Rosie Martin, the force behind DIYcouture, discusses her new book No Patterns Needed, a collection of patternless sewing designs based on squares, circles, and rectangles. Rosie shares how she started designing patternless fashions, her favorite indie patterns to sew from, and where she likes to go for inspiration in London, her hometown. Outro: “Summer Fun” by Scott Holmes

A new exhibit at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art explores how high fashion influenced bereavement rituals during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. In this episode, Jessica Regan, co-curator of the exhibit Death Becomes Her, discusses how the silhouettes of women’s clothing changed during this time period and how elaborate mourning rituals created a booming business for dress makers, as well as a costly investment for women who needed to wear black for an entire year. Jessica also shares some of her fashion and textile must-sees at the Met. 

Outro: Fauré’s Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48: Introit, The Choire of King’s College Cambridge,  Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment & Stephen Cleobury

For someone who sews, the workrooms of haute couture houses are probably just as (if not more!) interesting than what we ultimately see on the runways. Claire Shaeffer has spent her career studying the construction techniques for haute couture, expensive ready-to-wear, and historic designs, and written more than 20 books on the subject. This episode, Christine and Claire discuss a variety of topics, including Claire's background as an acrobat, shadowing dressmakers in Paris workrooms, and her two newest books on Chanel. Outro music: "Bughici - Suite for Violin, 8 Ardeleneasca, moderato" by Advent Chamber Orechestra

Whether you're a fashion history buff, or just really like to play dress up, the world of historical costuming offers a unique perspective on how people lived and moved in the past. This episode, Christine catches up with Lauren Stowell, creator of American Duchess, a blog focused on sewing costumes from the 18th through 20th centures, and the creator of the American Duchess line of historically-accurate footware from the same period. Lauren shares a cool new shoe for pre order, and Christine shares an exciting opportunity for amature sewers (hint: it involves being on TV!). Outro music "Handel -- Entrance to the Queen of Sheba for Two Oboes, Strings, and Continuo allegro" by Advent Chamber Orchestra.

Need advice on sewing for special occasions? Susan Khalje, the renowned couture sewing teacher (and Thread Cult’s first repeat guest!), has you covered. This episode, she and Christine discuss her soon-to-be released online cocktail dress class, as well as the art of the French jacket, dressing for your body type, and how investing in quality fabrics can make you a better (and saner!) sewer. Outro music "Wave Rider" by Necronomikon Quartett. 

Nora Abousteit helped found BurdaStyle.com and then founded Kollabora.com, a beautiful and fashion-forward site that lets sewers, knitters, and other makers share their work and sell their patterns. This episode, Christine and Nora discuss building an online crafting community, how indie designers can use Kollabora to sell their fashion and home decor patterns, and Nora shares an exciting new video component of the site. Outro music: "Waterflies" by Drama for Yamaha

Liesl Gibson creates super chic, modern sewing patterns for both kids and women. This episode Liesl and Christine talk about her design process, the resurgence of sewing as craft, and the delicate dance of balancing motherhood with a successful business. Outro music: "Paradise Engineering" by Yacht

Maura Grace Ambrose, Austin-based artist and founder of Folk Fibers, makes beautiful, timeless hand-dyed and hand-stitched quilts. In this episode, Maura and Christine discuss the art of natural dyeing and hand quilting, foraging for dyestuffs, and how quilts tell their own stories. Outro music: "Smoothest Runes" by Thick Business

Often called the mother of modern quilting, Denyse Schmidt marries the best of the handmade and modern design. This episode, Christine chats with Denyse about what goes into making her quilts, the history of patchwork, the creative process, and several museum shows Denyse will be featured in this fall.

Folk art and fine art meet this week in a facinating interview with weaver and textile designer Catharine Ellis, creator of the woven shibori technique. If you love beautiful fabrics, natural dyes, or just like learning about something new, don't miss this episode! Outro music: "Little Wooden Church," by The Trumpeteers.