This time last year, I had no idea how much 2025 would stretch me.
It’s been one of the hardest years in both my personal life and in this business. And even now, with the year coming to a close, I’m not sure I’ve landed yet. I still feel mid-air. But I’m writing to you, so I guess that means I’m still here. Still hoping. Still grateful.
The biggest shift this year was deciding to close Curated. It wasn’t a decision I made lightly. It’s something I poured myself into (along with my small team), month after month. A huge part of my energy and time went into making that space feel considered and valuable. And yet - after a lot of soul-searching - I knew it was time to let it go.
So I jumped.
Now that I think I am through the worst of the pain, grief and burnout, I feel myself itching to move onto the next thing, but before I do that, I want to take stock. Look back over the 52 issues of Curated we released over the last 4 years and celebrate the lessons learned. This was this idea behind our ‘Final Fold’ Curated issue and I loved reading the lessons learned by our community, so I thought you might like to hear some of mine too. Because, I can assure you… it wasn’t just all of you doing the learning!
Deadlines can be painful, but also help you get work done.
Before I launched Curated, I was the slowest pattern maker of all time. I’d released 6 patterns in 7 years (this doesn’t include the Peppermint patterns that I created 14 of!) and I really needed to get more of my patterns out into the world. Over the 52 issues, we released: 24 new patterns and 24 resources. This was a huge amount of work, but I am so proud of the In the Folds back catalogue and know that people will be using and enjoying these patterns and resources for many years to come. Having a monthly schedule and a team around me is what allowed us to do this.
The stand out patterns were the ones with the “ITF” edge
Releasing so many patterns in such a short space of time made me get really clear on what patterns do well and which fall flat. The ones with a real “ITF edge” (i.e. the ones another designer couldn't design) are the ones our customers love - like the Mornington skirt, the Earlwood dress, the Jacob dress, the Darlow bag etc. They are also the most fun to create, so I look forward to adding more of these special patterns to our catalogue in the future!
People really do want thoughtful things
Even in a world that moves fast and rewards quantity, there is still space for slowness. For making with intention. I saw it every month when someone emailed to say a pattern helped them feel inspired again. Although Curated never became a thing with thousands of subscribers, each month hundreds of people signed up to receive our projects, many for every single one.
I am not the only sewing geek around
I have always been interested in the geeky side of sewing - the “why” behind particular techniques or the best way to make certain alterations. Being part of the Curated community made me realise how many of us enjoy the nitty gritty of making. Curated people aren’t "quick win” kind of people - they’re the slow and steady, learn as much as you can along the way, kind. Which is my kind!
My business is nothing without community
The idea that Curated would have an online community was an afterthought that we added at the 11th hour. Curated would have never become what it was or fulfilled me as much as it did without the community. For more about this, see this Substack post I wrote. It was such a surprise to learn how much I enjoyed being part of this kind of community and how it informed my work as a designer and business owner.
I don’t want to manage a large team
At one stage this year there were 4 of us on our team - plus contractors - and although I loved working with all these people, I also realised that 3 others is just too many for me to manage. I am a lone ranger at heart and I enjoy running a lean business that doesn’t require so many people to produce the work we make. This was a surprising lesson for me to learn. From all these years of entrepreneurship, I always thought bigger meant better, but this year made me realise that bigger isn’t better for me.
New beginnings are energising
This year I decided to start writing on Substack. I was feeling like I needed a place outside of In the Folds to talk about motherhood, business and the messy middle. I thrived on having a new place and new format to put down ideas, and it made me realise how much I was missing creating longform, less polished content. It’s what has inspired what is coming next for In the Folds, as I want more room in my life for experimentation and play.
I learned about my body alongside my customers
My body changed drastically since I launched Curated - a mixture of just what happens over time and welcoming my first child in 2022 who I breastfed until a couple of months ago. I went from being able to pick up a pattern and it almost fitting straight out of the packet, to needing to make a series of adjustments. This was a good lesson for me that brought me closer to the experiences of my customers and I thrived on learning alongside them and creating tutorials to help with this steep learning curve.
I learned what colours to wear
As a bonus of creating the Colour Analysis Skills Kit alongside Nina Smith, I got my colours done and have been surprised to realise how much confidence this has given me in my colour choices. I used to reach for things and never be sure what worked and what didn’t. Now I feel a lot more confident as I reach for my autumn colour palette (and chuckle to myself about what Nina would think when I don’t).
I learned that my work can overwhelm others
This was a painful but important lesson to learn. This year when I started considering closing down Curated and came up for air, I realised that many people were feeling overwhelmed by our offerings. They didn’t have the capacity to take a deep dive every month and it was leaving people feeling guilty.
This was a painful lesson to learn. I had become comfortable with feeling overwhelmed myself, but the thought of making others overwhelmed really got me down. With this lesson came a lovely silver lining. Many people were sticking with us anyway. They’d given up trying to keep up with the monthly projects, but hung around for the support and community anyway. This was another lesson for me. Often, less is more. Sometimes support and community is enough.
The making is always more than the thing being made
A dress is never just a dress. A project is never just a way to fill time. It’s a space to return to yourself. To sit with your thoughts. To feel like your hands and your brain are working together again. As I have returned to making again in the second half of this year, I am reminded of the importance of making as a practice, outside of production and completion.
It’s okay to stop
This is one I still struggle with. But I’m learning that stopping isn’t the same as failing. Sometimes it’s the most generous thing you can do - for yourself, your work, and the people you’re trying to serve. Stopping Curated has made space for new connections, interesting conversations and energy for new beginnings. I guess I’d always thought Curated would carry on continuously and when I decided it couldn’t, I came to terms with the idea that it’s okay to make something that’s small and beautiful and complete. It doesn’t need to grow endlessly to be “worthwhile.”
That’s something I want to carry with me.
In the Folds has always been a slow business. Built on care and community. On the belief that small things matter. And it’s you - this community - that reminds me of that again and again.
Your support this year (especially in the quiet, uncertain moments) meant more than I can say. The orders. The kind notes. The comments. The DMs. The gentle reminders that this work means something. They all landed when I needed them most.
2025 wasn’t the year I thought it would be. But maybe that’s okay. Maybe it was a chapter that needed to end to make space for something else. Something quieter. Something better aligned.
I’m still in that in-between space. Still catching my breath. Still finding the words to describe what’s next. But I know I want to keep making things that feel thoughtful. That bring slowness and joy into your days. That reflect the mess and beauty of making.
Thank you for sticking with me.
Thank you for making with me.
Here’s to softer days in the new year - for you, and for me.
Happy sewing,
Emily
P.S. If Curated taught me anything, it’s that the best things happen when we build them together. If you’d like to be part of what’s coming next, I’ve set up a simple sign-up page. No pressure, no promises- just a way for us to stay connected as I figure out what shape this next chapter might take. You can pop your details in here.