Megan Nielsen shares with us about her journey to becoming an indie pattern designer and her passion for sustainable sewing. We discuss how we can make changes in our sewing practice to be more kind to the earth and to each other.
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I enjoyed this episode and I so appreciate Megan’s discussion of the reality of not being able to always meet ALL the recommendations for sustainability and fair trade purchasing. My friend and I joke that we have a LONG list of “shoulds” when making a purchase (including sustainability and fair trade, but also shopping local/small, minority owned businesses, packaging, shipping, saving money, end-of-life disposal etc) and no single item can check all the boxes, so we have to choose what ones we are going to check for each purchase. It can be exhausting and draining trying to cover as many as possible, but I like to think every little bit helps.
Hi
My name is Tharine and I live in Cape Town, South Africa.
First off, thank you so much for the podcast. I love to listen to it during my drive to work and back, ‘extending’ my sewing time, when I cannot actually be in my sewing room 😉
So I just wanted to pop in to let you know what I do with my fabric scraps.
So my daughter (9) and her friends may use the fabric scrap bin to make ANYTHING for their barbies. Most of the time she is cutting and draping (not much sewing), but she loves it, and I love to see her creations and the way that she put color and print together until it is pretty enough for her. Is this not what it is really about – what you create need to be pretty enough for you!
My husbands sister is Down Syndrome. She lives in a institute where many mentally disabled people are taught skills to their ability. Woodwork, sewing, knitting, crocheting, bottling olives (they pick and grow themselves), tearing old magazines apart for recycling is part of the work they do there. They up-cycle and rework all the donations received. They have a fair twice a year where they sell their creations to be self-sustainable. I send once in a while a black bag or two of my fabric scraps to them. Seeing some of my left-over fabric in the stunning quilts made is wonderful.
Just thought to share this – maybe there is places like that nearby some of the fellow-listeners.
All the best
xx
Tharine
instagram: sewnbytharine
PS Today I am wearing my first try of the Eliot Sweater! Awesome pattern!