This is not a sponsored post, but I did receive my Sew Conscious box for free as part of their grand opening pre-sale giveaway.
I started hearing about Sew Conscious a couple months ago when they seemed to pop up out of nowhere trying to collect email addresses for a forthcoming… something. Despite a strong social media presence, their website was annoyingly blank, with basically no description of what \”sew conscious\” was going to be. A blog? A pattern company? No idea. I signed up for their list, thinking \”why not?\”
Anyway, they finally launched whatever it was they were launching and I got an email saying I had won! Won what?
Sew Conscious is a monthly subscription service that sends you everything you need to make a new hand-made garment–I won a free subscription! In each box, you get a sewing pattern and all the notions and fabric you\’ll need to make it. They have two size ranges (I chose XS-XL but they also offer a XXL-6X box) and three styles (The Classic Chic, The Minimalist, The Spirited One) to choose from. The website is pretty sparse, with very little information about the projects I would be receiving, and you only get two example garments for each style, so I chose Classic Chic because it seemed the safest: it says \”Professional Wardrobe with Classic Style and Tailored Looks!\” Minimalist seems like it will be popular; the example garments are a boxy top (love!) and some pleated flowy peg pants (NO.), so two looks that are pretty trendy among sewing bloggers. The \”Spirited One\” I can\’t quite pin down: the example garments are a pleated skirt in a wild print and a so-not-my-style dress in another wild print, so maybe it\’s boho? Maybe it\’s just \”wild prints\”?
So, what came in my first box? I\’m most exited about the Sewaholic Cambie pattern, a pattern I\’ve always thought about getting, but which never quiiite made it into my shopping cart for one reason or another. I also got three yards of navy suiting fabric with a slight stretch, along with lining and interfacing and all the notions: zipper, thread, and even a pack of needles!! I think the pairing of the Cambie with the navy suiting is a great idea. I would not have thought to put the two together, but I think they would make a really stellar work dress, although a bit too formal for my (very casual) office. I haven\’t quite decided if I\’ll use the two together yet… Sara got the minimalist box and she got the Sewaholic Pendrell (another one on my list–so maybe I should just go buy one of each Sewaholic pattern, huh?) and a black and white print fabric, so it\’s possible I inadvertently picked the \”workwear\” box–after all, it does say \”professional\” in the description. Maybe I\’ll switch around and get one of each? It would be nice if you could go onto the website and pick one of three projects each month, like Blue Apron, almost.
The box is pretty expensive–$65 plus shipping for the month-by-month subscription. For me, $6 shipping & handling is totally worth the price of a zipper, some thread, and a fun unboxing experience, but you will have to decide if you want to spend $70+ on a project that will come as a complete surprise! I also wish there were more information about the brands they are working with on their website; they mention working \”with popular brands and independent pattern designers\” but that\’s basically all the information you get. So, will I get a Sewaholic pattern? Simplicity? True Bias? Will my box have Cotton + Steel fabric in it? I guess it just depends on the box!
I think these boxes would make a good entry point for someone new to sewing who is still testing the waters of their own personal style. I would not recommend the Sew Conscious box for someone who is very fussy about their projects or working on a capsule wardrobe or Wardrobe Architect–since you never know what you are going to get, it would be hard to work it in to a very specific style. As you probably noticed, I mostly wear and sew shades of pink and coral, light blue, and navy (and I\’m working on adding in more neutrals) so if I get a chartreuse blouse project, I would probably be disappointed and not make or wear it. On the other hand, maybe receiving a chartreuse project is just the thing to make me realize I love chartreuse–the equivalent of trying on a new silhouette and being surprised that you love it.
Overall, I enjoyed my first Sew Conscious box. I think the idea is very cute and the fun of getting a mystery box in the mail is totally worth my $6, whether I like the project or not, and I do feel like I will end up using the components from my kits regardless of if I make the assigned project. What do you think? Would you sign up for a subscription service that sends you totally unknown sewing projects?? Or would you rather pick your own projects, thankyouverymuch? I\’m very curious about y\’all\’s interest levels…
xoxo,
I've looked into a few sewing related boxes and while I love the idea of surprise fabric coming in the mail, I think I'm too picky to make it worth my while. I'd love to see one that follows the Stitch Fix method and let's you send back what you don't like!
Thanks for the detailed review. I have been watching to see what people receive and their thoughts. I think I would order the Minimalist box. I think I could trade and swap items with sewing friends if something didn't appeal to me.
Very cool. I love how there is a surprise box for everything. I feel like I would be too picky to let someone choose a project for me, but then again, it would take all the stress out of putting something together. My only question is, why would they send you ballpoint needles for a woven project?
70£ is larger than my sewing budget, especially for patterns and fabric that might just be stash. But if someone would give me this box as a gift I would be thrilled, I am sure.
Not sure, possibly a mix up? I'm not complaining because I have loads of regular needles but hardly any ballpoint, so it works nicely with my stash! But yes, odd.
Yes, perhaps they could set up a facebook swap group like the mystery knits box? I'll have the minimalist box coming next month…
Yeah, I think a stitch fix model would be nice–pretty inconvenient for them, but good for us! Id on't know if you use Blue Apron but they have a system where you select three of six options OR skip that week, and I think that could be good, if you select one of three projects each month you wouldn't be jealous of what other people got!
Yes I think it would be a lovely gift option for someone you know likes to sew, especially if the gift giver doesnt sew and isn't sure what to get…
Maybe because it is stretch suiting? If it is similar to the cotton sateen I made a jacket out of recently it did get a few runs, so the ballpoint could help that…
For me, the price point is too high. It's a great concept for someone new to sewing. But man, if I've got $70 to blow every month on sewing, I'm buying beautiful fabric online from Mood (of my choosing) and I'm pairing it with a pattern of my choosing — and an Indie pattern at that. The whole point of sewing in my opinion is to be creative, and the BEST part is choosing your pattern and fabric, I think. So why would I pay a servicer to take out all of the fun parts and leave just the manual labor to me?
Actually, the more I think about it, I think they should reduce their price point to $20 and take out of the fabric. They should just include an indie pattern each month and some accompanying notions. Some nice indie patterns are $20 themselves (Named Patterns, Papercut Patterns), so if they can provide discounted indie patterns as a subscription service and throw in some notions, I think that would be a great idea. I'd love to receive a mystery indie pattern each month and some other cute little perks.
Thanks for this review. I just watched the unboxing of the Sewing Subscription Box from Sew Hayley Jane on The Foldline so it's interesting to see what's out there. I think they make great gifts for someone who sews from someone who doesn't.
I agree with your assessment of being a great gift from a non-sewer! I think that's the best case scenario for a subscription like this. I hadn't seen the Sew Hayley Jane box, so thanks for directing me towards it! That one seems interesting since it could either be a total hit or a TOTAL dud, depending on if you like the theme! I personally don't know what I'd do with all those fat quarters… I'd have to get crafting I guess!
Oh I actually think this is a great idea! A mystery indie pattern, plus some little things like tailors chalk, thread, fabric pencils, labels, pins/badges… I think if you had really cute packaging/branding this would be crazy popular. You should start it! 😉
I agree, the fabric is the tricky part… it could be good for a novice who isn't sure how to pair fabric and pattern?
That's true with the theme,it could go either way. I guess you could turn the fat quarters into bias binding (but then you have lots of it) I just used some fat quarters for the Deer and Doe Datura Yoke part and then some viscose for the rest which worked great.