Celebrating Crafty Women – Picolly by Petra Skrabakova

• How did you come up with the idea of launching your own brand of sewing patterns?

I have started my blog Prosikulky.cz a few weeks before my second child was born. First, it was a DIY blog about ideas I had and small sewing projects for kid’s clothes. Later I realized that I love to design my own sewing patterns.

• What do you like about your job as a designer?

Mostly I like the other people can get creative and inspired by my work. They can use the patterns in a lot of different ways and create unique items for their beloved.

• Do you work full time as a creative?

Yes, creating patterns, tutorials and videos for my brand/blog is now my full-time job, also my husband is now working with me, helping with marketing and e-commerce.

• What obstacles did you face in launching your brand of patterns?

Almost none, first I was drawing the patterns manually that was quite time-consuming. For more than a year I use a professional CAD software that makes the design much easier and the results are better and more precise for the customer. The start of the brand was a continuous and quite a slow process and it took me three years to make it a full-time job.

• Why did you choose to sell your patterns on Makerist?

With Makerist we can address new customers all around the world. Our main market is the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic where we sell via our eshop, with Makerist we can target sewers in other countries.

• What are – beyond the quality of your patterns – the little tips that have allowed you to succeed?

On our largest market, we also provide a free forum for the clients where they can ask questions about the patterns or sewing in general and we have built quite a big Q&A database that especially for the beginners is very useful. From the client’s feedback, we can see that a lot of people started to sew after watching my videos or reading a step-by-step tutorial, the initial fear that they cannot make it is gone.

• What advice would you give to someone who wants to start designing patterns? What is the most important thing you have learned?

Most important is patience and sewing a lot of testing models so the pattern fits great. And the support for the buyers is important.

• What did selling patterns bring you?

The freedom to create and do what I love. Also, the reward in terms of positive customer feedback when they are able to create great stuff with my patterns.

• The world of DIY is a world that changes quickly: how do you see things for the next few years?

As I can see, a lot of people discovers the world of DIY and the segment is growing pretty fast. I think this will continue as people see the difference in creating something with their own hands compared to buying cheap/poor quality stuff made in China. Sustainability and the accent on quality and the process of making will drive the DIY in the future.

• Tell us a bit about your journey to where you are now.

I have started a DIY blog when I was pregnant with second child. I started posting photos of clothes I sewed for the kids. Then I started to write more about the sewing, tutorials and DIY tips. I created free knitting and crocheting patterns and tutorials. Later I designed the first patterns that I listed on a Czech marketplace similar to Makerist. With first orders, I added an e-shop to my blog and started professional pattern designing.

• Do you have support from friends and family, please tell us how they have helped in your journey to success as a designer.

I have large support from my family from the beginning. My husband always believed in me and my work and he always encouraged me to try new things I was just dreaming of.  With this support, I had time to improve my skills, learn new things, take online and offline courses and build my own brand from scratch.