So the new thing with patterns right now, that's not really new, is PDF patterns. These are patterns you can purchase online, and then download them onto your computer. You never have to worry about the pattern tearing up or pieces getting lost. If anything ever happens to your paper pattern, you can just print out another and tape it together. The thing I really love about PDF patterns, besides not having to wait on them in the snail mail, is that a multi-size pattern doesn't have to drive me crazy. I can cut out the size I need, and if I need that same pattern bigger or smaller, I can print it out, and cut out the new size. No more folding the pieces under on the size I don't need. No more pins in the crotch just so I can cut out the correct one.
PDF patterns add great value to the pattern world. Now, all those beautiful boutique clothes you buy in the store and online, you can make yourself. So gifted person is generous to create pieces and put them and their instructions out there into cyberspace so that you can make the exact item for a fraction of the cost of buying it! No, the patterns aren't $ .99, which is the going price for pattern buying for me, but handmade patterns are worth so much more than the price you pay for them.
Now don't be run off by "hand made" patterns. Most PDF patterns today are only hand made in creation of the completed garment. Thanks to wonderful technology, a pattern can be drawn up and printed by computer. The pieces are not actually hand drawn...not like they used to be.
With that said and done, my spotlight today will be on Mountain Ash Designs. If you have dancers like I do, or maybe a gymnast, or just a really active child, these are the patterns for you. My girls take lots of dance classes several days of the week, and one also takes gymnastics. That's a lot of dance clothes for one week! And dance clothes aint cheap! Any place that actually has variety in dance outfits is going to hit your wallet a little bit too. Being a seamstress, I realize that most of the clothes girls dance in are not even a yard of fabric! Why am I paying $30 for a pair of booty shorts?
Well, I'm not any more! I made a cute black pair the other day that looks exactly like the ones in the store! Plus, they're glittery, which is something I haven't even seen in the store. Having a pattern allows you to make things out of whatever material you want. Creativity is endless! Plus, your child will have something totally original.
Besides the different variations of a garment that Mountain Ash Designs offers, the clothes actually fit. A lot of the patterns you buy in the store don't actually look on your child like the ones on the pattern. I hate it when a leggings pattern produces a loose pair of leggings instead of the fitted ones on the pattern model. The pair of booty shorts I made fit exactly like the picture. That was enough for me! The next pattern I'm going to try is a leotard.
The absolute best thing about PDF patterns is you don't have to sit and wait for someone to check their email, and then send you a file or a link to download from. Right after your payment is received, you can download the file onto your computer. Immediate gratification! Your project can be underway in a matter of minutes.
You can visit Mountain Ash Designs here, and try your hand at all kinds of cool activewear.
