Skip to main content

Working with Sewing Pattern Companies, Getting Published

Wow! I was completely surprised to see on my detailed royalty report I had another Simplicity number for the Tailgate Teammate Tote, "It's So Easy, It's Simplicity #1190". It looks like they rebranded the tote and now are selling these two pattern designs together. 
I am still a newbie and my only problem with this is, one they did not let me know ahead of time and there is no "Sew Spoiled Logo" on the cover. 

If you are a pattern designer and you are wanting to work with a major pattern company you might want to know a few things first.

  1. Your pattern design is usually contracted for two years. If you sell a lot, then you might be asked to go on another 2 year contract. Or they might produce your pattern on a new number to refresh the branded look, seen here.
  2. The percentage you make as a newbie is usually under 10%, don't go under 5%. That means you have to sell well over 10,000 to make a $1,000 profit. However, they do sell your pattern around the world and translate it in different languages.
  3. Simplicity and most major companies pay you twice a year. End of February and again in August.
  4. You have to look at the long term return. If you are looking for a quick buck, this method is not for you.
  5. Simplicity does allow you to sell PDFs of your patterns, even though they are selling the printed versions. They see it like this, "We have two different readerships.", that is so true. This is a huge plus, most magazines do not see it that way and once you publish with a magazine you are asked not to share it any other way. 
  6. I was discovered on Etsy. They contacted me after seeing that my sells where good. Selling PDFs on Etsy or Craftsy or anywhere online can gain you exposure. That is a wonderful!
  7. You need to try to create a set. Major sewing pattern companies like there to be a common theme and more than one item in one sewing pattern. Especially if you are an accessories designer. My first design set was the "Ladybug series" and my second set was the "elastic double pocket design".
  8. You will have to make the item so they can take pictures of it. They will reimburse you for you supplies and time, with a "dress maker stipend".
  9. When making your cover product choose fabrics that the stores who carry your patterns will have. 
  10. This process of sending in your pattern and materials, to actually seeing your pattern in the stores takes a half a year to a year.
Disclaimer your experiences might be different from my own. These are things that I have found to be true. I could not live off the money I make from only royalties but if you have a diverse profile, meaning this is one of the many ways you make money designing sewing patterns, you could do very well. 

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sweet Coin Purse Tutorial for Teacher Gifts

This time of year is so special to me because I get to show my gratitude for all of the hard work that goes into teaching my daughters. I love to make handmade gifts and this year is no exception. Since money does not grow on trees around here, I looked at my stash (I keep my scraps in hat boxes ) and tried to see what I had a lot of; small zippers, trims, Peltex strips ( from making iPad cases ), fabric scraps and some hardware for key fobs. So I set to work.  Materials: Plastic multipurpose 5" Zipper  Fabric Scraps Lightweight interfacing 808 Pellon Trims (We clipped  key fobs  with 1.5" swivel hooks onto our coin purses . There are tons of tutorials on making key fobs .) Step 1: Print out the Coin Purse Template  PDF.  Cut 2 main fabric, cut 2 lining and 2 interfacing using the template.  Optional: Cut a 2"X2" square of your choice main fabric or lining. This strip of fabric is used to clip a key fob to your coin purse later....
78 comments
Read more

Fun in the Sun Mermaid Tutorial

Sewing Materials: 1/4 yard of Lycra or  5T or larger old swimsuit Thread Stretch Needle (helps) Sewing Machine and Sewing Notions Print the PDF patterns pieces out and tape them together. āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„ āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„ āœ„āœ„ Step 1: Cutting Layout-  Place the templates over the fabric and cut. āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„ āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„ āœ„āœ„ Step 2:   Fold the top edges of the mermaid tail and sew across. āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„ āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„ āœ„āœ„ Step 3: Place the mermaid tale pieces right sides together. Sew around the mermaid tail using the stretch stitch, it looks like a bolt of lighting. āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„ āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„ āœ„āœ„ Step 4: Flip the mermaid tail right side out using a chopstick.   Option: You can add Poly-fil to make the end of the tale puffy.   Set aside. āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„ āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„ āœ„āœ„ Bodice   Step 1: Cut a bodice measuring  4.5ā€ X1.5ā€ or use template. āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„ āœ„āœ„āœ„āœ„ āœ„āœ„ Step 2: Fold the bodice right sides together and sew the  short ends making a loop. Use the e...
38 comments
Read more

Cute as a Button Bookmark Tutorial

These are called Cute as a Button Bookmakers. They are cheap, easy to make and are wonderful gifts!  All you need is  Bookmarkers/ PaperClips Size 45 or 1 1/8" Button Covers and kit Glue Gun Pliers (which you won't need if you get the flat back buttons). Step 1: Make a few fabric covered buttons.  These are size 45 or 1 1/8" buttons. Step 2: If you use normal buttons you will need to take the loops off to make them flat. However you can buy flat back buttons and not have to worry about the loop. Step 3: Add a dab of hot glue to the top of the large paperclip pad and place your fabric button on top of the glue. Step 4: Let it cool and it's ready to use! Happy Crafting!
2 comments
Read more