In this episode with Melanie Keane, she gives us an insightful chat about how running the sewing groups for refugees has impacted her personally. In the 18 months after beginning sewing Melanie was asked 'Do I know anyone who can sew...? 2 weeks later she arrived at the refugee centre with 2 old sewing machines and some donated fabric. 4 months later Melanie had 3 volunteers working with her, 8 fairly decent sewing machines and 15 women in the mixed nationality group. The women were voracious in their making and desperate to sew for their families, repair clothes and just escape from their pitiful circumstances for just a few hours. Families had lived in the oppressive centre for over a year feeling hopeless and depressed. Sewing lifted their spirits, formed new relationships across the different cultures and allowed the women to feel like they were nurturing their families again. Each week Melanie needed 25 metres of fabric and so she reached out to the sewing community, whose generosity astounded her. She ran the project for 15 months until the centre suddenly closed. In this episode Melanie discusses how this impacted her and how she went on to set up another group for vulnerable women at The Lighthouse in Woking, Surrey. If you are able, consider supporting this podcast through our patreon account. There are 3 new tiers to choose from to support SewOver50's only podcast. Every podcast is free and the archive is gradually being uploaded on to the podcast YouTube channel. Sound with permission by Kaneef on YouTube. SewOver50 intersects with all communities. SewOver50 where we are so over ageism. Our focus is the sewing talent each person shares on social media and providing recognition of their willingness to share their skills whether a beginner or experienced sewist. Make sure you listen to your SewOver50 friends in our SewOver50 podcast archive. Use LH7KWCRS to get one month of Stash Hub plus for free, which means you have unlimited uploads and can add more photos to their records. You don’t have to enter your payment details to use it. At the end of the month you’ll revert to the free version of Stash Hub and you won’t lose anything you’ve already uploaded. Thanks Stash Hub!
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Melanie Keane
Melanie Keane’s sewing journey is very community driven. This is a two-part series and Melanie began sewing 9 years ago through quilting. In 2020 Melanie and her family sewed over 100 pairs of scrubs for frontline workers, transforming sewing into a meaningful family activity. This experience deepened her connection to the craft and led her to explore garment and bag making, where she found joy in blending functionality with artistic expression. Beyond her personal projects, Melanie’s dedication to sewing extended into community service. By fundraising for sewing machines and supplies, she empowered refugee women with a creative outlet and a sense of purpose. For many, this initiative became a path to healing and self-confidence. Melanie’s sewing journey illustrates how sewing can be more than a skill—it can be a tool for reusing textiles, social connection, and something to look forward to each day. If you are able, consider supporting this podcast through our patreon account. There are 3 new tiers to choose from to support SewOver50's only podcast. Every podcast is free and the archive is gradually being uploaded on to the podcast YouTube channel. Use LH7KWCRS to get one month of Stash Hub plus for free, which means you have unlimited uploads and can add more photos to their records. You don’t have to enter your payment details to use it. At the end of the month you’ll revert to the free version of Stash Hub and you won’t lose anything you’ve already uploaded. Thanks Stash Hub! Sound with permission by Kaneef on YouTube. SewOver50 intersects with all communities. SewOver50 where we are so over ageism. Our focus is the sewing talent each person shares on social media and providing recognition of their willingness to share their skills whether a beginner or experienced sewist. Make sure you listen to your SewOver50 friends in our SewOver50 podcast archive.
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Micah Clasper-Torch
Micah Clasper-Torch is a Los Angeles-based artist, designer, and educator helping to lead the modern revival of punch needle rug hooking. With a background in fashion design from The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and the Politecnico di Milano in Italy, Micah blends fine art, heritage craft, and wearable design to create one-of-a-kind textile pieces that range from coats and accessories to wall hangings and soft sculpture. In 2019 Micah was formally trained as an Oxford Punch Needle Instructor at the Oxford Rug Hooking School in Vermont, and in 2020 she launched Punch Needle World, an online community, shop and educational platform dedicated to uplifting the craft and its history, and making high quality supplies and training accessible around the world. Her debut book, Punch Needle Fashion, comes out next month, in June 2025 from Quadrille and brings punch needle into the world of contemporary fashion through 15 original projects and a beautifully photographed exploration of the medium. Punch Needle Fashion pre-order link Web: www.micahclasper-torch.com IG: @claspertorch & @punchneedle.world If you are able, consider supporting this podcast through our patreon account. There are 3 new tiers to choose from to support SewOver50's only podcast. Every podcast is free and the archive is gradually being uploaded on to the podcast YouTube channel. Sound with permission by Kaneef on YouTube. SewOver50 intersects with all communities. SewOver50 where we are so over ageism. Our focus is the sewing talent each person shares on social media and providing recognition of their willingness to share their skills whether a beginner or experienced sewist. Make sure you listen to your SewOver50 friends in our SewOver50 podcast archive.
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Sew Pittsburgh
Kelsey founded Sew Pittsburg with the vision of creating a sewing community in the Pittsburgh area. As the Instagram account quickly gained traction, Sarah stepped in to help foster the group’s growing sense of community. https://www.instagram.com/sewpgh/ Together, they built a welcoming space for sewists to connect, share inspiration, and support one another. Their efforts transformed Sew Pittsburg into more than just an online presence—it became a thriving hub for makers, encouraging creativity and friendships. Through meetups, collaborations, and shared enthusiasm, Kelsey and Sarah have cultivated a vibrant sewing culture, proving that community flourishes when passion meets dedication. Find out how Discord allows their community to also run regular interest meetups! Photo credits: Kitoko Chargois. https://www.instagram.com/photo_by_kitoko/
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Sew Pittsburgh
Kelsey founded Sew Pittsburg with the vision of creating a sewing community in the Pittsburgh area. As the Instagram account quickly gained traction, Sarah stepped in to help foster the group’s growing sense of community. https://www.instagram.com/sewpgh/ Together, they built a welcoming space for sewists to connect, share inspiration, and support one another. Their efforts transformed Sew Pittsburg into more than just an online presence—it became a thriving hub for makers, encouraging creativity and friendships. Through meetups, collaborations, and shared enthusiasm, Kelsey and Sarah have cultivated a vibrant sewing culture, proving that community flourishes when passion meets dedication. Find out how Discord allows their community to also run regular interest meetups! Photo credits: Kitoko Chargois. https://www.instagram.com/photo_by_kitoko/ If you are able, consider supporting this podcast through our patreon account. There are 3 new tiers to choose from to support SewOver50's only podcast. Every podcast is free and the archive is gradually being uploaded on to the podcast YouTube channel. Sound with permission by Kaneef on YouTube. SewOver50 intersects with all communities. SewOver50 where we are so over ageism. Our focus is the sewing talent each person shares on social media and providing recognition of their willingness to share their skills whether a beginner or experienced sewist. Make sure you listen to your SewOver50 friends in our SewOver50 podcast archive.
Sew organised style- listen to people just like you.
We'll cover sewing, style and interview people who are the backbone of our sewing community and provide you with reputable organisations you can go to for help when you need it. Go to our website: https://seworganisedstylepodcast.com/
There will be evolving playlist series as we find experts with gems of information and resources to keep you creative.
Don't keep our podcast channel a secret. Tell your friends and rate us on Itunes.
Australia