I usually have silence when I sew - I listen to the birds outside; listen for the timer on the washer,dryer,and stove; listen to my dogs moving around (and talk to them quite a bit!) but I turn the radio off. It's so nice to have peace and quiet at home after listening to all the noise at work.
When I'm doing hand-work in the quilt-hoop or sewing on binding I plunked in the LazyBoy with the TV going!