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Giselle

This is very bad news for anyone who sews. The parent company who owned the big 4 sewing pattern brands (Simplicity, Butterick, McCalls, Vogue) has sold them to a liquidator. Meaning that the business will get wound down and dissolved.
I own a number of these patterns and like them (much more than Burda), I can't believe this is happening.

I must admit I bought mainly Lekala patterns, others like indi patterns. Meaning that the Big 4 are no longer profitable?

craftindustryalliance.org/pare

Craft Industry Alliance · Parent Company of the Big 4 Sewing Pattern Brands Sold to a Liquidator - Craft Industry AllianceThe legacy sewing pattern brands Simplicity, Butterick, McCalls, and Vogue, commonly referred to as the Big 4, have been sold to a liquidator.

Now that I'm reading more about it, it sounds like one of the options is that the pattern companies could be sold on. It doesn't have to mean disolution, I was too shocked by the term liquidator to realise that. It's also very early days yet.

@Giselle
I can't remember the last time I bought a (tissue) paper pattern.
Trying to adjust them was a nightmare.
I now buy digital downloads, get them printed on high quality paper and get a much better fit.
Yes, it costs more, but has paid off in time, effort and results.

@HRCH I have to admit that I almost exclusively bought pdf patterns from Lekala (so been contributing to less business for printed), because I can have them to my own measurements. I use the advanced options, just need to do a rounded upper back adjustment and it's a pretty good fit.
They're much cheaper than Vogue patterns (I like their designs though), only about £3.20. Could even get them printed onto A0 (I think), I tape up A4 from my printer.
All this makes me want to draft my block.

@Giselle
The grannies commiting copyright infringements over the internet are part of the problem :D . Good patterns obviously require work(?) so paying for using should be a no brainer (like for Software)

@Giselle I'm sure that the U.S. crafting community, when voting for Trump, didn't think this would happen. However...

"On Friday, the company announced it had sold its US division, IG Design Group Americas (DGA), which owns the sewing pattern brands, to Hilco Capital, a liquidation firm. IG Design Group cited the impact of tariffs imposed by the US as a factor. Over 50% of DGA’s products are manufactured in China, although the sewing patterns are made in the US."

@therieau
I remember seeing one lady interviewed before the election, about what she thought of the presidential candidates. She was literally hopping up and down while shouting: " Trump, Trump, Trump!" and how great he was going to be for the economy, for them. As opposed to Harris. And I remember thinking: oh shit, at the same time as: she's delusional. And I didn't expect half of the monstrous stuff Trump is doing.
How wonder how long it'll take to put the economy back on an even keel.

@Giselle I'ts been ages since I had anything to with these, but I think those brands are what you'd get in Norway as well. Big shock if they’re suddenly gone. Though my daughter (who is the sewer (?!) sower (?) in the family) mostly does redesign/copying clothes she already owns. She also skips the boring steps, straight for the scissors and the machine. :) Amazing that it works out so well most of the time.

@Giselle checked in with my dressmaking wife and her take is: yes, this is bad, but there's a *big* market in second hand patterns, and the liquidator might very well sell the rights on…

@fishidwardrobe The more I think about this, Vogue, Simplicity, etc do have big name recognition. I'm beginning to think that selling on might be a possibility. This sale seems to be because of the tariffs, and due to one of the biggest customers Joannes having gone under, and who knows what else.
A lot of dressmakers are going to be looking for more details.

@Giselle this seems to be happening everywhere :/
Devastating

@smollestbunny
It totally is. I can't believe they dumped the Big 4 brands for a dollar. Adds insult to injury.

@Giselle luckily you can still get patterns from independent designers, so it's not like we've lost all ability to make patterns, it's just the corporate ones are gone now.

I do worry for fabric production though :/ especially since a lot of fabric stores are also shutting down

@forestine
It's a huge shock.
I kind of assumed that e.g. Vogue patterns would be around forever. They are pretty expensive in the UK or from ebay, about £10-12 or more - I thought that must be profitable. Can't believe that the Big 4 patterns got discounted so severely in JoAnns.

@Giselle I tended to buy the big 4 and adapt, so I've bought a few before they're completely unavailable for projects I'm planning to make in future.

I'm really concerned for the big 4's archives, some of which goes back to the 19th century - other companies don't have that heritage to draw on. Plus the big 4 were reliable for oddities like costimes/fancy dress, which most of the indies don't touch.

@Giselle @crinolinerobot good point! This is really scary news. I wish there were a way to crowdfund some money to buy the pattern archives and release the digital versions to the world, or donate it all to a museum or archive.

@weirdofhermiston @Giselle @crinolinerobot [Edit: nevermind, I saw it was mentioned in the linked article!]
not sure if it’s been mentioned yet, but another aspect of the problem is that the same company owns the last remaining pattern tissue printer in the US.

Which many indies who aren’t digital-only rely on.

@mycrowgirl @weirdofhermiston @crinolinerobot
Oh outch, that's even worse. I wonder if there are any tissue printers in Europe?
The last time I used a Burda pattern (I think they are German), it was from a big foldout sheet from a Burda magazine where you had to trace all your pattern pieces onto tissue paper yourself (a right pain), don't know if they offered tissue patterns later?
I saw a documentary once how the big tissue sheets get folded, very specialised equipment!

@Giselle hmmm, I have at least ome of theirs and would check but my pattern stash is currently in storage (house works, long story).

I’m pretty sure that at least the printed pattern division of Burda is/was currently a subsidiary of Simplicity, so my best guess is that they outsourced their printing to the same vendor.

@mycrowgirl
I thought that Burda was still in private ownership in Germany. Wikipedia doesn't say much who it's owned by, though mentions a partnership in the US with a company that went bankrupt in 2019. Could have been the end of the partnering deal, don't know.
Someone on Pattern Review thinks that Simplicity handled the distribution of Burda in the US.
I'll keep an eye out for more details.

@Giselle I wouldn’t miss Burda that much to be honest, their patterns always needed WAY more adjustments for me than other commercial flat patterns. So I usually ended up browsing the look and finding a comparable pattern that I knew would work with minimal tweaks.

@mycrowgirl
I find Burda styles a bit weird. I looked at Style Arc patterns and I'm not too keen either. Vogue has many styles that I like. I do hope that the pattern companies/brands are going to survive. It sounds like an onward sale is an option. I was too shocked by the word liquidator to realise that it's early days and that selling on is part of the options.

@weirdofhermiston @crinolinerobot
I suspect it's less the patterns themselves (many repeat, just with new photos and fabrics, there are often only small variations), but it's the printing onto tissue paper that makes it so tricky.
I now prefer the downloads, because I can have these done to my measurements, not sure if many indies also do digital downloads. It must be much less cost intensive. I think it takes hundreds of sales to make one printed pattern worthwhile. Or more, not sure.

@crinolinerobot
That's a very good point, about the archives. I'll keep my eyes open about more news, I think this announcement was published only yesterday.
I cannot believe that this parent company just dumped these brands, not even via a fire sale, the $1 price tag feels like an insult. Don't people who sew count at all?
But I have to admit my recent pattern purchases were from Lekala because I get a better fit that way. Just need an upper back adjustment and it fits pretty well.

@Giselle I wonder how much the liquidator will want for the rights to the back catelogue. I think I might be in a sewing bubble, but I've seen this story around *a lot* this weekend.

@Giselle I'm hoping they'll be sold on, and to different places. They should never have been owned by the same company.

Fingers crossed whoever takes them on will do something good with them.