Made By Sally on Sewing, Self Confidence and Creating a Curated Me Made Wardrobe

This week, Sally, now known as Made by Sally on Instagram (and previously Secret Life of a Seamstress), shares her inspiring journey from early childhood creativity to confidently showing up on camera. 

She opens up about overcoming insecurities, building self-belief through sewing, and learning to truly understand fabrics. 

We also dive into how she curates a wardrobe that fits her real lifestyle — blending creativity with practicality. 

Honest, relatable, and full of insight, this episode is all about growing in confidence while staying creatively inspired.

Key takeaways:

• Sally was very creative from a young age 
• When she had her children, she started to sell handmade homeware on Etsy
• During lockdown, she began creating YouTube videos about sewing and started her Instagram account under the same name - Secret Life of A Seamstress 
• Sally has recently rebranded to become "Made By Sally" - a name which is much more personal and feels "more like her"
• She is now focusing on her YouTube channel and running in person sewing classes

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Guest Details: 

Instagram: @madebysallygauntlett

Website: www.madebysally.com

Facebook: Made By Sally

Pinterest: Made By Sally 

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Resources: 

Colour Analysis: https://www.radiantly-me.com/

Chapters

00:00 Sally's Sewing Journey Begins

03:40 Inspiration from Family and Early Experiences

10:11 Transitioning to YouTube and the Name Change

13:21 Building Confidence Through Sewing

19:36 The Mental Health Benefits of Crafting

22:32 Community and Connection Through Sewing

24:19 The Rise of Sewing Culture

25:12 Evolution of a Sewing Business

28:05 Stepping Out of Comfort Zones

28:27 Curating a Handmade Wardrobe

33:11 Navigating Trends and Personal Style

37:48 Understanding Handmade Garments

40:07 Intentional Sewing and Colour Choices

46:27 Personal Growth and Future Plans

51:16 Outro - tip on Ko-fi

Transcript

Gemma Daly (00:10)
Sally, welcome to the Sewing Social Podcast. I'm so happy to have you on today.

Sally (00:15)
Hi Gemma, hi everyone, it's lovely to be here, thank you for inviting me.

Gemma Daly (00:19)
You're welcome. I was wondering if you could introduce yourself to the listeners.

Sally (00:25)
Yeah so I'm Sally, you may or may not know me over on Instagram and YouTube as MadebySally. Formerly Secret Life of the Seamstress but I did have a little rebrand back in September I think it was now and I just love sharing all my dressmaking and sewing adventures on Instagram and on YouTube as well.

Gemma Daly (00:45)
Lovely! Now I was wondering if you could take us right back and tell us where your sewing journey started?

Sally (00:53)
Yeah so I have always been surrounded really by craft in my family so I think everyone growing up around me, my mum, my dad, my grandparents were all into craft in some way. So my mum knit and crocheted mainly but she did have a sewing machine as well. My nan was actually a seamstress by trade so she used to work for Eastex I think it was.

in our local town where we live so she used to sew baby clothes and things and she's always had an industrial sewing machine in her room and I always just used to sort of see her sewing now and again and also my grandma did sew but she was more of a knitter really so I've always kind of been surrounded by craft and I think growing up I was always sort of that child that was the crafty one I was always making things mainly with sort

paper and things at first I suppose but then maybe into fabric and then for Christmas I would always get like the tapestry kits and the cross stitch kits and rather than toys and things I was always sort of given craft things because that's what I always wanted to be doing. I don't really remember playing with toys as a child actually I just remember sort of making things and designing things and you know just being more of a sort of a crafty one.

think as I grew up, I sort of got more into tapestry and cross stitch than anything else and more so sort of into knitting and things. And I remember as a teenager asking my mum to teach me how to knit and starting with some dolls clothes and baby clothes and then making garments for myself and things. And yeah.

sort of kind of grew from there really.

Gemma Daly (02:31)
Amazing,

because you are quite a prolific knitter, aren't you Sally? I look at your knit garments and I'm like, they are incredible.

Sally (02:36)
Thank

Thank you. just kind of got back into knitting really. Knitting is more my sort of relaxing craft that I do in the evening, but I think there's so many inspiring knitters around on Instagram and YouTube at the moment. They've really kind of inspired me to get back into it. So I've been learning some newer techniques to me recently like knitting top down and knitting in the round and things I never thought that I would able to sort of grasp as someone who's always knit.

flat and sort of knit bottom up. So I've always been someone who's loved clothes, always been obsessed with clothes and...

trying to make my own clothes and sort of copy and things, things I do now really looking at things on the high street and being inspired to sort of try and make a similar thing myself. I always used to do that with knitting. And so, yeah, I think that's where my sort of interest with making clothes started in a way, more so than actual sewing.

Gemma Daly (03:33)
So what made you start your YouTube channel, which like you say was originally called Secret Life of a Seamstress?

Sally (03:40)
I think going back to what inspired me to start sewing, probably missed this part out actually, I did a little bit of sewing at school and then I kind of dabbled in it while I was at work but obviously at that time there wasn't really any sort of YouTube or social media around.

and I didn't really understand sort of what I was making in terms of fabric and things and how fabric worked and how how I felt when I was wearing the types of fabric that I'd use so I'd sew things from quite a lot of sort of stiff cottons and things and then not really feel comfortable wearing them so I kind of left dressmaking there I suppose and then when sort of social media and YouTube came about

I kind of stumbled really upon So Over It's YouTube channel and Lisa Confort's channel and she was putting out these amazing like sew and tell videos and really she was probably one of the only people doing it at the time and she used to make these lovely clothes that I thought these clothes look as though they're really something that I would want to wear they look really wearable so yeah I kind of was really inspired to sort of go back to

to dressmaking again through watching those videos.

and I tried out one of her patterns and it actually turned out really well. so that kind of inspired me to think actually maybe I could make clothes that I actually want to wear rather than these sort of stiff cotton things that I'm never going to wear. yeah so so so going back to YouTube Sew over it had this YouTube channel which was mainly Lisa Comfort at the time sharing things that she'd made and I always used to think to myself I would really I'd love to do that I'd love to have like this really

Gemma Daly (04:59)
You

Sally (05:13)
inspiring YouTube channel where I made things and I could inspire people to sew in that way but I was still quite a beginner at the time so these were like big dreams at the time and I didn't really made one thing that I was happy to wear but I think

Gemma Daly (05:23)
you

Sally (05:28)
You know, think, suppose a couple of years on from that YouTube began to get really, really big and more and more people were posting YouTube videos. And then there seemed to be this big influx of like sewing YouTube people.

and I just used to sort of consume that content I suppose while I was learning and be really inspired by other people that were sewing and I was kind of thinking maybe I could do this as well. I was making my own clothing at the time and I was posting it on Instagram as still photos. I'd never really sort of put my

face or voice out there I guess so it was a really sort of intimidating thing to to think about to go on camera in that way. But think it was 2019 there were loads of loads of people doing sew and tells, doing fabric hauls and I just thought I want to be part of this. I feel like I have like a sewing voice. I love this sewing community. I really want to sort of be involved in

Gemma Daly (06:18)
you

Sally (06:25)
I challenged myself to just put up one video and to see how it went I think it was a fabric haul and I'd been to the Knitting and Stitching show so I just sort of filmed myself talking about the fabrics that I'd bought and what I was going to make and it was absolutely terrifying. It was probably one of the most scary things I've ever done in my life and I think looking back that video

Gemma Daly (06:39)
I'm

Sally (06:44)
was dreadful. sound was awful, the lighting was awful, I think I stumbled my way through it, there lots of, I mean I still do this now really, but lots of ums and uhs and like stuttering and stumbling and everything, but I was just so proud that I did it. And then...

I realised that once you've done a YouTube video, then have to edit it. And it's not just a case of sitting down talking to the camera about something you love and then posting it online. There's all this other world of like editing and technical side of YouTube. So I had to get my head around that. And I remember when I edited my first video, I thought never again, I'm never going to enjoy this. It's just horrible. Much like what we were just saying. And yeah, I just it probably took me hours to just edit one.

Gemma Daly (07:23)
Yeah.

Sally (07:28)
video and so I think I did that video and I think I did one more after that which was a pattern review and then I just left it for a while because I just thought it wasn't for me basically and then carried on sharing my

make some things on Instagram. Meanwhile more more YouTube channels were sort of becoming a thing and I think it was in Covid probably around May 2020 when we were all at home and YouTube was really like a lifeline for a lot of people I think and probably sewing and crafting was as well.

And I spent a lot of my time watching YouTube because we were all at home, you know, not doing too much. I thought, maybe I should just give this another go and just see how it goes. And I challenged myself, you know how in COVID we all sort of had that life's too short attitude. What I did anyway, I kind of really got that feeling that, you know, if there's something you want to do, you need to do it now. So I challenged myself to post a video every week for a month. So five videos, one a week. And I thought I'm just going to

Gemma Daly (08:14)
Yeah.

Wow.

Sally (08:27)
it

for a month see how it goes and if I still don't like it after the month then I will just not bother.

So I did actually stick to that and I posted five videos and I realized that actually I was really getting into it and I really enjoyed the content I was producing. I'd got a bit more familiar with like editing and things realized it wasn't so bad. the rest is history really. I just really got into it and I started to continue to post the things that we were all posting like so and so things that I'd made and fabric halls. I tried to sort of branch out a little bit and do things like

collections so I think I did a video about all of my Dodding Ranges dress collection and all of my Tilly and the Buttons patterns and luckily some reason they took off and I think during that time my channel managed to get to about 500 subscribers and I began to think maybe there is something in this I think I'll carry on and then from then on really I've just tried to post pretty regularly really once a week or so.

Gemma Daly (09:26)
Brilliant. Well, well done for sticking at it because I did a channel for a while and we were speaking about this before we were on air, weren't we, about how involved the editing is and people don't appreciate how much work goes into it, but I know because I gave up.

Sally (09:27)
Yeah.

you

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Gemma Daly (09:46)
So well done.

Sally (09:47)
thank you, yeah it's a lot sometimes. But I think I thought that as well, mean I think before I had a channel I thought what a wonderful job YouTube must be, you just talk about something you love, post it online and that's it done. But as we know there's a lot more to it than that.

Gemma Daly (09:50)
So.

This is it. is

You recently transitioned from

the name Secret Life of a Seamstress to Made by Sally Gauntlet, didn't you? was wondering what instigated the name change?

Sally (10:11)
Yeah.

going back to the beginning, I... So before I had my sort of dressmaking content creation...

business if you like. had a business where I was making and selling homeware. So I would make and sell personalized children's quilts and cushions and things and that went under the name of Poppy and Primrose, and I did that while my children were at home basically. I was a stay at home mum and it was a little bit of a sort of a side hustle I guess to do that. So I had an Etsy shop and an Instagram.

page where I used to sell and also I used to sell on Amazon Handmade as well. So I had like an Instagram page and a whole sort of well small presence I guess online for that shop and then I started posting my dressmaking makes under the name of Secret Life Of A Seamstress, because I felt like it was like what went on behind the scenes of the business so this is what I did in my spare time.

and called it Super Life of a Seamstress. But I just kind of felt probably around summer last year that I'd kind of outgrown that name because I didn't have the Poppy and Primrose business anymore. practical reason was there was such a long name to say. So if anyone ever asked me what my channel was or what my email was, having to say it's Sally at Secretlifeofaseamstress.co.uk or whatever before you've even left them.

Gemma Daly (11:27)
You

Sally (11:37)
they've forgotten that name. I started to, I've been thinking about doing this for probably about a year, 18 months before I actually did it. Because once you've sort of got, once you've kind of built something up under a name, it's really scary to kind of change that and risk losing your presence or people not seeing you or people not finding you ever. So I put it off for a while and there was this like nagging thing in me, I guess, that was making me want to be a little bit more.

personal and I felt like I was changing as well as I was getting older and my sewing was changing I wasn't sewing quite so much and I was sewing in a different way and I also wanted to start sort of bringing in a little bit more of me rather than just the sewing which I'm probably still not very good at to be honest but I just wanted to sort of give it a bit of a different direction so that I could include different things if I wanted to rather than just be a seamstress if that makes sense.

Gemma Daly (12:23)
You

Yeah, absolutely, and I think it is really interesting actually, because it's not just a name. Like you say, I think that is a whole evolution of you coming out as yourself, isn't it?

Sally (12:43)
Yeah, and it's just a little bit easier for people to recognise because it has actually got my own name in and so on, it's much shorter, so for practical reasons it's much better I think.

Gemma Daly (12:54)
So

something I wanted to get into with you, Sally, is how you built your confidence through sewing. So not just through your sewing ability, but like your confidence to put yourself in awkward situations or situations that are out of your comfort zone, like exactly what we're doing now. Cause I know this is not super comfortable for you, but I just wondered.

know, if you've got any advice about what you've been through personally for other people to sort of follow.

Sally (13:28)
So yeah, it was a massive thing for me to post anything online that contained my face basically. I really had to get over myself because with my Poppy and Primrose business. It was very much all about the products and photographing the products and I've always loved photographing and styling and that kind of thing. But thinking about having to put myself in a photo and share myself in a photo. Yeah, it was really, really hard to get over that. And I've always been shy person, I guess.

in terms of like I was always the one that would kind of hide away from having my photo taken or be taking the children but never being in the photos and things like that and I just hated the way that I looked on camera and also I hated the way that I sounded on camera so it was really something that I had to go over but I think it's one of those things where the more you do the better you become at it and the more you get over yourself and the more you know I think

After you've done it once or twice, that whole thing about having to see yourself on camera gets much, much easier. And it does sound like a little bit of a sort of a cliche. And obviously you've still got to post that one photo. You still got to make that one video before you can start getting over it. But I would say just do it really. You just have to do it. Just put it on there. Everyone, I think, in the sewing community is always really lovely and really supportive. Or I found that anyway.

I actually started, so I would say if you don't want to necessarily start by putting your face in the photo, maybe just sort of include part of your body, so your hands, even like photographing yourself with sitting on a chair with some knitting on your lap or something, something that makes the photo a little bit more personal so that people can actually see you and kind of build up from there.

and that's what I used to do really with my poppy and primrose business. I would not necessarily include my face very often but I would put my hands in so that people knew that there was a person behind the business yeah I think that's an easy way to sort of build up or you'll notice probably in a lot of my photos I will be looking to the side like with my hair over my face and then and that is another sort of really good way of sometimes you don't feel like being on camera let's face it but I might

sort of want to show off a make that I've made so if you kind of look to the side and your hair's over your face it kind of just makes the photo a little bit easier yeah I think I'm just so grateful really to Instagram and to YouTube for helping me to get over some of my own insecurities because

Gemma Daly (15:54)
you

Sally (15:54)
like I keep saying this but the more you do it

the more you sort of get used to it and you actually really get to know your own face so yeah it sort of becomes natural and as I say everyone's always really lovely and you get to know the way that you like to look in photos I guess so sounds silly but you get to know your better sides and the way that you like to look in photos as well

There's lots of things you can do with lighting and things to make things look better. So, yeah, it's definitely one of those things of just doing it, getting used to it. And, you know, I think you realize then how...

lovely people are and how accepting people are and I think the more I realised that actually it wasn't about me, it was about my makes and wasn't showing me for a posy photo of myself, I really wanted to show the garment that I've made and sort of inspire people to sew and then when I realised I was actually doing that, it kind of outweighed the insecurities I had about posting photos of myself.

That makes sense.

Gemma Daly (16:55)
Yeah, it really does. And I think we do, we all have our own insecurities and it is hard to get over them sometimes. What do you think was like the most intimidating part? Were you fearing people's reaction or was it your own internal sort of confidence that was the issue?

Sally (17:03)
Mm.

I it was probably me actually, I think it's something that I had to go over with in myself. I don't know why but for some reason I just sort of had these insecurities about the way that I I'm kind of like, you know, Chandler and friends who when they take a photo of him he just changes into this complete goon. And that was me I think, I just had this photo face that I couldn't get over.

And even now, think if I sometimes if I look directly into the camera, I just become that sort of really awkward person who takes awful photos, which is why I hardly ever look into the camera. But yeah, I think it was definitely for me. It was something about me, I think. But I think there's always that fear as well that, you know, there are a lot of horrible people online that are.

ready and willing to tell you down on YouTube as well. But luckily I haven't really found that in the sewing community. think we're a nice, nice supportive bunch really. you know, it's more about working on yourself. And I think, I feel so much more sort of

Gemma Daly (18:02)
Yeah

Sally (18:15)
confident in myself for doing it now and I can't really explain why but I think it's just that you have to, you learn to take yourself less seriously I think. So it was all about me and me wanting to have a perfect photo or perfect image or whatever which was just something that I didn't even need to think about. And yeah I think you just learn to accept your flaws and the things that you don't like about yourself and just sort of get over it really.

the more you do it.

Gemma Daly (18:41)
Absolutely.

Yeah, and I think that's part of getting older as well, isn't it? Because like when I first started on Instagram as well, is you are aiming for that perfection for some reason. And now I'm just like, I don't really mind as much. People know who I am. They know what I like to make. And I just sort of get on with it a little bit more.

Sally (18:47)
Yeah.

Yeah.

I think Instagram itself, or at least at the time when I started, was very over-edited as well, so everything was filtered, wasn't it? And it was all mainly photographs, people would mainly only post these sort of perfect-looking photographs, and I think possibly there was a little bit of that as well. Maybe I followed the wrong people at the time, definitely as I've got older.

Gemma Daly (19:12)
Mmm.

It's definitely a process.

Sally (19:28)
Yeah and you're right about I think getting older and just not caring so much about what people think too.

Gemma Daly (19:34)
Yeah, it's good. Yeah. So what do you think that sewing or craft in general sort of gives you or does for you, that nothing else does?

Sally (19:36)
Yeah, good things are getting older.

really hard to put into words actually, but I just find it gives me a piece I suppose, more than anything else does. I think there's else really that kind of gives me that sort of mental...

calmness I guess. So going back to knitting when I was younger, when I was a teenager I went through quite a really anxious time in school where I really struggled to sort go into school and sort of get through the day and it was really thinking about my knitting and crafting that kind of got me through that because when I was in school struggling to get through the day I would think about the knitting that I

had to do in the evening and I would just sort of get home from school. I was a bit of a strange child really but I used to just get home from school and spend my evenings knitting and crafting and just having that sort of having your hands busy really does something to calm your mind I think so I do really find that with knitting properly more so than actual sort of the other kind of sewing that does that for me is patchwork because

me, you don't really need to think so much about what you're doing, you're just doing a lot of repetitive sewing and you're feeling the fabric and if you're hand sewing you're feeling sort of the needle and the fabric and everything.

it just it kind of of calms my mind. I'm a big advocate for sort can do for your mental health particularly if you're having an anxious time and if I ever have friends they're going through a bad time I would say to them I need to learn to knit or you need to learn to crochet because it would really help you and often they're like oh can never do that I would never be able to do that like yes you can just take your time but it doesn't have to be knitting or sewing obviously it's that for some people but for other people it could be colouring or jigsaws or

you know, anything that kind of takes your focus away from your inner thoughts and your downward spiral, whatever, is a really good thing. So there's that side of it for me, but I also the dressmaking side of it, I just find that

It really builds your confidence because I think you're doing something that is creative and relaxing at the same time, but also you get something at the end of it that you're really proud of and that builds your confidence as well. So yeah, there's a lot of good things about sewing that I would try and recommend.

Gemma Daly (22:05)
Yeah,

there really is and I find it fascinating how different people explain, you know, how it's benefited their mental wellbeing. So thank you for letting us in on that because I know it is a personal topic, but it is so useful to like get that out there and tell other people because it might help them as well.

Sally (22:16)
Hmm.

Yeah, definitely. I found I've recently started running sewing classes and

It's been really nice because a lot of the ladies that come to those classes, they're sort of older ladies and they've maybe been through a bereavement or something or they've sort of found their self on their own because their husbands have passed or they're on their own living in the village where I do the classes and they've all said how beneficial it is just to sort of be amongst other people and be creating something and just sort of have that time where they're taken out of their normal daily life and they can just make something

chat while they're doing it and sort of form friendships and things and yeah there's definitely something there I think in crafting that is just so beneficial for us.

Gemma Daly (23:14)
It's so important, isn't it, sort of bringing those people together while you're doing like a thing you've got in common almost, that joint hobby.

Sally (23:24)
Yeah, it's quite important really. That's why I think it's really nice to have Instagram and YouTube because even though it is online, it does feel like you're part of a community. And, you know, I used to feel often when I was younger and I was the only one doing this sewing and knitting. I remember sort when I found Instagram and the amount of other people out there that did love sewing as much as I do, I was like, wow, I'm not the only one. There's a really lovely sort of whole community of other ladies, mainly ladies, I guess, on there as well.

Gemma Daly (23:47)
I know.

Sally (23:51)
wanting to do the same things as me, which is great.

Gemma Daly (23:55)
I think it is really important actually, because I remember when I first started making garments, I was quite ⁓ shy and embarrassed about it because I felt like nobody else did this. And then, like you say, you find everybody on Instagram and you're like, actually, this is not a weird hobby. I don't need to be embarrassed about this. This is cool.

Sally (24:05)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

No, definitely, yeah, I think it's been a big...

Well, it's definitely got more trendy over the last few years, hasn't it? Sewing and making new clothes, probably because of things like the sewing bee and the fact that we can all find each other more easily now on social media. But it does seem to have suddenly become more popular. I know when I was at school, I always used to, like you say, try and hide it. And if anyone ever came round and I was knitting, I would quickly sort of shove my knitting out of the way because I didn't want to. I don't know. I don't know why I was embarrassed about it, but I guess just because it's a little bit different, isn't it? And not many people, not many other people were doing it.

Gemma Daly (24:30)
Yeah.

Mm.

Sally (24:49)
So yeah, shouldn't be like that, but you get where you're coming from.

Gemma Daly (24:53)
Yeah,

so you touched on it briefly there with your classes and things, but I was wondering if you could tell us your sewing business has over time, because you said it started with making those like baby quilts and personalised things for children. What are you up to now?

Sally (25:12)
have a few things on the go at the moment. So I've got my YouTube channel, which I'm still pretty regular at. I think YouTube is really where my heart is. I really love YouTube. I've also got a Patreon community now, so I do post extra things on there. I've got my in-person workshops too. So I'm running those twice a month now.

they're pretty regular so we tend to sort of focus on a more crafty project although I have run sort of beginner dressmaking classes as well and yeah any other sort of freelance work that comes along really so sometimes you get sort of brand work on Instagram and YouTube and things but mostly it's YouTube and in-person workshops which is nice and it's been a bit of a turn to be honest the in-person workshops I wasn't necessarily expecting to get into that but it's been a really lovely sort of addition

to my workload and it gets me out of the house as well because as I'm sure you know from your time in YouTube it's quite a lonely job really you're just on your own working on your own business and you're talking to a camera and talking to like lots of people but essentially you're working on your own aren't you so I think getting out of the house and actually talking to people and having that social side of it has actually been really good for me

Gemma Daly (26:19)
Mmm.

That's great. And how did it feel like running that first workshop? it nerve wracking?

Sally (26:31)
my word, I was so nervous. think I've,

I don't think I've ever been so nervous about anything for a very, very long time. I don't really know why, but I think it was just the whole thing of I'm so used to.

talking about something for YouTube, but talking to a camera where you can stop and edit and cut things is very different from like standing up and talking to a group of ladies who are all staring back at you, hoping that you're going to help them to make this like this pretty cushion or whatever I was making. The first class I did was a cushion class, so we did a basic envelope style cushion.

And yeah, it was once I've got into it and once I've sort of got over this sort of the starting of it, I was absolutely fine and I really enjoyed it and seeing the joy that they got from being able to sew because I think something you forget sometimes when you can do something is that you feel like it's quite easy, but what you're actually teaching someone else who has no idea is quite a revelation really. So just seeing them sort of growing confidence and at the end having something

they'd made and that they loved. It was just really lovely but yeah I was very very nervous at the start. was completely another thing that was out of my comfort zone.

Gemma Daly (27:47)
you're doing it, you're pushing yourself and that's obviously bringing value to your life as well because you said that you're enjoying it.

Sally (27:50)
Yeah.

Yeah, I think one thing I've been trying to do more of is just to push myself a little bit more out of my comfort zone because have to do that sometimes, don't you? And if I hadn't done that with YouTube then I never would have got started. At the end of the day

I was thinking to myself I could just run one workshop and if I don't like it I never have to do it again really. But luckily for me I did enjoy it and yeah I've got a lovely sort of group of ladies now that tend to return to the different classes and I'm looking to sort of expand it into maybe the village where I live now and grow it a little bit more so yeah we'll see.

Gemma Daly (28:11)
Yeah.

Fantastic. Now, I would love to know a little bit more about how you curate your handmade wardrobe and if you have any tips for the listeners if they're struggling to do that for themselves.

Sally (28:38)
Yeah, so this has been a real journey for me and I've been talking a little bit about it over on YouTube for the last month or so. But yeah, I...

I'm actually someone that sort of doesn't like a lot of stuff really and so I found that when I was in that sort of stage where we've probably all been where you're so excited about sewing and you're learning and you're making so many garments and garment after garment and you know I found that I ended up with like this huge wardrobe but really nothing that I actually wanted to wear.

Gemma Daly (28:51)
you

Sally (29:11)
And I think what kind of brought that home to me was one me-made May. I really wanted to take part. This was going back a few years now, but I was sort of looking at all of the things that I made and they were vintage-style dresses and, you know, skirts and things that I wouldn't really wear in my day-to-day life. At the time, I was sort of a mum to two quite small children. I had a dog. I worked at home. So a lot of my life, I was just sort of around the house and running kids around and outside walking and things. And I didn't really

want to be wearing a handmade vintage style dress and so that really sort of got me thinking about the fact that I really needed to, if I was going to carry on sewing, really needed to think about making things that were actually suitable for my lifestyle and things I actually wanted to sew. So that's kind of the direction that my sewing is taking now. So I'm trying to sew less but I'm trying to sew better.

Gemma Daly (29:43)
You

Sally (30:05)
I'm trying to sort of build a wardrobe that I can just open the doors and in the morning I just grab something out and I know that I'm gonna really enjoy wearing it. It's gonna be easy, I can walk the dog in it, I can work at home in it and I feel comfortable and sort of put together as well. So yeah, I'm kind of, I think when it comes down to sort of helping other people, I think for me it's really been about getting honest about what my lifestyle is really like.

So there was a time when I did go out to an office and I needed to be smart every day, but that isn't where I am now and hasn't actually been for quite some time. So I'm not really a person who's going to get up in the morning and put a dress on just because, I mean, I do love dresses and I do wear dresses in the summer, but day to day, particularly in the winter, I'm not a dress and tights person. I want to be in my jeans or in a jumper or in sweats even.

So I started to sort of really be honest about what my lifestyle included, what I did on a day-to-day basis, the kind of clothes that I reached for, which were both handmade and ready to wear. And sort of really think about I was wearing on a day-to-day basis and what made me feel good as well. Because sometimes it's easy, I think, when you work at home just to throw on.

of jogging bottoms and a jumper because no one's going to see you, you're going to be going out to walk the dog later or whatever, but you don't always feel your best like that to found that I was doing that quite a lot and I was just feeling a bit so I decided to sort of focus a little bit more on building a wardrobe that was more wearable for me. So that for me looks more like comfy wide leg trousers maybe, elasticated waist, nice cozy jersey top on the top.

feel really nice and comfortable to but also know you feel better if anyone pops in or if you need to pop out to the shops anything like that so I think that would be my first tip just get honest about your lifestyle and then secondly get really honest about the kind of fabrics that you like to wear too.

For me, when I was sewing in my early days, I used a lot of cottons and stiffer fabrics because they're easy to sew with, but I quickly realized that they weren't necessarily fabrics I wanted to wear. I wasn't wearing these sort of lovely dresses I was making or maybe like heavy cotton blouses and things because they just felt too restrictive for me. So I really went on a journey to learn about different types of fabrics, experimented with different fabrics and sort of really got myself familiar with fabrics that I like to wear.

So again, for me, that's sort of softer fabrics like really lovely jerseys, drapey viscoses, knit fabrics and things like So yeah, I think it just, I mean, it is a bit of trial and error and I never want to stop anyone who's learning and say, you know, don't make all these things because that's all part of the learning process, isn't it? And that's how you do learn you like to wear and what you like to sew and what your lifestyle's like and things. But I think having...

now sort of been on this sewing journey for about seven eight years i'm just at the point where i need to rein it in a bit and just make sure that i'm making things that quality and that suit my lifestyle more

Gemma Daly (33:12)
I think it really is a journey, isn't it? Because you do start learning, you do want to make all the things. then realise you might have got carried away with like a Instagram trend or something that actually, like you say, doesn't suit your lifestyle. So I think I've done it as well. I've had to sort of get a bit honest with myself and like, am I really going to wear that?

Sally (33:25)
Yeah.

Mm.

yeah, it's really hard. I think Instagram trends is a really sort of a really big one. It can be so hard not to get carried away on the latest pattern or at the time I started, there seemed to be trends going around maybe than there are now. don't know, probably because there are more patterns about now, but you know what it was like there was the whole

Gemma Daly (33:47)
Yeah.

Mmm.

Sally (33:57)
Ogden Cammie trend and the Bakerloo blouse trend. And I used to see everyone making lovely Bakerloo blouses with a big collar. And I kept thinking, maybe I should make one, maybe I should make one, you know, but I knew in my heart that that wasn't for me because I'm, it's just way too fussy for what I like to wear. you know, and other people looked lovely. And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the pattern or the style or anything, but

Gemma Daly (34:01)
Yeah.

Sally (34:21)
I think that's part of it really getting honest with what you like to wear and what you feel comfortable in. And so yeah, it's really, it just comes down to sort of knowing your own style and knowing what you're going to be comfortable in, I guess. And like you say, it is a bit of a journey, but yeah, it's difficult. And I'm trying, I think that's what I'm trying to do now, trying to sort less so inspire people to.

I don't know, make the latest thing and more sort of think more carefully about how sewing can be beneficial to making a wardrobe that you actually love, know, create it so that you can an outfit on every day that you're actually going to enjoy wearing rather than just making things for the sake of it.

Gemma Daly (35:00)
Exactly and it's funny you should bring up the Bakerloo because I did actually make it and then didn't wear it because the collar's too big for me and I've realised as well so I'm wearing a sage brush top today and I love the little ruffle along the front but I've also made the sort of tie front blouses and I don't wear that either it's it's too fussy for me so

Sally (35:03)
Are you Yeah. Yeah.

Mm.

Yeah.

Gemma Daly (35:25)
It really is a learning curve and it's kind of sad that these things are made but not worn, but you don't really know that sometimes unless you try.

Sally (35:33)
Yeah.

No you don't, I think it is all just down to experience like you say. Yeah I've been there with this bow front blouse as well and I've been thinking maybe I should make one I feel left out. FOMO from all of these tie front blouses but I would be the same as you, I think it's just too fussy and I know that I would not wear it so yeah I've learned.

Gemma Daly (35:59)
Yeah,

I'm sad because, you know, the cool girls and the, you know, the people on Insta, they can wear it and they look amazing, but I just, it's not for me. And I think it's fine to say that.

Sally (36:06)
Hmm.

Yeah and again I think that comes kind of with age as well because I'm sort of into my 40s now and I'm really sort of getting to know more my own personal style I think it just it just does come with age I'm really I'm realizing now that I more sort of want to have maybe more of an understated kind of style

I've maybe once dressed completely differently and that's a really difficult thing actually to face as well because what I sewed at the beginning of my sewing journey is very different to what I want to sew now so I do actually have pretty much a whole suitcase full I think of clothing that I've made but I'm not really going to wear now and that's just because my style has changed with age and there's part of me that thinks I should be wearing these things because I've made them and I've put so much time and effort into them but...

actually is just not who I am now and I think that's sort of okay to realise as well because you're not going to be the same person you were seven years ago are you? You are going to change and evolve and your style is going to change and evolve as well so I don't know what I'm going to do with all those clothes whether I can sell them or maybe repurpose them or give them to charity but yeah it's one of those things a by-product of the sewing journey.

Gemma Daly (37:20)
Yeah, I

know and it does feel a bit sad but you kind of have to accept the evolution don't you? And I think it's just for me what happens to the garment afterwards but like you say if someone else will buy it or you can repurpose it then you know there's another life in there isn't there?

Sally (37:29)
Hmm.

Mm-mm.

It's hard not to have the guilt over sewing so many clothes, isn't it, and what's going to happen after, you know, after you've done it, after you've made the thing.

Gemma Daly (37:44)
you

It really is, but I suppose if we let that stop us, we'd never make anything, would we? So we're sort of stifling our creativity at the same time.

Sally (37:54)
No.

Yeah, it's a battle isn't it?

Gemma Daly (38:00)
It is, it's a hard thing to balance. I saw you shared recently a really interesting post about the reasons why people sometimes don't reach for their handmade garments. I wondered if you could just talk us through a few of those reasons.

Sally (38:15)
So I think it's probably going back to what I was speaking about earlier, so thinking about your lifestyle, but also I think, and I know I was very much like this in the beginning of my sewing, you kind of tend rush through things. So I know...

when I was sewing in the early sometimes didn't understand all of the sewing processes, like understitching and, you know, why do you need to apply interfacing here? Why do you need to press as you go along? And I would sort of rush through makes and then end up with something that didn't quite look as maybe professional as I was hoping for. And I sort of rushed through it, hung it in my wardrobe and then just didn't necessarily want to wear it anymore because I didn't feel like it was.

up to scratch. And then another reason again would be probably fabric. So I think for me, I talk about this quite a lot really, but for me it was such a big thing in my sewing life to really understand fabric and understand the different types of fabrics and how they drape and how they stretch or don't stretch and you know how they feel. And I feel if you don't understand those things, you're often going to end up

when you wear the garment just not feeling comfortable in it. So that was a big one for me and that was really why, probably a big thing for me for why I didn't reach for a lot of my handmade clothing at the time. thing I think I put on that post was you're missing the intention. So really think about why you're making that garment. in terms of building my own sort of more cohesive wardrobe for myself,

really trying to think about how it's going to fit in with the other things in my wardrobe. So I think about what I'm planning to sew, I want to sew, whether or not I've got other things that I'll be able to wear that new thing with, whether I'm going to be sewing it in a colour that's going to go with other things in my wardrobe and sort of really try to be intentional about what I'm making. So think this is kind of

I'm kind of getting out of this a bit more, but I really stripped my sort colour palette back as well. And rather than sewing, I was really into prints at the beginning of my sewing journey and I loved prints and I loved florals and I loved all the different colours. But again, part of the journey, I just realised that some of the colours sort of didn't suit me. I wore the thing and I realised it made me look drained. Or I found that I had loads of different maybe tops in bright colours in my wardrobe.

wear them with and it just made wearing the garment feel very difficult. So I've kind of stripped my colour palette back a little bit over the last few years or so just to sort of sew more neutrals, more plain things and I've found that doing that has really helped me with outfit building because then you've always got a neutral to wear with any bottoms that you might have or

Gemma Daly (40:41)
Mm.

Sally (41:02)
something that's more patterned. So I really try and think about that when I'm sort of planning a new make. Yeah, just really strip it right back. Think about what you've got already in your wardrobe and how that garment is gonna fit in. And I think that doing that, it does sound very sort of regimented. And I don't want it to sound like I'm stripping all the fun out of sewing, because you've still got to have that sort of joy in what you're making as well.

Gemma Daly (41:26)
you ⁓

Sally (41:29)
Yeah, I think just sort of trying to be a little bit more intentional stops me from making things that I'm just not going to wear or having garments in my wardrobe that just don't go with anything else.

Gemma Daly (41:40)
I think they're really great reasons. And I feel like I've done the same things as you as my journey's gone on. Initially you're attracted to all the prints and all the colours, but now I have like, I do have a colour palette. And again, don't want it to sound boring, but I like the colour palette and I tend to sort of make things that are in that palette. So mine's like quite pastely.

Sally (41:59)
Yeah.

Gemma Daly (42:06)
But you know, if you are a person who can wear all the bright colours and clash patterns, absolutely go for it. Because you won't have an issue, will you, with what you make? It'll all just go. I'm a little bit more reserved and I like things to be quite cohesive, so I totally get where you're coming from.

Sally (42:13)
Yeah, definitely, yeah. No. Yeah.

And funnily enough, think, you know, going back to sort of getting more confidence on the camera and things is a strange thing. But I think having to see myself in camera a bit more and see myself in the things that I'm wearing has really helped me to see what suits me. So I always sort of say to people,

if you're ever wondering about this kind of stuff, if you're not quite sure what does suit you or what doesn't, just take some photos of yourself and you don't have to show them to anyone, just take them for you and sort of get familiar with what you like to see yourself in and what you think suits you best and that can often help as well.

Gemma Daly (43:00)
Yeah, that's a really good idea. Did you go and have your colours done out of interest with Chelsea?

Sally (43:05)
Yes, I

Yeah, I did. About 18 months ago now, actually. I went to Chelsea from Radiantly Me, who is very good. I would highly recommend her. I was quite sceptical and a few people on YouTube had commented and said to me, have you ever had your colours done because I'd really recommend it. And I was a bit like,

you know, how accurate can this be? But yeah, Chelsea actually messaged me and invited me to come. did, paid for it and everything, so it wasn't like a gifted thing. But and it took me a little while to decide to have it done. But then after so many people had recommended it, I thought.

I'm going to do it actually. I'm going to sort of do something for myself and I'm going to go and have it done. And was really interested to see as well whether the colours that I thought suited me were actually the colours that she, you know, said did suit me. There were a few surprises in there, I have to say. But it's really been helpful in terms of just having something there. So if you've ever, if you've not had your colours done, what they do is they sort of sit you in front of a mirror with no makeup on or anything. So it can be quite intimidating if, like me,

you

don't love to stare at yourself in the mirror and they sort of hold colours up against your face and you can after a while you kind of see the kind of colours that will light you up and that will drain you it took me a while to get into what was going on and at first I was thinking I can't really tell any difference but then as she talked me through it I really began to see what sort of made my eyes brighter and what made my skin brighter and what made me look grey and you know

So it's a really interesting process and I came away with like a wallet of different fabrics with all the different colors that suit my skin tone. And I keep that in my bag now and just sort of refer to it. And I won't say that I religiously stick to it because one of the colors that didn't come up in my color palette was blue and I love blue. And so I still go for blue now and again. Apparently I can wear navy but not sort of

pale blue and like sky blue and those are some of my favorite colors so it's been hard to sort of come away from that. But yeah I would say it's a really useful thing to have done and she actually did my makeup as well and I have worn the same makeup for I don't know how many years so that was really interesting to sort go through that process as well so yeah I would I would recommend it. It's an investment it's something that sort of need to sort of invest in for yourself.

yeah, it's helped me a lot in terms of choosing the right fabric, I think, because it's unbelievable how many different colors there are and even You know, there's so many different shades and cream and they're not always gonna suit you. And it kind reinforced what I felt like I already knew about myself because I felt like bright white really drains me. But if I ever wore like a softer white or a cream, I didn't look so awful. And that's actually what came

Gemma Daly (45:30)
Mmm.

Sally (45:47)
in the analysis as well. So yeah, it was really, really interesting.

Gemma Daly (45:50)
Yeah, I've had the same one with Chelsea it does reinforce certain things, doesn't it? And then I found myself a little bit confused as well, almost like it was telling me what to do, even though it wasn't. But I felt a little bit confused, but it took me a while to sort of adapt and think, yeah, okay, these are the colours that suit you.

You can either go for them or you don't have to. It's not like you must do this, but I get it. And like you, I don't think I should really wear bright white as well, because it like reflects back onto your face, doesn't it? And makes you look pale. So it is an interesting journey with it.

Sally (46:15)
Yeah.

No.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Yeah and like you say I don't think you need to stick to it religiously. I know when I've talked about it on YouTube I've had some people say to me oh you know don't be defined by these colours wear what you want and that's absolutely true and I don't think it would stop me wearing anything. I think it's more of a guideline really so you know if you do want a little bit of help and you're finding you're making a lot of things in different colours and you're finding that they don't suit you or you don't like wearing them then it might be worth having it done.

but doesn't care about those things and obviously, you know, don't worry about it. It's not something you have to have done. And then you take from it what you want to take.

Gemma Daly (47:04)
Absolutely.

it's a guideline.

exactly. So do you have any exciting plans coming up Sally, either for your business side of things or your own personal makes?

Sally (47:17)
No, I think I'm at a funny stage with my business at the moment because I feel like I've got so much that I want to do and I can't do all of it. So I'm having to sort of think about the parts of the business that I really want to develop and the parts I am just going to have to accept that I can't, I haven't got time to do.

So I mentioned with the sewing workshops, I'm thinking that I can either sort of really sort of develop that and make it and spend more of my time doing that side of things. But then maybe I'll have to sort of rein YouTube back in and I don't want to do that. And then I've also been thinking about the things that I do in the workshops when I've shared them online, people have asked for tutorials. I'm also thinking maybe I could set up like a tutorial thing or have kits to sell and things like that. There's so much that I...

would love to do and even I sometimes miss making the products and selling them like in my Etsy shop and now and again I have this little thing saying maybe I could do that but the fact is that you can't do all the things so I'm really having to think about you know what I need to focus on what I want to focus on so not really exciting but I think I'm just a bit of a sort of a pivotal point in the business where I really need to think about what I want to focus on so that's kind of exciting and

Gemma Daly (48:05)
Mmm.

Sally (48:30)
and interesting as well because I'm not really under the, I'm sure that YouTube is not going to be something that's going to last me forever, you know, there's going to be a point where I will outgrow it or whatever. yeah, I thinking about how it's going to develop in the future. And then personally, we've just moved house, so we're busy sort of decorating and making the house our own as well. So that's, that is exciting.

Gemma Daly (48:51)
Yeah, that's all good stuff. Brilliant. So just to tie up the interview, Sally, I'd to do a quick game of this or that. Is that okay with you? Yeah? Okay. First one, Wovens or Knits?

Sally (49:00)
Yeah, yeah, sounds fun.

wavings. Yeah, always wavings.

Gemma Daly (49:09)
Classic plains or bold prints?

Sally (49:12)
I think at the moment I would go for plains because like I said I think I'm out of the print stage at the moment, more in my plane era.

Gemma Daly (49:19)
Scissors or a rotary cutter?

Sally (49:22)
rotary cutter actually I tend to use a rotary cutter all the time these days

Gemma Daly (49:27)
Hmm,

interesting. Sweet or savory?

Sally (49:30)
Oh, that's a difficult one. I think I have to go for sweet. think I've got a bit of a sweet tooth. Love a good chocolate bar or biscuit.

Gemma Daly (49:31)
Hahaha

A new pattern or a tried and tested.

Sally (49:42)
tried and tested I think for me because yeah I'm not a fan of the whole thing of having to go through all the sizing and the tracing and everything so if I've got something that I can use that's already done for me then I would always go for that I

Gemma Daly (49:52)
Good point. A meal out or a takeaway.

Sally (49:53)
Mm-hmm.

meal out I think. It's always nice to get dressed up and come out isn't it?

Gemma Daly (50:00)
Yeah.

Tea or coffee?

Sally (50:02)
not really into coffee. Now and again I'll have a cup of coffee but I do love my cup of tea in the morning.

Gemma Daly (50:07)
Spring, summer or autumn, winter?

Sally (50:10)
I think I'm becoming more of a spring summer person actually. I would always normally say autumn winter, but I've struggled with this winter actually and I can't wait for spring and summer to come. yeah, for this year anyway, I'm going to go spring summer.

Gemma Daly (50:23)
And the last one, a more involved make or a quick win.

Sally (50:27)
I think more involved make especially at the moment I'm really enjoying something that can take my time over and have a bit of a challenge. So yeah, involved I think for me.

Gemma Daly (50:38)
Fantastic. So where can people find you, Sally?

Sally (50:43)
So pretty much everywhere I'm Made by Sally. So I have website madebysally.com, my YouTube channel is Made by Sally, Instagram is Made by Sally Gauntlet because Made by Sally was taken unfortunately, so I had to my surname in there. So yeah, pretty much Made by Sally everywhere.

Gemma Daly (50:59)
Fantastic, and I'll link it all in the show notes, but I just want to thank you for coming on today and being a fantastic guest on the Sewing Social podcast.

Sally (51:03)
Okay.

Thank you for having me, it's been lovely chatting to you.

Gemma Daly (51:11)
You're welcome. You take care. Bye!

Sally (51:14)
Thanks. Bye.