Over these past few months I have been spending a lot of time focusing on how I can expand and improve Casale Crafts. I have come up with a lot of ideas that I am super excited to share throughout the coming weeks! One thing that I know I have needed to crack down on for quite some time now is to take Pattern Testing much more seriously and do it consistently for every pattern. Not going to lie, this realization came after receiving some not so positive feedback about the structure of my pattern not being “traditional”.
There are a few reasons why I think my pattern structure is a bit different from what you might typically see. The main reason being that I have seen too many individuals criticizing their bodies because of Standard Sizes and it is always very disheartening to see people think negatively about themselves because they feel like a clothing size defines them. I think it is pretty transparent how bias and unfair the fashion industry can be when it comes to clothing sizes. For example, I am an incredibly petite person and have always been medically considered underweight and have received comments about if I have any eating disorders, when in reality this is the size that my body is naturally without me going on diets, or exercising, or having any eating disorders, this is what my body is. I have received these comments my whole life about being “too skinny” and even I have found myself not being “too large” to fit into not even a size 0 but a size 2 dress at certain retailers. Standards sizing is typically anything but standard, each company and manufacturer creates their own measurements per size and it is very hard to find any actual standard that anyone has to abide by. It is because of this that I really want my patterns to focus on each individual making a garment that is tailored to their own body without them feeling labeled by a size, or feeling like they cannot make a specific garment because there are no instructions for their specific size. I understand that this method might not work for everyone, it typically means having to take body measurements and doing a little bit more work than just following instructions exactly. I understand that I cannot please everyone, but this is something that is very important to me, it is my goal to find a happy medium and I think the best way to do this is by consistently pattern testing to receive feedback and make my patterns easy to follow even if the structure is not exactly traditional.
The other reason is because I often find traditional structure difficult to follow, I lose my place very often because so much information is smashed into a giant paragraph. This presentation is usually too visually overwhelming for me, although I provide the same instructions as other patterns, I just wish to visually present the information in a more spaced out and appealing structure so that it is easier to follow.
I realize that my methods might not be traditional, but like I said I would like to find a happy medium and I cannot do that without your feedback on the patterns themselves. Therefore, if you are interested in testing any of my future patterns and helping me improve the structure and readability of said patterns, you can find more information about the process and terms at The Pattern Tester Application Page.
Should you have any questions, as always feel free to ask me anything down in the comments or email, or however you would like to contact me!
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