This podcast series features sewists who continue their sewing projects while living with chronic pain. They share their stories and the ways they’ve been able to keep sewing a part of their lives.

Katrine of Mending Mayhem

Thursday 23 December 2021: Katrine chats about how mending and craft energises her while living with Lupus, Dyslexia and ADHD.

Mending and always doing something with her hands helps her focus on everyday things like speaking to health services, teachers and even her neighbours.

Itchycoopark23

Thursday 21 October 2021: Nikki or @itchycoopark23 lives with long covid and she shares how her life has changed since March 2020.

If you have experienced loss of your loved ones, please be aware this podcast may be a trigger for you.

Nikki was one of our Sewover50 followers who was recently featured in the #chronicallysewn post. Nikki balances her crafting life of sewing and knitting with severe fatigue and manages her pain when her day has been too demanding.

Nikki features Ziggy the Romanian Rescue Dog on her Instagram account. Ziggy (previously Galene) is about 2 years old and the family are besotted by her❤️

She’s gentle, quiet and shy, as we expected her to be, but there’s been some tail wagging so all’s good 😀
Definitely going to need to get some ‘Contains Dog Hairs’ labels for my Me-mades, this one’s a shedder (a new experience for us)
She does, of course, have her own IG @ziggy_starpaws_ my daughter will assist her with the typing.
Huge thanks to @romanian.rescue.appeal and Arc Transport for bringing her to us. You guys do amazing work!

Nikki shares the tools she now relies upon so she can continue to sew the clothes she enjoys wearing, with pride.

Tina Bricolagedk

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.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.

Lolieya or Lolie B Yergeau

Tuesday 21 September 2021: Lolie B. Yergeau or Lolieya on Instagram, shared makers from all crafts can take these photos the best way for people who are seated.

#Sewnshownseated is a way to show how your latest make looks like when seated. This is a great way to show how patterns in their standing form looks like when seated. You’ll surprise yourself when you take these photos. Here’s a link to Lolie’s free guide.

This little telescopic magnetic tool is used to take out pins from Lolie’s cork board. She also uses it to stick them back in if she can’t reach that far from time to time.

Lolie provides more ways to make your makes easier to find on Instagram for both children’s patterns and adult patterns.

As she says ‘Covid has been hard on everyone I think, but particularly to the disabled community, because we’re more at risk and here in Canada we were forgotten many times.’

Accessibility is very important to Lolie because having wheels awards her freedom (much better than being stuck in a bed all day!) but some of it is taken away because accessibility is, in general, poor at best even today. She constantly finds that when she calls ahead of time to ensure a venue is accessible, she still encounters stairs. As Lolie recounts, “They tell me: ‘no, there are no stairs, you can come’. I get to the venue and see 1- 3 small steps, or a massive doorstep. That’s enough to stop me from entering.”

Andie Wells

Thursday 9 September 2021: Sewprettyinpink or Andie Wells is our first #Chronicallysewn podcast series guest for Sewover50. As they say, ‘do what’s right for you’.

Andie is an artist, sewist, writer and improv comedian. Andie also describes themselves as a disabled fat Endy Babe interested in sewing, fashion, Lingerie, Swimwear and EDS.

Andie talks about their developing @Chronicallysewn and the current #slowprojectchallenge. Chronicallysewn is an inclusive space for chronically ill (mental/physical) sewists. Slow Project Challenge runs over 3 months and the emphasis is on rest. There’s no need to finish a project or projects.

Andie has found that online events are more accessible than in person events. She had a wonderful experience at this year’s Sewing Weekender and says why the organisation of the Sewing Weekender was so brilliant and was very accessible.