i started sewing in november 2021 because my day job involves throwing around a lot of fabric and i was surrounded by people who know things about clothes. they were able to get me set up with a little ole sewing machine and pointed me towards some patterns, and the rest is history. am i good at it? not particularly. do i derive pleasure from it? yes. that’s all you need!
i’m not quite at the level where i can draft my own patterns, which is both on account of not knowing enough and also just plain not having the space to lay out a pattern block and work on it. unlike someone who maybe has this as their only hobby i have to share my real estate with a shit ton of other materials etc, which means i end up cutting out all my garment pieces on the floor and ironing on a towel-covered corner of my kitchen table (which is also my sewing table). i have deemed this method of doing shit “chaos sewing” and so far everyone i talk about it to seems to just be excited that i made whatever garment i’m talking about myself. i’m not complaining (i like attention).
i primarily sew women’s clothes right now because the absolute dearth of interesting men’s clothing patterns is deeply sad. one day i will learn how to make the adjustments necessary to make them more fitting to my weird ole body, but for now i just omit bust darts and it works out in the wash. i’ve been avoiding Big Company patterns mostly because a lot of them look shitty; indie patterners seem to have a much better handle on clothes people actually might wear. my favourites thus far are:
anna allen patterns (GOOD PANTS! they’re high waisted and historically-based, which are two things i’m a huge sucker for. i’ve made the persephone shorts and am partway through sewing the helene jeans.)
assembly line patterns (i have made 4 of the cap sleeve shirts. they take about half an hour from yardage to finished shirt and they’re super breezy and comfortable. i will probably make like 4 more once i find a cotton poplin or shirting that i’m absolutely head over heels in love with. their almost long trouser pattern is good too, but for some reason i forgot that it was going to be cropped when i sewed it and the pants were. they were short.)
seamworks (excellent for beginners. their negroni shirt is a real workhorse of a pattern— a camp collar shirt that comes in both short and long sleeve versions. i turned it into my first attempt at a cowboy shirt and it was shockingly easy to mess around with. very clear instructions and a lot of different patterns. only gripe is it’s fairly pricey for a pdf.)
merchant and mills (i don’t like their art direction but i do like their patterns. very simple, imminently wearable. i made a pair of their harlene overalls out of shitty black corduroy and even though i fouled up the buttons on the sides i still deeply love em. i’m going to make a pair of short-veralls with the same pattern soon because i didn’t realize how nice they are to wear.)
okay that’s it. i’m not getting paid for these recommendations, these are pure unfiltered straight from my dome style promotions.