A series of weekly posts, sharing some of my favorite internet finds.
As I started looking through some of my pins to gather some content for this post, I came across one that I'd pinned from Etsy. It was a sewing pattern for a little girl's dress. That gave me the idea to look through my Etsy favorites to see what other sewing patterns I'd saved on Etsy. Did you know you can create boards on Etsy too?
Anyway, as I looked through my saved patterns, I realized that I usually "like" several patterns from any given seller. I thought I'd take this week's FTF to feature some of my favorite pattern designers from Etsy. I'll be featuring several different shops/pattern types, from toys to clothes, to quilts. Etsy has a great feature called About Me, that allows sellers to give a mini-bio on who they are and how their shop came to be. Since this feature is optional, not every seller has one. When it's available, I'll link to it so you can check those out. I love reading stories about how my favorite shops came to be, and I urge you to take a peek. If you're a maker, it can be really inspiring to read about others' successes, and to see how they were all newbies at one point!
All of the shops featured sell their patterns as instant PDF downloads. I love ordering patterns this way because I don't have to wait days to get them in the mail!
My first feature is Kim from Retro Mama. Retro Mama has been open since the end of 2007. She's got some adorable softie patterns in her shop. One cool thing about patterns from her shop, is that she allows you to sell items made from her patterns, as long as you credit her as the designer (following her instructions). You can find her About Me page here.
I love this bunny pattern so much! I bought this one last year with the intention of making one for Zoe's Easter basket. Of course, I never got around to it, but this year, I'm for sure getting it done! Zoe is a bunny freak, and it'll just make my heart sing to see her loving on a bunny that I made.
Doxies are by far my favorite dog breed, so of course, I love this Dachshund softie pattern. I actually purchased an already made one from another Etsy seller, for Zoe's first Christmas. Aren't they just the cutest things?
OK, seriously, how cute is this Hans and Greta doll set??? Just look at those sweet outfits! You can also purchase these patterns from the shop, separately.
Retro Mama has pages of patterns available, as well as some listings for felt, which can be used for several of her patterns.
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My next feature is Little Lizard King. I just discovered this shop last weekend while I was looking for a toddler dress pattern. You can find there About Me page here.
According to their About Me page, they are the largest seller of children's clothing patterns on Etsy. I certainly believe it because there are so many I ended up adding to my favorites! Like Retro Mama, Little Lizard King allows items made from their patterns to be sold, in limited quantities, with proper credit given to them for designing the pattern.
The dress that led me to their shop was this one. I'm planning to purchase this one this week, and have already been planning what fabric I'd like to use. I'm thinking a bold Amy Butler print would look gorgeous here.
I love patterns that use a bunch of different fabrics. It might take me forever to choose just the right fabrics, but it's so much fun pulling them all together. One good this about a pattern like this one is that it's good for stash-busting. I'm also thinking you could use a fat quarter bundle on the smaller sizes. That certainly takes most of the work of choosing fabrics, away. I'm looking at this skirt, and seeing this awesome Joel Dewberry bundle working really well!
This has to be the most adorable dress I've seen in a long time! It would make the perfect Easter dress!
In addition to dress and skirt patterns, Little Lizard King also stocks patterns for rompers, tops, bottoms, accessories, boys' patterns and even costumes!
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If you like boutique clothing patterns, you'll love this next shop. Viola Lee is a shop full of boutique clothing patterns for little girls. I have purchased several patterns from her, and have made two garments using her patterns. I'd consider myself somewhere between a beginner and intermediate when it comes to sewing, and these patterns were a cinch for me! Vicky's patterns are very thorough, and easy to use. You can find Vicky's About Me page here.
OK, on to some of my favorite patterns. I'll start with the two I've used.
The first pattern I used was the Mattie Mae pants pattern. I made these as part of Zoe's 1st Birthday party outfit. They were freaking adorable!
The second pattern I used was the appropriately named Zoe. It's a Ruffled Dress pattern with an option to make it just a top. I made one of these last year, and really learned a lot, like how to work with a bodice, which was something I'd never done before. You can see my version here.
I bought the Leatha Lee dress pattern last year as well, and am about to start on it. I bought several fabrics this week that will work, I just need to narrow them down.
If you're looking for boy patterns, I've just stumbled across Vicky's shop for boy patterns, Fuddie Duddies.
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This next shop, Cali Faye Collection, stocks patterns for garments that have a little more of a minimalist feel to them. I tend to like both the girly-girl boutique style clothes and the minimalist style for Zoe. I don't want her to be dressed over-the-top everyday so these patterns are excellent for helping add a good mix to her wardrobe. Wow, I'm talking like she's a grown woman aren't I? ha!
Cali Faye Collection is run by Sarah, and you can find her About Me page here. Like the other designers, Sarah allows you to sell items made from her designs, on a small business based scale, as long as you give Cali Faye Collection credit for the design.
I am in love with this lovely pullover. I'm big on dressing Zoe in leggings since they're so versatile, not to mention comfortable, so a pullover like this is perfect to pair with them!
This next top is just so pretty! I love the gathers on the front. The great thing about this top is that it would look good in a small, medium or large print fabric.
This was the pattern that drew me to the Cali Faye Collection shop. What a cute outfit! These pants are adorable, and can be made as either a pair of everyday pants, or as PJ pants. The top is another CFC pattern, which is sold separately.
I hope you've enjoyed this post. I love supporting other Etsy shops, and feel like in addition to making purchases from them, I can hopefully send a few people, who may not have ever stumbled across them, their way. Make sure to stop by next Friday for a round-up of my favorite Etsy fabric shops!
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