Sewing, Socials and You-Tube with Tamlyn from Sewn On The Tyne

In this inspiring episode of the Sewing Social podcast, host Gemma Daly chats with the ever-creative Tamlyn, better known online as Sewn On The Tyne.

From picking up her first sewing pattern to becoming a beloved YouTuber and full-time content creator, Tamlyn shares her incredible journey with warmth and honesty.

Together, they explore the therapeutic power of sewing, the triumphs and trials behind each stitch, and why the sewing community is one of the most supportive out there. 

Tamlyn opens up about leaving her teaching career to pursue her passion, offers behind-the-scenes insight into the world of YouTube and content creation, and reflects on what it's really like to turn a hobby into a livelihood.

Plus, hear all about her work with the Northern Sewl Sisters, the magic of in-person sewing socials, and how building connections—online and off—has been central to her creative life.

Whether you’re a seasoned sewist or just getting started, this conversation is packed with inspiration, real talk, and a healthy dose of crafty joy.

Key Takeaways:

• Tamlyn’s journey into sewing began in her teens but flourished later in life.
• Sewing provides a unique way to create personalised clothing that fits well.
• The therapeutic benefits of sewing help with mental health and mindfulness.
• YouTube content creation requires significant effort beyond just filming.
• Building a community around sewing can lead to lasting friendships and support.
• Tamlyn transitioned from teaching to focus on her passion for sewing and content creation.
• Running sewing socials fosters a sense of community and connection among sewists.
• Collaborating with friends in the sewing community enhances creativity and enjoyment.
• Tamlyn emphasises the importance of perseverance in challenging sewing projects.
• The sewing community is welcoming and supportive, making it a great space for sharing ideas.

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Guest details:

Instagram: @sewn_on_the_tyne

                   : @sew_toon

                   : @northernsewlsisters

YouTube: Sewn On The Tyne

                : Northern Sewl Sisters

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Tamlyn and Her Journey

02:54 The Passion for Sewing and Its Therapeutic Benefits

05:52 Exploring Different Sewing Projects and Challenges

08:53 Starting a YouTube Channel: Inspiration and Learning Curve

11:51 The Process of Creating YouTube Content

14:43 Advice for Aspiring YouTubers and Community Insights

17:34 The Northern Soul Sisters: Collaboration and Friendship

20:48 Transitioning from Teaching to Full-Time Content Creation

23:38 Running Sewing Socials and Building Community

26:45 Future Plans and Projects

29:57 Fun Rapid-Fire Questions and Closing Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00.162)

This week on the Sewing Social podcast, we meet Tamlyn, who you may know better as Sewn on the Tine, a sewist turned YouTuber who's built a thriving channel around DIY fashion and slow sewing. We chat all about building a handmade wardrobe, content creation, and turning creative passion into a career. Let's dive in. Tamlyn, welcome to the Sewing Social podcast.

you

Speaker 2 (00:27.054)

Bye.

It's lovely to have you on today, so I'm looking forward to our chat. Let's get into it. So I wanted to go back to the start. How did you first get into sewing?

Yeah, me too.

Speaker 2 (00:39.342)

So going way, back when I was 15, 16, I did study textiles at GCSE. It wasn't great. It was okay. My final project was a very questionable satin, like one shoulder dress, but the shoulder was diamantes. It was, you know, it had boning in it. It was something that I probably wouldn't even attempt to make now, but I made that as my final project. I'm not sure I ever actually wore it.

and it's long gone now, but I always sort of had dreams of being a fashion designer and then realised that I couldn't draw, which I think nowadays with technology and things wouldn't really be a problem. But back then it was sort of, I felt like it was a key part of being a fashion designer would be to be able to draw designs. So I just abandoned that. And then it wasn't until I was sort of early thirties, maybe I'm 40 now, but I started to dabble in a little bit of

sewing, so I went to some workshops with my mum. There was a lovely cafe not too far from here that did workshops on making tote bags and cushions and makeup bags, that sort of thing. So I started to dabble in a little bit of that just for a hobby really, for something to do. And then I think it might've been seeing the sewing bay on TV that made me realise that I actually would like to sew my own clothes. So off I went and purchased the Clio Pinafore.

by telling the buttons. I bought that pattern, I bought some fabric and I just made that pinafore dress. That kind of really got me wanting to sew my own clothes. So then I think I made another one of those. And then I booked onto a workshop at Guthrie and Ghani, which was like a weekend sewing retreat. I think that was in July 2018, it's about seven years ago. And I went off on this sewing retreat and that just completely made me fall in love with it. Up to that point, it had a very basic...

sewing machine and while I was there the machines that they were using were just so different to the one that I had at home. So while I was there I ordered a new machine and I just came away with this complete love and passion for sewing. Yeah that's where it started really I kind of became quite obsessed with it quite quickly and the rest is history.

Speaker 1 (02:53.358)

and can you remember what you made on the retreat?

Yeah, so I made an Ogden Cami by True Bias. I made a Cali shirt dress by Closet Core and I started making a marigold jumpsuit by Tilly and the Buttons and then I finished that off at home because I didn't finish it while we were there. Yeah.

That's quite a lot, isn't it? And to go from the Clio, which is quite, it is a basic pattern. I started with that one myself and I think a lot of people do, but that sounds quite a good jump into some substantial projects.

Yeah, definitely. think if I remember rightly, we might have been given a list of projects that we could choose from so that the tutor could kind of focus their attention on people so they weren't doing too many different projects.

And I think there was like a list of projects we could choose from and I went for those. It was like a summer retreat, that's why the patterns were quite summery. The Ogden Kami is quite a straightforward one, but obviously the Kali is quite involved because you've got the button placket and the collar and everything like that. So I did get quite a lot of help with that one. But yeah, just being immersed in it for three full days was wonderful and having expert help on hand and then other people in the room that could help as well was, yeah, it was great.

Speaker 1 (04:07.35)

Yeah, sounds amazing. What do you think it is specifically about sewing that really ignites that passion? Can you pinpoint anything?

Don't know, not specifically, but I find it really exciting just having a piece of fabric and knowing that you can turn that into anything you want really and being able to make something completely unique to you and that you know or hopefully is going to actually fit your measurements at the end of it. So I talk to quite a lot of people who don't sew and they always complain about having to go to the shops and buy trousers, but the waist and the hips will never fit right or things like that. And I have that.

Being able to make something where you can grade the measurements and have something that will fit you really well at the end of it just really satisfies me. And also having something you can just immerse yourself in. So if you're having a tough day or if you've got a lot on your mind or, you know, parenting is hard and you just need a little break, just being able to focus in on something completely for yourself really is, yeah, it does something quite nice to the brain and just chills you out and I love it.

think it is a mindful task, isn't it? And using your hands, but it is exciting. All the colours and all the fabrics and everything. So what's your favourite type of project to work on and why?

I'm sort of a change over time. I've over the years been one for quick wins. And it's not that I'm sort of impatient or anything like that, but I think it's more when you have a limited amount of time to sew. I like to have something that I can start and finish quite quickly. So just a nice knit t-shirt or a jumper that you can whiz up on your overlock. It's really satisfying because you can see the start and the end and you can think, right, I've got two hours or two evenings. I can sew a jumper.

Speaker 2 (05:55.948)

and that's really satisfying. But I've got friends who, like Ruan for example, who loves a really in-depth, long project. I'm not quite there in terms of loving that, but I'm definitely starting to prefer something that is a little bit more involved and that maybe does take a little bit more time and care because I now have a little bit more time to sew, or I should have. So I'm definitely starting to prefer those longer projects that maybe have a bit more detail involved.

Yeah, you've made, is it the Mia messenger bag? that looks a little bit more in depth.

Yeah, definitely. So obviously with the BF Patterns Bestie bag, which was this big sort of viral pattern in the sewing community, I made a few of those and that was a really satisfying sew. And because I'd made a few, I could get that sewn up quite quickly. But then I made them the messenger bag, which is definitely a much more involved sew. And I have spoken to a couple of people who didn't really enjoy sewing it, maybe because it is a bit more in depth and a bit more involved.

But I really enjoyed it. I did it at a sewing social that I went to and I pretty much finished it over the course of the six hours that I was there. I just had a little bit of finishing off to do once I got home, but I found that really satisfying. So just really focusing in on that one project, because I'm terrible for starting something, putting it to the side and starting something else. But I forced myself to just take this one project to the social and then really focus on that. And I loved it.

That's cool. And do you feel like that's potentially not challenging, but can you think of anything else that has really tested you in the form of a sewing project?

Speaker 2 (07:37.858)

Maybe not specifically, there are elements of projects which I find tricky. I think the most recent one I can think of that has challenged me and it took me a year to sew it up because every time I got to a challenging bit, I got annoyed and I put it away or I got frustrated and I put it away. And it was the closet called Jenna shirt. So I haven't made a lot of shirts. So it's that like level of detail with the collar and the tower plackets for the cuffs and things like that, which I've never done before. And each time I came across a step that...

really challenged me rather than persevering and pushing through. I just put it to one side. So it took me a whole year to sew that up. And once I had finished it, I was so happy and so excited. And I wanted to make another one immediately. I haven't yet. I finished it in March and I still haven't started another one, but I did have that really satisfying feeling. And I really love that shirt and I've worn it loads. And it is amazing to look at all of the details of that.

But looking back, I'm sort of thinking, why did I take so long? Why did I not just persevere when I got to a tricky bit? But it depends where your mind is at the time and sort of the situation that you're sewing in. I often took that along to my sewing socials that I've run. And that's not really the place to focus in on something really difficult because you've got lots of distractions going on. So I think that's why it ended up being put to one side or put in the naughty corner quite often.

So you're obviously quite well known in the sewing community for your YouTube channel, Sewing on the Tyne. What inspired you to start that YouTube channel? Was there like a particular gap in content that you were seeing or not seeing at the time?

When I started that, again, I I talked about it when I was at the sewing retreat at Guthrie and Ghani and I kind of was talking about possibly doing it then because at that point there wasn't an awful lot of sewing YouTubers around. I was obsessed with watching sewing YouTubers at the time and the ones that I did watch actually hardly any of them, if any, are actually still going now, which is a real shame because there was some really great ones that I used to love to watch. And I just sort of wanted to get involved and

Speaker 2 (09:42.56)

and have a little bit of that. So yeah, at the time there was hardly anybody doing it and now obviously there's loads of people which is amazing, there's so many different people to watch but at that time there just wasn't really and I just wanted to share this new passion that I had found and sort of share that with other people. So yeah, it wasn't really a gap as such but just more that I wanted to get involved with something that I loved watching and I wanted to do a little bit that as well.

And did you find it quite a steep learning curve or just something that you gradually got to grips with?

My husband Sam, he offered to do all of the tech side of it from the start. So I only really needed to do the filming bit. Yes, it was a learning curve in terms of how to present yourself and how to sort of talk with confidence. And that kind of grew as I went through. mean, it's quite cringy to go back and watch my very first video because I think I've obviously grown into it a lot since then. But in recent months, I have started doing a lot more of the techie side.

just so that I'm a bit more independent and I don't completely have to rely on him. And yeah, it definitely is. The whole editing side of it and all of the technology is quite a big task. And I do speak to people who say, I'd love to start a YouTube channel, but I couldn't really do the techie side. I'm like, unless you've got somebody to do it for you, or you're really keen to learn to do it yourself, then it is a big part of it. The getting in front of a camera and talking is just the smallest part of it, I think.

I'd agree because I dipped my toe in it as well. to be honest, was the editing and that kind of thing that takes so long and people don't often appreciate that do

Speaker 2 (11:22.119)

No. No.

Can you just give us a bit of an insight, if possible, into like the prep and the process that you go through to produce one of your YouTube videos?

Yeah, I mean, so I've got different types of videos and mostly I do videos where I just sit and talk at the camera. Just because that's how the way that my sewing room is not really set up in a really professional way. I don't have a cutting table. I cut out on the floor on my hands and knees. So it's not the most sort of aesthetically pleasing in terms of me doing lots of sew alongs and things like that. So my videos tend to be more...

chatty, so it might be like a Friday Sews style or a sewing catch-up type video. Or then other videos that I do are maybe sharing new pattern releases. So I'm editing one at the moment, which is a new pattern releases video. So I'll go away and do some research where I'll look up new pattern releases. So I'll either look on the fold line, I'll have a little look on Instagram, or I'll sort of think of a few of my favourite designers and go on their websites and see what is new. And then I'll just open up a document on Google Docs.

and I'll start to put information in there. like key points that I want to talk about. Yeah, that's mainly it. And then I get myself ready to film. I do have a tidy up of my sewing room and I do like to sort of make myself look reasonably nice. I'm not confident enough to just go on camera without makeup and things like that. Some people are, which is great. I'm not one of them. So I do need to be sort of prepared in that sense. And then yeah, I'll sit down.

Speaker 2 (12:50.306)

to film the video and I tend to have my laptop with me as well so I can refer to that if I need to. So talk about sizing information or the different views of the pattern and things like that. Or if it's like a sewing catch up or fabric hole, I'll have everything stacked up and ready to share. And if it's one of those types of videos, by the end of it, I've then got a massive pile of stuff over on the other side of me that I need to tidy up afterwards. And then, yeah, I've just got the footage on my phone. I then need to send it all over to my laptop and start the editing process. I'll sit and edit.

out all of the bits where I've repeated myself or I've stumbled on words and things like that. And then I'll go through and put in photos. So I download photos from the internet or things like that and put in all of that information. Yeah. And then the description box is quite a big task as well. So afterwards it's putting in all of the links to everything that you've talked about and making sure that all of that information is there. So yes, it's all quite a big task.

It is really. like I say, think a lot of people that don't do it, don't appreciate all that behind the scenes stuff. How long do you think sort of start to finish for one vlog? How long does that take?

So

Speaker 2 (13:58.196)

So from start to sort of planning it to editing and uploading it, I'm going to say anywhere between four to eight hours, depending on how much is involved in it. So yeah, probably around the four hour mark is most common, but if it's something that's a lot more in depth or has lots of different clips that need to be put together with maybe some bits that need to be sped up with music over and things like that, that could take it into the six hours, seven, eight hours.

but around an average of say four.

Yeah, still very substantial, isn't it?

Yeah, it is definitely and people do realise but there are definitely people out there who kind of think it's just sitting in front of the camera and that's it. Yeah. But there's so much more that goes into it. Yeah, there is.

If you could think of like one piece of advice for somebody starting a new channel, what do think you would say to them?

Speaker 2 (14:51.766)

I mean, I think just go for it. So many people do worry and hold themselves back, I think, but just film something and then it's there and see where you can go from there. Just, I think sometimes getting in front of the camera for the first time is the hardest thing, but realising that actually there's no pressure. That video doesn't have to go anywhere. Just film it.

see how you get on. You could always send it to a couple of people for feedback as well if you wanted to before you upload it. You could always reach out to somebody that you watch on YouTube perhaps and just send them a message on Instagram and say you know I'm really wanting to get started, I filmed a little bit, could you watch this and give me a little bit of feedback if you wouldn't mind. I know a mistake that some people do make when they film for the first time for YouTube is they do it in portrait.

and it needs to be in landscape. And I think that's the most common mistake that I do see. But other than that, I would say just go for it. And it's such a, YouTube sewing community is a really, really wonderful place. Yes, there's the odd negative comment here and there, but you have the option as a YouTube content creator to block that person, delete the comment, or you can respond if you want to. But I've definitely over the years realised that

the positive comments and the sense of community and everything that you get from it far outweighs the odd negative comments that you might get.

Do think you like about the sewing community as a whole?

Speaker 2 (16:17.656)

think it's just having like-minded people in your life. There's always somebody you can reach out to. There's always somebody who you can ask for advice or even if you're just feeling a little bit low one day or there's just so many people in your life now, whether you've met them in person or not, that you can class as friends and it's amazing.

just to have all of these like-minded people and you've just got something in common immediately, even before you start talking about any other aspect of your life. It's just, yeah, it's a wonderfully supportive place to be. It's inspiring. You can always learn from other people, but just having that sense of community and that sense of a shared interest and a shared passion is wonderful. is.

would agree with that. You're also part of the Northern Soul Sisters trio. Yeah. And you produce content for that YouTube channel along with your friends and fellow sewists, Ruan and Rachel. Can you tell us a bit about how that came about and how you decided to start that channel together?

Yeah, so we, a few years back, maybe, I can't remember exactly when it was, maybe three years ago or so, we decided to meet up. So myself and Rachel, myself and Ruan had been talking, you know, over time because we were YouTube content creators, because we were in this own community. We just got talking to each other. You can sense the people that you might have a connection with for whatever reason.

Everyone's lovely, but it doesn't mean that everybody's going to be like your kind of person. And just from conversations that we'd had, we'd kind of realised that we got on well and this is something that we wanted to take into the real world, not just the virtual world. So we ended up arranging to meet up and we planned a day in Leeds where we would get the train to Leeds. We would meet up, we would spend the day there, have some lunch, do some fabric shopping, have some drinks, that sort of thing. And just have a chance to.

Speaker 2 (18:16.046)

meet up in person and that day was one of the best days ever. We talked nonstop from start to finish. We laughed. We didn't want the day to end because it was just amazing. And we just instantly had this really great vibe between us. I can't remember exactly when it then developed into us suggesting that we worked on something together, but all of us had enjoyed watching, I don't know if you remember the pattern pals on YouTube and also Nikki and Rachel.

Why can't I remember their names? They had a joint channel anyway. So they were really big on YouTube at the time as well. yeah, totally gone blank. So we loved watching them and we loved the energy of watching two people or three people who had the same connection, who were friends in real life and then joined together to start a channel, but provide different points of view. Maybe the pattern pals especially provided the sort of different body types and the different styles of clothing that they liked.

when they talked about the patterns they were sewing. I think we just got talking about that really. And then we decided that was something that we could potentially do. And we just decided to start. Took a while to come up with a name, but we got there in the end. And then, yeah, it's just gone from there really. It's not always easy to keep on top of producing content because we try to meet up once a month, but there was a little phase where every time we met up, we felt like we were just...

having to film content and to work as such. And we also wanted to just really enjoy our friendship together as well. So we've tried hard since then to really find a balance between doing some of the worky stuff and then doing a lot of the just friendship stuff and socializing. So some of the videos that we film now, we film them separately in our own homes and then one of us will edit the videos. So when we first started, Rachel did all of the editing for us because of that.

I wasn't doing any editing myself. I didn't know how to do it. And we just kind of came to that agreement. But over time, we sort of said, right, think if we want to keep the regular content going, we need to share the load between us. So now that's what we'll do. So we try and aim for a video every fortnight and we'll just take it in turns to edit those videos. And yeah, it's going really well. People seem to really like what we do. And it's just showing our friendship and our connection, but also hopefully inspiring people and...

Speaker 2 (20:38.294)

showing things from different perspectives and things like that.

Yeah, absolutely. You can tell you've got a lovely friendship from those videos. And like you say, it is nice to have that slightly different format where you see different people of different shapes and sizes and tell their experiences. So I think it's really nice to.

Thank you. I just sort of just popped into my mind, were they called the Stitch Sisters? Yes, I just totally went blank. But yeah, they were so prominent in the sewing community and then and we loved watching them. So we wanted to kind of get a bit of their vibe. Yeah, yeah. And I really miss them actually. So I'd love them to come back. They've sort of gone off the radar, but it would be lovely if they came back.

Yes! Yes! Remember who they are now!

Speaker 1 (21:23.8)

So you've gone through quite a career journey over the last few years, haven't you? Were you a primary school teacher?

I was, yeah, I was a primary school teacher for a long time. So I started that when, well, I started out as a teaching assistant when I was 19. I had applied to law at university and then decided at the last minute that it's not what I wanted to do. And I'm quite glad I decided at that point. I feel like 18 or 17 or 18 is a really young age to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life, really.

I had got places to do law at some really good universities and then just decided that it wasn't the route I wanted to go down. So I took some time out, didn't really know what I wanted to do. And at the time, my mum was a head teacher of a primary school and they needed somebody to go in and just help them out for a little while because they were short staffed, they were a member of staff down. So she asked me if I wanted to, because I was on a sort of a gap year at the time.

So I did that and it just progressed from there. So I then studied at college in the evenings or in the, sort of part-time while I was still working to get a teaching assistant qualification. And then I became a higher level teaching assistant. And then I decided from there that actually being a teacher was what I really wanted to do. I studied for a degree with the Open University. So I did that in my own time so that I could.

become a fully qualified teacher. So I did a degree and then I did, it was the graduate teacher program at the time, which was a year long course to then become a fully qualified teacher. And I was a teacher for a long time. I was a senior leader. I managed different subjects at maths and PE and I was, you know, I really, loved my job for a long time, but then things changed and now we're here.

Speaker 1 (23:15.246)

Do think having your son was one of those changes or do you think it was just a natural progression in your own life?

It's definitely the, I would say the thing that firmed up my decision that I needed to make a change. Prior to that, about a year before we had our son, I'd gone through some stress at work. I was working really long hours to try and keep up with the expectations. And I was working a lot at home in the mornings, in the evenings, you know, before and after being at school. And it just took its toll and I had to take some time off. I got quite ill in that time.

and sort of realised that it wasn't sustainable. I couldn't carry on working at that pace and it was just having a really negative impact on my mental health really. And then we had our son and we had our son in 2020. So obviously there was the pandemic as well. So I ended up having quite a long period off work because I was pregnant when Boris said that people had to work from home and things like that. So I had a couple of months off.

or at home before I then went on maternity leave and I had a full year off from maternity leave as well. So it was in that time that I just decided that it wasn't going to work, of having my own family whilst working those long hours just wasn't going to be conducive really. I made the decision along with my husband that I would leave teaching. I had to go back for a few weeks because just to do with the maternity pay, you have to go back for a few weeks so that you don't have to pay that back.

And yeah, was sort of in that time that we decided that I would try and focus on the sewing side of things. I had developed links with my local fabric shop and in conversations with them sort of decided or they suggested that there would be a job there for me if I would like one. And it went from there really. started and left teaching and I started working at First for Fabrics. And yeah, that was three years ago, three, four, four years ago now.

Speaker 1 (25:14.51)

Amazing. And you've recently took the jump from First of Fabrics, haven't you, into, should we call it full-time content creation? Is that what we're

Yeah, it's difficult to sort of, yeah, I don't really know how to describe it really, but it got to the point where I was having to turn down opportunities for working with brands because brands will approach me to work with them, whether it's a sponsored video on YouTube or whatever. And I was sort of having to turn.

things down because I didn't have time to do them because I was working three days at first for fabrics but then I also run sewing socials which takes up quite a lot of time in terms of admin and things like that and the actual events themselves and then running a household having a young child. I then I just didn't have the time to focus on the YouTube side of things which I really wanted to do so again I sort of started out the year thinking at some point this year by the end of the year I would like to go fully self-employed.

So as much as I loved working at First for Fabrics, I kind of reached the point where I was ready to focus on me and work for myself. And my aim was to do that by the end of the year. But again, a conversation with my husband, he just said, just do it now, just take the leap. We can, you know, we can make it work. And that's what I decided to do. So think I left in March. I still have a very good relationship with them. I go back in shop very often, but I've, I've enjoyed focusing on my own side of things and you know, the work that I put in.

now is all to further my own business rather than somebody else's, is great. Thank you.

Speaker 1 (26:47.702)

Well done and congratulations. So you touched on it briefly there, but you also run a sewing social, don't you, called SewTune, which people travel for miles to come to that social.

Yeah, it's great. So I actually started running a sewing social back in 2019. So it was at first for fabrics at the point, I didn't work there at the time, but like I said, I had a relationship with them and I used to run a sewing social in their sort of work room. It's where their curtains are made. They have a curtain making side of their business. So I used to run it in there. It was quite a small room. I could have no more than about six people in there, but I had a really lovely group of

all ladies who used to come to that. then pandemic hit, so I couldn't do those anymore because you you couldn't run that sort of thing. And then it was only, it was about three years ago-ish that I decided to start running them again. So I looked for a venue where I could hold them and Julie, who runs First of Fabrics, she suggested this community centre, which is quite local to First of Fabrics. And I went down and I had a little look and I loved it straight away. I had a really great

car park, it was all on one level, had a really great sized room which had plugs all the way around the outside. And I got on really well straight away with the lady that runs that centre. So yeah, started running those, like I said, it about three, maybe a little bit more years ago. And they've gone from strength to strength really. So I run one every month on a Sunday and that tends to be fully booked mostly. Then I run a fortnightly one on a Wednesday afternoon.

That's from one till four on a Wednesday afternoon. That tends to be more retired people who can come along to that or people who work part time, that sort of thing. And then I also run one on a Thursday evening once a month from six till nine. And that's a really lovely session as well. People come straight from work and just, it gives them a little bit of chill time. Often people are coming in quite stressed from their job and they always leave feeling much more relaxed. It's just a really lovely, lovely way to spend your evenings. So yes, so too in his...

Speaker 2 (28:57.464)

Going really well and I'm really lucky that I do have people traveling from all over to come to that. So Emma, who is Sew do it Emma, she comes down quite often from Scotland to attend. Ruan and Rachel come up every three months, they tend to attend one. But I've had people like Adam from Adam Sews, he's been to one. So yeah, people do travel and I feel really lucky that, you know, they spend the time and the money to travel from far away to come and attend one of them. It's great.

You've obviously created a very welcoming and exciting community that people want to be part of. Have you got any sort of exciting plans coming up that you can tell us about or it could be a project that you're making?

Yes, thank you.

Speaker 2 (29:44.814)

don't really think I do. Other than, I'm sort of at the minute, I'm giving myself a little bit of downtime and just taking things a little bit easy at the moment. Obviously we've got the school holidays coming up where I'm not going to be able to work lots and lots because I will be looking after my son. But then from September onwards, I'm really going to try and, you know, knuckle down a little bit. I'm going to approach some brands to work with them because at the minute, sort of I wait for brands to approach me and then, you know, do that sort of thing.

But I am going to try and just really make things a little bit more official and try and get a few more things going on. yeah, you might see a little bit more of me come September where I kind of focus in a little bit more and do some really hard work. But in terms of projects, other than, you know, I've got a couple of things going on with the Northern Soul Sisters. We've got something that we're hoping to plan at the moment. I can't really give anything away, but we're starting to explore some things that we're planning. Maybe a couple of events that we'd like to.

post, which would, yeah, I can't really say anything more at the moment. That's in very early stages. We've got, we're going to Scottish Rock Tales in September, which we've been to every year. And so yeah, we've got that coming up. The three of us are going there again. So I need to start thinking about what I'm going to make for that. But yeah, other than that, nothing specific that I've got going on. No.

That's quite a lot in the background. So to sort of tie up the interview, I like to play a little game of this or that if that's okay with you. Yeah. So we'll dive in. Prints or solids?

Yeah.

Speaker 2 (31:20.338)

prints, I'm going to say. I am starting to dabble a little bit more in solids. I've made some solid coloured trousers recently, like black trousers, a black skirt, which are incredibly wearable. It's making me realise that solids are maybe something I need to focus on a bit more, but I'd say overall I'm a prints girl.

an organised stash or creative chaos.

I try to be organised as much as possible, but somebody else might say that it's a little bit chaotic. I've got things sort of everywhere. And if you were to open that cupboard at the back there, you'll definitely see some chaos. But I tend, I try to be organised. And if I'm going to sew, I like to have everything tidy and in its place before I get started. But there's definitely a couple of areas where the chaos is contained, I would say.

Yeah, absolutely. Tea or coffee?

Tea, but only herbal tea. I don't drink normal tea. Like breakfast tea, I don't drink coffee at all. Peppermint tea is my drink of choice. I love a green tea, jasmine green tea is lovely. But yeah, anything herbal-y.

Speaker 1 (32:25.39)

Very nice. Yeah. Spring, summer or autumn, winter?

that's a new one. I haven't heard that question on other people's podcasts. I tried to prepare myself by listening to others. I'm going to say spring, summer. terms, yeah, the sunshine just makes me happy and the thought of sewing things for summer is a bit more exciting. But I love the coziness of autumn and winter. That's a really hard one. Yeah, definitely.

bit of both then. Meal out or a takeaway?

Meal out, just mainly, I like the coziness of a takeaway, but I never think a takeaway is that great. Maybe we just don't have that many good takeaways around here. Now and again, I do love a Papa John's pizza if I'm being really naughty, but yeah, a meal out, quite a swanky meal out. I do like sort of a high-end restaurant every now and again.

Nice, very nice. Sewing for yourself.

Speaker 2 (33:23.414)

others. Mostly myself, the only other person I sew for is my son and I do really like sewing for him but I would say myself.

garment sewing or bag sewing? Because I know you've done, well, you're doing a bit of both at the moment.

Yeah, I do love bag sewing to be honest, but I think if I had to choose one, I would go with garments just because there's so much more, so many different options. Yes, there's lots of different bag styles and patterns, but if I had to just choose one, would go with garments. Overall, I would say stretch. I've been known more for being a stretch kind of sewer. I think it's the satisfying, can whip it up quite quickly on an overlocker kind of thing. And I do love the comfort.

or stress.

Speaker 2 (34:05.742)

But I think the options for nice prints and nice textures and things like that, I you've got more going on with woven. So I think I'm definitely moving into more of being a woven sewer. Overall, let's say stretch. Rotary cutter, a hundred percent. And the smaller sized one, the 28 millimeter one is the one that I always use unless it's really, really thick fabric. Then yeah, I always use the 28 mil because you can get in and out of.

scissors or a rotary cutter.

Speaker 2 (34:34.27)

the nooks and crannies a bit easier.

The last one, one project on the go or multiple.

Definitely multiple. I just can't help myself. And I do have two full draws of works in progress and cutout projects that I sort of snatched away over there. I'm trying to be better. I am trying to finish a project before I move on to the next one, but it's just really hard. Something crops up. Like I'd be trying to make something for an event. I don't get it made in time. So then it just gets put into a whip bag and I start something else. So.

Yeah, definitely multiple projects.

So finally, where can people find you, Tamlyn?

Speaker 2 (35:13.986)

So I am sewn on the tyne on Instagram and YouTube. I've also got my SewToon Instagram where you can find out more about my sewing socials and things like that. And also I'm part of the Northern Sewl Sisters and we have an Instagram and a YouTube channel under that name as well. I think that's everywhere.

You've been amazing. Thank you so much for joining me on the Sewing Social Podcast today.

Thank you, it's been lovely. Thank you for inviting me. Thank you, bye.

Take care. Bye.

That's it for today's episode of the Sewing Social Pod. Thanks so much for listening. If you're enjoying the show and want to support what we're doing, you can now leave us a tip over on Ko-fi. It's like buying us a virtual coffee or a spool of thread, and it helps us keep bringing you inspiring stories from the sewing community. You'll find the link in the show notes or at ko-fi.com forward slash the Sewing Social Pod. Until next time.

Speaker 2 (35:47.576)

cast.

Speaker 1 (36:14.414)

Happy sewing!