You may have seen the Yalta top and Lily skirt that I tested this year. These are patterns by Lena Merrin. She’s a local pattern designer with lots of industry knowledge and she’s the only pattern designer I’ve met face to face (so far) since I started enjoying pattern testing.
As I have mentioned my pattern testing was done for nix because I love the whole process and working to a deadline.
Meet* Lena
What do you love about sewing? I love how my ideas and drawings come to life. I love having a total control over appearance, quality and fit of everything I wear and ability to express myself this way.
Sewing is also very calming to me. Many ideas come to me while I sew, many problems get solved and issues put behind me. I also love drafting patterns: the calculations it involves gives me a feeling of order and predictability. So really, sewing is my meditation 🙂
Do you come from a long line of sewers/pattern drafters/crafters? My mother is a great knitter, I have inherited her perfectionism and attention to detail. She knows how to sew and can sew very well, but she has this fear of cutting into fabric. I, however, have never hesitated to cut and try new things. I am grateful to my mother for teaching me to be meticulous and never stopping me from wearing my creations (no matter how strange they looked).
I also had a distant relative who was a seamstress extraordinaire. I heard she could sew perfectly fitting clothes for my mother without a single fitting. She also won a few fashion awards. Unfortunately she passed away when I was very young. So most of what I know I had to teach myself.
What does a work day look like for you? I have a young family and because of it my work day does not have set hours. I work in short bursts of 1-2 hours at a time throughout the day. I usually work on several projects at a time – one can be in a design stage, another one in a pattern stage or a sewing stage. During the week I also meet my sewing students and on weekends I meet my clients and sew for myself (when I get the chance). My weekends are usually busier than my week days, so I am fortunate to have such an understanding family.
How long have you wanted to start a pattern line? When I started blogging about the clothes I make I was often asked which patterns I used. This gave me an idea to sell my patterns. It was a natural continuation of what I love doing. I don’t dwell on things for too long, so once I got an idea to start making my own patterns, I immediately gave it a go.
How did you choose your pattern company name? I was quite unimaginative and called my patterns Lena Merrin Patterns. For now I am the only one in the team, but things might change and so might the name.
What inspires you? Perfection, quality, clean lines, character, the element of surprise. I am a very visual person and I love colour and pattern.
I got an idea for my Lily pattern when I saw printed silk chiffon folded on the table. The lower layers were visible through top layers, creating the amazing tridimensional image. With the added movement of the skirt the fabric and the print came alive.
Yalta came about when I draped striped viscose knit on the mannequin, trying to avoid the predictability of the horizontal stripe. The combination of diagonal stripe and drape produce a relaxed and chic effect.
My latest pattern Jackie is all about silhouette, wearability and style. This coat can be dressed up or down, it is versatile, fresh and stylish.
I also love fitting clothes. Analysing and solving fit mysteries is a good brain exercise, and trouser fitting is a great challenge if you are looking for one. I have achieved my perfect trouser fit and I often help other sewists with their fit dilemmas.
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| These are the perfect fit trousers that Lena recently made. |
Do you have a mentor? I have recently made a new friend, who has been in the industry for over 30 years. I am learning a great deal from her and I have noticed some positive changes in the way I sew already. I guess I can call her my mentor.
What challenges have you had with your pattern line? My greatest challenge was trying to keep track of all the little details that make the pattern great. I wanted my patterns to be clear, but not overloaded with details and instructions. Finding the balance between industry’s laconic pattern language and elaborate instructions for home sewers was one of the biggest tasks.
Learning to use illustrator and other software was another challenge, because my knowledge was zero at the beginning of all this.
And, of course, trying to find time for all this work while raising a family, blogging and sewing for clients!
Do you have a 5 year goal in mind? Sewing pattern world domination, of course
What advice would you give others who are thinking of starting their own pattern line? Know your customer, listen closely to the feedback, and have a strong sense of who you are and what your patterns are about.
Write down what starting a company involves, down to a small detail and go from there. Journey of thousand miles begins with a single step.
Regards
Lena Merrinthesewingspace.comLena Merrin Patterns
*1. all opinions are the interviewee’s own.
2. this blog post is not sponsored and has been published for people to know the maker better, understand the ins and outs of pattern making biz from one person’s personal journey.
3. all images are copyright of their original owners and used with permission for the purposes of discussion and illustration thesewingspace.com
