I stumbled upon this web site about three years ago. It is quite amazing. Members post reviews , usually with photos, to patterns they have tried. There are contests to "repurpose" a garment, online classes, chat, message boards and things for sale. This last year was their 10th anniversary and the site put together a wonderful book on sewing tips. I bought 4!
When I'm buying patterns for $1 or $2 each at Joann's or Hancocks I sometimes ask people, "psst... do you know about patternreview.com?" Most do not!
It is an inspiration to see people using up fabric from their stash. When you enter a contest on using up the stash, you have to post a photo, how much yardage you used, the pattern number, etc. One woman last year made about 50 simple dresses for Haiti.
It's interesting to me to see all the different styles of sewers. Peter in NYC is a class by himself. His reviews are very entertaining. He's a fairly small gay man who just started sewing in 2009. He won an award for something like "best beginner" in 2009. I bring up his size for a reason. He loves vintage patterns for men and women. And he wears the women's creations as well. Since he has a 36 chest he can wear average sized women's patterns. He posts photos of his "identical cousin Cathy" hopping a puddle in her new creation in mid jump. He sews for his mother, partner and his dog that has a polka dot on her forehead. Maybe others as well now.
It amazes me the time he'll put into making a 40's pattern for boxer shorts. Most recently he used an old wool blanket to make a topper coat. There he is, having only started sewing two years prior, doing pad stitching on a collar. The construction is amazing. I wouldn't dream of using anything other than brand new wool to merit me making a jacket or coat. He figured it all out and it looks amazing. He has a sewing blog called Male Pattern Boldness. He's inspiring!
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