Garment design, a beautiful yet scary thing for all crocheters and knitters who want to get into it. You see all of the beautiful garments that people create, but the idea of it seems as if it is too unattainable. For quite a long time I never thought that I’d actually be able to make let alone design a handmade garment. I loved the idea of creating my own clothes, but I was too afraid to even try. I started seeing amazing designers like Chantal from Knitatude creating these beautiful pieces, and soon I got the bug to start making. My first garment project was Sewrella’s Penelope dress, and now I’ve designed 4 different garments myself! Who would have thought that I could actually do it. How do you begin though? How do you do all of the sizing? So many questions, and sometimes it feels as if you’ll never figure it out. Well friend, today I’ve got some answers for you with my special guest on the podcast, Chantal from Knitatude.
Chantal started knitting after seeing all of the beautiful infinity scarves on Instagram that kept popping up in her feed. She asked for one for Christmas, but no matter how many people she asked, she didn’t end up getting one. So she decided that she’d make one for herself instead of spending the $20 for one at a store. She set out to learn knitting, and fell in love with it after learning the garter stitch. She started making scarves, hats, and had friends asking her if she could make things for them. It wasn’t until a year later that she learned how to purl, and began doing markets. That’s when Knitatude was born! One day, feeling buried in all of her market prep that she was doing, Chantal decided that she wanted to set aside some time to figure out how to write a pattern. She’d been attempting to read other people’s patterns for awhile, but felt like they were too confusing for her. So why not maker her own instead? That set her off into the wonderful world of design, and now here she is with some amazing garment designs including most of them as kits available from Lion Brand Yarn. What’s so amazing is that today she is here to share some of her knowledge with you!
So you might be wanting to design, but you don’t know where to start. Here are some of the essentials of garment design that Chantal recommends:
Probably the best piece of advice, would be to go for it! It takes time to learn designing, and the best way to learn is to start doing it. Your first design might not be exactly what you wanted, but each time you make something you’ll get better! If you want to practice some garment making before you start designing your own, Chantal has some amazing beginner knit patterns that are perfect for learning how to design. Be sure to check out her Etsy store here, and her Instagram @knitatude!
Happy stitching,
~Claire
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