Meg McCarthy joins us to chat about pattern testing! We discuss the pattern testing process and her pattern testing experience over the years. We also talk about her successful blog, Cookin’ and Craftin’, and her involvement in the sewing community.
This episode is brought to you by Kinship Handwork! Join the Make-it-Your-Own Project now and receive three patterns, along with tutorials on how to fit them to your body and then alter them into new patterns you’ll LOVE! The regular price is $30, but love to sew listeners can join in for HALF PRICE by going to kinshiphandwork.com/lovetosew!
This episode is also brought to you by The Association of Sewing and Design Professionals, a close-knit community that provides education and support to existing small businesses as well as those interested in starting their own sewing business. New members can get $35 off their application by going to sewingprofessionals.com/join and using code “WELCOME”!
Follow Meg!
- Instagram – @cookinandcraftin
- Blog – Cookin’ and Craftin’
Love to Sew episode mentions:
Cookin and Craftin blog posts and references:
View this post on Instagram
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- The Sewcialists
- The Curvy Sewing Collective
- ‘Let’s talk about pattern testing!’ Crafting a Rainbow blog post
Gillian includes her Instagram poll results on pattern testing in this blog post!
Patterns mentioned in this episode:
- York Pinafore by Helen’s Closet Patterns
- Hudson Pants by True Bias
- Zadie Jumpsuit by Paper Theory Patterns
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I think this issue of the pattern testers getting compensated is so interesting. I understand how it got to be the way. There must be enough women willing to do it for “free”. I am racking my brain to think of a similar situation where men where they are willing to give their time for free to a for profit business. I do not think getting a free pattern is compensation for the amount of time it would take to make a garment and comment on it. If one is in business to make a profit then I think this should be a cost of doing business like the lights, phones and printing. This really sounds like a job to me.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this topic, Suzanne!
Hi just listened to this post which was very interesting. I agree with Suzanne’s comment. If you are running a business – this has to be part of the business costs.
Thanks so much for listening and sharing your input, Ingrid!
I am surprised that everyone thinks that being an Indie Designer means bags of money is being made ?. I know of one designer who spent a total of 80 hours to get a pattern to launch and sold 5 upon release. On average the total $ spent to get a pattern up for release is approx $2600 before any profit is made – that is a lot of patterns to be sold before any profit is made or recompense to be afforded to the pattern testers. If we lived in an ideal world compensation of pattern testers would be FABULOUS !!!
From an Indie Pattern Designer.
Thanks so much for sharing your input, Michelle!