Ep. 52: Digital Pattern Cutting, with Ben Cooper

As 2021 comes to a close, we're taking this chance to look back and reflect on all the amazing episodes, guests and laughs that we've had over the last year. Thank you to all of you for your support and love this past year, we can't wait to see more of you in March 2022!

With over 27 years of industry experience, it's safe to say that Ben Cooper really knows his stuff! In this episode we discuss digital pattern cutting as a whole, his journey and how his love for technology has fuelled his professional work. He now passes on that knowledge to his students through teaching at Gerber, Fashion Enter and Fashion Tutor so we felt he was the perfect person to discuss this great topic with us!

Julian Roberts, a creative pattern cutter, teacher and academic joins Kathryn to talk about his unique method of creating garments and patterns called Subtraction Cutting. This was a hugely inspirational chat and I hope that it brings you all a fresh perspective on creative pattern cutting. A big thank you to Julian for joining me on the podcast!

For our 50th episode we're covering some of the biggest pattern cutting mistakes that we've made and been witness to. We've asked all of you what some of your biggest pattern cutting mistakes are and there were some wonderful answers that we wanted to share with you all!

This episode is all about seam allowance! That often overlooked, but 100% essential part of our patterns and garments. Expect to hear about how to add it, different types of seam finishes and the relating seam allowance. As well as how you can reinforce your seam allowance to ensure your garment lasts as long as possible. Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/fashionhalfcut

Sarah is a fellow teacher of pattern cutting and a long time advocate of sustainability within the fashion and sewing industries. She founded her business with sustainability at its centre and while it's grown and evolved over time, this remains one of her core values. In this episode she shares her world with is and gives us her top tips for making your pattern cutting and sewing more sustainable. Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/fashionhalfcut

So you want to learn to make your own patterns but you're not sure how to find the right teacher, course or resource?  We've got you covered in this episode! Kathryn chats to Charlotta Ayers about pattern cutting courses for hobby sewists, would be professionals and anyone wanting to further their training. Grab a glass and start planning your next pattern cutting adventure...we've already got a few of these on our own wish lists too! Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/fashionhalfcut

We often get asked about how we got into sewing and pattern cutting. For Kathryn the answer always includes her mum, Jill! So we asked the wonderful lady herself to join Kathryn and share her sewing journey with you all. It ranges from sewing at school, to opening her own businesses, sewing for fun and teaching her daughter to sew. Sewing means a great deal to both Kathryn and Jill so we hope you enjoy this insight into their lives together. A huge thank you to Jill for joining us! (Thanks mum!) Support the podcast at www.patreon.com/fashionhalfcut

Necklines aren't as easy to change as you might think, there's a whole host of things to consider and tweak for different types of styles so sit back and relax as we explain what they are, how we do it and what you need to keep in mind when doing it.

Join us, Caroline and Kathryn, as we dive into the important world of pattern labelling. We're giving you the low down on what exactly we write on our patterns, why we do it, what the abbreviations are, what they mean and why they're so essential!