{photo of the lovely Carlie in Eclair by the talented Lisa Warninger} Welcome to the Spring Palette Challenge, a 10 week challenge for creating a mini seasonal wardrobe based around your favorite color palette for Sring 2011! The idea is very simple. You choose an inspiring palette for Spring, then you sew a tiny wardrobe …

Here it is, folks! Our free weekly sewing tips delivered by email, which I mentioned last week. Snippets delivers handy sewing tips right to your inbox every Tuesday. I love this format for sewing tips because: Sewing is about continual learning, and you can get that learning delivered to you. You learn new things in …

I just wanted to fill you in on a little project we’ve been working on around here for the last couple months. To be honest, I was bored with the idea of having a standard email newsletter. Sure, it’s nice for sharing some stuff from the blog that people may have missed, or to make …

Do you make resolutions for the new year? I know some people say that it’s silly and arbitrary, but personally I think it’s nice to have a little reminder to come up with some new goals and to reflect on where you are and what you’ve done. Sewing-wise, this has been an odd year for …

I hope you all have a chance to relax and enjoy a holiday break. We’re taking some time off, but will return soon!

I can hardly express how excited I am to be offering you our very first men’s pattern. This pattern came about because you asked for it, honestly. So many people told me they wanted a casual men’s shirt with some vintage style, but without the boxy vintage fit. That is exactly what I set out …

If you’ve paid close attention to this blog, facebook, or certain recent interviews, you may have a pretty good idea of the pattern we’ve been working on. And I have to say, it is one of my favorite patterns ever. I’m restraining myself from gushing about it too much for now, but I’m sure you’ll …

One dreary and wet evening last week, I was leaving Colette Patterns World HQ to head home for the night when I had one of those moments of spontaneous and pure gratitude. This year has been challenging for me, though in a very good way. They have been the kinds of challenges that stretch your …

Friends, we’re looking for ways to improve the offerings here on our website, and to do that, we’d really like to learn a little more about all of you. I’ve put together a fun survey, which takes about 5-10 minutes. To say thank you for completing it, you’ll get a coupon code for 15% off …

I found this cool project by olivia mew on Flickr, titled “dresses I didn’t buy.” The artist describes it as “24 tiny felt versions of dresses from online stores. this is a work in progress and all of them + lots more will eventually make up a dress that fits me.” I’m excited to see …

Introducing Crepe, our very latest pattern! The design of this dress was inspired in no small part by the design philosophy of Claire McCardell, that pioneer of American fashion. She was a champion of comfort in clothing, and believed in creating looks for women that merged seamlessly with the active lifestyle of Americans in the …

This month we’re going to be talking about things to do before you sew: planning, cutting, marking, treating your fabrics, and all the other little things that can make your projects go a little more smoothly. Stay tuned!

For the next several months, we’re going to cover some important sewing themes and concepts here on the blog. For the next few weeks, we’ll be talking about fabric, a subject I am particularly passionate about. We’ll be talking fiber, structure, and choosing the right fabric. Feel like contributing a guest post or tutorial on …

Just wanted to drop a note to tell you that I’m doing my first giveaway on the Colette Patterns Facebook page, if you’re interested! I’m giving away 4 yards (or up to $40) worth of a fabric of your choice from Sew Mama Sew. You only need to pick your favorite and let me know …

For you Facebook users out there, check out our brand new facebook page for Colette Patterns! Now you can join and get all kinds of updates through Facebook, like the blog feed and photos, or participate and even add your own photos. I may even have some special polls or contests for the Facebook fans. …

Guys, I’m on vacation this week (currently soaking up the heat in Palm Springs for a couple days!), but wanted to point out this lovely interview with me over at the Sewbox blog. For those of you in the UK, Sewbox already has the new patterns in stock, and even these nifty pattern packs. Check …

I wrote a guest post over at the wonderful Sew Mama Sew blog this week, all about the mighty dart! Darts are one of those seemingly simple things in sewing that actually provide the key to understanding patterns and getting the right fit. Read my little primer on darts over at SMS so you can …

I am really excited to tell you guys about our brand new studio space! It’s in a lovely brick industrial building in SE Portland, a corner space with an entire wall of windows. The place is so bright that it glows! We’re still getting set up, of course. But here’s what we’ve got so far. …

I thought I’d celebrate our sweet new lingerie/ loungewear patterns with a fun little contest, what do you think? I’m calling it the Darling Dainties contest (I hope the silliness of that name amuses you half as much as it does me). All you have to do is create an inspiration board based around one …

We have two lovely new patterns in the shop, this time for making your own light summertime loungewear! Nutmeg includes a sweet little bralette that ties in the back and at the shoulders with ribbons and looks perfect in a soft silky fabric. It also includes a pair of short french knickers, and longer tap …

If you’ve bought a pattern from us, you may have noticed a small note on the inside pocket letting you know that a portion of our proceeds go to promote animal welfare. Since I just made our quarterly donation, I wanted to take a moment to tell you about the current organization we’re contributing to. …