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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.

Helen: 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 essentially all we want to talk about.

Caroline: Today we’re answering your questions in another installment of the Sewing Help Line! We talk about cutting off-grain, sun-protective fabrics, how to adjust shorts that are two sizes too big, and lots more. Plus, we catch up about our summer adventures!

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

Caroline: Woo! We’re back!

Helen: We’re back, baby! Welcome to the fall 2024 season of Love to Sew!

Caroline: Yay! Oh my gosh, hi!

Helen: Hi, how are you? How’ve you been?

Caroline: Oh my gosh, I’m so good! I’ve been really good. How have you been?

Helen: Yeah, really good. And I feel like our listeners need to know that on the day we’re recording, this is our seven year podcast-iversary.

Caroline: Podcast-iversary! Yes, of the show coming out, which is wild. Wild, wild, wild! Yes.

Helen: Right? Seven years. Best years of my my life.

Caroline: I know! I’m feeling really nostalgic because I’ve just been going through old photos, because it’s our 10 year Blackbird birthday coming up, and I’ve been trying to find old photos and videos. And I’ve obviously also found tons of old photos and videos of us when we launched the podcast and it’s making me really emotional.

Helen: Oh, it’s so cute. We’re definitely going to share some of it on our Insta the week this episode comes out. ‘Cause, yeah, we look like children.

Caroline: Little babies. Yeah. We’ve come so far, Helen.

Helen: It’s so fun to look back on. I can’t believe you have evidence of that early time. I should go back on my phone too. I’m sure I have some stuff.

Caroline: Oh, I’m sure you do. Yeah. Those things never go away. They’re in the cloud, you know?

Helen: They’re in the cloud. You can grab them anytime you want, like raindrops.

Caroline: Okay, we need to catch up, but before we do, we want to remind you all about the best way to support Love to Sew, and that is by joining us on Patreon or Apple Podcast subscription. If you do that, you get access to bonus content every single month, even on the off-season. And we have so much fun catching up with you all on those more casual bonus episodes. I don’t know. We get to talk a lot more about our personal lives. We talk about what we’re sewing. We talk about what we’re loving. We talk about new pattern releases. It’s just a really good time.

Helen: Yeah. One of my favourite things is getting to hear your recipe recommendations, Caroline, and we also share, like, podcasts that we’ve discovered and TV shows that we’re loving right now. It’s so fun. We just have a good old chat and, of course, lots of sewing talk. So it means so much to us, if you’re able to support us over on Patreon or Apple Podcasts, even if it’s just for a month or two. And if that’s not in the cards for you right now, we totally get it. Thank you for listening and cheering us on for seven years.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Seven years. Lucky number seven. I like it.

Helen: I like it. That’s true.

Caroline: Okay, this is gonna be a fun episode, but before we start taking calls, we should talk about what we’ve been up to this summer. Let’s catch up! Helen, what’s up?

Helen: What’s up?

Caroline: What’s up?!

Helen: Okay, summer was really fun. Lots of swimming, as always. Everyone probably knows by now how much I love summer swimming. Lakes, rivers, ocean. I’m all about it. So this year we did a ton of that. And I had my new Sunstar swimsuit. So I felt extra fabulous. It was so fun to launch another swimsuit into the collection. And then I got to wear it all summer. I kind of felt like I was cheating on Sandpiper a little bit, because I love my Sandpiper suits too.

Caroline: Sandpiper had its moment, okay? This is the Sunstar era.

Helen: You need both. You need both. You know, you need a sporty look. You need a fun, flirty look. They’re both great suits. I had so much fun in both of them this summer, swimming, living my best swimming life. And Sam and I managed to visit nearly all of our friends and family, which was a feat. Like, we went to islands, we went to the interior of our province, BC, we went to Vancouver, we…like, all over the place, got to, like, touch base with everybody, visit everybody. And that was really fun. So, I basically spent June, July doing that. And then August has been pretty chill and I’m feeling ready for fall. I’m, like, craving more indoor hobby time. Sewing tends to take a backseat sometimes in the summer. So I’m just looking forward to getting back into my sewing studio and having long rainy days, just escaping the weather and quilting and things like that.

Caroline: Oh my gosh, it seems like you had such a great summer, and you did your whole tour, and you did your Hornby trip too, which you do every year, and that looked amazing.

Helen: Yeah, it was. It was so good.

Caroline: Yeah, I’m happy that you got to get out there and do all the things, and it must have felt so good to be able to see all your friends and family. We got to see each other too, it was great.

Helen: Yeah, I know, right? Yeah, you’re on the list, baby.

Caroline: Oh yeah! I am not ready for fall, but I hear you. I acknowledge what you’re saying and I reject it.

Helen: That’s totally fair. And you know what? It’s like, it’s August 21st today. And so I really shouldn’t be talking about summer being over yet because it’s not officially over until, like, later into September. We have many weeks of beautiful weather ahead of us. So what am I doing? I don’t even know why I’m talking like this.

Caroline: What are you doing, Helen? No, I, we’re coming up on our one year wedding anniversary, and I just keep thinking about our wedding weekend and how hot and beautiful and sunny it was, and I’m holding on to that. I’m just like, “It’s gonna be nice until mid to end September, and then we can have rain.”

Helen: Yeah, that’s true. September usually is really beautiful. So I need to snap out of it.

Caroline: No, but it makes sense. You’ve been going around all summer, doing all kinds of fun things. You totally, like, filled your cup with all the swimming that you wanted to do, and now you’re, like, ready for your quilting and your crafting and your sewing. And that is very fair.

Helen: Right? Quilt season is coming! Okay, Caroline, I want to hear a little bit more about your summer. What’s been going on with you and Blackbird and BF Patterns and all that.

Caroline: It’s funny because you said that sewing took a backseat for you this summer. Sewing did not take a backseat. Sewing was in the front seat for me this summer. I had, like, a major sewjo boost and I did a ton of sewing, which was super fun. And I just really love it when I get that little burst of sewing energy. So I made a lot of things, lots of linen dresses, and I still have a few things in my queue that I want to sew up before the end of the summer. I went to the farmer’s market a ton. That was like, major focus this summer. I was like, “I want to go to the farmer’s market almost every weekend.” Like basically any weekend that I was not busy on the farmer’s market day I would go. And I went with my sister-in-law a lot of the time, and once my niece was born, my niece came along too. So that’s been really nice. But yes, so, lots of farmer’s market, lots of cooking, lots of being at home this summer because we’ve just had a little bit of a slower summer. Especially with my new niece coming, I wanted to kind of, like, be around so that I could, like, help them out after the birth and like bring food and just, like, be a support system for them because we live so close. But yeah, that’s kind of like the biggest news of the summer, is that my niece Naomi was born.

Helen: Yay! And you’re an auntie times three now.

Caroline: Yes, auntie thrice. And I keep whispering in her ear, “I’m gonna be your favourite aunt,” because I get to see her all the time.

Helen: It’s true. She’s so much closer than your other niece and nephew, which is, must be such a nice treat for you to like, just get to be there all the time. Yeah.

Caroline: Yeah, and I have managed to not have to change a diaper yet, which I’m quite pleased with. I know it’s coming, but I’ve managed to avoid it until now. But yes, my mom came and stayed with us for a couple weeks after the birth, which was really nice to spend some quality time with her. And yeah, It’s been, like, a really good, chill summer. The weather’s been really nice here. I’ve managed to get to the beach a couple times, went up to the lake to see Shea’s family and do some paddle boarding. And we’re going to squeeze in some things this fall, actually, that didn’t happen in the summer. So we’re doing, like, a little anniversary trip. We’re doing some camping in September. And you and I have a trip to Portland coming up, which is really fun.

Helen: We’re gonna be at Stitchfest. I’m so excited.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. It’s been a really long time since we’ve done, like, a podcast-focused trip, basically since pre-pandemic. So I’m really excited. I love Portland. It’s going to be so fun.

Helen: I know. I can’t wait.

Caroline: Yeah. And then I have, like, lots of people coming to visit this fall as well. So it’s going to be a busy fall. And, like I mentioned, we’re celebrating 10 years of Blackbird in September, and we’re planning lots of fun stuff. So that’s been kind of trippy to think about, like, the fact that I’ve been doing this for a decade. I just can’t believe it. Like I was telling you before we got on this recording, like, who let 25-year-old me have a business? I don’t know. Like, I was such a baby, and looking back at like the photos and, I don’t know, it just has been crazy to see all of that and think about how far we’ve come, and like, just all the milestones. It’s pretty wild. So that’s been really fun to kind of take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate.

Helen: Yeah. It’s been an amazing journey. I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us, sharing some of those behind-the-scenes moments from the early days. I’m looking forward to that for sure. And we mentioned Stitchfest, that’s hosted by Seamwork in Portland, and I’m not sure if tickets are still available, but if you want to come, come by and join Stitchfest, go check that out on the Seamwork website and we’ll be there.

Caroline: Yeah. And we’re going to do, like, a live podcast recording for Seamwork Radio, right?

Helen: I know. I’m so excited for that. That’s going to be great. Our first ever live podcast recording!

Caroline: I know, I know.

Helen: After seven years.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Yes, hopefully that goes well. Well, I’m excited. Not nervous at all. It’s gonna be great. Yeah, I just have to think about what I’m gonna sew for that, because I have to wear a new outfit, right?

Helen: Obviously.

Caroline: Yeah, obviously.

Helen: Yeah, I know. It’s going to be so fun to get dressed for that event. For the whole weekend, really. And I feel like we need to make an effort to record some stuff together while we’re on this trip. We always forget.

Caroline: Yes, 100%. We will do that.

Helen: We will do it. We’ll do it. Well, we hope you all had a great couple of months as well while we were off for our summer season, whether it was hot or cold in your hemisphere, and we’re so excited to be back for our fall season. We have so many amazing things in store. We’ve got some amazing guests that…we can’t wait to share the interviews with you all and, of course, lots of fun episodes all about sewing. But today, we’re ready to solve your sewing woes on our Sewing Help Line! Jordan, can you patch in our first caller?

Emily: Hello, Helen and Caroline. My name is Emily, and I live in Bellingham, Washington. Thank you both for the encouragement to call into the show. I think it’s really fun. I have two questions today. My first question is about Caroline’s Style Arc Mildred Jumpsuit. I want to make one and add a zipper like you did. Could you describe the steps you took to add the zipper? Even though I’ve been sewing for about four years, I’ve only put in an invisible zipper once, and I’ve never hacked a garment to include one. So, I’m a pretty zipper beginner here. My second question is about sewing space organization and design. I just finished three years of graduate coursework, and my sewing space is neglected and disorganized. So, I’m treating myself to a sewing room makeover, and I’d love to know: what are the top things you recommend I do to revamp my setup? For a little context, it’s a tiny windowless room in a rental. So there’s some limitations in what I can do, but I’m excited to hear what you recommend. Thank you both so much. Bye Bye.

Caroline: Okay, I love these questions! First of all, Emily, thank you for calling, and congratulations on finishing your graduate coursework. That’s a big deal!

Helen: Absolutely amazing. Congrats, Emily.

Caroline: Okay, let’s do the first question first. I want to mention I actually used a regular zipper when I added the zipper to my Mildred Jumpsuit. I added it because I graded between sizes and I could no longer pull on the jumpsuit with my change of having, like, my bust smaller than my hip size. But we’re going to share tips for adding an invisible zipper because I think it’s really similar, and it sounds like you want to do an invisible zipper, which will totally work, so we’re going to do that. So, hacking the Mildred Jumpsuit to add an invisible zipper would actually be super easy. It is a pull-on jumpsuit. So there’s no zipper at all in the pattern right now, but because an invisible zipper fits really seamlessly and smoothly into a seam, there’s no need to add or subtract anything from the pattern the way that you would if you were adding, like, a lapped zipper or a fly or something. So you’re going to cut out your pieces as usual. And then choose the seam where you want the zipper to go. I think a side seam is a classic choice. It’s a little bit easier to reach. But I did the center back, which you can do as well. But say you choose the left side seam. First, you want to finish the side seam edges of the left front and the left back pieces. It’s going to be tricky to finish them after you insert the zipper. And then, next, you’re going to mark out the placement of your zipper. So make a mark ¾” from the top of the pieces. And this is where your top zipper stop goes. Marking it out is going to help you make sure the zipper lines up evenly. It’s also super helpful to mark out the seam lines. The seam line is where your stitches go. So if your seam allowance is ⅝”, the seam line will be ⅝” from the edge. And then these markings are going to show you where to line up the teeth of your invisible zipper. And then from there on, it’s just like inserting any other invisible zipper. It’s kind of hard to describe on a podcast. So we’re going to link a step by step tutorial for you, for the rest of the steps, in the show notes. And go check that out. You can totally do this. And if you’re doing a regular zipper, you can look up a tutorial for that online and just follow those steps. You can do it!

Helen: You can totally do it. Zippers are really intimidating if you’ve never sewn one before, if you’re not regularly sewing them. But they are very doable. You will definitely get it done. It might not look perfect and that doesn’t matter because people are not going to be looking at it. It’s fine if it looks a little wonky.

Caroline: A hundred percent.

Helen: Okay, now for the second question. Love that you’re doing a sewing room makeover! And we do have a few ideas. A peg board is such a nice addition to a sewing room. You can hang all your frequently used tools from it: scissors, rotary cutters, rulers. And you can hang little buckets from it to hold, like, your marking tools, pincushion, sewing clips, anything that you use on a regular basis. Using vertical space is a game-changer for storage. And it’s so helpful that everything is visible, too. IKEA has good, affordable pegboards and accessories that go with them, but you can also get stuff like that from, you know, Home Depot or a hardware store. And I know that function is the most important thing about a sewing space, but decorating it a little bit can really change the feel in a good way. I like to hang some of my quilt blocks in progress on the wall. Or smaller mini quilts make really good wall art. I have a few little string lines set up because my sewing room is in a garage and so I have a big ugly garage door on one side. So I hung a bunch of string lines on it and then I can clip my quilt blocks up there and they become art and kind of disguise the garage door a little bit. You can also make a sewing machine cover out of a cool fabric from your stash. You could hang up some art that inspires you. Make it a space that feels cool and creative and has those visual moments of creativity to inspire you.

Caroline: And like, I love your quilt block lines because you switch them out. So whenever we do video calls I’m always, like, excited to see what’s in the background. And you’re always, like, adding to them and stuff, so it’s nice to have that ability to sort of evolve that if you have, like, hooks on the wall where you want to hook your, like, works in progress or something. I think that could work, too, if you’re making garments. But yeah, that’s a really great tip.

Helen: I was thinking that too, or like, maybe installing, like, a really beautiful towel bar where you could drape fabric that you’re thinking about using.

Caroline: Or, like, a ladder up against the wall. Yeah, a ladder. Yeah. The only thing with that is, just be careful not to hang it in direct sunlight, because you might not use that fabric for a while, and then they could get sun damage.

Helen: So make sure that it’s somewhere…

Caroline: But there’s no windows in this room.

Helen: Yeah. Oh, good point. You’re lucky. You have no windows.

Caroline: Yeah, so you don’t have to worry about sun damage. And also, there’s like, so much wall space to work with because you’re not working around windows, so.

Helen: That’s true. Okay. I wanted to add here that I love home decor and I love decorating my space. And I get questions from friends and family about decorating quite often. Like, “Oh, Helen, what should I do with this room? I don’t know what to do here.” And it’s just not intuitive for a lot of people. It can be really hard to choose things to decorate a space. So I always tell people to try adding three things to their space: a decorative area rug, a house plant, and fake is totally fine. Try to get a nice looking fake one, but that’s, that’s cool. Fake is great. And artwork. And I know that sounds really obvious, but a lot of people feel intimidated by choosing and hanging artwork. It doesn’t have to be fancy or, like, real. It can just be a poster. It could be kid art. Like, it can be really anything. It’s just, having something framed on the wall makes such a huge difference in a space. And then lastly, also lighting, I think, makes a big difference too. Warm light bulbs, people. Warm.

Caroline: Yes, warm light bulbs, and like, more small lights than you think you need, because that really adds to, like, the vibe. So if you have, like, a sewing table, you can have, like, a little work lamp and you can have maybe like a cute little, like, shelf that has, like, a lamp on it and some decor or something just to, like, add to the warmth of the room. I think that makes a big difference. I love that you approach this from, like, a more decor side and I thought about like, “Okay, what are the, like, more functional things that I love about my sewing room?” Because I think you kind of need both in a sewing room. Like, you want it to be cute and inviting but you also need it to work for the craft that you’re doing. So for me, like my favourite things about my sewing room space are my scrap organization system. So I have these, like, little bins where I separate my scraps by type. You can do it by colour. It doesn’t have to take up a lot of space, but just some way to manage your scraps, because you will have scraps throughout your sewing process. And I also love having my, like, dedicated wastebin. So I have, like, one for recycling, for like, paper, when I’m cutting out paper, I have one for garbage and I have one for scraps that are too small to reuse. So I know that I’m going to need to figure out how to, like, bring them to a fabric recycling facility or something. And then I also have zones for my different tools. So I have my little bag where I keep my, like, ironing tools, and then I have, like, my little drawer where I keep my like sewing machine tools, and then I have a little bin where I keep my cutting tools. So I know, even if I’m cutting in a different room, I can, like, grab that little bin and go and I have all that stuff together. So I like that too, if you’re not going with, like, a peg board setup, or if you have enough space to like, have little zones set up, having those tools in those designated areas so that you don’t have to go hunting for them every time, I think, really helps me to just, like, get going with my sewing.

Helen: Yeah. A little caddy is so smart, especially if you don’t have a dedicated space.

Caroline: Oh, yes, a caddy. I used to have a caddy when I had that tiny little sewing space and it was great because you could just wheel it around. So nice. And then, I personally love having a fabric shelf where I can see all my fabric. I know there’s that risk of sun damage, but I try to, like, rotate them around and hope for the best. But since you’re in a windowless room, it might bring some, like, inspiration and light and fun vibes to have some of your favourite fabrics on display, even if it’s not all of them. Some way to have, like, a few things out so that you’re, like, feeling inspired and you’re seeing what you have. I think that really adds to a space. I also really love having, like, a spot to pin or, like, tape ideas or sketches or post-its, even, with, like, a sewing queue so that I can, like, visually see what I want to be working on. it doesn’t have to be a bulletin board. It can just be, like, a little, I don’t know, spot on your wall that you’re like, I’m going to tape stuff up in this area. Yeah, I find that really helpful too.

Helen: Yeah, I love that idea. It’s great to have your plans laid out on the wall so that you don’t get distracted by new and shiny things.

Caroline: Yeah, totally. And because you have a super small sewing space, it can calm the space visually to store at least some of your fabric stash in like closed storage. It doesn’t have to be in your sewing room. Even if you want to use, like, storage ottomans or under bed boxes, drawers, armoires, those are all good options. You can have your fabric stored, like, in other areas of your house to clear up some of that space in your small sewing area. And we have a couple of episodes that you might like to listen to if you haven’t heard them yet. So you can check out Episode 185, which is all about fabric stash organization. Episode 130, where we have a bunch of community members write in and talk about their sewing spaces. But yeah, have fun making over your sewing room! And P.S., I really love this segment. Are we designers now, Helen? Should we do this more often?

Helen: I think we should be. Oh my gosh. We could go into people’s sewing rooms and revamp them and we could film it and put it on, like, HGTV.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. HGTV, call us please. We’re, I’m available.

Helen: We’re ready. Speaking of calling us, we have our next caller: Natalie.

Natalie: Hi! My name is Natalie. I’m calling from Humboldt County, California, and I am always wondering how important it is, when you’re cutting a pattern, to align the pattern pieces the way that the patternmaker suggests, like, along the grain line. I’m often sort of ignoring that, because I just want to fit as many pieces onto as small a piece of fabric as possible, and I would imagine that, like, it depends on the fabric and probably the pattern, but I’m just wondering, like, how important is it that I align those pieces directionally the way they say. Is it okay that sometimes I don’t do that? Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Okay. Bye bye.

Helen: Hi Natalie! Thank you for calling the Sewing Help Line. To answer your question, is it okay to cut pattern pieces off the grain? I would say cutting on grain is pretty important in sewing. It’s one of those things that is going to make a big difference in your projects. I think cutting on grain is something that beginners should learn how to do and should focus on when they’re making their garments, at least in the beginning, because it will help them to get a really nice result. But if you’re happy with how your projects are turning out, not cutting on the grain, then of course it’s okay. You know, we’re a you-do-you kind of podcast. So if you’re happy with the way things are working out and you’re finding success cutting the way that you’re cutting, then you can absolutely do that. Little rebel, you. But let’s talk a little bit more about fabric grain and bias so that you have a bit more info about how it might affect your makes moving forward. So in woven fabrics, the grain is an imaginary line that runs parallel to the selvage of the fabric, so down the length of the bolt of fabric. And if you try to stretch the fabric on the grain, it will have almost no give. So it won’t stretch at all. Perpendicular to the grain, that’s the cross grain, and the cross grain has a little bit more give than the grain. But still not much. And then if we change the angle again, and you try to stretch the fabric on a 45 degree angle from the grain, a diagonal from the selvedge, you’re going to find the true bias. And that has the most give. You’ll actually find that it’s shockingly stretchy in that direction. And that’s why bias tape is something that we use in sewing, because it has so much stretch and the ability to, like, follow the curve of an armscye or a neckline.

Caroline: And pattern pieces usually have the grain direction marked on them so that you can make sure the grain of the fabric is going up and down the body. If you choose to cut pieces off grain, you might run into some issues with how your garment hangs. Some pieces might stretch out when you sew them or handle them a lot. They might hang lower on one side than the other. This is because you’re cutting them on the bias or slightly on the bias. So the closer the pattern pieces are to being on-grain, the fewer issues you will have. If you ever, like, have a pair of pants that, like, twist in the leg, that’s a really good example of how, like, cutting something slightly off grain can just affect the way that something fits or feels or hangs on your body.

Helen: Totally. And if you find that you’re running into these kinds of issues in your makes but you still want to make sure you’re using every bit of fabric, we have a few suggestions for you. You can cut on a single layer instead of on the fold. There is some wasted space in the on-the-fold cutting layout. So Tetris-ing your pieces together, you’ll definitely save some fabric. You totally don’t have to follow the designer’s diagram. We’re often trying to find layouts that work for multiple sizes because we don’t want to fill multiple pages of a booklet with a layout for every single size. And we also don’t like to put pieces too close together because there’s some variation in width of fabric. Some fabrics are 56 inches, some are 57, some are 58. So we can’t necessarily squeeze a little pocket piece in the nook of, like, a shoulder or something, because that might not fit for everybody. So there’s always tighter ways to lay things out and cut things out. And you can even print your pattern pieces first, make your own custom layout, measure the exact amount of fabric that you’re going to need, and then order that fabric rather than buying the fabric first.

Caroline: Yeah, 100%. It’s kind of fun to be able to, like, tetris things together and see how you can get your garment out of as little fabric as possible, and very satisfying when you can fit it into less fabric than is required, sometimes.

Helen: Oh, definitely.

Caroline: One tip is that if you can’t fit all of your pieces cut on the grain, cutting cross grain would be the next best thing. A lot of the time if you have, like, a really long piece, cutting it cross grain works better, depending on, like, what the original grain was on the piece. if you do feel like you have to cut a piece out on the bias, you could add interfacing to help stabilize it so that it doesn’t stretch out. You could also patchwork some pieces together. So for example, you can add a center back seam to a T-shirt if it makes that cutting layout easier for you. Or you can cut some pieces out of different fabric, making things like facings or pocket bags, yoke linings, out of scraps from your stash. Great scrap busting idea. But yeah, once again, you make the rules, ya little rebel. Do whatever works for you, but we would officially recommend that you try to cut on grain as much as possible.

Helen: Yes, I would agree with that.

Caroline: Next caller, please.

Sara: Hi, this is Sara. I’m calling from Brooklyn. I am calling with a sewing question. So I was just making a pair of shorts that were supposed to be for a beach trip. Well, I didn’t finish them completely, but I tried them on and they were way too big. Like, way too big. I don’t know what I did in terms of measuring or how I got this so wrong, but they’re way too big. So now my question is: what do I do? Should I just take them apart and recut each piece in, like, one or two sizes smaller? Can I just take the sides and the crotch in? Any advice would be really appreciated. Thank you!

Caroline: Hi, Sara. Thank you for your call. Okay, we can’t say for sure what you should do without actually seeing the shorts, because I think it’ll depend on, like, some of the design details and the actual fit of the shorts, but we can help with some info that might help you make the decision on how to move forward. So if the shorts have an elastic waist, you can probably fix them by altering them. Try one alteration at a time and try them on after each one. So here are some that you could try: you could just baste them up the sides. You could pull them up higher on your waist to see if you should take some length off of the rise as well. If the crotch needs taking in, pinch out fabric from the crotch curve and pin or baste it to see if it fits better. We’ll link an article about how to make this alteration. Basically, you’re going to make a stitch line that starts at one inseam, goes up into the fabric, crosses the crotch seam, and goes back down the inseam of the other leg. But that could work too.

Helen: Yeah, I like all these ideas. This is where I would start for sure. If something is too big, I always just take it to the machine and start basting here and there and trying them on over and over again and seeing what effect that has and if I’m getting anywhere with that. And a lot of the time you do. And basting is so low-stakes. Like, you just throw some basting stitches in there. You can take them out. It’s so easy. That would be my first port of call. And if your shorts are more fitted, you might be able to fix them by pinching out and basting until you’re happy with the fit, but you might not. Like, if you have a zipper fly and, like, some side pocket situation, things might be a little bit further along and it would be harder to change things. So if you try it out and decide that it’s not going to work, here’s the next thing that I would do: make a muslin in a smaller size and see if that fixes it. Once you’ve made the adjustments and you have a pattern that fits you well, you can lay the pieces over the original shorts to make sure you have enough fabric. And if everything looks good, you can recut and remake those shorts. Or maybe you’re just letting those shorts be a trial run and you’re moving on to the next pair of shorts in a new fabric. And these might not make it on this vacation, which is so sad. I understand your frustration. But it’s still a project that you can continue with when you get back. And you’re still going to want shorts next time.

Caroline: Yeah. Totally. It’s a learning experience. And there’s definitely lots of options here. One more tip we have is that, if your alterations make your shorts too short, you can make hem facings using your fabric scraps or a lighter weight fabric with the same fiber content. And that’s gonna let you maximize the length of your shorts because you’ll only need like a ¼” at the shorts hem to attach the facing to. It is hard when you make something and it doesn’t fit, especially when it’s for a trip. Right?

Helen: Yeah. A trip or an event or something where you’re on a deadline and you’re kind of rushing and hoping for the best. And then, of course, sometimes the best doesn’t always happen, but I think it’s really cool that you’re not giving up on these shorts. It can be really energizing to go back, redo or fix a garment. It’s like bringing something back from the dead. Like, “It’s alive!”

Caroline: Alright. Hello, caller. What’s your sewing woe?

Tamara: Hi Helen and Caroline, this is Tamara from Australia. My question relates to doing a simple sewing project, but using complex, possibly completely mismatched fabrics. I want to make a simple zipper pouch but, stay with me because, I want to use a nubbly boucle fabric on the outside and something like silk or satin or like a beautiful Chinese-style brocade fabric on the inside. When I tried to do this, I ended up with a lot of frayed edges. Bits coming apart, chunky seams, and it really just made me feel very sad. So I thought I’d ask for your advice when you’re trying to bring together two very different fabrics, even if it’s a simple pattern. Thank you.

Helen: Hi Tamara! Okay. This is a great question. Tricky fabrics really do make simple projects complicated. But you’re on, like, a great path here because it’s a good opportunity to experiment with these different fabrics before making, say, a full garment. So we do have some tips for your next zipper pouch attempt. Boucle and silky satiny fabrics both have issues with fraying, as you experienced. This, combined with the fact that a lot of zipper pouch tutorials call for quarter inch seam allowance, is just a recipe for disaster. So try increasing your seam allowance and then trimming it down only just before you finish your seams, or as you finish your seams on a serger or something. That’s going to give you a little bit more wiggle room and will prevent your seams from coming apart.

Caroline: And interfacing your boucle will give your pouch body and strengthen the seams as well. You can block interface your pieces with fusible interfacing. Just keep in mind that nubblier boucles might get flattened by ironing. Or you can use, like, a tightly woven fabric like lawn or organza for sew-in interfacing. Make sure the interfacing goes over the seam allowance. Part of the reason it’s there is to take the stress off of the boucle, so it’s okay to stitch over it.

Helen: And sometimes the sewing method for a zipper pouch is to put the lining and main fabric together and treat them as one. But because these two fabrics, boucle and satin, are so different, I would avoid this method. Instead, it would be better to sew the lining separately and then kind of tuck it inside the bag and hand sew it in afterwards. It’s going to give you a really nice finish. You’ll have a lot of control over the situation and it’s going to reduce the bulk of your seams a little bit.

Caroline: And to avoid your silky lining fabric coming apart, you can sew a second line of stitches ⅛” outside of each seam. It’s also a good idea to finish your seams with serging or a zigzag rather than leaving them open, even though they’ll be hidden. I hope this helps. If you make another attempt at this zipper pouch, we’d love to see it. It sounds really cute. And definitely tag us on socials or email us a pic, please.

Helen: It does sound cute. I want to make a little boucle satin pouch now.

Caroline: Me, too.

Helen: All right, we’re ready for our next caller. Hello, this is the Sewing Help Line. How can we help?

Lindsey: Hi, Helen and Caroline! This is Lindsey from San Mateo, California. I just listened to the Swim Cover-Ups bonus episode on Patreon and really loved it and I had a follow-up question: I am wondering if you all know of anywhere to buy fabrics that are sun protective. I am a person who needs a lot of sun cover-up, and so, I have actually never sewn my own cover-ups because I always end up buying cover-ups that are supposed to be SPF 50 or whatever. Anyway, I’m wondering if you know of anywhere to buy fabrics that have SPF ratings, or maybe other fabrics that would be better at blocking out sun? We’re at the end of the season, so you won’t get this until fall, so not as relevant, but who knows? Maybe it might be relevant for listeners in the southern hemisphere. Anyway, yeah, thank you for taking the call and I can’t wait to keep up with the show in the off-season as a subscriber. Take care!

Caroline: Lindsey, first of all, thank you so much for supporting us on Patreon! Yeah, we sometimes wonder if people listen to the bonus mini-episodes and we’re so glad that some people do.

Helen: Yeah, we don’t have stats on that, and it’s really frustrating! We just kind of put them out there, out into the abyss, and we’re like, “Hopefully people are listening.” Lindsey is listening!

Caroline: Lindsey’s listening. Let us know if you listen. Okay, no, but let’s talk about sun-protective fabrics. The most reliable indicator that a fabric is sun-protective is when it has a UPF rating. UPF stands for ultraviolet protection factor, and this is to fabrics what SPF is to sunscreens. However, unlike sunscreens, you don’t have to reapply UPF fabrics. Bonus! And they are specially engineered and or treated, which is why they’re almost always synthetics.

Helen: Yeah. And even if the fabric is lightweight or light coloured, it can still be sun protective as long as it has that UPF rating. One of my favourite technical fabric stores is Discovery Fabrics, and they offer UPF-rated fabrics in knits and wovens, as well as lots of great swimwear fabrics and outerwear fabrics if you’re looking for more technical stuff. They’re definitely my go-to. And in the USA, Rockywoods also has a nice selection, too.

Caroline: Yeah. So UPF-rated fabrics aren’t the only option for protecting yourself from the sun. Here are some factors that make fabrics more sun protective according to the Skin Cancer Foundation: dark or bright colours absorb light rather than allowing it to penetrate the fabric. Densely woven fabric or heavier fabric lets less light through. So if you hold a fabric up to the light and you can see through it, then it’s also letting light through to your skin. Unbleached cotton has natural lignins that absorb UV light, and shiny fabrics like satin reflect light away from you, so those 70s satin caftans are actually super smart. And finally, garments that stretch tightly over your body usually offer less UV protection than looser garments, since the fabric opens up when it stretches. Wet clothing also usually stretches out and lets in more light, so that’s something to keep in mind.

Helen: Totally. Also, I feel like a summer umbrella is just a really great fashion statement.

Caroline: Mmhmm, yeah, hats, umbrellas…

Helen: Oh, a hat! Yeah, I’m a real shade seeker. I love summer and I love swimming, like I’ve been saying, but I have to find shade regularly. I get overwhelmed in the sun, so I feel you. And this is a lot to remember. We’re going to link the article about where to get this info so you can reference it and the stores that we mentioned. It seems like, in general, if you choose a natural fiber fabric in a tight weave, in a bright or a dark colour, that would be a good starting point. I also like that test where you hold it up to the light. That makes a lot of sense to me. And then, of course, those UPF fabrics are going to take you to the next level.

Caroline: Mmhmm, I think, like, any fabric is better than nothing? Right?

Helen: That’s true. Should I just, like, slather myself in oil and run around naked outside?

Caroline: Okay, let’s get to the next caller. Hello, this is the Love to Sew Help Line!

Sara: Hi, this is Sara from Rohnert Park. I’m a pretty new seamstress, I’ve made a few garments now, maybe three or four, and in a recent podcast Helen convinced me that I could make a quilt! So I found a quilt-along and I’m working on the Standing Tall Quilt and it’s coming along. I’m just beginning to sew my rectangles together. But Helen, I’m used to your patterns holding my hand through the whole process, and I read through my pattern, and the end says “Now use your preferred methods” and then there’s, like, four sentences! To finish a quilt! I’m a baby quilter. I don’t have a preferred method. So, I’m curious, is the best method to just search the Internet and see what I find, or if you have any other recommendations for the preferred way to finish the quilt. Thanks! Bye.

Helen: Sara, you crack me up. I love this voicemail so much. I’m so excited for you to start quilting! I’m glad I hooked one, Caroline, I got one! She’s in. And it’s really awesome that you joined a group and you jumped right in, doing this little sew along. And a big difference, as you’ve noticed, between quilting patterns and garment sewing patterns is that quilting patterns are typically only for the patchwork part. So only for making the top part of the quilt or the top layer of the quilt. Quilters generally have their own favourite or preferred methods for the actual sandwiching, basting, quilting, binding, all of those finishing steps. So they might be, you know, a little bit, not annoyed, but just like, “Why do I need this extra information at the end of the pattern?” Quilt patterns are typically a lot shorter, sweeter, and then they do just have that final page where it’s like, okay, now you go ahead and you finish that baby however you want. So this is what you’ve encountered in this pattern. But don’t worry, I do have you covered. I actually did include all of the finishing steps in detail in our other free beginner pattern, the Playful Placemats, which is where I wanted people to have a reference. If they were going to start quilting, they could start with that pattern, do a small project, and have all the information at their fingertips for how to finish a quilt. So you can download that one for free and that will help you as a reference for finishing your Standing Tall Quilt. So that’s one place you can get that information. But I’m going to give you a quick overview of my favourite methods today. So, many quilters actually don’t do the quilting step themselves; they pay a long arm quilting service to do it for them. I love my long armer, Shelly from Ma Tante Quilting. I send her my quilt top, my batting, my backing…actually I don’t even send her the batting. She does the batting part. I send her the top, the backing, she basic quilts it and sends it back and then I finish it off with the binding. And I get to choose the design for it and she can help me pick a thread colour. Now, this is definitely an investment, but it gives a really beautiful result and it lets me focus on my favourite part of the quilting process, which is the patchwork, pieced top. And then I just know that it’s going to be beautifully quilted and it will last forever and become, like, an heirloom, you know, which is part of the reason why people do invest in long arming. But a lot of quilters do really enjoy the quilting part. So it’s really all about your personal preferences and what you like to do. I don’t send all of my quilts to the long armer. I do quilt them on my machine or by hand, sometimes. My hand quilted ones are smaller because it can take a very long time. And if you suspect you would love doing a bunch of hand quilting, then definitely go for it. But I would recommend starting on a small project and maybe not doing hand quilting for your very first quilt because you want to just, like, push through and get this one done.

Caroline: Yeah, hand quilting is a marathon, if I understand correctly.

Helen: Yes it is, and a lot of people really enjoy it. It can be really meditative and nice and, you know, just taking pleasure in every little stitch. I struggle with it personally, but I am working on one and it’s, it’s taking a while, but it is getting there and it looks really beautiful. But for machine quilting, there’s a few steps involved. So, you’ve finished your Standing Tall top and it’s all beautiful and ready to go. The first thing you want to do is mark out your quilting lines on the top of your quilt. You can test out your marking tool on your fabrics to be sure that it’s removable before you go ahead and mark it all up. And if you just plan to follow the lines in the quilt, you can skip the marking step. So for Standing Tall, a really easy quilting design would be to sew, say, a quarter inch away from each seam vertically. This would go really nicely with the linear design of the patchwork. And your batting that you’re using will actually tell you on the packaging what the maximum space you can have between your quilt lines is. You don’t want to have huge gaps where things can kind of get bunched up. You want to have a good amount of quilt lines. Ooh, Caroline’s raising her hand. What’s your question. Caroline?

Caroline: I have a question! Why is it more common in quilting to do your stitch lines like, away from the seam and not, like, stitch in the ditch?

Helen: So, stitch in the ditch is also a really great approach and people do do that in quilting. But I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners simply because it’s hard to stay in that ditch, you know, line after line after line after line, following your patchwork, trying to stay in the ditch. You’re bound to wobble in and out, especially if you’re new to sewing. So it’s actually easier to do ¼” or ⅜” away from the seam because then you can use your foot as the guide, and you’re going to end up with a straighter line, and you’re not going to have to worry about, like, hitting that ditch every time. But stitching in the ditch is a good option, too. Great question.

Caroline: And if you go off, like, a millimeter or two, it’s less obvious than if you’re, like, veering out of the ditch.

Helen: Exactly. Yeah. And it adds a little bit of extra visual interest, texture, to the whole project rather than…a stitch in the ditch really just brings out the patchwork design. There’s so many different things you can do with quilting, stitching the top of the quilt, so I mean it really, I’m just still in the early stages, I feel like, of experimenting with this myself, but for beginners I definitely think, like, vertical, horizontal, diagonal lines are the way to go, and not trying to do anything too fancy or too complicated on your first try.

Caroline: Mmhmm.

Helen: And then, of course, you need to make your little quilt sandwich. You take your backing, batting, and your quilt top, you make them into a smooth, even quilt sandwich, and then you’re going to baste that together. I like spray basting, which is just spray glue, and it’s so simple and effective because you can just actually stick all those layers together and then they’re not going anywhere. But many people do use safety pins or quilting pins, which are like little safety pins with a little bend in them. You don’t want to use regular pins because it’s such a big project. Regular pins can fall out, regular pins can stab you as you’re working with it, you have this big massive thing in your lap at your machine and as you’re quilting along the last thing you want is like a bunch of pins stabbing you in the legs.

Caroline: Mmhmm.

Helen: So that’s why quilting pins are really important to use for these projects. And then you’re going to sew your quilting lines through your quilt sandwich, and like I said, simple designs like straight lines, or as Caroline suggested, a stitch in the ditch is great. And you want to start with a line in the middle of your quilt and work outwards to avoid any bumps or bubbles. It’s kind of like when you’re applying a sticker, you know, you don’t want to start on the outside and work in, you want to start in the middle and work out so you can smooth it out as you go. And lastly, you’re going to square up your quilt and trim off all that excess batting and then bind it. And there’s lots of methods for binding too, which I won’t get into today, but truly, as you said, Sara, it is kind of a google-it-and-see-what-you-like.

Caroline: Mmhmm. I have, like, some beginner, not really questions, but like, comments. One thing I want to say is, if you’re using pins, you’re not, like, removing them as you sew like you do in garment sewing…like, those pins or those safety pins stay in the quilt, right? When you’re sewing? And then you take them all out at the end?

Helen: It does depend, because if your quilt line design is really dense, you might have to remove them as you go to get them out of the way of your stitching. But if you’ve strategically pinned in between your stitching lines, then you can leave them in and you don’t have to take them out until the end. So some people like to take them out as they go. Some people wait till the end. And it kind of depends on how dense your quilting is.

Caroline: Okay, my other thing I wanted to say, which you kind of touched on when you were talking about, lik,e going from the inside out when you’re stitching, but: always stitching in the like, same direction makes a big difference. Because if you go, let’s say like, inside out and then you, like, turn it around and go outside in, like, that’s gonna backfire because it creates these like, almost like roping lines where, like, your fabric gets, like, skewed, which is a mistake I made when I was quilting, like, a little baby blanket once. And I was just quilting on the diagonal and I wasn’t going in the same direction and I had to end up, like, unpicking because I was like, “This isn’t working.” It was, like, getting all skewed and weird, so.

Helen: Yeah, it’s really tempting, with small projects especially, to stitch to one end and then just, like, flip it around and stitch back the other direction. With a larger quilt it’s actually harder to do that because it takes so much effort to spin the thing around. It’s easier to kind of get to the end, undo it from your machine, and then just slide it back to the beginning and do the next line, which is what you want to be doing, because as Caroline said, you get roping, which is like diagonal folds in between your stitch lines. It doesn’t look great. If you are getting roping despite all your best efforts, a walking foot really helps with quilting. A lot of quilters use a walking foot. I have a Pfaff that has a little built-in walking foot, their IDT system, and I find it works quite well. I don’t have an additional walking foot. So that’s something you want to look into if you’re having issues. Okay, each of these steps could, I feel like, literally be an entire episode of Love to Sew. Or Love to Quilt, my spinoff podcast that will never happen. But it could be several episodes to go through all of these things. So another reason why quilting patterns don’t walk you through it is just that the instruction booklet would be huge and it would be a little bit repetitive. So what I would recommend is that you go to our former guest Suzy Quilts’s blog. She has a section of the blog called “Quilting 101” and it has a section for each quilting step. So start with the basting section, read a couple of articles, baste your quilt, then move on to the quilting section, read a couple articles, quilt it, and then binding will be the last section. Try not to overwhelm yourself with all the information at once, but Suzy Quilts really does have, like, my go-to directive articles about quilting. They’re just really well-written and really well-photographed.

Caroline: Mmhmm. Oh my gosh. So much information, Helen.

Helen: I know. Sorry, Sara. I feel like I let Sara down, but hopefully I made up for that with the answer to this question.

Caroline: I don’t think you did. It seems like that’s really the standard in quilt patterns and it makes a lot of sense that there would be so many different ways that you can go. You just can’t lay it all out there.

Helen: Yeah, I debated doing that with my quilt patterns because really detailed instruction booklets is my thing, you know, and it is what Helen’s Closet is known for. So when I started Cedar Quilt Co., I was really on the fence about whether or not to go that route and make them a little bit more robust than some of the quilting patterns that I’ve seen out there. And I think that they are more robust than, say, your average quilting pattern, because they are digital. So it’s easy for me to add a few pages and explain some extra things. But all of those finishing steps really do take up a ton of space and would be difficult to explain. And people have really, like, specific opinions, strong opinions about how it should be done. So I don’t want to be the one telling people how to do it, you know? I’m still new to this.

Caroline: I would also venture to say that the quilting world is even more, like, saturated with tutorials and articles and support online. So you shouldn’t have trouble at all finding the information that you need to help you finish this quilt. And yeah, just get out there on google and find what you want and try some different things and you’ll figure out what is the best method for you. And then you’ll have your own strong opinions and you’ll be like, “Helen, don’t tell me what to do! I know what I want to do!”

Helen: “I know what I want to do!”I’m so excited for you to finish your first quilt. Like you mentioned, you’re a new garment sewer. You’ve sewn a few garments. So for you to tackle a quilt at this stage, I’m so proud of you. And finishing your quilt is going to be, like, such an amazing feeling. You got this!

Caroline: Aw! Alright, that’s enough about quilting. Next caller, please!

Hannah: Hi, Helen and Caroline. This is Hannah from Nelson, B. C. I was just calling to see if you had some sewing machine recommendations. I’m currently using a Baby Lock Joy, and it’s a little bit below my level at this point. I’ve had it for a couple years, and I love it. it does great things, except it really sucks at buttonholes. So I’ve actually been hand sewing buttonholes since I got this machine, which is not my favourite part of making any projects. So any recommendations on maybe, like, lower-cost, as I’m still a student, and also, planning a wedding at the moment, sewing machines would be incredible. Love the pod. I hope to hear from you soon. Bye.

Caroline: Hi, Hannah! Thank you so much for calling in. And I am so sorry that you’ve been hand sewing buttonholes. RIP, like, your fingers. That sounds really frustrating.

Helen: Oh my gosh, does it ever.

Caroline: How many buttonholes? I’m, I need pictures. Like, I must know more. That’s…what a slog, but good for you for your commitment. First off, I want to say, before you give up on your Baby Lock Joy, I want to suggest troubleshooting the buttonhole function. There are a few different factors which can mess up buttonholes, and you might be able to save hundreds of dollars if you can figure out what’s going wrong. Also, side note, expensive sewing machines can mess up buttonholes too.

Helen: So true.

Caroline: In my experience, even the really high-end sewing machines will give you trouble with buttonholes, so it’s not unique to your machine. And I think you’ll gain some great skills if you can figure out how to actually troubleshoot this issue. So first, are your fabrics well interfaced? Sometimes buttonholes get wonky if there’s not enough structure in the fabric for them to hold on to. Typically, button plackets have a couple of layers of fabric, plus interfacing. But just make sure that that area that you’re putting a buttonhole into is nice and stable. Second, have you tried adjusting the tension? So, buttonholes can look super weird if the tension is off. So give that a try. Maybe try playing around with that a little bit on some scraps of fabric and see how that goes. Third, have you followed the instructions in your manual step by step? This might seem obvious, and if you can’t find your manual you can probably find it online, but our assistant Lisa told us that back in the day she thought her machine couldn’t do buttonholes; it turned out she wasn’t pulling the buttonhole lever down. So give that a look. And finally, if you’re unhappy with the tightness of the stitches on your machine, you can sew your buttonholes twice to get a thicker, more secure result. Another thing I find a lot of the time with buttonholes: you have to grab the threads when you start sewing so they don’t get, like, taken up into the buttonhole and, like, all knotted at the back. So holding on to those threads as you start the buttonhole might help. I’ve also found that sometimes, like, the fabric just needs, like, a little bit of help moving it along. Like, it can sort of get stuck and crunched up in there. And if you just give it, like, a little bit of nudge with your fingers and just, like, help it through those feed dogs, that can make a really big difference. You don’t want to like, pull it or push it through, but just, like, a little bit of a nudge can help just get things going. The reason I’m suggesting troubleshooting the buttonhole function is that the Baby Lock Joy actually has a good reputation. In fact, Dan and Marty from The Sewing Machine Shop recommend it as one of their top machines in the under $550 price range. So I don’t actually think you’re going to find a better machine that’s still affordable. But if you are still having trouble with your buttonholes, you also might want to reach out to Baby Lock, see if they have any insight into the issue. It might be a known issue. There might be a fix for it. And finally, if you’d rather buy a new machine, we’re going to link up an article with Dan and Marty’s top picks in our show notes. We also talk a lot about sewing machine models in our episode all about sewing machines, So we’ll link that up in the show notes too. Yeah, I would say, don’t give up yet, Hannah, because there might be hope for this buttonhole on the machine that you have.

Helen: We’re gonna hold out hope for you. And you’re totally not alone. Like Caroline said, everyone struggles with this on their machine, whether they have an entry-level machine or a really high-end machine, things can go awry with buttonholes. I used to sew my buttonholes just with zigzag stitches when I first started because I didn’t know how to do it any other way. So I would just do, like, a really tight line of zigzag stitches down the side, either side, and then a slightly wider one at the top and bottom. And honestly, that works, especially if you stick some fray check on there to really, like, cinch it all together and make sure that it doesn’t come apart.

Caroline: It’s kind of like a bar tack, right? You just, like, use the bar tack setting if you have one or just do like a really really dense zigzag. That totally works.

Helen: It’s like a build-a-buttonhole.

Caroline: I would totally do that before hand sewing buttonholes.

Helen: Yeah. Same. Honestly.

Caroline: We need, like, a buttonhole support group or something. Buttonholers Anonymous.

Helen: Maybe that exists. Yeah. I love the buttonholes on my Pfaff, Expression, Expression 710, I think is what…you have that one too, right, Caroline? That machine. Yeah. And honestly, it makes really beautiful buttonholes. Like every once in a while, you know, it’ll snag or something. Like, the thread will get tangled. But for the most part, I really do love the buttonhole function on that machine. For what that’s worth.

Caroline: Totally. Okay, we’re ready for our next caller. Hello, you’ve reached the Love to Sew Help Line!

Jan: Hi, it’s Jan from Montreal, Canada. Can you help me with doing a wedding hat or a fascinator? Like, where to buy the supplies, how can I do it? And by the way, I love your podcast. Bye! Have a nice day.

Helen: Hi Jan! This is such a fun question. It’s more of a fabric and notions question than a sewing question, I think, and I will start off by saying that I have not made a fascinator before, but we did look into this for you, so hopefully we can help you out. So to start off, I think the best thing to do is to buy a base for the fascinator rather than to make your own. These bases are blocked by the manufacturer, meaning that the felt, straw, or other material is formed into a shape with moisture and/or heat. So even with small fascinators, I don’t think you’re going to be able to get as good of a result by doing it yourself. The good news is that it’s easy to buy fascinator bases nowadays. There’s an amazing shop on Etsy called Petershams, which is based in the UK, They stock tons of hat bases, plus everything you would need to trim it, including things like flowers, ribbons, feathers, and veiling. Greedy Peasant, who’s an amazing follow on social media, by the way, he gets all of his hat bases from Sun Yorkos. And if you want to do your own search for materials, it can be helpful to search for “millinery supplies” or “fascinator bases.” If you’re buying a fascinator base, you may need to hand sew it to a comb or a fabric covered headband to actually get it onto your head.

Caroline: Yeah, and the next part is the best part, which is trimming your fascinator. You can use netting, wide horsehair braid, tulle, faux flowers, ribbons, feathers, and more to make your fascinator look amazing. To inspire you, we have a couple of tutorials we’ll link for you in the show notes. One is by Melissa from Polka Dot Chair and the other is by Nancy from Nally Studios. It does seem like hot glue is heavily involved in these tutorials, but of course, you can sew them in instead. I love a hot glue project, though. Honestly, it’s a nice relief from sewing.

Helen: I feel so inspired. I’ve never thought of making a fascinator before. I mean, I think I would need some sort of an event to wear one to, but if I had such an event, like Frocktails or something like that would be a great place to wear a fun fascinator. I think this project would be a blast to make. It’d be so fun.

Caroline: Yeah. Like, I wanna know where you’re wearing this fascinator to, Jan. And we would love to see the finished fascinator if you end up making one. They are so much fun.

Helen: Alright, we’ve got one last caller. Hello, this is Helen and Caroline!

Jeannine: Hi, Helen and Caroline! My name is Jeannine and I’m from Iowa in the United States. First off, I wanted to say, I love your podcast. I’m a Patreon subscriber and I just love how inclusive you guys are, how friendly you are, and just overall listening to your podcast. My next thought was on, a little bit on social media but just overwhelm and sewing. I’m a physician, and like many other people, I don’t have a whole lot of time to sew. I really like to try and keep up on fabrics and patterns and podcasts, but it’s really hard for me, especially when I have to keep up with so much stuff with my job. So my question is: how do you guys deal with overwhelm in the sewing realm? There are so many patterns to keep up with, there are so many tutorials that are amazing, there are so many podcasts to listen to, sometimes it just feels like, “Wow, I have so much to do that I’m just so overwhelmed” and it’s a bit not very fun. So what do you guys do to deal with that? How do you guys set boundaries for yourself and how do you guys keep up with it all? Again, thank you so much for everything. I love listening to you guys and I can’t wait to hear more. Good luck with your businesses! Bye!

Helen: Hi Jeannine! Thank you so much for your call. Oh man, I can so relate to this question. I often feel really overwhelmed by the amount of sewing content out there. And the trouble is that it’s all amazing. Like, I truly want to consume it all, but I also know that I can’t. And honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone out there who keeps up with a hundred percent of what’s going on in the sewing world. It’s such a big community with a lot of people making content and tutorials and patterns and tips. And it’s only grown since we started this podcast seven years ago. It’s grown so much. So I just try to get positive things from it when I spend my time online engaging with the community and try to let go of the rest, all of the things that I know that I’m missing or not seeing. And you know, as a physician, like, you keep up with what’s going on in the medical world so that you can ease people’s suffering and save lives. But the stakes with the sewing world are so much lower. So I think you can easily kind of let that go and not worry too much about it.

Caroline: Yeah, I think we’ve both had our own journeys with, like, boundaries with social media and, like, consuming a lot, consuming a lot less, taking breaks, getting back into it, like, feeling really overwhelmed. Boundaries are super important and I think, like, it’s kind of different for everybody. But with that said, we do have some ideas for cutting down on the amount of sewing media you consume. Think about which sewing websites and social media accounts give you the most information. So check on those once a week, kind of like a personalized sewing digest. And if you’re interested in new indie pattern releases, we cover them in our monthly bonus episode. And The Fold Line also does really good coverage of new patterns. So you can check them out if you want to get updates on, like, what’s new out there.

Helen: You can choose a couple of your favourite fabric shops, ahem, Blackbird Fabrics, ahem, Helen’s Closet, and sign up for those email lists so that you know about fabric drops and sales. And then you can unsubscribe from the rest of those emails, the ones that you’re not opening on a regular basis. They’re always going to be there. You can go back to them. And I don’t take it personally when people unsubscribe. I know people come and go and it’s not a big deal. But honestly I think email is a really great way to kind of stay up to date without having to necessarily dive into the world of social media and the online sewing community over there because that can be really instantly overwhelming. So just following a few people that you really like via their newsletter can be a little bit more like a, like a little magazine read in your inbox.

Caroline: Yeah. And also remember, like, you don’t need to know everything about everything right away. You can only read tutorials and tips about the project that you’re working on. Like, if you almost never sew zippers, there’s really no need to learn how to insert them perfectly. If you decide to make something with a zipper down the line, you can look at the tips and tutorials then. And if you see an article that you think might be useful for you in the future, just bookmark it. Read it later when you’re working on that kind of thing. And you can also decide which kind of podcast episodes are your favourite and listen to those first. And if you run out of those, you can always listen to the other ones afterwards. But not with our podcast. You should listen to every episode of our podcast.

Helen: I, I choose to believe that she is, because she called in, you know?

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: I think it’s so cool that you really want to stay up to date with the sewing world. It’s obviously something that you’re passionate about and I think a lot of our listeners can relate to that desire and also the feeling of overwhelm. I do think it’s possible to get all the biggest news without running yourself ragged trying to read and listen to everything that’s out there. I mean, having too much good sewing content is a great problem to have, right?

Caroline: Yeah. I’m definitely glad we have so many amazing creators and designers and small businesses in our community. There’s also a lot of platforms now where you can interact with people. So if you’re finding that, like, Instagram is maybe not making you feel good, like, try TikTok or try Pattern Review, try joining another forum. Like, experiment a little bit, try just doing newsletters, like, maybe you’ll find a lane that you really enjoy and that you feel like you get a lot out of. You don’t have to do everything and participate in everything. It’s always gonna be there if you want to catch up, you know?

Helen: Yeah, I was going to say that next, is that: it’s not going anywhere. The few times that I have taken breaks over the years from social media and given myself a little breather so I can just, like, catch my breath and focus on my, you know, IRL life, my real life, it’s always there when I go back and it’s still happening and it’s still amazing and I don’t feel like I necessarily missed much, you know. So you definitely can take breaks. And we’re always going to be here.

Caroline: It’s so true. And also, like, you don’t know what you don’t know. Like, you don’t know what you’re missing. And it’s probably really healthy to, like, spend that time IRL and, like, remember that, like, those in-person relationships or actually working on the craft that you love is maybe more important than, like, scrolling and being, sort of like a slave to the algorithm and making sure that you’re always up to date on everything. Like, it’s okay if you’re not. That’s actually really healthy.

Helen: Definitely. Yeah. Good advice, Caroline. I needed that.

Caroline: Okay, on that note, we are closing the phone lines for today. And we just want to say thank you to all of our callers for their questions, because this was really fun. And we love you all so much for listening. And I can’t believe we’ve been doing this for seven years. Oh my gosh.

Helen: Yes! If you’ve been with us from the beginning, like, just so much love. So much love to you. Thank you so much. It’s been an amazing seven years. Big hugs.

Caroline: Big hugs.

Helen: We’re so excited for this next season and we’ll talk to you next week!

Caroline: Yeah. Thanks for listening. Bye!

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. and Caroline at Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns. 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. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew or check out our podcast page on Apple Podcasts for more info.

Helen: Head to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with all the links and pictures we mentioned in this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us and leave us a voicemail, like our callers today, you can call us at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428. Or send us an email at hello@lovetosewpodcast.com. We accept voice memos. We accept snail mail. I mean, we accept it all.

Caroline: And a huge thank you to our amazing podcast team who make all of this come together for us. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant and Jordan Moore of The Pod Cabin is our incredible editor. And thank you for listening. We will talk to you next week.

Helen: Buh-bye!

Caroline: Bye!

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