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Transcript:

Caroline: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Helen: Hello, and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns.

Caroline: And I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics.

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew our own clothes and want to encourage you on your sewing journey, too.

Caroline: Join us for today’s interview with Samantha aka @PurpleSewingCloud.

Helen: Hello, Sam. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.

Sam: Thank you so much for having me. I’m very excited to chat with you both.

Helen: Oh, we’re so excited to chat with you, too. Can you please introduce yourself to our listeners?

Sam: I’m Sam or Samantha. Uh, I live in the UK, the Northeast, and I like to sew and craft.

Helen: Yes. You really do like to sew and craft. Very prolific in the community. Can you tell us how and when you learned how to sew?

Sam: So I sewed a little bit as a child. I did dancing, and my mum used to make costumes and things, and I used to help out, but I really got into sewing about five years ago. So, I had, um, a brain injury, um, or it was a brain infection, brain injury. And part of my recovery for that was learning some fine motor skills. Cause I’d been, like, I hadn’t moved for a long period, so my fine motor skills had, um, quite bad. So someone suggested sewing and that’s where it, and then I just never stopped. I started sewing and don’t think I’ve stopped since.

Helen: That’s so awesome. Do you remember what your first project was?

Sam: It was a unicorn hobby horse. I still have it. Um, it’s really good actually. I would hate to see what the inside looks like, but it’s, like, a, uh, unicorn’s head on a stick. Um, and he’s got a little gold bow in his hair. It’s really cute.

Helen: Oh my gosh. That is like the perfect first project for you, if I were to pick one for you. Unicorn head on a stick would be it.

Caroline: So I think a lot of our listeners would know you as Samantha from @PurpleSewingCloud. That’s your handle. So can you tell us where that comes from?

Sam: So Purple Sewing Cloud, it relates to when I was, cause I’d started sewing after my brain injury and I got, um, epilepsy from a brain injury, and the colour for that is purple. So it was, it all just tied together. And sewing was a space that, where I was going, that was away from all of the medical things that were happening in my life at the time. Um, and it still is, so it was just a space away from that. And it just, it, it just connected like that. So it was the little cloud, my little purple sewing cloud where it goes away from everything in the world, I guess.

Helen: Ah, it does sound like a beautiful fantasy land. I love your handle. So you started with this unicorn head on a stick. How did you get from there to garment sewing?

Sam: So when I was in hospital, um, recovering, I was watching all these YouTube videos and, like, sewing videos and sewing tutorials. Um, and there was someone sewing a dress, and I was like, I need to, I could sew a dress. Um, and then I went deep dive in and found all these pattern companies. And the first dress I ever made was the Fancy Tiger Crafts’ Fen Dress. And I still have it. And then I made, like, three, two or three of them. And then I just, I went out into the world and made all sorts of things.

Helen: Oh, amazing. I love hearing the entry point for people into the community, and the Fen Dress is a great place to start.

Sam: It was wonderful, and I think I made a couple of tops as well. Um, yeah, I love, and I still have the first one I made, and I still wear it as well. It’s not actually terrible, which is quite surprising.

Helen: That’s the first time we’ve ever heard that on this show.

Caroline: And when did you start your Instagram account and start, like, sharing with the sewing community?

Sam: It was probably about six months after I started sewing. It was a bit of a gap. And I think what, I’d gone other places like Facebook and forums and things looking for, like, somewhere to document and looking for a community.

And then I think I was very much drawn to Instagram because it felt more like it was me documenting everything I was doing and then finding all the people rather than, I don’t know, Facebook can be quite you’re looking at it, it just felt like a good place for me to be. And I hadn’t used Instagram at all before I set up the account. so I was very new.

I didn’t really do a lot of social media other than just family stuff on Facebook. So I was very new to it all, but it’s probably one of the best things about sewing, I’ve found now, the community on Instagram and other social networks, such a wonderful group of people.

Caroline: Yeah, we, we definitely tend to agree that we love the sewing community on Instagram, particularly. And you do share a lot, and your style is so fun and inspiring. And when I think of your makes, I think of the words pretty and colour and print, but I would love to know how you would describe your own personal style.

Sam: Um, I think it depends what mood I’m in, as well, like, per day. Um, I, I tend to, I always, when I’m looking for inspiration and stuff, I oh, drawn to children’s clothing. So I often think that my style is a bit like a toddler that’s been dressed by a crafty aunt with floral, frilly dresses and dungarees. That’s, I think, what, where about my style sits.

Helen: I just love it. It brings me so much joy and a part of that, too, is you’re great at photographing your makes and capturing that joy that you’re feeling while wearing them with your big smile. And I always appreciate your posts because they bring a smile to my face, too.

Sam: Aw, thank you so much.

Helen: How has your style evolved since you started sewing? Have you gotten even more adventurous with your, kind of, toddler chic dressing?

Sam: I definitely think so. Um, I think before I started sewing, what I was looking for in the shops, like, pattern and colour, I couldn’t really find. And when I look at my style before sewing, it was very much jeans and a t-shirt or jeans and a blouse. And I always wore a colourful scarf because that’s where I was finding my colour. And I was finding stuff in the shops wasn’t available in my size, the colourful prints and things like that. So I always wore a really colourful scarf, and I’ve not really, I’ve stopped wearing, like, scarfs since I started sewing. And I think that’s because I can wear colour on the clothes that I’m actually wearing.

Caroline: Yeah. Let’s talk about colour for a second because you do wear pretty much every colour in the rainbow now. And I wonder, like, have you, you know, you were saying that you were incorporating more colour, um, as you began sewing, but was that how it was at the beginning of your sewing journey? Or did you add more colour in as you got more comfortable with sewing and, and personal style?

Sam: I think it’s definitely, I did start sewing a lot of colours straight away, but it’s definitely increased, definitely over the few years, it’s increased and increased, and there’s been more and more colour, and they’ve got more vibrant and, yeah.

Caroline: Do you have a favourite colour?

Sam: I know people would probably think it’s purple because of my handle, um, my Instagram handle. It’s probably more pink, I think. I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s definitely my favourite colour though. I don’t. I just love all of the colours.

Helen: I hear you on that one. Pink was our guess. We were trying to speculate what you might say was your favourite. You wear a lot of pink, and I’m here for it. Do you have any advice for our listeners out there who want to add more vivid colour into their wardrobe?

Sam: I think you can definitely, you don’t have to go full on pink everything, pink dungarees. You could just do it in small details, and you could do it secretly as well as you gain confidence. So you could put, make the pocket linings really bright and colourful and then build up or just do it so that your top half is really colourful, and your bottom half is more neutral, like, blues.

Um, it’s, it’s definitely a process though. And I know there’s a lot of people that do you know, these, they do, like, the, they look at colour against the skin, um, and how it works with the tones in the skin. Um, it’s not something I’ve ever done, but it is something I’ve learned over the years that there are definitely colours that suit my skin more. And I think a lot of people get worried about the colours clashing with the skin as well, you know. I know there’s always people with more pink undertones that don’t really like to wear a lot of pink. Um, but it’s just trial and error as well, I think.

Helen: Yeah, that’s so true. And I love your tip about incorporating it secretly. You, kind of, dip your toes. And you also mix and match fabrics on the outside of your garments, too. You’ve mixed a lot of prints in some of your pieces. And you recently made the Friday Pattern Co Patina Blouse with a bunch of colourful, small florals. And we were wondering if you had any tips for choosing prints to mix and match within a garment.

Sam: My general rule of thumb is if it’s mainly florals, I’ll mix and match, but as long as there’s one colour the same across all the florals, like it could be a green or a pink or a red, if you’ve just got one colour that matches across all the florals, they tend to work. And it could be that they’re different brands, but usually, when they’re the same brand, as well, like, I wear a lot of Liberty florals, you’ll find that the colour palette’s very similar across all of the different florals. So if there’s a yellow, it might be repeated and a lot of the other florals, as well. So just pick out one colour and go from there. Well, I don’t think there’s any rules for matching florals up.

Caroline: Yeah. The more wild, the better, I think. Sometimes when you’re matching florals, just, you know, go crazy. Um, so do you have any favourite fabrics to sew with and wear?

Sam: Um, I definitely wear a lot of cotton and cotton lawn. Um, and I think they’re probably my favourites to sew and wear cause I just find them very comfortable and cool. I’m, like, a hot person. I’m always hot. So wearing cottons and linens is my favourite. Um, I’m not a big fan of wearing viscose. Um, I love sewing it, but I don’t like wearing it cause it’s, I always feel like it’s moving around on me a bit too much and shifting. So definitely more stable wovens.

Helen: And those are great for sewing, too, cause they just press so beautifully, and they’re easy to work with.

Sam: Yeah.

Helen: What about, um, quilting cotton? Do you ever use quilting cotton for your garments?

Sam: Definitely I’m I, I say I’m a big fan of it. And especially the new, some of the more new brands, they’re, they’re using a quilting cotton that’s much softer than older styles. Like, people like Ruby Star, their quilting cottons are really soft and light, and they work perfectly for garments. I think there is some garments that don’t necessarily work with quilting cottons, but usually, there is loads of patterns that work great with quilting cottons. I know the March Top, I’ve made that in quilting fabrics, and the structure just holds it really beautifully.

Helen: Yeah, it’s true. And I’ve been getting more into quilting lately and have been ordering some quilting fabrics. And I’ve been really impressed with, like you said, the, the softness of some of these new companies that are releasing these quilting cottons that don’t have that same starchy stiffness that I would have associated with a quilting cotton.

So it’s definitely worth exploring, especially if you enjoy wearing cotton, cotton lawn, and things like that.

Sam: Yeah. Yeah.

Caroline: I would say with quilting cotton, too, with the puffy sleeve trend that I personally love, and you seem to have hopped on that, too, Samantha, is quilting cotton really holds its shape nicely. So you really get that beautiful puff that you might not get from, like, a rayon or a linen even. Um, so it totally works for that kind of project.

So we just saw actually your recent post where you made a dress, a purple dress with silver sparkly stars on it. I think you called it the perfect New Year’s Eve dress. And we just have to ask, how did you get those stars on there? Cause that wasn’t on the original fabric, right?

Sam: No, no. Um, so I have a digital quilting machine, a Cricut, and they’re vinyl stars. So, and you just iron them on. It’s just, like, a heat transfer vinyl, and they’re just ironed on. It’s something I really want to play with more, like, using vinyl to decorate fabric and garments like that. I think there’s loads of room for, like, florals and things like that.

Helen: Uh, so, so cool. So do you use your Cricut a lot with your garment sewing projects?

Sam: Not really. Um, I use my Cricut for quilting things quite a lot, but not really for garment sewing. So it is something I’d like to investigate more and look into because the Cricut does cut fabric, as well. So I’ve used it for quilting things like making, you know, English paper piecing and making the little hexagons to sew together and things like that. So it does cut fabric, but there’s not a huge space for it to cut. Um, I do wonder if there’s more scope to use it for garment sewing.

Helen: It would be amazing if it could cut out your pattern for you, but I imagine it doesn’t have the surface area large enough to do that yet, right?

Sam: Big surface area is about 24 inches by 12. So, I mean, it could probably cut some underwear out on it.

Helen: Perfect. A swimsuit.

Sam: Yeah.

Helen: That’d be handy. Well, um, speaking of gathered sleeves earlier, you have done a lot of gathering with your makes, and we’ve seen so many gorgeous gathered skirts and ruffles and cuffs. And we were wondering if you had a favourite method for gathering that you’d like to share.

Sam: Um, I’m quite, I’ve tried loads of ways in the past. So zigzagging over, like, dental floss. Zigzagging over the thread and doing lots of rows of gathers. And if I’m honest, I prefer the very traditional three lines of gathers that are about between four and five millimetres. And what I like to do is grab my pins, put on something on the TV, and just sit on the sofa and pin, pin, pin. That’s my, my biggest advice on that really. Just take your time, pin, and put something on good to watch while you’re doing it.

Helen: Yeah. That’s great advice, like, distributing the gathers can take the most time, and I often find that I want to rush that process because I want to get that piece on there, but it’s cool to take the time and sit in front of the TV. I like that tip, and I do find that three rows yields better results than two. Although, I often go for two for speed.

Sam: Yeah. I think it depends where it is. On a sleeve, I usually do two. But if it’s a skirt, especially around the waist, I’ll do three, um…

Helen: Yeah. Longer distance.

Sam: Yeah. Yeah. I think it just depends on where it is and what the fabrics like as well. If the fabric is quite easy, like a cotton lawn, two sometimes works, but if it’s heavier like a linen, um, three is sometimes better.

Caroline: If you’re adding a ruffle or a skirt or tier to a garment, um, with gathers, how do you decide how much fabric to use? Like, for example, do you go with twice the length or 1.5 times the length, or do you just eyeball it? Do you have a magic formula?

Sam: I think it depends on the garment and the, the fabric I’m using. So if it’s a lighter fabric, I’ll go two to two and a half. If it’s something heavier, like, more like a quilting cotton, I’ll go maybe 1.5. It depends. And it depends on the width of the fabric as well sometimes. Cause if it’s quite a narrow fabric, I’ll just go to the width of the fabric.

Yeah. I don’t have a strict rule. It’s usually just, this is a really soft fabric, it’s going to look, it’s going to take a lot of gathers. I’ll do the, I’ll do it bigger. And then if I’m adding a gather to the skirt, a ruffle, I always use the same rule that I’ve done for the skirt that I’ve added it for. So if it’s 1.5, the ruffle that I add is always 1.5 or, um, yeah.

Helen: Yeah. And if the fabric is too narrow, for our listeners out there, you can always piece together multiple rectangles, too, to get the length that you need, but you do need a lot of fabric to do that, so that’s something to keep in mind.

Sam: Yeah, definitely.

Helen: Okay. I’m so excited to chat with you a little bit today about quilting because I know that you’ve incorporated some quilting into your garments, including your beautiful March Dress, that I just love. And quilted coats have also exploded in the sewing world, as well as the wider retail fashion world.

And you take it a step further because you’ve incorporated patchwork and quilting into coats, vests, jackets, dresses, and you make the patchwork yourself. You’re not using existing quilts for that. So can you describe some of the garments you’ve made that feature patchwork and quilting?

Sam: So I’ve made four different jackets, and I’ve used different techniques, as well, um, within the jackets, and then I’ve done the March Dress cause that’s wonderful, it’s got the facing. I think that’s about it’s mainly jackets and the dress. Yeah.

Helen: And how do you go about planning out the patchwork design for the garment? Are you making, like, a big quilted piece of patchwork and then cutting the fabric pieces out from there?

Sam: So if it’s a jacket or something, what I tend to do is make a few mini quilts. So there’ll be a little mini quilt for each sleeve and then a mini quilt for the back and a mini quilt for the front. Um, and then once it’s quilted, with the lining and the batting in, then I’ll cut it. I think that’s the biggest thing. Just if you’re doing that kind of thing is, make sure you cut it after you’ve quilted it because it will shrink and change size and it will distort as well, depending on which way your quilting’s going and what kind of quilting you’ve done.

Helen: Yeah. That’s a really good tip.

Caroline: Yeah. I’ve definitely made that mistake. And for some of your designs, like the floral patchwork panel on that beautiful March Dress, and you also made an amazing stitch-on, quilted, sewing room banner, you do foundation paper piecing. So can you describe what that is for us?

Sam: So there’s normal piecing where it’s, you cut out, it’ll say cut out two squares, two inches by two inches, and then you sew them together. With paper piecing, it’s a design that’s on paper and you’re stitching around the design on the paper. And you cut out lots of little bits and then, you stitch one, you’ll stitch one seam and then, you’ll trim. And then, you stitch the next seam and you’re following the design on the paper.

And it’s great for really intricate details because it’s very precise and there’s not much room to make errors off of the fabric to be, to distort or change shape. And it’s just, it’s, it’s a wonderful methodic task as well. So you’ll stitch one line. You’ll get the next bit of fabric square. You’ll pop that on. Then, you trim. And then you’ll stitch it on the line and then, you trim. It’s just a really wonderful methodical task.

Helen: It is mesmerising to watch as well. I’ve definitely watched videos of it, and it looks like a lot of fun. And it seems like you don’t necessarily need to precut all of your fabric pieces to the exact size. You’re, kind of, using slightly oversized pieces and then trimming them after, which is kind of nice, right?

Sam: Yeah. Yeah. And it’s really great for scraps, as well, because you don’t have to have an exact size. So, and it doesn’t have to be exactly on grade either. So, you know, if you’ve cut out something and it’s, like, a funny shaped triangle, um, there’s always space for that within a paper piecing type thing. So, yeah, it’s wonderful for tiny little scraps.

Caroline: Awesome. And do you know the difference between English paper piecing and foundation paper piecing?

Sam: So foundation paper piecing is when you’re using a design on paper and English paper piecing is what you would do is cut out lots of shapes in paper, and then you get some fabric and you sew the fabric around the paper, and then, you sew the little shapes that you’ve made together, and it’s generally done by hand.

Um, so when you see these quilts, it’s generally shapes that are really hard to sew together on a machine as well. So, like, hexagons and triangles and things like that. So when you see these quilts with, uh, tiny little hexagons all sewn together, they’re usually sewn together by hand and that’s how they do it. And then, once it’s all sewn together, they take out all the paper, and then, they’ll quit it.

Helen: Amazing. Yeah. I always think of English paper piecing as being exclusively hexagons, but it sounds like that’s not the case. You can make other shapes, too.

Sam: Yeah. Yeah. You can use any shapes. My paper piecing is generally hexagons is the popular shape. Um, but you can do, I’ve seen people do triangles, and they’ll mix the shapes as well to get another big shape. So they’ll, or diamonds, a lot of people use diamonds, and then, they’ll put them together to make a big star. So yeah, there’s loads of shapes people use, but there’s not…

Helen: Oh, cool.

Sam: …it’s not exclusive to difficult shapes either. People do do it with, like, just normal squares and things, because it’s a really lovely task to sit and do on the sofa.

Caroline: And with foundation paper piecing, is that also primarily sewn by hand? Or can you do that one on a machine?

Sam: That’s, that’s better on a machine, um, the foundation. And then the English paper piecing is by hand.

Helen: I really need to give foundation paper piecing a try because you can make the coolest things. Like, you can make full on art pieces, or it looks like it’s been painted almost because the pieces are so intricate, and it’s fun that there’s a guide that you’re following, so you don’t need to make design decisions. You just have to do the, kind of, paint by numbers with fabric.

Sam: That’s exactly it, and I’ve seen some incredible designs. Um, and Etsy is so wonderful for people that are looking for designs. Um, definitely check out Etsy, and you just search it. And there’s so many great designs, and I’ve seen people doing whole, like, designs and there’s some really cool ones. Um, I think the, the lady I’m thinking of all she does, like, I’ve made the banner by her in my bedroom. Um, I’m trying to remember a name now.

Oh, Happy Sew Lucky. And she does these really incredible tattoo inspired designs that are paper piecing, and I’ve seen people put them on the back of jackets. So it’s the whole panel on the back of the jacket. And it’s, like, two swallows holding, like, a little ribbon that can say, like, hope and love, and they just look incredible. So intricate.

Helen: Oh, that’s so cool. Yeah. It seems like it would lend itself well to, um, like, adorning existing garments or working into your sewing practice because you can just do a small piece, like a pocket or a yoke or the back of a jacket and focus on making that cool picture and not worry about making a giant quilted piece before you cut it out.

Sam: Yeah, definitely.

Caroline: So some of your patchwork is made of tiny, tiny little pieces, like the pockets on your quilted Ilford Jacket, which we’ll definitely link up to the show notes because it is so cool, and I wonder if you have any tips for handling and sewing these really small pieces of fabric?

Sam: Um, so my top tip is make sure it’s pressed. And I like to use, when they’re really tiny, I like to use something to stiffen them, so they don’t distort. And I’ll use, I use a vodka spray, so it’s, you can buy, there are ones that are available in shops and things that are, like, a starch based spray that you can spray on, and they just stiffen the fabric and make it so much easier to work with.

Um, another thing I like to do, um, on the pockets of my Ilford, what I actually did was sew little strips together, and then, once they were, the strips were sewn together, I cut them so that then they were even smaller, and then I can quilt them all together. So rather than it being a hundred tiny little squares, it was, like, maybe 10 strips that I sewed together. Then, I chopped them and sewed them up, sewed them together again.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Okay. That is really cool. And what about, like, the patience aspect? Cause I feel like working with these tiny little squares must take a really, really long time. Um, do you have any tips for, I don’t know, just embracing that process and having that patience to tackle a big thing like this?

Sam: I think I find, I find it quite easily because I don’t have any distractions. I don’t have people that need me, um, very much. I don’t, or animals that need me or anything. So I just like to, I’ll sit at my machine. I’ll make it nice and comfortable, um, get everything I need. I’ll just have, rather than having a separate cutting area, I have a little cutting mat, you know, like, an A4 size that I’ll put on the desk next to me. And I’ll put on my laptop in the background with some good TV shows, and I just, I just get lost a little bit. Then, I go to my little purple sewing cloud.

Caroline: That’s awesome. Yeah, that, I also love to, like, really get settled in in my sewing room and take that extra 10 minutes to, like, set myself up with, like, the good show and the snack and the comfy chair and just, like, I’m in it for the long haul today. So that’s a great tip.

What about scraps? Cause I imagine, obviously, as a sewist, you also have a lot of scraps. Do you keep every tiny little piece just in case you have the urge to make, like, a teeny patchwork?

Sam: I do. Well, I don’t keep all my tiny pieces. So this is my rule, cause I sew with a lot of cotton as well, and I sew with quilting cottons. It’s great because then it’s not, like, separate materials for each hobby. So I’ll sew with cotton lawn and linen as well. They’re great to quilt with as well. And chambray and some light denims you can do patchwork with as well. So what my general rule is is if the pie-, if my piece is, say it’s a long strip, and it’s five inches wide, what I’ll do is I’ll go, once I’ve finished cutting out the garment, but I don’t just put the scraps to one side. I cut them down to squares. Um, and I’ve got, like, a massive pile of squares in my sewing room that are all four and a half inches square. And I keep, I’ve got a massive pile of them.

And then in the smaller bits, if there’s, like, bits that I’ve cut off, like, an inch long, an inch wide strip, that will be put to one side. And then, anything smaller than, like, maybe an inch or an inch and a half, um, I put in a bag, and that goes to a local crafting group. So, yeah, and, but then those squares that I’ve got one day, I’m going to make a giant quilt out of them that will be all of my garments together.

Helen: Genius.

Caroline: So cool.

Helen: I love this idea. It’s so smart to cut them down right away, too, because then that project won’t be so daunting when you do get around to doing it and just choosing a size and going with it. It doesn’t, you know, it doesn’t probably matter too much, four inch, six inches, whatever.

Sam: I think four and a half was just the size I thought, th-, that’s where my scraps, it was just a good size at the time. I don’t know why I chose it either. Um, and yeah, so they’re all just, I have a massive pile of them, and they’re in, I sometimes go in and put them in colour order.

Um, but one day I’m going to make a giant quilt out with them, and it will be all my garm-, it will be like a history of all of my garments, even, I guess there’ll be stuff in there that I don’t have anymore as well. Um, that I’ve donated to charity or, um, I’ve grown out of, so it will be lovely. It will be, like, a history of everything.

Helen: Aw, it will be so nice. It’ll also be very colourful. So do you have any special ways that you care for your quilted garments that you’ve made?

Sam: Um, no, this is a funny question, actually. Um, and it’s something I’ve, I’ve made quilts for people as gifts and especially jackets and things like, that have got quilting in them, um, like, the batting in them. So, um, the dress I made, the March Dress that has quilted, uh, has, like, a, a pieced panel down the front with flowers, it’s not really quilted; it’s just patchwork. So I don’t, there’s nothing special that I do with, there’s nothing special that I do with any of them. I just treat them the same as the fibres that are in them.

So they’re mainly cotton, and I’ll just wash them normally on the no-, on a normal wash, um, and then let them dry. There’s nothing special that you really need to do. When you’re doing patchwork and piecework, you tend to use a much smaller stitch as well. So they’re a little bit more stable than a normal jacket, I think because the stitches are so small, but there’s nothing that’s special I do. Um, I just washed them on a 30 degree wash, and some people tumble dry their quilts as well. Um, I don’t do that, but, um, cause I don’t have one, but the-, it makes them fluffier. Um, I just wash it normal. And then it dries. There’s no special care I really do because it’s just cotton.

Caroline: That’s good to know. And I love the look of a washed, like, quilted garment cause it, it does end up getting this, sort of, like, crinkly texture to it that I think is just so beautiful and just adds that, like, visual interest to the piece and makes it look a little bit more lived in. So it’s good to know that you’re not doing anything special and that you’re just washing them normally.

Sam: Yeah, I am. I made a quilted, some quilted cushions for some family that have a lot of significance, uh, emotional significance to us because they were made out of a relative that passed away. They were made out of their shirt. So I made, like, some little cushions for all of the siblings in the family. And I saw him recently, and he said he was really upset because someone had got food on one of the cushions and it was, like, quilted, and he was really upset about it cause it was, he was so attached to it, and I said, just pop it in the washer at 30. It’s fine. And he said to me, it won’t fall apart. And I was like, I hope not, I’m really, really, hope not, but yeah, just they’re very durable. I mean, if we look at quilts, we’re always tugging them about and things like that. So yeah. And if there is a little bit of stitching that comes apart somewhere, you can easily sew it back together. It’s not a, it’s no big deal.

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. It’s true. It’s an opportunity for some cool, visible mending, maybe. Alright. Well, let’s switch gears for a second because you got engaged this past year. So first of all, congratulations.

Sam: Thank you so much. Thank you.

Caroline: That’s so exciting. And you mentioned on Instagram that you were considering making your own wedding dress. So are you still potentially planning on doing that?

Sam: Yes. Yes.

Caroline: Ahh! Oh my gosh. That is exciting.

Sam: Yeah. Yeah. I am so excited about the dress. It’s, um, all the rest of the wedding is sorted. So now I can just focus on the dress. Oh, and the five bridesmaids dresses.

Helen: Are you going to make those as well?

Sam: Yes, I am. Yeah.

Helen: Oh, wow.

Caroline: Oh, wow. You’re brave. That is amazing.

Helen: Okay. So tell us, do you have a vision for your dress and the bridesmaids dresses? Um, yes. So my bridesmaids are going to be in floral cottons, and they’re all going to be in a different print, so they’ll be like mini-me’s. And I also thought that was going, it’s going to be much easier to sew them something than traditional bridesmaid’s dresses are sewn in, like, chiffon and things. So I’m not, I’m not very worried about my bridesmaid’s dresses at all. So yeah, they’re going to be like little mini-me’s in floral dresses and with all different prints.

And then my dress is going to be, it’s funny that, I’m still in my design stage of the dress. So at the beginning, I was like, I want something very sophisticated and, you know, very simple. And as the process has gone on, it’s got very Disney princess with lots of ruffles and huge and yeah, and I’ve got some definite things that, um, I want with the dress.

So I don’t want anything floor length. It’s going to be more ankle. Because I went and tried on some dresses and I couldn’t walk in the floor length dresses, so I’m going to go, just go with ankle, and so it’s not touching the floor. And I want something with a little bit of a sleeve, so yeah, there’s definitely parts there. And the other thing is it’s not going to be white.

Helen: Ooh.

Sam: Yeah.

Helen: Is it going to be pink? Is it going to be pink?

Sam: You know, um, my partner, um, he said to me, he doesn’t want, if I start talking dress, wedding dresses, he usually, like, switches off. And he said, I don’t want to know. And then he said to me, he said, are you gonna look like a giant gorgeous pink blancmange, and I said, probably.

Helen: Probably.

Caroline: I love that.

Helen: Oh my gosh. I can imagine a pink, Disney princess wedding dress with the sleeve. I mean, I just can’t wait to see what you come up with.

Sam: Yeah, yeah. I mean, it it’s, it’s, kind of, got its final form, but occasionally I’ll go in and change a bit on the sleeve or I’m going to start quite soon, actually the process of starting to draft it all and make lots of toiles and see how it goes.

Helen: And when is the wedding?

Sam: June 202-, next year. So I’ve got, like, 16 months, I guess.

Helen: Okay.

Caroline: Okay. Whew.

Helen: Got some runway. When you said June, I almost, like, threw up a little bit.

Caroline: Too soon.

Sam: 2023.

Caroline: Yeah. Oh, my gosh. And are there any new techniques that you plan to learn in order to make your wedding dress?

Sam: So many. I think something that I really want to learn is, as part of the wedding dress making, and I’m going to do it, like, as a separate thing, I think, as, as a, make my muslins/toiles, I really want to do some understructure into the dress.

Um, so some, like, corsetry inside, like, a, hidden into the dress. Um, I’ve been looking at loads of couture sewing and things like that and seeing how, you know, these couture dresses are made, and there’s always, like, hidden boning and things in the dress. So that’s definitely something I’m looking at that’s going to be very new to me. I’ve not done boning or anything like that before, so yeah.

Caroline: Oh, very cool. And are there any resources that you’ve found that have been helpful, um, as you’re, kind of, planning this out?

Sam: Um, I think what are, the resources, I haven’t had anything specific that I’ve, like, when I’ve searched, you know, making your own wedding dress, there isn’t anything, any huge specific resources that I’ve found online. Um, have got an amazing book by Susan Khal-,
I’m going to try and I don’t, I’m sorry I don’t know how to say her name. Um, Susan Khalje.

Caroline: Khalje.

Sam: And she’s been, she’s been on the podcast before, um…

Caroline: Yeah.

Sam: She has a Bridal Sew Your Own Bridal Couture Wedding Dress with loads of stuff in it all about it. Um, it’s a really old book though, and I couldn’t find a copy, um, on, when I was looking to, like, to buy a secondhand copy on eBay and places. They were so expensive, but I found on her website that she has it as an e-book. So I’ve downloaded it as an e-book, um, and it’s got it’s it’s going to be my Bible, I think, as I’m working through the wedding. Um, she’s got so many great tips in it.

And then the other resources have been more about couture sewing and historical dress sewing as well cause a lot of that, like, ties in with wedding dress sewing, like, things like, um, hand sewing hems and things like that. So, yeah, it’s a big, I think just the research part has taken me about six months, like, finding different techniques, and I’m also a type of, type of person that really struggles to start doing something, especially like making a dress that’s so important until I can fully visualise it. I want to be able to see it in my brain. And then I know I’m working towards rather than just plodding along and hoping something arrives at the end.

Helen: I think it’s smart to do a bunch of research and have a plan, but I’m sure things will evolve as you’re working on it, too, with all these new techniques. And like you said, you’re going to have to make quite a few toiles and give a few things to try, but it’s going to be an amazing project. I hope you take us along for the ride.

Sam: I definitely will be. Um, I’ll try and share as much as I can on Instagram and places like that, but yeah, it’s, it’s exciting.

Helen: Yeah. Are you going to do any, uh, other DIY stuff for your wedding?

Sam: Um, it’s already started. I’ve made all my save the dates. I used my, my, um, little Cricut machine to make all my save the dates. And there’ll be some banner-y type fabric things at the wedding as well. So one of the key things about the wedding that I want to have is, I don’t, I know often people get married and then afterwards they have boxes and boxes of stuff from the wedding, you know, like candle holders or things like that.

And I want to try and make sure everything that the wedding can either be recycled or used again. I don’t want any loads of stuff. And one of the things I was thinking about with, like, decorations in the hall, so we’ve, we’re using the local village hall. It’s for the, um, for afterwards, for the reception, and it’s quite a, it’s just a big white room. And what I’ve decided I’m going to do is. Just before the wedding, I’m going to go through my fabric and just pull out some nice lengths of floral fabric, and they’ll be hung in the hall. And then I’m going to make a quilt, as well, that will be hung on the wall that will have our initials on.

Helen: Aw.

Caroline: Aw. So nice.

Sam: Yeah. And then afterwards it will be a quilt that we’ll use. So I just don’t want loads of stuff. I’ve been collecting jars as well. That’s my other thing. And so on the tables, we’re just going to have little posies of flowers, and I’ve been collecting jars. And so after I’ve bought, after it’s emptied, I wash it out, put it to one side, so yeah. Yeah.

Helen: Ah, genius idea to use your fabric to just hang up on the walls because it’s obviously beautiful and colourful and very you, so what a great way to use your fabric and then get to use it again when you make something out of it.

Sam: Yeah. Yeah. And I just don’t want loads of waste, I think. And that’s my big thing, if, if it can be recycled, that’s fine. But yeah, I don’t want loads of waste or just loads of extra stuff. It’s something me and Richard just don’t like loads of extra stuff. So yeah, I’m just going to go through my fabric beforehand and that will be how the room is decorated, and there’s no colour limit or anything like that within this.

Helen: Of course not. Okay. Well, on your Instagram bio, you say that you’re trying to make the world of crafts and sewing more accessible, and we love that. We want to chat with you a bit about that today. Can you explain what accessibility is for our listeners?

Sam: So when I talk about accessibility and making it accessible, I’m talking about it in this perspective of people with disabilities and chronic illness.I know, for me, doing crafts and sewing has been so important for me, um, for my physical health, so learning to use my hands and my dexterity and help my grip and also my mental health. It’s been incredibly important.

But I also know people with disabilities, sewing and crafts, I really, can be really hard. So it’s important for me that there are spaces for everyone with disabilities and, um, chronic illnesses that they can find, find craf-, crafts that suit them and work for them. Or it might be that they used to do these crafts, but the disabilities have got to a point where they can’t do it anymore, but it sometimes is tools or the sewing machine that they can’t operate, but there is ways around it.

And making the world of sewing more accessible, um, is just so important for me that everybody has a chance to be able to do it or find a way around, you know, maybe pins that are too small, they can’t pick up. Finding a pin that suits their needs and suits their fingers is just incredibly important to me.

Caroline: Yeah, and, and it is so important. I think it should be important to everyone. And I wonder if you could tell us what makes a sewing related product or resource accessible.

Sam: Um, so there’s so many aspects of products and making them accessible. I think when people think of accessibility, they just think of a ramp at the door because that means you can get into the building and that makes it accessible, but there are so many more details, um, that make products accessible.

So if you look at something like a sewing pattern, it’s making sure the type and the fonts that you’ve used are really clear and easy to be read. Um, it’s making sure that you’re not using loads of text on top of images so that they’re still clear, and they’re easy, they can be read easily. Making the instructions simple and easy to understand and making the instructions available in all the formats as well, so if it’s available in a PDF format, that means that person might be able to use that with a larger screen reader.

So there’s lots and lots of aspects to think about. Um, and I think quite often people look at accessibility and they worry that it’s such a big thing, how do they make their products accessible? But the, the key thing is to talk to people in the disabled community and see what it is they need. I know I’ve spoken to a lot of disabled people, um, about, sewing patterns and one of the things that really helps them, because with chronic illness and disabilities, you might only be able to sew for a short period of time, um, before you’re in pain or you’re tired or you’ve got brain fog.

So something that really helps people with disabilities is making, like, a cheat sheet for the pattern. So it will be something that’s really simplified down into maybe a table format. So, it’ll be sew darts, but without all of the intricacies and then what they can do is tick it off as they’re going along. And then if they need more details on how to do the hem or how to attach the skirt, they can go into the actual instructions and do that, but they’ve just got this little cheat sheet on the side that’s wonderful.

I also think it’s a great thing for not just people with disabilities and chronic illness in the sewing community. It’s great for people that, well, there are humans that they’re looking after or people that are just maybe very short on time due to work. And then if they’re just grabbing 15 minutes at a time, they can go in and they can see where they are on their project, and they can go, right. I’m going to start here.

And it’s something I actually do when I start a new sewing pattern. I get my sewing book out and I’ll go through it and dissect it down step-by-step like that in really simplified format. And I put it in my notebook and then as I’m working through my project, I tick it off. But yeah, it would, it’s just simple things like that that can make the products more accessible.

I think, as well, with sewing patterns companies might look at them and be like, how can I make it more accessible for people with disabilities? And I think a lot of people with disabilities they’re using, like, wheelchairs or mobility aids, they already know patterns that are going to work for them, and they’ll know the adaptions they need to make for their patterns. So it’s things like they want the top to be more cropped so that when they’re in the wheelchair, it’s not bunching up across the tummy.

So there are those adaptions that people will already make. Um, so it’s not necessarily making the adaptions to the patterns, but it’s also showing the patterns on people with disabilities as well. If you ha, if you’re not using the disabled model, including seated photos, that’s a key part of accessibility. Show us seated photos of your new product in new patterns. A lot of people are spending most of the time sat down as well. So it’s a great little thing that you can add for accessibility.

Helen: Yeah. I love all of these tips, and it does benefit everyone, including the cheat sheet you talked about, which, of course, I’m adding to my list right now, things I want to do. That’s a great idea. I could see that coming in so handy and including seated photos and even things like sew-alongs so that people can take in information in other formats, like you said. That’s so helpful.

Sam: Yeah, like a little video. And then, I think, when you’re doing those kinds of little, add-ons making sure they’re accessible as well. So making sure you’ve got captions and that there’s no background noise so people can hear clearly. It’s just all those tiny little things that make your products more accessible. They aren’t necessarily designing up whole patterns just for someone in a, that’s using a wheelchair. It’s just those little details that make it accessible.

Caroline: Mm. And I know a lot of our listeners are, are not necessarily pattern designers. They’re just people in the sewing community. And I wonder if you have any thoughts on things that they can do to increase accessibility.

Sam: I think the key thing is if you’re using social media, make sure your page is accessible. So if you’re doing videos, make sure you’re using captions. If you’re taking a photo of your garment, again, include a seated photo. It’s just those little things that make you more accessible, as well, for, and then also, if you, if you see something that isn’t, if that you think that’s not accessible for someone with disabilities, speak to the pattern company, um, and let them know, you know.

Tell them that the fonts on their instructions aren’t easily read, or tell them that the lines on the pattern pieces is really hard to differentiate. There’s all those little, it’s just using your voice and speaking to people. And I often think with accessibility, it’s, it’s not that people are trying the hardest not to make it accessible. It’s just, they don’t realise the little changes that they need to make. Yeah. So it’s just using your voice and asking.

Like, it’s, whenever I see a pattern company on social media or somebody saying we’re going to shoot this new garment today. I’ll always just send them a little DM and say, oh, could we have some seated photos please? But just as a little reminder, and I mean, there’s been occasions where they’ve told me they can’t do seated photos which is mind boggling to me, but I will always just drop them a little DM and say, oh, could we have some seated photos? And I think the more voices they hear that people want these things, the more people are tending to do it.

Helen: Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. And you’ve also written a little bit about the ways that we interact within the community and things like not giving unsolicited fitting advice. Can you speak to that a little bit?

Sam: So, yeah, I think when we’re communicating within the sewing community, it’s important to realise that other people, that people with disabilities and chronic illness have different needs and the way they sew is going to be different. Um, so it might be that they’re, when they’re making a garment, they make fit adjustments to that garment to suit their body and their needs.

So they might put more ease in a certain area, which could look like the garment doesn’t fit how you think it should fit. And then you receive, you comment on that person to tell them you could make this fit adjustment, and it’s just make, considering the people are different and what they want out of their garments is going to be different.

And there’s also things that I see quite often in the sewing community, where people are like, you don’t need all these tools, you only need this and this. And I find that’s quite a difficult thing to say, especially to people that like, especially me, particularly, I use a lot of different sewing tools. Um, I love a gadget because it does make my sewing easier.

And it’s things like, you know, I’ll use, I’ll have, like, two or three different pairs of scissors, um, because the way that my hands are, they’re easier to hold and there are gadgets out there that make, mean sewing for someone with disabilities is easier. So it’s just considering those things when you’re telling people that they don’t need all these things, and it’s just consideration, I think.

Helen: Um, thinking about other people’s experiences and perspectives, and I think the unsolicited advice thing is really important in any space in the sewing community because we’re meant to be encouraging each other. And sometimes it can be very discouraging to receive unsolicited advice on a subject. So only give advice if you’re asked to.

Sam: Yeah. Yeah. Um, I, I sometimes say I’ll, I’ll do a video on Instagram or my Stories, and I’ll show the process, and people will sometimes say, like, come and give me advice on my process. I know this is something I see quite a lot mentioned in the community where I like the problem-solving part of my sewing. And if there if, if I do need advice, I usually go and ask or I’ll say only send me advice if we’re very close friends, and it just, it just because it’s, it’s part of the experience, isn’t it doing that problem solving?

Sometimes it’s like a little puzzle, um, pointing, you know, well, how do I make this little change and how do I make this little part work? And you might speak about it openly and publicly, but it’s not necessarily that, that you need the, the response or the answer. You’re just thinking out loud.

Helen: You also spearheaded an effort to get sewing machine companies to create accessibility information areas on their websites and even working with them on some accessible design features. What actions did you take to get that whole thing going? And how has it been going?

Sam: It’s been quite, it was quite a big process. And I just asked the sewing community, initially, it was, I wanted a new sewing machine. And when I was looking at sewing machine companies to find information about sewing with disabilities, there wasn’t a single thing out there. There was no, um, sections on the website. There was no blogs. There was nothing.

So I asked the sewing community, you know, I asked around to see if people in the sewing community if they knew of anything and nobody had any resources, and I just felt that there was a need for this resource. It’s, it’s so powerful and it could be life changing for someone with a disability, um, learning about a new feature that their machine doesn’t have that they could upgrade to and then they would be able to sew. It’s a huge deal.

I know just something as simple as having a knee lift on the machine can be life-changing for someone with disabilities or having a machine that doesn’t need to operate with a pedal. And it might just be that you didn’t know that those features were out there. So it was really important for me to get this information out, and the sewing community rallied around me and helped me make the sewing machine companies stand up and listen, and now they are, it’s taken awhile, but now these sections on the website are becoming available, and they’re so wonderful.

Helen: That is so cool. I just love this story so much. And did you speak directly with people at these companies in order to make these pages?

Sam: I did. Yeah. I’ve spoke with, um, I’ve worked with Benina to make these pages, and I’ve worked with Baby Lock as well. With Bernina, we’ve spent, we, me and the, um, educational team, spent hours collating all of these different features on the machines and accessories that would help people with disabilities sew.

And we also, they also used, did, they didn’t just take everything from me and my experience, they sought out other people with disabilities that sew and found features that they love and that help them. So, so yeah, it was a process of collating loads of people’s experience and putting it all into one place so that it’s accessible for everyone to be able to go and see that and find out things that they need.

And I know what’s been really amazing by these companies is they haven’t just thought, oh, we need to make information about accessibility available. They’ve gone much further. They’ve been, you know, we need to make our machines in the future, more accessible as well. How can we do that? What changes can we make with our machines? What features can we add? What accessories can we add? That will mean people with disabilities can sew easily. Um, so yeah, it’s been so wonderful and refreshing to hear companies come to me and say that. So yeah, hopefully, the world of sewing will just evolve and become more and more accessible.

Helen: Are there other companies or accounts or websites that might be a good example of accessibility for sewists that people can look to for guidance?

Sam: I mean, definitely the Bernina website. I would recommend that to anyone in the sewing community, as well, not just people with Bernina sewing machines. I think everyone can use that as a resource for their sewing, um, and they’re sewing machine, if they’ve got disabilities and chronic illness. There’s a lot of features that are going to be across lots of brands, um, like knee lifts and things like that. So I would definitely take a look at that.

And then there are different people that are in groups that are coming up and now starting to form like Sew Enabled and they’re collating loads of wonderful resources from lots of people within the sewing community. So, yeah, I don’t know if there’s anything super specific that I would, um, a su-, uh, a website, but Sew Enabled, they’re definitely doing loads of work.

And then there are different groups on Instagram and Facebook, which are usually lots of people with disabilities and chronic illness and they’re sharing their experience. So definitely have a look out for them. Um, I know there’s a few on Facebook, and then there’s some hashtags on Instagram as well that people like #ChronicallySewn and, um, #SewingDisabled where, that people use. And you can go in and find out, um, find friends with disabilities that are sewing. And that’s what, that’s how a lot of information is being shared still.

Caroline: Awesome. Well, we’ll make sure we link those people up in the show notes, so people listening can go and check them out. Before we move on, I wonder, is there anything else you would want to share or say on the subject of building a more accessible sewing community?

Sam: Um, I, I, I think there’s, at the moment, there’s, I can take so many aspects of the sewing community and see how improvements can be made. What I think the key thing is if you want to make your products more accessible, whether you’re a retail shop that’s selling sewing tools and you want to sell accessible sewing tools or you’re a sewing pattern company, and you want your products to be more accessible for people with disabilities, speak to people with disabilities.

Ask us what we want. Ask people what they need and what they, what they can do to help them. Ask them what their favourite tools are. It’s so important that our voices are used as part of what you’re doing, as part of accessibility, if you’re doing it. So, yeah, my, my key thing is speak to people and find out, find out what they need. Find out what you can do better.

Helen: That makes all the sense in the world. Thank you for sharing that. And we’d like to talk to you a little bit before we let you go for the day about your sewing practice and how it is affected by your ability levels. And you’ve written before about pacing. Can you tell us what is pacing?

Sam: So, I like to make sure my sewing tasks are broken down. I can’t, I mean, I was saying that I go to my little purple sewing cloud. Unfortunately it’s, it’s, it’s not great for my body. It can be quite demanding on your body, especially if you’re sewing a garment, you know. You’re up and down from your sewing machine, going to your ironing board and trying things on, pinning things. Or if you’re cutting things out, it’s a lot of movement.

So, I think it’s very important to, before I get to a point where I’ve burnt myself out from doing too much sewing, I regulate how much I’m sewing. So what I tend to do is I’ll set a timer. Depending on how my body is and how I’m feeling, I might set a timer for 15 minutes or an hour, and it depends on the task as well.

So if it’s something quite physical, like pressing a big fabric, I’ll just say, right, I can only do this for 15 minutes, and I’ll set a timer of 15 minutes. I’ll iron or sew for that 15 minutes, and then once the timer goes off, I stop what I’m doing. If you’re ironing, by the way, disclaimer, turn your iron off.

And I’ll just go and sit down for five minutes or 10 minutes until my body feels like it’s rested and recuperated. And then, uh, if I’m feeling well enough, I’ll do another 15 minute timer or another hour timer. It’s just checking on my body before I get to a point where I’m overtired and not fed or not watered enough.

Cause I find with sewing, you get sucked into, like, a bit of a vortex. I call it a sewing vortex, and you just, it’s like nothing exists around you. And for me, when that, when I’m in that place, I just ignore my body is all. I might have aches and pains, and I’m tired and fatigued, and I’m just ignoring it and thinking, I’m just sewing. Ignore that. Sewing’s my happy place. I’m staying here. I don’t want to, I don’t want to go and lie down and because I can’t see very well or I just, I just ignore it.

And then I start making lots of mistakes, and I start getting frustrated. And then I start not enjoying my sewing. So, yeah, it’s, it’s just making sure that I’ve got that little rule and the little set time. And once that time has ended, as I said, I can go back and do another timer or I can say, right. No, I’m actually tired. I’m just checking in on myself and seeing how I am and taking a little rest and having a little snack or a drink. Yeah. And that’s my sewing timer.

Caroline: I think that’s a great tip for anyone. I know I’ve certainly been in a situation before where I’m, like, sewing and you get into the zone and then all of a sudden you’re like, oh my gosh, everything hurts. You know? And so having that reminder to just, like, check in with your body, I think is, is, like, such a great tip for anyone that sews. I also wonder how you cope on the days that you’re not feeling well enough to sew. Like, do you have other hobbies that you turn to when, when sewing isn’t an option for you?

Sam: Yeah. I mean, it, I get so frustrated, if I’m honest, when I can’t sew, I crack because it is that place where I’m finding my joy and my happiness, and I’m escaping from the world and my illness. And, but there wis definitely days where I can’t sew. And what I tend to do on those days is just look at inspiration. I’ll grab my iPad, I’ll grab my notebook. And it might be that I’m planning a future make. So I’ll have a look on some, some fabric websites. I’ll open the pattern. I’ll dissect the pattern. I’ll write my little cheat sheet whilst, and I can do that whilst I’m resting, or I’ll sketch up some ideas for dresses or even quilts.

I’ll download a few, you can download, like, the, a lot of, with a lot of quilt companies that sell pat-, quilt patterns, you can download the, you know, the colouring in sheets. So I’ll colour in a quilt and get some inspiration around that, or I’ll design a little quilt for, that’s something that I could sew. Um, it’s taking your sewing practice and stepping it away from your sewing machine and just thinking about the other things that you can do, like, you know, like sketching up design ideas or looking at patterns and seeing how you can match them together to create a new garment, and yeah.

Caroline: And are there any other things you do to make sewing more accessible for yourself?

Sam: Um, I think my actual sewing practice there is, like the sewing timer and making sure I’m checking in on myself, I’ll do some stretches, um, if I’m finding I’m tight and, but then there’s things like making sure my desk is set up correctly. So making sure I’ve got good light, um, making sure my machine is in a good place and my chair is at a good height.

But I, I think that those, as well, are things that everybody should be doing because that can make a huge difference even without disabilities or chronic illness. Having good light and making sure your chair’s at the right height to your desk and just make, checking on your, the ergonomics of your sewing setup.

And then I think the other thing for me, for my sewing, is making the garments that are easy for me to wear. So I really struggle with zips because of my fingers. So I don’t put zips in garments because that means I can’t get them on myself. I’ll, a fly zip I can do, but like an invisible, I can’t, I just can’t do it.

And there was a point where I was making these, making garments and I was putting zips in because that’s what the instructions were telling me to do. But, I couldn’t put them on myself. Um, and I was having to ask people to help me get dressed or ask Rich to come and do my zip. And I know a lot of people find zips difficult, so what, so what my answer to that was, was just stop putting zips in things and trying to, like, hack the pattern to find, to make a way that it doesn’t need the zip.

Or I have some medical conditions that mean my tummy can, like, I can get quite a lot of bloat and really expand. Like, I can get an extra four inches over my waist measurement on certain days. So it’s making sure my garments fit me in lots of ways. And I think for people with disabilities, there is little, like, accessible things they do to make garments work for them. So they won’t do, they’ll make sure the buttons are always at the front, or they’ll not do buttons. They’ll do magnets or snaps or Velcro. So yeah, there’s, there’s lots of different things I do.

Helen: Lots of opportunities to listening to you talk for potential supplemental blog posts or videos we were talking about earlier about designers providing that kind of information on their sites and how great it is to include information for how to swap the zipper out for something else or to move the buttons from the back to the front and things like that. And giving people the instructions so that they feel like they can confidently make those alterations.

Sam: Yeah, definitely. Um, and, I mean, these things are quite often, I find them, I stumble across them on people’s blog posts where these things that, the hacks they’ve done, or I know a lot of sewing companies have these blogs where they’re doing the, showing hacks. Quite often, they’re making their garment more accessible, but it’s just not been viewed that way. So it’s great if companies can collate these as well and make it as a little accessible platform for people with disabilities.

Helen: Yeah. That’s a great idea. What about, um, products when you’re sewing or, like, tools, are there any specific tools you would recommend for sewists who may deal with similar symptoms to yours?

Sam: So, I mean, everyone with disabilities is different, but some of the disabilities I have obviously with my hands, and that’s what you working with most when sewing. So, for me, it’s things like using pins with large heads, um, and there’s different styles, if you ever look at pins, there’s hundreds of types of pins. It can be quite, um, like if you’re like, I need some new pins, it can be quite, um, uh, a thing when you go and look at these websites.

There’s, like, glass heads. There’s flat heads. There’s now some styles of pins that come out that are easy grip, and the flatheads have got quite large heads, but they’re flat, and they sometimes can be very difficult to grasp. The easy grip ones are, like, a shape and the much larger than a normal glass head style pin.

So, and then I am quite, I’ll adapt my tools as well. So I’ll get a bit, and there’s some stuff that you can get called Sugru, and it’s like plasticine that sets hard. And I have that wrapped around my seam ripper handle, so it’s easier for me to grip.

And then I use, Fiskars do a range of easy grip scissors, as well, that you don’t open them with your hands. They’re spring load, so they open in your hand. And then instead of opening them with your hands and then closing them, you’re just closing them with your hands. And then they come back open cause they’re spring loaded.

Um, my newest access-, well it’s not an accessible tool, it’s just a tool that I’ve found has helped me, um, which is quite often with tools and things like that, um, that people with disabilities, they’re not designed for people with disabilities to make them more accessible. They’re just designed really well, and it means that they’re great for people with disabilities.

So I recently got this, um, I think it’s a magnetic pin dish, but when you put your pins on it, they, like, spread out, and they automatically go so that the heads of the pins just hang off the edge of the pin dish.

Helen: Ah! What?

Sam: And it’s been a game changer cause I’m not, like, I, cause my grip is quite funny, and I can’t always find things with my fingers. I can just, the pins are just automatically, they’re, like, in exactly where I need them, and I’m not stabbing myself. It’s been a game changer.

Caroline: I’ve seen that product. It’s very cool. It’s like magic. You can like throw a bunch of pins at it, and it’ll just place them in exactly the right way. And I’m like how? I don’t understand, but it’s very, very cool.

Sam: I got a magnet recently on a telescopic stick. That has been game-changing, as well, cause if I drop pins, I don’t have to bend over to try and get them, which I find really hard. I can just, I’ve just got my stick and I just go around the floor in my sewing room and pick them all up.

Caroline: Oh, that’s so useful. And in, um, college, I studied fashion design, and we had a teacher who had one of those and she would keep it, like, in her back pocket. And if someone would knock over their pins, she would just come over and, like, like, whip it out, and, like, clean up all the pins. It was this, like, magical magnet stick. Um, that, that is very, very cool to have around your sewing room.

Okay. We just have a couple more questions before we wrap up. I want to know what you’re working on right now. Do you have any fun projects that you’re juggling at the moment?

Sam: I’m working on another quilted jacket.

Helen: Ooh.

Sam: Well, this, I found this little shop near me and they were selling pre-pieced patchwork fabric. So it’s fabric that they’ve, that somebody, I, I’m guessing it’s been done by hand by someone, but they were huge bits of fabric that are, like, patchwork, but they’re pre-pieced. So I’m making a jacket with that, and I don’t have to piece it all, but it’s not quilted either. It’s overlocked on the back. So all of the little bits of fabric overlock, so you could make, you could make dresses and things out of it, but I’m making a little jacket out of it and it’s, like, lilac colours.

So yeah, that’s my current project, and I’ve been doing something really fun with the quilting. So there’s different type of quilting styles you can do. So you can do straight lines and zigzags and wavy lines and there’s something called free motion quilting, which is, like, your’re normally, you know, the fabric is, your machine takes it through.

But with free motion quilting, you’re turning off your feed dogs, and you’re actually moving the fabric. So you can do, like, pictures and things with it, I guess. And I’m doing some, like, really cool, like, squiggly, swirly lines all over the jacket. So yeah, that’s my current project.

Helen: Oh, so fun. I really want to try free motion quilting. I’ve seen people have, like, these cute little gloves that they wear to, to make your fingers stickier.

Sam: Yes. Yeah. They’re really good.

Helen: Oh, it looks like so much fun. Well, cool. We can’t wait to see that. And, in addition, your wedding dress that you’re working on. You’re going to be busy this year.

Sam: Yeah. It’s going to be a big one.

Caroline: Alright. Well, tell our listeners where they can find you online.

Sam: So you can find me on Instagram @PurpleSewingCloud, on YouTube @PurpleSewingCloud, and there is an old blog somewhere that’s Purple Sewing Cloud that I should probably go and update.

Helen: No presh.

Caroline: Awesome. Well, we will link all of that up in the show notes. Thank you so much for chatting with us today, Sam. It’s been amazing.

Sam: It’s been really lovely chatting with you both as well. Thank you so much for having me.

Caroline: Of course.

Helen: Take care.

Caroline: Thanks for coming on the show.

Helen: Bye.

Caroline: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me, Caroline, at BlackbirdFabrics.com and Helen at HelensClosetPatterns.com! We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Helen: Head to LoveToSewPodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, send us an email at hello@LoveToSewPodcast.com.

Caroline: If you love Love and want more, you can sign up for our you can sign up for our Patreon! For $5 a month, you get a full-length bonus episode and weekly behind-the-scenes pics. For $10 a month, you’ll get that PLUS a mini-episode focused on sewing techniques and 15% off codes for both Helen’s Closet and Blackbird Fabrics! It’s a great deal, y’all. Patreon is the best way to support us so that we can keep making quality sewing content. Go to patreon.com/LoveToSew, for more info.

Helen: Thanks to our amazing podcast team.Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you for listening. We’ll talk to you next week.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Buh-bye.

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