Making Stitches Podcast

Hello and welcome to Making Stitches Podcast, my guest this time is Anglo-Irish former TV and Theatre actor, now knitting teacher, Alice O'Connell. Knitting first came into Alice's life when she was sitting around waiting to be called onto set and soon changed her life. We spoke about times when it's been incredibly important to her, including when she first became a Mum for the first time, and during her successful treatment for breast cancer. Alice now teaches others to knit through o...

Hello and welcome to a brand new series of Making Stitches Podcast! My guest for this first episode is crochet designer and teacher Sam Sabido. Sam first learned to crochet after being gifted crochet lessons around 15 years ago. At the time, she was having a tricky time and hoped crochet would give her a creative outlet and some time to concentrate on her own wellbeing. Little did she know back then what an impact crochet would have on her life. After mastering the craft herself, she be...

This time last weekend, Carry on Crafting celebrated its 5th birthday. The festival, based at Ardingley Showground in Sussex, played host to craft stalls, workshops, vintage stands, tasty food, music and fun. Last March, I spoke to the festival's founder, Justine Robson on this podcast (for episode number 94. At the time, she invited me along to the festival - over a year later, I got there! It was everything I imagined it would be, and more. I met old friends and made new ones too, I crochet...

In this episode of the Making Stitches Podcast, I'm joined by documentary filmmaker Paul Wyatt, director of the beautiful documentary film Sheep, Actually. Although this conversation is a little different from my usual chats with makers, it explores something at the very heart of many of our crafts: wool. Paul's documentary asks us to look beyond the skein and back to its origins, exploring the connections between sheep, farmers, wool and the people who transform this remarkable natural fibre...

In this episode, I'm delighted to be joined by contemporary textile artist Murron Fraser. Based in Manchester, Murron's work is inspired by nature, folklore and storytelling, creating richly layered textile pieces that invite us to look more closely at the hidden wonders of the natural world. Through a combination of machine embroidery, printmaking, and mixed media techniques, she creates artworks that are full of texture, colour and meaning. Alongside her artistic practice, Murro...