Making Stitches Podcast

Latest Episodes:

SEW ON THE GO with Mary Jane Baxter Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

Back in the days before Covid, when the notion of being able to pack up a camper van and do a road trip of Europe was a thing, former BBC Brussels Correspondent Mary Jane Baxter did just that. She did it in style in a 1986 Bedford Bambi van adorned with vintage wallpaper. Taking just a few possessions with her, including her hand-crank sewing machine and a collection of her own hand-made hats, she set off on a voyage of creativity and adventure calling in on former work colleagues and discovering new textile inspired destinations.
On her return from her tour of France, Belgium, Italy and Scotland, Mary Jane set about recording her travels in the form of a book; Sew on the Go. In it you find a travel journal, a number of creative craft projects you can have a go at as well as a searingly honest document of the highs and, at times, painfully lonely lows of solo traveling. From driving down a black run in the Alps (during summer) and camping next to a Cathedral in France to browsing flea markets and hosting craft pop-ups to help fund the trip, Mary Jane's account of her travels is warm, emotional and utterly inspiring.
My grateful thanks to Mary Jane for sharing her adventures with me for Making Stitches.
You can find Mary Jane's website, where you can order her book; Sew on the Go here and her Instagram account here.
For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website.
The music featured in this episode is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

FROM SEWING SCRUBS TO SEWING BEE with Adam Brooks Jul 09, 2021

Show notes

I don't know about you but this year's Great British Sewing Bee was just what the doctor ordered for me. After a spring of lockdowns, isolation, burst bubbles and home schooling, the creativity, colour and humour of GBSB was so uplifting.
The standard of the contestants this year was really high, and many of them could have gone all the way to final had it not been for one bad day when things didn't go exactly according to plan. The camaraderie of the 12 sewing competitors, the friendships you were able to witness developing and the fabulous garments that were created made it a fantastic series.
One of those contestants was Adam Brooks, an Entertainments Director on a cruise ship, who used his time during the pandemic while stuck on dry land, to get creative and reacquaint himself with his sewing machine. He created beautiful garments on the show from a stunning 1950s style button down dress to a Frida Kahlo inspired playsuit and won the transformation challenge twice! Unfortunately a child's raincoat got the better of him in week 5 and saw him saying goodbye to his fellow contestants.
I'm absolutely thrilled that Adam agreed to speak to me for Making Stitches and really grateful he shared some of his behind the scenes experiences from Sewing Bee. I hope you enjoy listening to our chat as much as I did recording it. You can find Adam on Instagram.
For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website.
The music featured in this episode is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

HOOKING A BRIGHTER FUTURE with Louise Murray from Hooked by Lou Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

So many of my guests on the podcast so far have spoken about the healing properties of their crafts, the mindfulness of repetitive stitching, be that with a sewing needle or machine, a pair of knitting needles or a crochet hook. For my guest in this episode, Louise Murray, crochet and other crafts have helped her in her journey since losing her brother suddenly four years ago.
Back on 22nd May 2017, a terrorist attack on an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena left more than 800 people injured and twenty two people lost their lives. One of those who died was Louise's brother Martyn Hett. At the time, Louise was nearing the end of her foundation year studies ahead of plans to study for a degree in Fashion Design. All that was put on hold when the tragedy struck her family so suddenly and so publicly.
Since then, Louise's love of crafts and creating helped her find a new direction and she's now crocheting full time with her business designing and making clothing and accessories called Hooked by Lou. I'm so grateful to Louise for agreeing to share her story and for speaking so openly about her experiences.
You can find Louise's work through the following links:
Hooked by Lou website
Hooked by Lou on Instagram
Hooked by Lou on Facebook
For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website.
The music featured in this episode is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

CROCHET, CHERRY BLOSSOM & FRIENDSHIP - A DAY OUT AT THE CROCHET SANCTUARY Jun 11, 2021

Show notes

I'm so happy that I've been able to bring you this latest episode of Making Stitches. Back in the spring of 2020 when I was recording my first episode of Making Stitches, I imagined that before too long, I would be able to travel to meet inspiring makers and record their stories in person. Thanks to Covid lockdowns and restrictions, that hasn't been able to happen until now. That first episode of the podcast featured two ladies, Lisa Hesketh & Lynda-Rose Simonini, the creators of The Crochet Sanctuary, and the brains behind the Pandemonium Blanket Crochet-along (or CAL) which helped hundreds of crocheters cope through that first lockdown. That interview was recorded remotely as the vast majority of the Making Stitches episodes have been, but I hoped that one day, we would get the chance to meet in person. That day came two weeks ago at the first Crochet Sanctuary day of 2021.
The Crochet Sanctuary was first launched back in 2018, after Lisa and Lynda-Rose decided they wanted to create the kind of crochet get-away that they would like to attend themselves. They focus on inclusion and making sure everyone is welcomed and feels part of the group and there is help on hand if you are usure of stitches or techniques. The reason for the sanctuary is crochet, but from my experience on the day, the true message is friendship.
I took my microphone along with my crochet hooks and met some lovely ladies. I hope this epsiode gives you a flavour of the great time I had at my first ever Crochet Sanctuary!
My thanks to Lisa & Lynda-Rose, Amanda from Mrs G Makes, Diane & Sam for speaking to me for the podcast and to all the other lovely ladies I met that day.
You can find out all about The Crochet Sanctuary here.
If you would like to vote for Making Stitches Podcast in the 'Specialist Interest' category of the Quite the Thing Media 2021 Podcast Awards, voting is open until 19th June 2021. You can vote here. You can also vote for Making Stitches in the Listener's Choice Category of the British Podcast Awards here.
For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website.
The music featured in this episode is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

GRANNY SQUARE APPRECIATION with Heather Griffith from HG Designs Crochet May 28, 2021

Show notes

Crochet can be a form of therapy for so many of us, but for Heather Griffith of HG Designs Crochet, it was through using the craft as rehabilitation after an injury, which set her off on a whole new adventure. At the time, Heather was training to be a lawyer and the repetitive movements of making granny squares helped her physically and mentally throughout her training.
It was last year though, during a period of ill health that she appealed for help to the online crochet community to buy her granny square patterns (to sustain her financially) that she decided to make the leap to crochet full-time.
Now, Heather runs a crochet design business (HG Designs Crochet) and online tuition for wannabe crochet designers (HGDC Hub) publishing work books to help designers grade their patterns and produce work which can be sold.
Heather says that far from being an overnight success, her design work has been a slow burn with her publishing YouTube videos and Instagram posts since 2017. She believes there is room in the market for plenty more crochet designers to join her, sharing their own niche of the crochet world.
You can find out more about Heather's work and her social media and YouTube channels through her website.
My sincere thanks to Heather Griffith for speaking to me for Making Stitches Podcast.
If you would like to vote for Making Stitches Podcast in the 'Specialist Interest' category of the Quite the Thing Media 2021 Podcast Awards, voting is open until 19th June 2021. You can vote here.
For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website.
The music featured in this episode is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

THE ART OF GENTLE PROTEST with Sarah Corbett from The Craftivist Collective May 14, 2021

Show notes

A chance conversation about a small embroidery project while on a long train journey led Sarah Corbett to unite her interest in craft with her passion for activism. Sarah says that at the time of that conversation, while working on a cross-stitch kit during a 5-hour-long train trip, she was feeling burned out by her job as an activist. But she realised there was a way to marry the mindfulness of stitching and other crafts with getting important messages across and supporting the under represented in society.
Sarah now single-handedly runs The Craftivist Collective and has engaged thousands of crafters from around the world (including the inspirational change-maker Malala Yousafzai) in creating their own acts of gentle protest on a range of issues from climate change to women's rights and the campaign for a living wage.
You can find out more about The Craftivist Collective and sign up to The Craftivist Collective newsletter here.
Craftivist Collective on Instagram
Craftivist Collective on Twitter
My sincere thanks to Sarah Corbett for speaking to me for Making Stitches Podcast.
For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website.
The music featured in this episode is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

THE EVOLUTION OF A CROCHETER with Rosina from Zeens & Roger Apr 30, 2021

Show notes

Specialising in bright colours and most recently items of clothing like cardigans, mittens and cowls, Rosina from Zeens and Roger is a prolific crochet designer. Based in Devon in the south west of England, Rosina balances her work and family life with creating beautiful crocheted designs, a blog and a popular YouTube channel.
Rosina was first taught to crochet by her Nan but it was only when she went on maternity leave with her eldest son, that she picked up a crochet hook again. Since her first makes for her new born child, she began designing for a wider audience several years ago and has gone on to have her work featured in a number of magazines including Inside Crochet and Mollie Makes.
You can find Rosina on Instagram, on her blog and on her YouTube channel.
For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website.
The music featured in this episode is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

STITCHED with Textile Artist, Matthew Downham Apr 16, 2021

Show notes

Welsh textile artist Matthew Downham always knew he wanted to be an artist, and when he picked up a needle and thread, he knew that was the medium for him. Matthew, who has exhibited his art in the United States, uses layers of stitches to cover teddy bears in his work. For him, the act of threading a needle and tying a knot is as much part of the art as the finished piece itself.
In this episode, Matthew shared with me his journey to becoming the artist he is today, which was interrupted by a prolonged period of anxiety. I'm very grateful to Matthew for speaking so openly about the struggles he has faced so far, and am delighted he shared his story with me.
You can find Matthew on Instagram and via his website.
For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website.
The music featured in this episode is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

FROM CHRISTMAS MAKES TO AMIGURUMI APRIL with Hayley Shelton from Dotcraftstudio Apr 02, 2021

Show notes

Hello again! Last episode we heard from Louise Armitage aka Gini's Dorset Buttons, and how a friendship blossomed between her and Hayley Shelton from Dotcraftstudio while they were competing in Kirstie's Handmade Christmas last year. Well it didn't seem right to only hear from one half of that crafty partnership, so in this episode I share the chat I had with Hayley all about her craft and her amazing end to 2020.
We know Hayley for bringing amigurumi to a national television audience in December last year as she created a beautiful reindeer head using the amigurumi crochet technique. However, she is also an accomplished illustrator and won a tv competition for her Christmas card design last year as well and her work has been shared online by the influencer Mrs Hinch.
I caught up with Hayley a few weeks ago to hear about her big tv experience, how she first got into crafting and her exciting plans for this month.
You can find Hayley on Instagram at @dotcraftstudio
For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website.
The music featured in this episode is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

KEEPING A HERITAGE CRAFT ALIVE with Gini's Dorset Buttons Mar 19, 2021

Show notes

Until I watched last year's Kirstie's Handmade Christmas (in December 2020), I had never heard of Dorset Buttons before. That was until Louise Armitage (also known as Gini) created the most beautiful picture using Dorset Buttons to depict the seasons of the year and clinched the trophy for the Handmade Decoration competition.
Dorset Buttons originated from the county of Dorset (the clue's in the name) on the south coast of England and have been around since the 1600s. They were used to fasten items of clothing in the days before mass produced machine-made buttons were available and were worn by all sections of society even royalty.
Gini first discovered the buttons as a 17-year-old student when she managed to trace a lady in Dorset, who was in her 80s at the time, and was the last of her family to practice the skill after it had been passed down through the generations. That lady agreed to teach Gini the basics on the understanding that she would keep the tradition going. Gini certainly did that when she introduced so many people to Dorset Buttons on primetime TV!
I caught up with Gini in January this year, after the excitement had died down and the flood of orders which came through in the aftermath of the TV show had been dispatched. We had a great chat about her creative journey as well as her TV experience.
You can find out more about Gini by visiting her website and Instagram page.
For full show notes for this episode, please visit the Making Stitches website.
The music featured in this episode is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

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