A podcast celebrating creative crafts and inspiring makers.
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1. Todd Galberth feat. Kymberli Joye - Be Praised 2. Tasha Cobbs Leonard - The Moment 3. JJ Hairston feat. Travis Greene & Donishisa Ballard - Bigger 4. Joyce Simmons - Living Water 5. Gia Wyre - Grace 6. Randy Weston & Judah Band - Best Me 7. Tasha Cobbs Leonard - At The Cross 8. Geoffrey Golden - Before The King 9. Anthony Brown feat. Naomi Raine - Drink 10. Todd Galberth feat. Tasha Cobbs Leonard - Fear is Not My Future 11. Anthony Brown - Altar - Anthony Brown 12. Sinach - Winning 13. Fl ...
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THREADS OF PROTEST with Dr Gemma McKenzie
30:44
30:44
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My guest for this episode of Making Stitches Podcast has a background in law and human rights and a passion for crochet too. Dr Gemma McKenzie is a researcher in the Midwifery Department at King's College London specialising in maternity rights and obstetric abuse. She has decided that in order to raise awareness about her work in the field of mate…
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CREATING A DIGITAL YARN COMMUNITY with Jane Abraham, The Cornish Knitter
36:43
36:43
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When my guest on today's episode was about to leave a career in London for a quieter pace of life on the Cornish coast, one of her first concerns was where she would be able to buy yarn from. Fast forward a few years and Jane Abraham not only has her own yarn shop, she hosts creative retreats, has her own You Tube channel and has built an online co…
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Finishing a Creative Legacy with Jen Simonic from the Loose Ends Project
40:42
40:42
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One of the unexpected things many people experience when they lose a loved one and have to sort through their posessions, can be unfinished craft projects. Maybe the person who has died was partway through making a baby blanket for a new family member, a quilt for a forthcoming wedding or simply a pair of socks or jumper for a loved one. If there's…
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This time on Making Stitches Podcast, I'm thrilled to be sharing a chat I had with knitting & crochet designer, Emma Varnam. To date, Emma has written 13 books filled with inspiring designs for your home and to gift, from granny square homewares to adorable cuddly toys and crocheted pot plants! Emma is also a regular columnist for Inside Crochet ma…
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Selling Your Makes on Etsy with Claire Reed
22:59
22:59
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For some of us makers, there's the desire to take our creativity beyond something which is purely a hobby. Whether we opt to teach our craft to others, design patterns or sell finished items at craft fairs or online, there are many ways to potentially make money from making. In this episode, I looked at Etsy as a platform for selling creative makes…
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THE LONGEST YARN: Commemorating D-Day in Yarn
37:29
37:29
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Yesterday marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. Along with the military commemorations, there was a very special one created in yarn, by hundreds of knitters & crocheters around the globe - The Longest Yarn. Tansy Forster, who has lived in Normandy for over 20 years, was inspired by the Post Box toppers she saw when she tra…
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Creativity for Mental Health : a Dive into the Making Stitches Podcast Archives
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Hello, I’m thrilled to be back with another series of episodes of Making Stitches Podcast. This time I’m doing something a bit different, instead of launching the new series with a new interview, I’ve taken a dive into the archives. Since I last spoke to you, Making Stitches celebrated its 4th birthday (which I think is pretty decent in podcasting)…
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A Decade of Keeping Calm and Crocheting On with Heather Gibbs
26:54
26:54
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Ten years ago, Heather Gibbs was looking for an outlet for her crochet creativity and set up her blog; Keep Calm and Crochet On UK. Little did she know that her blog would be going from strength to strength a whole decade later, but that she would also end up working with a selection of different crochet magazines and yarn companies as well. In thi…
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Hello and welcome to Making Stitches Podcast! My guest for this episode is the historian and writer, Barbara Burman, whose latest book is 'The Point of the Needle - Why Sewing Matters'. Barbara, a retired academic from the University of Southampton and the University of the Arts, spent more than 40 years teaching and researching the history of dres…
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Spinning, Weaving and Niddy-Noddies with Cathy Wright from Lazy Kate Textiles
27:44
27:44
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Welcome to the first episode of Making Stitches in 2024! Sorry for the longer than anticipated break. This is the first of the final three episodes in series seven. This time, I’m sharing a chat I had late last year with Cathy Wright from Lazy Kate Textiles. Cathy’s a spinner and weaver sharing her love of creativity by teaching these heritage craf…
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Hello there and welcome to the Making Stitches Podcast 2023 Christmas Special. Join me for a selection box of treats looking back at the past 12 months in my podcast world. You can hear from guests including Dr Mia Hobbs from the 'Why I Knit' Podcast on the mental health benefits of being creative, Dr Fran Darlington-Pollock from the Greater Manche…
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LOVING THE LANGUAGE OF CROCHET with Jane Czaja
33:27
33:27
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Jane Czaja has been trying to spread the love of crochet for decades, from teaching beginners groups back in the 1980s to running a crochet and chat group in her local library now! Jane has always been a maker, and since her retirement from computer programming and lecturing students about it, she has turned her attention to crochet full time. You …
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Deck the Halls with the Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity
15:15
15:15
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This time on Making Stitches Podcast, I want to share a great initiative which is happening in my home city of Manchester. Homelessness is a problem all year round in towns and cities across the world, not just here in the UK and it's a complex problem to solve. Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity was set up after our Mayor, Andy Burnham was elected…
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Hello and welcome to this latest episode of Making Stitches Podcast where I'm taking you out on the road with me to the second Great Northern Textile Show which happened a couple of weeks ago in Manchester. You'll hear from a selection of traders who brought their products to sell to visitors, several crafts guilds and three hugely talented textile…
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Black Sheep Wools at 40 & looking ahead to the Great Northern Textile Show 2023
30:07
30:07
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Back in July, Black Sheep Wools, the largest independent yarn shop in the UK celebrated its 40th birthday. Friends of Black Sheep Wools were invited to join in with a two-day-long birthday party at the Craft Barn in Culcheth, Warrington. I went along to join the festivities and this episode shares a little bit of what went on. You can find the Blac…
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KNITTING IS THERAPEUTIC with Dr Mia Hobbs
32:05
32:05
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32:05
When clinical psychologist, Dr Mia Hobbs, was studying at university, her mother suggested taking up knitting would be a great antidote for intensive study. Mia took her Mum's advice and started knitting a shawl which grew gradually as she worked. From then on, knitting became an important activity for Mia and over time crossed over into her work w…
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From Food Styling to Sewing with Jen Rich
36:52
36:52
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36:52
Hello and welcome back to Making Stitches Podcast, it's so good to be back with you. I had to take and extended break from podcasting due to a lot of 'stuff' going on, but I'm thrilled to be back with you now with the first episode of Series 7! My guest this time is Jen Rich, a food stylist & photographer who bought her first sewing machine back in…
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Hello! Making Stitches is coming back very soon for a 7th series. Among my guests in the coming weeks will be food stylist & photographer turned sewing designer Jen Rich to talk about her new book aimed at beginners and established sewists alike, I'll take you along to the Black Sheep Wools 40th birthday weekend and clinical psychologist and knitte…
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Way back in December 2022 I promised you this episode of Making Stitches with crochet designer Catherine from Catherine Crochets. Unfortunately, life rather got in the way of those plans, so now, six months later than originally promised is the final episode of the current series of Making Stitches. Catherine got hooked on crochet while expecting h…
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2022 CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR SPECIAL PART 2 : REVIEW OF THE YEAR
29:23
29:23
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It's that time again, as 2022 draws to a close, I'm taking you on a romp through this year's Making Stitches back catalogue with a few of my highlights. You can hear from Figen Murray, Amanda Bloom from Cosy Life Boxes, Rafael Alcaide from Amoami, Beth Gillions, Conservation Officer at the People's History Museum, Eleonora Tulley from Coastal Croch…
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2022 CHRISTMAS & NEW YEAR SPECIAL PART 1 : OLD FRIENDS
30:05
30:05
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In this, the first of two Christmas and New Year specials this year, I catch up with a few old friends of the podcast: Lisa & Lynda-Rose from The Crochet Sanctuary (my first ever guests on Making Stitches) and Christine Perry, otherwise known as Winwick Mum, who first appeared back in Episode 31). We look back at what's been happening in the worlds…
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Stand With Ukraine Art Quilts Auction with Olesya Lebedenko
44:56
44:56
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We first met Olesya Lebedenko on the podcast back in March. Olesya is a Ukrainian textile artist who designs the most beautiful art quilts. She moved to Canada with her family back in 2014 and since then has become a Bernina ambassador as well as a regular on the quilt show circuit in Canada and the United States. In our last chat, in Episode 41, O…
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THE POWER OF SEWING with Clare Hunter & Michelle Edwards
44:58
44:58
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44:58
This time on Making Stitches, I'm sharing a couple of chats I had recently with authors who have written about sewing and the power it gives, from offering respite and hope in the hardest of situations and a voice to those who have had theirs silenced and the simple ability to fix a hole in your clothes. Clare Hunter has worked with textiles for ma…
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Sewing to Save the Planet with Stitched Up!
25:29
25:29
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Disposable fast fashion is a huge cause of pollution and damage to the environment, but one community benefit society in Manchester has been doing its bit to help for the past decade. Stitched Up! which is now based in Stretford Mall in Greater Manchester has been rescuing unwanted fabric and teaching sewing skills in a bid to help people get more …
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Amoami: A Symbol of Crochet Resistance with Rafael Alcaide
20:14
20:14
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A chance experience at an airport back in March left its mark on Rafael Alcaide. On returning home to Madrid, Rafael saw a large group of Ukrainian women and children who had just arrived from fleeing the invasion in their homeland. Wanting to do something to help, Rafael turned to his friend Rita, a crochet designer, and together they came up with…
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PhD Kimoni Present JUST GOSPEL Volume 146 World Tour 10-31-22
6:01:07
6:01:07
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1. Todd Galberth feat. Kymberli Joye - Be Praised 2. Tasha Cobbs Leonard - The Moment 3. JJ Hairston feat. Travis Greene & Donishisa Ballard - Bigger 4. Joyce Simmons - Living Water 5. Gia Wyre - Grace 6. Randy Weston & Judah Band - Best Me 7. Tasha Cobbs Leonard - At The Cross 8. Geoffrey Golden - Before The King 9. Anthony Brown feat. Naomi Raine…
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Last Sunday, the first ever Great Northern Textile Show opened its doors to the public, welcoming crafters to mingle with artists and craftspeople from a wide range of disciplines and enjoy a celebration of creativity. The event was Tracy Fox's idea - my guest for the previous episode of Making Stitches - as an artist, print maker and dyer of fabri…
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FROM RUSTY METAL TO WORKS OF ART with Tracy Fox ~ Dyer, Print Maker & Artist
43:48
43:48
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There are many strings to Tracy Fox's bow, she describes herself as a dyer, print maker and artist creating the most beautiful art fabrics in her home studio in Manchester. She also uses her fabric to make stunning art quilts and has exhibited her work and sold her cloth at various craft shows over the years. It was at one of those shows, the Nantw…
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YARNDALE 2022 : A Festival of Yarn & Friendship
34:20
34:20
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It hardly seems a year ago that I last followed the Yarn Walk to Skipton Auction Mart for Yarndale 2021. Last year saw the yarn festival based in North Yorkshire return after Covid, and this year it's celebrating it's 10th birthday. Seeing as I had such fun on my last visit, I had to return - not just to squish some gorgeous yarn - but to meet more…
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Hello there! Making Stitches Podcast will be returning to your podcast feed again very soon with a brand new series. I'm looking forward to bringing you some more inspiring maker stories with guests from the world of yarn crafts, textiles and embroidery, as well as many other crafts too. Among my guests for the new 6th series will be Eleonora Tully…
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COLOURFUL SOCKS & JUMBO CROCHET HOOKS with Winwick Mum & Juey Jumbo Craft Tools
34:25
34:25
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34:25
Hello and welcome to Episode 50 of Making Stitches and the last episode in this series. As it's the end of the current series, I thought I'd reconnect with a couple of friends of the podcast and catch up with their latest news. My guests for this episode are Sock Knitting Champion; Christine Perry or Winwick Mum as she's known online and Juey from …
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KNITTING, CROCHET & THE ONLINE CRAFT COMMUNITY with Emmaknitty
31:18
31:18
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31:18
Hello and welcome to this, the penultimate episode of this current series of Making Stitches Podcast! This time, Emma Munn AKA Emmaknitty is my guest sharing the story of her creative journey into knit & crochet design. Originally from the South of England, Emma and her family now call Oviedo in Northern Spain home and it's from there she manages h…
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YARN, FOOD, NATURE & THE UNIVERSE with Kitey from the Yarn Whisperer
49:13
49:13
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The last couple of years have seen many of us take a step back and reconsider what it is we want to do with our lives. The pandemic gave us a new perspective and often forced us to change paths. Kitey from the Yarn Whisperer is no different. After a 30 year-long career in teaching in various countries around the world, he found inspiration in a pla…
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FROM LAW TO CROSS STITCH with Sally Wilson from Caterpillar Cross Stitch
31:57
31:57
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31:57
Like so many makers, despite loving all the creative subjects at school, Sally Wilson took a traditional route of study and then a 'conventional' career which for her was as a lawyer. However, whilst on maternity leave, she began to question whether a return to law was really what she wanted at the end of her family time away from her job. Sally fo…
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A NEW VENTURE FOR THE CROCHET PROJECT with Joanne Scrace
32:11
32:11
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32:11
This time on Making Stitches Podcast, crochet is under the spotlight and Joanne Scrace from The Crochet Project in particular. The Crochet Project was set up to design and write beautiful crochet patterns using natural yarns and with inclusivity high on the agenda. Crochet Project patterns come in a wide range of sizes to fit all bodies, avoid gend…
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PRESERVING THE FABRIC OF OUR HISTORY with The People's History Museum
27:40
27:40
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27:40
This time on Making Stitches Podcast, I'm taking you out on the road with me to the People's History Museum in the centre of Manchester. It is the national museum of democracy and home the world's largest collection of trades union banners. Being custodians of the literal fabric of our history requires painstaking conservation work to keep the bann…
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CROCHET & KNITTING AT THE WOOLNEST with Lynne Rowe
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36:37
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36:37
Crochet & Knitting designer Lynne Rowe is my guest for this episode of Making Stitches Podcast. Lynne first learned to knit and crochet as a child, but it was after the birth of her own children that she turned to yarn crafts in earnest. Firstly knitting for pleasure, then to raise money for charity, Lynne then ventured into crochet and knitting de…
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COLOUR, CREATIVITY & A COMMUNITY KICK-STARTER with Clare Albans from hellohooray.com
42:31
42:31
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42:31
Hello and welcome to this episode of Making Stitches Podcast celebrating the joys of colour and creativity as well as community support. When Clare Albans left a career in music behind, hand embroidery helped fill the gap leaving her job had left her with. After blogging about her life and makes for several years, Clare launched her small embroider…
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CROCHET-TASTIC with Hannah Cross from Hanjan Crochet & Amanda Bloom from Little Box of Crochet
31:32
31:32
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31:32
Welcome to a crochet-tastic double bill of Making Stitches featuring not just one, but two inspirational makers; Hannah Cross from Hanjan Crochet and Amanda Bloom from Little Box of Crochet. My first guest, Hannah Cross has been designing crochet garments, toys and soft furnishings for over a decade and has been featured in Simply Crochet Magazine …
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FROM UKRAINIAN EMBROIDERY TO CANADIAN QUILTING with Olesya Lebedenko
1:01:30
1:01:30
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Hello and welcome to the first episode in this new series of Making Stitches Podcast! Kicking off the series is a chat I had with Ukrainian artist Olesya Lebedenko. Olesya first got creative as a young child making up stories for her toys, then at the age of 5 she was taught to cross-stitch by her grandmother. Crafts would stay with her throughout …
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Hello there! Making Stitches Podcast will be returning to your podcast feed very soon with a new series. I'm looking forward to bringing you some more inspiring maker stories with guests from the worlds of quilting, crochet and embroidery as well as many other crafts as well. Among my guests for the new 5th series are Olesya Lebedenko, a Ukranian a…
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FORGIVENESS, HOPE & KNITTED BEARS with Figen Murray
35:49
35:49
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Figen Murray first took up knitting seriously to help her cope with hearing loss. At the time, she was working as a psychotherapist, and decided to practice what she preached and turned to creativity to help lift her mood. Little did she know then that just a few years later her knitting would help her cope with the dreadful loss of her son, Martyn…
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CELEBRATING FREEDOM & CRAFTY RESOLUTIONS FOR 2022 : The Making Stitches Podcast Review of the Year (Part 2)
46:31
46:31
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I hope you've had a lovely Christmas! I have one last gift for you this year before the clock strikes midnight again and we begin another year. Following on from the Happy Stitchmas episode published on Christmas Eve, this is my Hogmanay offering with a celebration of some of the freedoms I was able to enjoy this year as well as hearing about peopl…
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HAPPY STITCHMAS 2021! The Making Stitches Podcast Christmas Special & Review of the Year (Part 1)
35:26
35:26
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It's Christmas Eve, so here's my Christmas gift to you dear listener! This year I'm splitting my Christmas Special into two halves, the first one is here for you today, and the second one will be out one week from today on New Year's Eve. In Part 1 I look back at a few of my personal highlights of the year so far on Making Stitches and feature litt…
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MOORIT AND THE WONDERS OF CROCHET with Alyson Chu
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24:11
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When Alyson Chu spotted a gap in the market for a high-end crochet magazine, she decided to draw on her publishing experience and put one together herself. With Kick-Starter backing of over 600 individuals and the support of a group of crochet designers, Moorit was born this autumn showcasing beautiful crocheted garments to make as well as articles…
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CRAFTING A DREAM SEWING BUSINESS with Freya Gilbert and Sarah Wadey of Crafty Sew and So
30:25
30:25
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When Freya Gilbert and Sarah Wadey met at a sewing workshop in 2014, they knew they had met a kindred spirit. Within months they followed their dreams of setting up a sewing business and opened their bricks and mortar shop Crafty Sew and So in Leicester selling fabric haberdashery and offering award-winning workshops. They used their skills gained …
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THE POWER OF THE CRAFT COMMUNITY with Sara Mulvey of Black Sheep Wools
30:12
30:12
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30:12
I have been wanting to share this episode with you for a very long time. Back in the darkest days of Covid and lockdown in the Spring of 2020, one of the things which kept me going was watching the series of videos posted by Sara Mulvey from Black Sheep Wools. They ranged from chats about yarn supplies and things which could be ordered from the sho…
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LIVING A COLOURFUL CROCHET LIFE with Emma Leith
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44:50
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When I sat down to chat with the self-named 'Queen of Colour' & crochet designer Emma Leith, I was in for a treat. Emma's enthusiasm for creativity and colour is infectious and she was a delight to speak to. She started out teaching mosaic but a couple of large scale yarnbombs brought Emma to prominence and two books of crochet patterns soon follow…
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For many of us, our crafts take a back seat as we concentrate on our careers and creativity can be stifled by everyday life. For novelist, Elaine Everest, a childhood growing up with a mother who made clothes and sewed for friends and family, that creativity stayed with her. From dressmaking as a young girl to making designer garments on a knitting…
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YARNDALE 2021 : A FESTIVAL OF YARN, CREATIVITY & COMMUNITY
36:50
36:50
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After a hiatus due to the pandemic last year, Yarndale returned to Skipton Auction Mart on 25th & 26th September and I was thrilled to be able to go along! As well as my mask and hand sanitizer I took my microphone and met so many truly lovely people. This episode is my experience of Yarndale 2021, which in a nutshell was wonderful, friendly, colou…
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