Sew-organised-style

Maddie Ballard (she/her) is a writer of mixed Chinese heritage from Aotearoa New Zealand. Her debut essay collection was published as Bound: A Memoir of Making and Remaking (The Emma Press, 2024) in the UK and Patchwork: A Sewist’s Diary (Tin House, 2025) in the US. She co-edits Starling, a literary journal for emerging New Zealand writers, and writes a sporadic Substack. She currently lives in Melbourne.

In Patchwork, a charming and evocative sewist's diary, Maddie Ballard explores the making (and sometimes remaking) of seventeen specific garments over a period of great change in her life—from a jacket lined with the embroidered Cantonese names of her female ancestors, to a dressing gown made as a gift for a dear friend, to an eco-friendly, zero-waste dress.

As the wardrobe grows, so too does Maddie. From her first off-kilter dresses and coats to perfectly fitting pants, readers follow along as she learns to navigate the world around her and how she sees herself in it—both as she is and as she hopes to be. Stitch by stitch, word by word, Maddie drafts her own patterns for ways of living. Throughout the diary, delightful illustrations bring Maddie’s creations to life on the page.

With a focus on the practical comfort and pleasure provided by sewing in a time of personal renewal, Patchwork: A Sewist’s Diary is a warmhearted celebration of the value of craft in the modern age.

This episode of Sew Organised Style podcast for SewOver50 was both video and audio produced by Maria Theoharous in her sewing room.

With permission of Maddie.

Sound by Kaneef on Youtube

Many thanks for the ongoing monthly support of the podcast’s Patreon contributors. Their paid Patreon membership enables me to create these video and audio podcasts for free.

You can find Sew Organised Style podcast, spelt with an s not a z, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts

And yes. If you live in Australia and decide to purchase your own Mimiquin custpm dressform, I’ll be your body scanner for Mimiquins UK.

Tag your makes using @sharesewover50 to be able to find your makes in chronological order on Instagram.

I look forward to joining you in your sewing room next time.

Stay safe everyone.

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This is not a medical episode — it’s an episode born from care. When Sheila’s daughter was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, sewing became one of the ways she could offer comfort and dignity during treatment.

In this episode, Sheila of SheilaLovesFabric on Instagram, talks about what she discovered: the garments that helped, the adjustments that mattered, the fabrics she used, and the things she would have loved to have known about earlier.

Sheila’s hope is that these insights will support others who are sewing for someone navigating cancer treatment, or that you might share this episode with someone who needs it.

Cancer data in Australia, Overview of cancer in Australia, 2025 - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Sewing suggestions to encourage gentle exercise include:

Wide brim hats

Oversize shirts

A totebag

A silk pillowcase

A cape or poncho

Wide brim hat or tubin

Loose tank shirt

Loose cardigan

Sweatshirt in double gauze fabric

Soft breathable natural fibres

This episode of Sew Organised Style podcast for SewOver50 was both video and audio produced by Maria Theoharous in her sewing room.

With permission of Sheila.

Sound by Kaneef on Youtube

Many thanks for the ongoing monthly support of the podcast’s Patreon contributors. Their paid Patreon membership enables me to create these video and audio podcasts for free.

You can subscribe to Sew Organised Style podcast, spelt with an s not a z, on all good podcast apps and on YouTube.

And yes. If you live in Australia and decide to purchase your own Mimiquin, I’ll be your body scanner for Mimiquins UK.

Make sure you go back and listen to our free Sewover50 episodes on Sew Organised Style podcast.

Tag your makes using @sharesewover50 to be able to find your makes in chronological order on Instagram

I look forward to joining you in your sewing room next time. Stay safe everyone.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ruth Collins is back on the podcast and she's so insightful.

Ruth Collins is a researcher and creative thinker. As a biological scientist Ruth is interested in the challenges and transition between two-dimensional materials and three-dimensional structures.

Today Ruth discusses the work that’s gone into her new book, Body-Neutral Fitting: Pants.

The similarities between biological structures and clothing design inspired a revolutionary body and gender-inclusive method for fitting pants, that you’ll learn about in this podcast and in Ruth’s book.

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Maria catches up with Gabby Brown, now an author. Gabby Brown wrote the technical articles for Sewcialists from 2020 and Gabby recorded 10 podcasts about fitting clothes with Maria in those early days.

Gabby and Leila Kelleher met through Sewcialists and this year sees them publishing their first pattern making reference for the fashion industry, design students and sewing people: Plus-Size Patternmaking for Womenswear.

Bloomsbury publishing and Blackbird Fabrics are some of the organisations that have provided amazing support for Plus Size Pattern Making for Womenswear.

In this episode Gabby and Maria discuss using this new reference for various CLO3D design options, fashion industry references and guides as well as teaching packs to support pattern makers to draft great designs for large bodies.

The terminology used is very respectful and inclusive including the body references designers will benefit from when they start to create garments for larger bodies than their current fashion fit models.

The amount of design schools that will really benefit from Plus-Size Patternmaking for Womenswear is huge so fingers crossed, this knowledge rich reference will be adopted in future curriculum.

Congratulations Gabby and Leila. Hoping to see more from you both soon.

SewOver50 intersects with all communities. SewOver50 where we are so over ageism. Make sure you use #listenShareSewOver50 on the pictures when you post on Instagram.

If you are able, consider supporting this podcast through our patreon account https://www.patreon.com/seworganisedstylepodcast. Every podcast is free. Or pop your support to Paypal '[email protected]' Sound with permission of Kaneef on YouTube #plussize #plussizemodel #largerbodies #patternmaking

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LilypaDesigns is run by Lily Fong—designer, pattern maker, and proud bra nerd with a master’s in education and over 30 years of sewing experience.

Her patterns are all about wearing comfy bras. LilypaDesigns

Once a middle school algebra teacher, Lily now helps people sew bras that actually fit—especially if you’ve got a full bust, a small band, or a body that’s never quite matched “standard” sizing.

Her patterns use a body-aware system built on real breast measurements—not just full bust minus underbust—and the unique shape of each person’s breast root. Think of it like grading a dress across bust, waist, and hip... only this time, it’s for your bra.

With choose-your-own-adventure-style instructions, inclusive sizing, and plenty of teaching along the way, LilypaDesigns helps sewists build skills, confidence, and bras that feel as good as they fit.

Lily’s work has been featured in Threads, Sew News, The Pattern Pages, Bra Sewing Bee, and several sewing podcasts. Through her patterns, blog, online courses, and community, she’s helped thousands of sewists find support in every sense of the wor

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