures and a Charity Shop Crawl with Ros Williams
Do you enjoy the challenge of making new things out of old? My guest for this week’s episode, Ros Williams, reconnected with her sewing machine during lockdown and has been transforming existing textiles in incredibly creative ways ever since. She even co-organised a charity shop crawl around her...
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#240: Haptic & Hue – Stories Through a Textile Lens with Jo Andrews
Jo Andrews is the creator of Haptic & Hue, the podcast through which she uncovers fascinating stories always through the lens of textiles, many of which might otherwise have been lost. A professional reporter and correspondent, Jo leaves me awe with her incredible story telling skills. I got to…
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#239: Replay – Explaining Deadstock Fabric with The New Craft House
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…
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#238: Replay – 5 Ways to Update Unworn Me-Mades
Right now, the weather is shifting from one season to another, and the clothing items we’re reaching for are altering accordingly. But it’s most likely you’ll find that some of those items, for whatever reason, just aren’t pieces you want to wear these days. So what can be done about that, aside...
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#237: Replay – Activism in Real Life with Beedy Parker
Do the climate and ecological crises just feel too massive to deal with sometimes? When it all feels so overwhelming, it can be tempting to tap out completely and disengage. That’s totally understandable. However, my guest for this episode, Beedy Parker, shows us that it is entirely possible to...
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#236: Replay – Sewing When Your Wardrobe is Full
Is your wardrobe stuffed with me-mades? Whatever role garment sewing plays in your life, after a while, the clothes can really start to pile up. So how can we continue to take pleasure in sewing, without adding to your problem of too many clothes? Image source: Megan Lee via UnSplash This episode...
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#235: Make Quilts Political Again Kat Camfield with Lorraine Woodruff-Long
Textiles have a long history of being used for political discourse and protest. Lorraine Woodruff-Long is a self-taught and now award-winning quilt artist who is continuing that tradition today by creating exciting and powerful work on political and social issues that are important to her....
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#234: Making Sewing Accessible for All Genders with Tony Rea
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...
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233: No Stupid Sewing Questions with Julia Hincks
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...
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#232: Magic and Movement for Makers – Kat Camfield with Justice McNeil
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...
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#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...
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#230: How to Teach Repair Skills with Jeanna & Mary
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...
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#229: Further Fabric Confessions with Lise Bauer
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...
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#228: Crafting with Neurodivergence with Kim Witten
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...
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#227: Threading Change – Kat Camfield with Sophia Yang
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…
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#226: Sashiko, The Untold Story with Atsushi Futatsuya
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...
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#225: Destashing Online with Caroline from Destasher
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…
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#224: Sewing When You’re Skint
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...
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#223: An Alternative Fashion Future with Charlotte from Stitched Up
The next installment of the SIDDI tour with Jeanna and Mary. I speak to Charlotte from Stitched Up - a Manchester-based not-for-profit with the goal of building an alternative fashion future by sharing sewing, mending and upcycling skills, and facilitating clothing swaps and textile recycling. I...
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#222: Neurodiversity and Craft with Kim Witten
In recent years there’s been a growing amount of research and understanding around neurodiversity: the variety of ways in which different people’s brains and nervous systems work. With more and more people getting formerly diagnosed, or at least identifying as being neurospicy to some degree,...
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#221: Upcycling Secrets – Kat Camfield with Brynn, Emily & Meagan
What are the biggest challenges AND the biggest joys of running a business making products from upcycled textiles? Legendary guest interviewer, Kat Camfield, has rounded up three intensely talented Canadian upcyclers: Brynn from B-Bot Clothing, Emily from Woodbrick and Meagan from Salt Legacy. We...
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#220: How to Save and Make Money with Sewing
No one should feel obligated to use their sewing skills and free time for anything they don’t want to use them for. However, if funds are tight, you might decide to look into how sewing can save, or even make, some money. In this episode you’ll hear from some members of the CYT Patreon community...
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#219: Flux-Friendly Sewing Patterns with Sasha Starlight
It is inevitable that our body’s shape and size will fluctuate over time, be that over the course of a day, a week, a month or a number of years. As more-sustainable sewists who want to get a lot of use from the items we make, we should be factoring in these body changes when planning our…
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#218: Fabric Confessions with Lise Bauer
Do you fancy a fun catch up with repeat guest Lise Bauer? Of course you do! In this episode we find out what has changed with Lise’s relationship with her fabric stash, and we both make confessions regarding recent fabric purchases. Lise also makes a strong case for attending a Frocktails event,...
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#217: Mending for Mental Wellbeing with Rebecca from The Big Fandango
All of us are aware of and enjoy many of the mental health benefits of crafting, making and mending. Rebecca Jackson understands this better than most, having experienced one of the worst things someone can go through. It led her to set up The Big Fandango five years ago in Bury, just outside...
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#216 : Replay – No Small Business on a Dead Planet
It seems like every day, another small craft business announces that it’s closing down. In this solo episode I’m looking at the causes. What can we do to both support small businesses AND buy less new stuff for the sake of our planet? Support the podcast over on Patreon! Image source: Tim...
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#215: How to Dress Kids More Sustainably with Izzie from ApparelXchange
You’ll have heard me say it a ton of times before: sewing clothes yourself isn’t necessarily the most sustainable way to clothe yourself or your family. But obviously, you’ll be prizing my sewing machine out of my cold, dead hands. However, with literal mountains of existing garments already in…
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#214: Is Inclusivity Enough? – Kat Camfield with Frances from Sincere Studio
Many of us experience the sewing and crafting communities as a welcoming haven in which we find self expression, safety and belonging. But just how inclusive are sewing spaces, both virtual and IRL? And how can we build them better? Guest host Kat Camfield is back with an incredible conversation...
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#213: A Self-Sufficient Maker with Shams el-Din Rogers
What does it take to be a self-sufficient maker? How do we acquire our knowledge? And to what extent are we subject to crafting influencers and advertising? This is the second part of my most recent conversation with return guest Shams el-Din Rogers, in which we explore this idea. We also share...
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Episode 212: Creativity, Craft and Clutter with Shams el-Din Rogers
I’m guessing that most of us find that a cluttered crafting space affects our creativity. It can also lead to over buying when you repurchase something you already own but weren’t able to locate. Very good friend of the podcast, Shams el-Din Rogers, is back to talk to me about the tactics she’s...
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#211: More Sewing, Less Overwhelm with Sew Hayley Jane
Whether or not you’re a New Year’s Resolutions kind of person, setting some intentions about what you’d like more or less of in your life as you head into a new year can feel really positive. All of us want to spend more time making and being creative, and less time being sold to. My guest…
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#210: How Frugality Builds Community with Mariel Davies
Do you want to feel more connected to the place you live and the people who also live there? Then consider not buying new fabric. My guest, Berlin-based Mariel Davies, chooses to live a frugal lifestyle, both to reduce waste, and to create and deepen her connections with others. We also discuss…
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#209: Mending ideas you never thought of
Whether or not you plan to participate in the Winter of Care and Repair challenge, we all have items we’re responsible for maintaining. Although, if you’re anything like me, there might be things you don’t even notice that are well within your control to improve, and will make your life better as…
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#208: Challenging Consumption and Perfectionism with Jeanna Wigger
PSA: The Winter of Care and Repair challenge is kicking off on 21st December! I used its imminence as an excuse to talk to the challenge’s creator, mending expert and author Jeanna Wigger, about the wider impact participating has had for her. Jeanna tells me how it’s helped her shift her...
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#207: Style Shifts and Sustainability with Lindsay Ashworth Fraser
We all experience shifts in our personal style. Usually, those shifts are gradual, but occasionally they can happen rapidly. My friend, freelance musician and singer, Lindsay Ashworth Fraser and I are both at a style crossroads ourselves. In this episode, we talk about where we’ve found ourselves...
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#206: How to Sew More Sustainably for Kids
Is there any point in trying to sew more sustainably for kids when they’re just going to grow out of their clothes in five minutes? Of course there is! And there are a TON of ways to do it. From pattern and fabric selection, to ensuring durability and repairability, in this solo episode we cover...
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#205: Selling Fabric More Sustainably with Tanya Brooman
Does shopping for natural fibres and more sustainable fabrics mean that you’re limited to solid colours in muted tones? Do you have to ignore your love of vibrant colour and bold prints? My guest today would answer “NO!” to both these questions. Tanya Brooman from Bornella Fabrics tells me about...
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#204: The Sewing Machine, A Novel – Kat Camfield with Natalie Fergie
Guest interviewer, Kat Camfield, is talking to author Natalie Fergie about Natalie’s incredible historical novel, The Sewing Machine. Based on real, historical events that took place at the Singer Sewing Machine factory in Scotland, the novel follows two families: one belonging to a worker at the...
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#203: Sewing with Scraps with Birgitta Helmersson & Sam Grose
As a garment sewer conscious of waste, you know how quickly fabric scraps leftover from your projects can build up. But imagine you run an entire clothing brand range committed to saving and using up every piece of scrap. Designers Birgitta Helmersson and Sam Grose tell me about their brand,...
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#202: London Fabric Swap 2025
Do you fancy coming with me on a little vicarious trip to a fabric swap? A couple of weeks ago I attended the London fabric swap organised by Yvette from Stash Hub app and Tanya from Bornella fabrics. I recorded a bunch of little conversations with both of them and lots of the attendees, so you…
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#201: Making Check Your Thread – with Zoe & Kat, Part 2
Are you ready for a second dose of behind the scenes podcast and sewing chat? Guest interviewer Kat Camfield and I continue our conversation. We get into the joys of Patreon and how it’s evolved for creators, what my own favourite podcasts to listen to are (none of which are about sewing!) and…
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#200: Making CYT with Zoe & Kat, Part 1
This week’s episode is the 200th episode! To mark this podcasting milestone, I had the honour of being quizzed by previous-guest interviewer, Kat Camfield. This week’s and next week’s episodes are basically a full-on behind the scenes chat about how this podcast gets made and what it's taught me....
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#199: Wardrobe Curation and Care
We're talking about the curation of a successful, handmade wardrobe and how to select sewing projects with care so that you’re creating items that reflect who you are and that say what you want them to say. We’ll also consider how style trends factor into creating a more sustainable wardrobe, and...
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#198: Shopping Strategically with Numba Pinkerton
You probably think that working with a stylist, particularly once you’ve had your colours analysed, would involve them then trying to convince you to buy, or in our case make, a load of new clothes. That’s what I’ve always assumed. But over the summer I got to catch up with previous guest…
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#197: Can I Dig It? Podcast – Glut Management Tactics
This episode is from Zoe’s other podcast: Can I Dig It? - Food Growing for Busy People. If you’ve grown, foraged, bought or received a large amount of fresh produce, here’s how to deal with it and not let it go to waste! Check out the Can I Dig It Podcast's Patreon page! Can I Dig It? is made by:...
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#196: Eco Printing – Kat Camfield with Carly from Lorelei Textile Design
You are probably aware of natural dyeing, but have you heard of eco printing? As we’ll hear in this episode, eco printing comes under the umbrella of natural dyeing but the process involves taking botanicals in the original form and using them to print onto fabric in patterns created according to...
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#195: Replay – Introduction to Pattern Hacking
Have you ever tried pattern hacking? By which I mean, making changes to a sewing pattern to create a garment that looks slightly, or wildly, different to the original design. This episode is a wide ranging introduction to the topic. Whether you are new to this practice, or are a more seasoned...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
- Do you love sewing, AND are passionate about fighting the climate and ecological crises? - Are you wondering if your sewing could be made more sustainable? - Do you want to enjoy your creative passion in a way that really reflects your values? Join Zoe Edwards, a sewing nerd and creator of Me-Made-May, on her journey to explore how to sew (and live!) more sustainably. In this podcast we discover ways to sew with sustainability in mind, by flexing our creativity and resourcefulness in new and exciting ways. Check Your Thread’s goal is to show that sewing more sustainably can be fun and fulfilling, (HOLD the side order of guilt, eco-snobbery and FOMO.)Topics covered include:-Mending and garment repair-Upcycling and refashioning-Natural fabric dyeing-Fibre and fabric selection-Slow stitching-Zero Waste sewing patterns-The social and political dimensions of sewing-Craft as activismFind out more...checkyourthread.com
HOSTED BY
Zoe Edwards
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably have?
Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably currently has 243 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably about?
- Do you love sewing, AND are passionate about fighting the climate and ecological crises? - Are you wondering if your sewing could be made more sustainable? - Do you want to enjoy your creative passion in a way that really reflects your values? Join Zoe Edwards, a sewing nerd and creator of...
How often does Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably release new episodes?
Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably publishes regularly with 243 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably?
You can listen to Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably?
Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably is created and hosted by Zoe Edwards.
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