We recently rearranged the studio to make room for the massive plotter that we use for printing test patterns (it had previously lived in my basement at home because we didn’t think there was room for it). Now we can print easily, and I am loving the new furniture arrangement! I have Caitlin to thank …

I was toying with the idea of doing a special shoot just for Valentine’s Day, with the Nutmeg pattern. But once Rachel and Anja said they were interested, it was a done deal. I invited Jade, did a wee bit of preparing, and the result is a collection of some of the prettiest pictures ever. …

The Utah Valley probably isn’t on anyone’s list of fashion hot-spots, but that is where designer and tailor Lynette Danburry fashions her vintage-inspired creations. Recently, I had the opportunity to ask her a couple questions about her work: How did you first learn to sew? I learned a lot from my mom. When I was …

If you’re making a Negroni shirt, take a look at some of these free pocket variations you can try! Since there are so many options for doing cool things with pockets on men’s shirts, we couldn’t really decide. So here are several ideas, complete with instructions, for switching out the pockets and pocket flaps on …

Just some pretty trims being sorted by color in the studio… PS: Patty at The Snug Bug has a lovely small business oriented interview with me up this week, and a pattern giveaway to top it off!

Denise over at the Blue Gardenia has been doing a fascinating series on sewing spaces, and I was thrilled to be included this week! There are a few shots of my wee studio… I hope to share more in the future as things get organized and decorated. It’s such a lovely, peaceful place to work. …

Carrie’s musings on a creative space yesterday got me thinking about the kind of space that inspires me. First, I’ll say off the bat that I am not a tidy person by nature. My long suffering and very neat husband can attest to this. I think I’m just impulsive and get excited about moving on …

When I was a kid, I loved visiting my dad’s office. He’d filled it floor to ceiling with goofiness – stuffed meerkats, vintage Moon Tomato Paste signs, giant plastic chicken masks, and tons of pictures of our dogs. I think all of this kept him going through twenty years of twelve-hour workdays, and I had …

Guys, I’m on vacation this week (currently soaking up the heat in Palm Springs for a couple days!), but wanted to point out this lovely interview with me over at the Sewbox blog. For those of you in the UK, Sewbox already has the new patterns in stock, and even these nifty pattern packs. Check …

I am really excited to tell you guys about our brand new studio space! It’s in a lovely brick industrial building in SE Portland, a corner space with an entire wall of windows. The place is so bright that it glows! We’re still getting set up, of course. But here’s what we’ve got so far. …

While I was in New York, I had the opportunity to visit the Oliver + S studio in Brooklyn. Liesl was kind enough to contact me a while back and since I mentioned I’d be visiting NY soon, invited me over so we could meet. If you’re not already familiar with Oliver + S, you …

I’ve noticed there’s one piece of advice that’s common to almost any material aimed at the fledgling entrepreneur: “You must write a business plan.” And it’s true, you should. But I get the sense that a lot of people look at them with a mixture of apprehension and consternation. It seems so foreign and daunting, …

Last week, I mentioned a lot of the challenges in starting your own business. Now let’s talk about what I think is the single biggest reward: you get to design your dream business from the ground up. How many other opportunities do you get in life to really take control of every element of how …

Chances are pretty good that you’ve dreamed about starting your own business at some point in your life. Running your own show is attractive in so many ways, especially for us creative types. Maybe you want more control over how you spend your time; maybe you need more creative fulfillment in your career; maybe you …

One of my resolutions for this year was to share some of my learnings about starting and running a small business. I am just wrapping up my first year of business at Colette Patterns, or at least of publicly doing business. I’d been scheming and planning for much longer than that. I get a lot …

I thought I’d share a few behind the scenes snapshots I took at our shoot. It was a lot of fun to put together, especially since I had the talent of my good friends Lisa and Rebecca (of Urban Weeds fame), and the lovely Kassandra of The Ginger Suite Salon doing hair and makeup. As …

Things may seem quiet around here right now, but that’s because I’m working very very hard on our new patterns! We have a photoshoot coming up (tomorrow in fact!) and I hope to have some great behind the scenes shots for you. I’m very excited for this shoot. In the meantime, here are some snapshots …

Hurrah! I am in the midst of moving chaos, but have decided to give a glimpse of the first collection of Spring 2009 sewing patterns. I hope you’re as excited as I am! Hop on over and view the patterns!

{pictured: mock ups of some rejected cover designs/illustrations} I’m excited that the very last piece for the sewing patterns has officially gone to print! I am truly looking forward to holding them in my hands, because the printing and packaging is going to be just gorgeous. Stay tuned for more updates very soon!