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Transcript:

Helen: 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.

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

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

Helen: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew, and it’s all we ever talk about.

Caroline: In this episode, we’re heading to the place where sewing and media meet. First, we’ll share some TV shows, movies, podcasts, and audiobooks that are about sewing. Then, we’ll share recommendations from us and listeners about non-sewing related media we love to put on while we sew. We’ll also share some tips for how to actually hear or see media while you’re at the machine or hand sewing at the couch.

Helen: If you love to sew, and watch TV, this is your show.

Caroline: Who doesn’t love watching TV? I feel like, I don’t know if I should say this out loud, but I don’t really trust people who don’t like TV.

Helen: I don’t trust people who don’t listen to music.

Caroline: I think we’re going to make some enemies.

Helen: I know.

Caroline: I love everybody. I love all of you listeners. To each their own.

Helen: To each their own. But this episode’s probably not for you.

Caroline: Yeah. Oh, my gosh, Helen. This is the final episode of Fall 2023. I can’t believe it.

Helen: I know. We have loved making and sharing this season with you. We brought back guests. We had some really great chats about lots of different sewing topics. And it was such a fun season. And we’ll be back in the new year with another fresh crop of episodes for the first week of March in 2024. It’s only three months away, so don’t panic. We will be back.

Caroline: Also, this is our 250th, let that sink in, episode of Love to Sew. I can’t believe it. 250!

Helen: That’s wild. That’s a quarter of a thousand.

Caroline: Helen, it’s been a journey.

Helen: It’s been a journey. I can’t believe it.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh.

Helen: Who knew there was 250 topics to cover about sewing?

Caroline: I know, and I think about, like, when we started, and we were recording our first episode in my first office, which then became your office. And then we recorded in your apartment. And then we recorded at your house, very briefly, in Courtenay. And then we started recording separately. And that’s what we’ve been doing for the last few years, but we’ve, kind of, been all over with this podcast.

Helen: It’s true. It’s been a part of our lives for a significant portion of our adult lives at this point, which is pretty amazing when you think about it. And yeah, we don’t have any plans to stop, so…

Caroline: Oh, my gosh.

Helen: …get ready.

Caroline: I’m going to get emosh. When you just said that, it’s so true. How old were we when we started this podcast? I’m turning 35, so I must have been 27.

Helen: We were 27 or 28.

Caroline: Yeah, that is wild.

Helen: I know. It is wild.

Caroline: And here we are.

Helen: Can we say anything else about it? Wild. Crazy.

Caroline: It’s wild. It’s crazy. It’s so cool. Yeah, and here we are 250 episodes in. And I’m still excited about this podcast. And I’m still excited about the topic that we cover every week. It’s always fresh. It’s always new, keeps us on our toes.

Helen: I know, and we have so many fans out there and so many lovely listeners who write to us or DM us and tell us that they love the show. People are discovering us all the time and catching up on all of our past 250 episodes, which is amazing.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: And I just love that we can provide a place for sewists to come and listen to podcasts about their favourite topic.

Caroline: Yeah. And our assistant Lisa reads every single one of your emails. And whenever we get a sweet message from a listener, I have to say, she puts it in the Slack chat so that we can see it. And I just love reading your messages, especially when you talk about your own journey of listening to Love to Sew and how it’s changed your life or affected you in any way.

Caroline: We love to hear it. We love to see it, so please keep writing in.

Helen: Yeah, please do. We’re going to start this episode with some listener feedback from some of our episodes this season. Molly wrote, “Hi there! I recently listened to an episode where Claire Birnie, the designer of Sew Outdoorsy and sewing outdoor clothes, suggested using a teflon foot. They are good for many applications, but a roller foot can be an excellent choice as well.”

Caroline: Ooh. Hi, Molly. Thank you so much for sharing this tip with us. I had actually never heard of a roller foot before until we mentioned it in our sewing bags episode. It has two or three textured rollers that sit on top of the fabric and help it feed through. And it seems like the roller foot is especially useful for fabrics that would stick to a regular foot or get marked up with too much pressure. So it does seem like it would be a good option for outdoor gear fabrics, faux leathers, vinyls, and lightweight real leathers.

Helen: Totally. It’s also just cool. And I love having all the tools for the job, you know, I could see myself getting a roller foot.

Martha wrote to say, “In my day job, I’m an anthropologist, and I came across an article about the archaeology of sewing needles in an anthropology newsletter I subscribe to called SAPIENS. I thought you might enjoy the read!”

Caroline: Thank you for sending this article to us, Martha. It’s super fascinating. Here’s something interesting we learned from it. It seems like ancient humans didn’t just sew for utility. They also sewed for decoration. There were lots of different kinds of needles around. Some were large and flat, probably used for piercing thick hides and skins, and others were round and fine, probably used for decorative stitching like embroidery or beading.

And this is during the Upper Paleolithic period from 10,000 to 50,000 years ago. The whole article is super interesting, so we’re going to link it up in the show notes. I personally can’t believe that people were sewing 50,000 years ago. I don’t even know what to say about it.

Helen: I think it’s so cool. And I’m thinking now we need to have an archeologist or anthropologist on the podcast to tell us a little bit more about this.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. That would be amazing. Let’s find the author of this article…

Helen: Exactly.

Caroline: …and invite them on.

Justine wrote to us about sewing her own wedding dress: “I was very hesitant to sew my own dress knowing that I am new to sewing – I didn’t think I had the skills. But after going to many dress shops I found the quality to be lacking for gowns that were minium $2,000 – up to $8,000. They were all uncomfortable. I didn’t like the textures next to my skin. And I was going to have to spend up to $500 to get extra length on them. I ended up spending $2,000 on the lux-est fabric – but I love it, and it is unlike anything I could find. And I know the quality is there.

“I really enjoyed the process and was so happy with the result. There were a few things that I would have done better if I had more time, but the 3 ft rule really works! I ran out of time to do a bustle, but on the night of the wedding my sewing buds (we call ourselves the button buddies) just safety pinned it for me which worked fine.

“I also loved forgoing boning and corsets and other things that made store bought dresses uncomfortable. And I could pattern hack elements which I loved from different places. I think I got to about 5 toiles – I got the skirt mostly right on the first go so I just kept redoing the top. Totally worth it though.”

Helen: Oh, that sounds pretty similar to your dress sewing experiences, Caroline.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Hi, Justine. First of all, congratulations. This gown is absolutely beautiful. We’ll link it in the show notes. The fabric is a gorgeous sheer white with, like ,gold foil print. It has a v neck, short sleeves, and a slit in the side front and pockets.

Justine has only been sewing since 2020, so this is such an amazing accomplishment. All of those toiles were definitely worth it. And by the way, I love that your sewing friends are called the button buddies. It really sounds like a TV show that I would like to watch.

Caroline: It sounds like a really cute kids TV show. The button buddies!

Helen: Yeah. The button buddies. They just, like, rescue each other when they get, like, rips in their pants and stuff.

Caroline: Yeah. And speaking of TV shows, Helen, should we get into this episode?

Helen: Yes! I love sewing, obviously. I love to sew.

Caroline: No. Do you?

Helen: Yeah, I do. But I also love to be entertained and sewing and media go together like peanut butter and jelly, apples and cinnamon, like me and you, Caroline.

Caroline: Oh, so true.

Helen: It just feels so good to put on some music or tv show or podcast and dive into your sewing project and enjoy the media at the same time, so we’re going to make a ton of recommendations in this episode and share your recommendations, too. And we hope this gives you loads of fun things to enjoy during our Love to Sew break.

Caroline: So first we’re going to talk about how to actually hear or see the media you’re playing while you sew. With hand sewing, it’s pretty easy. You can just sit on the couch and watch or listen while your project is on your lap. There’s no loud sewing machine to compete with, and it’s easy to stop and look up if you need to.

Helen: You might consider putting some pillows on your lap so that you don’t have to crane your neck to look at your work. Rose Parr, the expert that we interviewed in our ergonomics episode, has a free tutorial for a lap desk. It’s pretty much just a piece of flat foam core that’s covered with fabric, and she sets it on several pillows, so it’s nice and high. We’ll link the tutorial up in our show notes.

Caroline: It can be nice to have a little bowl or box to corral your scissors, thread, and pincushion. You can use one you already have, of course, but we also found a super cute tutorial for a sofa sewing caddy on the Overdale Fabrics blog. There’s a flat quilted pad which lays over the arm of your couch. It has pockets for your tools, a pincushion, and a bin hanging off for your waste threads. It’s so cute. I could totally see you making this, Helen.

Helen: I know, but I actually, I sit on the side of the couch that’s up against the wall.

Caroline: Uh-oh.

Helen: I don’t have an arm, but I do have, like, a little area behind the cushions, or I can, like, tuck things. I have, like, a tissue box and a knitting bag and an embroidery bag. It’s, like, my little stash of things.

Caroline: I love that.

Helen: I also love having light when I’m working at the couch in front of the TV, but we’re often watching TV together, so I don’t want to disturb Sam. So it can be really helpful to have, like, a little headlamp or, like, one of those Lumos Lights, they’re popular for knitting. You wear them around your neck, and they just illuminate the area in front of you. That can make a huge difference.

Caroline: Yeah, it does, kind of, kill the vibe when you need, like, full light when you’re watching a show or a movie.

Helen: Right. But if it’s too dark, you end up making a lot of mistakes, and it’s not fun for you. So, yeah, it’s a balance.

Caroline: Playing media while you’re sewing at the machine, it takes a little bit more strategizing. So we usually like to play something that doesn’t require a lot of concentration to follow. A bunch of you told us that you do, too.

Jo wrote, “I like something mindless that requires minimal brain but provides background noise and entertainment. Selling Sunset is perfect! And also frothy sitcoms – Community was great sewing ‘viewing’!”

@YorkieMouse wrote, “Watch something familiar where I know the plot every time!” This is great advice. Watching something you’ve seen before or something with a formulaic structure means it’s no big deal if you miss something.

Helen: Yes, I totally agree with this. I love rewatching things when I’m sewing so I don’t have to pay attention because I can just picture it in my head.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: And how about hearing the media over your machine? You can of course turn up the volume. If you’re not annoying any people nearby, that’s an option. But if not, Bluetooth headphones are a great idea, especially noise cancelling ones.

Caroline: And if you don’t have a TV in the area where you sew but you really want to watch something, you have a couple of options. You could play it on a smaller screen like a laptop or tablet or even a phone. There are really cool phone and tablet stands with flexible arms that you can clamp onto your tabletop, and then you can arrange it so you can see it from your machine. If the sound doesn’t go up high enough on your phone or tablet, you can connect it to a Bluetooth speaker or headphones.

Helen: Another option is to move your sewing set up to the room with the TV, get a sturdy folding table to set your machine on and an extension cord, and you’re all set.

Caroline: Helen, tell me, like, what your setup is when you’re watching a TV show while you’re sewing because it can be a little tricky to find the right spot, you know?

Helen: It can. And honestly, mine’s pretty bare bones. I don’t really like headphones, so I often just play podcasts out of my phone, and I’ll keep the phone in my pocket. Or I, sometimes I just put it on top of my sewing machine and, like, stick it in with, like, the thread spindle and just leave it there and let it play.

Caroline: That’s tricky though ‘cause when the sewing machine is, like, if you’re trying to go really fast, and it’s, like, bouncing around, I’ve had my phone, like, fly off my machine.

Helen: I know it’s not an ideal system. I really should just get a proper phone holder for it. Or use my speaker. I have a speaker in my office, but it’s just, like, I don’t go through the trouble of turning it on…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …and connecting it. I just, like, play it out my phone. But for TV shows, I’ll just put my laptop, you know, just behind my machine where I can see it, like, directly in line with my sewing machine foot. So I’m, like, looking at the foot, but also the show is, like, right there where my eyes are pointing anyways, and I find that works pretty well.

Caroline: Yeah. That’s a good setup if you have, like, a deep enough table, and you’re, kind of, set up the right way. I have, kind of, like, a working triangle in my sewing room. So depending on what I’m doing, I’ll set my laptop down on either my sewing table or my cutting table and just, kind of, place it so that I can see it from where I work. It’s pretty straight forward, kind of, obvious, but it works really well for me. So if you have, like, a lot of surfaces, you can, sort of, move whatever device you’re using around. I do love wearing headphones, so I can hear my media over my machine I tend to reach for my, like, they’re not earbuds, but… oh, my God, what are the other kinds of headphones called over the head headphones.

Helen: Over the head headphones.

Caroline: You know, those ones, those are the ones that I reach for, but I always keep, like, one ear exposed so that I could hear if someone comes to visit me, aka Shea, because I’ve definitely been startled by him before, and nobody wants to be startled while holding a pair of sharp scissors, you know?

Helen: It’s true.

Caroline: And now he actually, like, stomps down the hallway when he comes to see me and, like, makes sure to make a lot of noise because we’ve had a few times where he’s like, just totally freaked me out by just creeping up on me.

Helen: Oh, yeah. This is why I don’t like headphones. I just feel like I can’t, I’m not aware of my surroundings, and I just find it, like, kind of, I don’t know, it just, it makes me uncomfortable. But I have definitely snuck up on Sam while he’s painting his miniatures at his desk and, like, come into his office and, like, I try to be really loud. I’m like, hello, hello, hello, but, like, he doesn’t hear me tap him on the shoulder, and he’s just, like, so scared.

Caroline: Also, it’s, like, with miniatures, do you wait until he’s, like, not, doesn’t have, like, brush to miniature ‘cause that would be horrible.

Helen: Can you imagine? He’s putting, like, an eyeball dot on or something. It’s just, like, a big splotch.

Caroline: The other thing about headphones is they, kind of, hurt my ears after a while, especially the ones that go over your ears. Like, I don’t know if it’s, like, a big head problem that I have, but, like, I tend to get sore ears if I wear them for too long. So not ideal, but it works.

Helen: Yeah, I mean my system of just playing it right out your phone speaker is pretty good.

Caroline: I know you just have to play it so loud. Like, it’s hard to hear sometimes.

Helen: I know it’s true I actually will wear my Sam Apron, and I put the phone in the chest pocket with the speaker pointing up towards my face.

Caroline: Just blasting in your face.

Helen: Yes, it’s just, like, right there, and then it’s just with me everywhere I go, so, if I, like, go to the washroom or, like, leave the room, the podcast is still playing. I’m good.

Caroline: Some would argue that bluetooth headphones, sort of, would do the same thing.

Helen: Here’s my problem. You, this is going on for way too long, but here’s my problem with bluetooth headphones is that they don’t stay in my ears. I cannot wear earbuds I don’t have, like, the right shaped little doohickey in my ears, and I just have never found a pair that fits.

Caroline: It is one of the most frustrating things when you’re wearing earbuds, and they just, like, slip, keep slipping out.

Helen: Keep falling out.

Caroline: Like, yeah, I’m like, do I have sweaty ears? Like, am I just going too hard today with the sewing? I don’t know.

Helen: I have compared my ears to other people’s ears and like, there’s this little cartilage bump that goes up on most people’s ears and holds earbuds in place. Mine goes straight out.

Caroline: Oh, shh… Okay.

Helen: It’s just the wrong, it’s just the wrong shape. I’m just very, I’m a special unique snowflake.

Caroline: Your ears are beautiful, Helen.

Helen: Thank you.

Caroline: Don’t ever be ashamed of them. Okay. We got so many recommendations, so I think we need to get into it. First up, we have our favourite media that’s about sewing. So we’re going to talk about things that are centred around sewing first, and then we’ll get into other stuff.

And the first thing we’re going to talk about is sewing competition shows. Whenever I watch one of these, I get a really bad itch to sew. So watching them while I sew is next level satisfying. And most of these shows don’t need to be watched closely. I just take a break from my sewing during the reveals of the final garments. I know you love, you love a sewing competition show, Helen, right?

Helen: I do, but I actually don’t watch them while I sew because I want to, like, watch them.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: I enjoy every delicious moment. I like seeing the workroom chaos and all the in progress stuff and all the drama and the ITMs. Yeah, I’m into it. Project Runway, Making the Cut, and Next in Fashion all feature designers who want to make it in the fashion world. They design and make some amazing and some not so amazing garments, according to different challenges. One of my favourite project runway challenges is the unconventional materials one. We talked about this with Mister Larrie. I just love when they send the designers into, like, a dollar store or a pet shop or a flower shop and tell them to grab all the materials they can in 10 minutes and make an outfit. So much fun.

Making the Cut is actually interesting ‘cause it has less sewing than the other two. It’s more focused on the design part than the construction part. And the designers have a team of seamstresses working with them, and I think it’s actually hilarious because they often will, like, leave notes, they’ll design, they’ll leave notes and then the next day they come back in and, like, what’s been sewn for them overnight is, like, not at all what they had in mind or, like, their design come to life just, like, does not work. And the designers who don’t know how to sew very well always, kind of, struggle with this because they’re not really anticipating the construction elements, so I think that’s very entertaining.

And I love Next in Fashion. I think that one is really fun. I love Tan France from Queer Eye. He’s a great host, and they have a lot of really cool designers on there, and I think they have a lot of fun with that show.

Caroline: And of course, classic OG Project Runway. You can’t go wrong with Project Runway.

Helen: So great.

Caroline: Tim Gunn? Come on. The next show isn’t super sewing focused, but there’s one episode in every season that’s all about a sewing challenge. RuPaul’s Drag Race is a drag queen competition show, and it’s amazing. I think this must be the most difficult competition show on TV. I’m like, because I’m really into American Ninja Warrior now, so I don’t know. I can’t, it, kind of, depends on how you define difficult, but…

Helen: I mean… I feel like Drag Race has it beat, honestly, like, the level of, like, performance, dance, comedy, the sewing ability, the costuming, the endurance. I mean, they’re wearing, like, heels. They’re tucked. They’re cinched. They’re full makeup. I would like to see any American Ninja Warrior even pull this off for, like, an hour. I dare them.

Caroline: But do you know what else would be fun is if American Ninja Warrior did an episode where Queens had to do the obstacle…

Helen: Oh, that’d be great.

Caroline: It would have to be, like, a little bit easier, but it would be so funny and so fun to watch. Oh, my gosh. Okay, but no, it’s true. I think anyone who loves fashion, comedy, or music would super enjoy RuPaul’s Drag Race. Definitely check it out if you haven’t already.

Helen: Highly recommend. One of my favourite, favourite shows of all time.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: And you know what? There is only one episode where they do sewing typically, but a lot of queens on that show make every outfit that they bring to the runway, and they talk about that, and I just think it’s incredible. It’s so cool.

Okay, this next show is super beloved in the sewing community and that, of course, is the Great British Sewing Bee. This is a BBC show featuring amateur sewists who compete in sewing, upcycling, and design challenges. The Fold Line always does round up videos of the patterns from each episode. And I’m so jealous of UK sewists. BBC executives, if you’re listening, please find a legal way for the rest of us to watch it. We’re begging you. It’s so great.

Caroline: We’ve actually had a couple of guests who’ve competed on the Sewing Bee. Tilly of Tilly and the Buttons was on series one, and Rumana was on series four, and we’ve interviewed both of them. So exciting.

Helen: Oh, it is really great. I love British reality television, too, because everyone’s so nice to each other and so supportive. It’s great.

Caroline: And I mean, speaking of competition shows, I don’t even know if we mentioned this later in the episode, but Great Pottery Throwdown, another British competition show. And I know we mentioned the Great British Baking Show. It’s just so good. There’s something about those shows.

Helen: It’s the camaraderie. It’s everybody, like, in the room competing, but also wishing nothing but success for the fellow contestants and just appreciating each other’s creativity. It’s really, really inspiring and sweet.

Caroline: Now let’s talk about some other media that features sewing. Documentaries about fashion designers, fashion houses, and stylish people are good for inspo. They make me feel like I’m a couturier working on my fall winter collection. Just working away in my little studio. If you want to feel that way, here are a few documentaries that look really great. Diana Vreeland, The Eye Has to Travel, about the influential columnist and fashion editor.

Helen: Ooh, I haven’t seen that. I’m going to put that on my list. McQueen, and that one’s about the late, brilliant British designer Alexander McQueen, of course.

Caroline: Iris is about the fashion icon Iris Apfel, you know, the one with the big glasses and piles of colourful jewellery.

Helen: Oh, I’m obsessed with her and her interior decorating style. Just all of the beautiful prints and colours and everything. Maximalism. So good. 7 Days Out, which follows the Dior events team in the seven days leading up to the couture shows.

Caroline: The Fold Line has a longer list of documentaries that we are going to add to the show notes, but we need to add all of these to our list. There’s so many good ones.

Helen: So many good ones. And there’s some really great fictional movies where sewing is an important part of the plot, too. Here are a few good ones. Bright Star is a movie by Jane Campion about the romance between Fanny Brawne and the poet John Keats. Fanny is a sewist, and there are some beautiful scenes of her sewing and wearing her makes. It’s a gorgeous film.

Caroline: How to Make an American Quilt is a drama movie from 1995. It stars Winona Ryder as a grad student who visits her grandmother and great aunt so she can hang out and finish her thesis. They have a quilting group, and each member tells a story about different kinds of love they’ve had in their lives. The vibe is really warm and sweet, and of course, there’s lots of sewing. It wasn’t super highly reviewed, but there are some great actors and great quilts, and it’s worth watching just to see Maya Angelou as the leader of the quilting group. So cool.

Helen: I have not seen this, but I’m totally sold.

Caroline: Yeah, I feel like maybe it wasn’t highly reviewed by non-sewists, but I can’t imagine a sewist watching this and not giving it a high review.

Helen: It’s hard to judge movies by the reviews, too, so you just have to take that with a grain of salt, you know? I really enjoyed the movie Phantom Thread. It’s a dramatic movie that features lots of sewing. It’s about a couture dress designer and his relationship with his wife and muse.

Caroline: The Dressmaker is about a sewist for a couture house in Paris who returns home to her small town in the Australian Outback. It’s funny, dramatic, and filled with great 50s costumes, and it stars Kate Winslet. Perfect.

Helen: Yeah. Have you seen that one, Caroline?

Caroline: No, I haven’t, but I need to add all of these to my list. I think I need to have, like, a sewing-themed movie marathon or, like…

Helen: Ooh! We should do that when we go on our trip later in December.

Caroline: Ooh! That sounds fun.

Helen: We can add some of these to our list.

Caroline: Yes, we’re going on a trip to visit our sewing friend. That would be the perfect time. Okay. I’m in. Check.

Helen: All right. It’s time for a quick break. and we’ll be right back.

Caroline: Love to Sew is made possible by listeners like you. We are so grateful for the support of our amazing patrons and subscribers. If you love Love to Sew and you want to help support the pod, we have a new option for you.

Helen: You can now become a paid subscriber on Apple Podcasts. Subscribers get access to our monthly bonus episodes, and it’s so convenient. If you already use Apple Podcasts, the episodes are right there in your feed.

Caroline: So what are the bonus episodes? Well, we do a chatty catch-up on what’s been happening in our lives, share about the realities of running a small business, discuss new indie pattern releases, and talk about what we’re sewing right now.

Many of our subscribers say these fun bonus episodes are their favourite. And if you subscribe, you get access to the full back catalogue. That’s over 75 hours of Love to Sew. We also do a mini episode that deep dives into a specific topic. We get to discuss so many fun sewing techniques and answer specific subscriber questions about sewing.

Helen: And we are still on Patreon. If you subscribe over there, you can get access to the bonus episodes, behind the scenes photos, and a special 15% off discount code at our super fan patron tier. That discount applies at Helen’s Closet, Cedar Quilt Co., Blackbird Fabrics, and BF Patterns. If you shop with us regularly, it basically pays for itself. Head to patreon.com/LoveToSew to see all the perks and options.

Caroline: If you’d like to try out Patreon or Apple podcast subscriptions and check out our bonus content, you can sign up for a free seven-day trial. And, of course, you can help support the show by listening just like you are right now.

You can also leave a review. Reviews really help our show get discovered by new listeners. We know that financial support isn’t always possible. And we want you to know that we love you for listening.

Helen: Go to patreon.com/LoveToSew or visit our show’s page in the Apple podcast app to become a paid subscriber. Thank you to all our listeners, patrons, and subscribers. You’re the best.

Caroline: And we are back. Okay. There are so many good sewing YouTube channels. I feel like we could talk about this for the rest of the episode. And the casual friendly vibes are perfect for sewing time. It feels like you’re sewing with friends. So here are some of the channels that you recommended, recommended when we asked you to recommend things. Sorry, I gotta say that again. Oh, my God. Here are some of the channels that you recommended.

Helen: The Fold Line, super popular in the sewing community. They have fun seasonal “Sew the Trends” videos and “Find that Pattern” videos for movies and shows like Barbie and the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and new pattern release round-ups, which is super handy if you want to stay on top of all the patterns that are coming out.

Caroline: Kittenish Behavior is a garment sewist with a vintage-inspired personal style.

Helen: Stitched Up is a chatty garment sewing channel with Tuesday tips, vlogs, and sewing planning videos.

Caroline: Rachel Maksy is a super funny YouTuber who makes costumes and vintage-inspired garments.

Helen: With Wendy, of course, a thrift flipper, sewing vlogger, and all-around amazing person, and former guest on the pod.

Caroline: The Closet Historian, many of you have written to us to say how much you love this YouTuber’s videos about pattern drafting and hacking. We love a good hack.

Helen: The Dahlia Sewciety is a channel by a mother-daughter duo who own a fabric and notions shop. They chat about what they’re sewing, new arrivals at the shop, and developments in the sewing world.

Caroline: PricklyAlpaca is a channel about costume design, fantasy art, and crafting. Her work looks so whimsical.

Helen: Kathleen Illustrated is a channel focused on thrifting. She does thrift flips, hauls, and styling advice. Love that.

Caroline: Hazariel Costumes is a channel all about costuming and crafting. She doesn’t use a lot of expensive materials, and the stuff she makes looks amazing. Plus, she’s super funny.

Helen: The Yorkshire Sew Girl does fabric hauls, round-ups of recent makes, and sewing vlogs.

Caroline: Bernadette Banner is an experienced hand sewist who makes both historical and historically inspired clothing, and we interviewed her recently. It was so inspiring. She is such a cool creator if you haven’t checked out her channel.

Helen: Micarah Tewers makes fun, trendy outfits, completes challenges, and creates jaw-dropping costumes.

Caroline: Several of our past guests also have amazing YouTube channels. Mister Larrie, Saremy Duffy from SewSewLive, Evelyn Wood, Joanna Lu, and Brittany J. Jones just to name a few.

Helen: And there are so many other great channels out there. Lots of people doing sewing, vlogging, sharing what they’re up to, sharing their makes. Once you subscribe to a few YouTubers you like, the algorithm really takes care of you and suggests similar channels that you might want to follow. Don’t even get me started on the quilting YouTube channels, Caroline.

Caroline: Oh, that’s like a whole other episode, I feel.

Helen: I know. Quilting media.

Caroline: All right, sewing podcasts are another popular choice. We know because many of you have told us that you play Love to Sew during your sewing time. It makes me so happy to think of us keeping you company over the years. So here are some other sewing podcasts that you recommended.

Helen: We’ve got Sewing with Threads by Threads Magazine.

Caroline: Check Your Thread. This one’s all about sewing and sustainability.

Helen: Seams, Dreams, and Small Business Things, which is former guest Terrance Williams podcast, he talks about sewing and running a small business with “love, light, and positivity.”

Caroline: Oh, how did I not know about this one? I need to check this one out. Sew Organised Style, which has tons of interviews with members of the sewing community.

Helen: Stitch Please, the podcast of Black Women Stitch.

Caroline: Asian Sewists Collective. This one explores the intersection of Asian identities and sewing, and we interviewed the hosts Ada and Nicole last year.

Helen: Sew and Tell from the editors of Sew News.

Caroline: Here We Sew Again, where three sewists from different backgrounds discuss everything sewing related. Fun fact, I’m pretty sure Here We Sew Again is a continuation of Sew and Tell with the same hosts because they stopped making Sew and Tell.

Helen: Oh, okay, that makes sense. Clothes Making Mavens, which unfortunately hasn’t updated since 2020, but you can still listen to the back episodes, and they did a lot of episodes.

Caroline: Punkfrockers is an inclusive podcast for sewists looking to connect with other sewists.

Helen: Seamwork Radio has been going for many, many years. Lots of great episodes to enjoy there.

Caroline: And the Tipsy Sewists, this one sounds really fun.

Helen: Totally and a recent one Caroline that you pointed out is the Sewing Club Podcast. It’s a brand new one from Kylie of Kylie and the Machine and Gemma of @SewingGem. And they haven’t released their first episode yet at the time of recording this pod. But I think it’s coming out really soon, and I’m very excited to see where they’re going with this podcast.

Caroline: Yeah, I’m definitely going to be listening to this one. There were a few more podcasts that our listeners recommended that aren’t specifically about sewing, but are definitely related. Haptic and Hue’s Tales of Textiles combines history and fabric in a way that is absolutely fascinating.

Helen: Dressed: A History of Fashion covers so many interesting stories, recent ones include gender and pocket parody, sixteenth century fashion bloggers, and costuming 1975’s The Wiz. This podcast is next-level amazing, like, so well-researched and just, yeah, it’s so cool. The topics they cover are such a wide variety. It really opens your eyes to all the different ways you can look at fashion.

Caroline: Mm-hmm. Garmology is all about menswear, fashion, ethics, and sustainability.

Helen: And Articles of Interest is one that we’ve mentioned on the show before. Articles of Interest is a podcast about what we wear. It began as a critically acclaimed mini-series within the 99% Invisible podcast and is now its own separate independent production with Radiotopia.

Caroline: Audiobooks are another great option for sewing time. Books are usually denser than podcasts or frothy TV shows, so I think it makes sense to play them when you’re doing more mindless sewing tasks. Or you could just pause it when you need to focus and then start again when you’re ready. Here are a few sewing-related audiobooks our listeners recommended.

Helen: The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie is the story of four generations who sewed on one Singer Featherweight.

Caroline: Worn: A People’s History of Clothing by Sophie Thanhauser is a nonfiction story in five parts: Linen, Cotton, Silk, Synthetics, and Wool. I really want to read this one, this sounds really cool.

Helen: Yeah, it sounds great. The Dressmakers of Auschwitz: The True Story of the Women Who Sewed to Survive by Lucy Adlington is a nonfiction history of the group of inmates who worked in the upper tailoring workshop, making clothing for the elite Nazi women. The description says their bonds of family and friendship not only helped them endure persecution, but also to play their part in camp resistance, weaving the dressmakers’ remarkable experiences within the context of Nazi policies for plunder and exploitation. Lucy Adlington exposes the greed, cruelty, and hypocrisy of the Third Reich and offers a fresh look at the little known chapter of World War II and the Holocaust.

Caroline: Next up, Threads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle by Claire Hunter is a globe spanning history told through sewing and embroidery. Topics covered include the English Royals, the Catholic Church, World War I soldiers coping with PTSD, maps sewn by schoolgirls in the New World, the AIDS quilt, Hmong story clothes, and much more.

Helen: Listener Johanna wrote, “A good book I read lately was By Her Own Design: A Novel of Ann Lowe, Fashion Designer to the Social Register by Piper Hughley. It is a fictionalised story about a woman who overcame poverty and racism to become a society dressmaker. She made Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress.

Caroline: Ooh, cool.

Helen: Very cool.

Caroline: Putting on sewing-related media when you’re sewing is fun, but let’s be real, putting any good media on when you’re sewing is fun, does not have to be sewing-related. When we reached out for your recommendations, you did not disappoint. Music was definitely a popular choice. Lisa wrote, “I usually just like to listen to my favourite music. Mama’s Broke has been on repeat for a few weeks.”

Helen: Okay, Lisa, I have to say I listened to this album just a couple days ago when I was reviewing all the prep for this episode. I love it so much. It might be one of my favourite albums I have ever heard in my life. It’s so good I have listened to it, like, 12 times in the last 24 hours.

Caroline: Oh, my.

Helen: On repeat all day today. It’s just so good. So thank you so much. And if you have any other recommendations, I am open to them.

Caroline: I love that. Oh, my gosh. I’m going to listen right after this episode. Sasha recommended Tiny Desk concerts. You can find these on YouTube. They’re short concerts by great musicians, and it’s produced by NPR.

Helen: @EspeciallyMadeByFlorence recommended ambient worlds on YouTube, calling it dreamy background music for nerds. And looking at the channel, it seems like they have videos inspired by Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things, Disney parks, and so much more.

Caroline: Martha wrote, “Back episodes of BBC radio 4’s Desert Island Discs are great to listen to while sewing. Good combination of talk and music, and you learn about a person’s life.” This show sounds super cool. Famous guests share the eight songs, one book, and one luxury they would take on a desert island.

Helen: Ooh, uh, that’s a tough one. I like that you get eight songs.

Caroline: Yeah. Not just one song, obviously, that would drive you crazy.

Helen: Jackie wrote, “If I don’t have to concentrate too much, then the trashiest reality TV I can find will be playing. But if it’s something I have to keep my focus on, then lo-fi beats with no lyrics really help to block out the constant inner monologue.”

Caroline: First of all, I 100% relate to the trashy reality TV thing. Second, lo-fi music without lyrics seems like a great choice. Lo-fi has a fuzzier, less defined sound than hi-fi music, so lots of people find it less distracting. We actually listen to a lot of lo-fi at the office because we always, kind of, have music playing in the background, but sometimes you just need it to be, like, truly background music, you know?

Helen: Yeah. I’m a big fan of this for concentration as well. And I also will watch hours of trashy reality television, so I’m right there with you.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Rachel from @MinimalistMachinist on Instagram put together Maker Sounds which is a series of music playlists made by makers. There’s a ton of sewists involved in this project, and it’s all on Spotify, I believe, so definitely check out that series.

Caroline: Alright, Helen, what do you like listening to when you sew in terms of music?

Helen: I love classical piano music for concentration. Chopin is a personal favourite of mine, and when I need to get pumped up, Beyoncé or Lizzo, obviously, go-to’s. But I also love making my own playlists, and Sam does, too. And it’s something we’ve been doing for years and years. Between us we have over 100 playlists, and we’re always sharing music and making lists for each other.

So there’s endless stuff to listen to in my Spotify catalogue. I also really love my Discover Weekly for finding new tracks. I listen to that every Monday, and I save all the songs that I like. I really, really love and appreciate all music. And I know that sounds really cheesy because, you know, there are some genres that I like more than others.

But I just think that all music is incredible, and I can pretty much get into anything. But my Spotify skews more towards, like, folk singer/songwriter, jazz, and world music. Albums I would recommend would be Angel Olson, My Woman, Joan Armatrading, pretty much any of her albums, but To the Limit is pretty amazing, and anything from Chavela Vargas or Oummou Sagaré, just incredible. Love them.

Caroline: Ooh, cool. My favourite Spotify playlist, I usually go with a playlist, I love oldies personally. So Good Times, Great Oldies is a really good one. Also, there’s a playlist called Grandma’s Home that… it just hits. It’s really good.

Helen: Nice.

Caroline: It’s all the best oldies. My Life is a Movie is a playlist that I found, maybe six months ago and I keep going back to it. It’s just a great one to have on in the background, but it still has really fun, interesting songs.

And I’m a big fan of folk music as well. I love the Woman of Folk playlists. Always go back to that one. And I also had a hot tip, if you are on Spotify and you find a song that you like, you can go to song radio or go to artist radio. It’s, like, one of the options if you click the three dots. And Spotify will make a playlist for you with songs or artists that have, like, a similar vibe to that song. And this has actually worked really well for me to discover new music. So if you haven’t heard of that little function, try it out. It’s great.

Helen: Ooh, I love that function. I have definitely used that before, and it really points you in new directions while keeping it, like, in the family.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: So great.

Caroline: I know. And it’s, like, sometimes I just, I love a song, and I’m like, I just want more of this, but I don’t want to get sick of this song. So I feel like generally Spotify really nails those, like, little compilations.

Helen: Yeah, I’m a big Spotify fan if you hadn’t already picked up on that. And the more that you put into it as far as, like, letting it know what you like, the better it gets. So it actually does, like, pay to put some effort into, like, telling it what you want.

Caroline: Do you mean by, like, liking songs that you enjoy?

Helen: Yeah, liking songs, making playlists, saving albums, letting it know, like, what artists you like, and then it will start recommending things that it thinks you’ll like and those things will be more accurate.

Caroline: Cool.

Helen: We got so many amazing podcast recommendations as well. Of course, we both love listening to podcasts, and I really enjoy podcasts while I sew. I find it’s the perfect thing for sewing because as we were talking about before, TV shows are a little hard to keep your eyes on. Music can sometimes get distracting.

But there’s something about just people’s voices, especially when you’re really familiar with them. You know the cadence of their voice, you feel like they’re your friends. There’s that, like, parasocial relationship happening. It makes it feel like you’ve got company in your sewing room. So I’m a huge fan of a podcast while I sew. How about you, Caroline?

Caroline: Oh, same here. I am always listening to podcasts. I can never have too many podcasts. Love bingeing a podcast. Love going back to a podcast that I know I love. I often listen while I sew, but I also listen while I drive. I commute to work about 30 minutes each way every day, so that’s a great time to catch up on podcasts. While I cook, while I clean, literally anything.

Helen: Yeah, I know, I think I listen to like a few hours of podcasts a day, which sounds like a lot, but there’s so many out there that you can really fill that time.

Caroline: Yeah, and I just love a day when there’s, like, a lot of new episodes from creators that I like, so I can just be, like, add to queue, add to queue, add to queue, and, like, there’s something really comforting about knowing that you have, like, a little queue of new episodes to listen to in a day. I love it. So we both love Maintenance Phase; Too Scary, Didn’t Watch; Small Town Dicks; Sounds Like a Cult; and Love to See It. These are all great podcasts. And by the way…

Helen: Never miss an episode.

Caroline: …we talk about our favourites in our bonus episode every month. And a lot of these podcasts that we mentioned we’ve like either talked about on the show, recommended to each other. I don’t know. I feel like a lot of good recommendations happen there for podcasts, so…

Helen: Definitely.

Caroline: Okay. Helen, what are your go-to podcasts these days?

Helen: Okay, these are the ones that I never miss an episode from. Tooth and Claw, which is about animal survival stories. Real Survival Stories, which is also about survival stories.

Caroline: Sensing a theme here.

Helen: Off Menu is a great podcast. A couple of comedians interview somebody about their dream menu. You’re Wrong About with Sarah Marshall. Obviously, amazing show. I know a lot of people are a big fan of that one. If Books Could Kill is another one of Michael Hobbs shows. He also co-hosts Maintenance Phase. It’s great. And My Dad Wrote a Porno, which is no longer running. They’ve been doing some episodes recently that are like best of’s, but they’re not doing the full show anymore. But one of my favourite podcasts of all time, and I will just go back and relisten to random episodes because it just cracks me up. It’s so funny I also really enjoy any true crime stories like Missing Richard Simmons, The Dropout, Dr. Death, Heaven’s Gate, Someone Knows Something, S-town, Serial. I mean I could go on, Caroline.

Caroline: There’s so many. There’s been so many over the years, and they’re all, kind of, like, short or most of them are, like, short-lived, right? It’s, like, a season and then it’s done because it’s on a specific story. So yeah, man, I listened to a lot of true crime podcasts over the years.

Helen: Yes, true.

Caroline: So for me the ones that I never miss Solicited Advice. This one’s a new one. I think there’s only, like, four episodes, but it’s the new Alison Roman podcast. I’m really enjoying it. Camp Counselors podcast. It’s hosted by Zachariah and Jonathan. They are a couple, and they’re also pretty popular TikTok creators that I find super hilarious, especially Zachariah. He just kills me with his videos. So this podcast is the two of them, and it’s just really funny.

A Date with Dateline. Y’all probably know I love Dateline, and this is Kimberly and Katie recapping Dateline episodes basically. It’s so funny, like, so, so funny. So I never miss that one. Unsolved Mysteries. If you’ve ever watched Unsolved Mysteries the show, it was rebooted on Netflix. It’s really good, and there’s also a podcast that I’ve really enjoyed. I think they’re finished making episodes now, but there’s quite a few in the back catalogue.

Stuff You Should Know is a classic. They have hundreds and hundreds of episodes, and that one is one that I find just, like, really soothing. Their voices are really soothing. They’re always talking about interesting topics. And there’s new episodes, like, every few days. So it’s always something to catch up on. And then Science Versus is another one. I think it’s hosted by Wendy Zuckerman, and it is really fascinating. They cover a lot of different science-y topics, and it’s really well-researched. So I’ve enjoyed listening to most of those episodes as well.

Helen: There’s just so many good ones, Caroline.

Caroline: I know!

Helen: While you were talking, I was thinking of, like, all these other shows. We can’t list them all.

Caroline: I know. We didn’t even describe the first ones that I talked about. Should we do that? Because I feel like these are, like, the best ones. We both love them.

Helen: That’s true.

Caroline: Okay.

Helen: I mean, Maintenance Phase is a must-listen. It’s all about how obsessed our culture is with fat phobia and how a lot of the stuff that we know about health and wellness is just wrong.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: It’s very informative. It’s really interesting. It’s mind-blowing and the hosts are lovely, so highly recommend.

Caroline: Yeah, I love that one. Too Scary, Didn’t Watch is one that you put me on Helen, and I feel like I was in my Too Scary, Didn’t Watch era up until recently because I went back and listened to all of their back episodes, and then I subscribed to their Patreon and listened to all of their bonus episodes.

I cannot get enough of the three hosts. It’s Emily, Henley, and Sammy, and they’re friends, and I feel like this podcast, they’re recapping horror movies, which is already funny, but it’s really about their friendship, too. Like, something about the chemistry between those three women is just, I can’t get enough of it. It’s so good.

Helen: Yeah, it is so good. I know I’m right there with you. I’m absolutely obsessed with that show. Small Town Dicks, also great chemistry on that show. There’s four hosts, which is a lot of hosts.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Um, but they really pull it off. One of them is Yardley Smith, who does the voice of Lisa on The Simpsons.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: So if you’re a Simpsons fan, you might enjoy this podcast. It’s about detectives from small towns, and they share their stories investigating crimes. And it’s from their perspective as the investigator, which is really interesting. And I think for a true crime podcast, it does a really good job being very respectful of the stories, which I appreciate…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: …and the people that were involved in the stories. So I’ve always really liked that show.

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: Lastly, Love to See It. Caroline and I are both proud, very proud fans of the Bachelor franchise.

Caroline: Oh, yeah.

Helen: I…

Caroline: Oh, my gosh.

Helen: …can’t even say that with a straight face.

Caroline: What do you mean? I’m proud.

Helen: I, like, hate to be proud, you know? Like, I’m like, I love the Bachelor. I watch every episode, every spinoff, whatever, but there’s so many things I hate about it. But I just can’t stop, and anyways, this podcast really walks that line perfectly for me because they’re also in that, kind of, boat where they love the show, but they wish that there were different things about it.

Caroline: Yeah, they’re feminists. They point out the cringe and the things that are wrong with it.

Helen: Yeah, and all the ways that it could be improved and they just look at it through a lens of, like, this is one of the most popular shows on television in our culture today. Let’s look at it and really dissect what kind of messages it’s sending us about the way that we should be falling in love and forming relationships and all that kind of stuff. So I think it’s really interesting.

Caroline: Yeah, and they also do recaps of other reality dating shows like, Love is Blind or The Ultimatum or Temptation Island. Like, there’s so many that they’ve done. So lots of good back catalogue there. And, again, the hosts are great, so love it.

Helen: Okay, we also want to share some podcasts that our listeners recommended. Ariel wrote, “My favourite thing to listen to as I sew is horror movie review podcasts because I’m too much of a baby to watch horror movies. It has the added bonus of making me associate my clothes with the movies I listened to as I made them.”

Caroline: Oh, that’s interesting.

Helen: Yeah, that’s funny. I love that you can look at some of your shirts and think, oh, Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh.

Helen: Um, we already mentioned Too Scary, Didn’t Watch. It’s a great horror movie recap, but I wanted to plug one of Sam’s favourite shows. Like, he’s a super fan of this podcast series called With Gourley and Rust, where Matt Gourley and Paul Rust recap horror movies, and they’ve been doing this for many, many, many years, so there’s tons of content there, and it’s his favourite podcast.

Caroline: Oh, cool. Speaking of horrors, a bunch of you recommended true crime podcasts. In fact, Stevie wrote, “If this isn’t 50% true crime recs then I don’t know the sewing community like I thought I did.” Here are a few that came up, so: Casefile, A Date with Dateline, Cold, We Saw the Devil, and The Prosecutors. Okay, some of these I have not heard, so…

Helen: Same.

Caroline: …I’m going to have to go subscribe.

Helen: So exciting. Our listeners also recommended cooking podcasts Milk Street Radio and Home Cooking. I’ve definitely had Home Cooking on my list for a while because of our patron Madhu, who has recommended it twice. And the hosts are Samin Nosrat, who wrote Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, and Hrishikesh Hirway, an accomplished podcaster and musician, and they’re not updating the show anymore, but apparently it’s a great show. And yes, we are going to listen. I promise.

Caroline: Yes, I actually just hit subscribe when I was reviewing this episode prep because I was like, dang, I gotta subscribe to that one. It sounds so good.

Helen: I know. I love a cooking podcast.

Caroline: Me, too. There’s, I don’t even think we mentioned, what’s that Bon Appétit one? Dinner SOS is a good one. Borderline Salty is another good one.

Helen: There’s also The Sporkful podcast, which is an interview style podcast where the hosts get to know the guests through their food related experiences and stories. So it’s not like cooking necessarily, although cooking is discussed, but it can encompass lots of different kinds of food stories. So I think that one’s really interesting.

Caroline: Cool. Okay, let’s move on to your TV and movie recommendations. Jen said she likes “easy-to-watch frivolity like Bridgerton and Selling Sunset, and listening to audiobooks of romcom books I’ve read already. Then if my mind needs to focus on sewing and I miss part of the book, I still know what’s happening!”

Helen: Yes, totally agree with this. Sewing time is perfect for re-watching. Caroline, I have not seen Selling Sunset.

Caroline: What? Wait.

Helen: It’s on my… I know, it’s on my list. I should do it, right?

Caroline: How did I not know that you have not watched Selling Sunset? Helen!

Helen: I know, and I see the characters pop up in, like, other shows, but I haven’t dived in yet. It’s, like, an uncharted territory for me.

Caroline: Oh, it’s so good and it is perfect for watching while you sew.

Helen: Okay.

Caroline: You have to.

Helen: Okay. I will. Uh, in a similar vein, Robin recommended Hallmark Movies, saying, “I don’t have to constantly look at it to know what’s going on.” It’s true.

Caroline: Yeah. Hallmark movies, they’re a little on the nose, you know? Birdie wrote, “Great British Bake Off. It doesn’t matter if I’m not concentrating too much, and the visual snacks keep me happy.”

Helen: Yeah, that’s a very comforting combo. Also, I want to give a shout out to the Canadian Bake Off because it’s really cute too.

Caroline: I know! And, like, the first, is it the first, or first and second, season is hosted or co-hosted by Dan Levy, who I love.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Oh, my gosh. So good.

Helen: It’s great.

Caroline: Ooh. That just made me think of Schitt’s Creek. That’s another great show. Oh, my gosh.

Helen: Oh, totally worth rewatching. Yes! Stephanie wrote, “A vote here for comedy. I watch Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Rifftrax on a continuous loop. The movies are goofy, the riffing is fun, and I’ve seen most of them so many times that it doesn’t matter if the machine gets too loud to hear anything.”

Caroline: Leslie wrote, “I always watch the West Wing when I sew. 7 season,s and then start again.”

Helen: Leslie, do you have the West Wing memorised? No, I could totally see how watching your fave show every time you sew would be nice. I do this with the Gilmore Girls, so I get it.

Caroline: Yeah, we also had listeners recommend Star Wars movies, Gilmore Girls, and Golden Girls. I bet it’s a similar rewatch your favourites kind of thing.

Helen: Definitely. Our listeners also recommended a lot of TV shows with great costumes like Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Downton Abbey, and PBS Masterpiece Shows. I can totally see why these appeal to garment sewists.

Caroline: Helen, I know you’ve been watching a lot of Gilmore Girls lately, which, I mean, I need to get on that because I do love the Gilmore Girls. But what other shows are you watching while you’re sewing?

Helen: I often do podcasts. TV is, like, less common for me in my sewing room, but I do love watching old sitcoms like Seinfeld and Friends because I’ve seen them so many times that, yeah, like we’ve been saying, you just don’t have to pay attention.

Caroline: Mm-hmm.

Helen: How about you?

Caroline: Sex in the City is a big one. I’ve seen that show, oh, my gosh, I can’t even count how many times I’ve rewatched that show. Basically know it by heart by now, and it still is so good every time. Should come as no surprise.

Dateline is also a great one to watch. The episodes are free to watch online and, or most of them are. And yeah, it’s just, it’s great background, but also just really fun to watch. Any crime, true crime documentary type show, anything that comes up, I love putting that on, on the background. There’s also a show called Heartstopper that I was watching while sewing, my wedding dress that I really enjoyed. And then any other kind of trashy TV, Selling Sunset, Below Deck is another great one if you’ve never watched Below Deck. Love it.

Helen: I have not seen that one either. Oh, my gosh. I just, like, I always go for the dating ones, like, any reality dating show. I’m there. If it’s on an island, you know, all the islands.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: And then they start making them in every country around the world. It’s just endless.

Caroline: Yeha. It really is.

Helen: We also have some audiobook recommendations from our listeners. Tash recommended Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. There’s over 40 of them, so you have a lot of options. And our assistant Lisa loves the Discworld Witches books. It’s a series-within-a-series about a group of lovable, hilarious, rural witches. That sounds amazing.

Caroline: @o_shocknasty wrote, “I listened to all of the Phoebe Reads a Mystery books during lockdown as I attempted to sew. Her voice is magic, and the books are very particular – they require slowness.”

Helen: Ooh, this is a really interesting pick. In it, Phoebe, who’s the creator and host of The Criminal Podcast, narrates classic mysteries. It looks like so far she’s done The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, and The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle. Very cool. I love Phoebe’s voice. Like, she would be the perfect narrator.

Caroline: Yeah. Kathy wrote, “I enjoyed Olive Kitteridge and Olive Again by Elizabeth Strout, but I can’t always concentrate on the book – so I might listen to the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon because I’ve already read the books and the narrator is so good.”

Helen: Ooh, I haven’t thought about re-listening to favorite audiobooks while I sew, but it makes so much sense. I also really enjoyed both the Olive Kitteridge books. And Outlander is a great TV show, I think, to watch as well would be a good one.

Caroline: I haven’t watched the recent seasons, but I did really enjoy the first few seasons of Outlander.

Helen: It’s great. Dawn wrote, “Hi! I love to listen to audiobooks by Kerry Greenwood – the Phryne Fisher series has 20-odd mysteries set in the 1920s. They’re just the right amount of racy and the outfit descriptions are divine. Phryne is a very well dressed woman.”

Caroline: There’s Miss Fisher again. I’m intrigued about the “just the right amount of racy” part. Ooh, la, la.

Helen: Yeah, I just made that connection of Miss Fisher. I was saying her name wrong. It’s Phryne, right? There’s an E on the end.

Caroline: Oh, yeah. It’s true. Phryne. Phryne Fisher.

Helen: My bad. Some of our listeners recommended getting on Hoopla and Libby. These are apps where you can listen to audiobooks you borrow from your local library. So amazing that you could listen for free rather than doing something like Audible.

Caroline: Yeah, you know what? Audiobooks are tough for me. I want to love them, and I’ve definitely attempted to get into audiobooks, but I really struggle to stay engaged, and I end up, like, missing major parts or, like, totally zoning out, and then I realise that, like, I haven’t been listening for 10 minutes.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: So it’s tough to do while sewing for me.

Helen: Yeah, I couldn’t agree more. I’ve really struggled to stay on top of audiobooks. Also, podcasts where there’s a lot of information being given, I struggle to, like, retain and actually pay attention. But one audiobook series that I do listen to is Harry Potter because I’ve read those books so many times. So it’s one of those, like, re-listening slash re-reading things, and it’s very enjoyable.

Caroline: Mm-hmm. Yeah that would be a good one. Like, listening to a book that you’ve already read many times makes so much sense.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: We also had a few recommendations for media that were difficult to categorise. Chris D recommended D&D live play! For the uninitiated, D&D stands for Dungeons and Dragons. It’s a fantasy role playing game. It can be super entertaining to watch or listen to, especially with talented players! Critical Role and Dimension 20 are both popular options.

Helen: Ooh, yes. This is going to be so much fun. Some of you love to watch sports while you sew. @happyskrappy wrote, “Baseball, college basketball, tennis, football…I craft to it all!” And Filita wrote, “Test match cricket – uninterrupted sewing for 5 days. Or motorsport for the same reason.”

Helen: Ooh. Endless possibilities if you’re into sports and sewing.

Caroline: Does American Ninja Warrior count as sports?

Helen: I don’t know. I mean, they’re athletes, so sure.

Caroline: They are. Okay, we also got this response. Hanna wrote, “Nothing. I need to think when I sew.”

Helen: I have moments like this, too, and I’m sure you’re not the only one, Hanna. You do you. Silence is golden. We love you.

Caroline: As sewing media makers, we love it when media and sewing come together. So I hope that now you have a long list of things to listen to and to watch while we’re on our break. We’re going to miss you guys.

Helen: Yeah. Have a great few months. And if you think of anything that you think we might enjoy, hit us up. We definitely want to hear about it.

Caroline: Yeah, we do.

Helen: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew! You can find me, Helen, at Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co., Caroline at Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns. And we’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Caroline: You can support Love to Sew and get access to bonus content by subscribing on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. You even get access to the back catalogue of bonus episodes that’s over 75 hours of Love to Sew. That’ll get you through the break, if I do say so myself. So go to patreon.com/LoveToSew or check out our podcast page on Apple Podcasts for more info. And thank you so much to all of our supporters on Patreon and Apple Podcasts. We appreciate you all so much.

Helen: Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You can head to LoveToSewPodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. You know you want those links. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, you can leave us a message at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428 or send us an email at hello@LoveToSewPodcast.com.

Caroline: You know what would get me through this break Helen is a lot of voicemails from our listeners.

Helen: Yes! Call in. Tell us what kind of episodes you want us to do next season. Ask us your sewing questions. Come on.

Caroline: Okay. And thank you to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore of the PodCabin is our editor. And Margaret Wakelee is our transcriber. And thank you all for listening. We’re going to talk to you in March 2024, or sooner if you’re a subscriber.

Helen: Buh-bye.

Caroline: Buh-buh–buh-bias tape.

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