Wow – I was blown away ! Thank you so much to the 88 people who have completed my sewing survey so far. I am happy that so many people take an active interest in the site and took the time to write such encouraging and positive comments. Thank you all. Here is a summary of the sewing survey results:
Q1 – Have you ever used one of my tutorials or free patterns?
- Yes – 26
- No – 62
Q2 – If so, which have you tried?
| 30 Minute Easy Skirt | 11 | 31.25% | |||||
| Summer Drape Top | 8 | 21.88% | |||||
| Pencil Skirt Sloper Pattern | 8 | 18.75% | |||||
| Double Layer Chiffon Blouse | 5 | 12.5% | |||||
| Cheeky Panties | 4 | 12.5% | |||||
| Duct tape dress form | 1 | 3.13% |
- Dress – 32
- Top or blouse – 21
- T-shirt – 18
- Shorts – 15
- Skirt – 13
- Bag – 12
- Underwear – 4
- Other – 5
Requested other items were – a jacket (a bit too ambitious for me at this stage of my sewing!), a summer nightgown, skorts, and Katherine Hepburnesque high waisted pants. Yikes – if I could do a good job drafting some of those I'd be working for Vogue!
Q4 – Have you ever taken a Craftsy course?
- No – 55
- Yes – 33
The most popular courses mentioned were pants fitting techniques, pants construction techniques, various knitting courses, Jean-ius by Kenneth King, Sewing with Knits, Sewing with Silk, quilting Block of the Month, Bag Making Basics (free), Mastering Zipper Techniques (free) and the Couture Dress.
Q5 – Do you have any sewing challenges or areas where you would like to learn more or see a tutorial? A wide variety of answers including: Seam options, finishing techniques, lots of questions on fitting issues, understanding a pattern envelope, sewing with knits and how to hem knits, sewing zippers, sewing lingerie, pattern adjustment, button holes, fly front trousers, and lots of basic sewing techniques. I'll be working on improving many of these techniques myself and once I feel I have mastered some of them, I'll be happy to share what I have learned and how I think is the quickest or easiest way to do something.
Q6 – Do you prefer photo or video tutorials?
- Photo and text tutorials 51%
- Don't mind 29%
- Video tutorial 20%
The answer to this one really surprised me! I am a visual learner myself and I love the video tutorials on how to do something where I can actually see it happening in real time – this is why I am such a big fan of Craftsy sewing tutorials.And it's certainly quicker and easier to make a video tutorial while sewing than it is to take a series of photos and then add them to the post along with written instructions. Trying to write a how-to in easy to understand but not too wordy language is challenging. We all know this from the number of times we have puzzled over sewing pattern instructions! I'll certainly keep this in mind for the future and write more and video less.
Q7 – To help me design patterns in the sizes your need, please answer what size you would usually buy. (Optional)
- Extra large – 35%
- Medium – 31%
- Large 25%
- Small – 5%
- Extra small – 4%
I would say I was a medium myself so that's good, and I'm still trying to learn pattern grading techniques that don't involve expensive software. I will keep this in mind for my future patterns and make sure that at least the larger sizes are on offer, or give directions for how a pattern might be enlarged where I can. Patterns you can draft from your own measurements could also work.
Q8 – What kind of content are you interested in?
- Sewing tutorials – 52
- Finished projects from free patterns, and reviews – 47
- My own free pattern designs to download – 38
- Sewing failures – 21
- Finished projects from commercial patterns, and reviews – 19
- Work in progress – 19
- Round ups of other content online such as seasonal sewing projects – 15
- Reviews of sewing products – 15
- Life in the Cayman Islands – 12
- Giveaways and contests – 10
- Reviews of other sites and shops – 5
It made me laugh that so many people like to see my sewing failures! But I can see that the site also attracts a lot of readers who are new to sewing or are looking to learn the basic techniques as well as some who are more experienced and don't need any tutorials. Free patterns continue to be popular so I know you want to learn how to sew, and how to do it without spending to much money on patterns – all noted.
Q9 – Any other comments, suggestions or criticisms?
You all made my day with your kind and encouraging comments – thank you. Here are a few typical ones:
“I appreciate that your site specializes is women's apparel sewing, most sites are dedicated to sewing for children. Also love reading about life in the Cayman Islands and the beautiful backdrops in all of your pictures.”
“Have enjoyed your writing. esp. about the “failed” shirt. Too funny. I appreciate how you tackle probs/glitches that arise. “
” I find it very difficult to sew with a pattern, because even if I cut my fabric like exactly the pattern, there is always a twist (of fate) and the result is never what I'm looking for!! sewing for me is full of surprise so I like detailed tutorials!!”
“I enjoy all your content .I also find the links great. Big fan thanks for all the cool stuff. More fun stuff to make please.”
“I like that you have pictures of more than one view of what you make so we can see the whole thing. It is great that you tell how you made adjustments or where things were going wrong that you fixed which is real life – I've never made a pattern exactly as written and had it fit.”
“I thoroughly enjoy your energy. You have inspired me to sew again. Thank you!”
“I actually LIKE the fact that your blog is authentic and about you. I like your personality interjected with your sewing experiences. Perhaps if you change that, it might just be like any other sewing blog with professionals giving good instructions, but in a dull, dry presentation. But I could be wrong.”
I absolutely love your teaching method & patterns. Would it be possible for you to create a skorts pattern for knits? They’re fun to wear, can be dressed up and/or down, and are more forgiving than shorts. Thanks for all you do!
Hi Debby, thanks for your comment. Have you seen this pattern: https://so-sew-easy.com/culottes-tutorial-for-summer-time-glamour/
It is for knits. We just called them culottes rather than skort;)
Instead of “skorts,” perhaps I should have said, “yoga skirt.” But, I believe if shortened and combined your culottes pattern with a shortened skirt pattern, that would work perfectly. Thank you very much for your inspiration!