Yesterday I got very excited about the pattern companies and their digital patterns. I've spent some time and energy studying the new options open to me.
First, let me say that the printable patterns aren't exactly what I was thinking. Depending on the pattern I choose, I will be printing up to 60 pages on my home printer. I will not be paying any shipping costs but I will be dinged an additional 20% (Simplicity) for the privilege of using my own paper. After I have my 60 pages stacked up, I then get to spend all kinds of time wrestling with scissors and a pot of rubber cement (recommended) putting the pattern pieces together. I still like my idea of a small-scale design on a grid that I can draw onto full-size grid paper. That seems way less wasteful of so many resources.
More research has led me to the conclusion that I am better off using the pattern sites to peruse the catalogs at home. These are well-done and I can see how this would be much better than trying to get the same result in-store. I have lots of paper and pens at home to write down the pattern numbers for presentation to the keeper of the pattern drawers at the fabric store. I can go through my boxes of fabric lengths and figure out if I have enough before I get too far into the process. I can also check my notion stash and get everything I need at once. All the pattern information is right there at the click of my mouse.
As for price, a little more research shows that since I'm a senior it will cost me $15 for a year's membership in the fabric store club discount program. There are member-only fabric sales throughout the year and discounts on patterns, too. I used to have the membership but let it go because I wasn't using it. I thought it would be way more costly now. But I've aged into the cheap seats.
So, I'll still be buying my patterns in the old way with some new shopping techniques. All in all, this has been a useful exercise. If I didn't live so near a store, I would definitely be considering ordering the patterns on-line and having them shipped. If you can wait for the order to be delivered - planning ahead is the key - and can order more than one pattern at a time, it's probably cheaper than my solution.
In the meantime, I'll be waiting for the pattern companies to adjust to my way of thinking. And buying locally.
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6 comments:
You should definitely consider sending them the links to your recent posts! Maybe they'll make some changes or send you something for FREE! WooHOo! LOL
I cannot imagine having to get all that paper and print then put it together, much better just to order the patterns.
I think what they need is a giant printer in the fabric shops - so you can print any pattern on demand (rather than relying on what the store can afford to stock) but without having to stick it together from a thousand sheets of letter paper!
Iv'e actually bought a pattern from the US and it was cheaper, even with shipping, than it would have been to print it myself :)
Ahhhh... I was wondering how that the pattern was going to get to size. Hmmm. I think you have figured out the best solution to this dilemma. blessings ~ Tanna
Sixty pages? That's ridiculous!
Your solution seems the best to me, and I too believe in buying local. If you run into a problem, its' nice to have a shop you can go back to. There would seem to be a huge margin for error in the 60-page printing process.
Isn't it funny how companies have managed to get their customers to do so much more work...progress??? (and incidentally I read in today's paper that youth unemployment in the EU is 22.6%..i wonder why?!!
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