Looking for a seamless podcast, strung together with darn good sewing advice and spools of resources? Make it sew!
The Love to Sew podcast is hosted by two Vancouver-based sewing enthusiasts and friends, Helen Wilkinson and Caroline Somos. Both are engrained within the sewing community. Helen is a pattern designer and the blogger behind Helen’s Closet, while Caroline is the founder of the online store, Blackbird Fabrics. This weekly podcast provides advice to creators, showcases independent business owners, and features the work of others in the sewist community. New episodes air Tuesdays and are, on average, one-hour long, adding to the now twenty-five episode catalogue. Along with the option to download the podcast, each episode offers meticulous links for patterns and resources to supplement the discussions on the show.
With my own crafting resolutions fresh in mind, I was drawn to Episode 22: “New Year’s Re-SEW-lutions.” After a brief catch-up segment, featuring messages from listeners, the hosts laid out the theme of the week: setting and meeting sewing goals. They discuss methods of setting goals using Gretchen Rubin’s Four Tendencies, monthly sewing projects, and using a Trello board to help with effective follow-through. Although I am only a novice sewer myself, I am an obsessive crocheter. And I found the advice they shared highly transferable to all crafting. Even, to other aspects of my life.
But while these in depth discussions are tantalizing, the best part of the show remains the anecdotal advice given by Helen and Caroline. Through personal stories, experiences and perspectives, they discuss and detail their own plans for the new year. These intimate moments are ultimately the most relatable, as Helen and Caroline acknowledge how difficult it is to set goals and stick to them, whether you are a hobby crafter or an entrepreneur. The tips I found especially useful were: planning a weekly crafting day with your friends, working around a deadline, and specifying all the materials you need for a project before heading to the store.
I look forward to listening to more episodes, including those featuring local guests. I highly recommend this series to not only the sewing obsessed and modern home sewists, but to anyone who is interested in learning more about growing creator communities or those interested in developing a small businesses. Love to Sew is also ideal for anyone who might want to give sewing a try but has been afraid to do so.