Well this is not really a question, I just love your patterns and wish there were more!
Lola
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
Hi Lola,
Thank you for your lovely message, and although it's not really a question, I thought it would be a good opportunity to let you know what we've been working on behind the scenes here at In the Folds.
You may have noticed that it’s been a (long) while since we released a new pattern. That is because we are changing the structure of our business model. This has been a long time in the works and not something I had planned to do, but over time it just became something that made sense for us.
In October 2019, I started this email newsletter series. I wanted to share my knowledge with others and connect more deeply with the online sewing community. I was tired of communicating with likes and quick comments on Instagram. I wanted to form a deeper connection with those using my patterns.
I just went back and re-read the first email in the series. It reads (in part):
‘Over the last few years of running In the Folds, I have struggled with the idea of sending an email newsletter. At a time when we are constantly bombarded with information from all different directions, I kept wondering what I could create that would be truly valuable to the community that I serve.
I wanted to create something that you will look forward to receiving, something that will encourage you to sit down with a cup of tea and take it all in, not another piece of content that will interrupt your day, but something that will inspire and encourage you on your handmade journey.
The format I settled on is the Q & A series, an opportunity to share the questions I often receive in my inbox, with all of you. I realised that my answer to one person's question is a chance for us all to learn something new and an opportunity to continue the conversation about the many different parts of the process of making our own clothes.
It is my hope that this series will take us to interesting and unexpected places…’
Once I got started, I was surprised by the influx of questions - from the broad, to the very specific. With the ability to Google anything at our very fingertips, I was surprised to see how much uncertainty there was and how many questions had gone unanswered. I have made it my mission to answer as many questions as possible, freely and openly, but it did plant a seed of an idea. What if we started creating content that really focussed on skill building from the ground up? What if we built the answers into the content we were creating, so you could stop wondering and get sewing. What if we focussed on learning more skills, instead of just making more clothes?
So that’s what we have been working on... I guess the series did take us to a very unexpected place like I had hoped!
Once we launch, we will be providing subscribers with content each month that will empower you to become a more confident maker. This will come in the form of a new pattern, a pattern hack kit, a fit kit or new pattern pieces to supplement an existing pattern. We’re not about encouraging you to make a completely new garment each month, but to focus on learning new skills on an ongoing basis. It is about building your skills, confidence and your wardrobe one piece at a time.
We also hope this move will help our business become healthier. I hope that it gives us a structure to adhere to in terms of pattern releases and roll-out, but also helps us to connect more deeply with the people we are serving. We plan to send out surveys and do polls within the community so the things we are making and the content we are creating, is actually what you need - in the same way I started the Q&A series. It will allow us to be flexible and nimble.
I have spent so much time over the last few years creating content for free - as it has always been important to me that my work is accessible for as many as people as possible - but I have realised that a business cannot survive without a good balance between free and paid content. I need to work on balancing things out and that is what I hope this new offering will allow us to do. To keep producing high end free content, as well as offer an option for those who would like to learn more from us.
You may have read in our last email that we will be starting to work on expanding our size range. Unfortunately the first issues of our subscription will be released in our current size range (up to a 139cm / 55in hip). This is for a couple of reasons:
I started work on this new offering over a year ago (I am a snail when it comes to producing new things) and at that time I didn’t yet have plans to expand the size range.
Although I am really excited to expand our size range and have a clear goal in mind of what size expansion means to In the Folds, we need the income from the subscription to invest in expanding our size range. I want to put the same thought, love and care into the new size range that I put into the original size range. To make this happen I will be investing in working with experts, a new patternmaker and potentially investing in upskilling - depending on the route we decide to go to create the new patterns.
I apologise if this is disappointing to hear. I know it will exclude some of you. Please just know that it is front and centre of our minds as we move forward.
We are so excited to show you what we have been working on and we hope that you'll come along with us on this new chapter!
Happy sewing,
Emily
P.S. Don't have a question, but found this newsletter helpful? I'd love to hear from you! Get in touch and say hi.
For more issues of the Q & A series, you can check out the archive here.
