Haystack Pack’s Tracks
I love that the haystack packs help us to learn more about the people behind creative businesses. And what better way to get to know someone than by finding out about the music they love and the stories behind their choices?
With help from the pack’s previously featured small businesses, here’s a Spotify playlist for us to listen to while we sew.
Each small business owner picked a song and told us why they chose it. This is what they said:
| Sarah, Like Sew Amazing: Got To Be Real, Cheryl Lynn This is my go to song to dance to and we love nothing more than a bit of disco for a boogie in the shop while we are packing orders! |
| Cheryl, Stitchy Bee: Feeling Good, Nina Simone My favourite music when I’m sewing has a jazz vibe. I love chilled, crisp songs that offer calm and maybe a sing-a-long opportunity too. My favourite from my sewing playlist is “Feeling Good” by the fabulous Nina Simone. It’s the perfect distraction should the seam ripper make an appearance! |
| Abi, Crafty Pinup: Sugar We’re Going Down, Fall Out Boy I’ll choose ‘Sugar We’re Going Down’ by Fall Out Boy – a classic emo anthem! It’s a song I remember seeing performed live when I was about 15 and the gig blew my mind! I often listen to Kerrang Radio and if ever that song comes on I can’t help but sing along and crash about like I did 15 years ago. Crafty Pinup is definitely fuelled by emo! |
| Camille, Cami Made: Cellophane, FKA twigs and La Vita Nuova, Christine and the Queens I love both artists because they reinvent themselves for each new album. I have a particular admiration for Christine and the Queens, I’ve been following her for 10 years and I love each of her new tunes and the new creative direction she takes each time. She is the one who made me discover my now number one favourite fashion designer, Jacquemus, because she is wearing one of his suits in the video clip “Paradis perdu”. Also, she sings both in English and French like I try to juggle with both languages too…! I love the whole album “MAGDALENE”. The whole album “La vita nuova” is fantastic . |
| Ana, CocoWawa Crafts: It’s My Party, Lesley Gore and Respect, Aretha Franklin, and Comptine d’Un Autre Été, Yann Tiersen Just love it! Don’t have any reason in particular. I used to picture myself singing it in front of an astonished crowd of friends and family members who didn’t know I could sing! Hehe. I play the piano and this is one of my favourite ones to play. |
| Fiona, Pattern Trace: The Boy is Mine, Brandy and Monica I used to sing along to this with my friends in my teens. I like to listen to 90s/2000’s R & B when I sew. |
| Clare, Pattern Trace: Learn to Fly, Foo Fighters It reminds me of being at sixth form and generally having fun with my friends. |
| Hayley, Happy Fabric: Spice Up Your Life, The Spice Girls Spice up your life’ by the Spice Girls has probably been our most played tune. It’s just so cheery and makes you want to dance around, while adding happy, lively colours to a project. We are also a great lover of disco balls, you will find them dotted everywhere around our office, in-between our glittery vinyls. |
| Leonie, Twig and Tale: Cough Syrup, Young the Giant I recently discovered this group and now their songs feature regularly in my playlists. Happy, upbeat music helps to keep me motivated and relaxed when I am able to sneak a few minutes of sewing time. 🙂 |
| Lisa, Twig and Tale: Home, Philip Phillips This was one of many songs that came to mind… in general something uplifting that sets the tone for a productive and enjoyable time. |
| Vixie, Jazzy Menagerie: Further Away, Manic Street Preachers and Secret Smile, Semisonic The first piece of freestyle embroidery that I ever designed and made was for a school project when I was about 13. I wanted to make an interactive woven and hand-embroidered interpretation of a rock pool (don’t ask me why!?) and I spent countless evenings after school sat on my bed stitching tiny limpets, floaty seaweed or beaded sea urchins while listening to the album “Everything Must Go” by Manic Street Preachers, in particular, my favourite song from the album, “Further Away”. Every time I have heard a song from that album since then it has taken me right back to my old childhood room: the purple walls, the smell of incense and the vivid memories of feverishly working on that vast rock pool! The first piece of clothing that I ever made for myself was a self-drafted medieval-style gown for my Year 11 summer ball. It had the most incredible bell sleeves and fit superbly, and even now is still one of my proudest accomplishments. I have very rarely worn a dress since, and I have certainly not constructed a dress since! It was a huge undertaking, especially as I was making it alongside studying for GCSE exams, and the pride I felt when I turned up wearing a pretty dress that I had designed and made by myself was one of the best feelings ever. In classic Grunge Teen tradition, I accessorised it with spiked jewellery and Doc Martens. One of my favourite songs to listen to during the evenings of beavering away on that dress was “Secret Smile” by Semisonic. I’m not sure if they even played it at the Ball – it’s not a terribly Ball-like song – but hearing it always reminds me of that year and that pride I felt. |
| Boz, Fabric Magpie: Hey Jude, The Beatles When I first met my husband he had 2000 songs just on his phone alone (and probably a few times that on his PC) and I had 41 in my entire “collection”. I tend to stick to well-known and easy-to-sing-along-to songs and my current favourite album is one of The Beatles best ofs. Hey Jude is my favourite song because it’s hard not to join in. |
| Joann, Pipe Dream Patterns: All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You, Heart I will put forward “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You” by Heart. An 80’s banger that has been playing innocently on my summer playlist because it was a bop, I only really listened to and UNDERSTOOD the lyrics to this song last month and was both horrified and amused at the song the story tells. Mostly amused. I’m choosing it for both of those reasons – it is a big 80’s, let your hair down and dance around your handbag style tune, and because the lyrical story is just hilarious. I cannot believe it made it into a mainstream pop song. If you were not aware of the story the lyrics were telling, go look it up and have a chuckle . You’re welcome |
| Joy, Pink Coat Club: Almost There, Princess and the Frog soundtrack It’s a fabulously cheerful pick-me-up tune and great fun to bellow at the top of your lungs! I think Anika Noni Rose (who voices Tiana) put it perfectly when she said: “There are two ways to take that song: you can be almost there and be sad about it. Or you can be almost there and find the joy in the journey, and the joy in the steps that you have taken, and the joy in how far you have come”. |
| Steph, Offset Warehouse: Jungle, Tash Sultana and Cirrus, Bonobo and Torsa, Lau It seems to have a raw emotion that you can’t help but sing along to. Singing tunes are best reserved for the more mundane sewing tasks. Always calming, flowing. A great artist for subtle background noise. It literally takes you on a journey. Perfect for hand-sewing, embroidery, mending, knitting where you can feel close to your ancestors (even if you’re not Scottish, it has that resounding back story to it). |
| Caroline and Fliss, Felicity Fabrics: Put Your Records On, Corinne Bailey Rae There isn’t really a special story behind this song. We just find it really relaxing, uplifting and a feel good song…perfect for sewing. |
| Aliss and team, Workshop Patterns: So We Won’t Forget, Khurangbin and Don’t Wanna, Haim and Everywhere Fleetwood Mac It’s quite calm without being too calm So you can concentrate while it’s on. We all love Haim. Whenever they have new music out, it’s always the first on the playlist in the cafe. It’s great for sewing to because It’s upbeat and keeps you going. Just because It’s a classic. We all like quite chilled out tunes with a bit of a beat. I think It’s the perfect balance of keeping you going with the sewing yet allowing you to switch off and the headspace to concentrate! We love to mix it up with old and new tracks but these are some particular favourites! |
| Melissa, Fehr Trade: Rome, Yeasayer OK, before I overthink this, please add Yeasayer’s “Rome” for my contribution. It’s my dancing round the kitchen song from a favourite band that have just split up earlier this year before I could see them live one last time! 😭 |
| Brittani, Untitled Thoughts: Little Talks, Julie Sheer and Jon D This song has always held a special place in my heart, especially the version I have on Spotify. There is something really special about how both parts are being sung, and in my mind, it’s a beautiful piece that highlights mental illness. That is how I have always interpreted the lyrics. That feeling of being the one suffering and the one watching their loved one suffer, but remaining through the tough times. It really is a beautiful song and one of very few I have memorized through and through. |
| Aga, Buffin’s Vintage Buttons: I Got Life, Nina Simone I do love old music, as they are more real for me. I’m an old school so I need to hear real instruments, passion, love and more. That’s why on my playlist there is always the best singer Nina Simone. I never can get tired of her and especially the song ‘I got life’. It gets me going, even if I can’t see the light in the tunnel. I got my life, yes and I got it in my hands….and, yes, I do love my life even when it’s hard sometimes…. |
| Steph, Fabric Romance: Damn, Dis-moi, Christine and the Queens It’s a feel good song by Christine and the Queens that makes me instantly “feel good” with wiggly toes and all. |
| Alice, Alice and Co: Let’s Dance, David Bowie As I’m putting the final touches to our latest pattern, the Adele apron dress, named after Adele P. Margolis, one of our favorite pattern cutting authors, I’m listing to David Bowie from vintage Glastonbury, courtesy of good old BBC iPlayer. So I’ll throw in Put on Your Red Shoes And Dance the Blues Away. An apt title for today’s times and today in particular as it’s pouring with rain! I come from the same part of South London as Bowie. His music was very big when I was at art school in the 70’s and reminds of many happy days and wild nights! Always loved his androgynous style. And red shoes are always the best! |
