The Sewing Podcast Podcast · October 7, 2026 · 20 min
Episode 1: Patterns, fitting and how you’ve been lied to by fashion retailers.
We talk a lot about the brand Tilly & the Buttons (TATB) in this episode, largely because they do great beginner sewing patterns (that are not just for beginners) Here’s a link to the very versatile Leah pattern - Tilly & the buttons Leah pattern The Leah pattern (like many other TATB patterns) comes with a wealth or resources, from grading between sizes, choosing your size and fitting tips so you can get your top looking like a pro has swen it, check out the TATB Leah resources here: Leah resources Tilly also has a super You Tube account full of tutorials and tips: TATB YouTube Beginner friendly patterns, try these: * TATB Stevie * TATB PJs * Matchy Matchy Sewing Club studio Tee - this one’s free too! And a list of Beginner Friendly pattern companies: * Waves & Wild - pdf patterns - although the UK company Little Legs Fabrics , based near Preston, UK, has paper patterns for waves & wild * Twig & Tale - pdf patterns - these guys have just the BEST instructions with a video tutorial included with the pattern * Matchy Matchy Sewing Club - pdf patterns - these guys even seperate out their sewing patterns from beginners to more advanced. * Tilly & the Buttons - both pdf and paper sewing patterns We put a LOT of emphasis on making sure you take your measurements before deciding on your size. There are a tonne of YouTube videos on this, I found this one pretty good though - How to measure yourself If you’re buying pdf patterns, then you may not want to print out them onto A4 (I sometimes do, depends on how quick I want to sew something!!) If you don’t want to mess about sticking A4 sheets together then you’ll want to get it printed onto A0 paper. Here are the 2 companies I’ve used and have a great service * CLC Prints * Fabulosew If you’re tracing off your patterns, then you’ll need Prym pattern paper. Available from all good haberdasheries (online or bricks and mortar) - including Annie’s in Sheffield - we sell it for £9 per roll- cheeky shop plug!! or Amazon have it too!! Don’t forget to give us a follow on Substack The Sewing Podcast I’m Nikki, you can also find me on Insta and Tik Tok as @QuirkySeamstress and Substack as Nicola Downham I’m Helen and you can find me on Insta, Facebook and Tik Tok as @badgerandbobbins, on Substack as Helen Miller and my website is https://www.badgerandbobbins.co.uk/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thesewingpodcast.substack.com