Making Stitches Podcast

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MAKING STITCHES PODCAST SERIES 3 TRAILER Mar 12, 2021

Show notes

Hello there! Making Stitches is coming back for a third series very soon. I can't wait so share some more fascinating conversations with inspiring makers with you. Over the next few weeks you'll be hearing chats I've had with people from the world of textile art and crochet including two TV stars and a YouTuber!
Please make sure you subscribe to Making Stitches on your favourite podcast app so you don't miss the new episodes when they come out. You can also follow Making Stitches on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter where all the latest information about episodes will be shared.
The music featured in this episode is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.
Making Stitches Podcast is recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

MAPPING THE WORLD IN TEXTILES with Janet Browne, Textile Artist Jan 22, 2021

Show notes

Hello and welcome to the twentieth episode of Making Stitches. After two episodes almost exclusively focusing on crochet, our attention is turned to textiles and textile art in particular this time. Late last year I spoke to Yorkshire-based textile artist Janet Browne about her beautiful observational work which maps journeys she has made as well as townscapes, gardens and allotments.
Like all of us, 2020 and the pandemic has seen Janet's world shrink from the freedom of long car journeys to walks around her local neighbourhood and that has had an impact on her work. She spoke to me about her work, how she wasn't able to create the work she does until this particular time in her life and how she finds inspiration everywhere - even in motorway traffic signs!
To see Janet's work, please visit her website : https://janetbrownetextiles.wordpress.com/2020/08/18/janet-browne/ or find her on Instagram
Making Stitches is going to be taking a short break, but will be back soon. Please subscribe to Making Stitches on your favourite podcast app or follow Making Stitches on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter so you don't miss the next episode.
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 recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

DOING WHAT YOU LOVE with Sara Huntington, Editor of Simply Crochet Magazine Jan 08, 2021

Show notes

Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of Making Stitches for 2021! In this episode you can hear from crochet designer and Editor of Simply Crochet Magazine Sara Huntington. Sara has been crocheting for 20 years and several years ago made a conscious decision to follow her dreams and turn her passion for her craft into her profession after juggling two jobs as well as motherhood to get there.
Sara has seen a boom in the number of people getting interested in crafts and specifically crochet in recent months and is an advocate for its benefits. In this episode she shares her creative journey and the amazing determination she had to get to where she is today. Sara also shares her experiences of the process of finding inspiring designs to fill the pages of each issue of Simply Crochet magazine.
For more information on Simply Crochet, please visit the magazine website and you can find Sara on Instagram as @crochetdeli.
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 recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

HAPPY STITCHMAS! The Making Stitches 2020 Christmas Special Dec 25, 2020

Show notes

Happy Stitchmas!
In the words of one of my guests for this Christmas Special episode '2020 has been a year like no other', not least because lockdown was responsible for setting me off on this Making Stitches podcasting journey. Back in spring as we were locked down during the first wave of the pandemic, I decided to focus some of my time on speaking to inspiring makers and telling their stories.
Since then I have spoken to people from all walks of life who enjoy yarn crafts, sewing and weaving. My guests have been from the UK, Europe and Australia so far, and in this episode for the first time, you'll hear from a maker from across the pond in Canada too. I thought a Christmas Special would give me the opportunity to look back at this year and share some of the 'Stitch Stories' listeners to the podcast have shared with me as well.
In this episode you will hear from guests from my first two episodes; Lisa Hesketh & Lynda-Rose Simonini from The Crochet Sanctuary and Eleonora Tully from Coastal Crochet as well as four 'Stitch Stories' from listeners and makers in Canada, Gibraltar and the UK. So however you are spending this festive period, hopefully you will feel as though you are among like-minded friends as you listen to this.
Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas & all the best for the year ahead. Keep safe & enjoy your crafting!
My thanks to:
Lisa Hesketh & Lynda-Rose Simonini from The Crochet Sanctuary
Eleonora Tully from Coastal Crochet
Lisa from Teal & Tangerine
Diane from Stitchscape
Rebecca from Sweet Bee Crochet
& Sarah Sheehan
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 recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

FINDING COLOUR INSPIRATION IN A LOCKDOWN VEG PATCH with Agnis Smallwood Dec 11, 2020

Show notes

This week, designer, maker, educator and weaver Agnis Smallwood speaks to me about her craft, her creative journey and how she found inspiration for her work this year among the carrots and radishes she grew in her small veg patch during lockdown. Agnis, who is based in Yorkshire, works on solo weaving projects as well as collaborations with organisations like museums. She also teaches weaving and other crafts like rag rug making and felting.
Just a few generations ago looms were a familiar sight in domestic settings giving artisans the chance to work from home. Just like the generations of weavers who have gone before her, Agnis is currently working on her loom from home which is where she spoke to me from.
You can see Agnis' work and find out about her workshops on her website.
This episode is dedicated to the memory of Anu Dent, a crocheter and a much valued supporter of Making Stitches who very sadly passed away in November 2020. My condolences go out to her family and friends.
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 recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

CREATIVITY FOR MENTAL HEALTH with Emma Jones from Vintage Sewing Box & Looking Ahead to Christmas with The Apex Singers Nov 27, 2020

Show notes

Creativity whether it's music, craft or art has long been seen as having a positive impact on mental health, and after the year we have all experienced, it's something many of us have had to focus on. This week on Making Stitches, Emma Jones from Vintage Sewing Box speaks about the benefits of focusing the mind on stitching and how that simple repetitive activity can calm the mind. Emma also discusses her love of English Paper Piecing and hand embroidery and has a truly lovely tale about a quilt dedicated to the memory of her Gran.
Also this week, as our thoughts turn towards Christmas, we hear from The Apex Singers about a special Christmas Concert they are hosting online. The young vocalist group, which is based in Manchester, launched its first album back in March just as the UK went into lockdown and is now looking forward to performing together for the first time since that launch. The singers want to share the experience with as many people as they can online.
To find out more about Emma Jones' work please check out her website: Vintage Sewing Box
You can find out about The Apex Singers here and you can buy tickets for their Christmas Concert 'Snowed in at Home' 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.
Making Stitches Podcast is recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

FROM ALPACAS TO THE 3 WISE MEN with Kerry Lord from Toft UK Nov 13, 2020

Show notes

Kerry Lord took up crochet for the first time when she went on maternity leave from her family's yarn business less than ten years ago. She watched some YouTube tutorials and created a cuddly elephant for her baby, who was still yet to be born. Little did she know back then that Bridget the Elephant would eventually go on to be made thousands of times by crocheters around the world and the book of crochet animal patterns she would go on to write would be translated into 22 different languages.
This week on Making Stitches, I have a chat with Kerry Lord, the founder of Toft and creator of more than 200 crochet patterns. Kerry has gone on to write 11 books, the most recent of which, A Partridge in a Pear Tree, has been released in time for Christmas. She told me how the business first got started and how after shaky beginnings it's become the flourishing creative hub it now is.
We chatted last week on the first day of our most recent national lockdown in the UK and just before Kerry launched the brand new Toft Christmas campaign which you can find all about on the company's 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 recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

STITCHING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GARDEN with Cathy Emmott from Dear Emma Designs Oct 30, 2020

Show notes

Many of us choose to seek a different career path after starting a family, and Cathy Emmott is no different. She took the time she spent on maternity leave with her young family to look at ways of developing her creative side rather than returning to a job in finance. After a lifetime of being creative, she dusted off her sewing machine and began creating fabric pictures inspired by her surroundings in the Yorkshire Dales. Her business 'Dear Emma Designs' was born and after initially selling her work at local craft fairs, she branched into online sales and leading workshops to pass on the skills she has learned through her craft.
I had great fun speaking to her about her craft, her inspiration, how her business has developed over the past 15 years and about her wonderful workshop in her garden where all the magic happens.
You can find Cathy on social media as 'Dear Emma Designs' and here: dear-emma.com
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 recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

CROCHET AND COMMUNITY with Jill from Gum Leaf Crochet Oct 16, 2020

Show notes

When Jill, a former nurse living on the eastern coast of Australia, joined Instagram to share her crochet makes three years ago, little did she know she would create a 14,000 strong community of like-minded people. In this episode of Making Stitches, Jill of Gum Leaf Crochet tells me all about how crochet and this online community has helped her in her 'second life' after injury and serious illness forced her to make big life changes.
You can find Jill on Instagram, Facebook and Ravelry as Gum Leaf Crochet.
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 recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

BAG MAKING WITH MRS H & YARNDALE@HOME 2020 Oct 02, 2020

Show notes

This week on Making Stitches I have two guests for you; Bag Maker Extraordinaire Samantha Hussey (otherwise known as Mrs H) and Carole Rennison from Yarndale. Last weekend saw the first ever Yarndale@home as the yarn festival was forced to go online because of the current Covid restrictions. I caught up with Carole earlier this week to find out how the new-look festival had gone.
Before that though, you will hear from Samantha Hussey of Patterns by Mrs H. A bag maker who is on a mission to share the love of her craft with anyone who wants to have a go. Her book The Complete Bag Making Masterclass is packed with tips and ideas for creating your own beautiful bags. It comes with several patterns with detailed instructions on how to make your own. In addition to that, Samantha runs bag making retreats and supports an online bag making community. She tells me all about how her bag making journey developed and why she believes she has a very special super power which helps with her designs.
You can find Samantha here: mrs-h.com
You can find Yarndale here: yarndale.co.uk
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 recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

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