Monday, April 5, 2010

It's Been A Year...Critique Time and Contest

Well, it's hard to believe it's been a little more than a year since SquigglyTwigs Designs was begun. There are many, many independent pattern designers out there. We want to be the best and be known as the best. The way to become the best is to be open to critique. It's hard to get honest critiques. We've tried being reviewed, and that has gotten us some critique, but reviewers really want to be nice, too.
We're going to try a contest and see if that gets us anywhere. This one will be easy to participate in. All you need to do is sew or have sewn one of our patterns (even a free one) and leave us a critique. (The pants class is excluded, as it isn't meant to be a pattern, nor is it written to the level of definition of our patterns. It's more like a tutorial.).
If you haven't purchased, why? Leave a comment about this for an entry.
We want to improve and be the best. Please help us to do this and we'll give you a pattern...any pattern you want.
To enter: leave a comment of a critique of a pattern OR
tell us why you haven't purchased, what could we do to change that
We'll do a random draw on Monday, April 19th @ 9:00 am ET.
Please be honest...we're ready to take it and make your comments work to make SquigglyTwigs Designs the best independent design firm around.
Make certain we have a way to contact you. If we can't contact you, we can't tell you you've won and will have to redraw. :)
Thank you and Happy Sewing!
Debbie

5 comments:

  1. I haven't purchased because most of your items are either look alikes of another pattern already out there, as well as the fact that as shown, they don't look professional and I worry that spending money on them will just get me basically something I can get as a free tutorial anywhere on the net (happened recently with another companies pattern..very frustrating!)

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  2. Annonymous, I appreciate your comment. You mention, as shown, they don't look professional. Please tell me how to make them look professional, or what "looking professional" means to you. I really do want to know.
    As far as being similar to a free tutorial you could find elsewhere, maybe...there's so much written in free tutorials, but I certainly believe my patterns are written with much more detail than a tutorial. I certainly intend for them to be.

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  3. I'd have to second the Anonymous poster above. I'm no queen of photography, so I can't offer much in the way of help, but if you could take more professional-looking photos for your patterns, they'd be more appealing. The price seems reasonable, but the images s they are now scream amateur. Here, this might help... http://www.rufflesandstuff.com/2010/03/few-photo-tips.html

    Also, if you don't want to post the face of a child, may I recommend investing in a mannequin?

    Though I haven't purchased any of your patterns, I'd LOVE to see you succeed in this market, so hopefully my comments will be constructive and not hurtful! :-)

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  4. like anonymus and sproutinflowers, your pic don't put your sewing in front. you cut the face, you cut the legs...and feet... yes feet are important... we see more how the skirt or dress fall. I was interesting by your coat but I can realy saw what it look like...

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  5. I have been mostly satisfied with the two patterns I purchased. I have the "Fun and Easy Knit Top/Dress" pattern and the "Patchwork Peasant Dress" pattern.

    I liked that I could print off the actual patterns for the Peasant dress, but got confused in actually putting the pieces together (figured it out though). I was successful (for the most part) with the Easy Knit dress. I am pretty much a self taught seamstress and have a difficult time reading patterns, but was able to make dresses with both patterns.

    More pictures/drawings within the patterns may have been more helpful.

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Thank you for commenting. Your comment will be posted after we take a look at it. :)