I’m guessing that most of us find that a cluttered crafting space affects our creativity. It can also lead to over buying when you repurchase something you already own but weren’t able to locate. Very good friend of the podcast, Shams el-Din Rogers, is back to talk to me about the tactics she’s been using to get her space and her in check, and the impact that’s having on her creativity. Maybe these are tactics that would work for you….

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Find Shams el-Din Rogers @sepia_textiles on Instagram.

Listen to her on previous episodes of CYT:

• Ep. #32: Textile Activism with Shams el–Din Rogers
• Ep. #49: Sewing as Art and Political Action with Shams el–Din Rogers
• Ep. #77: Stashes and Spaces with Shams el–Din Rogers
• Ep. #81: Travel, Sustainability and Sewing with Shams el-Din Rogers
• Ep. #142: Values Based Spending and Making with Shams el-Din Rogers
• Ep. #153: The Provenance of Materials and Techniques - Shams with Allie Davies

Shams is on the board at the Textile Museum of Canada, Toronto.

Shams’s favourite embroidery designers:

• Krista West of Avlea Folk Embroidery
• Nuri of Shaded Stitchery

Listen to Shams on the Black Women Stitch’s podcast, Stitch Please:

• Ep. #123: Don’t Trash It, Sew It!!: Sustainable Creativity with Shams el-Din Rogers

Whether or not you’re a New Year’s Resolutions kind of person, setting some intentions about what you’d like more or less of in your life as you head into a new year can feel really positive. All of us want to spend more time making and being creative, and less time being sold to. My guest, Hayley from Sew Hayley Jane, and I discuss the issues faced by makers and small business owners when it comes to navigating social media, and Hayley makes some great suggestions that we can all apply today to spend more of 2026 doing the things that bring us joy.

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Read more about Puff and Pencil’s ‘Hands First January’ challenge.

Find Hayley on Instagram @sewhayleyjane and discover the Thready Set Go community that she runs.

Hayley loves the Fold Line, especially their ‘New In’ section, for discovering new potential sewing projects.

A recent project that helped Hayley level up her skills was the Falconer Pants by Helen’s Closet Patterns:

Do you want to feel more connected to the place you live and the people who also live there? Then consider not buying new fabric. My guest, Berlin-based Mariel Davies, chooses to live a frugal lifestyle, both to reduce waste, and to create and deepen her connections with others. We also discuss the gamification of resource acquisition, and her radical approach to gift giving.

Support the podcast over on Patreon!

Follow Mariel on Instagram (@a_to_zerowaste)

Learn more about Holly McQuillan’s Spiral trousers on the Zero Waste Design Collective’s website.

ZW designer Liz Haywood has explored historical pattern making and tessellating sleeves. All the ‘A Year of Zero Waste’ zines and book are available on Liz’s Etsy shop, and January’s FREE instalment can be downloaded via her ‘The Craft of Clothes’ blog.

Learn more about writer Mark Boyle, AKA The Moneyless Man.

Bea Johnson is the author of ‘Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste’.

Follow green-living activist Robin Greenfield on Instagram (@robin.greenfield).

The @destash4palestine account is a great source for genuinely pre-loved dressmaking fabric.

Edinburgh-based mending legend, Mary Morton, can be found @edinburghstreetstitchers and @mvm13 on Instagram.

Learn about the Lutterloh pattern system.