Fit is the #1 Challenge for New and Experienced Home Sewists Around the World
Research and writing by Annie Krambuhl & Mel Brister
Illustrations by Annie Krambuhl
Just as many things happen in the sewing world, Mel and I met on Instagram. In September 2020, I saw the popular Instagram sewist and software engineer @minimalistmechanist repost a Story from the account @handmakingmel. Mel shared an update about a “sewing wiki” project, with the goal of creating a go-to resource for sewists. She was looking for people interested in helping, and as a recently ramped up sewist and experienced product designer myself, I was very excited to get to know Mel and find out how I could get involved.
Together, we embarked on a project akin to work I do in the technology industry, in which design and product teams do first-hand research with intended users/customers to understand their real challenges and needs. Even though Mel and I are active in the sewing world, we didn’t want to assume all sewists experience the same frustrations we have.
Through the research process, we learned about sewists’ motivations, processes, and struggles, and ultimately invalidated our initial hypotheses about the utility of a sewing wiki. In this article, we’ll share our key learnings, notably that the biggest challenge for sewists around the world is in understanding how to custom fit garments.
- Annie
Round One: Sewists
“Sewist” is a popular gender neutral term that refers to home sewers. Sewists are part of an international community highly connected through social media and localized events.
We recruited sewists through Instagram, which proved to be a very successful, targeted, and fast channel for us. If only all participant recruitment was this easy! The 9 sewists we spoke to ranged from beginner to advanced in skill level, and lived in the US, Canada, Switzerland, The UK, and Australia.
Our interviews were designed to be open-ended to allow for the organic reveal of challenges, frustrations, and successes. Our guiding hypotheses were based on the idea of a sewing wiki, but our conversations were not limited to this space. We wanted to learn in a non-biased way if sewists experience problems that could be solved by our wiki concept. These were the initial hypotheses we based our conversation guide around:
- We believe that sewists search online for accurate information to help when they are stuck, and end up getting frustrated by how many resources are available (quantity) and not knowing which to trust (relevance).
- We believe that creating a single, curated point of reference (“community wiki”) will save sewists time and frustration and allow them to attempt more challenging techniques and projects.
Key Learnings
Fulfillment is in the finished garment: For many sewists having a finished garment is more satisfying than the act of making it. They see their handmade garments as a way to express their unique personality and values.
Sewing as self-care and community building: Many sewists have turned to sewing during a difficult period in their lives (recovery, grief, etc.). Sewing provides a way to connect with themselves (self-care, mindful sewing) and others (friends, online community).
Sewists have many resources to learn from: There is so much information available that people don’t know what resources are the most trustworthy. Sometimes they don’t know the right search query to locate the information they need, but they are eventually able to find the information they need.
Fitting is the hardest part of sewing: Nearly everyone we talked to was motivated to sew in order to have garments fit their individual bodies. Overwhelmingly sewists struggle to adjust patterns to fit, or they live with similar fit issues they experience with ready-to-wear clothing. When it comes to fitting, sewists can be grouped into 4 major categories:
1. They don’t know they could benefit from fit adjustments because they are accustomed to ready to wear clothing.
2. They know they could benefit from fit adjustments, but choose not to make them. Instead they:
- Live with fit issues (similar to ready-to-wear)
- Carefully choose to buy patterns based on: 1) a pattern company’s measurement charts and/or 2) through researching pattern specific hashtags on Instagram to see how it looks on people with similar body measurements or shape.
- Use fabrics like knit that are more forgiving of fit issues
3. They are learning fitting techniques and find it difficult, but ultimately see enough benefit in having clothes that fit them.
4. They have learned how to make the fit adjustments needed for their body, and are confident applying them to most patterns.
Round Two: Pattern Designers
After talking with sewists, it seemed natural that we understand another group in this ecosystem — independent pattern designers. We assumed that they were having customer interactions that could help us understand sewists better, but we discovered that they were not actually having a lot of direct communication with their customers.
We had 30–60 minute conversations with 8 designers in the US and the UK. These conversations were open-ended, but focused on their motivations as both sewists and small business owners, their approach to pattern designing, and their customer interactions.
Key Learnings
Pattern Designers are small business owners: They struggle to maintain a sustainable business and many aren’t working on their business full time.
Pattern Designers have little customer interaction: Pattern designers get the most customer service emails about issues downloading the PDF patterns and primarily get Instagram direct messages about fabric choice.
Independent designers set their own size charts, often based on their own body:
- There is no set standard for how pattern designers create their sizing chart or how many body & finished garment measurements they include. They describe their size range in different ways, including the standard numbered system, letters, animals, and alternative numbering systems.
- Pattern designers approach grading in different ways depending on the software used. In addition to using the software, pattern designers will refer to textbooks and resources to help with grading their sizes.
- All the pattern designers we spoke with recognize the importance of size inclusivity and many feel shame when they do not achieve the level size range in their patterns they want to. As a team of one, pattern designers generally have limited time and financial resources, so they struggle to create a second block that will allow them to fully realize their goal of true size inclusivity for their business.
Final Takeaways
We concluded that a “community wiki” would not actually solve a burning problem for the sewing community. Sewists are always, eventually, able to find what they need — it may take some digging or asking people for help, but the information is available.
What we did learn is that the number one motivation for sewists is to be able to wear clothing that fits and makes them feel good in their body. However, the biggest challenge they face is fitting. This struggle is two fold:
- It is difficult to figure out what pattern adjustments are needed for their desired fit.
- There are plentiful methods and resources for learning how to execute pattern adjustments that are easy to come by, yet applying them can take years to master.
I believe there is a real opportunity for digital tools to help sewists succeed and feel confident in fitting. This is something that I am continuing to explore, and if it’s something that also interests you, I would love to hear from you!
-Annie
Reflections
Being members of the sewing community ourselves, it was really fun to be able to have conversations with other sewists around the world. One of the most notable things we found is how many people were generous with their time and eager to help us (the response rate to our call for participants was over 90%).
This type of research is something that all small business owners in the sewing community can benefit from. Whether you own a fabric store or a social media platform, customers in the sewing community want to help you. By having intentional conversations with your customers you will gain insights that can help you to improve your business.
If you need help getting started, feel free to reach out to Annie.
Mel Brister
Mel is a sewist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Mel loves french seams, wardrobe planning, and pressing. She works as a social media specialist in the beauty industry. Follow Mel: @handmakingmel // www.handmakingmel.com
Annie Krambuhl
Annie is a San Francisco, California-based UX designer, sewist, and entrepreneur. She has been a lifelong maker and began sewing a colorful wardrobe in 2019. She is passionate about understanding how to fit garments to all bodies. Follow Annie: @annielovesprojects // www.annielovesprojects.com
