In this episode, we chat about a really interesting email we got from a listener who doesn’t enjoy the sewing process. We talk about sewing for practical reasons versus sewing for the process, how to make the sewing process more enjoyable, and how to decide whether sewing is worth it. Plus, we have some fun voicemails from listeners to start it all off!
The transcript for this episode is on this page at the end of the show notes.
Show Notes:
From the Listener Feedback Section:
- Episode 270: Corduroy and Velvet
- Caroline’s Beloved Gap Jacket
Resources:
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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.
Caroline: Hello and welcome to Love To Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns.
Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s closet patterns and Cedar Quilt Co.
Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew and it’s all we ever talk about.
Helen: In this episode, we’re going to chat about a really interesting email we got from a listener who doesn’t enjoy the sewing process. We’re gonna talk about sewing for practical reasons versus sewing for the process, how to make the sewing process more enjoyable, and how to decide whether sewing is worth it for you.
Helen: Plus, we have some fun voicemails from listeners to start it all off.
Caroline: If you love to sew, this is your show. Hello, everybody! And Helen.
Helen: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What? “Hello, everybody?”
Caroline: Hello, everybody! Other than Helen…no, I’m kidding.
Helen: Hello.
Caroline: How are you?
Helen: I love that. Maybe we should change the opening to the show.
Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. I don’t know what I did there. That was weird. Wow.
Helen: We’re bringing everyone into this conversation today.
Caroline: We really are.
Helen: Okay. Before we get to our super fun voicemails, which I’m very excited about, we wanna remind you that you can join us over on Patreon or Apple Podcast subscriptions and help support Love to Sew by subscribing over there and getting access to our bonus content.
Caroline: Yes, we release bonus content every single month and we have so much fun catching up with you all and each other on those more casual bonus episodes. Sometimes it’s all fresh and we haven’t even talked before, and you’re hearing our reactions in real time. It’s riveting.
Helen: Yeah, that is my favourite part. It really means so much if you’re able to support us, even if it’s just for a month or two, and get access to some of that content. And if it’s not in the cards for you right now, that’s also totally fine. We get it. Thank you for listening. Thank you for following along, and thank you for sewing, first and foremost.
Caroline: Yes. Thank you for sewing. Yeah. Okay. We’re gonna start this episode with some voicemails from our listeners, and first up, we have one from Jamie.
Jamie: Hi, this is Jamie from California. In your last show you said you were looking for a pattern and I wanted to tell you my new favourite way of finding a pattern that I want to sew when I’m like, you know, I need a flowy shirt, or I need like a, a pencil skirt or something, right? When you’ve got some criteria. There’s an app called Threadloop that used to be called Backstitch that I just absolutely love. It’s made by two people in Europe who are just, like, the sweetest and they pay the most attention to their users, and they’ve built this beautiful, beautiful app. And by app, I mean a website. It has a crowdsourced pattern list. And so basically anybody can enter any pattern. So it’s, if you’ve got vintage patterns in your stash, you can enter them. And if you’re a designer, you can enter your patterns. And the thing that’s wonderful about it is that, first off, it’s got so many patterns, but also it’s so easy to search. Like you can search by “jacket,” you can search by if it’s made for male or female or children’s bodies. But also if you really want a shirt that has princess seams, you can search “princess.” If you really want a pencil skirt, you can search in “pencil.” If you want, like, a shirt that has ties, you can search “ties” and it’ll give you all of those options. So it’s really, really easy to narrow down if you have specific things that you’re looking for. And so what I did for my last project that I was like, “What pattern should I make?” I wanted to make a jacket, and so I searched through all of the jacket patterns that met my criteria. And they have this list feature and so I added all of the things that I liked to a list and then I ordered the list so that I was, like, “One to 25, like, what are my favourite ones?” And then I was like, “Well, obviously, the Tamarack Jacket is the one that’s on top that I’m most excited about making now that I’ve looked at all of these options.” So now I’m making the Tamarack Jacket. So I just wanted to recommend that as a way to search for patterns and also to help you choose a pattern out of a selection that you have. Thank you so much. Love your show. And I just want everybody who sews to know about Threadloop because it’s amazing. The creators are awesome and it just is so helpful for so many things. It’s got so many more things than what I’ve said here, so you should go check it out. Okay, bye.
Helen: Hi, Jamie. Okay. Thank you so much for calling us about this. We’ve had a few emails about Threadloop as well. It seems like a great option. Pretty similar to Ravelry, but for sewing, and it’s really just what we want and need in the sewing community, so we definitely wanna encourage our listeners to go check it out.
Caroline: Yes, definitely. We’ll link it up in the show notes. I wanna check this out. I haven’t experimented with this app before, but we have had quite a few people email us about it, so I feel like it’s, there’s some fans out there.
Helen: Yeah, it’s picking up steam and I love that.
Caroline: I love that too. Okay, next up we have a great tip from Sherry.
Sherry: Hi, my name is Sherry Barrett. I’m from Gardena, California. What you do is you have your favourite needle, right? Okay. If you have a tequila bottle, you can just pop open the cork. The top of it is, you know, like, wood, and then the cork is popping out. You just take your needle, your favourite needle, poke it in there. You don’t have to wait around looking for it in your pincushion anymore. It’s right there. It’s like a little castle. If you leave a piece of thread in the needle, it’s friendly. It saves a lot of time. It’s always waiting for you.
Caroline: Sherry, we love this voicemail so much. You sound like a really fun person. And Sheri’s talking about using one of those part wood, part cork tequila bottle stoppers as a needle keeper. I think cork would work really well. When I put needles in a regular pin cushion, sometimes they get lost inside, sometimes they fall out. It’s a good excuse to make some margaritas, too. If I’m ever in California, Sherry, let’s go get some margaritas.
Helen: You pretty much have to finish the bottle before you can do this, so.
Caroline: Yeah, actually, you do.
Helen: My favourite part of this voicemail was when she said it’s like a little castle. It’s so true!
Caroline: It’s like a little castle. It’s always waiting for you. I love it. Yeah. No, this is such a good idea. I mean, you could use this for pins, you could use this for sewing needles. I was thinking, like, what if you mounted a bunch of corks on, like, something, and then you use them for your, like, sewing machine needles that you haven’t used enough to throw out, but you need to change out. And you could, like, just write on each little piece of cork, like, what kind of needle it is. I don’t know.
Helen: Organize them. That’d be cool.
Caroline: I feel like there’s a lot you could do here. This is a great idea. Thank you so much, Sherry, for taking the time to let us know about this genius idea.
Helen: Yes.
Caroline: All right. Next up, we have a voicemail from Julia.
Julia: Hi, Helen. Hi Caroline. This is Julia calling from Columbus, Ohio. I just wanted to share something a little funny. I was listening to your most recent episode, the Velvet and Corduroy one, and something early on in the episode made me start reminiscing about this piece of clothing that I’d given away, you know, donated to Goodwill or whatever, like, more than a decade ago because I’d outgrown it and all this, that, and the other, and I still think about it about once a year. “Oh, that was a really good piece of clothing.” Imagine my surprise, then, when you got to the velvet section and Caroline started reminiscing about, as far as I can tell, the exact same piece. My velvet jacket from the Gap was spring green and I wore it to France on a family trip, not Italy, but otherwise, everything that came out of Caroline’s mouth, I was like, “Yep, yep, yep. Exactly. Correct.” Anyway, thank you. I love your show and I learn so much and always come away with a smile on my face. Hope you’re having a good day. Bye.
Caroline: Oh my gosh, Julia. I cannot believe that we had exactly the same experience. I love this so much. So, for those of you who missed it, I had this brown velvet jacket from The Gap that I was obsessed with when I was a teenager and I wore it on a trip to Venice with my mom when I was 16 years old. And after getting this voicemail, you inspired me to dig up some photos from that trip and we’re gonna share them in the show notes. I have, actually, a great picture of the jacket, so I’m so curious, Julia, if it actually is the same one. But if you’re interested in seeing, you can check out the show notes if you wanna recreate it. We have some pattern ideas, as well, but honestly, it just made me so nostalgic to look at those pictures. ‘Cause I’m gonna be going to Croatia in a couple of months. It’s been 20 years. And that trip was Italy and then Croatia. So I’m just, I’m feeling all the feels and boy do I wish I still had that jacket and it could still fit me ’cause I would totally bring it just for the vibes.
Helen: Caroline, you gotta whip one up. What are you waiting for?
Caroline: I don’t know, seasonally, it feels like I won’t be wearing any velvet, like, blazers.
Helen: Yes, that is totally fair. But if our listeners are interested, we were thinking the Auburn Blazer by Cashmerette. It has a very similar shape. This is, like, a single-breasted fitted blazer with narrow lapels and kind of small buttons. If you wanted to make a similar thing, the Auburn Blazer would work and the only change you’d have to make is to make the buttons and buttonholes a little bit smaller. But this pattern has cup sizes and princess seams. The shoulders aren’t really wide. It’s a bit more of a, like, Y2K style than a lot of the oversized blazer patterns that are out there right now.
Caroline: Yeah, and my jacket had some, like, gathers at the top of the sleeve, so I think you could easily hack that into this pattern if you really wanted to get the look. The only issue is that this pattern goes only from a size 12 to 32. So if you’re a smaller size, we would recommend the Francine Jacket by Sew Over It. This looks like a great option. But, yeah, and the colour, too. I’m just, like, still thinking about this jacket. I can’t handle it.
Helen: Maybe for fall you need to recreate this.
Caroline: Maybe. It also just was making me think…
Helen: I feel like it would be business appropriate. Fabric mogul.
Caroline: It’s true. I think it could be business appropriate. And I think the colour would totally fit with my wardrobe. It also just made me think about other, like, nostalgic jackets. I feel like I’ve talked about pea coats on the pod before, but, like, a corduroy peacoat, says, just screams, like, nineties to me and screams my childhood, and I really wanna make one.
Helen: That would be so fun.
Caroline: Yeah. Okay. But, speaking of fabric, Farmhouse Fabrics has some beautiful velveteens and velvets in shades of green and brown. Just make sure to avoid knits and stretch wovens, and I would choose sew-in interfacing rather than fusible so that you can avoid pressing as much as possible. But yeah, if you’re feeling inspired, I say let’s fill the world with gorgeous velvet jackets.
Helen: Yes, let’s do it. Thank you, Julia. Thank you to all our listeners who called in. We love getting voicemails. It’s literally so much fun for us to go into our little voicemail provider and listen to what you all have to say.
Caroline: Yes, to hear your voices. It’s so great. Alright. Today’s show is a bit of a different format than our usual. We had a really interesting question from a listener that we thought a lot of people could probably relate to, so we are actually just gonna discuss that today. A lot of times when we answer questions on the show, they’re pretty cut-and-dry answers. We can link to a tutorial for a technique, we can give some tips. But this one is a bit more open-ended, so we wanted to spend a bit more time on it. We thought it would be fun and interesting to just have a little casual discussion.
Helen: Yes. Okay. Let’s stop being mysterious and get to the question. Listener Ineke wrote us this email: “Dear Helen and Caroline, I have a conundrum. And I’m wondering if others have the same issue. I started sewing because I don’t fit into a lot of clothes. I’m very tall and so, often, everything is too short. My solution was to learn to sew. Through my sewing classes I have met many wonderful people and even made some nice things to wear. But I don’t LOVE sewing. I think it’s the only hobby that I don’t love. And that’s because there are always challenges. Changing a pattern to fit is a challenge. Matching the fabric to the pattern. Challenge. Sewing techniques that are tricky. It just goes on and it never seems to stop challenging me. Maybe other people love that but I find it frustrating. I don’t get the warm fuzzy feeling others talk about when sewing. I am very proud of my makes and I love wearing the ones that turn out well, but I don’t enjoy the process most of the time. Can anyone relate? Any suggestions?”
Caroline: I’m really glad that we got this email because I think it’s super relatable and I just think that it’s important to have this conversation. ‘Cause so much of what we talk about is sewing, it’s positive, it’s exciting, we love it. We love it. I mean, that’s literally the name of the show, Love to Sew. But I dunno about you; I don’t always love to sew.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: I feel like we should talk about that.
Helen: I think I love sewing as a whole, as a hobby, but there’s definitely elements of it that I don’t love or that feel tedious and feel challenging. And especially when you’re newer to something, the process of learning things, especially as I get older, is just so frustrating.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: I wanna be good at something immediately. I don’t wanna do the work. And I know that’s so silly and, like, shortsighted because it’s in the process that you really discover all the nice, beautiful things. But it’s annoying to have to learn how to do something. And I don’t like being bad at stuff.
Caroline: Yeah, I totally get it. I also just think, even if you’re not bad at it, like, you could take the time, learn it, get good at it, practice, practice, practice, but there might be a point where you realize that you just don’t love the process. Like, even if it’s not hard for you or it doesn’t feel difficult. Maybe you just like the result more than the journey. And I think that’s okay.
Helen: Yeah, I think that is okay. And in this case it does sound like the simple answer of, “Well, it’s okay. You don’t need to sew. You can just go buy the clothes. Don’t worry about it,” doesn’t fit for this person because they’re wanting clothes that fit them better. Which is a great reason to sew. And it sounds like they’ve really put in the work to learn how to sew and done all of the things and met the lovely people and there’s lots of benefits, but it’s still just not that enjoyable of a process, which is too bad. I don’t like hearing that, but I do think that a lot of our listeners out there can relate on some level to some aspect of that. For sure.
Caroline: Yeah, I agree. And I think it’s, like, valid and okay that sewing is just a means to an end. And I think it can just be that. And we can all recognize that it’s not always easy. But some people kind of have to do it out of necessity which I think is powerful and something that you should be proud of. The fact that you recognize that this is something you could do to help you feel good, help you have clothes that fit, and you went for it. So I think that’s, like, something to be proud of, if nothing else.
Helen: Yeah. I wonder, too, if there’s, like, an area of sewing yet explored that might be more exciting or fit your personality better or satisfy a little bit more? Like, is it the fabrics you’re working with? You know, like, many times, I have taught people to sew and offered the advice of, like, “Use good fabric.” It’s kind of like when you’re learning how to paint and it’s like, “Use good quality paper and paint.” You know, the materials really matter to the experience. So that’s something that you could think about, is maybe I’m just sewing fabrics that I don’t enjoy sewing. I should try a different fabric.
Caroline: It’s so true, like, try a different fabric. Even, like, machines, tools, setups, your environment. There’s so many things that I think can contribute to a positive versus a negative sewing experience. And you might not know what you don’t know, right? So if you’re finding a particular thing really tricky to do or frustrating to do, you might wanna evaluate, like, am I using the best tools for the job or is there another way that I could do this so that I can avoid this, like, one thing that I hate doing and sewing, you know?
Helen: Pinpointing the tasks you don’t enjoy and trying to find ways to avoid them or make them more enjoyable or faster. That’s a really good tip, for sure.
Caroline: yeah. I’ve definitely felt like this in the past. I don’t know if quite to this degree. I mean, obviously we have this podcast and I think that I do love sewing. I definitely love sewing, but sometimes I’ve felt disconnected from it. And because there’s extra pressure there, like, running a business centered around sewing and hosting this podcast, I think that’s sort of kept me, like, tethered to this hobby. And I sometimes wonder if I would’ve taken a step back or taken longer breaks if that wasn’t the case. But in a lot of ways, I’m grateful to have the podcast and the business to have, like, kind of kept me connected to the hobby. But I think it’s super relatable to feel challenged and frustrated and just, like, you know, question whether it’s worth it and, like, is there something wrong with me? You know, I’m surrounded by all these people that are obsessed with this and, you know, maybe I don’t feel that way right now. But for me, that feeling has always passed. But yeah, I don’t know.
Helen: Yeah, sometimes you need a break to come back to it and really love it again. But sewing is challenging. Like, it really is. It is so hard. There’s so many steps. And then there’s the fitting and there’s the fabric and there’s the little fiddly zippers and buttonholes and hems and like, ugh. Like, why? Why do we do this to ourselves? Like, I do enjoy a lot of the process, but I also do find it challenging, for sure. It’s not an easy hobby. I think about my experience teaching Sam how to sew, ’cause I’ve tried to get him into it over the years. He does work for me, for the business, and I would love it if he was obsessed with sewing and we could be, like, sewing powerhouse couple. But I have tried to teach him how to sew and he hates it.
Caroline: Oh no.
Helen: He is just like, “Everything is so fiddly and slippery and annoying, and the fabric’s just, like, going everywhere and, like, I can’t control it. It’s like it’s got a mind of its own. I can’t hold on to these, like, layers and pins and I’m stabbing myself and, like, it’s just awful.” He’s like, “I hate it.”
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: And, like, meanwhile, he’s over in his office painting teeny tiny little miniatures and, like, with, like, microscopic paintbrushes, you know. Like, I don’t wanna do that. It’s all relative.
Caroline: I do get into that kind of situation with Shea sometimes, where he’ll be like, “Do you want to try this hobby that I’m really obsessed with right now?” And he just cannot fathom that I would be like, “Actually, I’m good.” Like, I don’t really want to do that. You know, I wanna do the things that I wanna do, and vice versa, you know? And I think it’s okay to, like, not be super excited about certain things. Or sometimes it just doesn’t click, right?
Helen: Totally. Yeah. Yeah. And the excitement about the end product is a big part of that, too. I’ve always been obsessed with clothing and sewing is a great way for me to capture that excitement and create the things that I love and want to wear. So it’s very fun to think about all of the different things I wanna make and then execute on some of those plans.
Caroline: Mmhmm. Yeah.
Caroline: I feel like we should touch on something that I sort of saw on the community, or in the sewing community, somewhat recently. And it was a post by Jess from Muna and Broad on Instagram and it had an interesting caption and discussion in the comments that I feel like we should chat about a little bit.
Helen: Yes, I love this. Let’s do it.
Caroline: Yeah, so Jess wrote, “Is slow sewing inherently anti-fat? A delicious little discussion had unfolded amongst @munaandbroad Patreons about how the veneration of slow sewing and considered making often ignored the reality for fat bodies, which is that they need to sew everything in their wardrobe. There’s not so much ‘sew frosting’ when you need to sew all your underwear if you want natural fibre undies that don’t dig in. There’s no slow-cooking a blazer when you can’t buy PJs in your size, and there’s no lengthy fitting process for every single pair of pants if you have to make all your pants to avoid the RTW plus-size-pants-camel-toe. I feel like the sewing community has become complacent, and if you’re not fat then you maybe think that the issue has been solved and because some designers have expanded; the fats are now sorted. But, we’re still over here sewing our basics as fast as our thighs can wear through our pants. We don’t have time for slow sewing yet.”
Helen: Mm, yes. This is so interesting. Different perspectives, depending on whether you are sewing out of necessity versus sewing for fun.
Caroline: Yeah, for sure. And I think this does relate a lot back to what Ineke said about sewing out of that necessity and really kind of needing the, like, finished garments to be able to wear something. ‘Cause otherwise, you know, your pants are too short or you’re not finding what works for your body. I think that’s, like, a really common problem. So, it’s important to, I don’t know, just consider that when you’re talking about sewing as being this, like, really fun hobby, is that, like, maybe it’s not always for everyone and they’re just doing it because they have to.
Helen: Yeah, that’s so true. And that they’re not necessarily in a position to be taking their sweet time with every project and enjoying every part of the process because they’re just mass sewing all of the underwear for their underwear drawer.
Caroline: Yeah, and it, I think that, like, the plus size ready-to-wear world has expanded and there are more options out there, but there’s still, like, so much missing and just, really, it’s truly an injustice that fat people can’t just go to a store and buy clothes for their body. Like it’s, it’s not right. And it’s, it’s something that you can have a little bit more control of in sewing. But we still have a long way to go, I think, in, like, understanding, recognizing, and considering fat sewists and, like, making sure that we’re supporting them and including them.
Helen: Yeah, including them in the conversation and acknowledging that their experience is different. Yeah, I do think that’s really important.
Caroline: Yeah. So if you are feeling challenged by sewing, I guess, just know that the longer you sew, the more time you spend on it, the less challenging it’s gonna become. Especially if you’re sewing for practical reasons. Sewing is just made up of lots of steps. And when you’re a beginner, they’re all gonna be challenging and it can be overwhelming. But the longer you go, the more you master. And even really tricky stuff like invisible zippers doesn’t feel like a challenge anymore. And the more you figure out which types of garments and fabrics match your style, the less you’re gonna have to think about fabric and pattern choices.
Helen: Yeah. And it is okay if you decide that it’s not worth it for you or it’s something that you don’t necessarily wanna pursue. There’s a spectrum of how involved you can be in sewing, from, you know, “I sew everything I wear” to “I only sew stuff I can’t find in ready-to-wear shops,” or “I only sew for special occasions.” And again, in some cases you might be sewing for necessity, to clothe your body. So there’s a spectrum for how much of an option this is for you.
Caroline: For sure. I wanted to share some tips of things that you could do to maybe make sewing either quicker, more enjoyable, or just, like, try some new things to see if this could work a little bit better for you.
Helen: First up: cut corners. I love a cut corner situation. If you wanna make it speedier, easier, you can cut corners. For example, maybe don’t worry about finishing the inside of your garments beautifully, especially if that doesn’t do it for you. You don’t get no satisfaction from a bias bound seam. Don’t do it. And you could do things like leave the pockets off if you don’t think that you’re gonna use them. That really speeds things up. There’s lots of areas where you can go a little bit off-script. And just do what you need to do to get ‘er done.
Caroline: Yeah, I mean, I do that all the time. I’ll leave pockets off or certain details off of a garment just because I’m like, “You know what? I know I’m not gonna use it. I don’t really want it. I don’t really need it.” And that’s okay. You don’t always have to follow a pattern to a tee.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: You can reuse patterns that you’ve already adjusted. If you want it to look different, you can change up the fabric or maybe choose a different sleeve view. But if you’ve already put a lot of work and troubleshooting into making something fit for you, then that’s a huge thing to be able to just reuse that pattern again and again.
Helen: Totally. It’s also just so much easier the third or fourth time around ’cause you’re so familiar with it and it stops becoming so frustrating. I do a lot of re-sewing ’cause I mostly sew my own patterns, so I’ve used some of them dozens of times and it really just feels like putting on a comfy, cozy sweater that you love when you’re making it.
Caroline: It is so true. Like, this kind of makes me think of yoga, in a way, too. Like, if you’re thinking about a pattern through the lens of, like, did I enjoy sewing this or did I enjoy sewing this more than other things. Like, for me, with yoga, I love yoga, but I don’t love every yoga class I take, right? So when I find a class that’s, like, that perfect mix for me, I’ll bookmark it and I’ll take it again and again. ‘Cause I know it made me feel really good. I know it really worked for me. So if you’re thinking about sewing that way and just figuring out, you know, what patterns or what techniques, like, really, sort of, like, are more enjoyable for you and just try to turn to those as much as you can.
Helen: Yeah, definitely. I think that’s a great way to, again, cut some corners to make it a little speedier. Make it easy on yourself. Take a load off.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: If you like the way that one of the samples of a pattern looks, copy their fabric choice. A lot of times, pattern designers include their info about what fabrics they used in the photo shoot on the product page. Or you can ask them. And they’ve probably put a lot of effort into deciding those fabrics, speaking from experience. So those are the perfect fabrics for the pattern. So they’ve done the work for you and you can just copy their fabric choice. And that can make your life a lot easier.
Caroline: It’s so true. You can also consider getting a serger and or a rotary cutter setup for cutting if you don’t already have these things. These save a lot of time and effort, so going through that extra expense might end up being worth it in the end.
Helen: Yeah. And add something that you do enjoy to the process. So, great music, a funny podcast, a reality television show in the background. Just a little treat for yourself so that you’re marrying something you really enjoy with maybe something that you’re feeling frustrated or challenged by so that you can add a little bit more pleasure to the process.
Caroline: Yeah, you’re, kind of, like, coupling things.
Helen: Yeah, little rewards.
Caroline: Yeah. I can think of certain, like, phases in my sewing based on, like, shows that I was binging. Like, I definitely went through a dateline phase where I was just, like, watching every episode of Dateline I could find while sewing. And yeah, that was 15 years ago, maybe.
Helen: I have different things I like for different processes. Like when I’m at my cutting table, I like setting up my laptop with a TV show. But if I’m back and forth from my machine and my ironing board, I prefer a podcast ’cause I have to, like, look at what I’m doing more. And then, also, just mood dependent. Sometimes you just need, like, to blast the music.
Caroline: I was gonna say, whenever I know I’m gonna be up late sewing, I get my headphones and I put on, like, a really good boppy playlist. And I know I’m just gonna be, like, singing and dancing and it’s, like, soul nourishing while I’m also doing this thing that, like, maybe is last minute and a little bit stressful.
Helen: Yeah, you gotta keep the energy up.
Caroline: You can also share your process with sewing friends who will cheer you on. If you tackled a complex step or did some neat understitching, you can show it off to your friends. Don’t wait until the end to feel proud of yourself. Listener Ineke mentioned that they took some classes, but I think if you met some people that you wanna sew with, that could be a great way to add a little touch of fun to sewing, as well. Just, like, get together and sew.
Helen: That’s true. Make it more of a social occasion. Also, this sounds simpler than it is, but let go of perfection, because sewing really is that growth process. You are going to make mistakes. The stitch lines are not going to be perfectly straight. If you’re improving as time goes on, that’s definitely worth celebrating. It’s gonna get better with time, and it doesn’t need to be perfect to be wearable, like, at all.
Caroline: Yeah. So true. You also could consider sewing a capsule wardrobe. And then you would need fewer garments to keep yourself dressed well. And fewer garments equals less pressured sewing. You could really make a lot of outfits out of just, like, 10 garments. So that’s something you could consider, as well. And then it’s not this, like, sort of endless journey of sewing, sewing, sewing forever and ever.
Helen: Wow, you’re describing my dream.
Caroline: And somebody else’s nightmare.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: Sam’s nightmare.
Helen: Sam’s nightmare. I wonder if there’s, like, a moment where Ineke is feeling the frustration more? Like, if it’s like, it’s all going great until about an hour and a half in and then they’re like, “I can’t with this anymore.” You know? In which case, maybe doing shorter sessions. So, instead of spending hours at a time sewing on the weekend, which is can be physically exhausting as well as mentally exhausting, you could consider doing an hour session a few times a week. 15 minutes, you know, put a timer on. You can get a lot done in 15 minutes. You can sew a few seams then you’re just like, “Before I get frustrated, I’m putting this down. I’m walking away and I’m leaving on a high note.”
Caroline: Mmhmm. It’s true. Like, sewing in shorter sessions can be satisfying in itself and it just feels like you’re taking less time out of your regular day, your normal tasks to do this thing that maybe you don’t enjoy as much. So that could be a great strategy. I also think batch sewing could be fun. I know this is maybe slightly conflicting with some of our other advice…
Helen: So, more?
Caroline: But I don’t know, try different things. I think batch sewing is fun because you can get more done in less time. So if you’re like, “I need to sew underwear,” then why not sew 10 pairs of underwear in a row all in the same colour, or in similar colours, so you can use the same thread. And then you’re just getting so much more done in a more compact amount of time.
Helen: That’s true. And efficiency can be extremely satisfying for certain people. If that’s your personality, then you really enjoy efficiency, then I think that is a really good strategy.
Caroline: Absolutely.
Helen: I have another tip, which is to, I kind of mentioned this at the beginning, but, like, trying a different fabric is one way you can try something else, but you could try a different form of sewing, too. I know you’re trying to sew to get clothes that fit you better, so you’re obviously more focused on garments. Caroline, do you know where I’m going with this?
Caroline: I do. I do. I do.
Helen: You should try quilting. It’s like sewing, but different, ’cause you don’t have to worry about your body and you can just enjoy the process. And the process is very straightforward ’cause you’re sewing straight lines and it’s wonderful and I just think you should try it.
Caroline: I love this. Honestly, why not?
Helen: But in addition to quilting, I made a couple other notes, like: refashioning. Could be an interesting way, if things are too short, maybe figuring out fun, creative ways to add length to things, alter them to fit your body better. And that way, maybe a little bit more of a, like, creative approach where you’re working with a base garment and you’re kind of, like, cutting it up and creating something new. That might really spur you on, you know, that might excite you. I don’t know.
Caroline: Yeah, no. Like, you could even thrift like certain components, right? Like, what if you really love, like, I don’t know, a collar or something on, like, a coat, and you could, like, cut it up and use parts of it for different things and, like, reuse that collar and patchwork.
Helen: You totally can.
Caroline: Collars are fussy.
Helen: It’s true. You don’t like sewing collars, just cut one off one shirt and stick it on another one.
Caroline: No, I do think, like, altering, refashioning, that could definitely be a way to skip a lot of steps.
Helen: Yeah, and just get into a different sewing headspace. Scrap busting sewing to working on patchwork or using up scraps, that can really get your creative juices flowing. Bag making, as well. Maybe what you need is something a bit more, like, freeing and fun.
Caroline: Yeah, for sure. Yeah. I also think, like, thinking about the things that you can maybe, like, outsource or, I don’t know. I’m thinking of, like, you don’t have to always make your own bias tape. Or sometimes you can go to, like, a cleaner and they’ll do your buttonholes for you. You know, like, there’s certain things that you can outsource or pay people to do. So you could find some of those things. Or maybe, like, instead of getting a fabric that you need to, like, block fuse, like, just get a heavier fabric. You know, like, try to think about how you could eliminate certain steps to make the process easier or quicker.
Helen: Yeah. You know what Ineke needs? They need a Kathy. Let me explain.
Caroline: Please explain.
Helen: My sister’s mother-in-law, Kathy, she will make my sister anything. My sister just literally orders stuff from her. She’s like, “I want the Helen’s Closet Falconer pants in this denim,” and Kathy makes it for her. And I know this is completely unrealistic and not all of us are gonna get a Kathy, but maybe you could find a Kathy somewhere.
Caroline: I am just picturing…Kathy’s gonna write in to us. Not this Kathy, but, like, the Kathys of the world are gonna be sending us emails, being like, “You are telling people to ask me to sew things for them. I don’t appreciate it!”
Helen: But the thing is that she likes it, though. ‘Cause she loves to sew and she’s not that interested in making it for herself.
Caroline: I hear you. I hear you. There is a certain person out there that wants to sew for other people and that is absolutely amazing for them.
Helen: I know. They’re rare, though. So if you have a Kathy, consider yourself lucky.
Caroline: If you have a Kathy, you hold onto that Kathy real tight. You give her gifts.
Helen: Yeah, right?
Caroline: You pay her for her time. Justice for Kathy.
Helen: Yes, it’s so true. You gotta at least get her a bottle of wine every once in a while.
Caroline: Yeah. Oh no, it’s true. Especially, it’s like, yeah, now my mind is just, like, say you were like, “I hate plackets, Caroline. I never wanna sew a placket, but I need this placket in a shirt.” I’d sew a placket for you.
Helen: Yeah, that’s true, actually. Maybe you could have a little sewing exchange. Like, “I will cut out your paper pattern in your size if you sew my invisible zipper into my pants.” Oh, wow. Wow, wow, wow.
Caroline: Wow, wow, wow. Amazing.
Helen: We’re onto something. I think we solved it.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: We need to start exchanging with each other and doing the tasks we don’t wanna do.
Helen: What would you give up in your sewing practice if you were gonna outsource one thing?
Caroline: Probably buttons and buttonholes.
Helen: Yeah. Fair. I don’t mind buttonholes, but I don’t like sewing on the buttons.
Caroline: Yeah, or, like, any hand sewing. Still not a fan.
Helen: But what about, now you have the tequila bottle topper method…
Caroline: That’s true.
Helen: So it’s gonna be so much more fun.
Caroline: Sherry has potentially changed hand sewing for me, so thank you,
Helen: Now you have a little castle.
Caroline: Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yeah. I feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface of this discussion. Like, there’s just, I don’t know. I feel like our listeners are gonna relate to this. I wanna hear from you all. What do you think? Do you like sewing? If you don’t, that’s okay.
Helen: There isn’t a clear answer unless, you know, if you wanna move on from sewing and leave it behind, we support you. Maybe tailoring, you could get your items tailored instead. Sewing’s expensive, as we know, so it could be a trade-off price-wise, in that regard. But I don’t think there’s a cut-and-dry answer, unfortunately.
Caroline: I agree. And just know that if you don’t really enjoy sewing, there’s nothing wrong with you.
Helen: Oh, absolutely not. Even if there’s just, like, parts of it that you hate…hate’s a strong word, but sometimes we do feel that way.
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: Yeah. For anyone out there listening who doesn’t really enjoy sewing: We got you. It’s okay. You’re allowed to feel that.
Caroline: It’s okay. You can still sit with us.
Helen: Yeah. If you’re just doing it for the finished product, that’s fine. If you don’t have fuzzy feelings, you just want the clothes that fit, that’s fine. There’s people out there who love the process and the challenge and the creativity. But at its core, sewing is a practical skill. So if you’re just doing it for the practicality, great. That’s amazing. Good for you.
Caroline: And, like, remember, everyone comes at sewing for their own different reasons and everyone’s reasons are valid.
Helen: Yeah.
Caroline: And you can be proud that you are doing this practical skill, even if you don’t love every part of it. So be proud of yourself. Keep doing what you’re doing. Or don’t.
Helen: You should be extra proud. Next time you show off your garment, you can be like, “I made this jacket and I didn’t even enjoy it.”
Caroline: Yeah.
Helen: “But I did it anyway.”
Caroline: Yeah, absolutely. We support you. We support all of you, all the sewists in our community. And let us know what you think. I wanna hear from you guys.
Helen: Yes, me too. This would be a good candidate for some feedback, for sure.
Caroline: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me, Caroline, at Blackbird Fabrics and BF patterns, and Helen at Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co. And we’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.
Helen: You can support Love to Sew and get access to our bonus content by subscribing on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. You even get access to the back catalog of bonus episodes. That’s over, I wanna say, like a hundred hours of Love to Sat this point. Go to patreon.com/lovetosew or check out our podcast page on Apple Podcasts for more info.
Caroline: You can head over to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, you can leave us a message at 1 (844) SEW-WHAT. That’s 1 (844) 739-9428. Or send us an email. You can send us a voice memo, too, at hello@lovetosewpodcast.com. Maybe we’ll do another episode where we play a bunch of voicemails soon if we get enough of them. So hit us up, please.
Helen: Yeah, call us.
Caroline: And, just a reminder, we are also on socials. You can follow us on Instagram and Pixelfed @lovetosewpodcast, on Bluesky @lovetosewpodcast and on facebook.com/lovetosewpod.
Helen: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant and Jordan Moore of The Pod Cabin is our editor. And thank you for listening. We’ll talk to you next week.
Caroline: Buh-bye!
Helen: Bye!
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