People

People Unusual Job

By MARTHA TINTIN

Design, Stitch and Sew

They provide table, designs and instructions to all the fans of stitching and sewing. It is a passion that is often passed on from one’s mother or grandmother. This passion is just a hobby for many, but for others it becomes a full-time profession.

TRIAL AND ERROR LEARNING

Sewing and stitching is often considered a tradition, that is passed through one’s family. There are courses in pattern drafting and fashion design as well as professional courses and workshops. However as far as formal training for embroidery goes, it exists only at a very high, haute-couture level, which is another discipline entirely. The birth of the web has certainly helped as there are many message boards or online communities where people can get ideas as well as learn the job, “luckily I started sewing after the internet was invented!” says Holly McGuire, a designer. Laura Johnson, of EllieInspired told “designing patterns has been an incredible blessing for my family and for me. It was not something that I sought to begin, rather opportunities kept presenting themselves to me until I found myself publishing my first pattern,” adding “I envy those who are just beginning and able to spend their college education learning about pattern drafting, marketing/advertising, and fashion design. When I went to college, I had no idea that I would someday be doing this; so everything I have learned, I have studied on my own.” If there’s no real education for this job, how can the tricks be learned? Johnson says she spent hours and hours reading and researching in libraries, she would study everything “she could get her hands on.” The internet it is also a great source of information, but warns “there is a lot of drafting nonsense to be found as well, so make sure that you get information from someone who is credible.” Helen Stubbings of Pattern Press, who attended a two year post school employment based technical training college course on needlecraft skills explains “my skills are basically all self-taught, also my graphic and IT skills have all been self-taught or gained through short courses and just trial and error.”

THE UPS AND DOWNS

Like any other the sewing patterns designer job has many advantages and disadvantage, after all nothing’s perfect. Working from home and in one’s own time seems to be the biggest advantage for everyone. This job can grant a certain flexibility, but also “I do only what I want to do” says designer Kate Henderson. The founder of Sublime Stitching, Jenny Hart thinks that another big advantage for her is the opportunity to live her creativity to the fullest. According to Carrie Bloomston of SUCH Designs, LLC the advantages are “meeting fellow designers who become friends and comrades as well as being asked to contribute to cool projects, books, and magazines.” However the job has its inconveniences. One big problem is the Internet, because as much as it can be an advantage when at the beginning, on the long run it does more harm than good, as copyright infringement is a real issue in this field too. This is according to Ellen Maurer-Stroh, of EMS Design, she explains “what once started as a blessing turned into a never-ending frustration,” and adds “nowadays the internet is a platform for illegal file sharing. Very often I can download an illegal copy of my new design from a site only hours after it has been published.”

YOU CAN GET SATISFACTION!

Whoever approaches any kind of job certainly wants it to be worthwhile and rewarding, and this field of work is no different. Stubbings says that the most rewarding thing for her is the ability to meet women from around the world and to have an instant connection that makes it all worthwhile. Julie Jackson, of SubversiveCrossstich has a very special idea as the most rewarding thing in her opinion is “laughing to yourself as you utilize such a traditional handicraft to stitch a nontraditional message.” Maurer-Stroh sticks to the classic reward that she gets from the joy of turning crosses into a picture, but also giving the opportunity to others to create something from her designs. Hart agrees with Maurer-Stroh, as she gains great pleasure in seeing her work stitched up by others in what she defines as “a wonderful collaboration with strangers that happens over and over and over again.” Bloomston has a much more spiritual way to go about it as she confesses “the most rewarding thing is having the chance to express what lives in my heart and to have people respond in such a positive way,” and continues “I really like knowing that my designs allow people to listen to their guts and be creative in their thinking and decision making.”

APTITUDES AND THE DAY-TO-DAY The flexibility of being your own boss

doesn’t make things easy, as you have to follow every single aspect of the business, so a typical day for a sewing patterns designer involves answering emails, as well as taking care of the marketing and promotional aspect of the job. Stubbings, for example, does all the pr and marketing before getting her hands on some designing and preparation for stitching, as it is clear that who designs also sews and stitches.. Finally, of course there’s the bookwork and billing aspect of the job, some designer have employees to help them with that, but many others do everything themselves as well as printing and packing patterns, processing orders and chasing payments. Jonhson explains what’s her day like as she says “I usually devote one or two days to sewing, one day to photographing them and editing the pictures, and two days to marketing and advertising and paperwork. A good majority of every day is spent writing patterns and drafting the pattern pieces.” Being a sewing patterns designer requires certain skills and aptitudes, Stubbings firmly believes that a very good knowledge and experience in the field of design you are trying to sell is essential as “creditability goes a long way in gaining success and loyal customers.” People who want to undertake this profession should also have the ability to put this knowledge into writing , because “many people can make a bag, that doesn’t mean they can tell another person how to make it using just words and diagrams on a piece of paper.” Last but not least determination and the ability to work hard are crucial.

THE FINAL TOUCHES

Jackson would encourage anyone who wants to access this field of work “it's fun to see what each new designer brings to the mix, no two people interpret the be to work for a cross-stitch-magazine, however, those jobs are very rare.” “Dream big, but start small,” advises Bloomston, adding “start right now, even if you have no idea what you’re doing, it is better to get in the river and swim with the

craft in the same way,” she exclaims. McGuire thinks the same when she asserts “go for it! I think this is something anyone can do at any stage of their life, and you're only limited by your imagination.” Being hard to make a living out of this job Maurer-Stroh advises “my recommendation is to start as a self-publisher and have a second job for secure income,” and adds “another idea might current, fake it ‘til you make it, and make some mistakes, than to stand on the shore watching and waiting for who-knowswhat." This field is a very wide sea of possibilities, this is why Hart suggests “pinpoint what exactly it is that you want to do, and how you want to do it, at that point the answers for what path to follow will become clear.”•