Three Cheers for FreeSewing.Org!

If the man capable of sewing this jawdropping zebra jacket for the Refashioners offered to draft you a custom pattern, would you drop everything and shout “YES!”? Because that’s what Joost is doing!

Joost is one of the original founders of the Sewcialists, and runs Sewcialists.org and the Firehose blog aggregator. He is a brilliant sewist, and also a talented coder, and he has combined those passions in FreeSewing.org. It’s an update of his previous site, MakeMyPattern.com.

So what is FreeSewing.org? It’s a pattern generator that lets you input measurements and generate a custom-fit pattern, for free! There are patterns for tees, hoodies, vests, trousers, ties, hats and more. Because all the patterns are made-to-measure and can be drafted for a bust or no bust, they are inclusive of men and women who like a masculine style, and a wide range of sizes. (There are also some feminine patterns, like a zero-waste dress and a corset, and gender-neutral basics.)

Running FreeSewing.org is a huge amount of work for Joost and the volunteers who help him, and and yesterday he shared a great post about why he believes it is worthwhile. I identify with everything he says because likewise, the Sewcialists blog is a labour of love that I see as my charitable contribution to the sewing community!

As Joost says in his post, the biggest threat to voluntary community projects like FreeSewing is creator burn-out, so the best way you can ensure the project continues to grow is to show him that his effort is appreciated!

He is asking for people who believe in his project to show their support by making a small monthly pledge, which will get donated to charity at the end of the year. I’ve made my pledge, and I hope that you’ll read his post and consider supporting the project by pledging support, making his patterns, or sharing about them on social media!

We talk a lot here about being inclusive, and I think FreeSewing does this in some brilliant and understated ways. If you believe in:

• making quality, stylish patterns accessible to everyone, no matter their income
• creating more patterns for men and women with a masculine style
• supporting male sewists
• and giving back to the sewing community

… then this is the project for you!