Little By Little... Inch By Inch...

I'm sorry that I have been a little MIA from blogland lately.  I have been putting in a LOT of time working on my pattern.  Little by little, inch by inch, it's getting there.  Here is a little peek of it as a work in progress.

They aren't all pictured here, but  I now have all 13 sizes finished!  I have a few minor adjustments to make to some of the pieces.  I have been working on illustrations and instructions this week.  I feel sometimes that I am moving at a snail's pace, but I have to keep reminding myself that I am learning something new every time I open Inkscape and that the next time around it will go faster and easier because of what I have learned.  It goes back to the phrase "all beginnings are hard" which rings true once again for me.

I have now also sewn up two tests of the pattern and I am really pleased with the results.  I'm keeping the pattern a little bit of a secret as far as design goes for now, so I don't want to show the pictures JUST yet....  :)

I am hoping to be able to get into testing with it in a few weeks.  If you are interested in possibly testing the pattern out, please let me know and I will be in contact with you when I reach that point. It is a very simple pattern for girls in sizes 3m-10 years.

I have to say again, I could not have come this far if it weren't for Pattern Workshop. Thank you, Lauren!

Until next time,
Happy Sewing!

PS, Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for Finish It Up Friday and Simple Simon's Sewing Saturday because I FINISHED all 13 sizes.  It has taken me several weeks, but I'm finally there!

Pattern Progress

Have I mentioned Lauren Dahl's Pattern Workshop and how great it is?  Oh I have?  Well let me mention it again!  It's fantastic!  I am learning SO much!  Not to mention the Facebook group where I have met a lot of new friends.  We are all learning together and sharing our experiences and expertise.  

I am working on my first PDF pattern.  I hope to be in testing within a couple of months.  Any volunteers out there willing to sign up?  This isn't an official call, but I'm hoping some of you will give some thought to testing the pattern when the time comes.  I promise, it isn't a difficult pattern by any means.  Just a simple little dress in sizes 3months - 8years.  At least that's the size plan for now.  Even novice sewers should have no problem with this pattern.   

I am almost finished with the infant sizes.  Just a few more pieces to draw up and then I will be ready to put some markings and seam allowances on them.  Then on to the bigger sizes.  SO exciting!  

I have also begun working on the illustrations that will go along with the instructions.  Even I am impressed with how professional they look so far.  The illustrations have been pretty easy using Lauren's methods! :)  

I can't wait to finish this pattern up and be able to make it available to you!  

Happy Saturday and Happy Sewing! 

Pattern Workshop

I mentioned a couple of posts ago about Lauren Dahl's amazing course called Pattern Workshop. It is truly a remarkable experience!  You can read more about it on Lauren's Blog.

Last week in the course of just a few hours, I went from nothing but an idea in my head to this...

And from that to this....

This course has taught me so much about drafting a pattern on my computer from nothing but measurements.  This is something that I have wanted to learn how to do for a very long time, but information was scarce.  Like a well kept industry secret or something.  Now, I literally feel like I could just throw out all of the paper patterns from McCalls, and Butterick, and Simplicity that are just taking up space in my studio because I don't need them... I can do it myself and have exactly what I want!  No more tracing and cutting and spreading and dealing with huge pieces of paper and trying to keep my two cats from parking themselves in the middle of all of it. LOL.  

I highly recommend the course for anyone who is interested in pattern design!