Hello, stitch witches! 🖤✨
Today I’m pulling back the velvet curtain on what actually goes into creating one of my sewing patterns. Because pattern magic doesn’t just happen. It’s stitched, redrafted, tested, and sometimes lovingly wrestled into existence.
It all starts in Procreate, where I sketch out the design and create technical drawings. This is the dreaming phase: silhouettes, seam lines, tiny details that make a garment feel special.
[Above: The initial fashion sketch]
Once the vision is clear, I compile everything into a Technical Pack (Tech Pack). This is basically the "spell book". It includes my technical drawings, measurements, size range, fabric recommendations, construction details, lining info - every single specification needed to bring the garment to life.
[Above: One of the illustrations that went into the Demeter Dungarees Tech Pack]
Then I send the Tech Pack to my incredible pattern grader, Shristi. She's extremely diligent and delivers exceptional results (check out her Upwork Profile here if you're looking to hire an amazing pattern grader). She works with a master pattern maker who drafts the base size pattern from my design. A couple of weeks later, I receive the digital file, and that’s when things get very real.
I print the pattern.
I tape it together (clear packing tape supremacy).
I cut it out.
And then… I sew.
This is the first true test.
If something feels off, i.e. fit, proportion, construction, I send detailed adjustments back to Shristi. Sometimes this back-and-forth happens multiple times (I'm a perfectionist and she's incredibly patient with me). Print. Tape. Cut. Sew. Repeat. We refine it again and again until the base size is exactly right.
Only then is it ready to be graded (which means scaling the base size into a full size range while maintaining the original style and proportions). Grading is where precision really matters.
While Shristi works on grading, I shift gears into another huge part of the process: the instruction booklet.
I write every step.
I illustrate every construction detail.
I format the entire booklet.
And yes, sometimes I have to redo illustrations because they’re not quite accurate enough. The instructions have to be crystal clear. I want someone sewing this pattern at midnight with a cup of tea to feel completely supported (I know we all do it, but in all seriousness, please do try to get some sleep).
[Above: A couple pages of one of my instruction booklets]
Once grading is complete and the instructions have gone through a few drafts, everything goes to my incredible pattern testers: ✨ the Nightshade Guild ✨
They print the pattern, tape it together (solidarity), and sew the garment strictly following my instructions. After a few weeks, they send back detailed feedback. This step is invaluable. Fresh eyes catch things I can’t see anymore, and their notes help me polish both the pattern and the instructions before release.
While testing is underway, I’m sewing additional sample sizes for models. Representation matters deeply to me. I want to showcase a variety of body types so everyone can truly envision themselves in the garment.
Then we enter the final phase.
[Above: Kara modelling the size 12 of the Demeter Dungarees]
I perfect the fit on each model.
I organize a photoshoot (with my fiancé Babis, who absolutely crushes it behind the camera. Seriously check out his website and hire him).
I implement final edits based on tester feedback.
[Above: Sarah modelling a blend of sizes 22 (top) and 30 (bottom) of the Demeter Dungarees]
And finally… it’s time.
I film the pattern release video, share it on my socials, and open the pattern for purchase.
From first sketch to final launch, each design goes through layers of drafting, refining, testing, and collaboration. It’s slow fashion in digital form and every step is intentional.
Thank you for supporting independent pattern designers. Your makes, your messages, your trust in my work, (not to sound too cheesy) that’s the real magic. 🖤
