Garment sewing has a lot to do about love- the love to create, love of fashion, or simply making something special for yourself or someone you love. This week, I was excited to interview Christina Albeck, founder of the Denmark- based Wardrobe By Me pattern company. Their company's byline is "because we love to sew," and it's easy to see why. With just a quick look through the classic styles that they offer, the care that is put into each one of their patterns is evident.
Christina was taught as a child to sew from her mother and anyone else who was willing to share their knowledge with her. As an adult, she went to fashion college to become a designer, but learned that pattern making was where her passion lied. In her 25 years in the fashion industry, Christina worked in California, then returned to Denmark where she continued to work in fashion and taught pattern making. As a freelancer, she was able to gain a wide experience in men's, women's and children's wear.
After working for years in the fast-paced fashion industry, Christina grew tired of "fast fashion"- the constant need for making new styles at low cost without focusing on the details. She says, "Wardrobe By Me grew out of a desire to slow things down, make a lasting product, and create styles that are fun to sew and flattering to wear. The garments you reach for every day and plan to recreate over and again."
Wardrobe By Me is all about beautiful, classic style, and their goal is to design styles that suit the body and to create a collection of wardrobe essentials that can be used again and again. In their women's line, they boast more than sixty contemporary patterns that are easy-to-wear and perfect for any day of the year.
I was eager to try one of their women's patterns for myself, and quickly settled on the Grace Dress and Tunic Pattern. This pattern features a banded collar and gathers at the neckline and back. The beautiful gathers at the shoulder are so flattering, as is the hidden tie band in the waist seam. While this pattern has the option for a lovely cuffed long sleeves or a ruffled skirt, I chose the ruffled cuff variation with a straight skirt. This was such a wonderful and easy-to-follow pattern. Every step was clearly explained, and the finishes were professional and gorgeous. I think my favorite feature has to be the beautiful tie neckline- it's such a classic look! I made mine with a lightweight wool dobby fabric for summertime, but this pattern could just as easily be adapted for winter with a different fabric choice. I absolutely love this dress!
As for their men's line, they have twenty-five patterns in a modern urban style that include everything from T-shirts, sweaters, shirts, pants, shorts, underwear, and jackets. Recently, one of the their men's patterns, the Overshirt, was even featured on this year's British Sewing Bee.
The Men's Classic Cardigan was a pattern that caught my eye right off the bat. It has such a cool, retro feel with it's cuffed long sleeves and relaxed fit. The pattern features two different neckline options, a buttoned or plain placket edge, and optional patch pockets. I sewed up a shawl collared version with a plain placket for my dad in brushed French Terry, and he loves it! The relaxed fit is perfect for him to throw over a shirt on cold morning out or relaxing around the house. I loved how easy this was to sew! The instructions were clear and easy-to-follow, and I was excited to be able to easily get the perfect fit for my dad.
Wardrobe By Me also features adorable unisex children's patterns in classic styles. They've kicked off this summer season by adding two new patterns to their children's collection, the Kid's Tropical Shirt and Kid's Woven Pants patterns. These two new patterns are indicative of the designs at Wardrobe By Me- comfortable and perfect for everyday, yet stylish, modern and perfect for special occasions too!
Christina has so much to be proud of in regard to Wardrobe By Me. She receives reviews from her customers all over the world who tell her how much they love the styles the company offers, and it's easy to see why! And there's a lot to look forward to in the future- they have expanded their content for their Youtube channel, Wardrobebyme, to include step-by-step videos of their most popular sewing patterns being sewn. Customers have been really loving these helpful videos, and the team has a lot of fun making them as well.
Wardrobe By Me also has plans to keep adding new patterns and exciting new styles for their customers. Last year, they expanded into offering some of their most popular patterns into paper format. Christina says, "I'm very excited about seeing the paper patterns in local shops around the world. Being present where customers also buy their fabric is a unique opportunity to connect."
Wardrobe By Me is an amazing pattern company, with a catalog full of patterns that are perfect for any sewist, beginner to advanced. Their patterns are all beautiful, classic, and full of the details that made so many of us fall in love with garment sewing in the first place.
Find all of Wardrobe By Me's amazing styles on their website, here:
And follow along with their Facebook group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WBMpatternsupport
As well as their awesome step-by-step videos on their Youtube channel, Wardrobebyme, found here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-KXlAUS5Ts6GpN5ETrXEpA