It was lovely to chat to Adam of @AdamSews on Stash Chats. He has such a neat and well organised stash – it made a lovely background for the call. We talked about his love of Tula Pink fabric, how his sewing has evolved over the years and some top tips! Adam has a successful YouTube channel, sells handmade bags and caddies and has started selling PDF patterns too. We wish Adam massive luck with his first exhibitor stand at the Creative Craft Show/Simply Christmas at Birmingham NEC 2nd-5th November 2023.
Here are some highlights from my conversation with Adam:
How long have you been sewing?
I started sewing when I was around 12 or 13 so I’ve been sewing around 20 years now!
Has your sewing changed over time?
Yes! I used to primarily be into garment sewing, favouring knit fabrics and sewing on the overlocker. I hardly ever sewed with woven fabrics. A few years ago, I started getting into quilting and bagmaking, so now my fabric stash is primarily woven fabric. I do still sew garments, but now I only buy fabric when there’s a specific item of clothing I need. When the fabric arrives, I keep it to one side and aim to sew it up within 10 days. Recently I’ve made a few versions of the Elbe Textiles Cornell Shirt, which works really well in a double gauze fabric. I think of bag making as the business side of my sewing and garment making is more the hobby side.
What fabrics are you most drawn to?
Tula Pink! The designs are brightly coloured and often feature animals. I really like that the designs that read as plains in an overall quilt design still have interesting details. The intricacy is what draws me to Tula’s design. I also really like Kaffe Fassett designs but I try to be selective as to which ones I buy. I’m already deep in collecting Tula Pink so I’m being careful not to get into collecting another designer’s fabric too!
Do you have a favourite fabric?
My current favourite is ‘Monkey Wrench’ by Tula Pink. If you look closely, you can see the monkey is holding a wrench in his tail. The details are so cute and I love the vibrant colours. A lovely friend of mine from America brought this fabric over for me.
How do you organise your sewing stash?
I store all my fabric in Kallax units and keep them neat by folding the fabric onto mini bolts. Amazon boxes cut to size make good bolts. I like having my fabric on display – I see it like a library with quilting fabrics arranged by collection.
Stash Chats takes place on Instagram Live, usually every Thursday evening at 8pm (UK time), although times can vary depending on availability of guests. The next Stash Chats guest will be Harriet, founder of the incredible fabric shop Sew Me Sunshine! Harriet will be joining us at 7pm Tuesday 7th November and I’m looking forward to asking her about how owning a fabric shop impacts her personal fabric stash…
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