On today’s episode of the While She Naps podcast we’re talking about sewing your own clothes with my guest, Heather Lou. Heather is a Montreal based sewing pattern designer and blogger at Closet Case Files. She was once a shopaholic Vogue-reading fashion obsessive, a lifestyle she says left her with a packed closet, nothing to wear, and a whole lot of consumer debt. Then a few years ago she made a deal with herself that the only “new” things that could come into her closet would be things she made herself.
Sewing quickly took over her life and today Heather is a successful pattern designer with a thriving business.
In this interview, I ask Heather to tell us about her family life growing up. She also talks about what the creative and small business scene is like in Montreal where she lives. Heather tells us how she named her blog and created the moniker “Lou” for her last name online.
Heather loves to blog and she’s an avid reader of blogs and supporter of the sewing blog community. She started her blog in 2011 and we talk about what keeps her blogging after five years.
We analyze what made the Bombshell Swimsuit and the Ginger Jeans such successful patterns and what it’s like to try to work on the design that comes after massive success.
I ask Heather to tell us the path she took to quit her day job as a commercial interior designer and become self-employed and I ask her where she found her new assistant.
Recently Heather decided to begin creating print patterns in addition to digital and we talk about how she funded this venture (with a bank loan rather than Kickstarter) and how it’s gone so far. We also conjecture about the future of the Big 4 pattern companies. Finally, I ask Heather to tell us who she admires right now in the indie sewing scene.
During our conversation Heather references:
- Sallie Oh’s blog
- Gertie’s Blog for Better Sewing
- District Fabric in Seattle
- Sarai Mitnick of Colette and Seamwork
- Jen at Grainline
- Named
And, of course, I ask Heather to recommend great stuff she’s enjoying right now. Heather recommends:
Keep up with Heather on her blog or send her a message on Instagram.
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Today’s episode is sponsored by Amy Barickman, founder of Indygo Junction sewing patterns and books. Visit AmyBarickman.com to find vintage imagery, sewing and craft books and her new Vintage Notions Monthly magazine which is based on material from the Woman’s Institute of Domestic Arts. Although the Institute was founded 100 years ago, the treasure trove of lessons and stories are still relevant today and offer a blueprint for living a contented life. Check it out at Vintage Notions Monthly.
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Thank you for another lovely podcast! It’s interesting to hear about the business side of the craft and sewing industry.
I’d like to comment on the portion of this conversation about how the rise of the indie pattern designers may have affected the Big Four sales.
Heather she said that most of the people she knows sew almost exclusively indie patterns and you suggested that might just be the sewing bloggers. That response felt right to me as someone who is not much of a blogger, and who has been sewing for more than 10 years. When started sewing clothing for myself in the mid 90’s the Big Four patterns were pretty much the only option and there was no sewing blogosphere. It was lonely and frustrating learning to sew in that vacuum, but my loyalty to the Big Four pattern companies isn’t diminished by newer product options. If anything, I buy more patterns (of all kinds) than ever before and I attribute this to the rise of the internet and social media.
For me, the choice to buy an indie pattern over a Big Four pattern comes down to whether or not I trust the quality of a the pattern drafting. The style of the design is a close second priority and the third factor that does sway me toward indie patterns is the attention to paid to the instructions.
What a lovely podcast! I really enjoyed it. Heather sounds like such a lovely person.
I would like to comment on a couple things.
The Big 4 Pattern Companies. I have grown up and learnt how to sew in Russia. I have been sewing for over 20 years now. In Russia, Burda Style magazine is extremely popular! The magazine goes on sale once a month and can be bought in majority of newspaper stands. I can not speak for the last 13 years as what is happening with sewing community in Russia, but from what I can tell, Burda Patterns are still very popular. As for me, I have been using mainly BurdaStyle patterns all my life. I’ve ventured out into other Big4 pattern companies since I’ve moved away. Over the last couple years I have discovered Indie Pattern designers and community and I have to say that I do mainly sew using Indie Patterns. I can only speak for myself and from my experience, but I find that majority of Indie Patterns are drafted very well and have amazing instructions. Just as Heather says in the podcast, you end up getting so much more for the price you pay – instructional photos and diagrams, sew-alongs, careful explanations… I still have my enormous collection of BurdaStyle magazines, but I am definitely more drawn to Indie Designers.
The second comment is about the podcast Heather mentions. I am absolutely hooked on Dear Sugar!! It is so warm, loving and simply amazing. There is so much wisdom, kindness and love. Definitely recommend the podcast!
Thanks for this perspective, Anya!
I really enjoyed this podcast. While I haven’t made any of Heather Lou’s patterns I am very aware of them through sewing blogs I read and pinterest. One reason I like indie patterns more than the big four at present is precisely because of the way that many bloggers generously post about their makes or post pins so that people can see so many variations of the same pattern. We can see different fabric choices, how the pattern looks on a range of ages and sizes, how fitting issues have been addressed, hacks and so on. This really helps in deciding if a pattern will work for you. Then there are detailed instructions and often sewalongs which help with new (or forgotten!) techniques. I’m returning to sewing now after a gap of 30 years and have a very different body to the one I sewed for from teens to early thirties. The big four have technical drawings which I like but the models wearing the patterns don’t look anything like me. I also think that the hard work that indie designers put into detailing how to make their garments and additional tutorials and sharing of their sewing (and knitting!) lives encourages loyalty and a desire to support their businesses. I also appreciate that Heather Lou is not designing always for beginner sewers. Her coat pattern is very beautiful and one day maybe..
Great points, Cherry!
I signed up for both your and Heather’s newsletters by way of your “sign me up” slider bars. I would’ve looked for the sign-up option if the slider bars were not there, but I do appreciate not having to look! I’m gravitating back towards newsletters and blogs, and away from Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, so the slider bars to sign up for newsletters and email notifications for new blog posts has become my friend =).