When I tried to start a sewing meetup a few years ago, I got to learn a lot about what types of people are sewing, what their goals are, skill levels and what types of garments interest them. It was really eye opening…I thought everyone wanted to sew glamourous clothes they had no place to wear like me. However, I found that a lot of people wanted to sew simple, comfortable garments, for everyday wear. Loose fitting dresses, simple blouses and boxy cardigans. I also found out about a whole new world of pdf independent patterns. Something I had been largely ignorant of.
Do I like the new independent patterns? I think some of them are modern and fresh and I feel like they certainly do have a place in the market. A lot of the patterns I have seen are great for new sewers because they are simple and easy to sew. They are usually on trend as well. Another thing I like is they come with tutorials and you can usually find lost of examples on social media to inspire you.
What I don’t like and maybe this is just me….I think some of the designs are less complex than the patterns I buy from the big 4. There are less design features, little tucks or secret structure that make a garment really special. If you have read all of my blog posts, you will see my first swimsuit which was an independent pattern. I loved the look of the pattern but if I am being honest, I think most of the swimsuit patterns I have from the big 4 are designed better. I haven’t sewn every independent pattern out there so I know there are great ones but I still really like old fashioned patterns from the big 4.
I think it’s important to keep an eye on the competition so this week I sewed 2 Tudor Blouses from Stitch Witch Patterns. The first one I sewed was the classic version. I will fess up and tell you I had issues with my sewing machine for this one. It’s imperfect in a lot of ways but I will say it was easy to sew. I made it out of thrifted fabric and buttons. Please don’t look too close or you will see all the strange things I did on it. Lol.
The second version I made went a lot smoother as I had fixed my machine issues. The wrap version does end rather high up for my 44 year old super white body so it needs to be worn over a dress or with a high waisted garment. I used some thrifted fabric which I think may have been part of a curtain and in the back I used raw black silk as I didn’t have enough of the mystery curtain fabric.
Anyways, the blouse pattern from Switch Patterns is lovely. I would recommend it to anyone, especially new sewers. The one issue is the pdf format, it’s alot of paper, ink and puzzle making with tape. Now that I have it cut I can make it easily again but the time to put it together was really annoying – another reason to love old style paper patterns.
I noticed in my pattern stash I have a very similar pattern by McCalls and I look forward to making it and comparing my experience/results to this pattern. Unfortunately, I have some PJ’s and a men’s swimsuit to make first….but I promise to share my experience when I get there.
Style Sewciety 