The lessons, challenges and joys of building a sewing pattern brand from scratch.
Àlamain turns one tomorrow and, to celebrate, I wanted to share a little of what went into building a sewing pattern brand from the ground up. We’ll look back on some key moments, lessons, and joys that shaped the first year of Àlamain.
The Genesis
At the end of 2024, I lost a job that felt very important to me at the time. It was a reminder that no job is ever entirely secure, especially in the post-Covid fashion industry.
What I didn’t know at the time was that losing that role would ultimately create the space to pursue a project I had been dreaming of for years.
The idea for Àlamain began a few years before and lived only in my head for a long while.
Although it didn’t have a name at the time, I knew I wanted to build something of my own, something that would allow me to share my love for craft.
Over time, the idea evolved into designing and selling sewing patterns. Alongside it, I immediately wanted to suggest fabric pairings, as one thing I learnt working as a PD is that fabric allocation (or what we call FTS = Fabric To Sketch) is a key decision that can make or break a design. I never envisaged working on a pattern without a vision of the final sample, the fabric, colours, trims and topstitching details.
I worked on the first Àlamain patterns just like designers work on a collection. I thought about garments that could work together, how textures and colours responded to each other, and opportunities for different styling and layering combinations. Finding inspiration for the designs was never the challenge. Editing down the ideas and being realistic about the workload I could take on was the real test.
Having never developed commercial sewing patterns before, there were countless details to figure out: sourcing the right paper weight, formatting files for different print standards (I had no idea A4 wasn't universal), developing custom envelopes, finding testers, and filming tutorial videos…
Almost every day brought a new problem to solve or a new skill to acquire, which I found incredibly stimulating.
The Launch
By the end of May 2025, the first three patterns were ready and I was preparing for launch.
With the help of family and friends I organised our first photoshoot. I find styling looks for a shoot such a fun exercise. I love looking for the right shoe and accessories that will complement the clothes. Most of this sourcing is done on Vinted or in second-hand stores for budget reasons but also because these are the best places to find unique pieces.
The shoot felt like such an important day for Àlamain. The vision was finally taking shape and the excitement was truly at its peak.
However, sharing my designs felt quite daunting. Most of the work involved in developing sewing patterns happens in isolation. Months can be spent drafting, sewing samples, writing instructions and filming tutorials before anyone outside a small group of testers sees the finished result.
But luckily a few people picked up on it and showed me support from day one. After months spent working largely on my own, seeing sewists make, wear and share their versions of the designs was incredibly rewarding.
I still remember packing that first order on launch day. After spending months focused on development, it felt surreal to finally send a pattern out into the world.
Early lessons
One of the first priorities after launch was expanding the size range. This was always on the agenda but the demand from the community was such that I could not delay it.
The home sewing community is much more advanced than RTW brands when it comes to inclusivity. When the vast majority of high-end clothing brands still stop at around a UK size 18, independent pattern companies often offer far broader size ranges, often split in multiple blocks designed for different body shapes.
That difference reflects one of the strengths of home sewing: it’s a craft that empowers people to make unique designs tailored to their specific body shape.
Developing for larger sizes was something new for me and I wanted to do it right. So I reached out to people with experience, plus-size pattern cutters and designers from the RTW industry and fellow sewing pattern brand owners for advice and guidance. I invested in specialist books and gave it a go. The first fitting with my model gave me confidence that I was going in the right direction.
After many more fittings and a long testing round, I finally released the Pleat Top’s extended size range (the first of many inclusive patterns I hope).
Another thing I realised quickly after launch is that I needed to acquaint myself with the imperial measurement system. To be transparent, that has been and remains a bit of a challenge but I am committed to including imperial measurements in all my patterns so they are more approachable to international sewists.
I have also learnt that the more you do something, the better and more efficient you get at it. The first tutorial video I filmed and edited took me such an obscene amount of time I actually came close to giving up altogether. I’m so glad I did not. I receive so many messages from people who value those videos so much. They definitely make the patterns more approachable to beginners. And each video is a little easier to make than the previous one, so that’s a win!
The wins
I recently received a message that really stood out to me. A maker wrote to tell me that sewing one of my patterns had restored her enthusiasm for sewing at a time when her motivation was waning because of the pressure built up from long and complex projects.
That message stayed with me because it captured exactly what I hoped Àlamain could contribute: not simply more patterns, but projects that feel approachable, rewarding and worth making.
I'm also deeply proud of the diversity of the community that has formed around Àlamain this year. Seeing makers from all over the world, at all levels of experience, sewing the same patterns in wildly different fabrics and expressing their own personal style has been such a joy.
What's coming
Year two has a lot in store.
There are new patterns already in development, along with many more ideas waiting in my sketchbook. I've also been sourcing some special deadstock fabrics from high-end mills, which I'm really excited to share with you soon.
One of my goals this year is to make Àlamain more accessible in different ways. That means bringing paper patterns to more shops, so they're easier to discover and browse in person. They're already stocked at Ray Stitch in London and The Sewing Club in Canada, and I'm hoping to add a few more stockists to that list soon.
It's also been exciting to see the Pleat Top finding its way into sewing classrooms. A few teachers are planning workshops around the pattern in the coming months, and I would love to see more of that in the future. Helping new sewists build confidence and skills has become one of the most rewarding parts of running Àlamain.
More than anything, year two is about building on the foundations laid during the first: creating thoughtful patterns, sharing detailed tutorials, and designing projects that feel approachable without compromising on style.
Thank you for being part of Àlamain's first year. Whether you've sewn a pattern, tested a design, shared a photo, or simply followed along from the beginning, your support has helped make this first year possible.
I can't wait to see where year two takes us.