Stash Chats – Episode 2: Zoe from Check Your Thread

Stash Chats is back for episode 2 and we have another amazing guest! I’m joined by Zoe, creator of the famous #MeMadeMay social media challenge over at @SoZoBlog and host of the sustainable sewing podcast, Check Your Thread.

Zoe has been sewing on and off throughout her whole life – despite this, her stash of lengths of fabric is pretty well under control, all stored in the bathroom airing cupboard. She’s finding the biggest burden in her fabric collection to be the scraps, which seem to multiply after cutting out each project. Zoe has her scraps well organised and keeps them sorted by type, which helps when planning ways to combine them and make use of them.

One of Zoe’s recent projects was a pair of patchwork trousers that used up loads of viscose scraps. We both agreed that viscose scraps are the most difficult to use up, since cotton can be good for accessories and jersey remnants are handy for knickers or baby clothes. Check out Zoe’s blog post for all the details on how she made these trousers. I was so impressed by how well all the colours tied together – Zoe said it was made easier by her fabric collection always tending towards autumnal shades. An awareness of your style and preferences is definitely a great way to curate your stash and reduce waste. One of my favourite things that Zoe said was that her fabric stash doesn’t contain anything she doesn’t like. She has been cataloguing her collection using Stash Hub and I’m so pleased that it has helped her get her collection even more organised!

The Molly Jacket using denim patchwork scraps is another of Zoe’s scrap-busting creations! Of course, we mentioned the Instagram sewing challenge #ScrapBustingSeptember, hosted by Meg of @the_grand_stash this month. All the details are in the challenges section of Stash Hub if you’re interested in joining in yourself! Meg was a guest on Episode 103 of Check Your Thread so do listen for more scrap sewing inspiration. Another challenge Zoe is joining in with is Last Sewist Standing. Zoe hasn’t bought any fabric, notions or patterns since Valentines day! I loved hearing about her experience of this challenge during our Stash Chat, especially how it has forced her to come up with creative solutions when she hasn’t had all the materials required and how it has made her appreciate her existing stash.

Stash Chats is hosted live on YouTube every Wednesday at 8pm (UK time). The next Stash Chats guest will be Jess, YouTube sewing vlogger and content creator over at So What If I Sew. Jess has just entered a transitional period in her life, switching from working full time to undertaking a PhD. Along with altered workload, this also means financial changes, so Jess has been working to catalogue her fabric stash and focusing on more thrifty sewing.

Follow us on Instagram for updates on future episode of Stash Chats live and ask our guests questions. Each week, I will be chatting to a different member of the sewing community and getting the inside scoop on their personal sewing stash and fabric buying habits. The aim is to open up conversations about our sewing collections in a judgemement-free space. Our mission at Stash Hub is to help everyone fall back in love with their stashes.