Q&A with Handmade Millennial

Last November, Ella Clausen of Handmade Millennial was a guest speaker for the Bay Area Sewists Meetup group. She also brought some of her garments to show us. As you may know, I’m the organizer for the group. I invited her to speak because her jumpsuit design (ME2008) for the Know Me pattern line had just been released. Plus I followed her on IG and saw her enthusiasm for sewing. You can find her on Instagram (@handmademillennial) and read her blog here.

The Know Me pattern line is curated by Mimi G, designer, entrepreneur, influencer, blogger, and now vice president of design, brand strategy, and patterns for Design Group. Mimi launched Know Me because she wanted “to offer talented makers the opportunity to develop and design their very own patterns. And she hopes that “it will represent what our community of sewists truly looks like and give others the same opportunities I have been given.”

I meant to publish this post last fall, but I didn’t do any sewing or blogging then. But I did make an Adrienne Blouse in Dec. and sewed my shirt dress for Fabric Godmother in January. Then I had some technical issues with my blog that I just didn’t have time to sort out. In the meantime, Ella’s second design (ME2033), a crop top and pants, for Know Me patterns was released this spring! Apologies to Ella and Bay Area Sewists for taking so long to get this post done. Here (at last!) is the Q&A from that meetup.

Learning to sew

When did you start sewing and who taught you to sew?

I started sewing in mid-2019. I was on a tight budget at the time, but yearning to wear the latest styles that I couldn’t afford. Somehow I got myself latched on the idea of copying a Reformation jumpsuit that I wanted and thought “that doesn’t look so complicated.” In a spurt of passion, I found a sewing machine Bootcamp class at Workshop SF, borrowed my MIL’s sewing machine, and started off hacking a free pattern of a jumpsuit I found, into a wrap jumpsuit. It was soooo ambitious for a first project, and I’m not sure where my confidence came from, but I went for it. I made a gorgeous-looking jumpsuit, but in my naivité sewed with like ¼ in seam allowances and under some pressure that thing split wide open across the back on the third wear. It still cracks me up. But hey, it gave me the motion to get started.

I still am in majority self-taught from a variety of internet resources. YouTube, sewing blogs, patterns.

I did a few months later take Apparel Construction at CCSF as well, but honestly, I learned more online than I did at CCSF. 

Handmade Millennial’s sewing faves

What is your favorite thing to sew?

For some reason, I love sewing dresses. It’s so interesting because before sewing, I didn’t often wear dresses. It really comes down to the fact that I didn’t realize how much I like the look of long loose dresses, and for some reason, I would never have bought one of those to know that I liked that style so much, until I started sewing. So, sewing has kind of freed me and my style in a way, to try things I was too afraid to invest in before. I almost entirely sew with solids now, and before I was afraid to “waste” my money buying simple-looking garments, so I only bought really accent items. It’s really funny how different it is. 

How and where did you learn to modify and draft patterns?

Honestly, this skill has mostly been learned from videos! I have some pattern drafting books that I enjoy, but nothing is as helpful as seeing the visual of someone actually doing it. Most of the drafting skills I’ve learned have been on a case-by-case basis, but I’m also going back for some of the fundamentals with the online Patternmaking Academy. I think my approach that’s different than many who learn online, is that I research things very thoroughly. If I’m trying to learn a technique, I will probably look at 3 different videos or blogs to really learn about it, then follow a combination of the methods, or follow the method of the person who seems to know best what they’re talking about. 

I should say, there is a difference between being a “pattern designer” and “pattern drafter”. I am a designer for Know Me, not a drafter. The Big Five draft the patterns themselves.

What were the most useful things you learned?

Oooh the power of a tissue fitting, vs mocking up a whole garment. Also how differently a pattern can fit based on the fabric you’re working with. I learned this lesson the hard way toiling my wedding dress with stiff fabrics and getting the design *just right*, only to have it be ridiculously loose and inaccurate in my final toile fabric with more give.

Handmade Millennial on sewing advice & books

What’s the best sewing advice you’ve received?

That all of the important parts of a sewing project come before ever even cutting the fabric. To slow down and visualize. This is huge for me, I don’t think people spend enough time really visualizing their items in the planning process. This is why Instagram is so big for me. Also, Procreate on iPad can be a great tool for visualizing, and honestly, just wrapping yourself in your chosen fabric and trying to imagine the outcome. 

Maybe contrary to what others believe, I think my best skill is not necessarily my sewing, but my taste in fabric and combining that with the right pattern. In connecting color and balancing the right amount of “bold” with “minimal.”

What sewing books do you recommend?

Couture Techniques by Claire Shaeffer has been a huge help to me. I also have one called the Sew/Fit Manual that is really helpful. Whichever ones you can find at your local library.

How much time do you spend every week sewing? 

Depends on the week. Some none, or 1-2 hours. Some weeks it’s more like 6-8.

You designed and sewed your own wedding dress. What advice do you have for people who are considering doing that? [You can read about Ella making her dress on her blog, starting with part 1.]

Don’t be scared of it. It’s just another dress! I think a lot of people have a mental barrier about projects like this. It doesn’t have to be some elaborate thing, it could be as simple or complicated as the wearer wants and is prepared to design. 

This kind of project might be tougher for perfectionists. I wouldn’t recommend it for true perfectionists, honestly. It could lead to a lot of stress, pressure, and less joy in the process for those who might too much pressure on themselves. I think this project was well-suited for my personality because I didn’t have a lifelong vision for my wedding dress, was ok with imperfection, and I pick up skills pretty quickly/am diligent in researching. 

Handmade Millennial designing for Know Me

How did you end up designing a pattern for the Know Me pattern line?

Mimi reached out to me directly and asked me to design for her for the launch. I was really shocked! She said that she liked my style and that it was what she felt was missing from the lineup, she liked my presence and energy.

How much have you interacted with Mimi G? What is she like?

A moderate amount! We’ve been on a handful of Zoom calls, exchanging maybe one email a month. She texts me if she really needs something. She’s very kind, ambitious, and supportive. And really busy and does most of her work under pressure. When it comes to business, she’s very direct and to the point.

What made you pick a jumpsuit as your first pattern?

I love jumpsuits! That’s why I started sewing after all. I think they’re unique, a single outfit decision vs. two, and just really fun and stylish.

What was it like to work with Design Group?

They’re very corporate. A little last minute. They’re a machine pumping out a ton of content and I’m a fairly small cog in their wheels.

What was involved in the design process?

Each season, I get a week or two heads up that it’s time to submit styles. I create ideas and concepts, whittle down to one or two, and send sketches with inspiration clips or photos to Mimi. She looks at the full assortment and makes her decisions – it’s a very editorial feeling. When a design is chosen, it’s sent to a Designer at DG, who works with patternmakers. They send me line art to approve, they have a technical call to discuss details and construction, I’m sent photos of two fittings and mockups to which I give instructions for edits. Then I receive the pattern pieces in the mail, sewing up and photograph the styles for the packet cover. 

How long did it take to get from your initial idea to the actual pattern release?

We started in mid-February and the patterns came out in late September.

Do you design for a particular body type? 

I’m obviously biased by my own body type and frame because it’s what I know, but I try to design with the “average” sized American woman in mind. She’s probably a size 10 or 12 in RTW? The Big Five block I think is 5”7 and a size 10, a C cup.

Handmade Millennial’s Sewing Advice

What advice do you have for people who are just starting to sew?

Don’t rush it! Slow down and make sure you’re going to make something that you will really cherish, love, and most importantly, wear. I started sewing with patterns before self drafting, to learn techniques and have clean, finished garments. This gave me the confidence about construction and a number of little skills, before I used that knowledge to go out on my own and design my own styles. I think it depends on the person, but I’d recommend that approach. I didn’t like my early hacks and self-drafts where the results felt sloppy. But that’s just me. 

What advice do you have for people who want to start a sewing pattern line?

Really hone in on your personal style. Know what represents you well and keep in mind the aesthetic you’d want to put out in the world. There are lots of resources out there for learning to draft patterns, and how to digitize them. Honestly, anyone who has adobe illustrator can become a pattern designer these days. I don’t get know how to digitize, but after seeing some behind-the-scenes of how it works, it feels like something really approachable that I’ll probably pick up in the next few years. Grading, on the other hand, I may leave up to the professionals at first. 

Mimi’s intent with Know Me is that it will be for makers, by makers, so who knows, maybe you could have your own line someday as well. She’s continued adding to the designer lineup, and I think it will refresh every so often. I signed a two-year contract.  

Instagram thoughts

What do you find most useful, inspiring (or annoying) about Instagram as a sewist? 

I love using it as a tool to research, to hear from others and learn from them, to help me visualize my makes. I’ve sewn mostly indie patterns to date for this reason, I can get the most information thanks to indies and Instagram. What I try to watch out for – getting sucked up in the “hype” of some items. I talked recently about feeling like I got lost in the hype around the Hokkaido poppy linen and I regretted it. Some of my key principles for myself on the gram are to always be authentic (I don’t try to clear out every piece of clutter in my house before it gets filmed, or put on makeup to post a video), to share in the learning of mistakes and celebrate that we all make them, to create a space to connect with people. with like-minded people that I couldn’t mind in my day-to-day life.