Sewing Patterns for Every Body with Emma from Cinnamon Daisy Studio

In this episode of the Sewing Social podcast, host Gemma Daly interviews Emma, the founder of Cinnamon Daisy, a brand known for its size-inclusive sewing patterns. 

Emma opens up about her journey from struggling with sewing to rediscovering her passion during the pandemic. 

They discuss the role of sustainability in sewing pattern design, the challenges of running a small business, and the joy of empowering the sewing community.

Emma also shares her design philosophy, focused on body inclusivity and comfort, along with exciting plans for new collaborations and sewing patterns.

Key Takeaways:

• Emma started Cinnamon Daisy to create size-inclusive sewing patterns.
• Sewing was not an easy skill for Emma to learn initially.
• Sustainability is a core value in Emma's business practices.
• Emma designs patterns based on what is missing in her own wardrobe.
• The Poppy pattern includes a fitting guide for better customisation.
• Emma aims to empower individuals to feel good in their bodies through sewing.
• Running a small business is challenging, especially as a one-person operation.
• Emma is self-taught in pattern grading and digitisation.
• Future plans include a pattern in the Tauko magazine.

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Guest details:

Instagram: @cinnamondaisystudio

Website: www.cinnamondaisystudio.com

Tiktok: Cinnamon Daisy Studio

Youtube: @cinnamondaisystudio

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Cinnamon Daisy and Emma's Journey

06:23 The Evolution of Sewing Skills and Passion

11:18 Sustainability in Pattern Making

15:12 Designing for Body Inclusivity

18:32 Challenges and Rewards of Running a Business

28:36 Future Plans and Collaborations

Transcript

Speaker 2 (00:10.168)

Hi Emma, welcome to the Sewing Social Podcast.

Thanks for having me.

You're welcome. I was wondering if you could introduce yourself to the listeners.

My name's Emma. I own a brand called Cinnamon Daisy and I started this. It's probably about two years ago now actually, but not, I like took some time to develop my first pattern. So that was about 18 months ago that I actually launched. And so I create size inclusive sewing patterns for ever changing bodies. And that is, that is my go-to. It's something that you can wear that will adjust to whatever your body's doing that day, whether that's bloating or you

looked at a biscuit and you've gained five pounds in a day. Something that will grow with you.

Speaker 2 (00:58.296)

And I would love to know where your sort of sewing journey began. Can you tell us about it?

Yeah, so I have shared this story before and I'm already laughing because it's ridiculous because sewing didn't come naturally to me. I did art and design at college and as part of the whole like broad different areas of things, textiles was one of the areas and we had to do this project where we created a garment and I sat at the sewing machine and I was like, I don't even know how to thread it.

But the tutor was like, how can you not know how to thread a sewing machine? And I was like, God, I should know this, shouldn't I? She showed me anyway, could not get the hang of it. And he ended up using a hot glue gun to assemble the dress. And I'm laughing because I can see the state of it. It was horrendous. But I really enjoyed, even as a kid, designing clothes.

remember just sitting with a book and just drawing loads of different outfits. And so I've always had an interest. It's just that sewing is a skill. It didn't come naturally to me. But then I left college not really knowing like, what am I going to do with, you you're 18. You're like, what should I do with my life? Yeah, you're just thrown out into the world. I was like, what can I do? What am I interested in? Well, I'm interested in designing clothes.

Yeah.

Speaker 1 (02:31.116)

So went and did a fashion design degree and it was like split into two ways. You could do fashion styling and photography or fashion production. So I went down the production line and yeah, learned all my sewing skills there really. Yeah. So that's, that's where it all started at uni.

And you just obviously carried it on in your spare time. You enjoyed making clothes.

No, no. Once I'd finished uni, I was really unfortunate and I graduated in one of the first recessions in the UK. 2008 was the year and no one was taking anybody on. The only thing I could get was like an unpaid apprenticeship. And it's like, how am I supposed to live off an unpaid apprenticeship? I ended up stuck in jobs that I really didn't like. Ended up stuck in retail.

And I was working in retail for about, yeah, for about eight years and didn't touch a sewing machine at all. Maybe for like the odd things, but yeah, I just, that was it. I'd just not sewn for so long. And it's only when COVID hit and I was made furlough from my job, I was like, all well I'll get out the sewing machine and get there.

Yeah, keep yourself busy. And it all went from there.

Speaker 1 (03:50.734)

It all went from there, Yeah, I was like, why am I not doing this more often? Like, I really love this.

So it's really nice you found that passion again. So where does the name Cinnamon Daisy come from?

Yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:03.256)

So when I started, decided, okay, this is what I'm going to do as a business. I worked with a branding company called Somewhere Off Grid. And she's actually one of my old uni friends who started her own business in branding. And I thought, right, if I do this myself, I'm going to overthink this for about a year and never launch anything ever.

Because I, that I'm like that, I get in my own head and I'll just like question things. But if I work with somebody who knows me, but also then can just help speed this process up. So we were trying to come up with different brand names, found a load that we liked, searched online, they were all taken. And she was like, right, we're going to have to go really niche now. Like let's narrow this really down so it's really personal to you. So she gave me loads of prompts like,

What are your favourite flowers? Your favourite colours, seasons, all of these different types of things. And just from there, she was like, favourite spice was like cinnamon. Absolutely. Like put it on anything. like... And daisies, such an underrated little flower. I just love a daisy. And when we put the words together, I was like, yeah, I really liked the sound of this. got a good ring to it. So yeah, it's just from my love of cinnamon and daisies.

way to just amalgamate the things you love.

was like, nobody else has got this name, so let's go for it.

Speaker 2 (05:38.318)

Exactly. Well, it stands out, that's for sure. So one like amazing thing that I noticed a while ago on your website when I was browsing your patterns is your partnership with the good API. I wondered if you could tell us about this.

So because of the nature of pattern cutting and it's changed slightly now with more of the like the digital aspect, but the way I was trained was always just like, you got your roll of pattern paper and that's how you drafted your patterns. But in doing that, you waste a lot of paper and sustainability and the environment is like always at the forefront of my mind. So I just trying, I thought, how can I create this as like, as responsible as I could be?

Obviously I am contributing to, I've lost the word, it's not coming to mind, but in that, you know, where I buy fabric, I try not to buy fast fashion, but there are some things for instance, like sportswear, I prefer to buy that than make it. Cause you don't want some leggings to rip as you're squatting in a gym. So yeah, so I just thought, how can I be as responsible? And I really loved the idea of giving back.

No.

Speaker 1 (06:55.438)

to the planet as I'm using paper, a tree's being planted. So yeah, think I've passed 2,000 trees planted now since I started. That's amazing. It's just amazing, yeah.

Yeah brilliant so every time somebody buys a product from your website a tree gets planted is that right? Yeah. Yeah I love that idea. Yeah. Where do you find the inspiration for your patterns?

You

Speaker 1 (07:25.15)

from a totally selfish perspective, it's like what's missing from my own wardrobe? Because if it's missing from mine, it could be missing from other people's. And a lot of the time, the way that I design, it's like I mentioned before, is can this expand with my belly throughout the day? It's always like, I wanna be comfortable at all times, but I still wanna look cute. Like I don't just wanna wear leggings and a big old t-shirt or jumper.

So yeah, it's like, okay, what's missing from my wardrobe? And then I try and yeah, just design around that. My aim is to have all of the patterns that you would need to make your own wardrobe. So my next one is trousers.

Exciting. So I imagine that might have some sort of feature, like you say, to allow you to be comfortable and interesting.

It is, yeah, it's got some little details that you can adjust. So it'll just expand with the as your day goes on.

How long is that sort of process? Because I remember speaking to you a few months ago when you were in the depths of the poppy pattern. Now that actually has a lot of elements, doesn't it? How long on average do your patterns take to produce from that initial idea to the final product?

Speaker 1 (08:39.777)

It really does.

Speaker 1 (08:47.544)

think it all depends on the type. So for example, my silvery skirt, I was able to turn that around from design to actually launching in two months. Like it was really quick, but Poppy took six months to do because of the, I wanted to make sure, cause it's so fitted. I wanted to give people the option of cup sizes. So there's three different cup sizes. Boobs are so tricky. There was.

Yeah.

two rounds of fit testing before it even went to pattern testing. Yeah, because I just wanted to nail it, nail the fit and it's paid off, like really taking my time with that. The trousers, I feel like could be quite quick. I've mocked up a twirl, I've got some adjustments to make, I'm going to do another one this afternoon. But that seems, yeah, that doesn't seem like it's going to be as complicated as Poppy wants.

Well, like you say, you really did nail it, think. Everybody was talking about the poppy patterns. That must have felt amazing.

Yeah, it was, it made all of the stress so worth it. Yeah, it was, yeah, it was such a good launch and reaction. with that pattern, I included something that I've never done before, which is include a fitting guide. So rather than just give them the pattern and here's the instructions and someone might not know how to actually fit it to their body. It's like nine pages in there of all the different kinds of adjustments that you can do to make it that perfect fit for you.

Speaker 2 (09:54.307)

Yeah.

Speaker 1 (10:18.914)

because it's so hard to draft a pattern to fit everybody.

Yeah, exactly. Well, like you say, with certain parts of the body, they might be technically the same shape, there's different... Yeah. They can be so different as well.

that everybody, like people can have the same full bust measurements, but their high bust measurements can be totally different. And how do you create a pattern for all the different variations of bodies? Like it is impossible. So I really wanted to give people like a, here's your manual and I'm going to hold your hand through this. Like here are all of the different fit adjustments you could do and here's how to do it. And it's worked really well. And I'm going to do that for the pants as well, because everyone's bums are different.

And thighs are different, our waist are different and where you hold that weight in your body, like some people are more in the belly or the bum and yeah, just to be able to handhold somebody through that. So yeah, that'll be, that'll be something that's going into the trousers as well.

You don't get that in every pattern. you know, I've heard a few people talking about how useful that's been. So that is, that's really cool. For anyone that hasn't seen the poppy pattern, can you sort of describe what sort of garment it is? Yeah.

Speaker 1 (11:34.542)

Yeah, so it's got a seam that runs right across the full bust and it's fitted all around the bust. it's almost like corset style, but it's not got the lace up or the boning structure. But because of the shape of the cups, you can actually wear it browless. And people have been amazed at the fact that you can. People that have never thought I could go browless, like we're talking GH cups.

sized bust. And these people are able to wear it without a bra because of the shape of the cut, because it's fitted and you've got the support of the, there's two different strap styles. There's a sleeve option. You can make it as a top or a dress. And then I wanted to use the skirt part of the dress to create a standalone skirt. So you can make a top and a skirt co-ord. So there's like, there's so many variations that you could do with this pattern.

It's so cool. love it. It's definitely on my list. You've just made like an incredible silvy skirt and that top from the poppy as well, haven't you? Can you tell us about making that as well?

So back in pattern testing for the silvyskirt, so this is November 23, one of the pattern testers, Kath, what's her handle now? It's something like Yukans. So I think that might be it actually. Kath made the silvyskirt using like leftover linen remnants, all in different colors. And it's just been my most favorite silvyskirt I've ever seen. And I've always wanted to.

recreate it. But it's always just been at like the back of my list and then one of my followers shared some inspiration that she'd seen on Pinterest using the silvery skirt but rounding off the hemline so it's like scalloped and as soon as I saw that I was like I'm 100 % stealing this idea. So I this journal I was like I'm really sorry I'm going for it I know it's your idea you get a full credit.

Speaker 1 (13:46.414)

So yeah, I got to making that. I ordered loads of linen remnants from Somi Sunshine. So they were just like odd 30 centimeter pieces here and there. And I just bought about 15 different pieces of linens in colors that I knew would like sit well together. But because it's such a wild skirt, I thought the only way I'm going to pull this off is if I've got a matching top. Like I couldn't just wear something plain with this skirt. I'm going to need to go for it.

I'm it was perfect because it's all sort of panelled. I was like, I can really mix and match these different colours then to tie it all in together. And wow, what an outfit.

It's stunning. It's really beautiful. I'm just upset. Yeah. I love it. So we've touched on it a little bit, but I wanted to sort of go in a little bit deeper about what does sustainability mean to you and your business. I wondered if you could elaborate a little more.

Best.

Speaker 1 (14:44.248)

So fabric choice for me is really key. I don't use polyester. I went on a bit of a journey recently in that I would only try to buy dead stock fabric, but it's come to light just from like seeing different things that even that isn't the best option. In my previous jobs, I've worked with mills in China and Bangladesh. And I'm not saying that all mills are like this, but there's no way of knowing really what the mills are up to.

And because sustainability is so desirable, mills know this and can increase the quantities and then call it dead stock without it really being that, but there's just no way of knowing. So it's sitting a bit funny with me at the minute. So now I'm just trying to buy, if I'm buying stock, I want it to have some sort of eco credentials, whether that's organic or, so yeah, I like it to just have some sort of eco.

eco credentials. can't speak today. It's a bad day for a pack out. Or my favourite thing is to upcycle like old duvets and bedding, the old textiles. You just get so much fabric for like on a duvet and with all the pillows. And sometimes it's like the pillows come with little trims. It's nice to reuse bits. So yeah, it's just like nice little challenge as well. I tried to buy fabric with a project in mind, but

You

Speaker 1 (16:10.456)

There are so many nice fabrics at the minute. I have found myself recently being like, I'm just going to get that. And now it's in my stash without plug, which I don't like.

It's so tempting.

It was really tempting. Yeah. So my paper patterns, the envelopes they're from, they are from recycled paper and the actual pattern paper itself is made by recycled paper and can be recycled as well. So it's just everything. I'm always, it's always there. Like how can this, what's going to happen with the waste? Yeah. I don't just want things to just be binned. Like, can it be recycled?

And are you sort of like that in your personal life as well?

Yeah, I am, yeah. And I'm not perfect and I don't strive to be because like, God, it would cost so much money to live in that way. But I do the best that I can with the resources that I have. Like I said before, I still buy some things that are from like the supermarkets, which is fast fashion. But then I offset that with like making my own stuff out of an old duvet. It's just trying to find a nice balance.

Speaker 2 (17:16.618)

it and it's just like you say doing your little bit where you can, isn't it? What do you think is the most rewarding aspect of running your business?

Like when somebody has bought a pattern and they've made it and they've shared it and they are just like bursting with pride, it's like, yeah, that's it. Like that is the goal. Like during pattern testing for Poppy especially, because it's so fitted, people tried it that may not have worn that shape before and they were just like overwhelmed and like, my God, I can wear something like this and I actually feel really good. And that's like...

What a goal that is. I just want people to be able to not hate on their body for it not fitting into a standard and just know that they can make something that fits them and they can feel good at the same time and feel so proud of what they've done. So yeah, that is definitely the best part of doing this.

That's really lovely. you are, you're empowering people really aren't you? Yeah.

Because I've done this myself. I used to look in the mirror and think, God, like nothing fits. My arms are too short, my legs are too short, but my torso is too long. And I'd always think, it's me, I'm the problem, but I'm not. It's just clothes in stores are made for one type of body shape and that's not me. I'm not their standard.

Speaker 2 (18:41.218)

don't think many of us are, be honest, are we?

Who are they making them for?

But yeah, I've healed my body issues through sewing because now my body's not the problem. I can make it to fit exactly as it is and it feels comfortable. And so yeah, I'm on a mission for everybody to feel like that.

I love that. It's really important because I think, you know, especially women are down on themselves, aren't they? Because our bodies fluctuate so much, not even just throughout the month. It could be during the day, like you said before. So that's really lovely. Have you come across any particular challenges in running Cinnamon Daisy so far or has it been quite plain sailing?

The challenge is, just that I am one person trying to do it all. And that is hard. And I do do it all. So everything from designing to digitizing the pattern and grading it all, I do it all manually on Illustrator. I should look into some software really for grading, cause that would speed things right up. But it's, it's yeah, I all the manual.

Speaker 1 (19:52.492)

the, all the socials, the emails, the website. It's just like, it's all, it's all me. And that is the hardest thing is that nobody else.

And it's so common, isn't it, with all these small businesses and you've got to be everything to everybody. Did you teach yourself how to use these programs then and how to grade and everything? Yeah.

or self-taught. So at uni, yeah, we were taught pattern cutting and like sewing skills, but we were never taught grading. But I'm not really one for like, I don't know how to do that. So I'm not going to do it. like, right, well, I don't know how to do that. So I'll just learn like that it's going to happen. How do I do it? So I'd, I'd never digitized a pattern before. So I went onto YouTube, how to digitize a pattern, sewing pattern.

And then, I just learned from watching videos and then just as, as time's gone on, I've done this, think you just, grading especially becomes sort of intuitive. And it's like, okay, the body expands there, but it doesn't expand that way. And it's just like knowing which way it does expand and grow. So yeah, it does sort of become intuitive in that way. Yeah, it's funny. I wasn't expecting that from grading because it is very mathematical, but when you go into plus sizes.

it grades in an entirely different way to what the books say.

Speaker 2 (21:18.766)

So it has been a learning curve, but you feel like you're really in the flow of that now. This is a bit of a curve ball one and it might put you on the spot a little bit, but if you could collaborate with any other brand in the sewing community, who would it be and why?

I really enjoy the fabrics that, Haseo's sister are putting out at the minute. And me and Georgie often have like little chats behind the scenes, but yeah, her fabrics at the minute are so pretty. So yeah, 100%.

think that would be a cool collab. And you obviously mentioned about your upcoming trouser pattern that's in the works. Any other exciting plans for Cinnamon Daisy in the near future?

So in October, I'm actually going to be in the Toko magazine. I've got a sewing pattern coming out in their October issue. So that's really cool. So I designed and created that pattern last November and then they do all the grading and the manual for it and then photography and then it just gets launched. So, but I've not seen anything else yet. This is really exciting. It'll just be like a little Christmas present.

Yeah, that's so cool. fantastic. So to sort of round off the interview, I'd to play a little game of this or that. It's like a quick fire game. Shall we go for it? Wove or stretch? Tea or coffee? I saw you. I saw you cup of tea down there. An organized stash or creative chaos?

Speaker 1 (22:49.518)

Well then, okay.

Speaker 1 (23:01.85)

creative chaos. I'm looking at that now thinking that is not organized. I did try and I've got like jerseys in one section but then I ran out of storage so now it's just like all wedged in together. Yeah. There's no organization at all.

A takeaway or a meal out?

Hello

And you can wear that lovely poppy top and that silvy skirt. Designing or making? or dogs? Dogs. I knew you'd say that because you've got a dog.

I like to get out.

Speaker 1 (23:31.97)

making.

Speaker 1 (23:36.558)

I grew up with cats, but then converted. Yeah. person now.

Spring, summer or autumn, winter Sewing a new pattern or a tried and tested

autumn,

Speaker 1 (23:48.718)

I'm going to say new pattern.

You like the exciting new pattern. One project on the go or multiple.

One. Yeah, one project. don't, yeah, I don't often start another until I finish.

That's very disciplined, well done. And the last one, scissors or a rotary cutter?

You

Speaker 1 (24:10.166)

tricotter. Yeah.

Where can people find you Emma?

So across all socials, it's Cinnamon Daisy Studio. I've just started a YouTube channel. I'm not going to be posting like regularly on there, but that's where my sew along videos will be. They're in the making because people have been asking for those. It's just taken a really long time.

Ooh, don't they? Yeah.

Editing seven and a half hours of video footage was...

Speaker 2 (24:39.246)

That's no mean feat.

No, and I don't enjoy it either. So I'm like, okay, I keep putting it off. Yeah. So, but they're coming. So YouTube's on there. I'm on Pinterest, Instagram, newly started on TikTok. And my website is www.cinamondaisy.com. And you can also find me on Etsy as well.

Well, thank you so much for an insight into your pattern making business. You've been a fantastic guest on the Sewing Social podcast.

Thanks for having me, it's been fun. Thank you. Bye bye.

Take care. Thank you.