2018 has just begun and it’s time for Matt and I to look back on our last year and look forward to the next! This post is a summary of Thread Theory developments in 2017 and a little glimpse at what we have planned pattern-wise for the coming months.
January 2017
Last January we held a Lazo Hack Contest for our freshly launched women’s trouser pattern. I really enjoyed seeing your Lazo sewing plans popping up on social media and still wear the cozy lounge pants that I created as my contribution to the contest. You can view the Lazo Lounge Pant tutorial here.
Our Lazo Trousers were launched to celebrate Thread Theory’s 5th birthday. A portion of their proceeds has been donated to a Vancouver Island organisation that is close to my heart: Help Fill A Dream. You can read all about this organisation in the Lazo Trouser pattern description. In 2017 we donated $1278. Thank you so very much for making this possible!
February 2017
February 2017 was when we began the idea of stocking vintage menswear sewing patterns in our shop. We also launched a variety of new tools and held a knitting supply sale.
March 2017
In March we put out the call for pattern testers for our Belvedere Waistcoat pattern. We were inundated with generous offers by sewists eager to volunteer their time!
April 2017
April saw the launch of our Spring Capsule Collection of bamboo knits and hemp fabrics. We also launched the first collection of vintage sewing patterns that blog readers world-wide sold or donated to our shop.
May 2017
May was a pattern release month! We launched the Belvedere Waistcoat and promptly hosted a sew-along so you would be ready for Father’s Day gift giving. I loved the photoshoot that we did with my family at our local pub.
June 2017
In June our focus was increasing our menswear pattern collection – we added more vintage menswear patterns and also began stocking Jalie, Kwik Sew, Burda and Vogue designs.
July 2017
In July we introduced our wonderful new team member, Jaymee! I don’t know what we would have done without her diligent work responding to emails, working with wholesale clients and posting on social media over the last half year. I look forward to growing her role on the Thread Theory team in 2018. July also saw the release of our summer fabric collection of breezy and environmentally conscious staples.
August 2017
In August we held our first remnant sale to make way for our upcoming Fall fabrics. Most remnant items were sold out within 24 hours! It was nice to see that these small cuts of fabric would not be going to waste. I also launched some visible mending supplies and showed you the summer mending I had done using Sashiko stitching.
September 2017
September was a little quiet on the blog as we focused on our family but I managed to share a few interesting posts including a video tour of our tissue patterns and a video introducing an inspiring sustainable menswear designer. We also held a sale on our Jutland Pants pattern.
October 2017
We released some cozy winter sweater fabrics in October and added the option to order swatches in our fabric shop. We also launched four new French translations for our patterns that can be downloaded for free. Our entire line of garment patterns could now be accessed in both English and French.
November 2017
November was another pattern launch month! This time we added 3 mini patterns to our shop – the Elastic Wallet, the Card Wallet and the Bifold Wallet. We also offered these as a kit of three patterns at a discounted price. Then, to add to the excitement, these new patterns, along with the rest of our PDF patterns went on sale for 50% off near the end of November! I hope that there were many lovingly sewn wallets under your Christmas trees this winter.
December 2017
The last month of the year included a pre-Christmas photographed tutorial to accompany our Bifold Wallet pattern and a small launch of Merchant & Mills goodies. We wound up the year a little bit quiet on the blog with a wish of Merry Christmas and a small inventory clear out sale (which is still going on in our sale section). Now we have empty shelves and refreshed minds, ready to face 2018 with high hopes!
What will 2018 bring?
This year we will be focusing on pattern development! We currently have five garment patterns under construction. These five patterns will include a greatly expanded size range (up to 4XL for tops and size 50 for bottoms) to accommodate the many requests we receive by email and on the blog.
Here are a few fun hints about each new pattern (hopefully without giving too much away!):
- The most complicated and intricate of the garment designs will be part of our Alpine Adventure Menswear Collection…and we are drafting two separate versions of this one, one for men and one for women!
- One of the bottoms will be the perfect pattern for beginners to try. I designed this one with sewing instructors in mind.
- Two of the bottoms will fill a big void as far as menswear sewing patterns go. One of the designs will be part of our Parkland Collection and the other will be part of our Cityscape Collection. Both will include in depth information on finishing details as you might expect of all of our patterns…we want the results to wear as well or better than store-bought!
- The last design will be a nice quick sew and is something that many people have emailed us to request. There will be two variations that can be used to easily replace a large variety of garments in the menswear wardrobe.
While our focus will be on new pattern releases this year, you can still expect to find a nicely stocked and curated selection of menswear supplies in our shop. Very shortly we will be receiving a huge order from England so expect to see some exciting new Merchant & Mills patterns, kits and tools coming out soon!
What would you like to see on the blog and in our shop this year?
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January 18, 2018 at 10:25 am
Ooh! So mysterious!! I can’t wait to see what you have planned for us – my boyfriend lives in Jeds and Fairfields. He’s been making noises about wanting a lightweight blazer/jacket someday…if you ever released a pattern for one, Thread Theory would be my first choice by miles!
January 5, 2018 at 5:19 pm
I hope that last one is a raglan!! Also, excited for the women’s pattern! Love all of your designs. 🙂
January 5, 2018 at 3:25 pm
Can’t wait to see your new patterns! Happy New Year!!
January 5, 2018 at 5:53 am
Not sure how practical/beneficial this would be for you, but I’d love it if you had an arrangement like Blackbird Fabrics for shipping to the US. I think they use some sort of service that brings the packages over the border. Their shipping is faster and cheaper and doesn’t have to include a declaration of items on the outside of the package.
January 5, 2018 at 5:05 am
You know what I would really love? It may be outside of where you want to go, so I won’t be hurt if you don’t incorporate it. I would love a few hard wearing women’s styles that are similar to a few of your men’s styles. I don’t want to dress like a man, but I love the tough and sturdy workwear designs for women that come from places like L.L. Bean, Duluth Trading Company, and Carhartt. I would love a women’s version of your Jutland pants, Strathcona Henley, a shirt jacket that can be lined or unlined, and also your Newcastle Cardigan even though that doesn’t quite fit the category I mentioned. I haven’t found any patterns for women like the Jutland, Strathcona, and a shirt jacket. I have actually made myself some Jutlands and plan to eventually make myself a Strathcona and a Newcastle, but I wish someone would make a few women’s workwear patterns like what I see in catalogs. Again, I realize this is not really your focus, but maybe some food for thought. 🙂
January 10, 2018 at 5:39 am
P.S. Filson is another company that provides great menswear and rugged womenswear inspiration.
January 5, 2018 at 4:45 am
Ooh, very excited for your new releases! Thanks for all the inspiration!
January 4, 2018 at 5:23 pm
Wow, when you put it all together in one place, it is amazing to see what you have accomplished this year! Really looking forward to what’s coming and more sewing on the horizon.