INDEPENDENT SEWING PATTERN COMPANIES: 2020 PICKS, A TO Z

In my Sustainable Sewing online course, I talk a lot about supporting independent pattern makers.

Learn more via my SUSTAINABLE SEWING ONLINE COURSE

If you’re new to indie pattern companies, I wanted to give you a kickstart to checking some out. (There are other far more complete indie pattern company roundups out there, just do your best internet search to find them.)

Here’s a quick pick of indie patterns & pattern companies, from the letter A to the letter Z:

A is for the Agnes jersey top by Tilly and the Buttons - I have my pattern cut out, just gotta stitch it up

B is for By Hand London, I want to make their Hannah dress

C is for Chalk & Notch, patterns for women & children

D is for Deer and Doe, patterns for women in a range of sizes

E is for Emerald Erin, for bralettes and boyshorts

F is for Friday Pattern Co., maker of the Wilder Gown which I’ve made and love

G is for the Greer jumpsuit by Hey June Handmade, there’s a sleeve add-on available too

H is for the Hosta tee & sweatshirt pattern by Fancy Tiger Crafts, which comes in XS-4X

I is for In the Folds’ everyday easy pieces

J is for the Jeanne knit PJ set by Jalie

K is for Kosedo Studio; I have my eye on the Lima dress with puff sleeves

L is for Laela Jeyne’s swimsuits in sizes 00-30

M is for Montauk trousers by Liesl & Co.

N is for Nina Lee’s Park Lane dress and blouse

O is for the Orton bag by Merchant & Mills, simple and roomy

P is for the Polaris top by French Poetry, it looks like a simple, fun make

Q is for nothing I could find, so let’s mention Closet Core’s Carolyn pajamas!

R is for Rad Patterns, because they aim to make patterns for everyone

S is for the Stowe bag by Grainline Studio - you could make so many reusable bags

T is for TRUE BIAS - I’m interested in sewing the Hudson pant or the Yari jumpsuit

U is for the Underwood tank and dress by Sew House Seven, it comes in curvy fit too

V is for the Vita Dress & Blouse by Bella Loves Patterns - I’d love to make one of these

W is for Wiksten Patterns, simple and classic sewing patterns for women & kids

X is for a bunch of sewing patterns for doggy clothes by The Tailoress

Y is for the Yanta overalls, by Helen’s Closet Patterns

Z is for the Zadie jumpsuit by Paper Theory - I sewed one and I love it (photos & info in this journal post)

Thanks for reading & please check out my SUSTAINABLE SEWING ONLINE COURSE!

SUSTAINABLE SEWING: A camp shirt from a vintage tablecloth

In my SUSTAINABLE SEWING online course, I talk about sustainable options for fabrics. Here’s an example of how I upcycled a vintage tablecloth.

I had a vision: to sew a camp shirt out of a vintage tablecloth. And here it is! 

I thought it would look cute, but I also did it because I love the earth so much and it brings me joy to reuse materials as much as possible. (I’ve reused this vintage pattern thrice.)

The square tablecloth wasn’t very big, so I had to use a few tricks to get all the pattern pieces cut out of it. 

I’ve learned a lot about reusing secondhand & non-traditional materials over the last decade, ever since I merged my passions for sewing & sustainability. I decided to share what I’ve learned: My new online course about Sustainable Sewing is launching very soon! Head to the home page to make sure you’re notified when it launches. 

Thanks for stopping by, and please check out my SUSTAINABLE SEWING online course!

SUSTAINABLE SEWING: Another 1970s skirt

In my SUSTAINABLE SEWING online course, I talk about sustainable options for fabric and patterns, including vintage and secondhand.

I just finished this skirt out of a bold red & white print I recently bought secondhand from Austin Creative Reuse. Look closely & you’ll see there’s an additional floral texture in the fabric.

Other than the fabric, I had all the supplies for this skirt in my studio. Sewing from your stash is a great way to reduce waste. I was able to find the vintage buttons from my magic button jar, which never disappoints. This is the third time I’ve made this skirt from McCall’s 5460 (©️1977) so even the secondhand pattern is getting reused.

Pro-tip: Whenever you have a button placket that gaps open (it happens around convex areas of the body), you can sew in a secret snap to keep it closed.

This pear tree is right outside of my art studio. There must be more than a hundred pears growing on it. Isn’t it magical?

I’m wearing the MORE LOVE tee I designed & produced for Dead Rock West, and the message seems more relevant than ever.

Thank you for stopping by, and please check out my SUSTAINABLE SEWING online course!

SUSTAINABLE SEWING: Zadie jumpsuit

In my SUSTAINABLE SEWING online course, I talk about supporting indie pattern designers. Here are some photos of my Zadie jumpsuit by Paper Theory Patterns.

Sewing as self-care. We are all navigating multiple streams of 💩 right now. Sewing has felt therapeutic for me. 

I finished this #ZadieJumpsuit by indie pattern maker Paper Theory & I’m digging it! The fabric was a bunch of leftover scraps given to me by Tony of Tellason (they’d made some men’s shirts out of it). It‘s a beautiful Japanese fabric & a great choice for this jumpsuit.

I took a bunch of self-timer photos so I could share the finished jumpsuit, but when I looked at the first batch all I could see was sadness & anxiety in my face. 😟Then I had the idea that I should go pose with one of the trees outside my art studio. Trees soothe me, nature soothes me. And it worked! I felt better taking photos with the big beautiful tree. I even smiled for a second. 

The reason I (re)use secondhand materials in my art is because of my deep love for the earth. 🌎 So posing with a tree is actually appropriate & I think I’ll do it more often.

Thank you for stopping by, and please check out my SUSTAINABLE SEWING online course if you’re interested in inspiring ideas for making your own sewing practice more sustainable!