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In this episode, Lauren Guthrie shares the story behind her journey from working as a physiotherapist to founding Guthrie & Ghani, and how a love of sewing slowly grew into something much bigger than she ever expected.

We talk about her experience on The Great British Sewing Bee and how that moment shaped the direction of her career, as well as the realities of building and evolving a fabric shop in an ever-changing industry.

Lauren reflects on the growth of the sewing community over the years, what it really takes to source beautiful, high-quality fabrics, and how she’s navigated the challenges of scaling a creative business while staying connected to the joy of making.

It’s an honest conversation about growth, not just in business, but personally and creatively, and about building something that’s rooted in community as much as it is in sewing.

Key takeaways:

• Lauren used to be a Physiotherapist but became burnt out and decided to change career.
• Lauren was on the first season of The Great British Sewing Bee - she feels this has shaped her career so far.
• Guthrie and Ghani has been going 13 years so far and continues to evolve.
• Lauren acquired G&G's sister company Pattern Trace in the last couple of years.
• The Sewing Society kits that G&G are well known for have changed recently from monthly releases to a quarterly box.

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Guest Details:

Website: www.guthrie-ghani.co.uk

Instagram: @guthrieghani

: @guthrieghani_studio

: @patterntraceuk

Youtube: @laurenguthrieghani

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Chapters

00:00 Introductions
00:10 Lauren's Journey into Sewing and Business
05:00 The Experience of Being on The Sewing Bee
05:54 Taking the Leap into Entrepreneurship
08:04 From Healthcare to Creativity: A Personal Journey
10:28 The Evolution of the Sewing Community
14:14 Building a Supportive Sewing Community
15:25 Evolving Business: From In-Store to Online
16:58 Sourcing Fabrics: Balancing Trends and Personal Taste
18:44 The Transformation of Sewing Kits
22:48 Designing Fabrics: A Personal Touch
29:19 Acquiring Pattern Trace: Expanding Horizons
31:28 Exciting Future Plans for Guthrie and Ghani
36:28 Substack end of the show