Tips for Sewing Pattern Entreprenuers

Screenshot of Oliver + S sewing pattern company

(Screenshot from Oliver + S) Patternmaking is solitary work, especially if you work in your own studio as an entrepreneur of an independent pattern brand for the home sewing market. That is why I was delighted to learn of two other new companies like mine using Optitex sewing pattern software! The giant McCall company with its portfolio of brands made the switch to Optitex in 2010, and Kwik Sew had been using it long before then, but I was unaware of any others beyond those two and myself using Optitex for the specific application of producing patterns for home sewists until learning of Leisl Gibson's Oliver + S and related brands in New York City, and Jen Beeman's Grainline Studio in Chicago. As Optitex continues to gain traction as the leading pattern software company, I expect more independent pattern producers will follow. Leisl's and Jen's blog archives contain helpful advice about the technical aspects of preparing patterns for home sewists. After looking through the online resources from both of these companies, I felt as though I had made some new friends in the small world of independent sewing pattern publishing. Wouldn't it be fun for us all to have our own home sewing pattern manufacturer convention some day?