At the beginning of each year I like to think of a word that will guide my decisions in the new year and the word I chose in the beginning of 2020 was solidify. I started the year feeling a little unmoored. Friday had a lot of growth in 2019 and I was feeling both excitement and imposter’s syndrome. There were big deal partnerships and collaboration opportunities that I never imagined my company having. I wanted to make sure that I did things during the year to build a strong foundation under Friday.
One of the most obvious ways to solidify the company was to get help! In 2020 I followed the lead of other amazing indie pattern companies and started paying pattern testers. I found an incredibly talented tech editor who has been instrumental in bringing the quality of Friday patterns up a notch. Finally, I hired a marketing/social media manager who I adore; she has made it possible for us to start creating more dynamic, inspiring, and helpful content to accompany our patterns.
An unexpected way that I was forced to put more energy into solidifying Friday was the pandemic and personal loss. I lost a couple family members in quick succession in 2020 and that, paired with everything going on in the world, knocked me on my ass. I hate to say that I am a workaholic because I think that word glamorizes something that is not so great, but I thrive off of working and productivity. Working has always felt like safety to me and being forced to slow down and stay home and stop pushing was uncomfortable and transformative. Because of the circumstances, in 2020, I read more, cooked more, tried to nap, and turned off push notifications for email on my phone. In moving at a slower pace I was able to find more clarity in what I want my business to be and where I want it to go.
In 2020 we released the Adrianna Dress, the Sagebrush Top, and the Arlo Track Jacket.
We increased our size range to 7X (up to 60”/152cm chest) and released updated versions of our Square Neck Top and Hughes Dress.
We partnered with Creative Bug, Joann’s, and Making Magazine.
The word I settled on for 2021 is growth. This doesn’t simply mean getting bigger or increasing output, but expanding and growing everything we have built. We will continue to update old patterns to 7X, we will be creating video content and sew alongs to help beginner sewists feel more confident, we will be creating paid opportunities in the sewing community for people to share their creativity and knowledge, and of course we will be releasing more patterns.
I am so grateful to everyone who is a part of the sewing community and I can’t wait to see what we all do in 2021!
Some of my favorite makes of 2020:
Top Right: Marcel Dress by Chalk and Notch in a cotton eyelet
Middle Left: Top hacked from the Fringe Dress (Chalk and Notch) and self drafted shorts. Fabric is a rayon crepe.
Middle Right: Wilder Gown by Friday Pattern Co in a lightweight linen
Bottom Left: Hughes Dress by Friday Pattern Co in a rayon challis
Bottom Right: Square Neck Top (Friday Pattern Co) hacked to a dress in a china silk
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