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For this fabulous episode we're joined by Dan Mcilwraith. Product developer by day, glamorous drag queen by night!  Dan shares his world with us and fills us in on the more technical aspects of how he transforms into Daisy. We hear about the pattern cutting, the fabrics, the sewing and how he got the nickname deadline Dan. He also gives some advice for anyone wanting to try out drag for themselves and shares his personal journey with us, including his work with the charity Positively UK. This amazing glimpse behind the sequin curtain was an incredible chat and we give a huge thanks to Dan for joining us! Shownotes: www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk

Caroline's back! For her return we decided to spill the beans on one of our favourite techniques...cutting on the bias! Yes, that 45 degree grain line that we know you all love and love to hate. Expect explanations of what it is, how to do it, why we love it, tips for sewing and plenty of bias pattern cutting and sewing related stories. Show notes: www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk

In this episode we're joined by Rhiannon Bydawell who is a menswear pattern cutter for McQ by Alexander McQueen. We discuss the key differences between menswear and womenswear, and Rhiannon shares stories about bespoke tailoring on the infamous Saville Row, which is where her journey started. She also shares some industry tips and lessons learnt along the way and gives us a sneaky glimpse of her impressive VIP client list! 

As pattern makers we create the "blue print" that the factories use to produce hundreds of garments, so it's no surprise that we spend a fair amount of our job working with Factories! This episode is all about how that relationship works, who's involved and how to ensure your work is factory friendly for easy, mistake free sewing. To help me discuss this I'm joined by Alice Warne, a production and product developer, to help talk us through some of the finer details of what life working with factories is like for her. She gives us tips on finding factories, working with them and fills us in on her personal experiences, both at home in the UK and abroad. Whether you're a pattern cutter, a garment tech, a fashion student or you're thinking about launching your own brand...this episode is for all of you! Find the show notes at www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk  

Our favourite Intern turned employee, Sidnie Brennan joins us to discuss her journey so far. She fills us in on everything from going to university to study fashion, to developing her design portfolio, her internships and then finally getting her first job as a Technical and Product Development Assistant.  Go to www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk to find the show notes.

Fittings are an integral part of garment development, and as pattern makers we spend much of our time in the infamous fitting room! Join us as we talk you through how fittings work, why they're so important and let you in on our own experiences and some top tips. We also hear what life is like as a fitting model, from Anna Popovich who has spent years working for some of the best-known London brands. She gives us a unique perspective through the eyes of one of the most important people in the room. Head to www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk for the show notes

This week we've got an interview with footwear designer, Anna Kichenside, who has been in the industry for over 16 years. Anna gives us a glimpse into the world of footwear design and fills us in on her journey, from where she trained, to how she got her first foot in the door. We also hear her thoughts on the business of footwear, where she thinks it’s heading and how she’s merging her two worlds today.

This week we’re sharing a real insider secret with all of you lovely listeners. It’s one of the few perks of the jobs when you work in fashion and it’s definitely one of our favourite parts of the job! We are of course, talking about... SAMPLE SALES!We’re covering what exactly they are, how they differ between high street and luxury, how to find them and, of course, some of our own sample sale experiences! For the show notes head to www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk

It's Caroline's last week before she breaks for maternity leave and in honour of that we are talking about all things maternity wear! Expect some great shopping recommendations, a view of maternity wear and all the details through a pattern cutters eye and a mini interview with a maternity wear specialist, Paige Colthart. For the show notes, head to www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk

This week Kathryn interviews Charlotta Ayers, the co-founder of School of pattern cutting. Charlotta started life as a designer, before moving into the world of pattern cutting and teaching. In this interview we talk about studying at Central st. Martins, the pros and cons of pattern cutting and life as a teacher, both at college and through her own business. Charlotta has a some great pearls of wisdom for any fashion students out there so if that’s you, then stay tuned!

Caroline and Kathryn pull back to curtain and expose the very grey area of sizing and grading within the fashion industry. We chat about how it fits into the development garment life cycle, to how grading works and even our own personal experiences. We are also joined by Maggie Stott who is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to grading and pattern cutting. With nearly 50 years of experience in the fashion world, she's a real expert! For the show notes head to www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk

You asked, and we answered! A huge thank you to all of our lovely listeners who sent in questions, we absolutely loved hearing from you! The questions range from freelance life, to recognition in the industry and also include things like the technical aspects of pattern making and what we personally like to sew.  To find the show notes head to www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk

Olivia von Halle is a cult luxury British silk brand whose name has become synonymous with reinventing silk pyjamas and disrupting the nightwear market. You will have seen her beautiful silk creations in films, on the red carpet and worn by all of your favourite celebs. In this interview she talks us through everything from her early days as a start up to how she is coping through Coronavirus, her business model and everything in between. Thank you Olivia for taking the time to chat with us! To find the show notes and some examples of Olivia's work head to our website, www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk

This episode is all about one of our favourite bits of kit...blocks! (or slopers as our lovely American friends call them) Join us as we discuss what they are, how to make them, how to use them and the different types that we've come across in the industry and at home. To find the show notes visit www.fashionhalfcut.co.uk

In this episode we dive deep in the beautiful and creative world of draping! This is both of our favourite ways to work and we've packed this episode full of do's, don't's and handy tips and tricks!

Elisalex started her career as a shoe designer and ran her own very successful brand for 4 years before moving into pattern designing and the sewing world. Working in fashion runs in her family and we love the idea of moving between the fashion industry and the home sewing industry and seeing the two worlds come together. Join us as we talk about everything from starting your own brand straight out of college, to lessons learnt, working with fashion revolution, sustainable fashion, starting another business and being a working mum.Our favourite message from this interview? Be kind to yourself.

In this episode we talk you through our top 7 Pattern Cutting tools and pieces of equipment. These are our absolute essentials that we just couldn't function without!Like most pattern cutters we know, we're both massive fans of clever stationary. If you want to hear us raving about rulers and which notchers send us nutty then this is the episode for you!

Join us behind the scenes and take a front row seat at the iconic London Fashion Week. We discuss past fashion week experiences,  and Caroline brings you her diary of live recordings from the studio, the catwalk and the show rooms. Step inside our shoes and experience what fashion week is like for a real life pattern cutter.

As the Coronavirus pandemic plunges the world into chaos, we bring you a bonus episode with an update on life as freelancers and small business owners in this very scary time. We share our thoughts and tips for working from home and how we're managing to continue work as pattern cutters. While this episode focuses on the work and business side of things, our first thought is always for your health and we hope that you're all safe and well at home.

Emmeline Child, fashion sustainability programme leader and lecturer at the University of Northampton, joins Kathryn and Caroline to talk about all things sustainable in fashion.  Emmeline gained an impressive amount of knowledge and experience in this field while launching her own brand and business and became a real pioneer in her field. She is now a Researcher, Senior lecturer and University Programme leader. Teaching in the areas of sustainability, fashion and design in the UK, India and Sri Lanka.