The end of an era?

I must admit that I feel a bit of a hypocrite posting about this, as I can't remember when I last bought a 'Big 4' (Butterick, McCall's, Simplicity and Vogue) pattern which was actually in print at the time. Nonetheless, the news in this article that the brands have been sold to a liquidator came as a shock.

Patterns from the Big 4

All four brands have been part of the same company since 2017, and it's a sign of the decline in home sewing that the deal to bring together the McCall Pattern Company (Butterick, McCall's and Vogue) and Simplicity Creative Group was too small to be investigated as a potential monopoly. The company also owns other brands, which manufacture a lot of their products in China, and the impact of tariffs seems to have been part of the parent group's decision to sell the whole company. The failure of Joann stores, which accounted for a large part of pattern sales in the US, was another factor.

Of course, the fact that the pattern companies have been sold to a liquidator doesn't mean that they will definitely close down; a buyer may be found. But whether all four brands will continue is another matter. Looking on the UK website, it's hard (for me, at least) to discern any different aesthetic or targeted market between them, and the mishmash of different typefaces and layouts on the same brand doesn't help. If a buyer does come forward, then some sort of consolidation seems inevitable.

It's all a bit of a mess

Online at least, there is no shortage of people decrying the Big 4's patterns. Common complaints are that the instructions assume a certain amount of sewing knowledge, and that both pattern and instructions frequently contain errors. I can't comment on the first of these as obviously I do have that knowledge. When I did use modern patterns though, I'd become resigned to finding at least one mistake in them - something which never occurs with my older patterns. There is also the view, which I do share, that many of the designs are just not that appealing. And for long-time sewists who have acquired a reasonable pattern stash (like me!), most of what appears in the pattern catalogues could be made from a pattern we've already got, with a little adaptation.

I’m aware that tastes and fashions change, and many people nowadays prefer indie patterns and PDFs. Certainly, amid the concern in the online forums, there are a fair number of comments to the effect that it's no loss and people need to move on. But not everyone is able, or wants, to print out their patterns at home. I certainly don't, and where I live the print shop option is too expensive to be something I'd use regularly. Realistically, the loss of the Big 4 would have very little effect on me as I almost always use older patterns and have the skills to draft my own if necessary. But I do worry about possible reduced footfall to my local fabric shop if people can no longer buy patterns there.

There is undoubtedly an element of nostalgia in my view of the Big 4 (plus, of course, my beloved Style patterns). Memories of all those times I bought fabric and a pattern together for a new project, read through the instructions on the bus or train home, started it as soon as I got in - and several hours later had a part-completed garment and a very rumbling stomach! Having to assemble a PDF pattern first just wouldn't be the same. But it's not just that. To me, tissue patterns are part of the range of options available to the sewing community, and their end would be a definite loss. I very much hope that they (and, of course, their wonderful archives) can be saved in some form.