We Sew Too - The Movement Behind the Maker with Clive Bruder

In this episode of the Sewing Social Podcast, accomplished sewist and industry advocate Clive Bruder opens up about his powerful journey in the world of sewing and fashion. He talks candidly about navigating a female-dominated industry as a male sewist and the barriers he’s worked to break down along the way.

Clive shares the motivation behind his influential movements We Sew Too and Boys Sew Too, both created to champion diversity, inclusivity, and visibility for underrepresented makers in the sewing community.

He also offers a behind-the-scenes look at his creative process, design inspirations, and the launch of his brand-new space, Sew Newbo Studios—a vibrant sewing studio dedicated to community connection, skill-building, and creative growth.

Engaging, insightful, and full of inspiration, this episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about sewing, fashion, and inclusive craft spaces.

Key Takeaways:

• Clive Bruder is the founder of the Boys Sew Too and We Sew Too movements.
• His sewing journey began at a young age with a hand-crank sewing machine.
• Clive faced challenges in the fashion industry due to gender stereotypes.
• We Sew Too aims to create a more inclusive sewing community for LGBTQIA+ and other underrepresented groups.
• Boys Sew Too empowers men to embrace sewing as a valid craft.
• Visibility and representation in the sewing community are crucial for change.
• Clive draws inspiration from various sources, including other designers and everyday life.
• Sew Newbo Studios serves as a creative space for teaching and community building.
• Clive emphasises the importance of supporting one another in the sewing community.
• He believes that sewing should be accessible and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of gender. 

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Guest details: 

Website: www.wesewtoo.com 

Instagram: @wesewtoo

                  : @boyssewtoo

                  : @sewnewbostudios

Facebook: Sew Newbo Studios

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Clive Bruder and His Journey

00:37 The Early Days of Sewing: A Passion Ignited

02:57 Navigating Gender Norms in Sewing Education

09:27 Challenges and Triumphs in the Fashion Industry

14:26 Creating Inclusive Spaces: The We So Too Movement

19:04 Empowering Men in Sewing: The Boy So Too Movement

23:40 Global Movement in Sewing

26:08 Representation and Inclusivity in Sewing

28:40 Design Inspiration and Personal Style

34:19 Creating a Home Studio and Community

40:24 Teaching and Building a Sewing Community

44:42 Outro 

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Transcript

Gemma Daly (00:11)
Clive, welcome to the Sewing Social podcast. I'm so happy to have you on today.

Clive Bruder (00:16)
Hello, how are you doing?

Gemma Daly (00:18)
Good, thank you. Thanks for joining me. I wondered if you could introduce yourself to the listeners.

Clive Bruder (00:24)
course. My name is Clive, I am the founder of the Boy So Too movement, We So Too, the Proud Lounge and now our new studios at our Sew Newbo Studios.

Gemma Daly (00:37)
Now I'm going to take it right back to the start of your sewing journey. How did it all start for you?

Clive Bruder (00:42)
Oh wow. How much time have you got?

Right, so let me try and like re-engage my brain. I was a young lad and we were given a hand crank singer sewing machine from my grandma. Or my Nana Cat as we used to call her actually, because she wasn't my biological grandma but you know that's a whole different story.

and I was just completely intrigued by, you know, way it kind of moved and things like that. so what we did was we took it home and my mum and I started to make cushion covers. We covered a chair like it was just this kind of 70s round chair. And then we started on two curtains as well. So a young age, I think I was always interested in.

sewing, particularly fashion, you know, used to, I used to have Barbie dolls, actually. Mum and Dad were very liberal and they, you know, there was no kind of, you want a Barbie doll, you're going to get a Barbie And I used to dress my little Barbie dolls and I used to use tissue paper. So I think that kind of idea of construction and garment making came a really young age. The inspiration, I never actually saw my

grandmother sew anything. I was just always intrigued by this hand crank seeing a sewing machine. So think she, you know, she must've got to a point where she had enough of it and wanted to kind of give it away and saw the interest there. But it's weird because she never actually taught me anything on the sewing machine. It was just me and my mum figuring it out.

And back then, know, internet wise, we didn't really have access to the internet. So there was no kind of online tutorials or anything like that. School. We'll talk about school a bit later on with the Boys Sew Too stuff. it was from a really young age, like very young. think I remember I was like eight or 10 or something around that age, but certainly younger playing with the Barbie dolls and

Gemma Daly (02:32)
Mm.

Clive Bruder (02:45)
wanting to make them dresses and things like that. I probably about six or seven. yeah, long time, long time.

Gemma Daly (02:52)
And that obviously sparked a passion, because didn't you go on to study fashion?

Clive Bruder (02:57)
Yes I did yeah. So when I went up to secondary know you do like Home Ec don't we did cooking but when I expressed an interest in

sewing because there was a sewing department if you like it was only a couple of machines but the teacher was like nope you don't you can't you can't sew because it's for the girls literally that's how i was told it was like a very female orientated craft which really kind of i don't know

that stuck in my head for a very long time. So I didn't have access to sewing at school, which I think was a travesty really, I do feel like it would have sparked some things sooner. Like I knew it was already there, but I think I would have started going off to university and things sooner than I did anyway. It wasn't until I left school, I went to college and I did a

BTEC national diploma in art and you do four modules.

It was fine art textiles, graphics and 3D, not 3D design, product design kind of. And then I specialised in textiles. But the textiles in the BTEC National wasn't, it wasn't fashion. It was just exploring kind of with textiles and

Gemma Daly (04:00)
Like

Clive Bruder (04:17)
making pieces of artwork and things like Which gave me a good base but due to sadly my mum passing away did finish the BTEC national but I didn't take it any further because it was in a period of my life I had to kind of grow up instantly, have my dad out with running the house and

paying the bills and things like So fast forward, that I was probably 17, 18, fast forward 23, 24, was at a point in my life where I was like, right, I need to reconnect with this passion of sewing and my artistry and creativity. I did a art and design again, but it was more for

to prepare, it was only a year long and it was more to prepare you for university, build up a portfolio. then I applied for fashion design the University for the Creative Arts in which I, you know, fully funded myself. I was a lot older than all the other students that were So I think I still had I was a lot more focused you know, some of the other students were. I did it year.

there to hone in my pattern cutting and my sewing And then at the beginning of my second year, my brother, sounds like a family tragedy, this is part of the story of, ⁓ you know, where I am today. My brother was in a really horrific car accident and was in a coma for three months.

Gemma Daly (05:39)
Aww.

Hmm

Clive Bruder (05:50)
That was at the beginning of my second year. So I had kind of started, I was about a month in and then this happened. But I came home to support my know, support my brother. Thankfully, touch wood, you know, he came through and he's alive and kicking But when you miss such a chunk of it's a nine to five, you know, I don't know.

what your background is, but like, it was, you you couldn't miss a couple of days without feeling like you needed to catch up really quickly. So I missed chunk. was about three months I came back home. I did go back to Epsom. I worked for the rest of the year everybody else had carried on, so it was just too much to catch up And then at the beginning of the...

what would have been my third year, which was restarted my second kind thought to myself, like, what is it that I actually want out of this degree? What do I want to kind of achieve do I want to go from here? looked at the industry and what it is like to work in the fashion industry. And it's very, don't want to downplay it.

too harshly but it's very cutthroat, it's very hard, it's a very hard industry to get into. Most of the time you have to do work experience especially if you're going to be in London which you know I was in Surrey so it was like that was where I was headed and I just thought can I afford and it was financial, can I afford to be working basically for buttons.

Because even if you did get paid, was very rare, I mean, I think a few of my friends went on to do, working big designers and they got travel a bit of expense, not a full living wage where you could like, rent a flat house share even, you So thought, you know, at this point I was 20, I was 25 when I went to I was thinking,

I don't know if I can do this, like financially I don't know if I can actually do this. So I didn't actually finish my degree, but what it did give me that full first year gave me the ability to be able to pattern cut and sew. know, I was one of the technicians, I can't remember what was her name, She was, you know, I really, really sat with her and I really kind of listened.

as to the techniques that you use when constructing garments all the fineries of all of that involved. So I really, really made sure that I paid attention. There's a lot of people that go and do a fashion degree thinking they're gonna be the next Vivienne Westwood or Gaultier or Alexander McQueen even. And it's just not the case. It's like, I think there's...

It's a sad thing to kind of say, but I think the reality of somebody actually working in that industry after they finish their degree is very slim. You really have to kind of be in a very fortunate position or lucky to be able get that internship that pays a bit. You know, it's not what you know, it's who you know a lot of the time in the industry. And I think...

some of the kids that are going into, and you know, I get asked a lot by the younger generation and I don't want to discourage because it's really important that we encourage the younger generation to be able to explore their creativity, but I think we also have to be a little bit real about the expectations of, you know, following that dream. I mean, I babbled on for a there.

I do apologize.

Gemma Daly (09:28)
No, you're all good. That was great. it sounds like obviously you had a lot of ups and downs. Like you mentioned a few family issues and, you know, it sounds really intense, like the course and everything that you went through. So I am, really glad that you actually came back to your passion despite all of those things. What was it actually like?

Clive Bruder (09:47)
Yeah, yeah, yeah,

Gemma Daly (09:50)
stepping into a space that often is perceived as female dominated and how did that sort of shape your early experiences?

Clive Bruder (10:00)
So I think coming in, so despite putting all of that aside, from that point I decided to make that decision to kind of go right. Let's just pop a pin in it. I should use that Pop a pin in it for a minute. I came back home, you know, it gave me the ability to meet Mark. And then I picked my sewing back up when we got engaged actually. And he,

Gemma Daly (10:12)
Yeah.

Clive Bruder (10:24)
and I made the bridesmaid's dresses. So it invigorated me to kind of like go right, you can do this, you've got the skill, you've got the ability, let's move forward. So what the university did give me was actually a really good base for that kind of technical side of sewing. And

Gemma Daly (10:25)
wow.

Clive Bruder (10:41)
The experiences that coming from the history that I had being told, no, you can't say, coming into a world where it is perceived as a very female dominated space. And I haven't got an issue that at all. However, I do feel coming into that space and go into a show like I remember when we were looking for fabric and stuff for the Bridesmaid's dresses.

you know, going to a show, I think it was Birmingham Festival of Quilts a while ago. And it was, you go to a stand, you you're looking around at the fabric and you're like, oh yeah, that's nice, I like that, and that'll be perfect. And then you get served person who's got the stand and you're could I get...

However many meters of that nice silk, please and they're like, is this for your wife? And you're like, firstly You know, I'm a gay man Secondly, I did go to university and I you know, I studied I did study fashion design mean I did I never really said it but I'm like, you know, it's one of those things because I never want to be rude about it I just want to kind of go

Yeah, I know what I'm buying. I've got some experience. Because trying not to be rude, but you're trying to kind of put across a point of it's not just a female skill or craft. It's open up to anyone. And the conversations that we have at the shows now, when we've got the boys so-to banner out and the we so-to and...

you get a lot of people kind of saying, yeah, of course, men can sew, there's tailors. And that's immediately where their head goes to, is Savile Row tailors. And I get it because, you know, we've been socially conditioned to think that dressmaking is for women, tailoring is for men, know, or certainly within the home sewing world, it's definitely perceived as it's a female dominated of

area where the men that are at those shows are generally perceived as the credit card holders for it's true like honestly it's for buying the machines ⁓ the fabric or carrying the bags it's you know over the over the years that we've done the Boys Sew Too and the We Sew Too stuff i've had lots of conversations with many people

Gemma Daly (12:46)
Yeah, I

Clive Bruder (12:59)
because I do get a bit of backlash from it because it's kind well, of course, like, of course men sew like, don't be silly, why do you need to do this? But there's still, unfortunately, is a perception that it is for women only. You know, I think I got told at one show when I had the Boys Sew Too banner up, it's, this is our safe space, which I was like, well,

Okay, I understand, I get those safe spaces and it's important to have those spaces. However, by even having that attitude, you're not giving people the space to be able be creative and be part of a community that I know is But we still have those really feel like this is ours.

And they're gatekeeper-ing that kind of space. it's like,

Sewing is for everyone, you know, and this is where the passion from these two movements have come from really. The Boys Sew Too stuff and the We Sew Too working at the shows and, you know, working with Mark, my husband, you do get, it's so nice to see men here. And it's kind of, it's a little bit condescending and it's a little bit kind of, I don't know.

but you kind of feel like, okay, well, that's of a certain era and a certain attitude. It is changing. a lot more diversity within the sewing community, but there's still a lot more work left to do, which is why I still will do what I do. I hope that answered the question longest way around possible.

Gemma Daly (14:26)
Absolutely.

Definitely. And I do want to get on to We Sew Too. Let's cover that one first because they're really movements. But yeah, you founded We Sew Too. For anyone that isn't familiar with it, can you explain what it is and what sparked it? So you've touched on it, but let's elaborate a little bit.

Clive Bruder (14:34)
Hmm.

sure. So because of the Boys Sew Too the We Sew Too came around really because I am LGBTQIA +, a gay man, going to these shows, I did feel like there, again, there was a lack of representation at the shows. And I know, you know, the queer community is really creative. And I'm thinking why, why...

is this space so kind of of a certain demographic? can it not be opened up to more diversity, more people? that's where the We Sew Too came from. Just because of my own experience as a gay man in that space, it's very much kind of like, well, there should be more people here that feel they can come to these shows and it's not so intimidating because it can be, can be really intimidating when you're

You know, certainly for me, when I first kind of started coming into the bigger shows, it was like, wow. You know, where, and it's not just kind of like waving the flag all the rest of it. It's kind of making sure that there's representation there for a certain demographic of the wider We Sew Too came about predominantly because of who I was and how I felt.

in those spaces. then it just grew really. It kind of, I started talking to customers, I started talking to designers in the industry and started going, there's a lot more diversity than just the queer community, obviously they're underrepresented. So We Sew Too has evolved to be, you know, from the queer perspective.

to then people with disabilities or differently abled people. Neurodiversity is a huge, huge factor within our community. People of colour these minority communities that also feel when they come into that space like they don't belong. So, So Too as it stands now is a...

a community space anyone who feels otherness and doesn't feel like they belong in that space. And that's where the Proud Lounge came from. do at the Sewing For Pleasure show. And I'm hoping we're doing it again March next year. I've got to get some sponsorship for that one. But it's we've done it two years on the bounce now. And it's I mean, it's grown in size from

the first year. Now we had a bigger space in the second year. I had a quiet corner people that neurodiverse like they just needed to take a moment and sit in some quiet, low lit kind of area because that's really important as You know, and I'm getting all of this information from people that I talk to just generally because I'm a and I generally care.

that people feel safe in that environment. I think when we did the first Proud we had an individual that came up to us and had transitioned was a And they'd come to the show specifically to come and hang out in the Proud Lounge and just be themselves and not kind of get people kind of staring at them and talking, you know.

Because that's, we don't do that, we don't judge anybody that comes in. You are who you are it doesn't matter. that one person made me feel like, okay, if I can make that one person feel comfortable, then I'm doing my job. I mean, my job. I don't get paid for it. It's just because I'm passionate about it.

because I know how it feels to come into that space and be looked at or felt or be treated differently of my sexual orientation. that really isn't right. So this is why I wanted to kind of make those changes within the industry. I think, and I'm really proud actually of what I've done. There have been really kind of key moments of...

people that I've met who have come up to me and said, oh, thank you for being here representing us. I don't do it for that. I just do it because I want everybody to be able to be in a safe space and enjoy that space. So yeah, We Sew Too is very special.

Gemma Daly (19:04)
Yeah,

it sounds very special and very important as well. You're just, you're trying to be inclusive to everybody at the end of the day and that is, it's really important. Let's just go on to Boys Sew Too for a minute. So again, it's a really powerful message. has the response been from men within the sewing community that sort of see themselves reflected

Clive Bruder (19:15)
Yeah, yeah.

Gemma Daly (19:31)
in the work that you do.

Clive Bruder (19:32)
Boys Sew Too is, mean, we've, we've kind of like gone off the ball because it's, not off the ball massively, but the We Sew Too kind of took over because I think that covers everyone. but Boys Sew Too is still really important. the reaction that we've gotten from individuals is the, thank goodness you've come along because we've, we feel like we haven't.

had a voice in this industry. it's it came about where we lost one of our friends, Rob who was a male And it was at one of the stitch festival in Islington. Myself and Rob did a catwalk and...

One of the things that he said actually really struck a chord. mean, he had the kind of same experience as I did as a young boy being told, no, you can't do that because it's so, you know, girls do that. one of the things that he said at the end of the catwalk, he didn't say it, somebody was reading out, he'd written a little bio or whatever, saying that he was here to say that boys so too. And two weeks later,

Gemma Daly (20:34)
Thank

Clive Bruder (20:36)
Rob passed away. And I was, obviously it's really upsetting when anything like that happens, but know, I wanted to be able to do something in his memory. And because we had that affiliation of the same experiences as we were when we were younger, I wanted to kind of use that strap line, boy, so too. And it really like, I think the industry really started to listen and kind of go.

there's something I was like, oh finally, It's about time that we're kind making those changes within our sewing industry certainly the home sewing industry and realising that there's more than your female demographic that go to these shows because there are loads of guys out there that

Gemma Daly (21:05)
you

Clive Bruder (21:27)
love to go and not feel confident enough to go. And I think Boys Sew Too gave people the confidence to kind of step outside their sewing rooms and kind of go into the sewing shows and kind of meet other like-minded people. Like I said before, there has been a lot of kind of backlash or clap back from it.

But I just feel like if you're going to have that attitude to come back at it, you don't really understand. You don't understand what it's like to come into that space and not feel accepted or ⁓ encouraged or, you know, or any of this. We've done a few catwalk shows at the shows before and they have gone off. people, it's been like the busiest.

the stage has ever been throughout the whole show. People wanna see People want to see men and boys. They wanna be able to encourage them to be sewing. This is what I'm saying about a certain group or certain, I don't know how to put this politically correctly, yeah, there's an older demographic that still have that attitude still.

just for us, this is our space, you can't come in. And I just, come on, just let everybody, just let everybody do it. never want it to come across like it's going for that demographic, but it's like.

Gemma Daly (22:44)
I know.

Clive Bruder (22:53)
It's that demographic that are really kind of halting things and keeping them back from moving forward. This industry needs to move forward and accept otherness, not just men, but otherness. I think that's a really important to nobody is not included. We embrace everyone. We respect everyone's opinions and views, of course.

also that times need to change, they are changing and people need to get on board and start realising that there's a whole of people that just want to be able to come and enjoy that space and do the same things that everyone else does. So Boyz II is special, it really is. had guys from...

like Canada come over for a show specifically for a catwalk, which is absolutely mind blowing. If I could have a secured sponsorship to pay for their airfare, I would have done, but they came off their own back because they could see that this movement was important and it is a global one as well. It's not just specific to the UK. It's all over. As far as I'm concerned, I would love it to be global.

as a complete message, but I think it has reached far and wide, specifically with social media and things, and it does touch and nerve some people. younger, younger generation probably don't get it, just because they're like, wow, of course, of course I can and I don't really care. But I think it's that old, specifically from our generation being told you can't.

And then, you know, being embraced so well and so, you know, received so nicely within the community brilliant. But also there is there's still, there's still like, there's still work to do. There's still, you know, a lot of work to do, but it is important.

Gemma Daly (24:43)
Absolutely. And why do you think that that visibility matters in the sewing world and what gaps are you still seeing? So you obviously touched on there that there's a generation that's not quite willing to accept it yet. Is there anything else?

Clive Bruder (25:00)
I still feel like there needs to be, with both movements, I still feel like there needs to be more representation at the shows and within the sewing world in general. And there When we did one of the Boy So Too catwalks at Ali Pali a few years ago, I was told by the organizers that on the day we had that catwalk show,

the ticket sales for men coming in was way more than what it has been in the past. So that was, it was a really proud moment to actually hear that. And it was kind of like, good, this is great. And I have seen now at the that there are more men there. It still needs to increase. Shows like the Sewing Bee really helped because there's a diverse

know, cast of people that go on that, you my husband was on it. it really has changed the way we look at sewing in general. But I do feel like there's still gap when it comes to sewing patterns projects for men in particular. If we're going to talk about the boy sew 2 stuff, if we're going to talk about the wee sew

sewing patterns for differently abled people. I am seeing more of that now, which is brilliant. Like I think this season of Sewing Bee there was a differently abled judge on there, wasn't there? I can't remember a name actually. Anyway. Yeah. It really was like, I met somebody the other day actually in my local town that's got a business that sells

Gemma Daly (26:24)
Neither can I, but it was a really good challenge. Yeah.

Clive Bruder (26:33)
adaptive clothing. So specifically for people that have got to wear a sling and it's just t-shirts it's like this industry is changing and the high street is changing as well because I think there's a few high street chains that are clothing for differently abled it's kind really nice and reassuring that it's slowly starting to kind of pick up and change. What I feel is missing

within the sewing community is more patterns shaped want to see more gender neutral patterns as well I've sewn women's patterns myself and worn because I know how to make those adaptions or whatever, or I'm confident enough as well to kind of just wear something a little

promote that more as a community as well to kind of just say, just because that pattern has a woman on the front of it does not mean to say that you can't wear it. anybody that tells you you can't, you don't need to listen to them at all. Like, you you do you and you be brave enough and proud enough to actually think, well, I've made that garment. It doesn't matter where it's come from.

what pattern or inspiration that has come from, it's really important to know that you embrace you. Because clothes, certainly from the clothes point of view, clothes are a representation of who you You know, I'm, because I'm away and I didn't plan this properly, I'm not wearing something that I've made myself other than this Protect the Dolls But I really do, you know, I...

I like to think that when I'm at a show, represent who I am. And every day in the street as well, I wear what I want. People may look and they may stare, but it's a reflection of yourself.

Gemma Daly (28:26)
and actually that's a learning point for me as well. That's something so simple that I could do on my social media is just say, you know, if I'm showing a pattern, for example, easily just say, anybody can wear this. So that's really good, really good. you design your own patterns as well, don't you Clive? Where do you get your inspiration and what's your design process like?

Clive Bruder (28:40)
Yeah.

Or firstly, my design icon, I would say, is Vivienne Westwood. I absolutely love Vivienne Westwood. My inspiration comes from difference. And I think because she was a bit of a rebel as well. I think that me wearing bold, in-your-face, bright colours is where I'm at, like...

Gemma Daly (29:06)
Yep.

Clive Bruder (29:14)
different shapes and usual shapes that you wouldn't necessarily see on the high street or if you do see it in a shop it's coming from designer shop you I think for inspiration I like to walk around all the big designer shops and kind of see what they're all doing and go in, huh wow this is really interesting and it's not just a t-shirt and jeans it's something that's different.

don't generally like designing conventional clothing. I think it's just because that's who I am. like something a bit out there and a bit that's going to get And not to kind of go look at me, but just to kind of go, I don't fit into box. sometimes does put themselves in and, you know, when you go into the high street,

most of the clothes, you walk into a shop and it's like, I've just seen all of this like regurgitated fashion before, or it's a very, very, very, very safe version of a big designer and they've really scaled it down. They've taken a lot of the design elements out of it. And that just, that depresses me so much. But for me, my inspiration to go into like,

Vivienne Westwood to Yamamoto. know, big designers like that, like people have probably never heard of these designers, I like to see how they're constructing their garments, the shapes of the garments and taking elements from that because it is inspirational kind of put my own sort of twist on it.

When it comes to patterns, I have got a, well, I've only got, I've got one, my Kaleidacoat pattern. people absolutely love it. They, you know, it's very Japanese inspired, like a kimono, but with a modern twist. I have got other patterns in the works at the moment. I've been focused a lot on.

the stuff that Mark's been doing off the back of the sewing took us a while to get him established in the community just because at the time it was COVID. But now that we've got him sorted, it's like I have, I mean, I've got these patterns and they're sat there that I just need to get them written, them digitised and all the rest of it. So I've probably got about five or six in the making at the moment. And I'm hoping spring.

Gemma Daly (31:32)
Hmm.

Clive Bruder (31:40)
will be the launch pad to get those out into the world. it's like I need to, because me and Mark are very different, you know, aesthetically, he's very traditional. yeah, we're very different people. now that we've done his sort of side of it, which I'm more than happy to do, because he's my husband and I love I, you know, what a lot of people don't realise is that I, in the background, I have had Mark.

quite a lot to all of the marketing, the graphics, the patterns, the things like this. A lot of the ideas are his, but it's working together collaboratively to make sure that that comes out and to use that springboard from the sewing bee to... Because nobody hands you You know, Mark never went into the sewing bee thinking that he would have a career.

out of It was just something where I like, really want to do this for a living. I was like, okay, well, because of my background his passion and being on the same boat, we just went, well, let's do it Five, nearly six years later, is what we do full time. So it's amazing to kind of go normal jobs before

to now having two businesses and now a studio at our own home to produce in patterns, you know, having other opportunities like the quilting stuff as well. That's a new kind of thing in my world. it's, yeah, but my inspiration is generally comes from, think also my inspiration comes from other people, other individuals.

and how confident they are in doing their own thing. think sometimes you can look at yourself and think, am I being a bit too much than anything now actually? I'm not like, there are other people out there and I still have those moments though, like everybody else of you're unsure. know, yes I am, I started the boy so to and the we so to movements, but I'm a human being as well. I have those moments of,

Gemma Daly (33:18)
you

Clive Bruder (33:33)
I'm looking at myself going, what are you wearing? But then I go, no, if you want to wear that, you go out and wear it. But other people inspire me to be like that as well. So there's inspirations and design processes from all over. I can look at a building and oh, that's quite a nice kind of like seam line that would you know, think.

Gemma Daly (33:36)
Ha ha ha ha!

Yeah

Clive Bruder (33:55)
Having the Art Foundation course that I did when I was at college, it was the best year education, let's it made me think outside the box. I remember one project smeltering two worlds. Is that a word, smeltering? Two worlds smeltering. Thank you. Soldering two worlds together like...

Gemma Daly (34:11)
soldering, soldering.

Clive Bruder (34:19)
Bau haus and New Romantics and then kind of producing this range of clothes that are designed from those, I mean they're two completely opposite, know, when you think of the New Romantics it's all frills and you know, and then Bar House is very angular and lines and simplicity and

So yeah, my inspiration can come from literally anywhere. I can look at a curtain like I am now and see like a shape in there and go, that's really interesting. I like the colours that they've used and then can, you know, make something out of it, you know?

Gemma Daly (34:52)
And you mentioned how you work, you know, obviously really well with Mark. I mean, what a partnership in every way. you've just opened your new studio at home. Tell us a bit about your studio.

Clive Bruder (35:01)
Yeah.

so we moved to the Wirral last December and it's this beautiful dream home like Victorian, I couldn't believe it when we secured it. And I did everything in my power to kind of make sure the whole chain didn't collapse and everybody, I was phoning around all the solicitors anyway.

The opportunity came and we moved into this beautiful house and firstly we wanted the house because we wanted more space to be able to work from home. And it has six bedrooms but three of those rooms are, yeah I know, it was really cheap. Three of those rooms up in the attic the second floor, whatever, are now sewing rooms.

And so we've got a cutting room, a machine room and a fabric storage room. And that's, that's, I know is every sewer's dream. ridiculous to have a fabric storage room, but we have one. And that was the reason to buy such a big property is because we wanted to into being able to work more comfortably. We were living in Kennilworth before in Warwickshire and working from our garage.

Gemma Daly (35:54)
my God.

Yeah.

Clive Bruder (36:16)
and it's a normal size garage. Imagine two of us in there, like trying to get stuff done. It was an absolute nightmare. And Mark is the messiest sewer ever. And we haven't just moved for that reason. We've moved to be by the sea and, you know, have a different life, more creativity of the Northwest. I'm actually not there now. I'm in Anglesey, yeah, so that was the reason. And then on the side of our house,

We had this garage that was probably three times the size as our old one. I'm thinking, well, we've got our space upstairs and we've got our working space upstairs. What are we going to do with this? Like we could store cars in it. I mean, it would probably fit two cars in, I would say. I was like, I don't really want to do that like, cause such a wasted space.

So I came up with the idea of just going, well, we've got the space. We might as well just kind of like open a studio start teaching and stuff like that. So it's been a year long process of me. I've done all the work still got a bit more work to do. It is open, but I just need to make it more, need to put a stud wall up to make it feel a bit warmer because the winter's coming in now.

But it's a really nice working space. I'm really proud of it. It's taken me a really long time to get it to where it is now, but I've laid all the floor tiles myself and you know, I've done Mark is very precious, doesn't do DIY. So when it comes to the studio, have, you know, we've worked collaboratively of what we're going to be doing in there. I mean, it's only open like a couple of weeks ago. We're still very, very new.

We've got six sewing machines in there and yeah I think the space is just brilliant. Like people come in and be like wow like you know could be a little bit more refined but that will come in time. just didn't want to be able to waste that space in our house and thinking well we can actually do this from like we can work literally work from home we don't have to

hire a studio or go and rent somewhere, we've got the space. So that's where that came from. It was just like me plucking a thing out of the air going, let's do that. And then a year later you're like, yeah, okay, we did that. Right, let's start getting people booked in and start teaching. Because when we go to the shows, both myself and Mark do classes at the shows and really enjoy it, passing on that knowledge to beginners or other people.

or experience sewers, you you always learn from one another in those environments. I'm still learning sewing today. Like when I do stuff, I learn from other people all the time. And you know, I love it. I absolutely love it. So why wouldn't you not do that at your own home?

Gemma Daly (39:01)
Absolutely.

think it might have been Tony that I spoke to a little while back and he's like, you've never done sewing, you know, there's always something to learn. So that's absolutely right. What sort of classes are you going to run in your studio?

Clive Bruder (39:11)
Yeah, yeah, yeah,

So we're gonna be doing beginner basically all of Mark's patterns, the Bakerboy, the Turlough shirt. I'm not sure if they're all on the website yet, because that is also something that as a business owner, you're figuring out this stuff all the time. to upload a calendar to your website and go in.

I'm not really sure how I do this and then you spend about a week or two weeks trying to figure out how to do that and then all of a sudden it clicks. So yeah, there's still a lot more classes to put up there but essentially, yeah, just basic introduction to sewing and then we're gonna see where it goes really. If people want specific projects then let us know, definitely.

We're just trying to build a community within our own community in New Brighton on the It's very creative up there. There's a lot of other that sew up there. We've got friends down the road, Nicola, Quilt Stitch Social. got Jill, Dandelion Learning. They both have separate studios and teach, but the nice thing about the North, the Northwest, is the community's all so

Like we all support each other, there's no, competition, my God, they're blah, blah. We're all cross promoting and I think that's really lovely when you've got those are the friends that do teach and do so to kind of go, well, I don't do that, but such and such does. that's what it should be about. I know in other communities, it's very different. It's very kind of cutthroat and they're like, my God, don't go know, cause...

Soaring community like a bit drama as well, don't get me wrong. But yeah, it's really nice to be able to well, what can we teach? What shall we put forward? You know, we're gonna do what we know. We would like to eventually open it up to coming up and teaching in our studio and cross, there's already...

Gemma Daly (40:50)
You

Clive Bruder (41:09)
talks in the works about other people we know to come up and use the space be able to teach as well. So it's just nice to have that space to be able to do that. We are very, very lucky. We're very fortunate. But we've worked really hard to get where we are and to be able to have that. So why not?

Gemma Daly (41:29)
go for it and if you're in the area definitely check out the courses.

Clive Bruder (41:30)
Yeah.

Yeah, please do.

Sew Newbo Studios, you can see the classes on wesewtoo.com just to do that little bit of promotion.

Gemma Daly (41:38)
Perfect. Yep.

Don't worry, there might be another opportunity in a So just to tie things up Clive, I like to do a little quick fire round of this or that, if that's okay with you.

Clive Bruder (41:45)
Okay.

my gosh. Okay.

I'm ready, go for it.

Gemma Daly (41:55)
The first one is Wovens or Knits?

Clive Bruder (41:59)
Ooh, meds.

Gemma Daly (42:01)
prints or solids.

Clive Bruder (42:02)
prints.

Gemma Daly (42:03)
Spring, summer or autumn, winter?

Clive Bruder (42:07)
really hard.

Gemma Daly (42:07)
You

Clive Bruder (42:08)
Spring Summer.

Gemma Daly (42:09)
working from a pattern or drafting something yourself.

Clive Bruder (42:13)
drafting myself a shadow of a doubt.

Gemma Daly (42:16)
to your coffee.

Clive Bruder (42:17)
Coffee, but I am drinking tea right now. But definitely coffee, yeah.

Gemma Daly (42:19)
So a

An organised stash or creative chaos.

Clive Bruder (42:29)
for me, organised stash, Mark would be creative chaos.

Gemma Daly (42:34)
Maybe that's why you work so well together. meal out or a takeaway.

Clive Bruder (42:36)
I know, you're right.

That depends where you're going. I do like my home, so yeah, take away.

Gemma Daly (42:45)
Scissors or rotary cutter?

Clive Bruder (42:47)
Rosary cutter,

Gemma Daly (42:49)
Sewing for yourself or others.

Clive Bruder (42:52)
It sounds so bad, but for myself. Because I very rarely get to, you you very rarely get to do it sometimes. So yeah, it's really nice when you can do it for yourself.

Gemma Daly (42:55)
That's okay! Yeah...

And the last one, one project on the go or multiple.

Clive Bruder (43:07)
Multiple. is one of those things where you, you you start a project and then you think, I guess you're certain point and you're like, I'm bored of that. want to start something else. However, finishing a project is when you do it from start to finish without any other projects in between. like, okay, I could have done, I could have got that done a lot quicker if I just focused on it.

Gemma Daly (43:16)
Yeah.

Clive Bruder (43:31)
whole rather than just interrupting it with something else. But yeah, yeah, think multiple is yeah. Anyway.

Gemma Daly (43:34)
you

Brilliant. So where can people find you Clive?

Clive Bruder (43:41)
So ⁓ we are now on Facebook at Sew Newbo Studios. Wesewtoo.com on my website and you'll be able to book the Sew Newbo Studio classes on there because I'm not going to have two websites. Why would I do that to myself? Instagram, Wesewtoo Boyssewtoo Sew Newbo Studios. There is three accounts on there, but you know, I cross promote on all of them. So you can find Mark on Sew Mark Francis as well.

yeah, and we are based in New Brighton on the Wirral if you want to come and learn how to sew.

Gemma Daly (44:13)
You've been amazing Clive. Thank you so much for joining me on the Sewing

Clive Bruder (44:19)
Thank you for having me. think what you're doing Gemma as well is brilliant. think interviewing these different sewing people in the community is something that's definitely needed because it teaches us that there is diversity within the community. So yeah, thank you for having me as well.

Gemma Daly (44:37)
Thank you Clive. You take care. Bye bye.

Clive Bruder (44:40)
Alright, bye bye!

Bye!

Gemma Daly (44:50)
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,

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.