Designer Interview- Lisa Howdin of Fitz Patterns

I am so excited to have had a chance to talk to Lisa Howdin of Fitzpatterns about her work! I LOVE Fitzpatterns and have made a lot of cool things using those groovy patterns.

So, How did you get started designing and pattern making?

My aunt was a professional dressmaker and she started teaching me when I was five.

Did you formally study design? Where?

Yes and no. I’ve completed bits here and there…some design units at university, some sewing units at a technical college.

I love that your patterns are so inexpensive and downloadable- do you ever think about packaging them and selling your patterns in stores? Or what do you like about selling online?

I really like the idea of buying patterns online because I can buy from home where my fabric is and it means I when I get inspired (or these days, just some free time) I can download and sew. As for selling online, in theory it means I can get new designs up faster because I don’t have to wait for a catalogue to be put together and distributed.

I’d love to be able to sell in stores but I suspect they stores have to sign contracts with the Big 4 which means they aren’t allowed to stock other company’s patterns. If a store wanted to sell them and they contacted me I’m sure we could work out a way to do it but they would be much more expensive – because I don’t have to waste money on stock that doesn’t sell or gets damaged I can make my patterns available more cheaply.

What is the first thing you ever made?

I made an apple-green cotton playsuit with my aunt and grandmother.

How did you learn to sew?

My aunt who was a professional dressmaker, my grandmother and a really good highschool teacher all contributed to me learning. That, and a lot of mistakes and drama along the way. Sewing is a bit like cooking in that you can make something reasonable without any prior knowledge by following a recipe but you get much better results if you know proper technique. Books like Sew U and Vogue Sewing are a good start if you can’t attend classes. The other trick is to turn professionally-made garments inside out and work out how they are constructed.

What sewing machine do you use?

I have an old metal Bernina that I bought second-hand as a teenager. It was a great buy but I suspect its time is about to come.

Congratulations on your new baby! When you are not creating fabulous patterns or being a mom, what can you usually be found doing?

By trade/profession/day I am a Web Editor and I work on large websites helping to improve the way they work.

Who are your design or crafty idols?

The list is kind of endless because I admire painters, architects, furniture designers, graphic designers etc etc but I think Wendy Mullins is doing an awesome job with Sew U, the Simplicity Patterns and the new book – I really like her aesthetic ditto Deb Stoller at Stitch’n’Bitch/Bust magazine. I think Kathleen Fasanella at Fashion Incubator (http://www.fashion-incubator.com/mt/) does a great job of informing people about the business of patternmaking and fashion/sewn-product manufacture. Design-wise I like what Karen Walker and Susien Chong and Nic Briand of Lover do.

What inspires you?

Gaps in the market, magazines, people on the street, good fabric, colour charts, travel, flickr (wardrobe remix), trenderbender, the sartorialist, streetfashion websites.

I do have to tell you that I adore your mimi pattern! I just made a few tops and get so many compliments on them! The puffy sleeve is seriously perfect!

To buy these fabulous patterns, visit FitzPatterns.