Alison Martin
sew organised style
Sew Like Dotty returns this week with ideas about starting your own sewing group. I’m thrilled to welcome back Alison Martin, the heart and hands behind Sew Like Dotty, for the second episode in our series! Alison is a beloved figure in the sewing world – a SewOverIt Pattern Insider, YouTuber, and the creator of the inspiring A Gift to November Challenge. In this episode, Alison dives deeper into her journey, shares fresh ideas for starting your own sewing group, and talks about the joy of building community through creativity. Whether you're looking to connect with fellow sewists or...
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Sew Like Dotty
sew organised style
Welcome to Part 1 of our inspiring conversation with Alison Martin, the creative force behind Sew Like Dotty and the community. 🌸 Over the past four years, Alison has grown into a safe and fun online space for sewists. She also manages an encouraging and thriving Facebook group, which she now focuses on full-time after retiring earlier this year. Alison’s passion for sewing was sparked by her mother and the garment industry in her hometown. With her deep-rooted skills and love for community building, she co-founded A Stitch in Tyne with two sewing friends—a local initiative...
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Melanie Keane more
sew organised style
In this episode with Melanie Keane, she gives us an insightful chat about how running the sewing groups for refugees has impacted her personally. In the 18 months after beginning sewing Melanie was asked 'Do I know anyone who can sew...? 2 weeks later she arrived at the refugee centre with 2 old sewing machines and some donated fabric. 4 months later Melanie had 3 volunteers working with her, 8 fairly decent sewing machines and 15 women in the mixed nationality group. The women were voracious in their making and desperate to sew for their families, repair clothes and just escape from...
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Melanie Keane
sew organised style
Melanie Keane’s sewing journey is very community driven. This is a two-part series and Melanie began sewing 9 years ago through quilting. In 2020 Melanie and her family sewed over 100 pairs of scrubs for frontline workers, transforming sewing into a meaningful family activity. This experience deepened her connection to the craft and led her to explore garment and bag making, where she found joy in blending functionality with artistic expression. Beyond her personal projects, Melanie’s dedication to sewing extended into community service. By fundraising for sewing machines and supplies, she...
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Micah Clasper-Torch
sew organised style
Micah Clasper-Torch is a Los Angeles-based artist, designer, and educator helping to lead the modern revival of punch needle rug hooking. With a background in fashion design from The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and the Politecnico di Milano in Italy, Micah blends fine art, heritage craft, and wearable design to create one-of-a-kind textile pieces that range from coats and accessories to wall hangings and soft sculpture. In 2019 Micah was formally trained as an Oxford Punch Needle Instructor at the Oxford Rug Hooking School in Vermont, and in 2020 she launched Punch Needle...
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Sew Pittsburgh
sew organised style
Kelsey founded Sew Pittsburg with the vision of creating a sewing community in the Pittsburgh area. As the Instagram account quickly gained traction, Sarah stepped in to help foster the group’s growing sense of community. Together, they built a welcoming space for sewists to connect, share inspiration, and support one another. Their efforts transformed Sew Pittsburg into more than just an online presence—it became a thriving hub for makers, encouraging creativity and friendships. Through meetups, collaborations, and shared enthusiasm, Kelsey and Sarah have cultivated a vibrant sewing...
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Sew Pittsburgh
sew organised style
Kelsey founded Sew Pittsburg with the vision of creating a sewing community in the Pittsburgh area. As the Instagram account quickly gained traction, Sarah stepped in to help foster the group’s growing sense of community. Together, they built a welcoming space for sewists to connect, share inspiration, and support one another. Their efforts transformed Sew Pittsburg into more than just an online presence—it became a thriving hub for makers, encouraging creativity and friendships. Through meetups, collaborations, and shared enthusiasm, Kelsey and Sarah have cultivated a vibrant sewing...
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Alison Smith MBE
sew organised style
Alison Smith, MBE, is a visionary in the world of sewing and couture techniques. As the UK’s leading sewing educator, she has revolutionized garment construction, corsetry, and tailoring, making intricate skills accessible to all. Founder of the School of Sewing, Alison teaches hands-on workshops that empower sewists of all levels. She’s also a celebrated author, with books like The Sewing Book and Dressmaking selling over 500,000 copies worldwide. Her expertise extends to online courses and the Members Club, where she shares advanced techniques, pattern hacks, and professional...
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Natalie Chim
sew organised style
Natalie or @Nataliecsews is never seen on her Instagram account until now. On the video version of this podcast, you’ll both hear and see Natalie Chim. She has been industry trained and has sewn commercially for over 40 years. While Natalie's mother taught her how to sew, it was her father who showed her how to fit clothes properly. In this podcast Natalie refers to a number of good resources and ways to build your own sewing skills. You'll only find Natalie on Instagram and she's always available to answer your questions in direct messages. If you are able, consider supporting this...
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Mirjam Gielen
sew organised style
In this podcast, you'll see Mirjam's textile art journey in full colour on YouTube. She does describe her journey so if you want to simply see her textile art, pop on the . All of Mirjam's links are there. You can find her on , her and just googling Mirjam will show you how extensive her are. If you are able, consider supporting this podcast through our . There are 3 new tiers to choose from to support SewOver50's only podcast. Every podcast is free and the archive is gradually being uploaded on to the . Sound by Kaneef on YouTube. intersects with all communities. where we are so over...
info_outlineKelsey founded Sew Pittsburg with the vision of creating a sewing community in the Pittsburgh area. As the Instagram account quickly gained traction, Sarah stepped in to help foster the group’s growing sense of community. https://www.instagram.com/sewpgh/
Together, they built a welcoming space for sewists to connect, share inspiration, and support one another.
Their efforts transformed Sew Pittsburg into more than just an online presence—it became a thriving hub for makers, encouraging creativity and friendships.
Through meetups, collaborations, and shared enthusiasm, Kelsey and Sarah have cultivated a vibrant sewing culture, proving that community flourishes when passion meets dedication.
Find out how Discord allows their community to also run regular interest meetups!
Photo credits: Kitoko Chargois. https://www.instagram.com/photo_by_kitoko/
If you are able, consider supporting this podcast through our patreon account. There are 3 new tiers to choose from to support SewOver50's only podcast.
Every podcast is free and the archive is gradually being uploaded on to the podcast YouTube channel.
Sound with permission by Kaneef on YouTube.
SewOver50 intersects with all communities. SewOver50 where we are so over ageism.
Our focus is the sewing talent each person shares on social media and providing recognition of their willingness to share their skills whether a beginner or experienced sewist.
Make sure you listen to your SewOver50 friends in our SewOver50 podcast archive.