I have been sewing and around sewing for as long as I can remember. My mom wanted to be able to stay home after having me, her second baby, but she still needed to work. So she took the experience she had gained working in an upholstery shop and started her own custom drapery and window covering business right after I was born. I learned a lot from her, not only about sewing, but about every aspect of being an entrepreneur. I even developed my love of math, as she did all of her own accounting.
I have sewn on and off throughout the years. Mending, the occasional outfit for one of my kids, and the odd project when a need arose. When my kids got a bit older, mom and I took a sewing class, a McPhee Workshop, and each of us created our own custom designed winter coat! That was a real confidence boost to be able to accomplish a feat like that!
Last year, however, was a game changer for me. I was introduced to the world of indie pattern companies and most of these companies offer their patterns as downloadable pdf files. The patterns are printed out at home, the sheets are taped or glued together and then you have full size pattern pieces. You are free to print these out for your own use as often as you need. The other bonus is that most indie pattern companies offer a full range of sizes in one bundle. Ladies patterns usually start at xs or s and go up to about xxxl. Children’s patterns are a little more varied, but from what I can tell there are infant sizes up to size 2 and then size 2 to up to size 16. What that means is that you can get a lot of mileage out a pattern, as they can be used as your child grows, for multiple children in the same family and they can be very helpful when needing to mashup sizes, because let’s face it, most of us are not the same size all over.
Many indie pattern makers also offer a free pattern (or more than one!) so that you can get a feel for their style, as they all have their own unique flair. I will forewarn you though. Most people I have talked to have fallen in love with pdf patterns and it is hard to go back to tissue patterns! The other part of the indie pattern movement is the community that is formed, as most pattern makers have Facebook groups where you can communicate with the designers themselves, as well as fellow sewing enthusiasts. This is another game changer for me because some of the mentoring that you can get on these groups is priceless!
This is just a brief intro to this new endeavour of mine and I will be sharing some of the projects I have been doing. I hope you will enjoy following along with me on this journey of my old past time that has had new life breathed into it!
Embrace Everyday 