I am trying to change my identity from a sewist to a tall fashion designer. Sewing is just the tip of the iceberg that is my design process. Before I pattern, cut or stitch, I gather inspiration, inspect details, plan silhouettes and pair fabrics. In fact, I would say the most important tool in my sewing arsenal is not my sewing machine; it’s Pinterest. Pinterest keeps me organized and helps me focus my vision for what I’ll create. Since it’s such an important part of my process, I’m lifting the veil and sharing with you my tips and tricks for using Pinterest to design and sew fashionable clothes.
Pinterest To Inspire Designs
My goal for my sewing is always to elevate – to create fashion statements that are more unique and daring than I see in everyday life. To educate myself about high-end styles, I follow designer runways at Vogue.com and save my favorite looks to Pinterest boards for fall and spring seasons. For my Fall 2019 mood board, I started with a few perennial favorites – Diane Von Furstenburg, Prabal Gurung, Brandon Maxwell, Dries Van Noten, Tanya Taylor, Oscar De La Renta, Stella Jean, and Johanna Ortiz.
Once saved to a Pinterest board, I click on the images to check out the platform’s recommendations for related looks. Sometimes I’ll find new designers and return to Vogue to see their full season. Other times, I’ll find older designs or street style inspiration and add them to the board to capture the trends and a mood of the styles I like. When I first started sewing, I would only pin clothes that I thought I had the skill to recreate. Now, I pin everything that inspires me because I’m building the skills to one day be able to sew anything.
Pinterest To Add Garment Details
Sometimes my starting point for sewing a new garment is the need for specific item of clothing or the desire to use a new sewing pattern that’s been released. Never wanting to make an exact copy, I bring new ideas to life by adding unique style details. I organize my inspiration for specific articles of clothing into separate Pinterest boards. For example, I have a board for Coats & Jackets that I referenced when personalizing my leopard denim jacket. On my board were jackets with large square pockets and thick bands at the waist and cuff. I integrated those ideas to pattern hack the relatively basic McCall’s M8011 pattern into the perfect jacket for me.
These Pinterest boards for garment details come about organically and by search. I index all of the styles I like on the internet by adding to a board. Other times, I have my heart set on using a specific fabric and I’ll search and search for ideas to make the most of it. This is how I decided to do the subtle top-stitching detail on my lilac M7226 cropped pants and how I’m planning the oomph I’ll add to a coat this winter. Both are basic, solid fabrics but have the potential for unique details.
Pinterest To Organize Sewing Patterns
What’s the best way to organize nearly 150 sewing patterns between paper envelopes, downloads and books? For me, it’s a clever use of a Pinterest board. Instead of having to thumb through everything I own when I’m deciding what to sew next, I can scroll down one board that represents My Sewing Pattern Cabinet. Because I have a great visual memory, I also find it to be much quicker than a spreadsheet to access pattern information. On the sewing pattern board I pin the line drawings directly from the pattern website and link back to the pattern webpages. When the patterns go on sale and I’m trying to decide what to buy, I can easily check this board to keep from buying the same pattern twice. I also have a separate board for Pattern Wants that I use as a shopping list for pattern sales so I stay focused and grab patterns at the best price.
Pinterest To Buy Fabric
The beauty of the Pinterest app plus My Sewing Pattern Cabinet board is that I can see my collection of patterns everywhere I go. If I’m in a fabric store and I spot a fabric that I love, I check my board on my phone to find a suitable pattern or patterns to make it up. I can easily click to the webpage to see the exact yardage I need instead of wasting fabric and money by buying extra for just in case. It’s a huge help with notions as well – I can grab everything I need while I’m in the store. I’m blessed to live in NYC where I have access to incredible fabric stores. Pinterest helps me to support small businesses and save money by shopping for fabric in person.
Pinterest To Show Off Sewing Makes
After I’ve designed, patterned and sewn my garments, I use Pinterest to show off my makes. I love being able to contribute my ideas back onto a platform that pushed my own creativity. It’s also interesting to develop a board that shows different ways I’ve styled what’s in my closet so I can do more mixing and matching with my looks.
So there you have all of the secrets to my design process with Pinterest! Tell me – are you going to start using any of these tricks? Do you use any other technology to innovate your design process?
