We've been selling our sewing patterns for just over one year and SHEESH have we learned a lot! All in all, this has been the best baptism of fire we could ever have hoped for - from seeing the ever growing wonderous array of your creations pop up online and in the real world, to being interviewed by publications that we really love and admire, to creating a network of stockists worldwide that we are so very proud of, to moving from our bedrooms and kitchen tables into our very own studio.
Along with the fun bits there have been some hard lessons too, like: there are only 24 hours in the day (and some should be spent sleeping YAWN), don't let your badly-behaved-but-adorable kitten near your sample pattern (yup, it got peed on, twice) and working from home = constant snacking and substantially tighter waistbands. One more hard lesson that we've learned is that what you think things are going to cost at the beginning is not always true once you actually get started. And, this is exactly what has happened with our sewing patterns. Because there was, quite simply, an awful lot we didn't know when we produced our very first patterns, the Elisalex Dress and the Charlotte Skirt, our pricing was a little off. Couple this with the fact that over the last year the cost of making the patterns has risen, our pricing has got further off the mark. Therefore, guys, what we're trying to say is - *deep breath* - we need to raise our prices.
We will be raising our prices to £14 per pattern incl. VAT. If you go to our product pages you can also choose to see what the price would be in Canadian Dollars, US Dollars, Australian Dollars and Euros - plus it will be at the current exchange rate.
We are working hard to be able to get shipping costs down in the near future and intend to keep the price of our patterns stable for quite a while to come! We hope you understand and continue to be part of our little universe - we absolutely could not do it and would not be anywhere without you all.
Charlotte, Elisalex and Victoria.
Comments on this post (8)
PDF, please! Maybe start with the Victoria Blazer..? Thank you for considering!
— Stewart
I absolutely understand your thoughts on PDF, but i find that although the initial paper print could be extensive, i find the pattern lasts longer and is more durable, and quite frankly i’m more likely to buy a pattern I can download and start immediately rather than wait for Royal Mail! I try not to accumulate paper elsewhere – i buy digital everything and definitely patterns. and the cheaper element of PDF would really help my sewing ‘habit’ ! Your packaging is really beautiful :) but i’m more about the lovely item you designed as the end result :)
— jo
Hi Marina,
We hear ya and we’re constantly debating over whether to offer PDF downloads as standard (for which we would definitely charge less). However, at the moment, none of us are that enamoured by the sheer, crazy volume of paper you’d have to print out for one of our patterns (especially the dresses)! So much of what we are proud of with our patterns is the design of the packaging itself, so it seems like we would lose an important bit of our identity with downloads. All of this said, if you all shout loudly enough that you want PDF downloads as standard, we will have to give it some serious thought!
x
— Charlotte Hintzen
I understand the reasons, and agree with the need to raise the price. However, I don’t like to accumulate paper patterns any longer, and would rather purchase a digital version. Maybe, it will be slightly more affordable too.
— Marina
Are there any future plans for PDF patterns? I really like your designs and it would be so much easier to be able to just download every new design without having to wait for the shipping!
— Mady
The BHL team create such beautiful patterns, it is worth every cent :)
Keep up the good work. Love your style!!! It’s sooo MY style :)
xo
— Neeno - Sew Me Love
I completely understand that you have to do this! You learn as you go and there must be bread on the table in the evening right? For me it only means you strive to establish a high standard in everything you do and when Flora hits the shop, I’m totally ordering my copy! Keep it up ladies :)
— Anja
I still think your patterns are cheap! Especially when you look at the packaging and consider the work that goes into creating something so user friendly.
I’m about to cut out my 4th Elisalex – its my go to pattern. Your pattern makes me feel like a seamstress, instead of a bumbling idiot!
I look forward to what you release next. Best of luck to you all.
— Lisa