On June 16th, 2015, I started Helen’s Closet. It began as a sewing blog and you can still go back and read my very first blog post, Welcome to my Closet! It feels a little surreal reading my words from a decade ago and I want to take some time to reflect on that early time in my sewing journey. I also want to look back on the last 10 years of Helen’s Closet! From a sewing blog to a successful pattern business. Let’s take a look back in time and see what happened!
The First Year
When I began this blog back in 2015, I had no idea I would eventually be making patterns. It started as a place to share my sewing projects and to participate in the online sewing community. At the time, the community was mostly bloggers! We would post our blogs to some social media channels but mostly, we were following along with each other via the blog posts. The community was so welcoming to me when I started blogging, I can distinctly remember getting comments from other sewists and even from pattern designers on my posts! It was so exciting and fun.
I set myself a challenge to make and share one project a week. 52 projects in a year! This challenge ensured I got a lot of experience in that first year of blogging. A LOT of experience. I tried every pattern company I could get my hands on, which at the time was nowhere near the variety there is today. It was really hard at times to get the garments made, photographed, and shared. Sam was a huge help to me from the very beginning, taking all my photos and encouraging me every step of the way!
During this first year of blogging, I also started a little weekly blog article called the ‘Wednesday Weekly’! This really takes me back when I think about it. The Wednesday Weekly was a roundup of all the patterns that came out that week. All the ones I could find, at least. I would include sewing community news and events, too! It was really fun to put together and I did it for 190 posts.190! Even I am impressed by myself for that one. If you are reading this and you remember the Wednesday Weekly - THANK YOU! Thank you for following along with me all these years, it really means a lot.
You can read more about my first year of blogging here. I wrote this post after year one and it is really fun to read this little time capsule post! You can hear how excited I am about everything that happened and my next phase - making patterns.
Getting Into Making Patterns
It wasn’t long before I started thinking about designing and sharing my own pattern designs. I am a designer at heart and I had some education and professional experience in design as well. I knew I could bring together my passion for fashion and sewing and my experience in graphic and web design to build a small business selling patterns! I was particularly interested in the instruction booklet design and it is still my favourite thing about patterns to this day. If you have used our patterns, you know our booklets are extra and I wouldn't have it any other way!
The Winslow Culottes were my first ever garment pattern! I drafted and developed this pattern myself by taking online classes like Pattern Workshop. It took me ages to pull this off and finally get to a sellable product but I did it! I had a bunch of help from the community, too. An incredible group of testers helped me to make this design a reality and I still think about that with so much gratitude. It’s amazing to have that kind of support and encouragement when you are just starting out.
After Winslow, I was riding high! I can actually do this! I can make patterns! Well, I was feeling confident about making the instructions, designing the clothing, and marketing the product. I was less confident about the pattern making. I am not trained in this so I made the decision to outsource the drafting and grading to the pros. Best decision ever! We have to stick to our strengths and I love working with my drafter now. She helps me make the magic happen. I went on to design the Blackwood Cardigan and the Ashton Top. Both have become community TNTs and stood the test of time. I am so proud of these designs!
Patterns: Ashton Top and Blackwood Cardigan
Growing the Business
As you can imagine, a lot has happened in 10 years! I am overwhelmed just thinking about all the milestones and pattern launches and life changes we have gone through. I’m going to try to keep it short and give you the Coles Notes.
Fall of 2016
I attended my first big sewing event! I went to Camp Workroom Social and had the time of my life meeting fellow community members and learning to sew a bra. This experience really opened my eyes to the power of sewing our own clothes and how it can bring us together in unexpected and incredible ways.
Summer of 2017 - I quit my day job (I worked as a user experience designer) and I made the leap to Helen’s Closet Patterns full time! This was SO scary but also exciting. I could never have done it without Sam’s encouragement and support. Thankfully, it wasn’t too long before I was able to earn income beyond my expenses and the business really started to take off.
In August of 2017, Caroline and I started Love to Sew! We had met thanks to Instagram and the online sewing community and we were fast friends. When Caroline asked me if I wanted to start a sewing podcast with her, it was an immediate YES! Love to Sew was born that summer and has been going ever since.
We are nearly 300 episodes in and we are still coming up with fun sewing-related things to talk about and amazing guests to talk to! Making the show is such a joy and has been a big part of growing my pattern business and connecting with the sewing community. It is also a great way for me to give back! I love that I get to share and teach about sewing on a free platform that everyone can enjoy.
Summer of 2018
Caroline and I travelled to Ontario to go to pattern review weekend! We has so much fun meeting fellow sewists and listers of Love to Sew! We spent time with Gillian from Crafting A Rainbow, Heather from Heather and the Pugs, Anya from Anna Zoe Sewing, and Erin from Emerald Erin. All of these makers are still folks I am in touch with and love following along with.
Fall of 2018 - I moved out of my home studio and into a proper office! I ended up taking over the original Blackbird Fabrics office when Caroline outgrew the space. Having a real office made me feel SO grown up and like I had a real business. Until this point it felt a bit like make believe to be honest. Once I had an office, I felt like I was really growing something. It was at this time that I got my first employee to help out and that was a really great experience as well. Thank you Chloe!
Patterns: Avery Leggings, Elliot Sweater and Tee, and York Pinafore
2018 and 2019 - Helen’s Closet Patterns made some big leaps in this time. I upgraded my sewing machine from a vintage hand-me-down to a sexy new Pfaff (which I still use and love). I decided to upgrade our size range and added sizes 24-34 - best decision ever! I also updated my website from a blog-forward platform to a pattern-store focused site. This felt like a big shift for me! I continued to blog but not as frequently. So much of the community had moved to social media and we were trying to keep up as best we could. Video was just starting to become popular, if you can believe it!
It was during this time that Sam decided to join our Love to Sew Podcast team as our editor! He eventually ended up quitting his day job to edit the show and also work for Helen’s Closet so he could help me continue to grow the business. This was another big leap for us but we are so glad we took it! I also began working with two of my fantastic freelancers during this time, and I still work with both of these people today! Big thanks to Anya and Miranda for helping me with literally everything.
I had the pleasure of helping to organize Vancouver’s first Frocktails event this year! It was an absolute blast. Caroline and I were so proud of this event and glad that we were able to make it happen.
Patterns: Yanta Overalls, Costa Tote, Donovan Skirt, Dogwood Apron, and Pona Jacket
Fall of 2019 - Sam and I decided we wanted to leave Vancouver. This was a big milestone in our journey to where we are now. We had lived in our little apartment for nearly a decade and we knew we wanted to own a house and yard and have a dog and all those things. Vancouver was not feasible for us so we traveled around BC looking for a new home! We settled on Courtenay and found a house with a glorious garage that is now the Helen’s Closet Studio! We moved in January of 2020 to begin our new lives on Vancouver Island.
2020 - Ahhhh 2020. This was obviously a very strange and stressful time for all of us. We were freshly moved into our new home in a new city and BOOM - lockdown. It was an eerie start to our new chapter, but despite the challenges we faced we were able to settle in, make some friends, and we even got our dog, Emma. She is such a bright light in our lives!
2020 also marked a year of big growth in our business! So many folks were at home and taking up hobbies like sewing. Our whole industry felt the shift and it was in many ways a very exciting time. We are always happy to welcome new sewists to the community! Big thanks to Ana who helped me navigate this industry boom on social media. This was also the year we released our Gilbert Top, which is still our most popular pattern!
Patterns: Arden Pants, Gilbert Top, Luna Tank, and Ashton Top Sleeve Expansion
Another big milestone for me personally is my foray into quilting. Despite thinking I was not interested in quilting for many years of my sewing journey, I decided to give it a go and make a Christmas Tree skirt. I started following Donna Jordan on Youtube and I learned so much and was so inspired by her. She passed away earlier this year (2025), and I will be forever grateful to her for kickstarting my love of quilting.
2021 - The best thing to come out of 2021 was our expansion into more gender inclusive patterns. Sam started modelling for us and we released the Jackson Tee and Pullover! This tee has become a community favourite and it is still a personal favourite of mine. We also launched the Reynolds Dress this year, which is still one of our most popular patterns. It also happens to be our most successful pattern launch ever!
Patterns: Jackson Tee and Pullover, March Top and Dress, Reynolds Top and Dress, Sandpiper Swimsuit, and Sam Apron
One of the biggest changes this year was upgrading our home photography set up. We have always DIY’ed our photoshoots because (let's face it) professional photography and models are expensive! I like to use my friends and family as models and over the years we have massively improved our photo-taking abilities and equipment. Getting proper professional lights and a backdrop was a real game changer!
2022 - This year felt so busy! We tackled some of our most complex patterns ever. The Cameron Button Up, the Brooks Jeans, and we even launched our first collection of patterns, the STUDIO collection. I wanted to experiment with releasing multiple patterns at once and while it was super fun, I learned that I prefer one or two at a time. Three was a lot to pull off. With that said, all three patterns are total wins!
Patterns: Cameron Button Up, Ruby Overalls, Moss Jacket, Dawson Top, Brooks Jeans, and Orchard Top and Dress
During this time, Sam and I were really settling into our Vancouver Island lives. We learned how to stand up paddleboard, which is something that we are still really into. In fact, wild swimming has become a passion for us both! We love finding new places to take a dip. Oceans, rivers, lakes, you name it.
2023 - It was around this time that I started to feel a sense of calm about the business. I won’t lie, the last 8 years were stressful! Not all of the time, but often. Deadlines, learning new skills, navigating business ownership, taxes, bills, etc. Much of my stress was self-imposed because I was pushing myself hard! I wanted this business to be successful. It was around this time that I really started to realize that it IS successful! I also started to put more boundaries around work hours and delegating more responsibilities to my amazing team of freelancers.
Patterns: Wildwood Jacket and Vest, Cassidy Wrap Top, June Pants, Arbutus Robe, Lawrence Top and Dress, and Jackson Hood Expansion
With this new space and sense of calm, I was inspired to try something new. I decided to start my own quilt pattern line and share my quilt designs with the world, too. Enter: Cedar Quilt Co. I was feeling so excited about quilting and this was a really fun way to share more and encourage myself to make new quilts. It was a bit like starting over but with a new business. New website, new social media platform, and a bit of a new community. Thankfully, they welcomed me and I have loved getting to know more quilting folks and businesses out there!
On the personal side, 2023 marks the year that Sam and I got really into fitness. We found an amazing community gym that we love and we go 3-4 days a week now. We both really enjoy lifting heavy things! I never would have guessed that this would be a thing that either of us would ever take up as a pastime. Here are some photos from an event we did called “Pull for Pride” where we got sponsors for our lifts to support VIQAA (Vancouver Island Queer Athletics Association).
2024 - Wow, we are already up to last year! 2024 was a really fun year full of lots of personal growth. I continue to exercise balance and boundaries with my business and my life and it has been really rewarding. We launched our first bag pattern, the Orbit Bag! We also FINALLY updated our website and I am so glad we did that project. It was a long time coming and our new site is so much better! What a relief to start 2025 with this new home on the web.
Caroline and I took a trip down to Stitchfest in Portland in the fall of 2024 and we had a blast! It was so much fun to get together in person with folks again. Big thanks to Seamwork for inviting us to join in the event!
Patterns: Lockhart Jumpsuit and Dress, Spindrift Jacket, Nelson Pants, Slocan Tank, Orbit Bag, and Sunstar Swimsuit
2025 - That’s this year! Our 10 year anniversary! So far the year has been very productive. My highlight was going to QuiltCon and meeting so many people in person. I also got to see my quilt, Game On, hanging in the show! What an incredible experience.
We launched the Falconer Pants and the Lazo Jumpsuit so far this year and we have more new patterns coming your way soon! We also completed the re-mastering of the Winslow Culottes to include the wrap pants hack. It was so fun to revisit our very first pattern! Full circle!
Patterns: Falconer Pants, Wildwood Collar and Hood Expansion, Winslow Remastered, and Lazo Jumpsuit
To Recap:
I like numbers so let’s tally things up, shall we?
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642 blog posts
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28 Patterns
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4 Expansion Packs
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286 Podcast Episodes
I am SO proud of myself for all the work and passion that I poured into each pattern, hack, tutorial, podcast episode, and me-made garment. I have learned so many things and grown so much in the process. 10 years and three businesses (Helen’s Closet, Love to Sew Podcast, Cedar Quilt Co). I can’t believe how far I’ve come and I am looking forward to the next decade!
What’s Next
It is difficult to imagine 10 years from now, just as I couldn’t have predicted this moment 10 years ago. I hope that in 10 years I can proudly say that we are celebrating our 20 year anniversary and that we have spent 20 years sharing and celebrating sewing with the world. 20 years helping people to learn how to sew and express themselves creatively through their clothing and the art of making. 20 years exploring this amazing art form and all it has to offer!
I plan to continue on this journey of creating garment and quilting patterns! I still have SO many ideas I want to share with you. On the personal side, Sam and I want to do some more travelling around the world and also more exploring of our local province and country. I want to continue to grow my garden, spend quality time with my friends, my family, and my darling doggie, Emma. I also want to keep sewing my dream wardrobe! That all sounds pretty perfect to me.
Thank You
I need to wrap this up with a HUGE THANK YOU! Especially if you took the time to read this whole post and have been encouraging me and supporting me throughout the years. You are a key part of this whole story and the reason for my success as a pattern designer and maker. I will be forever grateful!
Thank you to my friends and family who have offered support and encouragement along the way. Thank you to the community members who were with me at the start and those who have joined in along the way. The fellow bloggers, pattern designers, and pattern testers. You were the reason I kept going! Thank you to the freelancers I have had the pleasure of working with and building this business with. Thank you to all the sewing community members I have had the privilege to get to know, meet in person, or collaborate with over the years. It has been such a joy!
Thank you especially to my customers. You purchasing the patterns keeps this alive and thriving!
