UK Pattern Manufacturers

[UttaRetch]

Alison Smith has a pattern line called Sew wardrobe.  I should imagine they are beautifully drafted, but nothing says 'buy me'.

[Pinkstar]

Just looked at the M & M page and it looks like they just threw the clothes on the floor to photograph them, doesn't encourage me to buy their patterns.

[Ravingdoll]

Sewladida Vintage (based in Lyme Regis and really good fit if you like vintage but made for modern sizing) and Till the Sun goes Down spring to mind.  I've only made one from Till the Sun goes down (not unhappy with it) but I have the full range from Sew La Di Da and love them all.  The Blitz dress is probably my dressmaking equivalent of horlicks, cheese on toast and a hot water bottle! 

[UttaRetch]

Horlicks    I can still smell it from my childhood.  Hated the stuff.

[Efemera]

Sewladida Vintage (based in Lyme Regis and really good fit if you like vintage but made for modern sizing) and Till the Sun goes Down spring to mind.  I've only made one from Till the Sun goes down (not unhappy with it) but I have the full range from Sew La Di Da and love them all.  The Blitz dress is probably my dressmaking equivalent of horlicks, cheese on toast and a hot water bottle!

£18 for a pattern?... Lovely though the Blitz dress is that's extortionate

[Ravingdoll]

True.  I've been lucky enough to have them bought for me as Christmas/birthday presents.  One of the good things about being part of a large family.  That said, I've made four Blitz dresses, so far, with plans for more, in fact I've also made one of the dresses (can't remember name off hand but has an elasticated neckline) at least that number of times too.  Also, when I got stuck on one pattern I emailed the owner and she offered to FaceTime/skype me to help get it right (although as it happened muv came to the rescue). 

[UttaRetch]

£18 for a pattern?... Lovely though the Blitz dress is that's extortionate

Top of the line Vogue patterns cost £15, which is why I only used to buy in the sales.

[Tamnymore]

Although it is nice to support home grown pattern makers I'd think twice about paying £18 for a pattern. I only buy Vogues in sales. I occasionally buy Vogue patterns on the American Vogue website in one of their sales. With BMV membership ($9.99 pa) and buying 3 Vogue patterns at a time with postage it works out at about £7.50 to £8 per  Vogue pattern. However you have to want 3 patterns and you mustn't buy too much as you will be liable for customs charges for purchases over a value of £15  before postage.

[DementedFairy]

I'm happy to pay £15 for a pattern as long as it's something special or unusual, like Vogue designer ones, or the Truly Victorian ones that I love.
As far as I'm concerned, the work involved in drafting something from scratch would cost me more!

This is why I mostly buy 'interesting' patterns, not 'boring' ones!

[Lyn-J]

If you subscribe to Sew Today you can get a 40% discount off of Butterick, McCall's and Vogue patterns. It's £8.00 a quarter and worth it for me, I buy a lot of Vogues and don't do RTW.

[Tamnymore]

DF, I agree about interesting ones. I can always plunder an old pattern in the stash if I want to do something more standard.

Good point about Sewdirect, Lyn, though I stopped subscribing when they went from a 50 to a 40 per cent reduction and added postage for members but still worth if if you buy lots of patterns and like the mag.

[DementedFairy]

After doing my recent pattern inventory, and [blogging about the statistics lol] I'm trying hard not to buy more until I've used ALL the stash.  However, sometimes, needs must, as in the recent Reconstructing History blouse debacle. Kass was very helpful over trying to sort the problems, but when it finally transpired that the error was in fact all hers...I heard no more.  A refund offer might have been nice?
Sigh.
Anyway, by this time I was ITCHING for an edwardian leg of mutton blouse, so invested in the Truly Victorian one.  Et voila!  Two gorgeous gigot-sleeve delights in no time.
So, unusual, interesting or special requirements only for a while.  By my count, I own about 200 patterns, and have about FIFTY not yet made up [although half a dozen of those have been at least toiled and abandoned]

That's a lot!

[Tamnymore]

I daren't count the number of patterns I have... 

[UttaRetch]

There is a fabric shop a couple of miles' away from me that also sells patterns (although KwikSew is now mail order only) and used to leg it down there at sales time.

[sewmuchmore]

As far as I'm concerned, the work involved in drafting something from scratch would cost me more!

DF, Have to agree with you, I have been asked to draft patterns for customers who then balk at the price i quote. I have also looked at drafting software but price is a bit steep, plus not a fan of jigsaws so anything involving printing loads of sheets and then sticking them all together makes me shudder.