Latest Episode
The Decade Project: 5 Lessons So Far
The decade project is Sarai's challenge to sew 5 garments to wear for the next 10 years. It's taught her 5 key things about designing clothing for longevity, and they're all things you can apply to your own sewing.
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Episode 65
The Decade Project: 5 Lessons So Far
The decade project is Sarai's challenge to sew 5 garments to wear for the next 10 years. It's taught her 5 key things about designing clothing for longevity, and they're all things you can apply to your own sewing.
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Episode 64
What's Your Learning Style?
There are 2 different approaches to learning—the ambitious learner and the cautious learner. On today's episode of the podcast, we talk about how to identify which type you are, what the benefits and pitfalls are, and how to learn from the other.
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Episode 63
How to Build Your Sewing Skills Intentionally
In this episode, Sarai and Haley talk about how you can build up your sewing skills intentionally while making things you still love.
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Episode 62
How Blackbird Fabrics Came To Be, With Caroline Somos
Caroline didn't set out to open one of the most successful online fabric shops in the sewing community, but she always knew sewing would be a part of her journey. In this episode, she shares how Blackbird Fabrics came to be.
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Episode 61
Our Top Five Fitting Resources
In this episode, we round up some of our favorite fitting resources with options for every experience level and approach. We’ll talk about books, where to find fit resources online, and our brand new fitting class and free downloadable fit journal.
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Episode 60
How to Start Your Fitting Journey
When you wear something that fits, you feel empowered. In this week's podcast, we discuss some of the core principles of fitting, and how you can get started on your own fitting journey.
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Episode 59
What Are Your Fit Expectations?
Have you ever found yourself struggling to get a garment to fit? In this episode, we talk about developing a healthier mindset around fitting while still working to develop the skills and outcomes you're looking for when you sew.
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Episode 58
Cosplay is For Everyone
Why is cosplay so entrancing? Why do people want to spend a bunch of time and money to transform themselves into someone else? Hear from six cosplayers who show us how clothing connects us to each other, because we're all welcome in this craft.
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Episode 57
Semi-minimalist Sewing
In practice, minimalism can feel restrictive and even joyless, especially for a creator. So is there a middle path with minimalism? Can you be a semi-minimalist?
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Episode 56
How to Make More Time for Sewing and Creativity
This week on the podcast, Haley and I are sharing some of our own little tricks for making time for the things we enjoy, namely sewing and making. We talk about: Figuring out how much time you want to spend on creativity, Determining which activities
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Episode 55
Escaping the Cult of Efficiency
An obsession with goals, productivity, and checking things off can be really unhealthy. In this week's episode of the podcast, we explore how the Cult of Efficiency came to dominate our cultures and share 5 tips to help.
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Episode 54
Nia Kelley
In this episode, Sarai speaks to Nia Kelley. At just 36, Nia suffered a stroke that would damage about a third of her brain, making basic tasks like speech and reading difficult. The road to recovery was long. But on that journey, Nia discovered new
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Episode 53
Create Your Own Personal Sewing Challenge
After packing up and moving to a new house, Sarai decided to create a queue of 5 projects that she believes she’ll wear for at least 10 years. She’s calling it The Decade Project. Learn how to set up your own personal sewing challenge.
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Episode 52
Create a Personal Wardrobe Palette
Building a palette of colors and prints that works with your style can be challenging, especially when there are so many beautiful fabrics out there in the world! Today, some tips for thinking about color and building a palette that works for you.
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Episode 51
Going Deep with Moodboards
What exactly is a moodboard, and why would you want to create one? Today, we're talking about the goals of creating a moodboard, how they can help you to clarify your ideas and desires, and creative ideas you can use to make them more meaningful.
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Episode 50
Rediscover Your Style When Life Changes
Sometimes life throws you a curve ball; other times, you make a big change on your own; and sometimes changes accumulate over time. When that happens, exploring your personal style can help you reconnect with who you are at the present moment.
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Episode 49
Paperless Sewing Using a Projector (with Fuyo of Projectors
Have you ever wished that you could just SEW, without all the hassle of printing and assembling paper patterns? Today, Fuyo from Projectors for Sewing tells us how.
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Episode 48
What We’ve Learned From a Year of Pandemic Making
The last year and a half have been transformative for many of us. In this episode, we explore how the pandemic shaped our thoughts about making, and the lessons we've learned about the importance of craft in our lives.
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Episode 47
6 Tools We Wish We’d Bought Sooner
Are there sewing tools you wish you'd bought sooner than you did? In this episode, we discuss the six sewing tools and notions that we love so much, we wish we'd always had them in our lives.
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Episode 46
How Much Clothing Do I Really Need?
Do you ever look at your closet and wonder, how much of this stuff do I really need? In today's episode, we share some approaches to this question, and ideas we've used (or want to use) to eliminate clutter and maintain a reasonable wardrobe.
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Episode 45
Finding Your Sewing Why, Part 2
In the last episode, we explored the reasons that we sew in order to uncover our individual sewing "why." Today, we discuss how to use that "why" to make decisions with purpose and intention.
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Episode 44
Finding Your Sewing Why, Part 1
What is the real reason you sew? By understanding the "why" behind your sewing practice, you can find new ways to stay motivated, understand your sewing, and make meaningful choices about how you spend your time.
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Episode 43
Behind the Scenes: The Seamwork Philosophy
We're looking inward this week and sharing a bit about what it's like working at Seamwork. Sarai and Haley share our values and philosophy and why we're pursuing B Corp certification this year.
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Episode 42
A Rising Ruby Star
If you love fabric, you might be familiar with both Cotton + Steel and Ruby Star society. In this episode, Haley sits down with all five founding designers to talk about their creative journey, their close friendship, and what designing fabric means
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Episode 41
Why Buy Organic? (featuring Birch Fabrics)
What exactly is organic fabric? And why should you buy it? We're joined by Arleen, Director of Operations for Birch Fabric to talk about the how and why of organics, and why they focus their business on organic cotton.
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Episode 40
Taking the First Steps to Turn Your Hobby Into a Business
Ever thought about turning the hobby you love into a business? Today, we're joined by Abby Glassenberg of Craft Industry Alliance, who shares her wisdom after working with over a thousand craft businesses of all sizes.
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Episode 39
Three DIY Replacements for Disposables in the Bathroom
This month, we had an amazing article about making your own non-disposable bathroom products. Today, we'll talk through those DIY ideas to help us all reduce waste in the home while using the scraps we already have.
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Episode 38
What are the Signs of High Quality Clothing?
How do you know if a piece of clothing is high quality? And how do you build quality into the clothing that you make? In this episode, we discuss the three areas to look for quality in clothing, and what "high quality" really means for us.
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Episode 37
Creative Mending Tips and Ideas
This month, we're talking about making clothes last. In this episode, learn 10 different ways you can mend, adapt, or wear your clothes when they've gotten a little past their prime.
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Episode 36
Quick Tips to Make Paper Patterns Last
Today's episode was inspired by a video on our YouTube channel called "3 Tips to Make Paper Patterns Last". We'll share the 3 tips from that video, and also adding a few more ideas to keep your paper patterns around longer.
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Episode 35
How to Use the Rule of Three Outfits
In last week's episode, we talked about prioritizing your projects. This week, we're quickly digging into one specific technique that will help you to plan and develop an idea, and make sure it fits your wardrobe.
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Episode 34
How to Prioritize Your Projects
This week, we address a question in the Seamwork community about how to prioritize projects and prevent yourself from getting overwhelmed. We share Seamwork members' tips, and our own experiences to give you a few ideas to try.
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Episode 33
What to do When Your Hobby Feels Like a Chore
Do you ever feel a bit "meh" about sewing? We'll explore how you can tackle the creative doldrums by asking yourself a few key questions, and figuring out the right approach for you to find your way back to a hobby you love.
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Episode 32
Creativity Runs in the Family, with the Burrells
The Burrells are a tight-knit family that sews together. Patricia, Sierra, and Sone-Seerè each know how to sew, but it wasn't something that they did together—until recently. These three women tell the story of how they share this creative spark.
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Episode 31
Look for Hidden Sewing Fears
Creativity makes us feel vulnerable. Sometimes we have hidden fears around our own shortcomings, our self-image, or what other people might think. We'll talk about what some of the common fears around sewing are, and how we deal with them.
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Episode 30
Learn to Celebrate Progress
Not many of us spend a lot of time patting ourselves on the back. Let's change that! In this episode, we'll share some concrete ideas that we've found helpful to celebrate progress and stay motivated.
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Episode 29
Find Your Sewing Affirmations
What do you do when sewing frustrates you? How do you handle stress, failure, and the occasional hit to your self-esteem that comes with creating? In this episode, we'll share a tool that can help you be kinder to yourself and stay motivated to make.
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Episode 28
Ann Lowe: Big Risks for Big Dreams
Ann Lowe moved to New York with big dreams. She wanted to become a great American designer, no small feat for a Black woman from Alabama in 1928. But she held fast to her dream, taking enormous risks and facing down catastrophe to realize her talent.
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Episode 27
Where to Find Vintage and Deadstock Fabric
Have you heard the term “deadstock” applied to fabric? What does that mean? Inspired by a thread in our community, we’ll discuss the benefits and drawbacks of deadstock, vintage, and secondhand fabric. And we’ll share some favorite places to find it.
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Episode 26
Update Your Sewing Room Without Buying More Stuff
We’ve all spent more time at home in 2020, and that’s led many of us to think more about our spaces. Whether you have a tiny corner or a luxurious craft room, we’ll share 8 tips to help you organize and update your space without buying more stuff.
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Episode 25
How do I Get Rid of Clothes I've Made?
Decluttering handmade clothing is HARD. We get attached to things we’ve made with our own two hands. Learn five questions to ask yourself, and three practical tips to help you move your handmade clothes to the donation pile when it’s time.
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Episode 24
Creativity is Magic, with Christi Johnson
This is the story of a designer who listens to omens. She left a decade-long career in the fashion scenes of LA and NYC to open a textiles studio in the Catskills, where she rebuilds textiles with magic, ritual, and a deep connection to nature.
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Episode 23
Sewing Through the Generations
In this episode, we’ll hear stories from the Seamwork team about how past and future generations of sewists have impacted our sewing stories.
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Episode 22
Sewing a Legacy, the Story of Folkwear
Folkwear has been creating patterns for nearly 50 years. Despite four changes in ownership and two recessions, this women-owned business is still making patterns today.
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Episode 21
The Ways We Share
In this episode, we’ll hear stories about how we share our craft with our loved ones. We asked you about a time that you sewed for someone else.
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Episode 20
Sewing for the Body I Have Right Now, with Maggie
What would you do if your body kept changing? If you lost 30 pounds in a month or gained 90 pounds in a year? Maggie's chronic illness causes extreme changes in her body, affecting her desire to sew and her relationship to the craft she loves.
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Episode 19
Finding Unexpected Connections Through Sewing
In this episode, we’ll hear stories about how sewing connects us. We asked you the question, when has sewing helped you form unexpected connections?
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Episode 18
Daddy Dressed Me with Michael and Ava
There are a lot of stereotypes surrounding father-daughter relationships. Once Michael knew he was having a daughter, he was determined to make sure she knew how and provided a way to help express herself, and one way he does that is through sewing.
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Episode 17
Overcoming Mistakes with Creative Grit
We’ll hear stories about overcoming obstacles in our sewing and creative projects, and what approaches help us keep going.
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Episode 16
A Bright Spot in the Dark with Ashley
Sometimes you learn something about your childhood that causes you to see it in a new way. As Ashley grew up, her innocence and relationship with her mom eroded. But somehow, sewing provided that thin thread of connection that never went away.
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Episode 15
Creative Community with Kristine Vejar
Kristine Vejar is an author, natural dyer, and owner of A Verb for Keeping Warm. In 1999, she took her first trip to India. There, she met the Rabari, a small community that changed her perspective and direction for the future.
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Episode 14
Beating the Odds with Melissa Fehr
Melissa Fehr knows activewear. In 2008, she revealed something on her blog: she'd been diagnosed with a rare blood disorder. She'd need a complete bone marrow transplant. This life-changing experience eventually led her to designing patterns.
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Episode 13
Loving a person, not their gender with Marie Koupparis
In September 2015, Marie of the blog A Stitching Odyssey wrote a post called "Loving a Person, Not Their Gender" about the experience of her partner coming out as transgender. In this episode, we speak with Marie and Charlotte.
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Episode 12
The Learning Process with Joost De Cock
Have you ever wanted to just punch in your measurements somewhere and get a pattern that's drafted just for you? Joost De Cock went from sewing pillows to making his own wardrobe to creating this incredible online service in just a few years.
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Episode 11
The "head stuff" with Felicia Semple
Felicia Semple is the creator of The Craft Sessions, an incredible sewing retreat she created to help teach women to find joy and meaning - not perfection - in the practice of craft.
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Episode 10
Let's talk money with Heather Lewenza
Talking money is tough. In this episode, designer and founder of Closet Case Patterns Heather Lewenza talks about how money and spending have shaped her values and led her to a career in sewing.
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Episode 9
A Shift in Mindset with Jacqui Palhegyi
Jacqui Palhegyi is the blogger behind Birds of a Thread, a sewing and ethical fashion blog. She's always been passionate about issues of social justice. On a trip to Egypt, an encounter forever shifted what she knew about clothing.
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Episode 8
Open Up with Jennifer Wiese
Jennifer Wiese is the founder of Brooklyn Sewing Studio. In this episode, she tells the story of putting on a major sewing event, and the unexpected benefits of being open to mistakes.
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Episode 7
Design, Fame, and Villainy with Gretchen Jones
Cast as a villain on Project Runway season 8, Gretchen Jones talks about life and design after her experience after her controversial win.
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Episode 6
The Opposite of Creative Block with Leah Price
After spending ten years in what she describes as almost complete isolation, caring for her two children with special needs, Leah discovered a deep and abiding creative energy in repurposing what is unloved and wasted.
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Episode 5
A Dream of Self-Sufficiency with Morgan Meredith
From the time she was little, Morgan knew she wanted a life that she could control. But when her husband decided to join the military, she thought those dreams might be shattered.
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Episode 4
It's Worth It with Sadie Roberts of Tradlands
Sadie Roberts and her partner started their label, Tradlands, without a lot of money or experience. Hear Sadie's story of starting a US-made clothing label from the ground up, and how and why labels like hers can thrive.
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Episode 3
The Proud Sewist with Matthew Holloway
Growing up in Oklahoma, Matthew always had the sense that he wasn't "normal." As he grew up, he began to ask questions. What's wrong with being interested in "feminine" things?
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Episode 2
Making Your Own Mold with Charlie Wensley
Before she rediscovered her love of making clothes, Charlie Wensley struggled to meet expectations about the kind of person she thought she was supposed to be, culminating in a battle with post-natal depression.
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Episode 1
A Radical Change in Confidence with Jenny Rushmore
Jenny Rushmore founded Cashmerette and The Curvy Sewing Collective. She's a woman who exudes confidence in everything she does. But it wasn't always this way. Learn how Jenny overcame childhood bullying and found her voice in the sewing community.
