Sewing for Confidence and Community with Melanie Keane

This week, host Gemma Daly chats with the inspiring and down-to-earth Melanie Keane, a passionate sewist whose journey started with patchwork and led to something truly powerful.

Mel opens up about how sewing became more than just a hobby—it became a way to build confidence, create community, and support vulnerable women through her incredible Lighthouse sewing project. 🌟

They also dive into the buzz around the Sew-Fizz-Teacated event (yes, there will be bubbles involved 🍾) and explore the joy that comes from making something with your own two hands.

It’s a heartwarming, motivating, and feel-good conversation that’ll leave you reaching for your fabric stash—and maybe even dreaming up a sewing project of your own. 💬🪡

Tune in, get inspired, and sew along with us!

Key Takeaways: 

• Sewing can boost personal confidence and creativity.
• Community projects can have a profound impact on individuals.
• Sewing offers a sense of purpose and accomplishment.
• Mel started sewing with patchwork during health challenges.
• The Sew-Fizz-Teacated event raises funds for community projects.
• Sewing projects can help vulnerable women connect and learn.
• Mel's sewing journey began with a basic machine from Hobbycraft.
• Sewing has allowed Mel to embrace bold patterns and colours.
• The Lighthouse project supports vulnerable women through sewing.

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Guest details: 

Instagram: @melaniekeane

                  : @surreysews

Challenge/afternoon tea event: #Sewfizzteacated25

The Lighthouse Community Project: https://www.the-lighthouse.info/

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction and Background

00:10 The Journey into Sewing

06:52 Community Projects and Impact

13:01 The Therapeutic Nature of Sewing

13:44 Community Engagement Through Fundraising Events

15:11 The Sewfizzteacated Challenge: A Unique Fundraising Initiative

16:14 Encouraging Creativity and Community Projects

18:02 The Lighthouse: A Hub for Transformation

19:17 Upcoming Events and Future Plans

20:01 Fun and Games: This or That with Mel

24:45 Connecting with Mel: Where to Find Her

25:37 Outro 

Transcript

Speaker 2 (00:10.316)

Mel, welcome to the Sewing Social podcast. I'm so happy to have you here today. Would you mind introducing yourself to the listeners?

Hi Gemma and thank you for inviting me onto the podcast. It's all very exciting. So my name is Mel and I live in Woking Surrey and I've been sewing for about five years now. I run a sewing project for vulnerable women and I set up Surrey Sews with Yvette from Stash Hub and I also run Sew-fizzteacated.

Perfect, and we're going to touch on all of those really interesting things throughout the interview. But firstly, I want to know what made you fall in love with sewing and how has that evolved over those five years?

Well, I first started sewing with patchwork actually. I was having a few health issues and a friend suggested that I try sewing. That was one of her passions. So I bought myself a basic machine from Hobbycraft and started with patchwork. So I made my first item, which I've still got downstairs. use as a picnic rug with some very off-centered squares. So I enjoyed patchwork for a couple of years until lockdown when...

Boris Johnson asked us all to start making scrubs. So I thought, well, I can sew things together, but I'd never made any garments. So my friend taught me over Zoom how to put these two bits of fabric together to make a pair of trousers. And then she taught me how to make these scrub tops. And I got the bug then because we'd started making scrubs at home. My family got involved and I did eventually

Speaker 1 (01:53.774)

start up a scrub hub so people would come to me for fabric and the scrubs cut out and then they would bring them back once they'd sewn them up. And we did that for, I know, as long as it lasted, over a year.

Amazing. And how did you then get into sewing your own clothes? Did it just naturally evolve from there?

Well, my sister was having an operation and I wanted to cheer her up and I had some of this colourful fabric left. So I thought, well, I can make her some pyjamas because they're very similar to scrubs. And she was delighted with them. So that motivated me to start sewing. And I started with the Tilly and the Buttons book, which I think a lot of people start with. And in fact, I made the Cleo Pinafore dress. That was one of my first garments. I was quite pleased with that actually.

And I worked my way through the whole of that book. And then I just started with some more of her patterns and just tried new things.

Amazing. Well, that's what it's all about, isn't it? And when you scroll through your Instagram feed mail, it's quite obvious that you like sort of bright and bold patterns and fabrics, which is great. Have you always been drawn to those bold colours or expressive clothing?

Speaker 1 (03:09.102)

No, not at all. Up until I started sewing, I was very much a very plain, safe dresser. I wasn't bold at all and I wasn't bright. But I think that's one of the things that sewing has given me, the confidence to wear bright things. You've had to look a bit dull today. Yeah, but now I love big sleeves. I love wide trousers. And I was never comfortable going into changing rooms and things like that. You've got bright lights and things don't fit you. It says size.

but it doesn't fit, or it might say size 8 and it does fit. So sewing has really released me to wear what I like, when I like and clothes that fit me rather than struggling to fit into the clothes sizes that they have in the shop.

Do you think the way that we dress can affect how we feel or sort of move through the world?

Well, I find that it does. If I wear something that I feel good in, then it just gives you a certain confidence and it's a starting point in the conversation sometimes. I remember when I was working years ago, my boss said to me, always wear something new when you're giving a presentation. Yeah, so I think it does certainly.

Perfect. So do you have any particular favourite patterns or fabrics that you like to work with?

Speaker 1 (04:23.918)

Well, I am going for anything actually. I started off with safe cottons and wovens and then I moved into jersey fabrics, sweatshirts and things like that. But I would say my favourite is denim. I love denim and I love a bright, colourful denim. But I also like my Liberty Turner lawn. I always like to put a little bit of Liberty into most projects that I'm working on. It could be a lining.

in a jacket or pocket linings or even just a little tag at the back. Sneakers. Yeah. And I suppose I'm more of a blouse and trouser person, but over the last year I've embraced dresses as well. And I never used to wear dresses because I never used to know how to accessorise them, what shoes to wear, things like that. But the SewOver50 community, they grabbed my attention when I saw a headline which said,

you can it in where you can.

Speaker 1 (05:18.314)

wear what you like and wear trainers with anything and that set me off on another style avenue.

Yeah, definitely. And I can see on your little picture board behind you, is that a picture of you and Tony from the beach? Yeah.

Fabric Godmother have been a really generous sponsor of our of my projects and yeah so that's me and Tony and this is the fabric that I wore to the Stitch Festival and I was kindly invited to do the fabric Godmother catwalk and then I bumped into Tony there and he's wearing the same fabric.

So for the listeners who can't see this, it's the Fabric Godmother banana print on the blue background, isn't it?

Yeah, it's called the Plutano and they still sell it now. It's such a beautiful, soft fabric to sew with. And I just really enjoyed that dress and I had the best day wearing it. In fact, I wore it for two days and they sold out of it. I'm sure Tony had a lot to do with it as well.

Speaker 2 (06:16.197)

you must have been a good model.

Speaker 2 (06:20.93)

Was that the Aspen dress?

It was the Aspen dress. Yeah. Yeah. So I made the long sleeve, long version so I can wear it in the winter as well. Lovely. Yeah. It was a happy day. It was fun. It was really good fun. And Susie, she was on the, Suzie Sankey, she was on the sewing bee. She was in the fabric godmother team as well and wearing bananas, but in a different colour way. It was really good fun. And I would never have done that had I not been doing all the sewing projects that I've done so far.

Yes.

Speaker 2 (06:43.0)

Sounds like a fun time.

Speaker 1 (06:52.214)

Yeah. It's given me really good opportunities.

It sounds like it's really brought you out of yourself as well.

It has. I am quite shy actually, but having a role and a purpose and you know something, the motivation has really helped me to be more like I feel that I am destined to be or that I should be.

So tell us about the lighthouse and the amazing project that you run down there.

Well, I'm involved in a couple of projects at the lighthouse. My husband and I run the community lunch at the Woking branch and then I run the sewing project at a smaller branch in Barnsbury. And we first came to the lighthouse three and a half years ago when Steve and I were looking for a volunteering opportunity and my daughter in law, Nina, she knew about the lighthouse and she suggested we go along there.

Speaker 1 (07:41.676)

And they were looking for someone to run the lunch. So this was on a Tuesday and they said, can you start tomorrow? So we did. My husband's a chef. So this is something that he can do quite easily. And I think the first day we served 40 meals and three years later we're serving 65 meals in-house and then probably 20 takeaways so that people have got something to eat the next day as well. So that's something we've been doing for a while now and we enjoy it because we can do together.

and that takes up a couple of days of our week. And as a springboard from there, we were helping at some kids clubs in the summer at Refugee Centre and they asked me if I knew anyone who could sew to run a sewing group. And I said, well, I can a little bit. And then three weeks later, I went back with a couple of machines and fabric and that started the first project, which was a sewing project in the Refugee Centre for women who were just desperate to sew, to make things.

for their children, to make things to brighten up their accommodation, and just to get back to things which they were used to doing in their own countries.

Has that sewing group developed from that first one? Where has it gone?

Yeah, so I was there on my own for the first while and then I realised I just couldn't do this and they literally had nothing there and most of them were prolific sewers. Not many could speak much English. So I put a shout out on Instagram. The fold line were very good. Janome were very good. Stash Hub came forward and Yvette put out a shout out for volunteers for me and for Fabrics. So I suppose within about six months I had three helpers.

Speaker 1 (09:23.538)

and a huge amount of fabric coming in because we were giving out 20 meters of fabric each week and all sorts of different fabrics and people were being very, very generous. And I would wash and iron all the fabrics so that the women got the same experience as we get when we go into a fabric store or choose something. So that lasted for about 15, 16 months and then overnight, well, within a week, it suddenly closed.

The refugees were all moved on to different places all over the country. It was to do with the government processing figures and things like that. And so I thought, well, what will I do now? So I asked the lighthouse if they'd like a sewing group and they said they would. So I closed down the refugee centre and then two weeks later I started up at the night house. So it's quite different. Everyone speaks English. We have a couple of people who can sew, the others are new sewers.

So I'm teaching and I have a brilliant group helping me. So I've got Eleanor and Cathy and we go along there each week. And it's quite a small group and it's for vulnerable women. So women who live in the refuge or have social anxiety or just need to get out of the house. We had one lady who came along who's got three children with special needs and it was the only time that she had to herself. Yeah, so it's great. We're teaching. The women are really excited to see.

that they can make things and they can do repairs. Each week's different and I really look forward to it. It's great.

It sounds like you've built something really meaningful there Mel and it sounds like great work. What do you think sewing offers these women beyond that sort technical skill?

Speaker 1 (11:05.966)

Well, it helped the women get to know each other and have something that they feel proud of. We had one lady, she said, oh, I'm so excited. Oh, I feel like hugging someone. I said, well, you can help me. No, she'd just made the first pair of basically pyjama, jersey trousers, which could have been pyjama trousers or whatever. She'd made them as pyjamas and a jersey t-shirt. And then another lady made the dress. Oh, I never thought I'd be able to do this. Look, I can show my daughter.

helped people unleash their creativity, enjoy a new hobby and just do practical things as well. I'm laughing because we had one lady who bought some trousers into him and I showed her how to do it. And then she went off and did the other pair, but she forgot to just cut through one layer. So when she cut off the extra bit that needed altering, she'd cut at the fold line, not the cut line. Anyway, she was quite happy with the cropped trousers. yeah, we've been able to just help people to feel a bit better about themselves.

Really?

That's really lovely. How do you approach sort of creating that safe and empowering space in your workshops or your classes?

We're lucky at the Lighthouse in Barnsbury to have a nice environment. We have been able to raise money to buy some good machines. suppose Kathy and Eleanor, they're just brilliant with the winning. You can't just turn up and come along and just join us. We vet who comes in.

Speaker 2 (12:32.814)

suppose you make a warm and welcoming space as well, don't you, for them so that they feel comfortable.

We do. The Lighthouse offers plenty of counselling groups and one-to-one assistance and things like that. So this group is very much a practical group. We've often had people come in, oh I've not had a good week or maybe tearful because it's the first time someone smiled at them and I will have a brief chat with them and then say, right, what are we working on? Because if they're anything like me, I cannot think about anything else whilst I'm sewing.

It's just being accurate and focusing on the project. And so by giving them something practical to do, they've got something to take home that they've made, that they can feel proud of, and then they can pick up any issues that they've got at the door and maybe get some help with that through another section of the lighthouse.

a little bit of escapism almost.

Definitely. And I think I find that when I'm sewing as well. Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (13:31.928)

So you run a fundraising event, am I right? Is that the sophisticated part of this? Because there's a Sew Fizz challenge. Can you tell us about both of those things and how they came about?

Well, the first thing that happened was I'm very much into community and sharing resources, getting to know local people and things like that. Yvette and I decided that we'd like to get people from Surrey together. So we set up a group called Surrey Sews. So you'll find us on Instagram under that name. And from there, we started to talk about fundraising for the sewing project for the lighthouse. And then I'd seen so many of these wonderful events, Flock Tales.

popping up all over the country, Scottish Frocktails and the ones in Australia. And I really liked the idea of that, but I am not a nighttime person. I'm an early bird and I didn't want to feel under pressure to go to one of these events, spend a lot of money on a ticket and make some fabulous outfits. So I wanted to create that kind of event for sewers that was affordable and that was fun and community-based.

And then I thought, we could raise money for the lighthouse as well. So I talked the idea over with a couple of people and they thought it would work. So that's how the idea came about. So it's an afternoon tea at the lighthouse in Woking. And we have a cat walk. It's called sophisticated because it's for sewers. And we have Prosecco. And then we have afternoon tea, which is catered for. Yeah. So our tickets are 35 pounds and people wear something that they would wear to an afternoon tea. So that's our challenge as well.

And then £10 of each ticket goes towards the Lighthouse Sewing Project. So last year we raised £1,200 and we could buy a new overlocker, we bought some machines and we've got lots of haberdashery bits that we can use. We sold 85 tickets last year, we capped it at that. And this year, within about a week of releasing our tickets, we'd sold most of them. Yeah, so we've got 120 people coming and that is on the 18th of October. And again,

Speaker 1 (15:37.486)

It's to raise money for the lighthouse. We've the tickets the same price as last year, which is great. I don't know if I said that we sold out, but you can go on a wait list if there's any last minute cancellations. And I know that this episode is going to go out on the 15th of October, but you can join in with our challenge. So we have a challenge running alongside our in-person event. And really we want to open up the idea of a community-based tea, setting up your own.

community project. We just want people to start to think about those kinds of things. So we just thought we'd have a challenge running alongside it. And that is to make something that you would take to an afternoon tea. So you could make a hat or you could make a dress. Most people make dresses. We had one lady who made a carrier for her scones. Wow. Yeah. Picnic rugs, bags, that kind of thing. And then something that you would take to an afternoon tea or wear to an afternoon tea can be some fancy

dress if you'd like it to be or can be dungarees, trousers, anything like that. it's to make something new or to show something that you haven't released on Instagram before. And the reveal date for that is on the 19th of October on Instagram and you just need to tag various people, but you'll find all the information for that on the Sariso's website or by following me.

I will link it in the show notes as well.

So the challenge is hashtag Sewfizzteacated25 and if you go onto Surrey Sews see all the information about the afternoon tea. And we have some wonderful prizes. In fact I haven't really talked about how generous companies have been. It's been absolutely overwhelming. So we have lots of raffle prizes. There many for the in-person event and then we have lots of prizes for the challenge as well. Patterns and goody boxes and all sorts of wonderful things.

Speaker 1 (17:31.5)

vouchers, lots of lovely vouchers. So yes, I can't thank our sponsors enough really. It's been great.

Sounds like everybody needs to get involved.

Yes, I've started to spend some of the money from the tickets already, but another thing we need is another overlocker because even with a small group, time's quite limited and people really want to get on. So that's one of the things we're going to buy with our money that we raised this year. And part of it as well is that I would really like to encourage other people to start volunteering in their area. I mean, we found the lighthouse and it's such an amazing place. We have all sorts of different projects going on there.

and one of our helpers, Eleanor, she's involved there as well. We have a style studio there. Which is like a upmarket secondhand shop actually. It's a place where people can go for to get outfits for special occasions or even just to cheer themselves up. We have a prom event and Eleanor has been brilliant at doing all the alterations for them. Yeah, we've got a food bank there, we have a baby bank, we have lots of therapy groups. It's really quite rewarding to see.

saying.

Speaker 1 (18:38.158)

people's lives transformed by just coming to the lighthouse.

Absolutely. It sounds very meaningful and like you're doing amazing work just being part of

Well, you know, Gemma, I get as much out of it as I put in, I think. It really helps me appreciate my family, my home. But we all feel good when we help people, don't we? And just to share a passion and a hobby, or just to see that hobby turn into something that can help other people, it really is rewarding and gives me a sense of purpose.

So what's next on your sewing table, Mel? Have you got any exciting plans coming up?

Well, we've got the Knitting and Stitch Festival coming up at Alexandra Palace and I'm going to be helping one of our sponsors Fabric Godmother, just doing some cover there and I'm hoping to make something very exciting to wear. Yeah. In one of their new fabrics coming out. We've got that. Well, we've got Sophisticated coming up on the 19th of October. My husband and I have just agreed to do the Christmas lunch again at the lighthouse. So that's exciting. And I've just been asked to be...

Speaker 1 (19:46.65)

ambassador for Beyond the Pink Door. That is really exciting because Andrea runs a wonderful company, beautiful fabrics, lovely patterns, so that's going to be exciting as well. So I've got lots to look forward to.

Very exciting, yeah?

Speaker 2 (20:00.486)

You have indeed. So just to tie up the interview, Mel, I like to do a little game of this or that. Is that okay with you? Perfect. So prints or solids?

Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 1 (20:13.554)

I am Prince now, mainly Prince, although I do like to have some basic trousers to go with all the lovely Prince.

So mostly prints, but a little bit of solids. Knits or woven?

Well, I go through stages, woven winds actually.

Autumn, winter or spring, summer.

bring summer because I really love floaty dresses. love light things like this, but I'm a cold-blooded person. So summer definitely.

Speaker 2 (20:41.134)

Yeah, sewing for yourself or others.

So mainly for myself, but then I suppose I make lots of samples for the group so that I can see different fabrics made up with different things. Yeah, I like to do alterations and upcycling. I find that quite rewarding because the garment that someone might give me, they can't wear it as it is. So whatever I do is going to be an improvement. Yeah. I find that quite fun. And when my boys ask me to make something, it makes me feel quite good. Yeah.

Definitely.

Speaker 2 (21:09.454)

So, a bit of both. Do you like tea or coffee?

Definitely tea. I'm definitely into my tea. In fact I generally take tea bags with me wherever I go.

Is it a specific type of tea?

Yes, my preference is an English breakfast, Marks and Spencers gold tea. So if anyone ever gets stuck without a tea, I've always got a flask and a tea bag.

Are a sweet or a savoury person?

Speaker 1 (21:34.658)

Definitely, definitely sweet. Love my chocolate.

So afternoon tea really suits you then, because you get a lot of cakes on an afternoon tea, don't you?

Yes, you do. And I also bake the cakes for our sewing afternoons as well. Ginger cake, lemon cake, grapefruit and pistachio. And my husband makes the scones and chocolate brownie.

Very good. What's your speciality?

Speaker 2 (22:01.112)

That sounds very nice.

Yes, I told you he was a chef and I'm really pleased that the only thing I can do better than him is lemon cake and ginger cake. Definitely rotary cutter.

scissors or a rotary cutter.

Organised stash or creative chaos.

Well, I start off with an organised stash and I've got it all itemised on Stash Hub, which has been great for the project as well, because the women can then look through the fabrics that we've got on Stash Hub. And then can bring them in the following week. So I would say I'm fairly organised, but then as I work through a project, there's stuff everywhere. And then at the end of the project, then I tidy up and reorganise everything. Very good.

Speaker 2 (22:42.382)

Good, very disciplined. A tried and tested pattern or something new? What are your favourite tried and tested sen?

Absolutely both,

Well, I love the peony by Fabric Girl Mother and the aspen I've made a couple. Well, the hug hoodie that's no longer available, but that was my jersey one. And I love the oxbow pants by So Has Seven and the wide leg pants from Peppermint magazine. Yeah. And then if anyone shows me a new pattern with big sleeves, I just try it now. I just try it. And sometimes I'll make something. I think that was the Trixie blouse, Atelier Jupe, something I was doing for

Beyond the pink door. And as I was making it, I was thinking, gosh, this is going to look awful on me. And then suddenly I put the tie wrap on and sewed the gathers for the sleeve on the outside and it looked amazing. So yeah, I'm always happy to try something new.

So the moral is try it because you don't know if it's going to be your new favourite or not.

Speaker 1 (23:40.0)

I made a dress at the weekend actually. was a Nina Lee Holland park dress. yeah. It's a fabric, godmother fabric and I thought it's far too young for me. It's a pedant style but anyway I went for it and since I put the elastic in around the neck it all came together. Yeah. I love it.

I saw it on your Instagram and it did look lovely. So yeah, good job.

And I wore it at the weekend with a Pilar jacket. That's another one of my favourite patterns, the Pilar jacket and the Ilford. I think I'm veering towards the tried and tested.

roundabout way, we've got to the tried and tested. Yeah. And the last one, are you an all-in-one garment person or a separates? Could you have mentioned tops and trousers?

I would say to be safe, tops and trousers. But when I wear a dress, I just feel quite joyful really. And so I'm trying something new and different. I'm very hard to work out, aren't I? Because...

Speaker 2 (24:35.182)

Well, I'm thinking maybe your tops and trousers are your everyday and your dresses are that special something. Yes. Yeah. So where can people find you, Mel?

You'll always find me at the lighthouse in Woking, but online on Instagram I'm Melanie Keene on Instagram and in my account I post my personal sewing things and I also post about the community lunch each week and when I can I post pictures from the sewing group but I need to be quite careful with that because of anonymity. So I'm on Instagram and Facebook and now I'm beyond the pink door.

Yeah and people can find you at Surry Sews as well can't they? Perfect. Well thank you so much for joining me on the Sewing Social today, it's been great to chat to you.

Sorry, so, yeah.

Speaker 1 (25:24.408)

Well, thanks Gemma. And you know, it's really started my day off well because I've been talking about all the things that I really enjoy.

Amazing. Well, I'm glad that you've been a part of this. So thank you for joining me. Take care. Bye. That's it for today's episode of the Sewing Social podcast. 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 kofi.com forward slash the Sewing Social Pod. Until next time, happy sewing!