Stash Chats – Episode 21: Lise @miss.taeschli

This episode of Stash Chats, we got to chat with Lise @miss.taeschli. Lise is the host of the Last Sewist Standing challenge, which is a no-buy challenge for anyone that’s feeling like they need a fabric ban to help them work through their existing stash. Lise herself has an impressive stash, with a total of 688 fabrics! The Last Sewist Standing challenge started as Lise’s personal challenge, but has grown in popularity over the years, especially since Zoe mentioned it on Check Your Thread, so now hundreds of sewists join in and challenge themselves to resist buying new sewing supplies.

Here are some highlights from my conversation with Lise:

Lise grew up in Switzerland and has always described herself as a ‘multicrafter’, coming from a family of creatives. We were all very envious of her sewing experience at school, where she had a really inspiring teacher and the opportunity to sew exciting projects including a proper backpack and a wearable fleece!

Lise’s sewing journey was kickstarted when her eldest child went to school and needed a floor pillow – cue the ‘hey I can make this’ attitude! That project inspired Lise to start sewing for her kids, then take up sewing for herself, which resulted in less sewing for her kids. When Lise sews garments for herself, she often goes through multiple toiles, making adjustments to perfect the fit. When I asked about where she gets the patience to worth through so many iterations of the same design, Lise recalled learning to play the piano as a child. Her mother is a professional musician, and instilled the importance of perseverence and practise.

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The Last Sewist Standing challenge runs from 14th February until 31st December, to give participants the opportunity to stock up on supplies they need for upcoming projects before the fabric ban starts again. This period is known as the ‘Danger Zone’ as it can be tempting to overbuy. Lise has made some sensible investments during the Danger Zone, buying some items that will help her sew her existing stash. Lise has identified that one of the reasons fabric gets stalled in her stash is that she’s reluctant to sew precious fabrics, such as her Liberty Lantana, until she’s thoroughly perfected the pattern in mind. To help with this, Lise has bought a bolt of calico to use for toiles. She’s quite excited about using this as she said it makes her feel very professional, plus she won’t have to worry about wasting any stash fabric. Another recent investment is swatch books, including a book of YKK zips. Lise loves her projects to come together perfectly, so has been known to buy additional fabric or supplies if they don’t match quite right. With the swatch books, Lise is able to check for the best match available before buying.

Definitely follow Lise on Instagram @miss.taeschli if you feel your stash could benefit from a fabric ban! Next week I’m joined by Sarah @superbailles who creates gorgeous garments and shares them on Instagram and YouTube. Sarah has had to make some tough stash decisions recently, as she’s had to put most of her fabric into storage whilst her house is being renovated, so I’m going to ask her about how that’s affected her sewing (and fabric buying habits!).

New episodes of Stash Chats are being streamed live on our YouTube channel, every Wednesday at 8pm. Follow us on Instagram for updates about future guests.