Hello my crafty friends! Happy New Year!!!
Is it just me, but it feels like 2020 was the longest year of my life! The year started so well and I had so many plans and expectations which sadly to say did not happen. Well, there is always next year as they say! So let’s make this year, the year to be alive, the year to be brave and kind to one another!
Before I tell you my plans for 2021 I want to quickly look back at the 2020. The year, that we all want to forget. The year that took many lives prematurely and destroyed businesses and families. The year that should not happen, but also the year that made us stronger, wiser and more thoughtful ( I hope anyway).
I will start with the biggest change of the year 2020. During the first lockdown I’ve been on send on furlough. The concept that I did not quiet understand. I would have lost myself to the stress and uncertainty that surrounded me at that time, but instead I decided to give 100 % of my time to my dream! The dream of working for myself, being independent, being a business women and creator was with me since I was a teenager, since I learned how to sew, but the doubt, the unknow, lack of time and living in a foreign country always stopped me! It is silly and sad, but it is the truth.
Being furlough for two months, with no work to go to, barely seeing any of my friends, with no family around me I dived head deep into working to transfer my dream into reality. Finally I had time to do what I wanted to do for a long time! I spend all day, every day working hard for myself, for my future! Designing patterns, sewing prototypes, taking million photos or writing sewing instructions. Whatever I did, it was a small step that would bring me closer to my destination.
In the April 2020 I opened my store on Etsy and released my first Tote bag pattern. It was a wonderful feeling, even if I didn’t sell any for the first couple of weeks. It made me more confident to go forward. My second pattern, the Lila bag, was released in May. This was more complex pattern, so I had to ask for some help. If you follow my blog, you will know that in the past I tested few patterns for other indie designers, so I thought it would be beneficial to reach out to the sewing community and ask if anyone is willing to test my patterns. To my surprise nearly 80 people filled the application form so I had to take it down. It was overwhelming and exciting at the same time, but exactly what I needed. Each time I work on a new pattern I look for 10-15 pattern testers to get an idea if the pattern is worth releasing and if anything needs improvement. They are a huge part of the process and with their help I managed to release Emily bag, Kate bag, Lunch bag, Dana tote & bag patterns.
Once I got back to work and settled a little, I decided to start my own Newsletter. I wanted to offer my loyal subscribers something as a thank you and designed the Laptop bag pattern. The pattern is absolutely free, but only available if you sign up to the Newsletter. It was a huge hit, and I receive many lovely comments and photos of the finished bags, so of course it was a natural step to set up a Facebook group to showcase the bags and inspire others.
That was the beginning of me as a pattern designer!
With me being so busy working on my little business alongside full time job I did not have much time left for anything else really, but still managed to share some tutorials, such as how to make a boxy pouch or hack a Alex shirt pattern, completed an embroidery hoop and reviewed few patterns.
Overall it was a productive year but I am choosing to block anything negative that happened last year, so I can stay sane, strong and well.
If you want to know what I am going to do in 2021 than you have to wait and see, because until we can step away from that horrendous COVID situation, plus BREXIT (in UK anyway), I must admit that it is a little pointless to make may plans once again.
I can tell you that in a normal circumstances I would love to start a YouTube channel 😀. This is something that I wanted to touch upon last year, but never had the chance. I really love to teach people what I know and making sewing tutorials would be a fun experience, plus I would like to offer a video tutorial alongside a written sewing instruction for all my patterns.
I shall take one video at a time and see how it all goes. I do not have any fancy equipment and am not really sure if will have enough time to commit to this, so I might start with simple tips and tricks tutorial or share how to draft a pattern before I dive into serious video making. Fingers crossed 🤞.
Of course, I am going to work my hardest on creating new patterns to add to my shop. Currently I am working on unisex crossbody bag as voted by my Newsletter subscribers, but I also want to design a wallet and small backpack this year, because last year I was drawn to all of the large styles of the bags, backpacks and totes! I aim to introduce multiple versions of the same pattern, because I like the options that it gives, and makes it easier for people to mix the details and create something unique. I might share some hacks for the patterns that I’ve created last year or design add-ons….not sure yet.
There is so much I want to do, but as always not enough time for it, so I will have to prioritise and see where the wind takes me. Whatever happens I am planning to make 2021 better, more memorable and exciting in comparison to 2020! That shouldn’t be hard, right?!
Did you managed to complete anything that was planned in 2020? What exciting you want to do in 2021???
