I agree. Just squares and rectangles. Once you’ve seen one I think you’ve seen them all, and no shade to Birgitta Helmersson but with no shaping I think they look a bit amateurish when finished. No pattern pieces, just a list of measurements and instructions, doesn’t seem worth the money somehow.
Just hit the general pattern link in the info box and what did I see? A mature aged woman with lines and grey hair - beautiful! It made me feel very inspired to keep sewing. Great to see the indie companies putting their lovely designs on mature aged women. More power to Fibre Mood and the other designers acknowledging this group of sewists. Thanks, Karen
Am I alone in finding many of the “indie”patterns a too bit bland / boxy / unfitted? I do rather feel as if so much is being repeated. ( Yes, the big companies do this, but I would hope to see something more avant-garde from the indies). Plus, the biggies do very similar at a much cheaper price - sorry! I’d love to see some indies which have more fitting too. For example: Till the Sun Goes Down has some lovely fitted patterns that are vintage, but can be tweaked.
I mean boxy/oversized is really on-trend right now so of course there are lots of options, but there are plenty of other styles available from the indie companies as well. It's maybe a little harder to search for them because of the increasing number and variety of brands.
Agreed! I feel like there is a crusade against sleeves atm with all these dolman, raglan, grown on sleeves nonsense. People say it’s on trend but it’s only on trend cause designers take the easy way making loosing fitting stuff.
I’ve made the Reynolds and it’s brilliant. Unlike the Ogden, it actually fits my bust a lot better. The centre back seam gives the dress more shape than just a big box. If you choose a viscose/linen, it’s the perfect flowy summer dress.
Fab as usual Kate and I'm loving the look of trench coat by Grainline Studio...big fan of their patterns 👌💝. Loving your decoration and brilliant thumbs up picture... great fun 👍👍👍😁😘
Thanks, Kate! I just love these videos. I was wondering if you (or anyone else here) could recommend a shirt pattern for me? (The Viki sews one here is lovely, but a little too complicated for me, I think.) I want to sew a flannel shirt that is not too oversized, but with a simple style that I could pair with jeans for casual days in the office. I'd say I'm a confident beginner, but I'm willing to build new skills, so I could try to tackle a real collar for instance. What do you think? Any suggestions? (Would love something from an independent designer as I usually need some sort of sewalong for the complicated bits.)
I would whole heartedly recommend Liesl and Co classic shirt. You get proper collar and cuffs with quality instructions you will appreciate. 100% recommend
Itch to Stitch has multiple options for shirts (Montana is a good one) and she has very good instructions with illustrations to get you through all the steps.
Also check out Seamwork. Lots of beginner-friendly designs. the Natalie shirt might be good for what you describe (not just because it's my name lol 😂)
