Chalk and Notch printed patterns have arrived! We’ve been working towards this goal for a long time! If you enjoy a physical pattern, with no printing or taping required, I have news for you. You can now purchase a printed copy of the Fringe, Marcel, Wren, or Page pattern in our shop. All printed patterns include sizes 0-30 with two bust cup options in one envelope. For added sewing support, we have photo sew-along pages for every printed pattern we offer.

We are sending stock all over the world to your local sewing and fabric shops too! I’m grateful to the shops that have already supported us. If you are a sewing studio or fabric shop looking to wholesale Chalk and Notch patterns, you can find more information here.

A flat lay of the envelopes of four printed sewing patterns.

I thought it might be interesting to share our process and a bit of the backstory. Producing printed patterns has always been a goal, but it wasn’t until 2018 that I really started researching and planning for production. However, during this time, the biggest request I was receiving was for more sizes. At that point, offering more sizes became the priority, and I paused on printing until I could figure out a way to include more sizes.

At the end of 2018, we extended our size range from 0-18 to 0-24. We also added two cup sizes for all sizes to help customize fit over a broader size range. I wasn’t sure how far we could push the grading. I had discussions with my grader, and we gave it a shot. I felt confident we could offer a great product as long as we thoroughly tested the new size range. By extending our size range, the sizes could be nested together. Therefore, easier to include all sizes in one envelope when we were ready to print. Extending the size range worked, and I was pleased with the fit we could achieve. In July of 2020, we decided to add three more sizes. We tested again, increasing the size range to 0-30. I’m happy to say that we are on track to have all of our patterns available in our size range of 0-30 and two bust cups by the end of the year! With most patterns updated this year, I was ready to think about printing again.

You might have heard that McCalls was out of commission for a while last fall. Once they were up and running, I placed an order. With the number of pattern pieces and sizes we offer, printing on tissue was the best option to include all sizes in one envelope and reduce shipping costs for everyone. I was expecting a pretty long lead time, but to my surprise, my order arrived at the end of May. I knew that storage was a consideration of printing patterns, but I wasn’t prepared for how much space the patterns would take up in my garage. This photo is just the tissue part of our patterns! I still run C+N out of my house, but this new adventure makes it clear we will need more storage space soon.

17 large cardboard boxes containing patterns are stacked in a garage.

Now that I had the tissues in hand, it was time to get a move on the envelope and booklet development. The envelope was the hardest to design. I needed room for the tissue and booklet bulk but wanted to save on thickness for shipping and storage. We tried so many variations, flat envelopes, and more box-like shapes. We moved the flap to the front, back, side, trying to find the best layout with the most information.

A hand holds a folded pattern tissue.

Ultimately, I’m so thrilled with the final result, and I hope you love it too! The back envelope includes the flat illustrations, fabric & notion requirements, and our size chart. We had to pull finished garment measurements from the envelope due to space limitations. The finished measurements are included in the instruction booklet inside.

We also added a space for project notes on the inside flap and more flat illustrations that you can use to color or trace while planning your make.

An unfolded view of a pattern envelope shows a project details and notes page and line drawings.

The included instruction booklet layout is very similar to our PDF tutorial. We pulled out all of the printing instructions but left everything else – all of the things you love, custom adjustments, and our abbreviated tutorial! We also wanted to make sure that all of our printed patterns had a photo sew-along on the blog for additional support. You can find them all here and we will continue to grow this library.

We have been working with a local printer for the envelopes and booklets. It’s been so nice to drive over and review samples quickly, and the printing turnaround time is fast. We receive everything separately and assemble them all by hand. It’s been pretty overwhelming to see everything come together over the last month. Needless to say, I’m overjoyed that we can finally announce printed patterns are available in our shop!

A flat lay of four paper sewing pattern envelopes scattered on a white background.

The plan is to continue to grow our printed pattern library and bring you new patterns! You may still prefer pdf patterns, and we will always have them available for you. The hope is that we can serve more people by offering both pdf and printed patterns.

Thank you for taking the time to read about this new adventure and supporting C+N patterns. Happy Sewing Friends!

XO, Gabriela