Q & A with Collette Patterns' Sarai Mitnick

With all the travel and other distractions chez BMGM, I haven't had a chance to post this (email) interview with fellow UC Berkeley alumna, Sarai Mitnick.

[Disclosure: Sarai and I have never met in person, but we have a friend in common from her former corporate life. I haven't tried any of the patterns. However, I am sorely tempted to sew the Taffy blouse and Meringue skirt. ]

There is no shortage of sewing books aimed at the brand new young sewist with beautiful photography and cute garments. I even succumbed and bought [name redacted], which I was tempted to throw away in frustration with the poor/missing instructions, mislabeled diagrams, lack of copy-editing and wasteful pattern printing layout. I am an experienced sewist and I knew when the book was wrong. But, how would a new sewist know that? If you want to convince a frenemy that s/he is too dumb to sew, you can have my copy of [name redacted].

What sets Sarai's book apart is the excellent and clear instructions. It's like you have an experienced friend looking over your shoulder, telling you how to navigate around all the gotchas. If you are looking for a book you can hand a friend just learning to sew, and you want her to be successful enough that she makes clothes that you want to borrow, this is it.

I was so impressed with the design and writing I saw in the book (as well as the gorgeous photos), that I swiftly emailed Sarai some questions, which she graciously answered and gave me permission to post. I think her answers are interesting enough to post in their entirety.

Sarai's hard work and background in User Experience really shows in The Colette Sewing Handbook.

Q: I am very curious about your background. The book jacket says
that you have worked in "user experience".
Can you explain what that is?
How did you land in that field?
Did that have any role in your decision to launch your own line of patterns?
Or to write a book?

User Experience is basically a design discipline that involves studying people's needs and behavior, and then designing interactions or experiences to make things better for them. It's all about product design.

In a way, it's similar to marketing in that marketers also study how people behave and what they want. The difference is that marketers collect data in order to sell stuff. User Experience researchers use information to make products better and everyday lives easier.

I studied human-computer interaction and got my graduate degree in that area from UC Berkeley, mostly because I had always been interested in both technology and human behavior. I loved that it blended so many fields, from cognitive science to anthropology to computer science. And I love learning new things, so having a career all about making discoveries and applying them to real life was right up my alley.

It definitely influenced my own company. First of all, I saw a need that wasn't being completely filled, because I had so much difficulty finding sewing patterns that really appealed to me. I think working in that field gave me better intuition about what people would look for and respond to, in a way. It also made me very sensitive to thoughtless design, and to want to make things better.

It also gave me the ethos that you should always put the user first, to see things from her point of view and to try to make things easier and more enjoyable for her. I think that really carries through my company, or at least I hope it does.

Q: Your patterns are famous for their complete instructions.
You assume no prior knowledge and explain all sewing terms
and techniques used. This makes your instructions much longer
than competitors'. Why did you choose to go this route?
Are you aiming for the brand new sewist?
Do you plan to offer a short-form version of sewing order
for seasoned sewists? Or do you feel that we can all
learn something new?

I think laying things out for beginners really does benefit everyone. There often is something new you can learn, or at the very least ideas that can inspire you to sew in a new and different way.

I've heard from more advanced sewists that they mostly just skim pattern instructions, so I try to design my instructions with that in mind as well. That means using plenty of diagrams, and putting headings over different sections. So, for example, a more advanced sewist can skim and see a section with a header that says "sew side seams" and a diagram and know what to do. A more beginning sewist might read every step under that header to figure out how to sew and press the side seams.

It seems that a lot of people learn to sew from following pattern instructions, so having more complete instructions helps to draw those people into sewing more fully.

Q: Your sizing system is very different from the Big 4.
How did you develop your sizing system?
Do you think that bodies have changed over the decades?
I keep reading that cup sizes for all weights are larger in
today's young women (vs. their mothers). Is that why
your patterns fit a much curvier build than the Big 4?

Yes, that's pretty much the case. The sizing charts for most patterns out there haven't changed in the last 40 years or so, and I'm afraid that doesn't make much sense to me. If you look at the data about people's actual measurements, we are different than we were decades ago, on average.

I just wanted to make patterns that appealed to a wide variety of women, so I did some researched and tried to developed sizing based on that. I couldn't really find a good reason to stick to the sizing systems used by the larger sewing pattern companies, though I know that many people are used to them if they've been sewing for a long time.

Q: Do your patterns have lengthen and shorten lines to
accommodate a range of heights?
Different cup sizes?

I don't make them in different cup sizes, unless the pattern is something specific like my Nutmeg bralette pattern.

All the pattern in the book have lengthen/shorten lines. Some of the earlier patterns didn't have them, but I've been adding them as things are reprinted because I think they're so helpful for people with non-average heights or (like me) unusual proportions. I myself am quite short waisted, and I almost always have to shorten bodices to fit me.

Q: How did you select the patterns that you would include in
the book? Are dresses the backbone of a modern woman's
wardrobe? Can some of the dresses be turned into blouses
instead?

I'm not sure I'd venture to say whether they are the backbone or not, but I know that my customers like to sew them! My publisher also liked the focus on dresses, and I do think there's something very satisfying about completing a dress.

The patterns were designed to be things that could be fairly simple and without a huge number of pieces, teach the concepts in the book, and still be interesting to sew. I've found through my pattern line that my customers are most attracted to things that are simple, elegant, and leave room for their own creativity.

Q: Your versatility (and work ethic) is astounding.
Assuming you have a 24-hour day, like the rest of us,
do you work with a pattern maker? Sample Maker?

I have a wonderful assistant who helps me draft and test patterns, and she also makes the sample garments we use in photo shoots and such. But I don't outsource any of that work, at least not at this stage. It's all done in our little studio.

I do work pretty long hours, especially while I was writing this book, but I'm hoping to slow down a little bit in 2012. I just have way more ideas than I have time, and I also like to constantly be doing new things. So I have competing urges, I guess!

The thing that helps me the most is just being really organized and having systems for managing my work. That's the number one thing I've learned from being a small business owner.

Q: I first came across your work through Wardrobe Refashion.
The using what you have mentality is very evident in your personal
work. Your book is beautifully illustrated with samples made with
new fabric. Can you offer suggestions on how to use this book with
recycled materials?

There's actually one bit of recycled fabric in there, in the bias tape used on the Taffy blouse! I made it out of a thrifted blouse. Secondhand clothes are fantastic for making bias tape, if you just look for small scale patterns! It's also a good way to make use of leftover fabric scraps.

I also often use old sheets for making muslins, which I think is a good way to reduce waste (and save money).

One thing that I think would help the most is the chapter on understanding fabric. I think learning as much as you can about fabric is really helpful to identifying good raw materials, either at the thrift store or in your own closet. You end up seeing a lot more possibilities that way.

Finally, I think concentrating on making things you really love and want can help reduce waste. Sometimes I find myself getting into this "more more more" attitude with sewing, which feels very greedy. I end up buying way too much fabric and not having nearly enough time to make everything I want. The truth is, I don't need to make or buy tons of clothes. I feel much better making and buying less, but making it something that's special to me.