The #1 rule of Pattern Club, is you don’t talk about Pattern Club…
This is going to sound totally ridiculous if you’ve never lived with a sewist (or sewer, seamstress, tailor, quilter, or whatever else they choose to call themselves), but the fabric & pattern world is a cutthroat business, with all sorts of copyright battles, cat fights, embezzlement, & huge drama. Think of a profession that is almost exclusively women, then add teenage angst, PMS, and menopause to a mob mentality. On the outside it’s pretty, but on the inside it is nothing but darkness and drama if you don’t work hard to push back against it.
Since I don’t design or sell fabric or patterns, I’m able to steer clear of the insanity & choose to remain a casual observer (read: lurking to ensure that none of the people I order from are either psycho or a huge fraud). Really, my favourite part of “Pattern Club” is to see what others have been creating, and to get ideas for my own creations. What was most confusing when I first started this journey is that *sometimes* it’s ok to ask the poster which pattern they used & where they got their fabric, and other times it is totally inappropriate, and they will become very angry or frustrated with you (and the 40 million other people who want to know) for asking.
The main reason for this is that anyone who sews to sell (most are Work At Home Moms – WAHMs) does not want someone to go out and reproduce their one-of-a-kind creations & suddenly become the competition, or start under-selling them. The other reason is that while their item may be made from a base pattern, it’s likely that at some point they have mashed two or more patterns together, or used a pattern of their own creation, to design the item, and sharing that information with you for free in a public forum would again create competition, but also discount the tons of hours they put into testing to get it just right. Really, the seriousness of Pattern Club, right here. So you can imagine the drama when someone goes ahead & copies/scams someone else. Ugh.
ANYWAYS. While I’m also not willing to share every little detail of everything that I make, I do love sharing some of my favourite pattern shops, because these owners deserve some crazy credit for being as awesome as they are! In no particular order, here we go:
PATTERNS
Patterns for Pirates – this is the only affiliate link that I have on my entire blog! But also, I’m am in LOVE with her patterns, they are so easy to alter for the perfect fit (I’m short, so there is no perfect fit for me without alterations), and even easier to sew up. The Facebook page is here if you want to see what people are up to with her patterns, or if you need some help putting one together. If you’re going to get anything from Judy, please use my link & help feed my sickness addiction pattern collection!
Max & Meena – most of these pants patterns have an option for cloth diaper bums and disposable diaper/slim fit bums, which we love. Plus you can’t argue with a pair of pants that will fit your kid from 6 months to 3yrs old. #MaxaloonesFTW
The Facebook page is here for ideas & help.
Made for Mermaids – she is actually the sister of Judy from Patterns for Pirates! Their style is similar, but different, and if I’m sewing for myself I will almost always choose a P4P over a M4M – but for the kids, it’s one of my go-tos. This one is especially great if you’re sewing for a whimsical, girly-girl little girl. Facebook group here.
Beautiful Pie Shop – one word: slippers! Really, enough said. Other than here‘s their Facebook page.
Stitch Upon a Time – seriously, these are THE most comfortable underwear you will EVER wear in your life. After my c-section every single waist band on every single pair of underwear I had dug into the incision, and no matter where it fell on my belly, it would settle itself in that exact spot. Scrundlewear to the rescue! And their Facbeook group, here. One of their dresses is next on my must-try list this summer, whenever I get around to finishing some of the projects I’ve already started…
Did I miss one of your favourites? Maybe I just haven’t tried them yet! Leave a comment to let me know – I’m always on the lookout for designers to love and promote!
XOXO
#RandomsByRydz 
Never heard of “pattern club” even though I’ve been sewing all my life. But I find what you say quite interesting, and it ties in with society’s general lack of respect for what women do. Yes, I know I’m making a bold statement, but if we lived in a world where abilities was what defined you, not sex or race, this would not be an issue because nobody would dream of stealing the design of others so blatantly.
LikeLike
I’m not convinced that this is only limited to respect for what women do, since it’s not just limited to the sewing/pattern industry, but it happens in any industry that relies on creative talent. Think of how many people prefer to download movies, music, or TV shows rather than pay the creators for their intellectual property. Or a recent high tech example is the Apple vs Samsung/Samsung vs Apple lawsuits. And these are industries dominated by men.
LikeLiked by 1 person