Thursday 30 September 2021: Tina is back for Sewover50 and give us an update on some of the new useful patterns she has found.

The Ylia top by Lenaline patterns is one of Tina’s latest finds. The Clochette top by Iam patterns is a great find and they have videos of all their designs which is wonderful help in deciding whether I can use the pattern or not. The Renata top by Make my Lemonade patterns is another of Tina’s latest finds. The Bella robe is another Make My Lemonade pattern Tina is looking closely at right now. The Josephine Jumper Sewing Pattern by Rebecca Page is a useful pattern to try.

https://www.etsy.com/dk-en/listing/945809612/plus-size-draped-topdraped-dress?ref=shop_home_active_5

https://www.inhousepatternsstudio.com/blog/how-to-eliminate-a-bust-dart?fbclid=IwAR3TxiMVfe-eLf8IOQwvyyHm1z6zv5rz6DSaR768-Zi57qBAM77yrxUGYKk
This is a great tutorial by In House Pattern Studio on how to remove a bust dart, with no added width to the waist seam is one that Tina recommends.
This tutorial is different to the Seamwork tutorial Tina mentioned in her first podcast where the excess width is moved into the waist.

The fingerless glove pattern by Gina Renee Designs is one that Tina will be trying soon. She has difficulty finding gloves she can wear over her compression garment.

Melissa of Fehr Trade has a free sleeve pattern which Tina hope to use for making lace covers for her compression sleeve if I ever go to a party again.

“The Sewing Guide to Cancer (and Other Pesky Long Term Illnesses)” by Heather Grant (Editor), Samarra Kahja (Illustrations) from Lucky Spool is a good book to refer to if you want to make projects for people you love.  

Tina does recommend sewing a Heart pillow for anyone going through a mastectomy. It is a pain relief pillow made of two pieces of soft cotton filled with wadding. The pillow Tina had helped her through my first year post mastectomy when driving and resting/sleeping. You can find the pattern by searching mastectomy pillow pattern or heart pillow pattern on Google.

Thursday 8 April 2021: Tina or Bricolagdk talks about her sewing experience post her breast cancer mastectomy and her choice to have one breast without a prosthesis.

She found the Sewover50 community made her feel amongst like minded people through their support for her call out for patterns that were asymmetrical. When Tina asked Judith and Sandy of Sewover50 to put the call out for patterns that would suit her uniboob body, Tina was so thrilled to have people from across the globe helping her find pdf patterns that made Tina feel confident in her body.

Tina is now part of a facebook group called Sewing Flat and Asymmetrical to share patterns that suit their bodies. This is a group for anyone sewing for a small bust, asymmetry or after surgery (mastectomy or otherwise), offering shared ideas, support and information in a safe space.

Listeners can direct message Tina to find patterns to suit their body needs. There is a German pattern company called Schnittquelle that has great patterns. Their website has both patterns and fabrics. Tina absolutely loves DP Studio patterns. Megan Kelso or Venusmensch is one Instagram person who Tina refers to about adapting an ordinary bar pattern for a chest with one breast. Here is a link to the Megan Kelso venus_mensch tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcZEDDjs4J0 

Anna Bonny is another Instagram person who has a unilateral pdf bra pattern. Teta & Teta has 2 downloadable unilateral bra patterns on their website. Bra Makers Supply has a tutorial on how to make a breast form. Seamwork has a tutorial on bodice adjustments for a bilateral mastectomy. Sandra Betzina’s book on Fast Fit: Easy Pattern Alterations for Every Figure, has a chapter on adapting patterns for a mastectomy body. Here’s the link to Made It patterns, mentioned by Tina. They’re contributing a robe pattern for a book for people living with cancer and its effects. Les Monocyclettes is the French company with clothes for people with 1 breast.

Here are some blog posts Tina has already written:
A blog post at The Sewcialists website: https://thesewcialists.com/2019/11/08/who-we-are-sewing-after-a-unilateral-mastectomy/
A blog post for My Body Model: https://www.mybodymodel.com/sketch-sew/designing-for-my-post-mastectomy-body-with-my-body-model-croquis-by-tina/