Seamwork Radio: Sewing and Creativity

It's the first part of Style Camp! Over the next 4 weeks, you're going to get an exclusive look at our new Style Workshop.

Haley and Sarai will share exercises from the workshop and talk about why this course is so powerful for helping you with one of the hardest parts of sewing your own clothes — knowing what to make!

In the final part of Space Camp, Sarai and Haley help you organize everything in your sewing space. They'll share how they organize fabric and give you tips for maintaining an organized, clean space.

We're refreshing our sewing spaces! Are you using all of the stuff in your sewing room? In part 3 of this series, Sarai and Haley help you audit your sewing space and decide what to keep, donate, and trash.

Need to refresh your sewing space? In part 2 of this series, Sarai and Haley help you set a strategy for your budget and the time you have to refresh your space. They'll also share tips for managing your tools and storage methods.

Sarai and Haley are your camp leaders for Seamwork Radio Summer Sewing Camp 2023! Follow along with this series to upgrade your sewing space and define your core style.

In this episode, you'll explore your sewing space to note what you want to change and what you want to keep.

Be sure to download the free Sewing Camp Toolkit (the link is in the episode).

Have you been curious about participating in a sewing community, but you aren't sure where to start? In this episode, Sarai and Haley discuss three pillars of community building: listen, appreciate, and share, along with tips for how to break the ice and make new connections with people who love to sew as much as you do.

Do you often feel like you're rushing through life, just trying to get as much of your to-do list done as possible each day?

In today's podcast, Sarai and Haley explore the moments to look for in your sewing that will help you to slow down and develop pride in your skills. They also share some specific projects to can help.

Having a bunch of choices gives you the illusion of liberty—look at all your options! However, when you have many options, have you ever felt really restricted instead of free to decide? It's the paradox of choice.

In this episode of the podcast, Sarai and Haley explore why having more options can lead to less action, what causes indecision in sewing, and tips for making choices a lot easier and clearer for yourself.

When you look at a project you've finished, what stands out more, the mistakes or the successes?

If you're so busy looking at the flaws that you can't feel truly satisfied with what you created, Sarai and Haley have 8 tips that will help you reframe your failures.

Do you remember when you were brand new to sewing? There's power in being a beginner. Beginners are alive to all the opportunities in front of them. They see things with fresh eyes. They see creative possibilities, whereas an expert might take a more pragmatic view. In this episode, Sarai and Haley explore the benefits of being a beginner, and how to tap into that mindset if you could use a little sparkle in your sewing.

Everyone makes these sorts of mistakes, even those who have been sewing for decades. But the big difference between people who stick with sewing and find joy in it and those who get frustrated and give up isn't about the mistakes – it's about how you treat yourself when they happen.

In this episode, Sarai and Haley share 9 ways you can find self-compassion in sewing.

Is your sewing starting to feel like a chore? Sarai and Haley share 6 totally approachable tips for what to do when your sewing (or any other creative hobby) starts to feel like work.

In this episode, Sarai and Haley talk about why you should sew challenging projects, what to do if you need help getting started, and how to motivate yourself to finish.

Your favorite sewing teachers chat about imposter syndrome, RuPal, the hardest parts of their jobs, and where Seamwork is going in five years.

Creativity isn't efficient, but is that a bad thing? Sarai and Haley explore three reasons why creativity is not efficient and share tips for ways you can lean into those creative moments rather than taking the quick and easy route.

You might have learned to sew from grandparents or parents, but some of us didn't have sewing elders. In this episode, Sarai and Haley share invaluable lessons and reflections from Seamworkers who have been sewing for more than 20 years.

In this episode, Sarai and Haley cover some of the benefits of setting up a ritual for your sewing. Then they show you how to create a creative ritual that fits your mood and attention each time you sew.

Making stuff is brings up issues around confidence because it's a constant process of learning, and learning will always challenge you. In this episode, Sarai and Haley share 5 moments in your sewing practice that will boost your self-confidence.

73% of you said that your sewing space stops you from sewing. In this episode, Sarai and Haley help you figure out the issues that bother you the most about your sewing space, Then they share concrete ideas to fix each of those issues.

What do you do when you make a sewing mistake? Curse? Throw your garment across the room? Give up on your project? In this episode, Sarai and Haley share 3 tips to help you let go of your mistakes.

Making sewing plans is a great way to keep you motivated, but sometimes you need to break the rules. In this episode, Sarai and Haley share the reasons why you might want to break your plans along with tips to help you ditch them.

Ever feel like you don't have time to sew? Sarai and Haley talk about some of the blocks that we commonly encounter when we want to sew, but we can't. And then six strategies that might help you to remove those blocks.

In this episode, Sarai and Haley share practical things that you can do to use sewing to slow down and de-stress, including 5 tips to ditch your productivity-focused mindset, even if it's just for a little while, to relax and enjoy your sewing time.

Wondering how you can sew more sustainably? In this episode, Sarai and Haley share four main ways to consider your environmental impact when sewing, including a bunch of actionable tips from the community.

Want to sew a capsule wardrobe? If you need help narrowing down your choices, Sarai and Haley will show you how to turn all the inspiration you've gathered for your wardrobe into a final plan that really fits your life right now.

In this episode, Sarai and Haley discuss how a beginner mindset can help you become an advanced sewist. They'll explore niche sewing and how exploring all the unexpected corners of the sewing world can empower you.

This re-run episode is packed with tips for finding the best fit for your clothes. You'll learn how to treat your measurements like data, diagnose a good fit, and track your fitting adjustments so you can make them quickly and easily. When it comes to fit, every body is different—it's normal to be different!

In this re-run episode from our Sewing by Design series, Sarai and Haley walk you through the steps of our super popular Design Your Wardrobe program. You'll learn a bunch of tips for sewing a wardrobe full of clothes you love.

In this re-run episode, Sarai and Haley explore the second step in the Sewing by Design process: Build Your Practice. They'll share 4 ways to build a sewing practice you really love.

You wouldn't start building a house by buying paint and picking out cabinet hardware. You'd start by creating a strong foundation. In this re-run episode, Sarai and Haley explore the first step in the Sewing by Design process: Lay Your Foundation.

Your sewing practice is like a house. Once you've built it and moved in, you can decorate it how you'd like, get into comfy clothes, and unwind in your own personalized creative space. Sarai and Haley explain this metaphor in this re-run episode.

When do you have enough? Making things brings you joy, and you can't always measure it by the number of clothes in your closet. So how can you sew without overflowing your closet? Sarai and Haley share 10 questions you can ask yourself.

What's missing from your wardrobe? If you know there are gaps in your wardrobe, but you don't know exactly what those gaps are, Sarai and Haley share two exercises to help you identify them and fill them with clothes you love to wear.

In this episode, Sarai and Haley share tips for making the most of your favorite sewing patterns, with pattern hacks, extra notions to add flair, and fun ways to transform your tried and true patterns into the dynamic wardrobe of your dreams.

Do you ever ask yourself, should I buy it or should I make it? In this episode, Sarai and Haley cover six questions to ask yourself when you're deciding whether you want to take the time to sew something for yourself or simply buy a readymade version.

In this episode, Sarai and Haley share ten tips for finding super cheap fabric. Whether you're a bargain hunter or someone who is looking for creative alternatives to muslin, these tips will help you save money on fabric for your sewing projects.

In this special Halloween-themed episode, Sarai and Haley share 5 of the most common sewing monsters and give you plenty of tips for taming them and conquering your sewing fears.

In this episode, Sarai and Haley help you stay focused. They cover how to decide what you'll actually sew and wear, how to cultivate your personal style, and share concrete strategies that you can use to make clothes you'll love.

If you buy too much fabric, have yards of unused fabric getting dusty in your stash, or you aren't sure if you're buying the right fabric for your projects, here are 6 fabric shopping rules to help you only buy fabric you'll actually sew.

Why do you sew? We each have our own reasons, but there are some common threads. In this episode, Sarai and Haley ask the Seamwork community why they sew. They'll share 5 of the most common (and inspiring) reasons to sew your own clothes.

Buying your first machine can be puzzling, and upgrading to a new machine can be overwhelming. In this episode, Sarai and Haley share 10 tips for buying a sewing machine that fits your budget.

Sewing can change your life in unexpected ways, but it's a complex skill to learn. How can you teach someone else how to sew? This topic was inspired by a new course taught by Sarai and Haley, called Learn to Sew Clothing for Absolute Beginners.

After reviewing the 10 most essential sewing tools last week, Sarai and Haley share 10 nice-to-have tools. These tools are by no means necessary, but they will save you time and effort—plus they're fun to collect!

When it comes to sewing tools, are you a specialist or a generalist? Sarai and Haley share the 20 most essential sewing tools in this two-episode series. In part one, they discuss the 10 most essential tools to have.

If you've ever looked up a quilting tutorial on YouTube, you've probably seen Jenny Doan. In this episode, she shares her story of growing Missouri Star Quilt Co, why she thinks quilting is such a powerful activity, and tips for anyone interested in learning to quilt.

Do you have too many ideas for sewing projects and not enough time to make them all? Here are 4 steps to help you bring an idea for a sewing project out of the idea stage and turn it into a finished garment.

Do you want to buy less clothes? Break the fast fashion cycle? In this episode, Sarai and Haley share 7 simple tips to be more intentional about what clothing you add to your wardrobe, so you can feel good about everything you own.

Wondering how to store all of your fabric in a way that's accessible and inspiring? Sarai and Haley share what works best for them, what doesn't, and three approaches to storing fabric, so you can find what works best for you.

Sarai and Haley explore why a messy space is such a block, and what makes clean-up hard for us, and they share Haley's surefire, seven-step process for cleaning up your space in only 15 minutes.

We're celebrating the 100th episode of Seamwork Radio with a Q&A with Sarai and Haley! They answer your questions about their jobs, personal life, and the podcast.