Sewing and quilting are always much more fun with company. Even with breaks for chatting or nibbling on yummy morning or afternoon tea, I get a lot more done when sewing with others. I’m also one of those people who will turn on the TV for company at home but always end up distracted. When sewing or quilting, a little more attention to what is in front of me is required so I’m really loving podcasts for a bit of company and quilting podcasts are great when you’re playing with fabric.
If you don’t know, a podcast is a like a recorded radio show, you can download them via services like iTunes or often you can listen directly from the hosting website. I subscribe to a number of podcasts through iTunes and sync these to my iPhone so I can listen to them where ever I am.
The beauty of podcasts is that nearly anyone can host one. There are plenty of high quality, professionally produced podcasts out there, and there are also a lot of really great podcasts created by passionate people who just love to talk about whatever it is they’re into, and they do it all on their own computer then share it with the world, thanks to the power of the internet.
Some of my favourite podcasts are by quilters. I don’t just listen to them at the sewing machine, but also when I’m walking to or from work, when I’m doing the washing up or other jobs around the house, and in the car. I wanted to share some of my favourite podcasts I like to keep up with in the hope you might give them a try to, or if you have your own favourites that you might share them with me, I’m always on the look out for more.
The first two are examples of podcasts where the conversation is pretty free flowing and casual. It’s mostly just the podcaster chatting away, occasionally they’ll have a guest as well. The second two are more structured shows with regular segments and guests.
This was the first quilting podcast I began listening to. After a quick search on iTunes and a flick through some reviews I thought Katie’s perpective of a being a relatively new quilter around my age was something I’d relate to. It’s been great to start from the very first podcast and listen along, following her growth as a quilter and into teaching. She also shares fun stories about her Corgi’s and other interesting bits and pieces, I love her honesty.
“Your place for things quilty and geeky”. This podcast tickles my geeky funny bone like nothing else. Pam is absolutely hilarious, and somehow manages to create so many beautiful, varied quilts, all while keeping a detailed spreadsheet of her incoming & outgoing fabric, and sharing her love of cats.
This is another podcast that I started listening to right from the beginning (and naturally had to go back to the very first blog post and read those along with my podcast progress… stalker). I started listening to this podcast while still playing World of Warcraft and every now and then it reminds me of a certain place in the game, bit random but there you go.
This is a fairly new podcast, starting just a few months ago so I didn’t have to go back all that far to start at the beginning, and was caught up in no time. Brandy Lynn discusses a range of quilting topics, often with a focus on Canadian quilters and groups. I find it really refreshing to hear from someone else outside the US and there are regular segments I always look forward to, particularly “the gentle judge”.
This actually is a radio show, that is recorded and made available for download/listening afterwards. Pat Sloan hosts the show and usually has 3-4 guests who she interviews in each program. It’s a great way to hear from your favourite quilters and also discover new ones.
And if you’re looking for something a bit different, or have to occasionally bargin with your fellow travellers on a long road trip (like I do), then one of my favourite general knowledge podcasts is the Stuff You Should Know Podcast. If you just enjoy learning about new “stuff” or tend to be absorbed for hours in the wikipedia rabbit hole then you’re bound to enjoy this podcast. You’ll learn about the things you’ve heard of but never really understood or thought much about. For a quilty reference, listen to the episode on “How The Amish Work”.
You can search for podcasts on any other topic you like to. There are sports podcasts, music podcasts, movie & tv show podcasts… you name it, there’s probably someone out there talking about it on a podcast.
