Turning an unpopular opinion into positive feedback
A few weeks ago The Love to Sew Podcast posted a question about the unpopular takes about sewing. This is not going to be one of those and remember I moderate comments on my YouTube so don’t go off on a hot take because it’s not going to be one of those. But it got a little too hot in the post so the ladies from Love to Sew achieved the post and that was that. But then Alexandria Arnold who happens to be a journalist in her full time job posted her “What your Unpopular Sewing Opinions?” post and I have linked and although I think some of them are out right mean and someone of the other unpopular opinions, I’m afraid are true. I appreciate that Alexandria has kept this post up.
What am I talking about… here are some of them.
A lot of these new, so-called indie patterns are aimed at total beginners, everything is so boxy, shapeless, and not flattering for any type of body. If it is a women's pattern, please make an effort and draft something that distantly resembles a woman's silhouette. Fed up with baggy crap.
1)The world does not need another boxy top, baggy elastic waistband pants or another sack dress pattern.
2) patterns you need to buy an extension pack for, like the lining for a jacket… ain’t nobody wants to wear a unlined coat in winter 🥶
3) when the launch pictures are all made out of cutesy jersey prints… I’m pushing 40 and don’t want to dress like a 12 year old.
4) why are all the patterns aimed at beginners?
5) can someone please release a range of chic work wear patterns? A capsule for summer months and winter months? I spend 80% of my life in the office and I can’t show up in party 👯 dresses.
6) there are more party 👯 dress patterns out there than parties 🎊 that I have attended in the last 10 years.
Whatever size you are, nobody owes you anything.
I don't care for pattern subscriptions and if you are a pattern designer hear this... If you keep putting out badly designed patterns every month that are missing pattern pieces, or things are mislabeled its gonna hurt your core customers in the end.
and that last one…. is mine. That is my unpopular sewing opinion. We started a new month and you get to see some of the new releases from these subscriptions and I do understand that these patterns will be simpler in terms of design because it is at a lower price point, the pattern designer is not spending as much time with it double checking it, doing pattern testing. So I get that, but not everyone is as “forgiving” and in the end your core customers, the ones that buy your pattern all the time will start second guessing themselves if they should buy the pattern at your premium price point if you are putting out subpar patterns.
Let’s also be realistic, I don’t care what politicians or the government says that everything is ok. Inflation is taking a huge big bite out of discretionary spending, things are not good. Big tech laid off a bunch of people, Fabric.com closed! Small business is struggling, fabric stores are struggling… when have you all seen so many sales from a fabric store saying 50% off everything in the store, 20% off this entire weekend from everything or so many pattern makers having sales? If you are in the US you know, eggs are at a premium. Let’s face it money is tight! For everyone! So that means we are all a little extra picky on what we spend our “play money”.
Don’t believe me, take a look at blog post “Next Steps for BHL” from Alisalex from By Hand London and how difficult it has been but also how perhaps doing a second size range was very expensive and somewhat unprofitable for her. I commend her for being honest and seeing what is not working for her and her business on top of all the personal setbacks that she has had.
Do I have the answer to all the hot takes…. no. Would I love to give feedback to some of these pattern companies…. yes. However, I don’t know all the ins and outs their business nor do I know what hurdles they have ie. Printing patterns and the cost related to that so I’m not in a position to give feedback when I don’t know all the parts and pieces of a business. BUT for now I’m going to ask you to use the comments below and tell the pattern companies what do you want to see their next pattern to be. We complained enough about not having the finished garment measurements in the back of the pattern envelopes so eventually someone listened to the feedback, took the bull by the horns and changed that!
SO….What garment would you love to see designed and released by the pattern makers. If you could get just ONE pattern designed and released… what would it be! Tell me in the comments below. Choose wisely, you only get one, so make it count.
