Mother’s day is right around the corner, (May 12th) and lots of times, moms want to sew up fun matching outfits with their kiddos. I don’t personally have any kids of my own, but my friends that do, love to match their little ones, and I have to say it is beyond adorable! Since I have had several moms ask me about matching patterns, I reached out to some children’s wear designers to get the scoop. If you didn’t know, kids patterns are completely different than women’s and men’s and its not in my skill set….. at least not yet. I got connected with Gemia and Wendy from Phat Quarters and we decided to do a mother’s day promo for the month of May. We are calling it Mommy & Me May! We are pairing my Parker Peplum top with the Primrose and the Everette from Phat Quarters. We wanted to give moms with little boys the opportunity to make something fun and matching as well. For this collab, we are offering a child’s pattern (Primrose or Everette) and the Parker for $10 total through the month of may. To get one of Phat quarter’s patterns for $5, use the code SEENSEWN. And use code mom&me2019 for the Parker peplum pattern.
But that’s not all…. we are hosting a contest for the best mommy and me set! 1st prize gets 2 phat quarter’s patterns of their choice, 1 Seen and Sewn Pattern, and a Slow Fashion Tee.
2nd Prize gets 1 Phat Quarter Pattern, 1 Seen and Sewn Pattern, and a Slow Fashion Wooden Pin.
To enter, tag Seen and Sewn and Phat quarter Patterns on social media and use the hashtag #mommyandmemay to enter by May 31st. The discounts run till May 31st, so if you don’t have time to sew something up before Mother’s day, we are giving you a little extra time.
Not familiar with Phat Quarters? I sat down with Wendy, one of their pattern designers for a little Q and A sesh so you guys could get to know them a little more! Check out Wendy and her baby girl below looking so cute in their matching looks!
Q: What got you started in the pattern business?
A: After sewing as a hobby since childhood, as an adult I found the online sewing community. I then found myself applying for pattern tests and strike off sewist positions, and eventually won a spot on an online sewing competition. While I didn’t win the competition, it reconnected me with Gemia and Phat Quarters. From there, I began to develop my skills and accepted her offer to join her team as a pattern designer.
Q: Do you do a lot of sewing for yourself or mainly others?
A: Most of the sewing I do right now is for either my kids or my nieces, but I am learning to make sure I add in a few self-care sews in every now and then. I love using sewing as my creative outlet. I love it when you can take something you think of in your head and then make it come to life using fabrics and thread.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to design for? What’s your favorite pattern to date?
A: I think if I could design for Fall year round I would be happy. I particularly love dreaming and sketching outerwear pieces, which makes it no surprise when I say my favorite pattern right now is the Hawthorne Jacket. I can’t wait to see that be brought into adult sizing so I can make one for me!
Q: Do you have a favorite fabric?
A: I grew up sewing wovens and then came to know the world of knits as an adult. Having said that, I find myself waffling between loving one more than the other. It really just depends on what project I’m currently working on, because that is probably the biggest factor in what makes something my “favorite” at the time.
Q: What would you like people to know about your brand?
A: I hope people see that Phat Quarters cares about making people feel great both using and wearing our patterns. We try to ensure that beginners are supported and feel confident in being able to complete our patterns, while other levels of sewists feel they can still learn something or can be challenged. I love hearing that someone has tackled a new skill and has grown because of using our patterns.
I love all of this! It’s so great to meet others in the industry and community. And I am happy to have a new sewing friend in Wendy.
Happy Sewing!
Arielle
