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Transcript: 

Caroline: We are recording today on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw peoples, including Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, Musqueam, and K’ómoks first nations.

Hello and welcome to Love to Sew. I’m Caroline, the owner of Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns.

Helen: And I’m Helen, the designer behind Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co.

Caroline: We’re two sewing buds who love to sew and it’s all we know how to talk about.

Helen: Today we’re interviewing low-waste pattern designer Cris Wood. We chat with her about how her patterns work, her design process, and what draws her to low-waste patternmaking. We also talk about her cool and colourful personal sewing.

Caroline: If you love to sew, this is your show.

Helen: Hello, Cris. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.

Cris: Hello, thank you for having me. I’m excited to be here.

Helen: Oh, we’re so excited to have you. Can you please introduce yourself to our listeners?

Cris: Yes, my name is Cris Wood and I am a pattern designer.

Helen: Ooh, We love having a pattern designer on the show. Cris, where are you from?

Cris: I was born in San Jose, California and lived all over California until I moved here to Seattle about seven years ago.

Caroline: Amazing. And we definitely want to hear all about your sewing journey. So can we kick it off with you just telling us how and when you learned to sew?

Cris: Yeah, absolutely. So I learned to sew when I was about 10 years old on the machine. My mother taught me how to do that after I’d shown a lot of interest in hand sewing. I was making clothes for my Barbies starting at about 8 or 9 years old, using my mom’s scraps and her orange plastic sewing kit, which I think a lot of people of my generation remember. Yeah, just sitting at the kitchen table and hand sewing. And then I spent a lot of time in her fabric stash and pattern stash, just looking at the illustrations. And I had an interest in fashion and clothes from a very early age. My mother sewed quite a bit. I think it was just pretty obvious to her that that was something I needed to learn. And so we sat down at the sewing machine and I think I sewed a bag, like a tote bag for my first project. And then I was in 4-H. So by the time I was like 13 or 14, I had moved on to, like, full outfits and garment sewing.

Caroline: Oh my gosh.

Helen: Wow! That’s amazing. And have you been sewing ever since or has there been a period in your life where you haven’t sewn?

Cris: Yeah, I took a long break from sewing in my 20s. I just had a lot of things to work through and I didn’t have the right living situation. I think I was without a sewing machine for a while. And during that time I was playing music. So I also am a musician, and have been since a young age, as well. In my twenties, I shifted my focus to music. And then as my living situation changed and I, I didn’t move away from music ever, I’ve been in bands this whole time, but I don’t know, there just became a point where it was like, I was staying at home more, and I realized sewing was missing from my life, and I had opportunities to make costumes for my friends who were also in bands. So that’s how I got back into it. Was doing costuming for performers that were my friends that I, you know, just from my community of music people. And then after that, I was making custom garments out of scraps and vintage clothes. I started selling that stuff. And then I started selling handmade. And then I didn’t like that anymore and I started making patterns.

Helen: Long story short.

Cris: Long story short. Yeah. It’s been a long, it’s been decades of just trying to remain flexible and just doing what’s presented to me. So when I have the opportunity to make a change, then I just go with it.

Helen: You’re rolling with it. Well, I think a lot of our listeners can relate to taking a hiatus from sewing and then coming back to it later on in life. And I love that you were making stuff for your bandmates and for performances. That must’ve been so fun. And before we talk about your pattern company, I want to know, what instrument do you play?

Cris: I started on piano and then, really, I’m a vocalist. So I took voice lessons starting at 12 and all through high school. But I played bass. And I’ve played bass in many bands. And keyboard, yeah. And some percussion.

Caroline: Oh my gosh.

Cris: So basically, whatever. I’m the person you call when you just need somebody.

Helen: Who can also make you a cool outfit to wear.

Cris: And I show up with my sewing machine and my microphone.

Caroline: Oh my gosh, do you, are you still playing music? Can we look you up and find some of your music online?

Cris: I’m not playing at the moment. So, just about a year ago, my band disbanded. We were called The Middle Ages. And before that, I had my own band called Crystalette and Company. We did 60s covers, deep soul cuts and stuff. And then a 60s girl group before that called The Bitter Honeys.

Caroline: That is so fun.

Helen: Oh my gosh, great name.

Cris: It’s all on, it’s all on Bandcamp if anyone wanted to check it out.

Caroline: Oh my gosh, will do. Amazing. Okay. We do want to talk about your pattern company, but wait, I also want to know, can you tell us a little bit more about the costumes that you made or the outfits that you made for performances?

Cris: Oh yeah, it’s really one of the most fun, creative times of my sewing journey. So for my own band, since we were like a 60s girl group, we had three women singing and playing on stage. And then the rest of the band behind us. So we really wanted that 60s, transport you into another time vibe. So I made these floor length sequined gowns, three different sets, and they were basically form-fitting, but like, one had a mermaid kind of skirt, one was a halter, one had a square neckline. So they’re all the same but different. And so I did that for my own bands. And then at the time, and this is the early 2000s, so it’s like very clubby, lots of spandex, lots of this no-wave sort of music movement. Lots of shiny spandex unitards and latex. And yeah, so fun, so much fun. And going to the club and seeing people in my outfits. And then a friend of mine who had a dance company, I made some outfits for them. And my kind of, this is a little bit off, but one of my friends is a performer who does like an ironic magicians show, an ironic magic show. It’s, like, very, very funny. And I made all the costumes for that show, which involved, like, a tear-away sequined white suit.

Caroline: Wow.

Helen: Wow.

Cris: Yeah, basically, whatever. Yeah, just like the craziest, most fun stuff during that period.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. If you can dig up any photos and you’re willing to share, I am dying to see some of these costumes. They sound incredible.

Cris: Yeah. 100%.

Caroline: All right. Segue over. I think we should talk about your amazing pattern company. It’s called Cris Wood Sews. And yeah, can you tell us a little bit more about how you came to start your pattern business and what the inspiration was behind that?

Cris: Yeah, so the year was 2020. The month was March, and…

Caroline: Okay. I remember it well.

Cris: Yes, so at the time, I was teaching sewing and after school programs to grade school kids, which was great and super fun. And I loved it. But when the pandemic hit, of course I couldn’t teach anymore. So I was just sitting at home, wondering what to do with myself. The company I worked for who employed all of these teachers was trying to get zoom set up and a system for online classes, which eventually we were able to do, but in the meantime, I had been sitting on this idea about releasing a dress that I had been making for myself and posting and that had been getting, a lot of people just seemed to like it. And so I thought, maybe I’ll take those chicken scratch notes of mine and write them out and see if I can, I don’t know, what happens if I just put it on Squarespace or something. I really had, it was such a weird time. It just seemed like, throw anything out there and see if it sticks. You know, it was like, I felt like I was in this blank space, waiting for, to see what was going to happen with my job. And so it wasn’t like, “Okay, I’m going to sit down and write a business plan.” And it wasn’t like that at all. It was sort of like, “What am I doing here?” And I had a few hundred dollars to spend on a graphic designer, a friend of mine. When I look back now, it’s, “Man, I had no clue what I was doing at all.” But I had a friend do a test for me and, yeah, I think my, my first website was on Squarespace, and I just went for it. And that’s how the ball got rolling.

Helen: We’re certainly glad that you went for it. And sometimes ignorance is bliss. If you don’t know what you’re doing, that’s okay. You could still put something out there, give it a try and learn on the go. And that’s exactly what you’ve done. You’ve built an amazing line of patterns over at Cris Woods [sic]. And your patterns are different from typical patterns that are out there. So can you explain how they work?

Cris: Sure. Yeah, very unconventional way of garment sewing. So, all of my patterns are made with rectangular pattern pieces. So every piece of the garment starts out as a rectangle. And because they’re rectangular pieces, you can use your own specific measurements to create the dimensions of those rectangles. Then you assemble the rectangles and you have a garment. So I think the ways that it’s most unconventional is that there’s no size limits and there’s no grading. So if you’re falling within, like me, I fall within three different sizes, usually, on any pattern. And so I do have to, always, you have to do some grading or on a traditional pattern, often. And that sort of eliminates that need because you’re going with your specifics. And then, because they’re all rectangles and fabric is in the shape of a rectangle, they’re low-waste as well, because you don’t have these kind of curved, odd shapes. So what you’re left over with is also more useful. Because it will be in a rectangle as well.

Caroline: Ah, yes, of course. And on your website, it says that your patterns are custom-sized, paper-free, and garment sewing patterns for beginners. So we wanted to know, what makes your patterns great for beginners?

Cris: Well, first thing is that it’s all straight seams. There’s no curves at all. So if you’re learning how to sew a straight seam, or you’re already there, you’re good to go. And there’s no closures at all, either. So no zippers, no buttons. For the more advanced beginner patterns, there’s some elastic insertion, but that’s about as complex as it’s going to get. They’re good starter patterns. If you’ve made a tote bag, you can start with the Start Here Top, which is a free pattern. And just, I don’t know, get the bearings of what it’s like to make a pattern like this.

Helen: Oh, that’s really cool. Aptly named, “Start Here Top.” I love that. And you mentioned that your patterns are like size limitless, so they really can work for any size. How does that work? Can you walk us through the process of figuring out what size to make a pattern?

Cris: Sure. Yeah. So let’s say we’re doing a bodice and we have the rectangle. So we’re going to use, depending on the length of the bodice, we’ll use the largest measurement. So let’s say the bodice goes to your hip length. You know, in a lot of cases, let’s say your hip is your biggest measurement. So you’re going to use that. And then there’s addition or subtraction for the ease. In the case of a knit fabric, you might subtract. Most of my patterns are woven. And you would enter in your hip measurement, maybe your neck measurement, and your bicep measurement to create the neck and sleeve openings. And then you just draw that rectangle and cut it out without needing to print or tape anything. You can draw directly on your fabric, which is nice. I don’t know if that really helps explain how it works.

Helen: No, it does, it does. I think a lot of our listeners would be very excited to hear that there’s no printing and taping involved…

Cris: Yes.

Helen: ‘Cause that is an arduous part of the process. But also maybe a little intimidated by the math that you’re talking about. Can we talk a little bit about the math?

Cris: Yes. Yeah, I think that’s always the, that’s the sticking point, you know, is, “Oh, but I have to do some work on the front end.” And that’s true. So instead of choosing your size, printing and taping it, you’re just doing a little bit of preparation on the front end. But these formulas are simplified so much. We’re doing, like, bust circumference plus 5 inches. Take that answer, divide it by 2. And there you go. It’s not complex at all. In fact, the idea that I even ended up doing this, like, math-based pattern making, it blows my mind, because I’m not someone who’s like, “Math is fun.” So, really, I’ve just made it so simple. If you have a phone calculator, you can do it. And it’s all in workbook style. So you’ve got a box to fill in and it tells you what to do next. Put it in the box and then you end up with your result. And then you can, I provide a template for all of the pattern pieces, and then you just write in your dimensions there.

Caroline: That actually sounds really fun. That was gonna be my next question: are we getting these formulas written out and we just have to fill in the little numbers as we go? And then there’s your answer.

Cris: Exactly. If you’re the kind of person who liked doing those, like, workbooks in the car on a road trip with your, when you were a kid, you’re gonna really like doing these. It’s like that. And then I do provide a layout. So the layout is actually really important for the sizing. So because they’re all rectangles, I don’t have to worry so much about grain, ‘cause there’s no curves. So the widths of each pattern piece are laid across the length of the fabric. That way, the width of your body is not limited by the width of the fabric.

Helen: Right. Smart. Yeah, cool.

Caroline: Does that…so, it’s almost like you’re cutting your pieces cross-grain a lot of the time so that you’re not, like, at the mercy of that like narrow fabric, if you’re using a narrow fabric.

Cris: Yeah, the fabric can’t change. So if you have a 60 inch width and you have a 65 inch hip, you’re using more fabric because, do you know what I’m saying? So you’re using more yardage or meterage. So, this way, it keeps…I think my fullest dress pattern for my size, which is about a standard 14, is about 3½ yards, which is reasonable, I think, or what’s expected. But yeah, so that’s the way we get the ability to not be limited by the fabric width and instead use that length.

Caroline: And I imagine if you’re working with a fabric that has like a direction or a nap or a print that wouldn’t work cross-grain, you can still cut something on the grain if that width allows.

Cris: Yes, absolutely. Yeah, it’s not a requirement, but that’s how you’re going to use the least amount of fabric. And if your measurements don’t allow you to use fabric in a directional way, then you have that option.

Caroline: Mmhmm. Yeah.

Cris: So you can lay it out any way you need to.

Caroline: It’s really great. It’s flexible and it feels kind of, like, I don’t know, “choose your own adventure” kind of sewing. You know, you can sort of make it work for your body, for the fabric that you have. And yeah. It’s, it’s really, really great.

Cris: Yeah. “Choose your own adventure” is, like, the perfect way to put it. I love it. So far we’re going back to childhood. We’ve got workbooks in the car. We’ve got “choose your own adventure.”

Caroline: One of the things, like, you describe your patterns as low-waste instead of zero waste. And I wanted to ask you to kind of elaborate on that, ‘cause there are some designers out there that claim to be zero waste, but you’re not making that claim. So what is the difference, would you say?

Cris: Oh, it’s size inclusivity. So the only way to make a perfectly zero waste pattern is to have a very specific layout. So a lot of times you’ll have zero waste patterns come in, like, a range. Say you’re size 0 through 8, say, and then 10 through 14 and so on. So that the layout is perfectly designed to use no waste at all. But with my patterns, in order to accommodate this no size limit, you have to have flexibility in the layout. And that just means that might be some leftovers. And they are minimal, but they are existent. And for some, I have one pattern that is totally zero waste. And that’s the Envelope Dress. But it also means you do have to have the correct width of the fabric for it to be completely zero waste. But that one, you calculate how much you need and then you just make it up and that’s it. Nothing left over. But that’s the only one, just because of the pattern pieces. So the more pattern pieces you have, say you have a facing, you have a yoke, a bodice, a skirt, then you’re getting into more pattern pieces and the layouts start getting more complex.

Helen: Mmhmm.

Cris: And because they’re always going to be different dimensions, they’re not going to fit on the fabric the same way every time for each person.

Helen: Yeah.

Cris: Does that make sense?

Helen: Oh, totally. Yeah. It makes a lot of sense. And I like what you said earlier about the fact that the leftovers are rectangles, which are really easy to use for other projects like tote bags or just patchwork. If you want to put them together and make more fabric, it’s easy to do that when everything’s cut on the grain or the cross-grain. It’s always satisfying when you have a nice solid piece left over, not a bunch of little scraps.

Cris: Yeah. Or like weird little shapes. I like to save them and use them for, like, under, you know, make a collar that’s two-sided. So maybe the under collar is a different colour, or pockets or facings. And then, I also have a friend who does quilting. So that’s the most obvious use of a rectangle or square is…I don’t quilt.

Helen: What?

Cris: I, I know, controversial, but I don’t quilt. But I do have a friend that makes amazing quilts. And so she gets all of my scraps.

Helen: Well, that’s awesome. I’m curious if you, like, how you came across zero waste patterns, what drew you to this low-waste pattern making, and when did you start doing this?

Cris: The design came first. So it was really just, “This is a cool garment and I can make it with this one piece of fabric.” And so I just started making it for myself, over and over. And the zero waste aspect was, I don’t want to say it wasn’t a consideration, but it wasn’t what I set out to do. What I set out to do is make a cool garment that I wanted to wear. And then what I liked about it was that it was made with one piece and I could adjust it to fit me, depending on any weight fluctuations, or if I just wanted it to look bigger or smaller, it was just super easy to do that. And I’ve just found it very versatile. And then it was only, I think on my second pattern, I thought, “Oh, I wonder what else I can make with rectangles.” And then that led me to start realizing, “Okay, these are the benefits of this type of pattern. If I can continue making these, then that’s the category that they’re in.” So it was a little bit backwards.

Caroline: It’s interesting. ‘Cause we were talking about feeling a little bit intimidated by doing the math and all the numbers, but I, I actually think that your patterns almost, like, evoke this, like, childlike curiosity, inner child vibe, because you’re like…like, when I was younger and I started sewing, that’s what I was doing. I was cutting out rectangles. I was like, “Does this fit on my body? Okay, let’s sew it together.” Like, straight lines. Like, it feels very simple, but it also gives a lot of space for creativity and just, like, letting the fabric guide you, letting the, like, feeling guide you. So I love that about your designs and your patterns, is that they’re just, like, fun and creative and they just make me feel like a big kid.

Cris: That’s awesome. I love that. That’s definitely what my designer, if I was to categorize myself, what kind of designer are you? That’s exactly what I would say. It’s down at a table with a bunch of scraps and see what you can do. That’s sort of my, my whole sort of thing. I didn’t go to fashion school. I didn’t go to design school. So my approach really is, I would say, really is very childlike in that way, in a playful, in a playful way.

Caroline: I love that.

Helen: It is, yeah.

Cris: I try to make sure the designs are elegant and fashionable. But as far as the approach goes, it is, “Let’s play.”

Caroline: For sure. And they are very elegant and very fashionable. And I think there’s this common misconception that zero waste or low-waste patterns are, like, shapeless because they’re a bunch of rectangles. But I’d love for you to help us convince our listeners that this isn’t true.

Cris: Oh, I love this question. Well, there’s a lot you can do with a rectangle. One is you can make it into a triangle. So a lot of my most recent patterns use an A-line skirt, and then the scraps from the A-line become pockets. So you can make a rectangle into other shapes just by cutting off diagonals, or squares into the square, like for a neckline, for example. And then there’s a lot of techniques you can use to create shape. Elastic is one way I do it. One of my dresses, so it has a knit bodice, so, which creates shape. It’s got a tight bodice and a full skirt. Belting, of course, is an option, like a, a belt that’s included in the, not just on the outside, belted up, but incorporated into the design. Those are the, the three main ways that I create shaping. Or four, sorry. Cutting into the pattern shape, elastic, using knit fabrics, and incorporating ties into the design.

Caroline: Yeah, no, it is great. And I encourage our listeners to go and check out your library of sewing patterns. It’s actually surprising how many patterns you can create just with this low-waste or zero waste concept. I also wonder what inspires you as a designer. How do you come up with your designs?

Cris: Okay. So basically I’m a total, like, obsessed fashion person and I have been since I was a little kid. And when I say little, I mean like, around the time I started machine sewing I was looking at these, kind of, new wave fashion magazines. ‘Cause this was something my older brother was into. He was into punk and art punk and, like, European design. So he actually introduced me to Issey Miyake. And I was really young. I’m like 13 or 14 and learning about all these Japanese fashion designers. And I think what really appealed to me about these sort of more contemporary designers is that they were very tongue-in-cheek, so, funny, but always based in geometry. So it’s: here’s a circle. We’re going to put arm holes in it and, and a neckline in it and it’s going to become a garment. But that’s a very simplified way of putting it. But it’s like, when you look at the garment itself, you can see the shapes involved. And that just really appealed to me because it seemed more like engineering than fashion. So they have a timelessness to them. Because they’re not trend. And so that really started me thinking about fashion and clothing and garments as shapes. And just seeing: these are the shapes that you can make. And wear. Who doesn’t want to wear a circle? It’s so fun.

Helen: It is the funnest shape to wear, I think.

Cris: We can all agree.

Helen: We can all agree. Swishes and swishes of fabric. I’m curious, when you’re working on your patterns, do you start with sketching out ideas on paper or do you go straight to draping yourself in fabric so you can see how it’s going to hang and stuff like that?

Cris: The first thing I do when I have an idea is, I used to go straight to fabric, but now, as I become more comfortable in my own design, I’ve changed that up to going straight to the computer. And I just use a computer program to draw my rectangles and piece them together and then separate them into the different pattern pieces. So I do “sketch” on the computer with the different rectangles and move them around. And then I go to the fabric and give it my best shot. It’s a kind of a guessing game where I’m thinking, “Okay, how much ease do I want on this? Oh, maybe about four inches on each side.” And then I’m figuring out, “Okay, how am I going to do that?” And I’m writing down notes and then adjusting that as I go. So I do get a lot of my fabrics from a store called Seattle Recreative. So, Seattleites, you might know about this place. It’s like a thrift store for craft supplies. They have everything you could think of: printmaking, jewelry making, all kinds of stuff, and they often have large pieces of fabric, so that’s how I managed to make, make up samples, and I really, I’m always crossing my fingers that it works out the first couple times, because I don’t want to be using so much fabric. But that’s the name of the game when you design, it’s just, you have to make up samples. I try to do my best to make samples that are wearable, but also are coming from a smart place. But yeah. So that’s what I do. It is a playful vibe.

Helen: And do you have a favourite pattern in your collection? Like one that you keep coming back to?

Cris: Maybe slightly an underdog, but I love the Throw Jacket. I make it all the time and I make it with sleeves in like a cotton jacquard, that really squishy one from the, the, Merchant and Mills’s squishy cotton jacquard that, that we all know and love. I’ve made one of those with long sleeves. It’s so cozy and comfy, in the house or out. It’s just like a throw over anything and be put together and, and cozy. And it’s really versatile. So I’ve made it in sheer fabrics. I’ve made it in linen. I’ve made it in wool. I’ve made it in a sweater knit, stable sweater knit, I’ll say that. So yeah, that’s probably my favourite one.

Helen: Yeah, that’s a great one. You can never have too many of those, kind of, throw on over any outfit, take it to the next level kind of garments. And I love the concept of a pattern underdog. I’m totally stealing that.

Cris: I think, definitely if you’re a pattern designer, you know what I’m talking about. There’s those ones where you’re like, “Why doesn’t everyone love it?” Like, you know, it’s like, “I’m the mother of this pattern and I think it’s the best.”

Helen: Yeah.

Caroline: You also share so many amazing makes from the sewing community on your Instagram. How does it feel to see people making and wearing your patterns?

Cris: Oh, it’s the best part. It really is the best part. I mean, it’s kind of amazing, right? It’s like, I wonder if this is what it’s like to be a chef and you make this recipe and you’re like, crossing your fingers like, “Oh, I hope it works for them the way it worked for me.” And then they have a delicious meal and you just feel so sustained by that. It just feels really good to have given someone a good experience. And it’s just ink on paper that you’re handing over to somebody. And then they’re able to have an experience with it that ends in something that they love to wear and want to show off. It just feels great. It makes me feel like, I don’t know, like I’ve given someone a gift. I think that’s what feels so great about it is, I know how sewing something successful feels to me. It feels great. And the experience of sewing, if it’s enjoyable, it’s an emotional thing, right? It’s, like, stress relieving and it’s exciting. And so knowing people are doing that with my patterns, it’s really rewarding.

Caroline: Oh, this is making me slightly emotional, honestly, because it is, like, incredible, the impact that you can have as a pattern designer, where you’re not just giving people that gift of the experience of sewing and holding their hand through that and being able to help them get to that end result, but then they get to wear the end result and feel good in it. And that, like, impact continues into their day-to-day life. And like, clothes, wearing clothes that you love can have such a huge effect on your self esteem and just, like, how you move through the world. So it is such a gift to be able to design patterns and it sounds like you really appreciate that as well. It’s so sweet.

Cris: Aw, thank you. My heart’s in the right place.

Helen: Yeah, it really is. And, okay, before we move on to our next little segment here, we want to briefly touch on the Fabric Genius Calculator, because it’s so cool. So can you tell our listeners about it?

Cris: Yeah, so the Fabric Genius, basically, it does some of the fabric requirement calculations for you. For any pattern, you plug in your measurements, not all of them, but just the required ones. So let’s say, your bust circumference, hip circumference, bicep circumference, or something like that. And then the calculator will just tell you how much fabric you need and what width. And that’s it.

Helen: Amazing. And this is for your patterns, specifically, we should be clear.

Cris: Yeah. These are just for my patterns. This has actually been a difficulty, is that I don’t have a pattern requirements chart that I can share. So, in a particular listing, I can’t say, “Oh, for this size, you’re gonna need this much fabric,” because I don’t know what size you are, exactly. So the fabric calculator, I felt, was really, really missing because I think a lot of people, maybe they have a fabric already and they’re thinking, “Oh, what’s the perfect pattern for this fabric?” And then they find it and they’re like, “I don’t know if it’s going to work unless I buy the pattern.” So that’s for that person. And it just makes it easy. I know, as a customer, it’s, if I can just push a button, that’s, like, the best.

Helen: Yeah, so true.

Cris: So right now, unfortunately, the process of making the calculator is very, what do I want to say? It’s very complicated on the back end. And so I’m just catching up to my latest pattern. But the most popular ones are on there. And then for my latest ones, we’ll get those up and running very shortly.

Caroline: Okay. Awesome.

Helen: Nice. Very cool. Alright. We’re going to switch gears a little bit here and talk about your personal style because it’s really fun and inspiring seeing the clothes that you make on Instagram. And you post over there quite a lot. So we encourage all our listeners to go and give you a follow. But for anyone who isn’t following you yet, can you describe your personal style?

Cris: Yeah, I can try. I feel like my style is so eclectic. I’m all over the place. On one hand, you might see one day in a very streamlined, oversized, geometric kind of look, and then the next day I might be wearing something that’s very poofy and has bows on it. I love vintage, always have loved vintage, of every era. So that’s always in my mind. I love the, kind of, art punk scene. I would say, in general, if I was going to generalize, I would say, think of, and this is a very specific reference…

Caroline: I can’t wait.

Cris: I might be dating myself quite a bit, but think of an 80s New York art gallery owner. And that’s sort of where my whole thing is coming from.

Caroline: I see it.

Cris: Anything that she would wear, I would wear. So yeah, and, and really, I just like things that are bold. So bold colours, bold shapes, bold sizing.

Caroline: Amazing. Do you have any style icons that you look to for inspiration?

Cris: That’s a really hard question. I would say, instead of a specific icon, I do have, like, some books and some authors that are photographers who’ve compiled all of these looks, mostly street style photography. So street style photography Instagram, I follow quite a few. One of those that’s been the most inspiring to me in the past few years is Ari Cohen’s Advanced Style. So these are two books, this street photographer, and the subject matters are women and men over a certain age, so like, in their seventies or eighties, just in the most incredible outfits, just totally free with colour and design. And it’s, I think for me, that’s really inspiring, because I think in our society, we have this idea that you should fade into the background as you get older. Stay away from trend, stay away from colour, stay away from youthful, whatever that means, fashion. And so this just breaks that mould. And, to me, is very punk rock, right? Like, there’s no rules except you like it and that’s all there is. And so, yeah, that’s Advanced Style. So you can find that on Instagram. And then the two books are great. And then of course, I’m thinking of Bill Cunningham who, another street photographer who took pictures, I think, beginning In the 70s, I really hope I’m right about this, but in the 70s through the 2000s, when he passed. And these are photographers who have such an eye for style. And then also in the case of Bill Cunningham, for trend. You just really get this, I don’t know, this whole collection of looks and ideas that are coming from the imaginations of all of these different people. I can’t nail down, pin down just one person or two people, but I would say, I’d look to the street photographer to kind of do that sort of sorting for me.

Helen: I think that’s great advice. We haven’t really talked about street style photography that much on the podcast, but it is an excellent place for inspiration. And we’re definitely going to link up those books. I want to get my hands on that. That sounds awesome.

Cris: Yeah, great.

Helen: Do you have any favourite things that you’ve made over the years that you’d like us to highlight for our listeners?

Cris: Yes. So my very favourite thing that I’ve made in the past few years has been one of my own patterns, a Throw Jacket, which we were talking about earlier. And I made it out of, it’s oversized, so it’s, like, really wide. It’s like basically a big square because I wanted to use all of the fabric that I bought with nothing left over. And it’s an Issey Miyake grey wool that has, like, little fuzzies coming off of it. And the grey is all different tones. And it’s so thick and it’s heavy, like one of those comfort blankets, you’d be like, a weighted blanket, like that. It feels so good, but it looks so, I don’t know, to me, it just looks like a very confident garment. I put it on and I feel like, “Yes! People are going to notice this and think, ‘That’s a fashionable person.’” And I like that feeling. Got to admit, that is, I dress for myself, but it is nice to think, “Oh, I might get a compliment from this one.” But yeah, that’s probably my favourite garment that I’ve made. And partially because Issey Miyake was involved, who’s one of my favourite designers.

Caroline: Awesome. Selfishly, I also want to talk about fabric a little bit with you. And I’m wondering, when you’re shopping for fabric online, or if you’re in a fabric shop, what are you looking for? Like, what draws you in?

Cris: So, the first thing I look for is colour. I call it, like, if something makes my eyes vibrate, where I’m like, you know, like two colours coming together where I’m like, “Ah, I can’t even, like, really look at it, even, like, it’s so it’s vibrating so much.” And I love that. That’s, like, my favourite, favourite thing. I love a bright colour. I love colour combinations that are unexpected. And I like fabrics that are non-directional. There’s something about it, just makes me feel like I have more options. And I don’t usually go for a symmetrical pattern. I don’t know if that’s just my personality or not, but I, I like really abstract prints. I tend to like more abstract prints. And definitely a textural kind of component too. So, for example, if I’m shopping for a solid or I see a solid, it’s always got to have some texture to it. Something, even if it’s just, like, a washed cupro, that’s something that has that velvety feeling and a slight nap to it. That’s really cool to me. Or I love a seersucker. Anything with a nice texture to it. Or a clip dot, like a Swiss dot or something like that. Corduroy. I just feel like if you’re going to do a solid, it’s nice to do it in various textures. So when you combine your solids together in an outfit, you’ve got a little bit more interest there. And it’s almost like a pattern, but a little more subtle. That’s what I look for.

Helen: You’ve got great taste in fabrics. And I’m partially saying that because I would wear every single one of the things that I’ve seen you post. I think we have very similar taste. I also love a bold print and I love clashing colours, so I can relate to this so much. Do you have a lot of fabric in your stash?

Cris: I don’t, actually. This might surprise people, but I really don’t. When I’m making for myself, I don’t buy fabric first. I have the pattern first or the idea first. Then I go out and look for the fabric. That way I don’t end up with a bunch of fabric that I haven’t used. And it’s not to say that I don’t do that from time to time. Sometimes you stumble on something and you’re like, “Oh, I just need this.” And I’m going to guess three yards. I tend to just buy three yards whenever I’m out.

Helen: Same.

Cris: You know, if I, there’s something, I don’t know. I’m like, I don’t know. Three seems good. So there are times when I’ll do that, but generally I don’t because then I find that it just sits around. And it works better if I do, for me, if I do it the other way. I also work in a small space, so I don’t have a ton of room. So yeah, that’s just how I do it. Works better for me.

Helen: I mean, I think we would, I’ll say, that’s the smart way to do it, but it’s probably not the way that most of us do it. I know I’m guilty of that. I always just buy the fabric first and figure out what I’m going to do with it later.

Caroline: What’s your fabric stash like, Helen?

Helen: We can’t get into that. We can’t get into that.

Cris: No shame.

Caroline: No shame at all. No, absolutely. Cris, what’s on your sewing table right now? What are you working on?

Cris: I’m actually working on my latest pattern. So the one that just came out yesterday, I just announced it on Instagram, it’s called the Garden Dress. And I have that on my table right now. The reason I have it out on my table right now is ‘cause I bought the, this fabric for it back two whole weeks ago when it was super hot and sunny and these pastel florals made a lot of sense. And now we’ve just had a rainstorm and it’s cloudy and 60 degrees. So this is Seattle. So I feel like, “Oh, I gotta bust this one out before I’m covering it up with a sweater or something.” So.

Helen: I can relate to this.

Cris: Oh, I don’t know what it is, just always picking fabrics or wanting to make garments or use fabrics that are out of the weather, like, what the weather is. I don’t know what it is about me, but like it’ll be the dead of winter and I’m like, I don’t know, “I think I need a sheer cover up right now, right?”

Caroline: You’re planning ahead.

Helen: It’s a good thing, yeah, clothes don’t go bad. So you’ll get a chance to wear them.

Cris: Well, some making is just like having a snack. There’s no real sense to it. It’s just like, “I want to snack on some crackers right now. I want a snack on a sheer, you know, a sheer cover-up.”

Caroline: I love that.

Helen: Yeah, that is genius. Just have a snack. Let yourself, just, treat yourself.

Caroline: Oh my gosh.

Helen: When this episode comes out, it’s almost Halloween, and we saw that you’ve posted your own sewing horror story on your Instagram. Can you share this cautionary tale with our listeners?

Cris: Oh, absolutely. Okay. So every Halloween for the past few years, I think, I post, “Share your horror stories,” and it could be anything from, like, you know, it’s usually like a physical thing, but sometimes it’s just “Oh, I, on the very last stitch of something, I completely ruined it” or, you know, it’ll be like something that makes you feel bad, but in a fun way. Anyway, so, my horror story is that I was sewing some latex pants for a friend. And it was like that shiny latex. And basically, I made every mistake possible. I was in a hurry, I was not conscientious, I did not prepare, and I used an old needle. I didn’t use the right presser foot. I think if I had used a silicone presser foot it would have slipped through more easily than a metal one. I’m not sure because I didn’t bother to test it or try. So here I am, I’ve got, like, four layers of latex that I’m trying to sew through. And I’m just, like, pushing it through. I’m trying to get out the door in half an hour. Another very common mistake is sewing when you have very limited time or like you’re in a time crunch. And so I’m just, like, pushing this fabric through and paying way more attention on getting it through than the placement of my hands. And so I sewed right through the tip of my finger. And it went through the top of my nail and then down into my finger. And it came back, so, the needle came back up…

Helen: Oh, God.

Caroline: Yeah.

Cris: But the tip of the needle was missing. And it was stuck inside my finger.

Helen: Oh, It broke in your finger?!

Cris: It broke inside!

Helen: Oh, God.

Cris: Luckily, at that time, I lived right across the street from a hospital, from the emergency room. So, I just sort of, like, walked out my front door, walked into the emergency room. I was like, “I hurt my finger.” It didn’t, actually didn’t hurt that bad. That’s the thing, I think, because even though the needle was old, it wasn’t very sharp, so it wasn’t too bad. It hurt, but I wasn’t crying or anything.

Helen: If you cry, then, yeah, you’re not on Cris’s level.

Cris: There’s no, there’s no tears in sewing. No, no, there are many. But anyway, so, they had to cut my finger open and take the little tip out. And I have a really cool X-ray that I like to share every year. Very spooky.

Helen: The X-ray’s really spooky. I love that.

Cris: It’s very spooky, but it’s a cautionary tale because those are the things that you should never do. Never be in a hurry. Always change your needle, always test your fabric, and don’t push. If you’re forcing it, something is not right. Anyway.

Helen: Well, thank you for sharing.

Cris: Do as I say, not as I did.

Caroline: Oh my gosh. I’m still, like, recovering from the shard of needle in the finger. Well, to end us off, can you share a sewing tip that you love with our listeners?

Cris: The first thing that I think of is for a very, very, very beginner sewer. So you got, your machine’s set up, you’ve got it threaded, and you’re like, “Now what? How do I even sew a straight seam?” Well, you line up the right edge of your presser foot with the edge of the fabric. Don’t watch your needle, watch your presser foot, and you’re gonna get a straight seam. I feel like there’s so much assumed knowledge in beginner sewing. That’s stuff that nobody ever tells you unless you have someone teaching you. And I feel like that’s a, really, that’s one that a lot of beginner sewers who I’ve taught before never learn, “Oh, you don’t have to watch the needle to make sure it’s straight. Just use your presser foot.” That’s the best way. So that would be a tip to my very, very beginner sewers. And then, just, the other tip would be: keep it clean. Always clean your machine between projects. No lint. Lint is the enemy. So, in your bobbin casing, take that thing out, clean it out. Your serger. Just keep it clean. Change out your needle. Hygiene.

Helen: I feel like you’re talking directly to me, Cris. Fine, I’ll do it. Fine.

Caroline: God.

Cris: Wagging my finger at you.

Caroline: Yeah. Keep it clean, Helen. Keep it clean.

Helen: My serger, especially, like, when you open that little window, that little door on the side…

Caroline: Oh my gosh. That’s a sewing horror story in itself.

Helen: Yeah, it’s true.

Cris: Yeah. You’re like, there’s a little sweater in there.

Caroline: It is so true that there’s so much assumed knowledge, Like, I was teaching my sister-in-law to sew recently, and she, like, gets at the machine and I was like, “Okay, like, start sewing.” And she was like, like she didn’t even know that you have to, like, lower the presser foot to, like, get it going. Like, there’s, like, these little things that we just do automatically, that if you’ve never sat at a sewing machine, you just don’t know. So, taking it back to basics. I love that.

Cris: Yeah. I learned that from teaching kids, because the age group was about seven to nine. So it was really, like, every little step. And I realized how much I just do automatically, especially after sewing for so long, that I don’t even think about. And then I’m like, every step is like, you’re breaking everything down at, to the smallest increment that you can, even from threading your needle, give yourself space, put your presser foot down, put your needle all the way up. Teaching beginners was a, actually probably really helped me write patterns, too.

Helen: Mmhmm.

Cris: You know, you want to make sure you’re giving people the, not bogging them down with too much information, but also giving them enough little tips here and there so that they can take that along with them to the next project.

Caroline: Yeah. Absolutely. So, what is next for you?

Cris: Well, I don’t want to jinx it by talking about it too much, but what I want to do next is a physical pattern collection. So, because I sell PDFs and the nature of my patterns, there’s really no need for a paper pattern. So what I, my PDFs are, are booklets. Because of that, I don’t have any retail, physical retail presence. So to get my patterns out, further out into the world of, like, fabric stores or bookstores, I have to have a physical product. So my goal is to put all my patterns together into a collection with some nice photos. And put that out into the world so I can kinda reach more people and spread my message.

Helen: Ooh. I love the sound of that. Yeah. It would make an excellent book, too, if you ever got a publisher’s…any publishers listening.

Cris: I’m getting out there. I’m trying to do what I can. It’s a, it’s a crazy world out there.

Helen: It’s true. Well, it’s been a short time since you started this back in 2020. It’s only been four years. You’ve accomplished so much. And it’s been a real treat today getting to know you a little better. And hopefully our listeners will go and follow you and see what you’re up to.

Cris: Yeah. I would love that. Thank you so much for having me. I’ve had so much fun. You guys are awesome.

Caroline: Oh, thank you. Well, tell our listeners where they can go and find you online.

Cris: So on Instagram, it’s @criswoodsews. And then on my website, criswoodsews.com, and then I have a YouTube channel, @criswoodsews, with some limited tutorials.

Caroline: Amazing.

Cris: Yeah.

Helen: Fantastic. We’ll link all that up. Once again, Cris, thank you so much. And we’ll see you out there in the community.

Cris: Okay. Thank you. See you there. Bye bye.

Helen and Caroline: Bye.

Caroline: That’s it for today’s episode of Love to Sew. You can find me, Caroline, at Blackbird Fabrics and BF Patterns and Helen at Helen’s Closet Patterns and Cedar Quilt Co. We’re recording in beautiful British Columbia, Canada.

Helen: You can support Love to Sew and get access to bonus content by subscribing on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. You even get access to the back catalogue of bonus episodes. That’s over 75 hours of Love to Sew. So go to patreon.com/lovetosew or check out our podcast page on Apple Podcasts for more info.

Caroline: You can head to lovetosewpodcast.com to find our show notes. They’re filled with links and pictures from this episode. And if you’d like to get in touch with us, leave us a message at 1-844-SEW-WHAT. That’s 1-844-739-9428. Or send us an email at hello@lovetosewpodcast.com.

Helen: Thanks to our amazing podcast team. Lisa Ruiz is our creative assistant. Jordan Moore of The Pod Cabin is our editor. And thank you for listening. We will talk to you next week.

Caroline: Buh bye.

Helen: Bye.

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