NatWest Bring it 2020 has provided £500 of match funding
Print-a-Pattern : Sustainable Sewing Patterns
London, England, United Kingdom
Aim
Skip the Sweatshops - Create your Clothes.
The main aim of Print-A-Pattern is to create sewing patterns for contemporary sewists. Producing designs that are trendy and modern yet timeless with sustainable values like offsetting carbon footprint by planting trees.
Story
I opened Print-A-Pattern as a tiny startup at the beginning of 2019, and have grown it over the last year to a handful of patterns available for purchase on Etsy and my website, www.print-a-pattern.com. The aim is to create size-inclusive sewing patterns in both PDF and printed+posted formats. Starting off with women´s designs with a goal to branch into men´s patterns.
I want my customers to feel proud of the garments they create while decreasing their carbon footprint. I believe that including craft in daily life is the way forward to a sustainable lifestyle.
This Crowdfunder is a part of Bring It 2020 Competition and I hope to raise the funds to offer sustainable fabrics, threads, and sewing accessories via post. I also plan to offer sewing classes for beginners and advanced sewists in London.
But why create your own garments?
With our ever-increasing access to information, we are learning about the heavy carbon footprint of our fast-fashion wardrobes as well as the conditions suffered by sweatshop workers. This leads to people questioning the ethics of our wardrobes. This is where the movement of creating your own garments comes in.
Sewing your own garments has many advantages:
- The garment you make will uniquely fit your body and lifestyle
- It’s unlikely someone will make anything identical
- You get to be the creative director. Take control of your wardrobe.
- There are many types of sustainable fabrics available
- You learn a new skill: Sewing is an ever-evolving skill and you will be proud of what you will learn along the way
And it also means less waste from production, less sweatshops and less poorly-fitted garments heading for landfill. What you get instead is more craft, more control, and more fun.
Patterns at Print-A-Pattern
For this crowdfunding campaign, I have designed 3 new sewing patterns. Each pattern has different design features, but all encompass flattering characteristics.
The patterns come in the range of 4 - 32 UK sizes inclusive of seam allowances. With each sewing pattern comes an instruction leaflet including step-by-step sewing instructions on how to cut and assemble the PDF pattern and the garment.
On offer are both A4 and Letter Size PDFs to cater for the UK, European, North American, Australian and Overseas sewists.
Sewing Pattern : The Top/Dress 007 is a fitted body with breast and waist darts or a princess seam. The pattern has four options for length; cropped, top, midi or tea-length dress. It can be made sleeveless or with a gathered sleeve with two lengths; long sleeve with a cuff or a shorter version. The pattern also has three neckline options; round, boat and a V-neckline. The opening can be a zip at center back or finished off with a keyhole finish.
Sewing Pattern : The Top/Dress 008 is an A-lined body without breast seams. It has a gathered neckline and the raglan sleeve has three length options; above the elbow, below elbow or sleeveless. It also has three options for length; top, midi or tea dress. It has an option for an elastic to be added to the waistline and the sleeves can be hemmed with or without an elastic. Furthermore, the pattern has the option of being made into a halter or with an open back. It has the option to be finished off with a zip in the center back or hooks for the open back option.
The Jacket 009 is a loosely fitted body with two large patch pockets that come in two options and with an optional flap. The pattern has two sleeve options; fitted sleeve or regular. The pattern also has two collar options; shawl or lapelless. Furthermore, it has two length options; jacket or coat. The pattern comes inclusive of a lining option but the jacket can also be made unlined.
Sustainability at Print-A-Pattern
I believe in fusing business with sustainability as there will be no business without a planet. Print-A-Pattern has trees planted via the One Tree Planted organisation. By being a registered donor Print-A-Pattern has pledged to have trees planted for each pattern purchased by our customers.
- Offsetting the carbon footprint of each purchase + printing or shipping by planting trees.
- Using a green energy supplier to create the sewing patterns and instructions.
- Using Deadstock and recycled fibre/fabrics for sample garments.
What has happened so far at Print-A-Pattern?
Since launching at the beginning of 2019 I have:
- Designed and launched a website
- Designed, created and launched 8 PDF sewing patterns
- Expanded PDF to A4 + US Letter size options
- Launched social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
- Created strategic social media campaigns and an aesthetic for the brand of Print-A-Pattern.
- Written a business plan
- Created plans to expand the size range for the sewing patterns on offer.
- Grown a group of authentic testers for pre-testing patterns before launching.
- Written an article for a widely distributed sewing magazine.
- Purchased a small batch of deadstock fabric for resale
What's in the plans for Print-A-Pattern´s future?
The aim of this crowdfunding is to collect funds to finance the following:
- Creating and launching a new sewing pattern monthly.
- Expanding the size range from 4-20 UK to 32 UK for all sewing patterns
- Creating the first batch of printed patterns and the packaging
- Setting up and hosting sewing workshops for beginners and advanced sewers.
- Setting up a limited company
- Creating illustrative content for the blog about sewing techniques and tips/tricks for fitting, altering, etc.
- Stock great quality thread, zippers, and haberdashery
- Expand deadstock fabric on offer
About the Founder
Print-A-Pattern was founded by me, Elin Olafsdottir from Reykjavik, Iceland. I am a creative pattern cutter gone entrepreneur, who studied fashion design and pattern-cutting at Istituto Secoli in Milan, Italy. I have now made a home in the fashion mecca that is London, UK.
Creating Items of clothing has been my interest since sitting down with my grandmother for my first sewing lesson as a kid back in Iceland. Ever since being introduced to the world of sewing and having those skills passed down to me, I have held a passion for the development of personal identity through clothing and style.
It's my passion for the creative process involved in constructing garments that is the drive behind Print-A-Pattern. Since having studied and worked in the fashion industry over the last 10 years I want to share my passion and learned skills in pattern cutting and garment construction with those interested in the craft of sewing.
I honestly believe what we wear says so much about us - this applies even more when we get to decide the entire look of a garment by making it ourselves.
The Rewards
The rewards I am offering are split into two categories: The Sewers & The Supporters. I wanted to make sure that I have rewards for the fabulous sewists, and for the ones that want to back my business but don´t sew.
The Sewers Rewards include:
PDF INSTANT DOWNLOAD FILES
£ 10 : One PDF Sewing Pattern. The choice is yours between the three.
£ 20 : Two PDF Sewing Patterns. The choice is yours between the three.
£ 30 : All Three PDF Sewing Patterns.
Due date : 30th of April 2020
PRINTED A0 PATTERNS
£ 19 : One A0 Sewing Pattern via post. The choice is yours between the three.
£ 37 : Two A0 Sewing Patterns via post. The choice is yours between the three.
£ 52 : All Three A0 Sewing Patterns via post.
Due date : 31st of May 2020
WORKSHOP BACKER
£ 70 : You will get a seat in my first workshop in London, UK.
The Supporters Rewards include:
£ 21 : The Supporters Tote is a classic tote bag made from recycled plastic bottles and recycled organic cotton. Certified with global recycled standard and organic cotton produced to Fair Wear Foundation certification. The tote is screen printed in the UK by a company that pays living wages.
Crowdfunding?
The opportunity to crowdfund with the “Bring it 2020” Competition is key in order to raise the funds to take my business to the next step.
Crowdfunding is also just such a beautiful way for the public to contribute towards projects, entrepreneurs they believe in and smaller companies that share their own vision of what the future should hold.
I am thankful for every pledge and hope that through the sewing patterns at Print-A-Pattern I can be a part of someone's marvelous journey to create their own fabulous wardrobe.
If you have any questions reach out to me on [email protected].
Print-A-Pattern Website
Print-A-Pattern Instagram
Print-A-Pattern Facebook
Print-A-Pattern Press Kit
This project successfully funded on 6th April 2020