Introducing Lekala Sewing Patterns!

The Monthly Stitch is pleased to welcome back Lekala Sewing Patterns as one of our great Indie Pattern Month sponsors. We asked TMS member and Lekala Assistant Editor and Consultant Barbara Carlon to tell us more about the Lekala system and the creative minds behind it.

Lekala 4368…… One of my favorites!

If you follow my blog, you know that I have been raving about Lekala Sewing Patterns for awhile. Let me tell you a little about the creative person that runs the business. Natalia Demakova is the regional director of Lekala Sewing Patterns and oversees a broad area of the company’s global reach, in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, and several Asian languages. She has recently relocated her Lekala office to the beautiful city of Geneva, Switzerland where she lives with her husband and three young children.

SteamPunk Skirt Lekala 5434 & 5226

Natalia runs a very unique indie pattern company. When you order your pattern, you put in your measurements, pay for your order, and then receive a PDF pattern customized exclusively for you. You can enter just your personal bust, waist, and hip measurements and go from there, or you can further customize your fit with the optional measurements. You can also choose a standard pattern size. Additionally, you can save your measurements and those of clients on the site in your account, then you can easily apply them to any pattern of your choice. You have the option to print with or without seam allowance and your choice of several printing options.

My saved client measurements

There are hundreds of designs to choose from, with new ones added all the time. Members can even suggest new pattern designs, which are voted on by the community and then put into production.
Natalia is constantly improving and adding new features. One of the latest additions is the ability to share your Lekala sewing projects on the site. Members’ creations are then displayed on the pattern page, allowing you to see how the garment looks on real people. Another fun feature are the weekly sewing contests. You are invited to submit your finished projects which are then voted on by Lekala members. The winner is entitled to 5 free Lekala patterns and the 2nd and 3rd prizes are Lekala Gift Certificates for 1 pattern each.

A few of the recent Lekala contestants

Lekala Sewing Patterns has even more features coming up in the near future. Here are some of the projects that the team is working on:

The ability to audition fabrics on a technical drawing and save them into one’s personal account
Maternity patterns
PRO patterns – this feature will allow the customer to alter the pattern online i.e. add/remove sleeves, etc.
More social content on Lekala, including notifications on comments people leave on your project, PMs, etc.
A forum for sharing ideas
Mobile apps – first for Android, then for iOS. The Android one is in process and we’re hoping it will go live this summer.
News on the website – A short weekly post that will include updates, new features, how-to’s and other topics of interest
Optional email signup for news on new styles, and sales
Payment by credit card, in addition to PayPal
Updating the design of the Lekala.co website design

Lekala 4284….one of my favorites!

Lekala Sewing Patterns hopes you will pop on over and check out the exciting new features, as well as the custom fit pattern system that makes it unique. We especially appreciate comments and feedback. Good luck to all the contestants who are participating in the Indie Pattern Contest on the Monthly Stitch!