Alicia, Designer & Founder of Swoon Sewing Patterns
I'm a graphic designer by trade and fell in love with sewing many years ago. I think it was a natural path for me to mesh the two and start drafting my own sewing patterns. There's nothing I like sewing together more than bags, so that's mostly what I do! I am not much for frills, ruffles, or an obvious "homemade" look (much to the dismay of my 7 year old), so my patterns create bags that are simple, clean and easily modified by the advanced bag-maker.
I learned to sew clothing and bags using commercial paper patterns. As everyone knows, they can be a little vague and hard to follow with limited diagrams and absolutely no photos. I try to alleviate the frustration while keeping to the same to-the-point style. I want you to be able to comprehend what you are doing, so that you can learn and apply it to other projects. Swoon patterns do not have 100 steps with a photo for each of them. In fact, Swoon patterns have no photos. They are written in paragraph form with computer-drafted diagrams. Any enthusiastic beginner can sew up a Swoon bag, ambition is key. If you aren't sure this is the pattern style for you, try one of the free patterns first. You will likely impress yourself.
Here is a one-page example of Swoon instructions:
If you'd like to know even more about me, click here for an interview over at Sew Not Perfect. If you need help with your make, there are a number of photo and video tutorials to guide you through that step you are having trouble with, and our team are always glad to help, if you run into any problems. Send us an email or ask in our community on Facebook and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
In 2020 Alicia Miller took a step back from Swoon Patterns. Samantha Hussey of Sewing Patterns by Mrs H took over management of Swoon Patterns in order to ensure ongoing customer support, and to enable continued access to Alicia's wonderful range of bag sewing patterns. Sewing Patterns by Mrs H is a trading name of S J Hussey Ltd, company number 11953145. You can find out more about Samantha and her team at www.mrs-h.com