Sewingplums

I’ve been bewailing the retirement of famous independent pattern designers such as Lois Ericson and Shirley Adams. But actually there’s a strong new generation emerging, providing us with patterns in current silhouettes and modern fabrics.

Interesting how this piece has turned out. I didn’t deliberately put North American designers in some style categories and European ones in others. I only noticed that in a late draft. My own style groups of course – you might not agree ! Not something for everyone, but useful alternatives to the Big 4.

I haven’t seen examples of all of them, but give some comments on quality.

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Casual classics

J. Stern Designs – Jennifer Stern for tees and jeans, with highly recommended instructions.

I haven’t found a source for these in Europe.

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Soft casuals

Onion (Denmark)
Onion patterns in English

Stoff&Stil (Denmark, ship only to Scandinavia and Germany)
Stoff & Stil site in English.

Ottobre magazine (Finland)
Pattern magazine with instructions in English. Dots ‘n Stripes is a UK source, and gives access to full information about the styles in each issue.

Farbenmix (Germany) – like Ottobre this is mainly a company for children’s patterns, but there are some for Mum too.
Farbenmix site in English – look under Patterns > Women.

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Soft and chic

Hot Patterns – English designers working in Florida. Issue most enticing videos about their patterns.

Colette Patterns

Both these pattern lines available in UK from Sew Box.

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Brilliant prints

Patterns mostly from fabric designers who also issue home dec and bag patterns, with a few garment patterns in current casual styles.
Small ranges of clothing patterns, aimed at crafters and sold in quilt shops.

The new way of using many fabrics in one garment is not to use areas of patchwork but to use a different fabric for each pattern piece.

These are the pattern companies I’ve found available on-line in the UK, no doubt there are more.

Amy Butler

Anna Maria Horner

Bettsy Kingston

Lila Tueller – list of patterns at bottom of right hand menu

Sew Liberated
Book : “Sew Liberated” by Meg McElwee – ideas for appliqué. Despite the cover this has few clothes.

Serendipity Studio
Book : “Sew Serendipity” by Kay Whitt has patterns for basic skirt, peasant top/dress, jacket (both with raglan sleeves), with variations. Here’s a video which shows the character of the book.

These patterns are available on-line in the UK from :

Gone to Earth has patterns by : Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Colette Patterns, Favorite Things, Indygo Junction, Lila Tueller.

Saints and Pinners has patterns by : Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Colette Patterns, Bettsy Kingston, DIY Couture.

Backstitch has patterns by : Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Bettsy Kingston, Colette, Sew Liberated.

Nerybeth Fabric and Crafts has patterns by : Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner, Lila Tueller.

Sew Box has patterns by : Serendipity Studio, DIY Couture.

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Lively lycra

Christine Jonson – pioneer of patterns for lycra fabrics.

I haven’t found a source of her patterns in Europe.

Jalie – Canadian designers of sporty fashions and of patterns for active sports.

Many sources in Europe including Habithat (UK), and Sewing Patterns (Netherlands)

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New Cool

Multisnit (Denmark)
Wide range of styles, many current ‘street’ to boho. Traceable pattern sheet and brief sewing instructions in Danish. Buy in English from Fjoelner.

La Mia Boutique (Italy) – Pattern magazine like Burda in approach, mostly patterns up to max bust size 38 – 42 inches, a few for ‘taglie forti’ and children, some crafts, recipes, beauty tips, brief instructions in Italian with no diagrams. Fashion forward, edgy or ‘street’ styles.

La Mia Boutique, 12 issues a year, is available from :
UK subscription
Italy subscription

Burda Easy magazine (not published in English) also has ‘street’ styles. Some sources of this in my previous post on independent pattern resources.

DIY Couture – (UK) cool and edgy as presented in dark colours. I think these could equally well be made in bright prints/ gentle pastels/ denim and white, for other looks.

Very different. Not a tissue pattern but a 60+ page booklet of photos and diagrams explaining how to cut the fabric and make up, with variations. Obviously a lot of thought and ingenuity has gone into presenting these patterns in a fresh way so they are easy and fun to make, with many variations.

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Luxe Boutique

Au Bonheur des Petites Mains (France)
Au Bonheur site in English

Schnittquelle (Germany)
Schnittquelle site in English

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New generation of instruction books

There’s also a new generation of instruction books, by writers who emphasise how to develop a basic pattern into your own ideas.

I’m happiest with following detailed instructions for techniques, such as in “Sew U” by Wendy Mullen. Her original book is on skirt, shirt, pants. There are now also books on knits, dresses (very mixed reviews), and jackets and coats (patterns tiny). She gives many ideas for variations. Good on techniques for simple pattern changes, sewing instructions not always clear.

It’s this creativity that’s the focus of a flood of books on simple sewing.

A book on very simple pattern making is “Design-it-yourself clothes” by Cal Patch. See Amazon reviews for limitations. Preview of some styles here.

There are several books that tell you how to make a skirt in an afternoon from an old curtain, using rough quick techniques. Or cut up something from a charity shop. I know many people enjoy this, but I’m not like that myself so I’m not the right person to give advice.

Here’s a marvelous blog from someone who does just that to get a New Dress a Day !

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And a new generation of sewing magazines

Many European countries have their own version of a magazine like Burda, with the focus on patterns. Or some pattern lines.
In the UK no one publishes a magazine like that, for some reason, or has a big pattern line (that I know of).

Our new sewing magazines are a bit different. They do provide a main pattern with many variants, but also a mixture of smaller projects and ideas for childrens’ clothes, home dec, toys, embellishment, re-purposing and so on. Magazines for the internet generation, many URLs on every page.

Sew provides a tissue paper pattern with each issue, with instructions for several variations. Instructions for sewing main pattern are minimal with no diagrams. Instructions for small projects may be better, but often assume wide crafting and sewing experience.

Sew Hip has a traceable pattern sheet and diagram patterns. Good instructions with diagrams. Their site is for subscribing only, doesn’t give the flavour of the magazine.

Cloth is a magazine in this style that’s just started, and I haven’t seen an issue yet.

I also like “Sew Stylish” from Threads magazine. Articles on basic technique for beginners. Each issue has an associated Simplicity pattern plus many suggestions for making variations. Difficult to get hold of in Europe, and Threads mailing charges are ferocious (and their site crashes my browsers).

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So fashion sewing is still strong, it just may be in a different form than people like me expect (brought up with very strict criteria for quality workmanship). The emphasis now is on creativity and fun rather than invisible hand stitching!

And for people like me, who are not much interested in ‘being creative’ in our sewing, we can still take pleasure in patterns from people who are in touch with modern attitudes and styles.

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Links available October 2010

This post has been updated in 2 sections :
Choosing necklines
Changing a pattern neckline

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Do you know what is the best neckline for you ? There’s much to consider. There’s the shape of neckline that enhances your upper body. There’s the shape of neckline that flatters your face. And the widths and depths of neckline that go best with your proportions. All that before you even think about pattern making techniques for changing a neckline.

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The neckline shape that flatters your body :

If you search ‘choose neckline’ you’ll find a lot of guidance, especially about the best necklines for your body shape, your combination of neck, shoulders and bust. These are some of the links I like, and which give different perspectives :

[The links I gave in early 2010 are now very out of date. Search ‘neckline” to get a useful selection.]

(P.S. see also Amy Herzog’s ‘Fit to Flatter’ tutorial on necklines.)

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What about flattering your face :

To think about this, you need to be aware of the shape of your facial features – your jaw, lips, nose, eyes, eyebrows – are the edge lines straight or curved ?

‘The Triumph of Individual Style’ is an expensive beautiful book with many reproduction art works of women. The aim is to show that, whatever your shape, someone has found it worth celebrating. There’s an interesting section on facial features, pp. 16 – 21.

Once you’ve decided whether your features are straight or curved, there’s confliciting advice about what to do with this information. Some people say the best neckline echoes the shape of your features. Others say the best neckline counteracts your features, so use curved shapes if you have an angular face, angular ones if you’re curved. Perhaps the choice between these attitudes depends on personal style, rather than there being one answer which is right for everybody.

The shapes of your face might influence for example whether you look better in a V-neckline with straight edges or with a slightly curved shape.

So do some experimenting. Cut neckline shapes from kitchen towel and try them out.

‘The Triumph of Individual Style’ says you can wear any shape of neckline, so long as it balances your face with your body. Though they recommend echoing your jawline.

Personally I agree with going for shapes that echo the curves of my features. Necklines with sharp angles seem out-of-kilter with my face. But then I prefer softer curved looks anyway. And also, I’m old enough to have ‘jowls’. I find my best neckline is the shape that echoes what my jawline shape used to be 😀

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Width of neckline :

Gale Grigg Hazen has an ingenious suggestion about measuring necklines, in her book “Fantastic Fit for Every Body”. Use a 6 inch x 24 inch transparent (quilters) ruler to measure how wide your neck is, and how far your straps are from your centre line.

(GGH-FFEB p.170)

Use these measures to check pattern necklines : wide enough for your neck ? too wide to cover your straps ?

‘The Triumph of Individual Style’ says your neckline or collar opening should be wider than the widest part of your face. For most of us that means we aren’t at our best in a jewel neckline which is close fitting round the neck.

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Depth and balance :

‘The Triumph of Individual Style’ has some fascinating suggestions about flattering neckline depths, pp. 49 – 55. They suggest two ‘balance points’, for high necklines and low.

All their measurements need to be made vertical and straight, with a ruler. Not over the bumps, as you would using a tape measure.

High neckline

Measure vertically from the widest part of your face to the tip of your chin. Your widest point could be at your forehead, your check bones, or somewhere on your jaw.

I’m 3-1/2 inches vertical from cheek bone to tip of chin.

Measure that distance down from the neck end of your shoulder.
Across from there is the most flattering point for your upper neckline.

On me this comes at the level of my collar bones. I’ve long known that a neckline closely fitting my neck doesn’t look good on me.

Low neckline

Measure vertically from your hairline to the tip of your chin.
Or, if you always wear a hair style that substantially covers your forehead, measure down from your hair.

I have a long face, and on me this is 8 inches.

Wear something that you don’t mind sticking a pin into or marking.

Measure the length of your face down from the tip of your chin, On me that comes near my bust point.
Mark that level, which is said to be the most flattering level for lower necklines.

You need to convert this to a measure that can be compared with a pattern. So measure from the neck end of your shoulder down to the pin or marker, this time using a tape measure on your body. Because of collar bones and bust, that is likely to be longer than the vertical measure down from your chin.

I’ve got prominent collar bones, and on me this measurement is 11 inches.

If this point comes low on you, you need to think what this means for you personally. With my long head, the low neckline point comes so low it would need a lot of double sided tape to be at all decent, and would be much more revealing than suits my style. But that doesn’t mean I can’t emphasise necklines to this level. It explains why I like wearing long necklaces, and deep V necks on layering tops and jackets, which are all coming down to that level.

So if you need modesty you could have a more obvious neckline going down to this point, filled to a higher level by something less obvious. And I’m trying out emphasising this level using embellishment, a corsage, or a necklace pendant.

(P.S. Now I know about these balance points, I keep spotting celebrity examples. Wear your neckline below the low balance point if you want all the attention to be on your cleavage !
I think the necklines of most patterns are developed on models with long necks.)

Cut test necklines from kitchen towel, or drape scarves, and see what you think. Image consultant suppliers sell sets of basic neckline shapes made from calico. You can try a much wider variety if you make your own !

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To change a pattern neckline :

To change a neckline, first draw in the stitching lines on the existing pattern. It’s easy to do this with a transparent French Curve with 5/8 inch marked round the curved edge. These lines show the position of the shoulder seam and the finished neckline edge.

The crucial point to identify is where the neck edge meets the shoulder seam, sometimes called the neck point.

So long as you draw your new front finished neckline through this point, you won’t have to alter the back neckline (or vice versa).

If you want a wider or narrower neckline, draw in the new finished neckline position. Then measure how far the new neckline is from the old neck point, along the shoulder seam. Use this measure to find where to start the new back neckline.

To add the new cutting line :
– make some marks 5/8 inch from the stitching line.
The ends of both a tape measure and a seam gauge are 5/8 inch.

– Then join the marks into a smooth curve – easy to do with a French Curve.

Changing the neckline of a wrap top/ dress is a bit more complex. Here’s a tutorial.

P.S. There’s now a Craftsy class by Suzy Furrer on drafting necklines.

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Collars :

Of course, getting the best neckline shape is essential, but only the first step. Then there are collars, bias drapes, bows, ruffles, whatever. But presumably these additions follow the same principle – that they are best when they coordinate with the lines, shapes, and proportions of our bodies.

For example, big collars need to be in proportion to our overall build. (I’ve just been attracted by a large collar jacket pattern, but fortunately thought of checking my personal croquis. A deep collar wider than my shoulders, on a short jacket, would make me look like a heffalump. . .) ‘The Triumph of Individual Style’ has illustrations showing how to adapt classic collar shapes to high and low neckline balance points. And Darlene Miller’s book ‘Your shape, your clothes and you’, has illustrations suggesting curved collars go with curved bodies and straight with straight.

(P.S. There’s a class on drafting simple collars at eSewingWorkshop.

There’s now a Craftsy class by Suzy Furrer on drafting collars.)

Lots of possibilities to think about and try.

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Links available February 2010

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