Check Your Thread: Sewing More Sustainably

Zoe Edwards
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- Do you love sewing, AND are passionate about fighting the climate and ecological crises? - Are you wondering if your sewing could be made more sustainable? - Do you want to enjoy your creative passion in a way that really reflects your values? Join Zoe Edwards, a sewing nerd and creator of Me-Made-May, on her journey to explore how to sew (and live!) more sustainably. In this podcast we discover ways to sew with sustainability in mind, by flexing our creativity and resourcefulness in new and exciting ways. Check Your Thread’s goal is to show that sewing more sustainably can be fun and fulfilling, (HOLD the side order of guilt, eco-snobbery and FOMO.) Topics covered include: -Mending and garment repair -Upcycling and refashioning -Natural fabric dyeing -Fibre and fabric selection -Slow stitching -Zero Waste sewing patterns -The social and political dimensions of sewing -Craft as activism Find out more... checkyourthread.com

  1. 1D AGO

    #217: Mending for Mental Wellbeing with Rebecca from The Big Fandango

    All of us are aware of and enjoy many of the mental health benefits of crafting, making and mending. Rebecca Jackson understands this better than most, having experienced one of the worst things someone can go through. It led her to set up The Big Fandango five years ago in Bury, just outside Manchester in the UK. The Big Fandango is a social enterprise with workshop space that creates and nurtures community and positive mental health through learning sewing and textiles craft skills, whilst also delivering suicide prevention training to businesses and organisations.  You will also hear from Jeanna W****r and Mary Morton, authors of the awesome mending book, ‘Stitch It, Don’t Ditch It’, who were delivering a mending workshop as part of their North of England book tour a couple of weeks ago.  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Rebecca Jackson founded The Big Fandango, a social enterprise based in Bury, Manchester, UK.  Listen to my episode with Jeanna and Mary about their amazing book: Ep. #191: Stitch it, Don’t Ditch it with Mary Morton and Jeanna W****r Jeanna W****r can be found @thepeoplesmending on Instagram. Jeanna also has an excellent Substack.  Mary Morton can be found @edinburghstreetstitchers and @mvm13 on Instagram Listen to my other previous conversations with Jeanna: Ep. #115: Winter of Care and Repair with Jeanna W****r Ep. #132: A Season of Mending with Jeanna W****r Ep. #135: How to Triage Your Mends with Jeanna W****r Ep. #163: How to Effect Change This Winter with Jeanna W****r Ep. #190: The Four Tendencies and Sewing with Jeanna, Kim & Lise  Ep. #208: Challenging Consumption and Perfectionism with Jeanna W****r Mary volunteers at the Shrub Coop, a ZW charity based in Edinburgh, Scotland (@shrubcoop on Instagram).  Find their book, ‘Stitch it, Don't Ditch it’.  Mary and Jeanna regularly recommend the ‘Repair What You Wear’ website to would-be menders. Also @RepairWhatYouWear on YouTube, and in this episode mentioned their videos on how to thread a needle easily for right handed people and for left handed people.

  2. FEB 16

    #216 : Replay – No Small Business on a Dead Planet

    It seems like every day, another small craft business announces that it’s closing down. In this solo episode I’m looking at the causes. What can we do to both support small businesses AND buy less new stuff for the sake of our planet? Support the podcast over on Patreon! Image source: Tim Mossholder via Unsplash Find out more about the Last Sewist Standing challenge: Ep. #118: Last Sewist Standing with Lise Bauer This Forbes article, ‘The Benefits Of Shopping Small All Year Long’ by Jim Granat, was really interesting.  The shoplocaluk.org website has some more useful information.  I used the definition of the cost of living crisis from this fuelgenie.co.uk article.  Enjoy Gina Ferrari’s Substack.

  3. FEB 9

    #215: How to Dress Kids More Sustainably with Izzie from ApparelXchange

    You’ll have heard me say it a ton of times before: sewing clothes yourself isn’t necessarily the most sustainable way to clothe yourself or your family. But obviously, you’ll be prizing my sewing machine out of my cold, dead hands. However, with literal mountains of existing garments already in the world, there are plenty of other ways to source clothing with a reduced environmental and social impact. In this episode, I speak with Izzie Eriksen, founding director of a Glasgow-based social enterprise called ApparelXchange, about the various ways we can clothe our young people more sustainably. We also hear what ApparelXchange is doing to tackle child poverty AND nurture their local community.  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Izzie Eriksen is the founding director of Glasgow-based social enterprise ApparelXchange. Follow them on Instagram @apparelxchange.  This episode is the sister to: Ep. #206: How to Sew More Sustainably for Kids Photos from the ApparelXchange shop and warehouse:

  4. FEB 2

    #214: Is Inclusivity Enough? – Kat Camfield with Frances from Sincere Studio

    Many of us experience the sewing and crafting communities as a welcoming haven in which we find self expression, safety and belonging. But just how inclusive are sewing spaces, both virtual and IRL? And how can we build them better? Guest host Kat Camfield is back with an incredible conversation with Frances Andonopoulos, the visionary behind a different kind of sewing school, Sincere Studio in Portland, Oregon. They discuss how Sincere Studio was built from the ground up with everybody and every body in mind, and why only the social enterprise model can work when creating a space that truly serves all members of a community.  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Kat Camfield is a sewing teacher and sewing retreat organiser living in Victoria, Canada. You can follow Kat on Instagram @cooperativekatsews.  Hear Kat on previous episodes of CYT: Ep. #196: Eco Printing - Kat Camfield with Carly from Lorelei Textile Design Ep. #200: Making Check Your Thread - with Zoe & Kat, Part 1 Ep. #201: Making Check Your Thread - with Zoe & Kat, Part 2 Ep. #204: The Sewing Machine, A Novel - Kat Camfield with Natalie Fergie  Frances Andonopoulos is the founder of Sincere Studio in Portland, Oregon.  You can follow them on Instagram @sincerestudiopdx.

  5. JAN 26

    #213: A Self-Sufficient Maker with Shams el-Din Rogers

    What does it take to be a self-sufficient maker? How do we acquire our knowledge? And to what extent are we subject to crafting influencers and advertising? This is the second part of my most recent conversation with return guest Shams el-Din Rogers, in which we explore this idea. We also share what’s giving us hope as we push into 2026.  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Find Shams el-Din Rogers @sepia_textiles on Instagram. Listen to her on previous episodes of CYT: Ep. #32: Textile Activism with Shams el–Din Rogers  Ep. #49: Sewing as Art and Political Action with Shams el–Din Rogers Ep. #77: Stashes and Spaces with Shams el–Din Rogers Ep. #81: Travel, Sustainability and Sewing with Shams el-Din Rogers Ep. #142: Values Based Spending and Making with Shams el-Din Rogers Ep. #153: The Provenance of Materials and Techniques - Shams with Allie Davies Ep. #212: Creativity, Craft & Clutter with Shams el-Din Rogers Shams is on the board at the Textile Museum of Canada, Toronto. Shams regularly recommended the seminal book ‘Affluenza’ by Oliver James to her students.   Watch the trailer for the Japanese film Rashomon, directed by Akira Kurosawa. Follow Works In Progress Toronto, the collective Shams is a member of, on Instagram (@works.in.progress.to) During our conversation we references the following previous CYT episodes: Ep. #210: How Frugality Builds Community with Mariel Davies Ep. #207: Style Shifts and Sustainability with Lindsay Ashworth Fraser

  6. JAN 19

    Episode 212: Creativity, Craft and Clutter with Shams el-Din Rogers

    I’m guessing that most of us find that a cluttered crafting space affects our creativity. It can also lead to over buying when you repurchase something you already own but weren’t able to locate. Very good friend of the podcast, Shams el-Din Rogers, is back to talk to me about the tactics she’s been using to get her space and her in check, and the impact that’s having on her creativity. Maybe these are tactics that would work for you…. Support the podcast over on Patreon! Find Shams el-Din Rogers @sepia_textiles on Instagram. Listen to her on previous episodes of CYT: Ep. #32: Textile Activism with Shams el–Din Rogers  Ep. #49: Sewing as Art and Political Action with Shams el–Din Rogers Ep. #77: Stashes and Spaces with Shams el–Din Rogers Ep. #81: Travel, Sustainability and Sewing with Shams el-Din Rogers Ep. #142: Values Based Spending and Making with Shams el-Din Rogers Ep. #153: The Provenance of Materials and Techniques - Shams with Allie Davies Shams is on the board at the Textile Museum of Canada, Toronto. Shams’s favourite embroidery designers: Krista West of Avlea Folk Embroidery  Nuri of Shaded Stitchery Listen to Shams on the Black Women Stitch’s podcast, Stitch Please: Ep. #123: Don’t Trash It, Sew It!!: Sustainable Creativity with Shams el-Din Rogers

  7. JAN 12

    #211: More Sewing, Less Overwhelm with Sew Hayley Jane

    Whether or not you’re a New Year’s Resolutions kind of person, setting some intentions about what you’d like more or less of in your life as you head into a new year can feel really positive. All of us want to spend more time making and being creative, and less time being sold to. My guest, Hayley from Sew Hayley Jane, and I discuss the issues faced by makers and small business owners when it comes to navigating social media, and Hayley makes some great suggestions that we can all apply today to spend more of 2026 doing the things that bring us joy.  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Read more about Puff and Pencil’s ‘Hands First January’ challenge.  Find Hayley on Instagram @sewhayleyjane and discover the Thready Set Go community that she runs.  Hayley loves the Fold Line, especially their ‘New In’ section, for discovering new potential sewing projects.   A recent project that helped Hayley level up her skills was the Falconer Pants by Helen’s Closet Patterns:

  8. 2025-12-22

    #210: How Frugality Builds Community with Mariel Davies

    Do you want to feel more connected to the place you live and the people who also live there? Then consider not buying new fabric. My guest, Berlin-based Mariel Davies, chooses to live a frugal lifestyle, both to reduce waste, and to create and deepen her connections with others. We also discuss the gamification of resource acquisition, and her radical approach to gift giving.  Support the podcast over on Patreon! Follow Mariel on Instagram (@a_to_zerowaste) Learn more about Holly McQuillan’s Spiral trousers on the Zero Waste Design Collective’s website. ZW designer Liz Haywood has explored historical pattern making and tessellating sleeves. All the ‘A Year of Zero Waste’ zines and book are available on Liz’s Etsy shop, and January’s FREE instalment can be downloaded via her ‘The Craft of Clothes’ blog. Learn more about writer Mark Boyle, AKA The Moneyless Man.  Bea Johnson is the author of ‘Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste’. Follow green-living activist Robin Greenfield on Instagram (@robin.greenfield).  The @destash4palestine account is a great source for genuinely pre-loved dressmaking fabric.  Edinburgh-based mending legend, Mary Morton, can be found @edinburghstreetstitchers and @mvm13 on Instagram. Learn about the Lutterloh pattern system.

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- Do you love sewing, AND are passionate about fighting the climate and ecological crises? - Are you wondering if your sewing could be made more sustainable? - Do you want to enjoy your creative passion in a way that really reflects your values? Join Zoe Edwards, a sewing nerd and creator of Me-Made-May, on her journey to explore how to sew (and live!) more sustainably. In this podcast we discover ways to sew with sustainability in mind, by flexing our creativity and resourcefulness in new and exciting ways. Check Your Thread’s goal is to show that sewing more sustainably can be fun and fulfilling, (HOLD the side order of guilt, eco-snobbery and FOMO.) Topics covered include: -Mending and garment repair -Upcycling and refashioning -Natural fabric dyeing -Fibre and fabric selection -Slow stitching -Zero Waste sewing patterns -The social and political dimensions of sewing -Craft as activism Find out more... checkyourthread.com

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