Bias Binding and Body Positivity with Laura from The Specky Seamstress

In this insightful episode of the Sewing Social podcast, we chat with Laura, also known as The Specky Seamstress, about her journey into sewing, growing her skills, and turning her passion into a thriving business specialising in colourful bias binding.

Laura shares how sewing has supported her mental well-being, how she juggles her creative work with family life, and what exciting projects are on the horizon.

We also dive into the challenges of promoting size inclusivity in the sewing world.

Whether you're a curious beginner or a lifelong maker, this episode offers thoughtful conversation, relatable stories, and plenty of creative energy.

Key Takeaways:

• Laura started sewing in 2018 after leaving a job in London.
• She found a passion for making her own clothes due to the availability of online resources.
• Laura enjoys making dresses with fun prints and simple designs.
• Laura's favourite dress pattern is a hack of the Cashmerette Montrose pattern.
• She started her YouTube channel in 2019 to share her sewing journey.
• The Specky Seamstress business was born out of a desire for pretty bias binding during the pandemic.
• Laura balances her sewing business with family life and emphasises the importance of mental health.
• She is excited about future projects, including a new swimsuit and raincoat.

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Guest details: 

Website: www.thespeckyseamstress.com

Instagram: @thespeckyseamstress

                    @speckylaura

Chapters: 

00:00 Introduction to Laura and Her Sewing Journey

08:05 The Evolution of Sewing Skills and Preferences

15:12 The Specky Seamstress Business and Bias Binding

21:53 Balancing Sewing, Family, and Mental Health

31:42 Future Plans and Projects

36:30 Fun This or That Game

Transcript

Speaker 2 (00:10.432)

Laura, welcome to the Sewing Social Podcast. I'm so happy to have you on today. I wondered if you could introduce yourself to the listeners.

Yeah, thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:19.896)

Absolutely. So I'm Laura. I run two Instagram accounts, one Specky Laura, but I run a business called the Specky Seamstress as well. And I am down in pretty grey Hampshire today.

wanted to sort of take it back to the beginning and ask you about how you got into sewing. Was it something that you've done since childhood?

Yes and no. So I learned how to a sewing machine at school and I did a textiles GCSE and I learned to make a you know, a nightie in Gingham that I definitely never, never used. But I would say that although I knew all the sort of sewing machine skills, the basics, I didn't really learn to sew properly until 2018. So I tried several times after learning the basics at school.

I really wanted to make my own clothes, but I definitely didn't have the kind of impetus to put the time in to learn what I needed to. And in 2018, I was working in a job in London and I was commuting and I left that job for a more local one. And I said to my husband, right, this is it. I'm going to learn to sew. I'm going to commit the time that I'm saving from my commute and I'm going to learn to do it. And I think he probably at the time rolled his eyes and said, you yes, darling, of course, because he'd heard it a few times before.

it stuck this time and I think that in part that's because the difference between my previous attempts and this attempt was that there were so many more resources available to me and I have to go to a course or find a sewing teacher there was just information and community available kind of straight away at my fingertips online so it really made a difference and totally stuck so I've been sewing properly since 2018.

Speaker 2 (02:04.334)

And do you remember the sort of first garment that you made and that you wore? And how did it feel to be able to wear that?

So I think I've got two of those stories because the first time I made something in a previous attempt actually to learn to sew, I made a really simple gathered skirt with a big rectangle out of Cath Kidston fabric. And this must have been back in about 2012, 2013 maybe. And I was so excited because I couldn't.

get things from Cath Kidston, partly because they didn't really come in my size and partly because they were far more expensive than I could afford as a student. And I managed to get just enough fabric to make myself a little knee-length skirt in the mushroom print that they had. And I felt amazing because I felt like I could fit in. And I wish I'd stuck with it then because it was obviously that is the kind of essence of why I love sewing now.

And then I think the next one that I remember is I wore a blouse to work once I'd started sewing properly and I'd followed a proper pattern and it was a proper make. And I remember my mum, whatever the confidence giver, said to me, well, make sure it won't fall apart. As I was on my way to work, think, OK, good. But it didn't. So that's fine. And it was just very simple. I made it from a bed sheet like a duvet cover from.

from ASDA, think they've got so many fun designs. But yeah, I really remember mum sort of scaring me that day, but clearly not scaring me too much because I carried on. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:38.424)

So what type of garments do you love to make now?

I'm a dress girl, really. I love making dresses that are fun prints. I think if you'd have asked me two years ago or definitely pre-COVID, I would have said I like novelty prints. But I think now I'm slightly, I like some novelty prints, but I'm a little bit more fussy. I've become a little bit more fussy, I think, in the last few years. But I like a fun print with a big skirt and relatively simple at the...

the bodice actually just keep things simple and let a really fun print do the talking.

So are there any particular patterns or fabrics that you love to work with?

So I love wearing viscose, but I wouldn't necessarily say I love working with this. But I love wearing it. And so I put up with it because it's amazing. I don't think there's enough viscose in ready to wear clothes. So it feels quite deluxe. Like when you can can swish around in a viscose skirt. I also really hate pressing viscose after, you know, like when it comes out the washing machine. I'm like, I really want to wear that dress, but I've to and get the iron out, which is.

Speaker 1 (04:43.094)

not my favourite part of adulting, but yeah, I do really like wearing viscose. So that tends to be my go-to. And I also really like working with linen. I've really kind of grown into linen a little bit. I think that it should be the same for viscose, but I was always put off it for creases. My mum is very anti-crease, but I really love like a lived-in linen look. So I've got an oversized shirt that I wear that I made in lots of different colours of linen. And I mean, it doesn't get...

ironed it just gets lifted and I really love that. I think that yeah, I'm growing into linen as well.

Do you have a favourite dress pattern?

Yes, but I hack everything and it's not a pattern that's supposed to exist. my base bodice that I use for everything is based from the Cashmerette Montrose pattern, which is a blouse, but I really liked the fit of it. And at the time, their fitted bodice dress didn't have any sleeves and I much prefer sleeves. So I kind of blended that together with the Upton dress to add in waist art. So yeah, my favourite dress pattern is actually not.

dress person because then I can just add whatever skirt I want to it and whatever sleeves I want to it actually because it's a sort of fitted sleeve bodice. I can make them big puffy sleeves if I want to or I have made a sleeveless version of it as well and I also I've even hacked it to be a shirt dress because I can just sort of cut down the middle so I'm a little bit lazy in the sense that I stick to that quite a lot and yeah maybe I should experiment a little bit more.

Speaker 2 (06:14.92)

lazy at all, I think it's quite the opposite and I think it's awesome that you're able to hack something and be brave enough to do that because not a lot of us are.

Yeah, I think it's just, it's, it's a funny one. It's kind of in my comfort zone to think of ideas. That's something that I, you know, I do in my day job as well. And I think that it's, it's, but it is also within my comfort zone, because I know that will fit me. And I think that in the past, I have tried lots more patterns, but I've had lots more time to sew, whereas my time is more limited now. So I'm much more likely to go and play around and tweak with a pattern that I know will

like fundamentally fit me, then start something new and have to maybe kind of go back to basics. And I still do occasionally. mean, I made the cinnamon daisy poppy dress this summer, which is totally different to that kind of normal style and was very happy to go back and start with a practice run with that. But I think I have to be in the right frame of mind to try a new thing now.

totally especially as your time's limited. I saw that one did you make it for your brother's wedding? Yeah. It looked amazing I loved it and in a bright red wasn't it?

Yeah.

Speaker 1 (07:27.01)

Yeah, so I found a bright red, they called it chilli red satin, well viscose, it was a viscose satin from FabWorks. It was there like February fabric of the month, so it was really cheap, it was like £4 a metre. And I bought loads of it because really early on in the year, I made the skirt and I hadn't decided what the bodice was going to be yet, but I made the Robertswood infinity ruffle skirt.

And I sort of hadn't paired in my head that the colour and skirt combination was going to make it look a bit flamenco. And it did look a bit flamenco, but it kind of it worked. But then, I left it for a little while to decide what the bodice would be. And then the poppy dress came out and I saw so many beautiful versions of it that I thought it has to be that. And yeah, I love it. I've still got it hanging in the wardrobe. I've not worn it to another event yet, but I really, I really want to because it was such a fun thing to make. Yeah, really lovely to wear.

Yeah, it looked beautiful. So let's talk about your YouTube channel because you've been doing that for quite a while, haven't you? How long had you been sewing before you decided to start it?

Not very long, it's quite like me to jump in with both feet to be honest. I think I started it in 2019 because I decided to start it on a flight home from New Zealand because I'd bought some fabric and I thought it would be fun to kind of show off the fabrics that I'd bought somewhere totally different. I'd seen quite a lot of fabric hauls online recently that were kind of the same fabrics that I was seeing on Instagram and I thought, hey, I've gone and bought something different.

So hadn't been sewing very long, really, sort of six months or so. yeah, I just, I think that there were quite a lot of sewing channels at the time that were quite informative and maybe less that were a bit more chatty. And so I think I kind of slotted into that sort of chatty vibe and managed to get like some really lovely people follow along and it was, yeah, it was really fun. And I don't do YouTube as much anymore because I just struggle with the time.

Speaker 1 (09:22.048)

And I'm not sewing as much, so it feels harder to keep kind of talking about sewing. But it is something I really miss. And I think that when my kids are a little bit older, it'd be something I'd like to kind of get back into, especially since I started the YouTube channel, I've also learned how to knit. And so I feel like I can do a bit more of a kind of general, tatty, crafty, clothes making sort of thing.

You appear really talented with your knitting as well. Did you teach yourself how to do that?

Yes, pretty much. Again, I had been taught to knit by my nan when I was very little, like when I was a kid, but I'd totally forgotten all of it. My mum is a crocheter and I was quite a confident crocheter, but I'd always wanted to knit. Again, I'd tried several times, it never quite clicked. And then, funnily enough, on Christmas day in 2021, I said, like everyone went to bed and I had hosted everybody and I was like, right.

going to learn to knit and I just that was it I decided and it stuck. think that when my mind is in the right place I can pick up quite a lot but it really has to be in the right place and yeah I mean with great support from my friend who also works for us at the Specky Seamstress Cassie who is a phenomenal knitter. I've sort of asked her lots of questions and I think

given her heart attacks about the number of things I've just ignored or changed in a certain way because I'm not in the mood. yeah, and I can't believe it that I can knit actually because I spent so much of my time saying, I really wish I could knit like a nice crop cardigan to go with this dress, but I'll never be able to knit. it's sort of, I still have to pinch myself sometimes when I'm working on something.

Speaker 2 (11:00.374)

So lovely and they complement each other really well don't they like you say with your dresses and a cute knitted cardigan. It's a really nice match. So let's talk about the Specky Seamstress The Business which predominantly specialises in bias binding. What inspired you to start that?

So during Covid, I'd moved jobs and I didn't have a lot of work to do in 2020. I work in an innovation function and we didn't really know where the money was coming from and there was not much certainty. And I was a little bit bored, I think. And I had been doing quite a lot of sewing and I'd been doing quite a lot of filming for YouTube. I'd started to put labels in my makes. I'd started to feel comfortable enough to kind of put the pretty label in something.

And I was using a lot of bias binding because I don't like wearing facings. I've never liked that even in, in ready to wear. And I thought someone's got to make pretty bias binding, right? Like if people are making pretty labels, I want something that says, says something along, along the neckline. And I searched and you know, I found that people sell Liberty bias binding and some patterns, but nothing that had that kind of design running along the bias.

And I think like typical engineering brain, was like, I could do that. And it actually turned out to be really hard. It took me quite a long time, quite a lot of backwards and forwards with a fabric printer to make sure that I'd got the scale right and the template right. And when I finally nailed it, I thought, well, if I like this, then I bet some other people would like it too. So I sort of gave it, gave it a go. I launched a crowd funder with Nat West who were running a crowd funder for small businesses during COVID. And it was like, I...

I'd ambitiously put that I wanted to raise £750 because then NatWest would double that, so they would make it £1,500 and I thought that would be enough to kind of get me set up. And I made like four and a half grand. Wow! I took like 300 orders and I had all this sort of offer of help from sewing friends, but because we went into another lockdown in November, I...

Speaker 1 (13:01.78)

didn't have any of that help and my poor husband had to, I mean, he's made so much bias binding from in that like one month period. And yeah, it was a bit of sort of effort really to pull it together. But then once I realised that people wanted it and that once I've got the kind of template ready to go, it's actually quite fun to play around with lots of designs. Just kind of rolled with it and yes, it's proven popular.

That's amazing. Can you talk us through sort of how you design the bias binding? Like where does it start and how do you receive it in its finished form?

Yeah, of course. we start it as a single line file that we, with the images on or the text on, and we take inspiration from all kinds of places. me and Ivan, who is my kind of partner in the business and Cassie, who works with us, we have a group chat and we have like a list that ongoing with ideas that come up from everywhere, but everywhere from like Ivan's kids will make suggestions and

And customers will make suggestions or we'll see a fun fabric and think like, we don't have a design that matches that to kind of just anywhere. And we start it like that. And then we, tie it up onto fabric and send it to our printer. And then we get a huge reel of fabric. You know, if it's a new design, we might order two meters of fabric to give it a trial. And that will give us like, I don't know, something like 40 packs of bias binding. Or for our subscription boxes now we order kind of 15.

meters of it. And that arrives and we cut it into individual strips by hand at home and stitch it all together into one giant long reel and then run it through our bias binding machine to make the final product. So yeah, it's quite labor intensive and it's quite, it's definitely still very small and very, very manual. We'd love to be a bit more automated in the future, but it's, that involves like.

Speaker 1 (15:00.896)

machinery and places to put machinery and it's quite a scale up thing then. But yeah, it's really quite a process. I think we worked out that the fabric changes hands like five or six times during the process because we have a couple of people who do some cutting for us and some manufacturing for us as freelance. yeah, it's quite a journey it goes on.

Is it mainly the three of you then? You mentioned some freelancers, but is the main sort of employees as such, the three of you?

there. Yeah, so me and Nivan are not actually employees, workers, directors, so we both have full-time jobs. Cassie's our only employee. She came on board, she started as a freelancer for us about 18 months ago and then came on board properly a year ago and yeah she came on initially. So I know Cassie from uni and I sent her a message to say

Hey, I think we need bit of help with admin for the subscription boxes. I think it might be a couple of hours a month and she works 15 hours a week for us now. Yeah, it's amazing really.

Awesome. So talk us through your subscription boxes because you've got more than one haven't you? Yes.

Speaker 1 (16:05.55)

Yeah, we have. So we have our bias tape appreciation society. So with that, you get one pack of brand new design bias binding. So that's two meters in a pack and that comes to your door every month. And that's £6.50 if you're in the UK. I'm checking that's right. I think it's £6 if it comes to UK. I've not done the business spiel for a while, but we set it up sort of almost two years ago now. And we really saw that there was an opportunity for a kind of cheap and cheerful subscription sewing box.

because quite a lot of the sewing boxes are on the pricier side and, you know, money's tight for people. And also, I mean, I'm quite fussy and I'm always nervous of sewing subscription boxes because I think what if I don't like the pattern or I've already got the pattern or, you know, and I think this was quite a nice way of still getting that treat and that kind of, you know, fun post, but a little bit lower stakes, I guess. And so now we've, you know, we're coming up to 24 designs, which is mad. And the way that works is when you sign up.

you get your box come through and no one can buy that design for three months. So it's not a one-time deal. There are more of it available, but it's after three months, unless you're a club member and then you can buy some more and add it to your next box if you want. if you really love a design and you want to hem a six meter circle skirt, then you can still.

pick up the extras that you need. And then our label collective, is £6.50 a month if you're in the UK and both of those prices include postage as well. We get two new label designs every month. So four of the little mini labels that we do that are little squares that are kind of perfect to go inside jeans or in kids clothes. And then our larger label, which is kind of more traditional folded label. You get three of those. So you get seven labels a month for

£6.50 and all of our labels are 100 % recycled threads and made in the UK. If you order both, you save the postage from one of them. So you save a pound. And we ship worldwide, although with some caveats at the moment, because the world has been a bit crazy with tariffs and new laws and things. But yeah, we ship everywhere we can and that's growing all the time. And we have, yeah, like 150 people signed up or something now, which is amazing. We...

Speaker 1 (18:23.246)

We've just really enjoyed doing the designs and being that monthly treat. We get messages from people that say, we've had to drop out of bigger subscription boxes, but we still want that little monthly treat. And we get people who sort of get their design and then they message us and say, when does the listing go up? I want to buy more of these labels. Which is always fun. I guess it's always fun to see if design's gone down well.

So it sounds like you really spotted a gap in the market there. Cause like you say, there are a lot of more expensive boxes, but you're still giving people that little treat through the post every month.

here and I feel like I get it too because I don't do the shipping anymore. So the shipping is done from from a Vans house and she will ship me the box because I don't always see her like enough to pick them up in advance and things. So I get my little kind of Specky happy post as well every month.

That's really cute. So you mentioned you work full time and you have two kids. you do the Specky Seamstress. How do you do the juggle?

I don't think there's any secret sources there. There's no formula. It's just, I mean, I've always been someone who likes being busy and I find it very difficult to rest. And I think it's the bane of my husband's life that I'm always on the go and always busy. I thrive on that. I think we have a really good home dynamic, like family dynamic. So my husband knows that sewing is really important for me. And so we make the time for me to do some sewing, just like we make the time for him to be out in the garden by himself. Cause that's...

Speaker 1 (19:51.574)

is what gives him his energy and his sanity, guess. So we make sure we have enough time. And I think for me, then the knitting has been a really big part of that since I've had the kids because it's easier. Knitting is very portable. I always have knitting in the car because if the kids fall asleep somewhere and I'm parked up, I can sit and do some knitting.

And it gives me those moments of still feeling a bit like me and still feeling creative and still having that kind of, it's something really human, isn't there, about making something with your hands? And I think that knitting, even more than sewing, because sewing you've still got kind of machinery and it's still kind of speedy really, but like just going back to knitting and like turning a piece of wall into a garment, it's just really grounding, I think. And so I took up knitting kind of more seriously once I was on maternity leave with James because

It just gave me something to still kind of keep in touch with that, even if sewing was becoming harder. And I think that like now, sometimes I'll go and sew. So my sewing room is in the garden and the kids will come out and be out and about and I'll do a little bit of sewing. And I know I'm not going to do anything amazing, but I might be able to get something cut out or I might be able to kind of sew the darts on something. And that really helps you just feel like you're still progressing a little bit.

But yeah, it really, I mean, it is a juggle and it's a bit of a case of balancing stuff week by week and hoping for the best and probably sewing a bit later than you should sometimes and being shattered the next day and fitting things in. mean, working from home is great because I'll often go out and sew at lunchtime and get a little bit in during the daylight hours. And then I'll just come in and, you know, have a sandwich while I'm on the next meeting or something. And that works well. But yeah, there isn't, there just isn't a secret to it. It's just, just trying to, trying to.

do little bits when you can and enjoying what you get, I guess.

Speaker 2 (21:43.18)

Yeah, absolutely. And we've spoken on the podcast quite a bit about mental health and how having your hobby is necessary really, isn't it, for your mental health. And sometimes even when you've had kids, you need that time to feel like you again.

Yeah, definitely. mean, sewing is so good for my mental health for lots of reasons. Like my sewing room doesn't get any phone signal, which is great. I go away, I'm away from my phone. I sit in there and I create something. But for me, the product is also so important for my mental health because being able to dress in a way that feels like me in clothes that fit me is something that wasn't available to me really before I learned how to sew and being able to.

go out into the world feeling like yourself is so important. And I found that through pregnancy. And it was interesting because when James was born, everyone said, I bet you're making loads of clothes for him. And I was like, no, because I go into the sewing room and it's like, I don't want to be mom when I'm in the sewing room. I mean, maybe different now, like I'm happy for the kids to run in and out while I'm doing stuff. But I wanted that time to be for me. And at a time when your body...

changes so much through pregnancy and postpartum. Having new clothes that were special and made me feel good were really important, especially when you're running on no sleep and you've got witching hour to deal with and all that. I didn't spend much time making for my kids at all. And I still don't actually. I think I'm more likely to sew for them when they can ask for things, when they have actual preferences to say, well, mommy, really want a, I don't know, like pink jumper with a...

space car or whatever, I'm more likely to say, yeah, okay, I'll do that. But right now they don't care what they're wearing. They get muddled over it anyway really quickly and then they grow. So I make them the odd thing for special occasions when I think the effort is worth the cute outcome, but not very often. I don't think anything beats being able to put on something that you know is going to make you feel amazing. And that's whether you've made it yourself or whether it's something you buy.

Speaker 1 (23:50.506)

I was just never in a position where things I could buy made me feel amazing. I've been reflecting back on the clothes that I really loved before I learned how to sew. And there's so few of them because it was just so hard to find something that felt like me and that fit me. And obviously at the time as well, that was in my budget because maybe I would be slightly different now in a slightly different position with finances. But as a teenager and a student, it wasn't.

just wasn't achievable.

Are you talking about sort size inclusivity as well there when you say there wasn't a lot available?

Yeah, I do. think that a lot of the, I mean, I could fit in a lot of the high street clothes. I, you know, physically went up to my size, they weren't, not all of the brands, definitely. Not some of the like cooler brands when I was a teenager. But none of them were really made for people that had boobs. You know, they were all made for quite typical shape, I guess. And I kind of was never really that. So I really struggled with.

with fitting well. Like I could squeeze into things, but they weren't kind of the right thing. And yeah, definitely some of the brands that would sell more like out there clothes that I would have liked certainly wouldn't have fit me. I I loved as a kid, I grew up in Southeast London and I used to go up to Camden and I loved all the clothes in Camden market, but there wasn't a hope in hell that they would fit me. And like that's for height as well because I was

Speaker 1 (25:23.916)

I I stopped growing at about 13. So I was five foot seven, but I was five foot seven when I was kind of 12, 13. And then I just didn't grow anymore. So I'm kind of a, I'm not, I'm not a short woman, but I'm not particularly tall, but I was a very tall 10, 11, 12 year old. And I found it impossible to get things that, that sort of felt still like my age that weren't, you know, that weren't really grown up. because I didn't, I didn't want to be grown up. I wanted to like fit in with the people around me. so yeah, think size inclusivity.

but also style was a real challenge for me.

How do you feel like sort of indie patterns or the big four as well, how do you feel like they cater for those things?

know, I haven't touched a big four pattern in such a long time, because I obviously always knew that I needed to be in the bigger size range for a big four. But they're totally bizarre because they come with so much ease in random places. And I don't know if they've got better at that one or not, because I haven't touched them for ages. And I definitely think I think almost all of their patterns now come in the two size ranges. So they do go up to a decent size. And I think that indie pattern designers do much better.

I'm still seeing new pattern companies spring up though where they're sizing finishes at like 16. I see a lot of them where like the size 16 is for a lot of pattern companies a 42 inch bust, which is not very big. Like I'm a 46 inch bust and I tend to try and look for pattern companies where I sit somewhere in the middle of the size band because I think I'm larger than the average woman, but not like significantly larger than the average woman. And so.

Speaker 1 (27:01.152)

I try and find patterns that think will include a reasonable breadth of the people that want to sew. But yeah, I do see some still popping up and I think that's what I struggle with because it's been such a big topic of conversation over the last few years in the sewing community online. To still see a company come up brand new and not have that embedded in is really disheartening or really sad because I think it's been proven time and time again that

know, bigger people like sewing and will buy things. So yeah, it's fun. there are some really cool ones out there now. So Tiana Herring, who has made the like noble utility dress and jumpsuit pattern like a dupe of that because they didn't sell them in her size. Her size is, the chart now reads back, not back to front, but like biggest to smallest. So the A is the biggest size. And she says, well, it was designed for my body first. So let's go for my body size first.

Then there is like massive strides and massive changes. And it's just, I think for me, I still remember some of the pattern companies who kind of dragged their heels a bit. And I think I'm not necessarily going to support you just because you've extended your size range. Sort of you've been, you've been dragged up by other people because I think it's important that you, you know, you see the reasoning and you kind of want it to happen. And I also think there's a big difference between something being available in the right size and being well graded and well drafted for that size.

I'm not convinced all of the bigger sewing pattern or the bigger indie pattern companies have really invested the time that's needed in a good block. So I used to be a pattern, like the grading model for Jennifer Lauren Handmade, because when she increased her size range, she wanted to do it right. So she says, you know, I draft the size I currently do based off of me, because I make for me. And then I draft outwards both ways from there.

So I don't want to just continue drafting outwards because that won't work. I need to find like the new proportions. And so she wanted somebody with kind of specific proportions. And I was the close, like very close to that. And I worked with, mean, they're based in New Zealand. So it was a remote thing and we did lots of zoom calls and we had lots of calico fitting and all of this kind of drawn all over. But it meant that when she came to grade, she was grading from someone who sat in the middle of that size range.

Speaker 1 (29:27.562)

not from someone right at the bottom or right at the top. I sort of have quite a lot of faith that those were done really well. And I guess I just don't know about some of the others. And I'm always nervous if a pattern company just increases their size range by like two sizes. Because think, okay, well you've just...

added some extra seam allowance on there, you know, and I maybe I'm wrong, but that's my, that's always my suspicion is because I think that there are so many loud voices in terms of size inclusivity, but I think it's quite easy to be duped about what size inclusivity actually means, especially if you're a straight size sewist and you like see a big number, you know, I think it's particularly common in like French sizing, because it say like, we go up to size 52 and like 52 sounds really good. So yeah, like that's, that's great.

But then you go and look at and you think, okay, well, that's like my bust plus two inches. You know, that's not actually that size inclusive. But I think it is whether it shows to me that they're trying to please the straight size sewists by saying they're doing more rather than by actually trying to, you know, have an inclusive pattern. So, yeah, I think that was quite a long rambly answer, but I think there's a lot to still be said about it, to be honest. And I think that

Yes, indie patterns are doing amazing, but it's not like it's not solved yet.

No, that's really insightful, thank you. And I think, like you say, there is a lot more to go into on that subject. But I think as a sort of straight-sized sewist, it's not something that I consider because obviously we all make for our own bodies, but I am really open to learning about all these issues. So again, thank you for that. I wondered if you have any exciting plans coming up either for your own personal sewing or for the business?

Speaker 1 (31:21.486)

Oh, I've got lots of exciting plans. Whether they all come to fruition is another matter. For the business, I think by the time this is released, we will have announced that we are launching seasonal boxes with the Specky Seamstress. So we have ummed and ahhed about an advent calendar for a few years now, but we like to keep ourselves in that kind of cheap and cheerful bracket. And we just struggled to get our heads around how we could do something that had

good quality things and still fit within that sort of vibe. So we're holding on that for a little while, but we've come up with the idea of a couple of sizes of seasonal box. So you could give it to somebody as a Secret Santa present, or you could give it to somebody as like a Christmas Eve present or something, or you could just open it at some point through Advent as a little treat for yourself. And that's going to have brand new designs of bias and labels and a few other goodies as well. So we've been busy planning that, which has been...

really fun. And I guess for the business as well, the news is that we've taken a break really from shows this year, partly because mine and Avang's life have just been too busy to fit them in. But we really want to think about some smaller shows this year. So not the big ones, not the kind of ones in London, but those smaller events. So we really love Thread Festival in Farnham and we're going up to Sew Brum this year as part of the Guthrie and Ghani.

makers market and so we're really interested in doing some more of those things so we're to be putting out lots of kind of requests for local knowledge as to what we should be coming along to. So from the business there are the kind of exciting things coming up. I think from my personal side I'm finally going to sew myself a swimsuit in the Liberty swim fabric that I bought years ago. So I've made swimsuits before but I've been going swimming this so I have previously played cricket quite seriously and

have not played for several years because of good and babies and life. But I got back into it this season and I've been swimming since the season finished because I'd like to kind of get fitter for cricket next year. So I'm going to make myself a nice new swimsuit because the ones I've made previously are starting to see, you know, some wear now. So that's quite exciting. And I'm also going to make myself a new raincoat because again, the one I made

Speaker 1 (33:44.596)

It was pre-COVID, so it's done six winters now of rain. And there's definitely some things that I would have done differently now that I'm a more experienced sewist. Yeah, I thought it might be time. So as part of the Sow Phoenix challenge that's been going on, that's the make that I'm working on. And I'm not going to finish it in time for the challenge, but that doesn't matter because, you know, it's the intent and the motivation. So that's fine. So yeah, they're my two kind of exciting projects for myself. Awesome.

very exciting and what raincoat pattern are you going to choose?

It's been a real debate actually. I asked people online on Instagram, like what should I go for? And lots of people recommend the Kelly Anorak. I think it's a really popular one, but I've read quite a few blog posts about the lining pattern not being very well drafted. And I'm also not massively bothered by the elastic waist thing going on. So that was definitely a contender, but I've actually gone for the Styler Patterns Kodiak. So they're part of the...

I think they're part of the Little Lizard King family, I think they call it. I think that it was kind of merged with a couple of companies and it does have the option of the elastic waist actually, but I won't do that. But what I like about it is it has princess seams and the pattern I have at the minute has princess seams and it just makes a really nice, like easy fit adjustment for having boobs, but then not having a gigantic coat. So I really, really like the one I have, although that was heavily adapted from the Willa vest.

by Layla Jane patterns who I'm not sure they exist anymore. And this, was like a sleeve add-on to a sleeveless thing. And I don't think it was the greatest. So I think I'd, yeah, I wanted to try something different. But yeah, quite a few were recommended to me and I nearly went for the Cascade duffel coat from Grainline Studios, which I like the look of as well. But yeah, I'm going to go for the Styler Kodiak. So I've got it printed, although

Speaker 1 (35:42.414)

have a projector now in my sewing room and I'm thinking about it being my first project to make. And I've got a really lovely yellow waterproof from Rainbow Fabrics that I'm going to use for it.

I'll make sure to look out for both of those projects then. Very exciting. So to sort of draw the interview to a close Laura, I like to do a game of this or that if that's okay with you. So I think I know the answer to this first one, but prints or solids? Yeah. Wovens or knits? Meal out or a takeaway? Takeaway. Tea or coffee?

prints.

These days, wovens...

Speaker 1 (36:16.115)

I don't drink coffee, actually.

scissors or a rotary cutter.

rotary cutter.

Last minute change. Spring, summer or autumn, winter?

That's a tricky one. I think spring, summer, although I think if I had to really pick, I'd say summer, autumn. Because I being able to put like a cardigan over a fancy dress, but yeah, spring, summer.

Speaker 2 (36:38.902)

an organised stash or creative chaos.

Well, I have creative chaos, so let's go with that.

One project on the go or multiple.

These days I'm probably one project on the go. I definitely changed, but I think slightly more through necessity.

I think I've gone the opposite way for some reason.

Speaker 1 (36:57.79)

I think what it is, is I've got better at abandoning something. Like if I'm halfway through it and I think, no, I just throw it all in the bin now. Whereas previously I would have put it in a box and been like, no, I'll fix it later. I'll sort it out later. I'll finish it another time. I think I've got a little bit more like critical of like, no.

Yeah, probably need to do that as well. If you had to choose one craft, would it be sewing or knitting?

sewing but you know what I think I think I think I enjoy doing knitting more but I think I enjoy the results of sewing more like I don't think I could go back to ready to wear dresses and things now but I could probably I could sew cardigans so I it's like a practical decision more than a heart-made decision

The last one, again I think I know the answer to this one, but sewing for yourself or others.

Definitely sewing for myself. I'm a selfish sewist and I'm not ashamed of it. I think my husband is still waiting for a hoodie from his birthday like two years ago. But every time someone says like, your husband must get lots of things. I'm like, no, he can buy things from a shop. He doesn't care. Things fit him. So I'm not going to make him a boring pair of jeans or a boring hoodie. He gets the odd pair of boxes from like leftover fun jerseys. But no, definitely sewing for myself.

Speaker 2 (37:58.723)

Yeah.

Speaker 2 (38:11.96)

Good choice. So where can people find you, Laura?

So you can find the shop on www.thespecceseamstress.com or you can find us on Instagram, we're @thespeckyseamstress and you can find me on @speckylaura.

Perfect. Thank you so much for joining me today on the Sewing Social podcast. It's been really great to speak to you. You take care. 

That's it for today's episode of the Sewing Social Podcast. Thanks so much for listening. If you're enjoying the show and want to support what we're doing, you can now leave us a tip over on Ko-fi. It's like buying us a virtual coffee or a spool of thread.

Thanks for having me. Bye.

Speaker 2 (38:52.386)

and it helps us keep bringing you inspiring stories from the sewing community. You'll find the link in the show notes or at kofi.com forward slash the sewing social pod. Until next time, happy sewing.