The Victory Patterns Blog

If you're feeling lazy, Magali has a pretty good solution for Anouk. Her reinterpretation of this blouse is pretty adorable! Read on, and she'll tell you how she did it.
And just to show that she is anything but lazy, she has also created a second version with all the details intact. She's a sewing MACHINE!

I have to confess; I get a little excited when I see a beautiful sleeve. I don't care what kind of it is: raglan, dolman, kimono, puffy, bishop, circle, long, short ... I love them all! They have the potential to raise the wow factor of a garment by miles. Here are a few that are pretty stunning. Do you have a favorite kind of sleeve?

Katarina from She Sells Sea Shells is a little genius. After gathering together scraps of leftover fabric, she managed to make herself an Anouk Dress. My favorite part of her version is how she improvised the chevron stripes on the front placket. She's come up with a brilliant solution for times when you just can't find the right stripes fabric. I also love how it flows with the pin-tuck detail in the dress. Way to go Katrina!

If you’ve ever had to hem a curved edge, you’ll know how tricky it is to turn, press and stitch it so that it looks neat and tidy. Curved edges are tricky for a few reasons. They involve a bias grainline, which causes the fabric to stretch out. Also, depending on the kind of curve you are working with, whether it be concave or convex, the fabric edge will be longer or shorter in length compared to the area it is being folded to, indicated by the red dashed line in the following diagram...

I've been looking forward to sharing some of your versions of the new patterns. Wanett from Sown Brooklyn sports Roxanne all over her favorite city. I love her spicy contrasting here with her version of this blouse.

Clothing can hold a meaning more profound than its original intended purpose of style or protection; it can tell stores of our past. "The Memory Project" is a beautiful art piece created by Anna Zygowski, who is a fashion and textile designer currently working on her masters in fashion design (awesome!!!). In this project, Anna shares intimate moments in the lives of her family through garments that they once wore. This storytelling takes place through incredible and nostalgic textile exploration.

I was so happy to be asked to take part in Tilly's awesome "Day In The Life" blog feature. If you wanted a little peek into my days at the studio and the see the coolest parrot ever, you can head over to her blog.

As a bonus, read Tilly's blurb at the end of the interview, and you'll find a pattern sale surprise.

If you haven't already seen Anna's version of Chloe from Paunnet Blog, then prepare to be converted to purple.

Add an extra touch of class to your handmade item by making clothing labels! Creating tags is quick and easy, all you need is a photocopy version of your logo, name or artwork, and a few supplies. Make sure that your artwork or text is in mirror image to the original format. If you've made one of our patterns and would like to make it look extra professional, you can print our labels.

Some seams need a little extra TLC to prevent them from stretching out and losing its shape, or to give the seam extra durability. Some examples of areas that you would commonly reinforce are armholes, necklines, bias seams, or areas like the shoulder that bear the weight of the garment.

My amazing intern, Anna brings fascinating things to show me each time she arrives at the studio. The other day she brought along the most beautiful collection of vintage pattern drafting workbooks that she acquired online. They are exercise books created by a woman who attended a drafting school in Italy in the 1950's. The pages are as delicate as crisp leaves, and the care that went into making them is just admirable. I wanted to share a few pages because they are just gorgeous.

I love Gail's punchy red version of Madeleine and I think it looks lovely without suspenders. She's got the hot librarian thing down pat!