Stitching Tales

About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns.

hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern)

About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator.

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From Sweden to Hawaii: How Sanna Myers built a pattern brand #106 May 05, 2026

Show notes

What does it actually take to launch a sewing pattern brand and find an audience for your creations?

In this episode, Johanna and Malena sit down with Sanna Myers from Paradise Patterns, a Swedish pattern maker now based in Hawaii, and talk through the inner workings of building a pattern brand.

They follow her path from pattern school in Sweden to experimenting with her own clothing line in Hawaii, and eventually finding her way into the indie pattern world.

They also get into what happens after that first pattern goes out into the world and does not quite land, how she used a free pattern to build real traction, and why community matters.

If you have ever wondered what goes into the patterns you sew, this is the episode for you!

Learn more about SannaParadise Patterns

@paradisepatterns

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Or contact us at our socials:

About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns.

hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern)

About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator.

Sewing Activewear book

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8 ways to sew knit necklines (none of them a neckband) #105 Apr 28, 2026

Show notes

Everyone knows the neckband. It’s the default option for finishing knit tops. But surely there must be more ways? Perhaps even better ones?

In this episode, Malena and Johanna step away from the most common knit neckline finish and explore eight alternative methods, the ones that don’t get as much attention, but are equally as good, if not better, in some circumstances.

If you’ve ever felt stuck using the same neckline over and over, or wondered why it doesn’t quite sit the way you want, this episode will give you more options and a better sense of when to use them.

Neckline tutorials

Master the Coverstitch Machine book

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Or contact us at our socials:

About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns.

hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern)

About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator.

The Tyri Tie-Neck Knit Blouse

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Pre-launch spiral & trusting the (bridal) fabric flow #104 Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

Johanna is launching a new sewing pattern after an 18-month hiatus and is a bundle of nerves. Has all the hard work of the past few months been for nothing?Malena steps in to talk her off the ledge, and together they agree that you have to play the long game. Everything we make, release, and stumble through is part of a bigger learning process.

And speaking of learning curves, Malena has been deep in the world of bridal wear lately, and the revelations have been coming fast. Including this: sometimes the math isn't mathing when it comes to fabric, and you have to trust the flow. Quite literally!

Shop Johanna's new pattern:

and check out the vertical Sew-Along videos mentioned in the episode

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Or contact us at our socials:

About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns.

hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern)

About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator.

https://www.thelaststitch.com/fit-for-knits-book

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YouTube

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Sleeves explained: Less guesswork, better fit #103 Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

Johanna and Malena dig into a new arm of garment sewing, namely the sleeves. They talk through the different types, from set-in to raglan and why they behave so differently once you actually sew them.

They also get into the fit and why sleeve issues are often misdiagnosed. Is it really the sleeve… or is the armhole the real culprit? Plus, why adding more ease to the cap isn’t always a great idea. Especially when sewing sleeves on knit garments.

If sleeves have ever felt unnecessarily complicated, this episode will make things a lot clearer.

📙 Fit for Knits Book

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Or contact us at our socials:

About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns.

hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern)

About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

T-shirt book update: Decisions, dilemmas and messy lines #102 Apr 07, 2026

Show notes

Remember the t-shirt book Johanna and Malena said they were working on? Well, this is the update, and again, they need your input!

Johanna and Malena share what’s happened since the last episode, what decisions they’ve made, what turned out to be more complicated than expected, and how your feedback has shaped the book.

They talk about seam allowances vs stitch lines (and why that became a whole thing), how they landed on their sizing approach, and why naming the patterns felt like having babies. Plus a few moments of “we didn’t think this would be so hard”.

This is the follow-up to episode #90 with more to come!

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Or contact us at our socials:

About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns.

hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern)

About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator.

Johanna's knit gathers tutorial

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How to gather fabric evenly (without the guesswork) #101 Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

Ever tried gathering fabric and wondered why it sometimes works… and sometimes it's a real struggle?

In this episode, Johanna and Malena dig into gatherings, and not the social kind. They share their favourite methods, how to distribute gathers evenly without guesswork, and what to adjust when things start going wrong.

Plus, how fabric type affects the final result, because gathering a crisp cotton is not the same as gathering a drapey knit (and definitely not the same as heavy denim).

Then Johanna goes deep into the intricacies of sewing gathers on knits, because that is the only thing she can think about right now, with the pattern launch looming and all that!

Guril knit top pattern with gathered sleeves

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Or contact us at our socials:

About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns.

hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern)

About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We hit 100! And answering your sewing dilemmas #100 Mar 24, 2026

Show notes

100 episodes (!!) and still talking sewing every week . In this celebratory episode, Johanna and Malena share how Stitching Tales started (mostly as a way to keep talking after finishing Fit for Knits).

They also talk about choosing a very casual and candid format, plus the decision to do a video podcast from the start, and how that completely messed up Johanna's YouTube channel!

They also answer listener questions, like how to deal with skipped stitches, gaping armholes and sewing buttonholes on knits!

Thank you for being part of the journey, on to the next 100!

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Or contact us at our socials:

About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns.

hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern)

About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pattern updates, projector files and book drama! #99 Mar 17, 2026

Show notes

Johanna and Malena share what’s currently been happening behind the scenes. Johanna is launching a new sewing pattern soon (hopefully), and let's just say, it's a lot!

From sewing photo samples under pressure to navigating real-life setbacks and experimenting with new instruction formats. Not to mention the constant worry that the pattern will launch to crickets.

Malena has also been busy in the pattern studio and has added projector files to her sewing patterns. She also had to make some tough decisions on where her energy and time are best spent, and Johanna thinks that maybe she scared Malena straight.

Then Johanna shares some upsetting book drama with a big vendor that starts with an A and ends with an M. But the good news is that if you are in the US, there is currently a spring sale on Amazon for Fit for Knits and Sewing Jeans (25% off!) So grab a print copy while there is stock left!

SHOP BOOK SPRING SALE ON AMAZON US

Fit for Knits(Amazon affiliate link)

Sewing Jeans (Amazon affiliate link)

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Or contact us at our socials:

About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns.

hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern)

About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator.