Stitching Tales

The Last Stitch Media

The inside scoop on sewing your own clothes and running a sewing business.

Hosted by sewing veterans and authors of Fit for Knits and the upcoming sewing book To a Tee, Malena Hjerpe and Johanna Lundström.

Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Or contact us on our socials:

⁠Stitching Tales on Instagram⁠

⁠Stitching Tales on YouTube⁠

About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns.

⁠Hazelhen Patterns Instagram⁠

⁠hazelhenpatterns.com⁠ (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern)

About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator.

⁠thelaststitch.com⁠

⁠The Last Stitch Instagram⁠

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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33 episodes
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Avg 58 min
English

Episodes 33

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June 16 · 56 min
Where do sewists hang out now? #112
The sewing world has never been more connected, or more fragmented. 15 years ago, most online sewists gathered in a handful of forums and blogs. Today, conversations are spread across Facebook groups, memberships, Discord servers, Substack, online courses, Instagram, YouTube, and platforms that may or may not still exist by the time this episode airs. On one hand, it's easier than ever to find people who share your interests. On the other hand, keeping track of where everyone is gathering can feel like a part-time job. And don't we all crave more in-person meetups these days? The conversation may also have been lightly influenced by some behind-the-scenes brainstorming around Johanna and Malena's upcoming book To a Tee and whether the internet really needs one more place for sewists to gather. Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or contact us at our socials: Stitching Tales on Instagram Stitching Tales on YouTube About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns. Hazelhen Patterns Instagram hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern) About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator. thelaststitch.com The Last Stitch Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 9 · 56 min
Sew better with the right thread #111
Sewing thread seems simple, until you realise that there is a thread jungle out there, and that choosing the right thread can affect everything from seam durability and stretch to stitch quality and how smoothly your machine sews. In this episode, Malena and Johanna are diving deep into the world of sewing threads. From regular all-purpose thread to overlock cones, stretch thread and heavy topstitching thread, this episode covers what different threads actually do, when to use them and why thread choice can completely change the outcome of a sewing project. Plus: why cheap thread has its place, but not on a sewing machine. And of course, Johanna messes up the thread weight systems, but hopefully she manages to save her face in the end! Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or contact us at our socials: Stitching Tales on Instagram Stitching Tales on YouTube About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns. Hazelhen Patterns Instagram hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern) About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator. thelaststitch.com The Last Stitch Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
June 2 · 58 min
Creative burnout, exhaustion & pressure to always create #110
What happens when the thing you used to enjoy doing starts feeling like dread? Because burnout and exhaustion often creep up on us, and can be hard to nip in the bud.In this candid conversation, Johanna and Malena talk about their own experiences with burnout, losing motivation, and what happens when a hobby, passion, or creative business no longer feels inspiring. Because even something you genuinely love can become emotionally draining when there’s pressure to create, produce, improve, or keep up constantly. They also offer practical advice grounded in both their own experience and science-backed strategies. But of course, that doesn't mean they have it all figured out; in fact, Johanna reveals that she still has some questionable work habits, so do as she says, not as she does! Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or contact us at our socials: Stitching Tales on Instagram Stitching Tales on YouTube About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns. Hazelhen Patterns Instagram hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern) About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator. thelaststitch.com The Last Stitch Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 26 · 1 hr
Summer sewing: Linen struggles, hacking shorts and bold stripes #109
Summer has (almost) arrived in Sweden, and Malena and Johanna are ready to talk about warm-weather sewing. It starts with a linen pants therapy session where Johanna has some saggy struggles; luckily, Malena has the solutions. They move on to shorts and how we can hack our favourite pants sewing pattern into a pair of shorts (hint: the answer might surprise you). Then Malena pulls out a roll of fabric and asks for advice, and the answer could be...dungarees, or as Johanna says, "own the stripes!" Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or contact us at our socials: Stitching Tales on Instagram Stitching Tales on YouTube About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns. Hazelhen Patterns Instagram hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern) About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator. thelaststitch.com The Last Stitch Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 19 · 50 min
Coverstitch secrets: Beyond basic hems #108
The coverstitch machine can easily become an expensive hemming machine. So in this episode, Johanna and Malena talk about why it can do so much more than just finish the bottom of a t-shirt. Johanna is on a roll in this episode, and dishes on everything from reverse coverstitching and bindings to seams inspired by ready-to-wear activewear and even denim!Then the conversation turns to using woolly nylon and heavier threads for fuller coverage, binding techniques both with and without specialised attachments, and how mock flatlock seams can give knit garments a flatter, more professional finish. And of course, they address some gripes too, after all, this is an episode about coverstitch machines! Johanna's coverstitch resources Free coverstitch troubleshooting guide Coverstitch Success Video Course Master The Coverstitch Machine Book Malena's Fieldfare Joggers Pattern Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or contact us at our socials: Stitching Tales on Instagram Stitching Tales on YouTube About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns. Hazelhen Patterns Instagram hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern) About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator. thelaststitch.com The Last Stitch Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 12 · 57 min
Lack of confidence, purging patterns & creative differences : Q&A #107
Malena and Johanna open the mailbag again and answer your pressing sewing questions! Should you purge patterns that no longer fit? Who gets the final word when Malena and Johanna disagree on a technique? And can you skip the grain line when sewing samples? These and many more questions are answered in this very meaty Q&A episode. Email us more questions at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or contact us at our socials: Stitching Tales on Instagram Stitching Tales on YouTube About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns. Hazelhen Patterns Instagram hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern) About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator. thelaststitch.com The Last Stitch Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 5 · 1 hr 5 min
From Sweden to Hawaii: How Sanna Myers built a pattern brand #106
What does it actually take to launch a sewing pattern brand and find an audience for your creations? In this episode, Johanna and Malena sit down with Sanna Myers from Paradise Patterns, a Swedish pattern maker now based in Hawaii, and talk through the inner workings of building a pattern brand. They follow her path from pattern school in Sweden to experimenting with her own clothing line in Hawaii, and eventually finding her way into the indie pattern world. They also get into what happens after that first pattern goes out into the world and does not quite land, how she used a free pattern to build real traction, and why community matters. If you have ever wondered what goes into the patterns you sew, this is the episode for you! Learn more about SannaParadise Patterns @paradisepatterns Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or contact us at our socials: Stitching Tales on Instagram Stitching Tales on YouTube About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns. Hazelhen Patterns Instagram hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern) About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator. thelaststitch.com The Last Stitch Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 28 · 57 min
8 ways to sew knit necklines (none of them a neckband) #105
Everyone knows the neckband. It’s the default option for finishing knit tops. But surely there must be more ways? Perhaps even better ones? In this episode, Malena and Johanna step away from the most common knit neckline finish and explore eight alternative methods, the ones that don’t get as much attention, but are equally as good, if not better, in some circumstances. If you’ve ever felt stuck using the same neckline over and over, or wondered why it doesn’t quite sit the way you want, this episode will give you more options and a better sense of when to use them. Neckline tutorials Sewing Activewear book Master the Coverstitch Machine book Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or contact us at our socials: Stitching Tales on Instagram Stitching Tales on YouTube About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns. Hazelhen Patterns Instagram hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern) About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator. thelaststitch.com The Last Stitch Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 21 · 58 min
Pre-launch spiral & trusting the (bridal) fabric flow #104
Johanna is launching a new sewing pattern after an 18-month hiatus and is a bundle of nerves. Has all the hard work of the past few months been for nothing?Malena steps in to talk her off the ledge, and together they agree that you have to play the long game. Everything we make, release, and stumble through is part of a bigger learning process. And speaking of learning curves, Malena has been deep in the world of bridal wear lately, and the revelations have been coming fast. Including this: sometimes the math isn't mathing when it comes to fabric, and you have to trust the flow. Quite literally! Shop Johanna's new pattern: The Tyri Tie-Neck Knit Blouse and check out the vertical Sew-Along videos mentioned in the episode Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or contact us at our socials: Stitching Tales on Instagram Stitching Tales on YouTube About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns. Hazelhen Patterns Instagram hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern) About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator. thelaststitch.com The Last Stitch Instagram Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 14 · 58 min
Sleeves explained: Less guesswork, better fit #103
Johanna and Malena dig into a new arm of garment sewing, namely the sleeves. They talk through the different types, from set-in to raglan and why they behave so differently once you actually sew them. They also get into the fit and why sleeve issues are often misdiagnosed. Is it really the sleeve… or is the armhole the real culprit? Plus, why adding more ease to the cap isn’t always a great idea. Especially when sewing sleeves on knit garments. If sleeves have ever felt unnecessarily complicated, this episode will make things a lot clearer. 📙 Fit for Knits Book https://www.thelaststitch.com/fit-for-knits-book Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or contact us at our socials: Stitching Tales on Instagram Stitching Tales on YouTube About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns. Hazelhen Patterns Instagram hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern) About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator. thelaststitch.com The Last Stitch Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Stitching Tales on Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Stitching Tales on YouTube⁠⁠ Malena Hjerpe: Professional patternmaker ⁠⁠Hazelhen Patterns Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠⁠hazelhenpatterns.com⁠⁠ Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author ⁠⁠thelaststitch.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠The Last Stitch Instagram⁠⁠ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 7 · 1 hr 1 min
T-shirt book update: Decisions, dilemmas and messy lines #102
Remember the t-shirt book Johanna and Malena said they were working on? Well, this is the update, and again, they need your input! Johanna and Malena share what’s happened since the last episode, what decisions they’ve made, what turned out to be more complicated than expected, and how your feedback has shaped the book. They talk about seam allowances vs stitch lines (and why that became a whole thing), how they landed on their sizing approach, and why naming the patterns felt like having babies. Plus a few moments of “we didn’t think this would be so hard”. This is the follow-up to episode #90 with more to come! Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or contact us at our socials: Stitching Tales on Instagram Stitching Tales on YouTube About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns. Hazelhen Patterns Instagram hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern) About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator. thelaststitch.com The Last Stitch Instagram
March 31 · 1 hr 3 min
How to gather fabric evenly (without the guesswork) #101
Ever tried gathering fabric and wondered why it sometimes works… and sometimes it's a real struggle? In this episode, Johanna and Malena dig into gatherings, and not the social kind. They share their favourite methods, how to distribute gathers evenly without guesswork, and what to adjust when things start going wrong. Plus, how fabric type affects the final result, because gathering a crisp cotton is not the same as gathering a drapey knit (and definitely not the same as heavy denim). Then Johanna goes deep into the intricacies of sewing gathers on knits, because that is the only thing she can think about right now, with the pattern launch looming and all that! Johanna's knit gathers tutorial Guril knit top pattern with gathered sleeves Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or contact us at our socials: Stitching Tales on Instagram Stitching Tales on YouTube About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns. Hazelhen Patterns Instagram hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern) About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator. thelaststitch.com The Last Stitch Instagram
March 24 · 57 min
We hit 100! And answering your sewing dilemmas #100
100 episodes (!!) and still talking sewing every week . In this celebratory episode, Johanna and Malena share how Stitching Tales started (mostly as a way to keep talking after finishing Fit for Knits). They also talk about choosing a very casual and candid format, plus the decision to do a video podcast from the start, and how that completely messed up Johanna's YouTube channel! They also answer listener questions, like how to deal with skipped stitches, gaping armholes and sewing buttonholes on knits! Thank you for being part of the journey, on to the next 100! Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stitchingtalespod@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or contact us at our socials: Stitching Tales on Instagram Stitching Tales on YouTube About Malena Hjerpe: Professional pattern maker, sewing book author and owner of Hazelhen Patterns. Hazelhen Patterns Instagram hazelhenpatterns.com (get your free Malva t-shirt pattern) About Johanna Lundström: Sewing book author, pattern designer and sewing content creator. thelaststitch.com The Last Stitch Instagram

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