Big changes at Perfect Pattern Parcel

I live my life with little to no regret. Bad things that happen to you are learning experiences for the future. Every event that has occurred in your life up until this point has shaped the person you are. When the going gets tough, think to yourself, “Why am I doing this? What is important to me?”


Wall art by Mr. Pickwicks
The events that happened this pat weekend that ultimately led to Rachael and Pattern Parcel parting ways left me reeling. I had lost my blogging best friend, and all of a sudden overnight my blog and business were nothing by stress, chaos and confusion. I was left to ponder:

“Why am I doing this? Why did I start my blog and Pattern Parcel? Why should I keep going?”

It all just brought me back to the core of it all. I love to share what I make and teach people how to make it too. I love the online making community. I am passionate about independent, small designer businesses. I think it is incredibly important to give back and be charitable.

This is what is important to me and my family. This is what Danny and I believe in. We believe in being good people. We believe in helping others. We want to teach our children to hold these beliefs close to their hearts.

We also thinking running a business is fun and it’s even more fun to do together. Building something from nothing, creating a product that customers want, making the first sale...it’s exciting. Pattern Parcel is a learning tool. We read books and attend webinars. We test new ideas and analyze the results. It’s like our third baby, except I didn’t have a c-section to give birth to it and it’s not giving me stretch marks. ;)


Wall art by Kaelah of The Clueless Girl
A few days rumination have brought Danny and I to this decision:

Going forward, all profits from Perfect Pattern Parcel will be also donated to charity.

We’re going back to the basics of it all. Supporting indie designers, being charitable, and developing community. Don’t worry. Nothing about Perfect Pattern Parcel is changing for you. We’re going to continue to build awesome collections of patterns from kickass designers. We’ll be continuing to feature talented bloggers who showcase the versatility of the patterns. And as always, we're going to continue to let you choose your price for the patterns and Pattern Parcel is still going to cover all the costs associated with running the sales. Then we're going to donate the rest. We may even be throwing in a sew-a-long contest or two. ;)

Thank you for reading to the end with me here. I am sincerely thankful for your support. It’s why I fell in love with blogging and this community.

Want to help and be part of Perfect Pattern Parcel ? Please shoot us an email at info@patternparcel.com. We'd love to have you.









Haven't gotten your copy of Parcel #2 yet? It's a lovely collection of spring essentials for a little girl's wardrobe. Choose your price.
Help children's education.
Support independent designers.

Prefontaine Shorts for Kids into Track Pants

If your kids are anything like mine, they love their Prefontaine Shorts. I recently went through Jimmy's dresser to make a box of hand-me-downs for his cousin and to cycle in the larger sizes in anticipation of warmer weather. I did this in the hopes of sending winter away, but it snowed one more time. Grr... In any case, while were were cleaning shorts out Jimmy saw these:


Unfortunately they are obscenely too small for him now, never mind when he would wear them three months for now. Into the hand-me-down box they went. Cue the tears. Huge, pathetic tears. So I promised him new ones. Lots of new Prefontaines.


Since it's a bit too cool here for shorts I lengthened the pattern in to Prefontaine Track Pants. Success! They're great comfy, wide leg pants. Or hell, even jammies. Lord knows Jimmy would wear them day and night if I let him.


Here's how you do it:
Use a clear gridded quilting ruler to mark a line 1.5" above the bottom of the front pattern piece parallel to the bottom edge. Make sure the line you makre is above the entire retro curve of the side seam, but below the crotch point. Mark a second line on your back pattern piece the exact same distance up from the bottom hem. Cut the bottoms off of both pattern pieces along those lines.

Measure your kiddo's hip to ankle length. Tape paper to your both pattern pieces. Reattach the retro curved hems of the pattern pieces so that the length of the pattern's side seam is your child's hip to ankle length plus 1.5". True the inseam pattern lines to match crotch points and bottom hems.


You will need to make a longer length of "bias" tape tshirt trim but one upcycled tshirt was still more than enough. Then just assemble your track pants as you would the Prefontaine Shorts. Easy, peasey. Now I've got one happy boy.



Don't have a copy of the Prefontaine Shorts for Kids pattern yet? It's part of the Pattern Parcel #2 sale as the Bonus Pattern. Or you can get it directly here.

Pattern Parcel #2 is here!

The countdown timer has ticked down to zero and I can finally share the patterns in Parcel #2 with you all! Without further ado, I present to you Pattern Parcel #2. Sugar, spice and everything nice. Parcel #2 is a collection of essential Spring patterns to wardrobe a little girl. Right in time for Kids Clothes Week and the Spring holidays.


Pattern Parcel #2 includes:
Celestial Tee by Figgy’s
September Tunic & Dress by Too Sweets Patterns
The Caroline Party Dress by Mouse House Creations
Hanami Top & Dress by Straight Grain
Hosh Pants by LouBee Clothing



Unlock the Bonus Pattern Parcel #2 also has a Bonus Pattern. To unlock the Bonus Pattern and have it included in your Parcel #2 purchase, just choose a price of $24 or greater. The Prefontaine Shorts for Kids by Made with Moxie will automatically be added to your Parcel!







Need a little inspiration on how to mix and match the sewing patterns in Parcel #2? Check out this little video we made for you. A special thanks to Thomas Knauer for letting us use his fabulous fabric designs! I am again jealous that these garments do not come in my size.

Perfect Pattern Parcel #2 from Perfect Pattern Parcel.

Now, I know exactly what you are thinking. "I wish I had a set of those Parcel Dolls!" You wish has been granted! The ever fantastic Rachael has created this printable of perfection just for you. Now you can print our your own Parcel Doll set and use them to design your Parcel #2 makes. You are going to want to print out at least two, you know, so the kids can color on their own. ;)

Don't forget, Kids Clothes Week starts next week! Now you can have a brand new collection of indie patterns to sew up for your little ones. Let's face it, your sweet girl is going to look so damn adorable in these patterns. Go grab yourself a copy of Parcel #2 and don't forget you have to choose a price of $24 or higher to unlock the Bonus Pattern.

Happy Friday, y'all! Have fun with your Parcel Dolls. I hope your weather is warm and your cares are light.

I've got the itch! Kid's Clothes Week, Parcel #2, and Selfish Sewing Week

Pull out your calendars, friends. Next week is Kid's Clothes Week, and more importantly, this Friday is the much anticipated launch of Pattern Parcel #2. That's right, this Friday at 9am EST. Don't sweat the time zone. We put a countdown timer on the site for you. ;)

Now as much as I should be prepping for KCW next week, I can't hep but want to abandon it all because I know is coming up! That's right! Rachael of imagine gnats and I have another week of amazing indie patterns to feature and for you to WIN!WE have some juicy patterns lined up that you will love to sew up. So grab a pen and draw a line through April 28th through May 3rd. Because that week is for you.
As makers we often put others first. We sew for gifts. We make clothes for our families. We knit for charity. We create to fill our stores. When was the last time you allowed yourself some Me Time? Women have spent the past, well, forever, being raised to think that we should always put others first and that do do anything else makes you an awful person. It's the reason we make less money, don't climb the career ladders as high, and a wealth of other issues. We guilt ourselves and each other if we ever allow ourselves to be first. And it's just stupid. I've never seen another man point a finger in another man's face and accuse him of being selfish.

So twice a year, for one week, for at least one hour a day, I am giving you permission to do some selfish sewing (or knitting, quilting, crocheting, etc). Use your skills and talents to make yourself sometime nice!

This year we'll be hosting Selfish Sewing Week over at Kollabora. If you have not joined Kollabora yet you are missing out. I know what you're thinking. Just one more social media thing to update and tend to. Not so! I implore you to go check out their site. You can share your projects, make a brand page if you have one, even sell your patterns through them. Kollabora was designed by makers for makers. It's like FlickR, but none of the things that make you hate it. Just way, way better. I'm in love. You can even make collections of your favorite patterns or projects for future inspiration.

Selfish Sewing Week is sponsored by Girl Charlee, Hawthorne Threads, and Auriful. If you are not familiar with these companies, do check them out. I love their fabrics and threads. Plus, great customer service. I've got a Girl Charlee order on the way that I can not wait to dig into!

So, yes lots of sewing coming up! Pattern Parcel #2 is this Friday. KCW next week and Selfish Sewing Week April 28-May 3. See you on Friday, when we reveal the patterns included in Parcel #2. Woo Hoo!