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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 am Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns.

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

Caroline: This is our 300th episode celebration! We chat about our nine year journey of making Love to Sew, including the guests we were most nervous to interview, our 2026 TNT patterns, and the advice we would give the 2017 versions of ourselves (before we started podcasting). Plus fun games, Love to Sew stats, and more.

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

Caroline: Hi!

Helen: Hi! I feel like we should have had some champagne at hand or something, Caroline.

Caroline: I know, a little pop.

Helen: Wait, I can do a good pop. Here we go. [Popping sound.]

Caroline: Yeah, yeah. Wow. It is before 10:00 AM, so I will be cheersing you with my coffee.

Helen: Exactly. The beverage we are usually drinking.

Caroline: Yeah, it’s true. We are very often drinking coffee and not champagne during recordings. Maybe we should change that.

Helen: It would be a different vibe. It’d be either a different vibe or just, like, a more intense version of the same vibe.

Caroline: Yeah. Oh my gosh. I can’t believe we’re at 300 episodes.

Helen: I know. Happy 300! Cheers to us!

Caroline: Happy 300! Cheers to us!

Helen: This is such a milestone. It’s pretty amazing.

Caroline: I know. It really is. And I can’t wait to talk about it. But before we do, we do wanna remind all of you lovely listeners that the best way to support the show is by joining us over on Patreon or Apple Podcasts subscriptions.

Helen: Yes, and over there you get access to bonus content every month. And we do have a lot of fun catching up with you all on those more casual bonus episodes. Probably the highlight of my podcasting. But we’ll talk about that later.

Caroline: Yes, we will. And it really means a lot if you’re able to support us, even if it’s just for a month or two. But if that’s not in the cards for you right now, we totally get it. You’re here, you have 300 episodes of us talking to listen to, if you’d like.

Helen: I know. If you want, feel free. We do get the occasional email from someone saying that they’re listening to our show chronologically and they’re, you know, halfway through, or “I’ve listened to a hundred” or something and I’m always very impressed by the dedication.

Caroline: Yeah, we’ll talk about that, too, in a sec, I think.

Helen: But yes, thank you so much for listening. Honestly, we would not have hit 300 without you lovely listeners, so thank you, thank you, thank you.

Caroline: Yes. Absolutely. And one more thing: if you want to support us for free, you can go and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. We haven’t been asking for this that much over the years, but it’s been a long time since we talked about it. We’d love to have some more recent reviews up there. It really does help people discover our show. And yeah, that would be so nice. Thank you.

Helen: Yeah. Give us a little 300th birthday present and leave us a review.

Caroline: Only good reviews, though, please. Uh, but thank you all so much for listening and cheering us on. And yeah, Helen, let’s talk about 300 episodes. I can’t believe it.

Helen: 300 episodes of the Love to Sew podcast, Caroline. That’s 295 hours or 17,734 minutes of Love to Sew.

Caroline: Wow. And that’s not even including our 96 bonus episodes and 77 mini-episodes. It’s also not including this episode.

Helen: Amazing. Yeah, we’re recording it right now. We don’t know how many minutes it’s gonna be.

Caroline: Yeah. If you’re lucky, it’ll be long.

Helen: Also: 96 bonus episodes. We’re coming up on another milestone over on Patreon. We gotta do something for that.

Caroline: I know. And we only do one of those a month, so really, that’s a lot of years of bonus episodes, as well.

Helen: It’s true. It’s so true. That’s a lot of sewing info, a lot of personal stories, a lot of listener feedback and tips. We’ve had so many great community episodes where we’ve heard from the sewing community and it’s been amazing. It’s been such an incredible journey.

Caroline: Yeah, I totally agree. I love the, like, mix, the variety of different types of episodes that we do. We get so many different perspectives and we also get to chat, just the two of us, just us friends.

Helen: Yeah. Yeah. Which has been so special. And we have a lot of listeners out there. In the time we’ve been making the show, we’ve had 7.3 million downloads of the podcast. So mind-blowing, like, so many people.

Caroline: Yeah. Just to be in the millions is wild to me. Like, 7.3 million. What? It’s so great. And we wanted to mention our five most downloaded episodes, which, Helen, I was kind of surprised by this list. Were you?

Helen: Me too. I was so surprised. I mean, pleasantly surprised. I’m happy that these are at the top, but they weren’t the ones I was expecting. But at the same time, I can see why. There’s all sorts of great information in all of these episodes.

Caroline: So coming in at number five: Cutting Patterns and Fabric. We talked about rotary cutters versus scissors, tracing, transferring, cutting mats, DIY cutting tables, and lots more. Cutting out can be, like, a third of the overall sewing process. So it does make sense that people would want some tips. I also wonder if part of the mass appeal of this episode comes from the debate that we had, the cut versus trace debate. ‘Cause I think that happened on this episode.

Helen: Yeah. And we had a poll going on Instagram that might have boosted the numbers for this episode. People have lots of strong feelings about this, um, and continue to. And you know what? There’s no right answer, so it’s great. Number four, we have: Sewing Careers. I had no idea this episode was so popular, but it does make sense because we do get emails about this quite often, um, at both of our businesses. People wanting to start sewing businesses or turn their sewing into some kind of job or some way to make a little extra income. Who doesn’t wanna do what they love for a living? I mean, it’s pretty amazing.

Caroline: I know. I was really surprised by this one ’cause I feel like I often almost stop myself from talking about business. ‘Cause I’m like, “People don’t wanna hear about that. Like, the people who listen to our show just wanna sew. It’s a hobby.” But coming in at number four, maybe we should talk more about…

Helen: I think people listening are gonna be like, “You try to stop yourself from talking about business? That’s a surprise to me.”

Caroline: Listen, guys, I could talk so much more about business.

Helen: We do talk about it on Patreon a lot, too, but I think it’s kind of, I always enjoy a peek behind the scenes of people’s working lives, whether they’re running their own business or having a career in a field that I don’t have a lot of familiarity with. It’s always so interesting.

Caroline: Yeah, totally. Number three is: Sewing Spaces. Organization, storage, DIY solutions: this episode had a lot to offer. And we also loved getting a peek into your sewing setups. So it does make sense that this one was popular. Everyone loves a cozy sewing space.

Helen: Yeah. Well, and if a third of the sewing process is cutting out, a third is organizing fabric and your sewing tools, and having a space to actually sew.

Caroline: Yeah. And avoiding actually sewing.

Helen: Yeah, making space to sew. And then a third is sewing.

Caroline: Yeah, totally.

Helen: Coming in at number two, we have: What I Wish I Knew When I Started Sewing. I love this episode. There was so much great stuff in here. This one was a community episode with so much information for newer sewists and advice passed on from experienced sewists to new ones. I just loved the concept of this one.

Caroline: Yeah, me too. This was a really good one. And then at number one, if you can believe it: Fitting Expert Advice with Alexandra Morgan. I was surprised by this one, too. I mean, I loved this episode. It was really cool. It was a fun concept. We had listeners send in fitting issues, including pictures, and then Alexandra Morgan gave amazing advice. And she also taught some overall fitting concepts that are so good to know, and she’s just really knowledgeable. So I feel like there was a lot to learn in this episode and that sort of interactive nature of it was really fun.

Helen: It was really cool. It was like getting an in-depth course, almost, in podcast format, ’cause you could follow along with the pictures and listen to her advice. And I learned things in that episode, for sure. And I always point people in her direction for fitting advice ’cause she really is an expert. Maybe we should have her back on, do a part 2.

Caroline: I was just gonna say, I feel like we need to do another one.

Helen: Yeah, that would be so fun. Very cool.

Caroline: It is wild to think about how many years we’ve been making the podcast and how it’s evolved and all the people we’ve talked to over the years. It’s just, it’s making me feel a little nostalgic.

Helen: Aw. I know. It’s crazy. We’ve, we’ve chatted with so many incredible people on the show, and we’ve learned so much making the show and in this episode we’re gonna chat about our long journey making Love to Sew, so far. And our assistant, Lisa, has written out some really fun questions for us to answer. So we’re kind of gonna do our own little interview. And after that we have a couple of games, just for fun. So it’s gonna be great.

Caroline: I know. It’s gonna be really fun. I love it when we do games on the show, selfishly.

Helen: Me too.

Caroline: So fun. Okay. So we’re kind of gonna interview each other a little bit, right?

Helen: Yeah, let’s do it.

Caroline: Okay. So we’re gonna start by talking about our lives before making the podcast. Helen, what was the podcast that made you a podcast listener?

Helen: Oh, okay. I’ve mentioned this on the show, I think, years ago, but my first podcast, my first podcast love, was a local podcast called Stop Podcasting Yourself, which is hosted by, co-hosted by the husband of one of your Blackbird Fabrics girlies…

Caroline: I know, Abby. Shout out to Abby.

Helen: Abby! She’s amazing. Yeah. I was obsessed with and am obsessed with that show. It’s so funny and great and they are on episode, like, 938 or something now, so they’re creeping up on a thousand. Goals.

Caroline: Yeah. Oh my gosh.

Helen: Um, but yeah, they started really early in the game, so they were an early podcast and definitely were what got me into listening to podcasts. It’s a comedy podcast, if anyone wants to check it out. It’s very funny.

Caroline: Yeah. Cool. For me, I feel like I am in the pool of a lot of people, and it was definitely Serial. Like, Serial is what got me into podcasting. Before then, I was, like, truly like, it got me into listening to podcasts. I didn’t really listen to podcasts at all before then. Then, yeah, it really hooked me, along with a lot of other people, I think. And then I remember, like, searching for podcasts that I could binge after that. It was early in my business, I was working alone in my apartment and I just wanted stuff to listen to. So I went back and listened to all the old Radiolab episodes and Criminal with Phoebe Judge. Those were, like, two other ones. Those, so those three podcasts, I feel like, were what really hooked me into listening to podcasts.

Helen: Yeah, it’s fun to think back on those early days. I got really into Radiolab, also, around that time, which had a very high production value, and they were doing all this research and preparing these incredible episodes and storytelling and it was just kind of mind-blowing. Like, prior to podcasts existing, there was the radio, but there’s something so intimate about the podcast format, especially if you don’t have advertisements breaking it up, like we don’t…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: And you just get to cozy up with some friends and listen to a story, or listen to a funny interview, or listen to something inspiring and insightful. It’s just really cool.

Caroline: Yeah, it really is.

Helen: I don’t know how else to say it. It’s so cool.

Caroline: It is the first thing I reach for, like, during the day when I am doing other things, when I’m driving or doing dishes or sewing, I’m always like, “Do I have a podcast to listen to?” That’s the first thing I do.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: So yeah, it is, it is still something that I use, a media that I turn to constantly.

Helen: Do you know why they call it a podcast?

Caroline: Why?

Helen: It’s a play on the word “broadcast,” but it’s because you would listen on your iPod.

Caroline: Oh wow.

Helen: Right? It really timestamps it.

Caroline: The more you know. That’s wild. Wow. Okay. It makes sense. Makes sense. Wow. iPods. Okay.

Helen: Caroline, did you ever think about making a podcast when you were listening to podcasts back in the day? Were you like, “I wanna have a podcast.”

Caroline: No.

Helen: So then how did we end up here?

Caroline: I know. We were talking about this before hopping on recording because, like, my answer’s definitely no. Like, I definitely never thought about making a podcast that wasn’t about sewing. Even when we decided to make this podcast, I wasn’t like, “My dream is to become a podcaster.” You know? We just wanted to talk about sewing together.

Helen: I know. We were both into podcasts and there weren’t really a ton of sewing podcasts, so we were like, we could contribute to this space and talk about sewing and have a podcast all about sewing for people who love podcasts and love sewing. But I totally agree, it wasn’t like a dream or a goal to become a famous podcaster. And in many ways, I still don’t think of myself as a podcaster.

Caroline: I know.

Helen: 300 episodes later, I’m like, “Podcaster? Me?”

Caroline: Yeah. I 100% agree. I don’t really think about myself as a podcaster. Which is silly, ’cause we’re podcasters. We are.

Helen: Yeah, we are.

Caroline: We definitely are. But I just don’t feel like I’m in the same field as a lot of the podcasts that I listen to. And I think part of it must be because, you know, we’re talking about something that’s so niche, right?

Helen: Yeah. I think the, the fact that it is a niche show for people who like a very specific thing. And there’s lots of shows out there like that, so it’s not that different in many ways, but we’re never gonna have broad mass appeal to everybody, or be discovered by the world and have all of a sudden a ton of people listening to the show. It’s always gonna be kind of a members-only situation where it’s only for people who love sewing, and I kind of love that about it. It feels more intimate that way.

Caroline: I love it, too. I have a question for you. Do you think that you knew what you were getting yourself into, back in 2017, when we talked about starting a podcast together?

Helen: Oh, this is a good question. I feel like it’s expected that I will be like, “No, I had no idea it was ever gonna be this,” but I kind of did. It felt like a big moment at the time. I can remember the feeling of launching the show and it felt like we were launching something big and something that was gonna have an impact and something that was gonna reach a lot of sewing people. I really did feel that when we launched it. So in a lot of ways, I’m not surprised.

Caroline: I have, like, goosebumps, you talking about the, us launching the show. ‘Cause I remember the moment, I remember recording some, like, Instagram stories together and being able to announce it and the excitement in the sewing community. I remember feeling so, like, bolstered. And I was buzzing because people were really pumped and we were really pumped. We shared that excitement and we had a lot of listeners right from the jump. We were so lucky that so many people listened to the show from the beginning. So yeah, you’re right. It did feel like something big. I don’t think I understood, I guess, the amount of moving parts. Like, when we were like, “Let’s make a show.” We, like, didn’t know audio. We didn’t know how to publish the show. There were so many things to figure out, but we did it. We were also, like, young and, I don’t know…

Helen: Naive.

Caroline: Not like, not, yeah, naive, but also, like, we had so much energy, you know?

Helen: You’re like, “I’m so tired now.”

Caroline: Yeah. I’m so tired now. No, but we were, like, the, it, that fresh newness that, like, you know…

Helen: Yeah, an exciting new project. And we both had just started businesses in the past, like five years prior to that. And so we’d had the experience of figuring things out and getting things off the ground, and that can be really thrilling and really fun and confidence-boosting. So I think we were ready for the new challenge. And thank goodness for the internet. I mean, we just watched YouTube videos until we knew enough about what we were doing to do it.

Caroline: Yeah, and we haven’t really changed our process in terms of, like, recording equipment and I think it’s, that part has worked pretty well for us from the beginning.

Helen: This is the same microphone we bought nine years ago, Caroline.

Caroline: Yeah, I know it is. We had to buy a second set of equipment when we moved far away from each other and we stopped recording together. But apart from that, yeah, we’re still using the same equipment. And don’t make me learn anything else. ‘Cause I, I already, with this, I’m like, if anything goes wrong, I’m like, “Help! Somebody help!”

Helen: I know. We’re definitely not, we have not become experts in nine years. We’ve just become really, really good at turning on this one piece of equipment and hoping for the best.

Caroline: I do think it’s made it… this whole, like, process of, like, learning, podcasting and growing over the years in this, like, it’s been so much more fun because we’ve been doing it together.

Helen: Yeah, it’s true.

Caroline: Even from the beginning. Figuring all that stuff out was really fun ’cause I, we knew we had each other to lean on.

Helen: Yeah. Well, I think we’ve always been a really great team, too. Like, we’ve always been on the same page as far as how much effort we wanted to put in and what we wanted the show to be and how we wanted to communicate with our listeners. And I feel like we’ve been right by each other’s side the whole time and that’s made it really easy to make the show what it is.

Caroline: I know. What a gift to be on the same page with your business partner.

Helen: Yeah, it’s true. So true. Okay, well, things were pretty different back then. Do you think that, like, the media landscape has changed? “Do you think it’s changed?” Yes. How is it different, I guess, from when we first started the show?

Caroline: No, it’s exactly the same. Blogs.

Helen: Blogs. Yeah.

Caroline: Pictures. Filters on Instagram. No. Like, video, a hundred percent. Video and short-form content has become so much more prevalent, especially with podcasting. When we started, we were like, “Yeah, we’ll do a podcast. Never put me on a video.” Like, that’s always been a hard line.

Helen: And we’ve stuck to our guns on that one.

Caroline: And we have stuck to our guns on that one. Who knows, you know, in the next nine years what’s gonna happen, but at this point I’m like, I love showing up to podcasting with you in my pajamas…

Helen: Me too.

Caroline: And my hair kind of messy, no makeup, you know?

Helen: It’s a fun experience, too. Like, our guests sometimes come on to the recordings with us and they’re like, “Oh, you’re not filming this?” We do warn them about that ahead of time. But sometimes it gets lost in the shuffle of communication. And so they come on, they’re like, “Oh, I thought we would be filming this.” ‘Cause most podcasts are filmed now and put on YouTube or social media. And we’re like, “Oh no, we don’t. We don’t do that.” And they’re relieved.

Caroline: Yeah. It takes, like, a layer of pressure off.

Helen: Exactly. And then you have this really nice conversation that feels, like, similar to how it felt to talk to your friend on the phone in 2002. You know, like, there’s no video involved. You’re just having a nice long chat and you’re just listening. I love that feeling, so.

Caroline: Yeah. It makes you feel more present.

Helen: So yeah, I don’t think we’ll change.

Caroline: Yeah. I don’t think we’ll change, either. We do see each other when we record. Like, we are on a video chat, so we can see each other’s faces.

Helen: But they’re not, though The guest isn’t.

Caroline: Yeah. The guest isn’t, it’s true. And, obviously, we’re not recording ourselves, so you all will never get to see my beautiful pajamas. Never!

Helen: The bad lighting and the microphone in front of the face. You are not missing anything.

Caroline: But I, I love that we have our podcast in a time when people are consuming these, like, short videos and it’s like, scroll, scroll, swipe, swipe, you know, and we still can hook people for, you know, an hour every week during our season and have that sort of intimate connection with our listeners. That just feels, like, so much deeper and more meaningful than some of the, like, media that’s out there. And I, I don’t know, maybe, I don’t know. I don’t wanna make it sound like we’re better than that because, you know, there’s a place for all of it.

Helen: Well, we’re also doing that.

Caroline: Yeah. We are also doing that, for sure. But it’s something that feels special and old.

Helen: I think so. And I know we have listeners out there who have been listening for nine years. I know they’re out there listening right now and they’ve listened to every episode and that’s incredible. Like, that’s so much time to spend getting to know people. And I wish it could be more two-sided. Thank you for listening. And yeah, I do think it’s really nice to have something like that. It’s like a calm in the storm, sometimes, when I put on my favorite show and I put down my phone and Instagram and just sew and listen to a podcast. It’s such a relaxing feeling. Whereas media these days feels quite chaotic. So it’s nice to have respites.

Caroline: Totally. Okay, Helen, so if you could go back and give yourself one big piece of advice before you started Love to Sew, what would it be?

Helen: Oh, okay. I think this could go for most things, not just starting Love to Sew specifically, but: make what you wanna make and the people who wanna take it in and support and cheer you on in that will find you. That’s it. Like, that’s all you have to do. There is no pleasing everybody. There’s no making something for everyone. You have to just follow your heart and your creative spirit and make what you wanna make. And if people don’t like it, that’s okay. It’s fine.

Caroline: Mmhmm.

Helen: I think I was really overly concerned about that at the beginning and I would take criticism really hard and would try to change the show if people said they didn’t like this or that about it. But that’s not what we’re doing here. If it’s not for you, that’s okay. There’s other things out there for you. You know?

Caroline: That’s really great advice. I love that advice. I feel like I went in a similar direction. But I was, it was more like…

Helen: Tell me, tell me.

Caroline: I just, my thought is, I realize this is a little bit in opposition to something that we asked for at the top of the show, but: just don’t read the reviews. And absolutely do not go on Reddit.

Helen: Oh my gosh. So true.

Caroline: That’s my advice to my younger self. Like, just, I think if there’s a way to get someone to, like, send you only the good stuff, like, that would be the way to go. But if you’re making, like, a public, something that anyone can listen to or watch…

Helen: Consume. Yeah. It’s tough.

Caroline: Just avoid the, avoid the criticism. It’s tough. It’s tough.

Helen: Yeah, it is tough. ‘Cause sometimes you just, like, wanna see it. It’s like you can’t not see it.

Caroline: Yeah. You can’t look away.

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. Especially if you know it’s there. It’s very hard to not look at it and it, it just, yeah. I don’t know.

Helen: Over the years, I’ve just learned how meaningless it is, though. Like, like I was saying, it just doesn’t matter. If somebody wants to write a review saying that they think we say “like” too much or…

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: We laugh too much. Sorry I’m laughing. Come on. Like, I don’t care that you are bothered by me laughing on my podcast. You don’t have to listen to it. It’s okay. Bye.

Caroline: A hundred percent. Yeah. I do think, like, I, and probably we, I don’t wanna speak for you, but I think you would probably agree, like, we’ve gotten so much better at receiving feedback, you know? If we do see those critical things, being able to process it in, like, a healthy way.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: You know?

Helen: But a big part of that is, like, having each other and our assistant to help us, like, process it. It hurt, it still hurts. I’m not saying I’m, like, immune to it. It definitely bothers me and it hurts, but we can laugh about it together or talk about it if it’s more serious. You know, we definitely get serious feedback about the show, too, and we take it on, and we talk about it. And it’s really helpful to have a team to process that kind of stuff with. Don’t go it alone.

Caroline: Don’t go it alone. Yeah. And I mean, the vast, the vast majority of the, the feedback and the messages and the reviews and all that are super positive, super supportive and lovely, so, yeah.

Helen: Oh, yeah, Glowing. Yeah. For sure. For sure. Yeah. Especially after nine years. I feel like all the people who are annoyed by our laughter are long gone by now.

Caroline: Exactly. They came, they went…

Helen: Yeah, exactly. We’ve only got the core crew left and we’re happy about it.

Caroline: The OG. Okay. We wanted to get into some questions about making Love to Sew. So let’s walk through the process of making an episode, because a lot goes into it.

Helen: Yes. Okay. Well, at the end of every season we have a brainstorm…and it’s a bad one.

Caroline: No, our brainstorming sessions are so fun.

Helen: I’m just kidding. I mean it’s a big storm. That’s what I meant. It’s a bad storm, you know, like it’s a big…

Caroline: Okay, okay, okay. I understand. Sorry. We set aside several hours and we, we, I mean you, me, and our assistant Lisa, come in with ideas. We all come in with a list of guest ideas, topic ideas, community episode ideas, and we pitch our ideas to each other. And then we look at everything together and we sort of pick out our top contenders for the season. We usually try to have a balance of different types of episodes. And then we select our lineup and we put it in order and we lock it in.

Helen: That’s the hardest part, too, because we all have so many ideas, and the guests, especially, oh my gosh, narrowing down the guests is like an hour in and of itself. It’s just us being like, “But if we talk to this person, then we won’t get to talk to this person.” And, like, it’s agonizing, but we get through it, we narrow it down. We often shortlist people for the next season and stuff like that. We’re like, “We’ll talk to them eventually.”

Caroline: Yeah, we do have a lot of carryovers where we’re like, “Just put them on the short list. Short list.”

Helen: I know. And I wish we could make more episodes, but we have found a balance that works really well for us running our respective businesses and the podcast. So we try to stick to that. And the brainstorm is so much fun ’cause there’s so many ideas. And you’d think after 300 episodes we would’ve run out of topics, but no.

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. And we, we try to go deep in these brainstorms, ’cause it’s our opportunity to talk about, okay, not only this is the topic, but what exactly do we wanna dig into for that topic? So we are sure that there’s, like, enough meat there to make a whole episode. And that our assistant, Lisa, kind of understands the direction we want to go for that episode. Because she’s doing a lot of the prep. I mean, all of the prep, really.

Helen: Yeah. That’s what happens next, is that Lisa takes away the episodes and she starts prepping the more intensive research-based episodes where we’re talking about a specific topic, specific sewing topic or fabric, and starts diving into research, finding reliable sources, putting together the episode docs. And we go away and start diving into the guests and watching all of their content and listening to other interviews they’ve done and getting to know them a little better. And all three of us gather information about the guests. And then we come back together and we have a second brainstorm for each guest where we talk about them and we talk about what we think would be interesting to chat with them about, how we wanna approach the interview. And we kind of make an outline for the guest interview so that everybody is really prepped on what this guest is all about.

Caroline: Yeah, I love that. This is something that we added a couple years ago, maybe a year and a half ago, doing this, like, secondary team brainstorm for the guests. ‘Cause it used to be a little bit more, like, separated where we would each definitely research the guest, but we didn’t have that moment where we could come together and talk about it together to really, sort of, to hone in on the direction we wanted to go for the interview. And that has helped us feel, I think, even more prepared for guest interviews. On the same page. And it’s just been really fun to have that opportunity to really dive in, even more, into the guests, you know, the different things that they do online and the content that they’ve created in the past and all that.

Helen: It’s kind of a love fest. We should be recording them to send them to the guests so they can listen to us just talk about them for an hour, being like, “Did you see this? It’s so amazing. They’re so cool.” Yeah.

Caroline: Totally. So yeah, Lisa creates these scripts for us, and then we go in and we review them, we tweak them if we need, we give them a really thorough read through before we hop on to actually record an episode.

Helen: Mmhmm. And she’ll often leave spots for us to add our personal experiences and anecdotes. If we’re talking about something specifically related to sewing, obviously, there’ll be a part where she’ll ask, like, have you ever done this or worked with this fabric, or that kind of thing. And as we record, we also ad lib and throw things in and try to make it feel natural. But having the script has been really helpful for us, especially when we’re trying to go through a lot of information in an episode.

Caroline: Totally. And sometimes the outline for the episode is pretty bare bones. Like our We Sew episodes are just a series of prompts and questions to make sure that we cover all the things we want to cover. But those episodes are fun because they’re, they are a little bit more ad-lib and a little bit more improvised. And we get to just share in that excitement of the thing that we made.

Helen: Yeah. I’m really enjoying the addition of the We Sew episodes. They’ve been so much fun and a great way to, like, encourage me to get outta my sewing comfort zone and make things I wouldn’t normally make, or patterns I wouldn’t normally choose, or would love to make, but don’t feel like I have the time or the motivation to go for it. So I’m loving the We Sew episodes.

Caroline: Me too. And then once we are ready to record, we get together and we do that. We try to batch our episodes. We try to do at least two episodes in one day. Doesn’t always happen, but we try our best. And usually, recording for one episode, how long would you say it takes? Like two hours? Because we usually chat before and we chat after.

Helen: Set up, chatting before, chatting after. There’s always, like, guest chat before and after. Yeah, we’re not in a rush. We like to take our time. Our episodes are longer and we don’t have, like, a time limit on them, so we let them go what feels natural. And then we do send it to our editor after the recording, Jordan from The Pod Cabin, and he’s amazing. He tightens everything up and takes out pauses or if we have to do a little sidebar and talk about something before we do the actual recording part, he can cut that out. All sorts of stuff, which is really, really helpful. So we don’t worry too much when we’re recording, about awkward pauses or anything or talking over each other, ’cause he can sort that all out.

Caroline: Yeah. And then once he is finished editing, he sends over that first edit to our assistant, Lisa. And Lisa does the first listen and goes back if there are any notes or changes. Any little tweaks. Usually, I don’t know about you, but I don’t usually listen to the show after it gets edited.

Helen: Yeah, no, I don’t, either. There are some times I do, there are some episodes, some interviews I like to go back and listen. Because I’m in the interview and so I’m multitasking in some ways ’cause I’m trying to prepare for the next question and listen at the same time and actively engage with the guest. And it can feel overwhelming and sometimes it feels almost like I’ve blacked out.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: And so it’s fun to go back and listen to the interviews and really listen to what they’re saying and take it in a second time. So that can be really fun. And sometimes if we have a really, really good time on an episode, I’ll listen back just ’cause I think it’s cute.

Caroline: Yeah. Same. Yeah. Once in a while I’ll, I’ll listen. But yeah, usually I’m like, “I was there.”

Helen: Yeah. I remember. Well, and that kind of brings us into our next question, which is, you know, we’ve said on the show previously that we cringe a bit thinking about people listening to the really early episodes of Love To Sew, going all the way back to the beginning, and what about them makes us feel that way? Feel the cringe? And for me it’s definitely the listening-to-your-own-voice feeling. It’s like listening to yourself on a voicemail or a voice memo, any kind of recording of your voice. It’s always a bit surreal and it feels almost like a stranger. You’re like, I, who is that person? I don’t, that’s not me.

Caroline: Yeah. And a lot of like, why did I say it like that?

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: You know?

Helen: Yeah. So I still feel that when I’m listening to the show sometimes, but I think that’s just natural. Everybody, you know, kind of feels awkward about the way they sound.

Caroline: Yeah. For me, I think, especially with the early episodes, I feel a little cringey just ’cause it was such a long time ago. Like, we were baby podcasters, you know? We were a little bit less experienced. I think another part of it is that we edited the show back then ourselves. So, like, I am intimately acquainted with those early episodes because we would trade off and each edit an episode. And I just remember all the things I had to cut. Every um, every breath, every cough, like, every single tiny detail of those episodes. And so, yeah, I’m like, I don’t need to listen to that again. I just remember how long I spent editing them.

Helen: Oh yeah, you can get really stuck in the weeds when you’re editing your own recording and try to take out every little thing. I think I, I feel similarly cringe about the first few episodes ’cause we were so young. But that feeling is fading as time goes on because, now, almost a decade later, it’s starting to feel like this beautiful time capsule of our lives back then. And it’s feeling less embarrassing and more just like, wow, like we did that. Like that’s, it’s incredible. We put ourselves out there in this way and I’m just, I’m more proud than I am cringe, you know?

Caroline: I hear you. When I was thinking about this question, I was reflecting on, like, when we started the show, I was in my third year of business. I had just hired my first employee. I had just moved into my first office. Like, so many big milestones were happening. And part of me does kind of wanna go back and listen to some of those early episodes to just hear… We used to also do a lot of catch up at the beginning of the show, remember? Before we had our bonus episodes. So just hearing about, like, what was going on with me back then, I feel like that would be kind of fun. So.

Helen: Well, sometimes we get emails from listeners who are back in those early episodes and they’ll write us to say, “I just listened to an episode where you talked about moving into your new office and now you have a warehouse.” And that’s amazing. And it’s so sweet to receive those messages of people being like, “Wow, you’ve really accomplished a lot. I’m listening to you talking about it, and here you are. That’s amazing.” And they feel the need to reach out and tell us about it, which is really cool.

Caroline: Yeah. Even you moving to Vancouver Island, like, that was six years ago. We talked about that on the show. Like, I can’t believe that was six years ago. Yeah.

Helen: Time flies.

Caroline: Time flies. So, we learn a lot when we are prepping episodes. Helen, I wonder what topic had the info that surprised you the most?

Helen: Ooh, okay. This was kind of a tough one. I was scrolling back through, and there’s so many episodes that we’ve learned a lot from, but I would say, generally, the fabric deep dives for me have been the most informative. It’s an area that I don’t know a ton about, and learning about the process, making fabric, manufacturing fabric, all of the different steps involved, it’s kind of mind-blowing and it’s been really cool to research for those episodes and watch videos about the fabric manufacturing process and learning a bit more about that has been really eye-opening.

Caroline: Yeah. I really like the fabric episodes, too. And even I, as a fabric shop owner, learn a lot in those episodes. For me, Projector Sewing, this is a more recent one, but I had no idea how it all worked. So it was really fun to dive into that and interesting to learn about it. And, yeah, I mean, I’m still not a projector sewist, but it’s probably something that I wouldn’t have delved into unless, you know, we had the show. So I thought that was kind of surprising and interesting. And then I also wanted to shout out Rose Parr and Sewing Ergonomics because I think about that episode a lot. Like when I’m in my sewing room, I’m like, “Get up, walk to the ironing board, don’t wheel over, do the shoulder stretch.” You know, like, there’s certain things that I really try to incorporate that I had no idea about before, really. I mean, obviously, you know, you know, stretch when you’re sewing, don’t be the, like, gremlin at the sewing machine for hours and hours. But putting that into practice and having some, like, concrete ways to kind of make sure that you are moving correctly and stretching and all of that has been really helpful.

Helen: That’s a good one, for sure. Okay. What about guests? Which guest were you the most nervous to interview, Caroline?

Caroline: Okay. This is, like, a throwback ’cause I feel like we’ve talked about this before, but Gretchen Rubin was, I was so…remember, we were so nervous?

Helen: We were so nervous. And it wasn’t anything to do with her, really, ’cause she’s a professional podcaster. She’s lovely to chat to. She’s absolutely amazing. But we were pretty early on in our podcast career at that point, and we just never thought we would interview somebody like her. And it was, it felt really, really crazy at the time, I remember.

Caroline: More recently, though, Patrick Grant.

Helen: That was my answer. Yeah. I was really nervous. Not, again, lovely man. And, yeah, he was so great, but we were so nervous. And remember, he was, I’m not trying to throw him under the bus, but he was late for the interview and he, like, called us from his car.

Caroline: Yeah, there was traffic.

Helen: And it was like, he was trying to get home in time to do it, and he was so apologetic and we were like, “It’s fine.”

Caroline: We were like, “You’re Patrick Grant, you can do anything. We’ll be fine with it.” Often, like, I’ll feel, I feel nervous before almost every guest interview, no matter who it is. Like, you know, this is the most nervous, but I still get anxious and heart racy before we do our interviews. It’s a lot of pressure. We wanna do right by our guests. We wanna have a smooth interview, we want them to feel good. But usually I would say, like, 99.9% of the time, afterwards we’re like, “That was great. Whew. Like, no problem.” Right? I feel like we always feel good about it after.

Helen: I do. And I always feel so lucky to have had the chance to talk to people for that amount of time and to discuss everything that they’ve accomplished in their life. Like, it’s just so fun to interview somebody. It’s a really unique opportunity to get to know somebody. And afterwards, I always have a bit of like a, a body high.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Like I’m just, like, really excited and I rush to tell Sam all about the interview and it’s a wonderful feeling. So it’s a real rollercoaster of anxiety beforehand and then flying high after.

Caroline: Mmhmm. Yeah, I agree. This is a fun question. We did a TNT pattern episode six years ago and I feel like our tried and true patterns have changed, for sure. I can pretty much guarantee I would’ve been going on and on about the Mandy Boat Tee. Uh, she was my girl back then.

Helen: Mandy Boat Tee and the Morgan Jeans, I remember, too, were on your list. Yeah.

Caroline: What were yours? Do you remember?

Helen: Mostly my own patterns. And I am sorry to say that it’s still the same now, not the same patterns, but I just, like, wasn’t sewing a ton of other people’s patterns at that time and I’m still not. I mostly just use my own patterns, but I think I had, like, Ashton Top and Blackwood Cardigan on there and then now I’m like, Cameron Button Up, June Pants, Tofino Top. Some of ’em are recent ones that we’ve released, are more of my TNTs now. My style has definitely evolved a lot. So of course your TNT patterns are gonna change over time.

Caroline: Yeah, same. Mine would definitely be Nicole and Carrie, are two knit tops at BF Patterns. June Pants is on my list, too. I love my June Pants. I’ve made a few pairs. I have more on my to-sew list. The Nikko Top. I don’t know if I would’ve mentioned that in the last one, but I feel like I’ve been making the Nikko Top for years and years and I still love it. I love, I still love wearing some of my OG Nikko tops. And then the Clo Bias Cut Skirt from Soften Studio. That is a TNT for me. I have two or three of them now. And again, I need to make more this summer. I love wearing that skirt. It’s so simple. Such a quick sew. It feels so good. It’s comfortable, but it’s chic. I love it. It’s a great pattern.

Helen: Oh yeah. It is so cute. Yeah. That made me think of when we did our Vests episode and I made the Quinn Vest. And I wear both those Quinn Vests all the time and I really wanna make like eight more. So, although I’ve only made it twice, I’m gonna put it on my TNT list.

Caroline: Yeah. Are there any gadgets or notions that you discovered through making the podcast that are must-haves for you nowadays?

Helen: Ooh, okay. The ones I thought of were: when we interviewed Saremy Duffy and she talked about using her awl for more than just poking holes in fabric, or a stiletto, some people call it, or have something similar. It’s just like a long pokey metal thing.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: And you can use it for getting in really close to your sewing foot if you’re doing something fiddly. And I do that sometimes if I’m, like, really trying to, like, get in there and I’m like, “Okay, this is a moment where I’m gonna sew through my finger. I can feel it.”

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: And so I get my awl out and I’m, like, using that instead, to save my little fingies. So that’s been a good one. And then, also, when we interviewed David Paige Coffin about shirtmaking and he talked about using the hemostat. Do you remember that?

Caroline: Yes. I almost put that one down. Oh! The hemostat.

Helen: It’s so great. You, you can, it’s like a long pair of tweezers with, like, a little bent end. You might have them for, like, your serger kit, or sewing machine kits sometimes have them for pulling threads. And you can use that for turning your collars inside out and, like, folding the corner of the collar perfectly, to turn it right side out without having to trim the corner. And that’s definitely become my go-to way to do collars. So thank you, David.

Caroline: Yeah. Thank you, David. My favourite snips in my sewing room, the ones that I reach for all the time, were a gift from a listener and I wish I knew their name. I’m so sorry. If you sent us these, please email us so we can shout you out on the show. ‘Cause you have a pair of these too, right, Helen?

Helen: I do, they’re so great.

Caroline: So it’s the Clauss five inch thread snips. It’s these little red scissors. We’ll link them up in the show notes. But they’re just the perfect size. They’re so sharp. They’re red, so they’re easy to find.

Helen: That’s true.

Caroline: I just love them. I use them every single time I sew, so.

Helen: Wait, do you have them there in front of you? Did you bring them to the recording?

Caroline: I’m literally holding them. Yes. How gorgeous are these?

Helen: You’re so cute. They are so gorgeous.

Caroline: Yeah. I’m holding them right now.

Helen: Yeah. And they have a little finger loop thing that you can also, like, put around your neck if you wanna hang them around your neck.

Caroline: Yeah. Which is a crazy thing to do.

Helen: I know, especially with open scissors like that. I’ve never been a neck scissor wearer.

Caroline: No, I’m too scared. I have too many folds in my body. Like, too many rolls that these, like, little pokey things can get stuck in.

Helen: Yeah. Oh my gosh. So true.

Caroline: Uh, yes. A couple other ones that I wrote down, not necessarily things that were discovered through the podcast. They might have been, but I don’t fully remember, but more just things that have added to my sewing tool arsenal since we started making the show. So the Clover Bias Tape Maker, not the whole, like, Simplicity Bias Tape Maker machine, but those little metal bias tape makers that you can get in different sizes that just help you to fold the bias tape. And you can sort of run it through as you’re ironing at your ironing board. Those I use a lot. Anytime I need to make bias tape, unless I’m making a ton of it, I’ll pull one of those out. We sell them at Blackbird. They’re great. And then: clips. I never used sewing clips before and in the last few years I just, I love a sewing clip, a little Wonder Clip.

Helen: I know. Me too. I just posted a video about this not long ago and, like, whether people were pin people or clip converts.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Because I’m such a clip convert. Like, I still use pins, of course. There’s lots of situations where a pin is better than a clip, but my default now is clips and then pins are like my specialty tool, which is a real shift for me. But I do love a clip. They’re so fun.

Caroline: Yeah, I love them too.

Helen: Okay. Caroline, what are some of the coolest experiences that you’ve had because of Love to Sew?

Caroline: Okay. I put down traveling together, like getting to go to New York together. We’ve been to Stratford, Ontario together. Montreal. Portland. Those have all been really fun trips and I feel like we wouldn’t have done them if it wasn’t for the show. And then, like, meeting listeners randomly is also really crazy.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: And I love it. Like when we get recognized, I’ve been recognized in really random places, like, different, like, Gulf Islands where it’s like, there’s not that many people on this island. And what are the chances that I’m, like, sitting down for lunch at this little restaurant and someone is like, “Are you Caroline from Love to Sew?” Like, that has been so fun and so cool and always kind of trippy, but I love it. That part has been cool. And then, of course, like, getting to connect with the community. I feel like we’re in this, like, really cool, fortunate position where we get to be able to do that, to connect with guests and listeners. And it’s not really like anything else, so.

Helen: Yeah, it is really special. And, like, those trips that we did, most of them were for events of some kind. We’ve done meetups, we’ve done Stitchfest down in Portland. We went to Pattern Review Weekend together. And in all those situations we got to meet and interact with so many community members and connect with people in person. And that has been so much fun. I agree. The traveling has been amazing. And the opportunity to meet people. And even if you’re traveling somewhere and you wanna get some tips about what to see there, you can just put it out there on Patreon and somebody will hook you up. It’s amazing.

Caroline: I know, I know. It’s crazy. I love it. Helen, what’s the most annoying thing about being a public figure?

Helen: I am laughing at “public figure” ‘cause that feels like a stretch to me.

Caroline: Yeah, we are not public figures.

Helen: My dad likes to say I am a “sew-lebrity,” which feels slightly more accurate. Very, very, very niche known person.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: But I mean, I do have a business that’s named after me. Um, and I’m the face of it. And that does bring challenges when you’re running a business. And I think it’s not so much an annoying thing, but the thing that’s the most challenging about it, for me, is just not wanting to let people down. The pressure of putting yourself out there and not knowing what the response is gonna be does wear me down sometimes. And I have to be conscious of that and take breaks from social media and engage in my quote-unquote “actual life.”

Caroline: Yeah

Helen: Because I get a little bit sucked up in the business and the sewing community sometimes and I just need to, like, take breaks and step back at times. And that can also feel bad. And it is a balancing act, for sure. So yeah, there’s challenges, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I love, like you said, when people recognize me, I love getting emails from listeners and customers who feel a connection with me and that is a beautiful thing, so I definitely wouldn’t change it.

Caroline: Yeah, I’m gonna agree with everything you’ve said on that one.

Helen: Yeah. You always wanna put your best foot forward and like…

Caroline: And also, LOL. We’re not public figures.

Helen: No. It’s true. Thank goodness, too. I wouldn’t wanna be more famous than this, I’ll tell you that.

Caroline: Yeah, absolutely. I’m not cut out for that. Do you have an episode that you are most proud of?

Helen: Ooh. Not a single one, but I think the episodes that I feel most proud of are probably, like, our community episodes and, like, sharing our listeners’ perspectives on things, especially the more touchy-feely ones, like Sewing Love Letters, or Why Do We Sew, and just getting the opportunity to share other people’s stories and hear what motivates them to sew and the people in their life who have influenced them in their sewing. It’s always really inspiring and really beautiful. So probably those ones.

Caroline: Yeah, I feel similarly. I wrote Sewing Makes You Love Yourself because I feel like we were so vulnerable in that episode. It is one that I don’t know that I can go back and listen to again.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: But it’s also one that I feel like a lot of people bring up when we meet them in person as an episode that really resonated with them, uh, or made them feel seen. And I know at the time when we recorded it, it was a vulnerable episode for us. So yeah, I think that I’m proud of that. I’m proud that we made that episode.

Helen: Yeah. Really opening up about your deepest, darkest insecurities in public is very terrifying. But it’s proof that that vulnerability is what connects people because, like you said, people bring it up and they feel a connection because you were vulnerable with them, and that’s really amazing.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Okay. Caroline, why don’t we do some questions about our personal sewing journeys and fun sewing questions?

Caroline: Yes. Okay. This is gonna be fun. Helen, is there a sewing project that 2017-you would be shocked that 2026-you has accomplished?

Helen: Definitely all of the quilts I’ve made, every single one. I feel like my past self would be shocked. I never thought I would get into quilting. I just had it in my head that it wasn’t for me until I tried it and then, lo and behold, loved it. So you just never know where this sewing journey’s gonna take you.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: How about you, Caroline?

Caroline: A hundred percent my wedding dress. I’m pretty sure I said on the show in the early days that I would never make my wedding dress. I definitely told people that I’d never make my wedding dress. So yeah, I’m really proud that I did that. I’m kind of shocked that I decided to go ahead and do that, so, yeah.

Helen: I’m so glad you did. It was so beautiful and such a wonderful sewing experience, too, to have under your belt.

Caroline: I know. And I’m so excited to see your wedding dress!

Helen: Ooh, I know. Me too.

Caroline: You’re in the thick of it right now.

Helen: I am. I am. And the thick is thick.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: No, it’s great. I am enjoying the process, but it is, it’s a big project and there’s a lot of pressure on it, so it, it’s challenging in many, many ways.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Okay. What about a dream sewing project that you would like to do one day? We ask our guests this question sometimes, so I’m curious if you have one.

Caroline: This one’s hard because I, I’ve made a lot of cool things over the years that I’m really proud of. A thing that I feels, like, insurmountable, but I also, I know I can do it, is I really want to finish a king size quilt for my bed, my bedroom. So, I’m gonna put that out in the world. I know I’ve, like, talked about wanting to make quilts. I should probably not start with a king size quilt. I probably won’t. But eventually, I really wanna make a beautiful king size quilt, so. And finish it. ‘Cause I’ve been known to do a, make a quilt top and then never finish it. Never finish the quilt.

Helen: Could you just take that quilt top and, like, add a bunch of borders to it to make it bigger, and then just go with that?

Caroline: No, no. I’m over them. I’m over, I’m over it.

Helen: You want the dream vision. I appreciate that. You can do it.

Caroline: What about you?

Helen: I feel similarly, that I’ve made so many things and often just make whatever I feel like making. But the thing that did come to mind for me is, like, a long, fitted wool coat…

Caroline: Ooh, yes!

Helen: With a lining, and I want it to be, like, fitted in the bust and then, you know, and the waist and then kind of a bit of a flare at the bottom, like the kind of coat that somebody would wear whilst riding a horse. I want it to be dramatic. I want it to be impractical.

Caroline: I feel like By Hand London has a really great, uh, like, full, is that the Rumana coat?

Helen: Yeah, the Rumana Coat has been on my sewing list for a long time. It’s probably the pattern I would use for this, but exactly that kind of vibe.

Caroline: Totally. Yeah, that’s a great one.

Helen: That would be so fun.

Caroline: Do you have a city that you would love to go fabric shopping in?

Helen: Probably like Delhi or Mumbai. All the gorgeous cotton block prints. It would be so incredible to fabric shop in India. How about you?

Caroline: Oh, Tokyo.

Helen: Ooh, yeah.

Caroline: Yeah. The Nippori Fabric District is supposed to be incredible and Japanese fabrics are just so beautiful and high-quality and, like, it would just be such a dream. It’s like a whole neighborhood just devoted to textiles. So yeah, I would love it. Someday I would love to go to Tokyo.

Helen: Ooh, I see this in your future.

Caroline: Yep. I think I could do it. Alright, so in an early episode, Helen, if you can believe it, you said that you would never make a quilt and I said that I would never make a bag and you now have a business around quilts and, honestly, I have a business around the Bestie Bag.

Helen: It is true. It’s so true.

Caroline: Our most popular pattern, our first pattern. So tell us what you would never make now, so that we’ll know exactly what you’re going to be doing in nine years.

Helen: Oh my gosh. It’s so funny that we both said that and, I mean, I’m not surprised in some ways ’cause I do remember being, like I said, adamant that quilting was not for me. But I’m trying to think of a sewing-adjacent thing that I wouldn’t do. Like, I probably wouldn’t get into, like, upholstering furniture.

Caroline: Okay. I put the same thing.

Helen: Is this the final frontier of sewing?

Caroline: I’m never upholstering a couch. I’m never doing it.

Helen: But you have upholstered, ’cause you’ve done chairs and benches and…

Caroline: Yeah. But that’s like, I do easy stuff where it’s like, you’re wrapping fabric and you’re stapling it on the back, you know? But like, a fully upholstered couch?

Helen: That’s true. It’s a whole other skillset. I, you’d have to learn so many things. I don’t think I’m interested, but now I feel like I can’t trust myself at all, so.

Caroline: I also put, and this is, I don’t know if this counts because I have made this before, but I’ve kind of lost interest in making this ever again, and that is: a bra.

Helen: Oh, yeah.

Caroline: I got really into bra making and, like, absolutely no shade to people who love bra making. I think it’s amazing that you can make your own bra. But it’s fiddly. I feel like the fit has never quite worked for me. I don’t, I don’t know. I just, I can’t be bothered anymore.

Helen: There’s a lot of hurdles, yeah, but it can be really freeing if you struggle to find underwear that fits properly. I’ve moved on completely from underwire bras, so I can’t see myself ever sewing one again. But I could see myself sewing bralettes, so I wouldn’t rule it out, you know?

Caroline: Yeah. I don’t know.

Helen: You’re like, “I got bigger sewing fish to fry, I’m not gonna make my underwear anymore.”

Caroline: Yeah. I gotta make my king size quilt. It’s gonna take me 10 years, probably.

Helen: All right. This is slightly more touchy-feely and less about our personal sewing, but: thinking about the online sewing community and how many different phases and movements and different directions it’s taken since we started podcasting, what direction would you like to see the sewing community going into the future?

Caroline: I have a very simple answer, and it might be obvious, but I just wanna see even more size inclusivity. I still, not infrequently, find patterns that I love that don’t come in my size.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: And it’s such a bummer. It’s such a bummer. And I just think it needs to be the new normal that folks are making size inclusive patterns. And it, we have come a long way in the sewing community,

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: But we could go even further.

Helen: Yeah, a hundred percent. We actually have an episode coming out next week with Leila Kelleher of Muna and Broad, and we’re gonna be chatting with her about size inclusive drafting and patterns and the fashion industry. And that is gonna be really interesting. So I think we do need to continue pushing for this. ‘Cause we’re seeing backsliding in ready-to-wear and…

Caroline: Ugh, yeah. Devastating. It’s devastating. Yeah. What about you?

Helen: Okay. I said in person, because…

Caroline: Ooh, okay.

Helen: As much as I love the online sewing community, it’s becoming harder and harder to connect online. And thank goodness for things like Threadloop and these more, you know, designated communities where people are chatting about sewing, not necessarily on the mass scale of social media, but I think in-person connection is gonna become increasingly important to making the sewing community thrive and grow. And you know, I’m talking about local events, guilds, maker spaces, brick-and-mortar fabric stores. You know, we lost Joann’s and that was a huge loss for a lot of people. Having fabric stores opening that can fill that hole that are independently owned and also a place for people to gather. I just think that there’s still a lot of opportunity for in-person connection. And I know you’ve been, at Blackbird, experimenting with this more, too, with in-person shopping days and inviting people into the store. And I feel that that is the direction that people are craving, you know?

Caroline: No, it’s totally in line with what I’ve been craving. And we’ve loved doing our in-person shopping events and I want to continue to do them for the foreseeable future and I love meeting people IRL. So yeah, I totally agree. More in-person stuff.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: I’d love to know what our listeners think about this, too. Send us a message, send us an email.

Helen: We’ll prompt. Yeah, we’ll prompt on socials because I think it’d be really cool to see what people have to say and try to implement some of the suggestions.

Caroline: Mmhmm.

Helen: Okay, let’s play some games. I wanna play some games. Let’s play some games.

Caroline: Let’s play some games. We have a couple really fun games lined up that Lisa, our assistant, prepped for us. The first one is Would You Rather: Sewing Edition.

Helen: I love this. Okay, Caroline, would you rather give up your serger or your rotary cutter?

Caroline: No brainer. Rotary cutter. Bury me with my serger.

Helen: Oh my gosh. Okay, I’m going, I’m going serger. I don’t think I could give up my rotary cutter.

Caroline: No! Helen!

Helen: I love my rotary cutter. I use it for everything. I cut out patterns with my rotary cutter. I cut out fabric with my rotary cutter. I am always zipping around with that rotary cutter. I can’t imagine cutting out a quilt without a rotary cutter. Oh, just, no. No.

Caroline: Uh, yeah. No, I, no, I’ll do scissors. I can’t. I love my serger.

Helen: I am happy to flat fell a seam to keep my rotary cutter.

Caroline: No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Helen: Okay, well, good. I’m glad we were divided on that one.

Caroline: Would you rather sew an invisible zipper or a welt pocket?

Helen: Oh, invisible zipper.

Caroline: I agree.

Helen: Yeah, sometimes I can get into a welt pocket. It’s just stressful.

Caroline: It’s so stressful.

Helen: Like, “Cut into your project.” No, thank you. You know, invisible zipper, at least you can go back, fix it.

Caroline: Yeah. A welt pocket can’t be undone. It can’t be undone. Yeah.

Helen: Would you rather hand sew an entire garment or do a rolled hem on 10 yards of chiffon?

Caroline: Okay. Clarifying question: is this a hand sewn rolled hem? Or is this a machine sewn?

Helen: Oh no, I was assuming a machine sewn rolled hem and then that the garment doesn’t have to be made of chiffon or anything. You know, just hand sewn an entire garment of your choice.

Caroline: Ooh. Okay. I think hand sew an entire garment. ‘Cause I actually think that would be fun. And I, I would love to do that someday. But I’m not, like, I’m not mad at 10 yards of chiffon rolled hem. Like, I think that could also be fun.

Helen: If you had that rolled hem, rolled hem foot, you’d be good.

Caroline: Yeah, exactly. If I had that rolled hem foot that we talked about on the show, I think I’d be golden. I did do a lot of rolled hems in college.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: It’s like riding a bike, you know?

Helen: I have not done a lot of rolled hems. I don’t feel super confident. I have not worked with chiffon very much. And I agree that I think hand sewing an entire garment would be pretty fun. I’ve often thought about, you know, bringing something like that on a plane, for example, and just, like, taking my sewing with me in different situations and just hand sewing like an Ashton Top or something. I think that could be really cool. So I would like to do that.

Caroline: Yeah. this is making me think of when I brought embroidery on the plane ride to Portland and I feel like it was kind of turbulent or like…

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Like, like I just remember, like, shaking….like, my hands, like, going, as I was trying to embroider these tiny little flowers.

Helen: I remember.

Caroline: And it really wasn’t working, but I was so determined. So the situation has to be correct. You know?

Helen: You need a smooth ride.

Caroline: Yeah. Helen, would you rather take a sewing retreat to a sunny beach or a cozy cabin in the woods?

Helen: Ooh, I gotta go cozy cabin. I love me a sunny beach, but a sunny beach, to me, is like, I just wanna be lounging and swimming, whereas a cozy cabin screams all day sewing marathon. So, yeah.

Caroline: I agree. Yeah. Cozy cabin all the way.

Helen: Would you rather make a formal gown for an award show or an elaborate costume for a convention?

Caroline: I’m going formal gown.

Helen: Yeah, I thought you would. I could see it. I’m going elaborate costume, obviously.

Caroline: I knew you would.

Helen: That would be so fun. I’m not, like, I haven’t been to, ever been to, like, a big convention like Comic-Con or something like that. But I mean, the level of artistry involved in the costumes for these events is insane and so incredible, like just mind-blowing. So it would be really fun to go and it would be really fun to make a cool costume for that.

Caroline: Yeah. Would you rather sew a quilt on a tight timeline or only sew one garment a year?

Helen: Uh, a quilt, obviously. I could sew a quilt on a tight timeline. Don’t threaten me with a good time.

Caroline: Yeah, I mean, I would literally do anything except only sew one garment a year. That’s simply not enough.

Helen: I guess if it was like your elaborate awards show gown, maybe it could take you a year.

Caroline: I don’t know.

Helen: You could milk that.

Caroline: Yeah, I’d need the palate cleanser, though. I need to whip up a little knit top or something, you know? In between steps. No, I would actually, I think I could and would sew a quilt on a tight timeline. Even though I don’t quilt. I’m like, I’ll do it.

Helen: Also, a quilt can be any size, so if you want to just make a little snack mat…

Caroline: Yeah, a little baby quilt. Yeah. I’m like, I’ll probably do that anyway, at some point.

Helen: We found a loophole.

Caroline: Yeah. Alright. That was fun.

Helen: Yes. Okay, we have one more game, and this game is called Who Said It? We’re gonna read a quote from an episode of Love to Sew and then we’re gonna guess which guest or host said it.

Caroline: Okay. This is gonna be hard. We’ve interviewed so many people over the years, Helen.

Helen: I know, I think, a prediction: we’re not gonna get any of these.

Caroline: I know. And so, we haven’t obviously seen the answers, but we are gonna reveal them after we answer, so, okay. So the first quote is, “I am huge into housecoats. Like, I will throw on a housecoat in a heartbeat.”

Helen: Part of me thinks this is me, but I, I’m gonna go Terrance Williams because he is always wearing those beautiful dusters and I feel like, potentially, it could be him. What about you?

Caroline: Oh my gosh. Okay. I was gonna say you.

Helen: I do love a house coat.

Caroline: It could also be me, but you just, I mean, you’ve had so many house coats over the years. You’ve had patterns for house coats. I think it’s you.

Helen: Okay, should we reveal?

Caroline: Yeah, let’s do it.

Helen: Oh, Sewrena?

Caroline: Oh, Sewrena! Of course. That makes sense.

Helen: Yes.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Because we were talking with her about her style and what she, does she wear it at home, like, the full getup, and she was talking about how much she loves loungewear as well as her beautiful outfits. So this makes a lot of sense.

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Okay, next quote. “I don’t sew Christmas gifts.”

Caroline: Okay. This has to be me.

Helen: This has to be you. Right? It has to be. This is so you. Okay, ready?

Caroline: Okay. Yeah, Yeah, yeah.

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: Yes!

Helen: Nailed it.

Caroline: I love this reputation. It’s perfect. I still don’t sew Christmas gifts, although I have, I will say, I’ve, I’ve sewn a Christmas gift or two. I don’t know when I said this, but yeah, as a policy, this is not something I like to do. Okay. The next one is, “I’m the softest-palmed cowboy you’ll ever see.” Come on, on three, Helen. 1, 2, 3…Cornelius! Come on.

Helen: Oh, I’m sorry. I was like, I cannot think of anyone who would say this.

Caroline: Really? It’s Cornelius Quiring, of course!

Helen: Of course. That makes so much sense. Of course. Amazing. Okay, next one. “But it is, you know, this is, I say, I’d be happy in a garret, you know, give me a garrett and a candle, a spool of thread, a needle. I’m good. I’m fine. I’d be perfect in the 17th century. My harpsichord and my sewing supplies. It’d be great.”

Caroline: Okay. I think this is Bernadette Banner.

Helen: Yeah, it has to be, right?

Caroline: It has to be Bernadette Banner. Yeah.

Helen: Oh, Susah Khalje!

Caroline: Oh, Susan Khalje! Okay. Okay. I stand corrected.

Helen: Love it.

Caroline: Okay. “I love octopuses, and I loved them before the Octopus Teacher came out.”

Helen: This is me.

Caroline: This is you?

Helen: Yeah, I remember saying this. I remember getting flack for saying “octopuses” instead of “octopi.” Corrected.

Caroline: Oh no, you’re scarred. It’s you.

Helen: So don’t remind me. I got it now. No, it’s true. And I still love octopuses.

Caroline: Yeah. Oh my gosh. Okay.

Helen: All right, next quote. “Well, one thing to remember is that the people who are truly not good at it are not anywhere near it cause they don’t even, they don’t even try. Like, they’re not even trying to sew or do a holiday decoration or whatever. Like, they’re not even in the game at all. So you’re already, just by the fact that you’re doing it, you’re, like, already at the tippy top.”

Caroline: Okay. I wanna say this is Elise. Elise Cripe. But I’m not sure. I think a lot of our guests could have said this.

Helen: It’s such a great quote. I wish it was me, but I know it’s not. I’m gonna go Alexia Abegg.

Caroline: Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Ready?

Helen: Yeah,

Caroline: Gretchen Rubin! Our fave.

Helen: Of course.

Caroline: This makes sense. Yeah.

Helen: It makes sense. I feel like I can remember her saying this now and being very impressed with it at the time. The sentiment is so real. Like, don’t be afraid to try because, even if you just try doing something, you’re already at the tippy top of people doing that thing. Most people just aren’t even doing it.

Caroline: Yeah, totally. Wise words. All right. The next one is, “I mean, sometimes it goes spectacularly wrong. I mean, there are a few times when things have gone really badly awry.”

Helen: Okay, so for our listeners, what we have in front of us is a document where the guest’s name is blacked out with black highlighter on black ink. And this one is so long. Like, whose name is this long?

Caroline: I know. It’s really throwing me off because I have a guess, but their name is not long.

Helen: Right? Okay. Because I feel like our guest with the longest name is probably Bhiravi Rathinasabapathi from Quilting 101, but even her name I don’t think is this long.

Caroline: Yeah. What about, um, no, because I’m like, could it be an episode? We’re just using this black, this black wall of…

Helen: We’re getting, we’re sleuthing.

Caroline: Yeah. And like, could it be one of the episodes where we had more than one guest? But I feel like it’s just one person that would’ve said it. I’m just gonna tell you what I think. Maybe this is, um, like Lisa’s trying to throw us off.

Helen: Oh, true. Okay. I also have someone in mind, so yeah, let’s hear it.

Caroline: I think potentially Wendy.

Helen: Ooh, okay, yes.

Caroline: Yeah, Wendy Liu.

Helen: Yeah, from WithWendy,

Caroline: From WithWendy.

Helen: I think it’s Jasika Nicole…

Caroline: Oh, okay.

Helen: Talking about, like, experimenting with sewing shoes and stuff, and, like, she’s such a prolific maker and I could totally see her saying sometimes things have gone really badly awry.

Caroline: Okay.

Helen: Revealing. Oh!

Caroline: Ah, Patrick Grant!

Helen: Okay. It’s really long because he’s, it says that it was in reference to talking about Sewing Bee challenges, of course. Talking a little, getting a little behind-the-scenes insight into how they pull off all those fun challenges. And I guess sometimes they do go awry.

Caroline: Yeah. Yeah. Okay. That makes a lot of sense. Whew. Okay. The next one is…

Helen: Yes, “I’m a total weirdo, and I love failure, and I think everybody else should, too.”

Caroline: This one’s hard. I don’t know.

Helen: See, this one I thought was Elise Joy, or Elise Cripe.

Caroline: Okay. You know what? You might be right on that one. I don’t even have an answer for this. I don’t know.

Helen: You have to guess somebody.

Caroline: Ah, okay. What about Tabitha Sewer, because remember she was talking so much about making, like, costumes and she was so experimental with a lot of her makes? feel like it could be Tabitha.

Helen: Totally.

Caroline: I don’t know. Who is it?

Helen: Ah, Maressa Fernandez.

Caroline: Of course. Maker Affirmations.

Helen: That was a fun interview. Yes.

Caroline: That was a great interview.

Helen: Oh, I’m gonna go back and listen to that one, actually. I have such fond memories of that one.

Caroline: Alright, the next one is, “I had, like, friends messaging me from, like, a nearby restaurant being like, ‘Oh my gosh. Like, the weather’s so great. Come, we’re out on this patio.’ And I’m like, ‘I can’t. I have to cut and layer, like, 20 layers of tulle circle skirt.’ I was just like, why am I doing this?”

Helen: Okay. Christine.

Caroline: Oh yes, I think you’re right. I think you’re right.

Helen: But who were you gonna say?

Caroline: I was, okay, I was gonna come back around and say Wendy again.

Helen: Like, just everyone’s Wendy. This could be Wendy, though, for sure.

Caroline: It could be Wendy. ’cause she was always making some crazy things for her YouTube.

Helen: Yeah, I think you’re right. I think you’re right. I thought Christine because, well, she’s always making all those amazing costumes, but the, the, but the wording does sound more like Wendy.

Caroline: yeah,

Helen: Ready?

Caroline: Yeah.

Helen: Yeah, you’re right.

Caroline: Oh, it is Wendy. Okay. At least I was right one time about Wendy.

Helen: That’s true. Vindicated.

Caroline: Yeah. Oh, that was really fun. I wanna do that more.

Helen: That was fun.

Caroline: Let’s have a little segment on every episode. “Guess who said it?” Um, I think we did pretty decently well. No?

Helen: Yes. I mean, not bad. We got our own ones right. That counts for something.

Caroline: We got our own ones right. Yeah. I love it. You love octopi and I don’t sew Christmas gifts. It’s a fact.

Helen: Except that you have sewn Christmas gifts since then.

Caroline: I know, but at the time I didn’t.

Helen: It’s true.

Caroline: I like to be able to pull that out.

Helen: You’ve really grown as a person.

Caroline: Oh, thank you. I feel the growth. Absolutely. Oh my gosh. Okay. This has been really fun. This episode has been really fun and we’ve also had so much fun making and sharing the show with you all and the past 300 episodes. So thank you all so much. Thank you to every guest and every person who has listened, commented, reviewed, DM’d, called in, emailed or otherwise been part of the Love to Sew community. I truly cannot believe that we are celebrating 300 episodes today. It’s a huge milestone. I’m so happy to be able to reflect with you about it.

Helen: That was really special and fun and it truly is such an amazing community, the sewing community as a whole, and our Love to Sew listeners, especially. We love you so much. Thank you for supporting us over the years. It means more than we can say. It’s really a gift. So thank you, thank you, thank you. And we’re really happy to be chugging along, sharing our sewing info and tips and questions and our lives, and continuing to make the podcast. So here’s too many more episodes!

Caroline: Here’s to that. Do a little pop.

Helen: Clink!

Caroline: Oh yeah. A little clink. Clink!

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. And we’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Caroline: You can support Love to Sew and get access to bonus content by subscribing on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. You even get access to the back catalog 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: You can head to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, you can leave us a message at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428. Or send us an email at hello@lovetosewpodcast.com. We truly do love hearing from you.

Caroline: We do. And thank you to our amazing podcast team who have helped us make this happen over the years. We’re so happy to have you guys in our corner. Lisa Ruiz, our creative assistant, who really helps make the show amazing. And Jordan Moore of The Pod Cabin, our editor, who makes us sound amazing. And thank you to all of our listeners. We wouldn’t be here without you. And we will talk to you next week.

Helen: Talk to you next week.

Caroline: Bye.

Helen: Bye.

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