Meet Elwynn and Faron

Launch day is here and we’re so excited to finally share our first two patterns!!! ….Introducing the Faron jumper dress and the Elwynn blouse!

ELWYNN

The Elwynn keyhole blouse is a yoked blouse with bust darts, a back keyhole, and capped sleeves.

View A has a Peter Pan collar and a tie closure. View B has a button and loop closure.

Our favorite Elwynn tops are sewn with drapey lightweight fabrics. You can also use a crisper fabric for a more structured look. The Elwynn is so easy to throw on over a pair of leggings or jeans, or to dress up with a cute skirt. You can sew it all in the same fabric, or have fun with color-blocking.

FARON

The Faron jumper is a sleeveless overdress with a scooped front neckline and low back, front and back princess seams, an a-line skirt, and a separating zipper opening in the front.

Faron is designed to be worn over other garments, such as blouses and t-shirts. (Or Elwynn.)

Faron works best with heavier weight fabrics and is such an easy dress to wear! Throw it on over a t-shirt or a cute blouse and you’re good to go. We made ours out of wool and corduroy — super warm for winter, and easy to accessorize with cute boots and scarves.

We’ll be posting fabric inspiration and pattern hacks on the blog soon so look out for those! Also to celebrate launch week, get 10% off your purchase when you buy both patterns! Use the code FN10. (Ends 2/12 at 11:59pm PST.)

Please share your makes on Instagram with the tags #FNfaron and #FNelwynn!

S + P

Update + new launch date!

Hi friends!

Our planned release date of Fall 2018 has come and is almost gone, and yet, our patterns still haven’t launched! We wanted to fill you in on what we've been working on, what's been holding us up, and roughly when you can expect to be able to purchase Fig + Needle patterns.

As might be expected while starting a new business, we’ve run into some delays over the past few months. The first large hurdle we encountered was grading: we weren’t happy with our original grading efforts, and since great fit across all our size ranges is very important to us, we ultimately decided to have a professional grade our two size ranges for both patterns. This was a fantastic decision and we're so happy with the results, but extra time was necessary to put the properly graded versions through pattern testing.

The second large hurdle has been the process of setting up a new business operating from two different states, as Ping is in California, and Sandra moved to Washington in the spring. (At least we’re in the same time zone!) As of right now, the patterns themselves are complete. We’re putting some final touches on everything, and perfecting our instructions, but we’re also waiting for some paperwork to be finalized.

Due to the upcoming holiday craziness, we’re currently looking at January for our first official launch, and we are SO EXCITED! We can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on, and we really appreciate all of the support we’ve received while we work out the growing pains of getting started. We’d also like to extend a very special thank you to our testers, who have been so amazing and patient with us throughout this process.

THANK YOU!

Ping + Sandra

Looking for Testers!

Calling all sewists!

We're looking for a group of testers for our first two Fig + Needle patterns! If this sounds like fun, please fill out this form by August 20th! We'll be reaching out to those who have been selected shortly thereafter. 

photo credit: Annie Spratt

We are currently planning to have PDF files ready to send out on August 24th, and we ask that our testers be able to print the pattern they'll be testing (you only have to test one!), sew it in your own fabric, send us photos, and fill out a feedback survey by September 10th. 

Testers who successfully complete all of the tasks will receive the finalized PDF files for both patterns once they're released this fall. 

All sizes and all levels of experience are welcome to sign up here!

Printable Sewing Planner pages in 2 sizes!

We are so excited to be offering our first downloadable freebie: Sewing Planner pages in 2 body sizes!

Since our patterns will have two size ranges, we also wanted to create two figure sizes so you can pick the one that better matches your curves

We've included a space for listing required supplies,  as well as a second space where you can attach swatches, make pattern adjustment notes, whatever you want to use it for. 

We've been having so much fun using these sheets to plan our sewing projects and we're so excited to share them with you! 

We recommend printing on cardstock so it's easier to attach fabric. Another option is to print on regular paper and then slide them in sleeve protectors. 

Sign up below to snag your copy and get sketching. And don't forget to tag us on Instagram or use the hashtag #FNsewingplanner so we can see what you're working on!

Slopers, Bodies, and Blocks, Oh My!

Last week, we mentioned that we've been working on our first patterns, and that we've been getting our slopers set up. But what does that mean?

 A sloper, or body, or block, is a master pattern from which other patterns can be created. It is a basic fitted shell, which has basically no interesting design features, but has fitting darts for all the right spots. This allows us to avoid starting from scratch every time we make a new pattern, and we can be sure that the resulting design will come close to fitting the same way each time.

​Once a design is considered to be complete, the designed pattern is then sized up and down, to give a fuller size range, in a process called grading. It's only possible to grade a pattern by a few sizes, however, before it begins to distort and fit oddly. This is why many clothing and pattern companies seem to have a limited size range—if the final pattern is a size 8, for example, it can be graded down to 6, 4, and 2, and graded up to 10, 12, and 14, giving a full size range of 2-14. 

So, to make a large range of clothing sizes, multiple patterns will need to be made and graded, which can become costly and time consuming. At Fig + Needle, having an extended size range is one of our top priorities. We have two slopers, one with a 34" full bust (C/D cup), which will create the smaller size range, and another with a 48" full bust (DD/E cup), to create the larger sizes.

As we test our patterns with real people (more on that in April!), we may make some adjustments. Either way we'll be posting update and eventually an official size chart with explanations on how to select the best size to fit your body!

Ping + Sandra at Work

It's been a whole month since we started the blog at Fig + Needle, and we've been so overwhelmed and honoured by the amazing and positive response we've received! We have a lot to do before we can release our first patterns in Fall 2018. Here's a small glimpse into what we've been working on.

Although we collaborate extensively on our  designs, Ping is in charge of finalizing the details of each pattern. By sewing samples and testing fit, she can better judge how each design will look, and make changes accordingly. She's also trying out different fabrics to discover what works and what really really doesn't. Aside from the blog, Ping is also working on our social media presence and cooking up some fun downloadables for release in a few weeks. 

Meanwhile, Sandra has been working on getting the larger size sloper pattern ready, fitting it to a dressform padded out to look like an actual human. She's also primarily in charge of managing the website, balancing the budget, and organizing all the "business end" details, so she feels like she's spent more time on her laptop than at the sewing machine, so far!

We're so excited for what's coming up, and are so grateful to everyone for all your support. 

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