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Pattern Companies Are The Home Sewer’s Guide to Creativity!
The four major pattern companies in their pattern creations represent different styles.
Butterick advertizes itself as a brand catering to a classic style, updated for today’s modern woman. Butterick even has some free pattern projects that you can download. Because of their timeless, sometimes 40s and 50s look, I find myself purchasing these quite a lot, since I like that 40s and 50s look in clothes. These can be found at www.butterick.com McCall’s is another of the major pattern companies and advertizes itself as having a contemporary style. These represent the current style of the day. I find myself purchasing these quite a bit as well. There are some modern looking styles that I actually like, although I am a “baby boomer,” and prefer a more conservative style of dress. McCall's has some nice patterns to satisfy any fashion taste. McCall’s also carries the Easy Stitch ‘N Save brand under their label, for those that want projects that do not require a lot of time or effort. These can be found at www.mccallpattern.com Simplicity is designed to be what their name implies, simple. They are also designed to take only a couple of hours for a project. As a result you can find those under the It’s So Easy and New Look brands that take only a short time to make. If I want a simple outfit that is quick then I will often go for the Simplicity, although the other brands have some quick and simple to make designs as well. You can check out the simplicity line at www.simplicity.com Now if you fancy the runway model style of clothing, then Vogue is the one for you. Vogue advertizes itself as representing that couture look. These designs are definitely more intricate to make and also are the most expensive. This is generally where you will find some of the popular runway designers’ creations. I must admit, when I want a more elegant or tailored design, then I will go for Vogue, although they cost more. I also enjoy the challenge of putting together a more complex outfit. Vogue can be found at their website at www.voguepatterns.com In addition to the four giants there are some lesser known pattern companies. One of these is KWIK SEW, an offering from one of Sweden's pattern companies which can be found directly at www.kwiksew.com I have never seen these on sale, probably because they are already reasonably priced. But, this is a brand that also has something to offer when it comes to easy to make styles. Another lesser known of the pattern companies is Burda, a German entry, which like Vogue is an offshoot of a fashion magazine, in this case the Burda fashion magazine. As a result these designs have a more couture look like Vogue. The site for this brand is www.burdafashion.com Although it may not seem like a creative way to design one’s own clothes, if one really thinks about it, there are only so many styles that one can create from scratch, without them becoming outrageous and not practical to wear. When it comes to fashion, there really is nothing new under the sun. By using these ready to make designs you can mix and match and show your own sense of style, and when you’re done, you will definitely have something that is not just for the runway, but something that you can really wear. It will also feel great to know that you made that outfit yourself. It also feels good to know that you will not see the exact same outfit on someone else, because although you used a pattern, you really did design your outfit yourself.
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