Hello, bag-making friends! In this episode of The Bag Makers Sew-Ciety Podcast, I had the pleasure of chatting with Ruan, also known as The Yorkshire Sew Girl. While she’s primarily a dressmaker, she’s dabbled in bag making and has built a thriving YouTube channel where she shares her love of sewing.
We talked about how she got started, her experience with sewing classes, and her journey to becoming a content creator. Plus, we dived into the #SewFrugal challenge, which she co-hosts every year to inspire people to sew with free patterns and fabric from their stash. If you’ve ever felt like you needed a boost of motivation for your sewing, this episode is for you!
How Ruan Got Started with Sewing
Like many of us, Ruan didn’t always see herself as a sewist. About 12 years ago, after feeling like she had lost her identity while caring for a newborn, she started looking for a creative outlet. She experimented with various hobbies, but nothing really clicked—until she discovered The Great British Sewing Bee.
Feeling inspired, she signed up for sewing classes in Leeds. Her initial goal was to make accessories, but her teacher encouraged her to try garment making, and that was the start of her dressmaking journey.
Her First Sewing Class – A Rocky Start!
We all have a funny beginner sewing story, and Ruan’s is a classic! She arrived at her first class with a child’s sewing machine—and no power cord! But despite the rough start, she absolutely fell in love with sewing and completed a six-week beginner course, which gave her the confidence to start making clothes.
Lockdown & Learning to Sew Independently
Before lockdown, Ruan only sewed in her weekly classes. But when everything shut down, she no longer had access to her teacher and classmates, forcing her to figure things out on her own. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as she became more confident in her skills and started experimenting more with sewing.
Starting Her YouTube Channel
Ruan had joked with her work colleagues about starting a YouTube channel, but she never seriously considered it—until she filmed a casual haul video and got a great response! With sewing content exploding during lockdown, her channel grew quickly, and she found herself connecting with a whole new sewing community online.
The Challenges of Filming
While Ruan loves creating content, filming isn’t always easy! She talked about the awkwardness of recording alone, especially when family members are around. She prefers to keep editing minimal, focusing on authentic, real-time sewing chat, rather than over-polishing her videos.
Finding Community in Sewing
One of the biggest joys of sewing, according to Ruan, is the community. She loved the social side of in-person sewing classes, but she also appreciates how the online sewing world has introduced her to sewists from all over the world. Through YouTube, Instagram, and collaborations, she’s built lasting friendships and connections with both fellow sewists and businesses.
The Sew Frugal Challenge
Each year, Ruan co-hosts the #SewFrugal challenge alongside Sam (Frugalisima). This event encourages sewists to:
Use a free sewing pattern
Sew with fabric from their stash
Share their finished make on Instagram at the end of March
It’s a brilliant way to inspire people to sew without spending money, and it’s become a huge event in the sewing calendar! What started as a small challenge has now grown massively, with over 1,500 participants last year and more than 50 vloggers creating content throughout March to inspire sewists.
Different Approaches to Sewing
Ruan describes herself as a strict rule-follower when she’s making something for the first time—she likes to follow the instructions exactly as written. But she also loves seeing how others in the community modify patterns and make adjustments to suit their own style.
This difference in sewing approaches is one of the things that makes the community so rich and inspiring!
Final Thoughts
It was so much fun chatting with Ruan, The Yorkshire Sew Girl, about her sewing journey, YouTube, and the #SewFrugal challenge. Her passion for building community and inspiring others is contagious, and it’s amazing to see how her sewing has evolved over the years!
If you missed the episode, you can watch the full podcast replay on The Bag Makers Sew-Ciety YouTube channel. Are you taking part in the #SewFrugal challenge this year? Or do you have a funny first-time sewing experience like Ruan’s? Let’s chat in the comments! 😊
Until next time happy sewing and may your bobbin always be full.
Deb x
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