Welcome to the 2021 Spring edition of the FreeSewing newsletter.
Hereâs what we have included for you:
- đ Pattern releases winter 2021 (1-minute read - by Joost)
- đľď¸ Behind the seams: Wouter van Wageningen (9-minute read - by An & Wouter)
- đ Spotlight on some lesser-know FreeSewing features (3-minute read - by Joost)
- 𤯠Some of the more crazy ideas on our drawing board (3-minute read - by Joost)
- â¤ď¸ FreeSewing is brought to you by the kindness of strangers (5-minute read by Joost)
We hope you enjoy it. If not, mash that reply button and tell us what youâd like to read instead ÂŻ\_(ă)_/ÂŻ
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đ Pattern releases winter 2021
Hereâs a quick recap of the new patterns we released in the first quarter of this year:
- The Bella bodice block for womenswear: A collaboration with somebody from the industry to replicate the kind of bodice block thatâs used in fashion today. Currently it has a bust dart towards the side-seam. A variation with a shoulder dart is on our todo list.
- The Hortensia handbag: Another collaboration, this time between Stofsuchti and long-time contributor Wouter Van Wageningen brought the first handbag pattern to FreeSewing.
- The Cornelius cycling breeches: More from Wouter still, these cycling breeches or knickerbockers are based on the Keystone drafting method.
Click through any of the links for the blog posts announcing these patterns.
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đľď¸ Behind the seams: Wouter van Wageningen
With two pattern releases to his name in the last 3 months, who better to shine a spotlight on than long time contributor Wouter.
An â one of our newer contributors â interviewed him for this newsletter:
Bio
Born in the Netherlands and lived there for 30 years before moving to âthe Statesâ. He accompanied his American wife when she wanted to return and has been living there for over 20 years. He now considers it his home, while recognizing all the emotional ties to The Netherlands when he goes back to visit.
While a busy IT manager, he likes to create new patterns for FreeSewing from time to time.
How did you learn about freesewing?
When I started sewing many years ago, I was continuously looking for patterns for men. The site of Joost, Makemypattern (since late 2012), came up in one of my searches, and I thought it was an interesting concept.
How did you become a contributor?
In the beginning, there were no contributors other than Joost, that I remember. He had made this framework that allowed other people to make patterns that could be incorporated. Being a programmer, as a professional and hobbyist, this intrigued me. The originally site was created in the PHP programming language, one I had not worked with before. I thought this made for an interesting challenge to contribute to the work of Joost.
As this was my first experience with the toolset, the language, and making patterns, I picked something as easy as a bow tie. It is a simple object, as it is flat with a width and a height, but no real depth. Therefore, I didnât have to try to shape a piece of fabric around a 3D shape. The result passed the muster of Joost, and became an official pattern on the site.
Before finding FreeSewing, I had drawn a pencil skirt for my partner by just using her measurements. I realized while working on the bow tie that I could try to combine the experience of making this skirt with that of making the pattern for the bow tie, and make another pattern for FreeSewing. Thus, the Penelope pencil skirt was born.
What has been your contributor work so far?
I have created the Waralee wrap pants, Albert apron, and Cornelius cycling breeches. I also did the implementation of the Hortensia handbag, but that is not my design. I got the drawings and measurements from the designer (Stoffsuchti), and translated those into a FreeSewing pattern.
The Benjamin bow tie was totally my own creation, exactly as I imagined what it should look. The Penelope and Waralee designs were built from the knowledge I gathered by reading about those types of garments, and implementing my interpretation of them. The Cornelius is actually an implementation of a pattern in an existing drafting system (The âKeystoneâ System).
When and why did you start sewing?
Seven or eight years ago, I wanted to know what it would be like to wear a kilt. But kilts are insanely expensive. They are made of very nice wool and it takes an enormous amount of time to make a real Scottish kilt. There are these âutility kiltsâ, which are basically cargo pants made into a kilt. More practical with pockets, and made out of cotton, but they still cost around $200.
Because I was still figuring out whether I would enjoy wearing a kilt, it didnât make much sense to me to invest that much. While researching this I found a website dedicated to people wearing kilts, and it had a documented process on how to create your own utility kilt. I did have a sewing machine, it seemed within my abilities, so I bought some fabric and started sewing. One kilt became two, and then I figured I needed a shirt to go along with it. It should be somewhat contemporary to old kilts. With a little searching I found a pattern to make such a shirt. And that led to making more and more shirts, and then pants andâŚ
At one point I decided that I wasnât going to buy any more clothes, I was just going to make them. One exception to that are underwear and socks, as these donât give me much pleasure in making them, and are usually ridiculously cheap. I have knitted a pair of socks, and I like knitting a lot. I just donât seem to be able to knit fast enough to keep up with the wear and tear. The other exception is athletic or technical clothing, as I just cannot buy the fabrics (e.g. eVent) you need for it. These are exclusively sold to vendors of this type of clothing. I have recently made some yoga pants and biking shorts for myself, so this may change.
What is your daily job, outside of freesewing?
IT manager. I take care of the IT needs for a union of homecare workers.
What are you currently working on?
Nothing for FreeSewing at the moment, but I am looking into the possibility to make a pattern based on the trouser block. That way, I donât have to start from scratch as I usually do, and just extend Joostâs work. Iâm looking forward to trying this approach, but I first have to complete my doublet.
Which project did you just finish?
The Cornelius cycling breeches and the implementation of the Hortensia handbag.
What sewing project are you most proud of?
Iâm proud of a lot of projects; my first shirt (even though it has a lot of faults), my first tailored coat, all of my art shirts, ⌠But if I had to pick one, it would probably be my Mondrian shirt. It was the one where I went all the way from a concept in my mind, though creating it on paper, to turning it into a garment.
What in your life are you most proud of?
Everybody will answer that with something like âmy childrenâ. And I am proud of the persons theyâve become. But I think that is more something they have done, than what I have done. I was just there to help them when needed. One of the things Iâve done that Iâm proud of is having been a volunteer firefighter for 10 years. And, for the last 20 years or so, Iâve worked for nonprofits trying to make the world a better place.
What do you love the most about sewing?
The creativity. I like to make things. I discovered that with sewing, in contrast to things like wood or metal working, I can be really precise. And I can find the patience in myself to create that precision. Whatâs more, if I make a mistake, I can usually undo it (e.g. take the seam out). Itâs a lot harder to take things apart once youâve glued them together. I also like that I can make something that is a flat drawing on a piece of paper into something that is a real three dimensional thing, by turning those patterns into pieces of fabric and sewing them together. Even the trail and error process to adapt a pattern to my needs, or to create a new pattern from scratch, is interesting to me. Itâs a discovery journey with practical outcomes. And, although Iâm not good at all of the required skills, I can do most of them well enough that I can go from something in my head to something that I can wear, and that is very satisfying.
What do you hate the most about sewing?
I am a bit too impatient to do large parts of sewing by hand, and that is my least favorable part of sewing. The occasional basting is fine, it is the sewing of a full seam by hand that is beyond me. I have made buttonholes by hand on my tailored jacket, and that was satisfying by itself. Yet it takes too much time and it doesnât fascinate me enough to allow me to become good at it. Itâll most likely take a long time before Iâll do it again. For some reason I donât mind doing the pad stitching for lapels and such on tailored jackets.
Whatâs the hardest part of sewing to you?
It is nearly impossible for me to draw the mental picture that is in my head on a piece of paper. Iâm really bad at drawing free form. Because of this, I cannot, not even temporarily, put the end result of a certain clothing design on a piece of paper to look at it. And therefore I cannot get someone elseâs opinion or input on it before I create it. It is frustrating.
What would be your advice for starting sewists/sewistas?
First of all, go for it and concentrate on the parts of the sewing process you enjoy. Look at the big picture of creating a garment for yourself, and let that motivate you to get through the parts you donât like so much.
Secondly, just keep going and donât look at things that didnât work out so well too much. Everything takes practice, and you will get better at it. Break up things into smaller parts and think about what you can do to improve that one part. Maybe thereâs a different way to do this step that works better for you.
Lastly, donât be intimidated by patterns. Try different patterns, designers, and techniques. Pick out what works for you. All designers have their own way of doing certain things, and they may not always align with your strengths and weeknesses. I always do a zipper fly the same way, regardless of what the designer suggested. My way works for me and gives me good results. Others may prefer other techniques, so find your own by trying a lot of different ways.
And most of all; enjoy the process of creating. The end product is an additinal benefit. Through the enjoyment of the process, you will gain the experience to get good at it. And with that, you will get the garments you like.
Are you married?
Not anymore, after 25 years we amicably split up. I have a new partner now.
Do you have children?
Five in total, two adult children of myself and three almost adults of my partner.
Are you a dog person or a cat person?
I am a dog person, but I donât have a dog anymore.
Do you have pets?
I have had three dogs. I would enjoy having a dog, but my current life style and freedom to travel does not match up with having one.
If there was one thing you could take with you to an uninhibited island what would it be? Why?
A knife, because it seems to be the most useful item to help me survive.
If there was one person you could take with you to an uninhibited island, who would it be? Why?
Nobody, since I could not forgive myself for putting someone else through the same ordeal. I love what thousands of years of society has brought us, and I donât want to be without its fruits. So it would be cruel for me to subject someone else to this punishment.
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đ Spotlight on some lesser-know FreeSewing features
Regardless of whether youâve only recently discovered FreeSewing, or have been a user for many years, here are some things you might not have discovered on your own:
Multilingualism
FreeSewing is available in 5 languages, each with their own website. In addition to English at freesewing.org, we have websites in French, German, Dutch, and Spanish.
If youâd like to help us add more languages, get in touch.
Paperless patterns
Not a fan of printing and sticking pages together? Or perhaps you donât have a printer? Donât despair, because FreeSewing provides paperless patterns.
Youâll find the paperless option under the Pattern options. Flick it on and now youâll have dimensions as well as a grid in either metric or imperial so you can transfer your pattern directly to fabric or another medium like pattern paper.
Custom layout/tiler
Laying out the different pattern parts on your pattern happens automatically. But alas, itâs one of those things that computers are far worse at that humans. Often you can save a bunch of pages by squishing things together yourself. If only you could, right?
Turns out you can. Simply Export your pattern as SVG and fire up Inkscape (which you can download for free).
When you open the pattern in Inkscape, the entire pattern will be in a group, so first thing to do is to select it and right-click and choose ungroup. Now you can rotate and flip each part around and arrange them just as you like. When youâre happy, click File -> Document properties and choose Resize page to content.
When youâre done, save the SVG and upload it to our custom tiler: https://tiler.freesewing.org/ There you can upload the SVG and pick your page size, and youâll get a PDF just like on the website. Only this time, with your own layout đ
Remove details from a pattern
This option was originally intended for laser cutters, but has other uses too.
For this, youâll have to enable so-called Expert mode. Under Pattern options, click Expert mode and set it to Show. Now, youâll have the Advanced option under which youâll find Detail. If you set it to Hide, your pattern will not only show the outline of the different pattern parts.
This is also handy for when you are making doll clothes as the titles, logo, and size box end up being taking up more space than the pattern itself.
Include only certain pattern parts
Since weâve unlocked Expert mode, hereâs another tip you mightnât be aware of: the Contents option. This option allows you to not draft the entire pattern, but only those parts that you want.
This can be handy if you want to make a change to a pattern and only print those parts that are affected. But also if you want to combine different styles. For example you can generate a complete Simon pattern, and then additional collar or cuff styles where only the collar/cuffs are included in the pattern.
Got an idea for some other cool feature youâd like to see? Make sure to let us know.
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𤯠Some of the more crazy ideas on our drawing board
Weâre rarely stuck for things to do, because some work is never finished: adding more patterns, writing more or better documentation, improving user experience, and so on.
But sometimes, we also like to shoot the breeze and come up with some ideas that are a bit off the beaten path. Hereâs a selection of them that weâve been mulling over. Donât consider it a sneak preview though, some of these are bona fide moonshots:
Allowing users to create their own pattern layouts on the site
The pattern layout â the way the individual pattern pieces are laid out on the page â seems like the low-hanging fruit of improvements. Almost without exception, your pattern will not be the most optimal layout.
Thing is, computers are not very good at this sort of spacial problem thatâs called packing. We could try to tweak the algorithm, but human beings are just intuitively better at it than computers are.
The goal
To make it possible (and ideally easy) for people to do their own layout. So that before you export your pattern, you have the option to arrange it just as you like it.
What it would take
This is something thatâs been on the drawing board for quite some time. FreeSewing core already has support for custom layouts, so itâs really just a matter of creating the frontend interface to handle the layouting.
Roadblocks
Doing the SVG layout on mobile is a minefield.
Chances of this happening
High. Weâre almost certainly going to do this at some point.
Using 3D renders to showcase patterns or options
3D in general is something we have our eye on, but in this case itâs really about presenting the patterns to the user. People want to know what theyâre going to get, and line drawings and showcases can only go so far to show that.
The idea would be to be able to show patterns on a 3D avatar. However, a big caveat is that we would have to be able to somehow automate this process since we canât go manually creating a 3D render of every pattern & option.
The goal
Create 3D renders of different patterns and the effect of pattern options. Integrating this with our build pipeline so those renders can be auto-generated.
What it would take
Some work has been done already. Last year we wrote a DXF-exporter plugin that can export patterns as DXF, a popular format in 3D tools. We did some initial tests with CLO3D but the lack of automation options not to mention the fact that itâs a closed-source commercial product made us abandon that path.
The right thing to do would be using Blender so that this work would benefit the open source community.
Roadblocks
Blender is not that easy to learn. Automation and plugins in Blender need to be written in Python, and weâre a JavaScript project. Basically, we have nobody who knows how to even start on this today.
Chances of this happening
Medium. Could really use some help on this.
Frankenstein patterns
The name Frankenstein pattern is something that came up during one of our contributor calls, and the name sort of stuck. The idea is that you could mix and match parts from different patterns to create your own combinations. Like, pick a top and combine it with the sleeves from another top and perhaps the collar from yet another top.
The goal
Allow patterns to be created by combining different building blocks.
Roadblocks
This would require some sort of inter-pattern API or interface specification.
Chances of this happening
Low. For pattern developers, combining parts from different patterns is already possible via inheritance. Exposing this sort of functionality to the user level would already be a significant challenge. But doing it in a way that requires no code and merely some clicking around is pretty far out there.
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â¤ď¸ FreeSewing is brought to you by the kindness of strangers
On April 5th 2011, a Tuesday of all days, I published a sewing pattern on my blog. BXR-M01A was a pattern for boxer briefs that came in one size only, and was free to download under a Creative Commons license.
It was also the very first pattern I ever published.
The event as such doesnât deserve much attention, but it just happens to have occurred 10 years ago â almost to the day. So it seemed a good starting point for a brief history of how we got from there to here.
The Early Days
I started drafting my own sewing patterns because I had fitting issues with store-bought ones. Drafting my own patterns held the promise of flawless fit with just a bit of effort (Oh, how naive I was!). The fiddling about with paper had me bored in no time, so I set out to try to automate that part of the process. I came up with a way to reduce the pattern to a number of steps, and abstract away the measurements. Now, you could feed it whatever measurements you wanted, and it would re-draft the pattern for you.
I launched the beta version of my little pattern machine in February of 2012. It wasnât an immediate success. As a matter of fact, to the best of my knowledge, only one person ever tested it. That person was Nico in Copenhagen (who Iâve sadly lost track of) who wrote:
That is sooo cool.
I will enter my thoughts about your project using your feed back thingy on the pattern web site.
But you should know that the overall fit is amazing! I think I have a new favourite pattern :-)
makemypattern.com
One good review is perhaps not much to go on, but I found it rather encouraging and set out to walk this path a bit further. Fast-forward six months and Iâd rewritten the thing from scratch, and with four patterns available officially launched makemypattern.com in September of 2012.
Things sort of trickled along as I added a pattern every now and then. Then, in January 2014 I got an email from Tin Doan in Canada asking how they could donate to the site. I sort of expected this to be some sort of scam, but I still answered the email asking âAre you for real?â. Tin answered:
Yes Joost, Iâm serious. Please kindly accept $200.00 from me.
Sure enough, I soon found myself at the receiving end of a $200 donation. To this day, it remains the highest amount Iâve ever received in a single donation.
This unexpected yet very tangible token of support felt like a fork in the road. Iâd been happy building this thing mostly as a learning experience. Now it felt like perhaps it needed a bit more devotion and care.
In retrospect, this point probably marks the end of my social life đ good thing I had found a partner by now (phew).
Pivot to Open Source and freesewing.org
So of course I rewrote the whole thing â again â into what would turn out to be the last version of makemypattern.com. By the summer of 2016, five years after my first pattern release, and four years after launching makemypattern.com, my little hobby project had made a lot of headway, and I found myself at another turning point: Keep doing what Iâm doing, or try to break through the next barrier.
Up until this point, I had been doing makemypattern.com on my own. The code wasnât even available. I wanted to make it into an open source project that people could contribute to. But I had never started it with that ambition, and it was going to take some serious refactoring to make it into something that people would be able to wrap their heads around.
So I did exactly that, and in March 2017 I launched v1.0.0 of freesewing.org. A new name (and logo) to mark the transition to an open source project. This was a much more mature release, with a documented API and it led to the first patterns contributed by others. It also came with a hat I hadnât worn before, open source maintainer.
FreeSewing v2.0.0: Itâs JavaScript Now
During all this time, the world of frontend development had changed and we could do so much more in a browser. Rather than picking a bunch of options and getting a pattern in the end, the idea of seeing the pattern update in your browser as you changed options was â at least in theory â attainable now.
With that goal in mind, I started over again, this time in JavaScript. And in August of 2019 v2.0.0 landed on freesewing.org. A complete rewrite in JavaScript with a new website to boot.
Since then, Iâve been able to keep myself from rewriting the entire thing again đ¤
The Family You Choose
Weâre getting closer to present time, but thereâs one more moment that stands out for me, and thatâs a blog post from August 2020 where â maybe for the first time â I explicitly asked for help to grow the project. Since then, a community has developed around FreeSewing that feels more valuable to me than any code I could ever write.
Motivation is a powerful thing, and I wonder whether FreeSewing would exist today if it wasnât for the full-on enthusiasm of Nico in the early days. Or whether it would have fizzled out without Tin injecting some rocket fuel in the form of a donation. Or whether perhaps I would have succumbed to burnout by now if I hadnât found such a great group of people to walk this road with me.
Speaking of which: There are countless individuals who have contributed to get to where we are today. I couldnât possible mention them all. But what they have in common is that at one point, they were complete strangers to me, as I was to them.
Itâs the kindness of strangers that brought us here.
Thank you strangers.