In Stitches

Great Sewing Easter break

Thank you for joining me in this issue. It’s almost Easter which means The Great British Sewing Bee is back on the telly. Series 8 brings in a new host, Sarah Pascoe who will join judges and masters of the trade, Esme Young (Central Saint Martins, University of Arts London) and Saville Row’s, Patrick Grant. The show has been introducing new sewing techniques to viewers, and helping bring sewing into a fun and exciting hobby for the creatives. Last year we saw some wonderful carnival costumes in International Week and some great dress up ideas in Children’s Week. Thank you for joining me in this issue. It’s almost Easter which means The Great British Sewing Bee is back on the telly. Series 8 brings in a new host, Sarah Pascoe who will join judges and masters of the trade, Esme Young (Central Saint Martins, University of Arts London) and Saville Row’s, Patrick Grant. The show has been introducing new sewing techniques to viewers, and helping bring sewing into a fun and exciting hobby for the creatives. Last year we saw some wonderful carnival costumes in International Week and some great dress up ideas in Children’s Week. To keep me company while I sew, I was searching for some great sewing podcasts. Listening to others telling their stories, inspirations and experiences is a lovely way to properly switch off from the world and really immerse yourself into your sewing. “Love to Sew” is a Canadian based podcast. I love their mix of guest speakers and expert advisors who join the channel and share their knowledge. If you’re a little older, their “Sew Organised Style” engage more with their social media and seek out great stories within their talented community. If you have a special skill such as weaving dog hair into yarn, then this one is for you. Longstanding, ’Sewing with Threads’ is a great one to help improve your skill set. For a read for a long bank holiday weekend, The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie is one to borrow from the library. Natalie follows the story of four generations of family and one sewing machine which holds the family history. It’s a quaint story which travels back and forth through the histories of the families, beginning with Jean, in the Singer factory in 1911. The factory is just about to close due to a strike and Jean makes bold statement which goes against the wishes of her abusive father. You may want to grab a few tissues for this one. I was pleased to be able to interview Natalie in a live chat on one of my YouTube shows over the Christmas period (you can follow the link below). Natalie lives in Edinburgh, not far from Clydebank. Even though the factory has been demolished and the infamous clock tower lost from the skyline, there are small notable of the Singer factory still dotted about. You can visit the (very small) Singer Museum in Clydebank which boasts a number of exclusive machines found now where else. Have a Great Sewing Easter break, and don’t forget, if you need help with your overlocker or tricky fabrics, join me on my YouTube channel, Abi’s Den. Happy, Sewing!

Abi x

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