I love sewing (really?!? who am I kidding?) and I started testing patterns a few years ago. So I thought it would be fun to write what I think (potentiel) pattern testers should show!
{Fabric and Ink, Thou shall have}
…and zippers…buttons…interfacing. In short, just have your favorite brick-and-mortar fabric shop at hand. And INK (+paper obviously) because, even though you don’t print the instructions, you really need the pattern pieces, don’t you?
{Time, Thou must have}
Actually YES and…NO. YES because you need to have free time to sew the garment/bag/thing-to-be-tested but NO because sometimes you JUST have one week to sew/proofread/take final pictures. So it’s up to YOU to assess if it’s worth it.
{Only a Sewing Machine, Thou shall have}
No need to have serger and coverstitch machine. A simple sturdy sewing machine is enough but, if your machine is straight-stitch only, do not apply for testing a knit garment!
{Patient, Thou shall be}
If everything went well from the start, it would be fabulous BUT…you might have to sew another garment because of pattern alterations. That’s what pattern testing is for, huh? If you need to sew a garment again, no need to panick, deadlines are usually extended ! But it means you will have to print/cut and sew another time so take that into account when applying.
{On Facebook, Thou shall be present}
Most of the testing calls happen on the designer’s FB page. So please, “stalk” their pages!!!
{On FB/IG, Thou shall interact}
Testing a pattern also means promoting it on social media. So nice pictures are a bonus. I never promote a pattern I’m not fond of for any reason (personal preferences, ill-fitting on me etc). Being active on social media is also a +++ for any future application.
{English Sewing-Slang, Thou shall learn}
There are many acronyms in the sewing world and that’s pretty funny trying to decipher some of them. Some well-know patterns go by their initials and newbies may be a bit surprised! Do ask the members what they mean!
{A Camera, Thou shall have}
No need to have a pricey one, but know how to use it. You can also play a little with photo-editing free websites like Picmonkey or Pixlr. I’ve just bought a Canon EOS 7D and I don’t really know how to handle it (and Photoshop…). I only had a point-and-shoot before and I got picked up in many tests though…!
{Never Discouraged, Thou shall be}
Keep applying! Even apply for 5 tests at a time, you might have one out of the 5 (or the 5…trust me, it’s better than having none, isn’t it?).
{Be Honest with the Designer, Thou shall be}
I’ll never say “I love that look” or “I sew a straight size 10” if 1. that design doesn’t look flattering or 2. I mixed various sizes to fit my own body/my daughter’s. The way you test is extremely important. I had a pattern where everyone’s sleeve was way past the hand! That was so funny to see everyone havong the same problem.
So, when will you apply for the next pattern testonf of your favorite designers???
