Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably

• #189: Are Zoe & Lise still in Last Sewist Standing?

  Last Sewist Standing, for those who may be new to this podcast, is the no-buy sewing supplies challenge created by Lise Bauer. The challenge is in its fifth year, and 2025 is my second time participating. It’s time for a catch up with Lise, and to answer the question that no one is asking: are Lise and myself still in the running???Support the podcast over on Patreon!Find my new podcast ‘Can I Dig It? Food Growing for Busy People’ wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit the CIDI Patreon which you can JOIN FOR FREE!!!!!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.View the IG posts relating to the #lastsewiststanding challenge.Listen to Lise discuss the challenge in the previous episode:Ep. #118: Last Sewist Standing with Lise BauerI bought some excellent pre-loved fabric from the @destash4palestine account. Destash for palestineI bought some Fluro Indian Dobby Cotton fabric from Merchant & Mills:I intend to make a top using the Vali Top & Dress pattern by Pattern Fantastique (available in paper form from Fabric Godmother in the UK). I’m seriously considering buying the Palazzo Pants pattern by Sasha Starlight.

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• #188: Stop Wearing Black! Colour Choice with Numba Pinkerton

  Have you ever made a garment that you thought you were going to love, but ended up rarely reaching for it because you’ve realised that the colours drains you, or somehow makes you feel meh? It’s so disheartening when that happens. So this week I’m talking to stylist and colour consultant, Numba Pinkerton, about how to make successful colour choices for our garment projects, and the rest of our wardrobes. Plus, Numba tells us why most of us should remove the black holes from our clothing selections!Support the podcast over on Patreon!Find out more about Numba’s work at her website, and you can follow her on Instagram (@stylemeflawless). You can sign up to Numba’s weekly newsletter at the bottom of the homepage on her website, and check out her e-book, ‘The No Black Project’. If you are interested in studying colour analysis, Numba recommends checking out the London College of Style which offers an online Advanced Diploma in Colour Analysis for Creatives.

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• #187: Spicy questions in the Virtual Sewing Room

  How do I resist temptation whilst working in a fabric shop? Do I feel conflicted working for a fabric company whilst also personally promoting a reduction in consumption? Just two of the fun and occasionally spicy questions posed to me when I was invited to chat with attendees in the Virtual Sewing Room at the beginning of the year.Support the podcast over on Patreon!My blouse that I rarely wear because I feel the base colour doesn’t look good on me:Learn about the Last Sewist Standing challenge: Ep. #118: Last Sewist Standing with Lise BauerThe Whole 30 Fabric Challenge is hosted by @pinkmimosabyjacinta. We heard about the Five Fabrics rule in:Ep. #179: The Five Fabrics Rule with Judith StaleyYet again, I mentioned the Four Tendencies framework devised by Gretchen Rubin. The discussion about deadstock fabrics:Ep. #151: Explaining Deadstock Fabric with The New Craft HouseCan we reduce consumption whilst still supporting small business?:Ep. #143: No Small Business on a Dead PlanetAn alternative way to be a small business in the sewing industry:Ep. #156: How to Run and Ethical Textiles Shop with Bevan O’DalyMy response to one particularly spicy email:Ep. #107: Sewing is PoliticalRead more about B Corp Certification for businesses.

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• #186: What sewing machine technicians actually do with Bizz McKilligan

  What do sewing machine repair and servicing professionals do that you can’t do yourself at home? And what CAN you do at home to make problems with your machine less likely? And what noises coming from your machine should you definitely NOT ignore? These are just some of the many questions that sewing machine technician, Bizz McKilligan, answers for us today. I first spoke to Bizz over a year ago when she’d just started up her sustainability-focused sewing store, The Green Thimble. She gives us an update on how it’s going and what she’s learnt over that time. Support the podcast over on Patreon!You can learn online about sewing machine maintenance and repair via Sewing Doc Academy. Bizz McKilligan in her self-made hoodie!:Bizz McKilligan is the owner of The Green Thimble, an online and bricks and mortar sewing shop in Victoria, Canada, that helps to recirculate existing sewing resources. Here’s their new logo:Follow them on Instagram @thegreenthimble.ca.Listen to Bizz’s first appearance on CYT:Ep. #120: How to care for your sewing machine with Bizz McKilliganIf you rely on a needle threader but your machine’s one keeps breaking, Bizz recommends purchasing an external needle threader like this one:Check out Bizz’s incredible self made knit dress that she made for, and wore at, a Frocktails event:

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• #185: The Best Knitwear Repair Techniques with Skye Pennant

  For most of us who sew our own clothes, basic garment repairs are not often a huge challenge. However, encountering knit items that are thinning or have holes? That can feel like a whole other ball game, especially if you’re not a knitter. In this episode professional repairer, educator and author, Skye Pennant, teaches us our scotch darn from our honeycomb darn, and shares her sometimes controversial opinions on the best type of threads to use for mending. Support the podcast over on Patreon!Photo credit: Kim LightbodySkye Pennant created Slow Stitch Club as a focus for her mending activities and business. Find the website, Instagram (@slowstitchclub), YouTube channel and the Slow Stitch Club Patreon. Listen to Skye on last week’s episode:Ep. #184: Mending and Overcoming Perfectionism with Skye PennantSkye wrote a book! ‘Well Worn: visible mending for the clothes you love’ is available through her website and elsewhere:Some examples of knitwear repairs by Skye:On Skye’s advice, I successfully mended my socks using the honeycomb darn technique:

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