Pattern Patter: Sew Liberated

Make it Sew may offer a class to make the Sew Liberated Hinterland Dress in the near future.

You may have noticed the wall full of patterns at Make It Sew and wondered about the stories behind the various pattern-makers we carry. Today we give you the scoop on Sew Liberated, the brainchild of Meg Mcelwee. In 2007, Mcelwee was working as a Montessori teacher and living in an adobe house in northern Mexico. Lacking television, internet, and even a phone line, she spent her off hours knitting and sewing. She eventually began drafting patterns based on her own designs, and when she got internet access, she started a blog and began selling them. 

Twelve years later, when she’s not exploring the natural world with her three children, whom she home schools, Mcelwee still makes patterns and has also written two books, Sew Liberated and Growing Up Sew Liberated. Her focus is on creating clothes that flatter a range of body shapes, particularly those of busy mothers. She writes that she believes “sewing is a self-care practice,” and she “enjoys slowing down and taking life one seam at a time.” 

Stay tuned: Make It Sew may offer a class for making Sew Liberated’s “Hinterland Dress” in the near future!