Hey y'all! Amy here. I'm not sure I can put a unique spin on summing up 2020. Is there a person on this planet who doesn't expect 2021 to be at least a little bit "better" than this year has been on the whole? That said, this was a year of change and shifting values, and not all of it was a net loss. We all spent more time at home than we probably ever will again, but speaking personally, I am closer to my family than I ever thought possible. I'm well-rested and know how to multitask laundry like a boss. I also had a lot of time to dedicate to my various crafts and hobbies with no need to apologize for skipping a party to stay home and sew. A friend of mine described this lockdown/pandemic/quarantine as an opportunity to put time in the bank, and I've often thought since that the spice labels will still be useful on those jars when the train of life starts back up again and I get too busy to spend a whole day arranging my pantry.
At work, we have had to develop more modern communication strategies for the team than just yelling across the studio, "Do you like this colour?" It has been frustrating and lovely and interesting to adjust our everyday workflow to deal with kids, partners, pets and life. Collectively we have been through virus scares, moves, illness, family separation and loneliness. We miss our families, our friend... geez, at this point I miss STRANGERS. But through it all, we have managed to comfort each other, laugh through tears and give zoom hugs. We even managed to get a little work done in between, if you can believe it. We also saw a huge outpouring of love and interest and creativity from the sewing community that has been downright inspirational. Watching people pour their time, anxiety and grief into making has been healing on a lot of levels, and I really hope once life is a little more back to normal, all of the people that have found sewing through this time are still here.
We thought we would go through the year and deliver some of our favorite moments as they evolved, so without further ado, I present to you CCP 2020 in a nutshell.
WINTER
We started off 2020 with a series of blog posts inspired by Heather's Couture trip to Paris with Susan Khalje. We talked about muslin making, underlining and teeny, tiny hand stitches. A 1930's silk bias cut gown, a Rachel Comey Jumpsuit and a very fancy couture pinafore were some of the projects on which Heather practiced these new techniques.
Our Rome Collection launched in our extended size range! Pietra, Fiore and Cielo are some of our best-sellers so we were very happy to be able to make sure everyone had access to these wardrobe staples. All three patterns come with our Learn to Sew course so if you are looking for how to get started making a handmade wardrobe, this is a great place to start!
SPRING
Spring came in like a lion everywhere in 2020 but especially hard hit was Montreal. We have been the center of the pandemic here in Canada, and had a very intense lockdown for most of the spring. It was really scary and awful, but I think the whole team found some solace in our work and our community. We figured out meetings and schedules in the studio so that we could maintain our shipping operations, and we also figured out how to sew from home in a series of blog posts about sewing in small spaces and organizing your space with these cute wall pockets. Once we got in the flow of things we released our first new pattern of the year with our favourite flight suit, Blanca.
BLANCA
Looking at these photos of Blanca makes me realize we have some real tried and true ideas for styling and posing! In fact, I wrote a blog post on that very topic, Touch your hair! And other tips for aspiring models...
SUMMER
The big projects for us this year included a huge update to our website and our name change. Both occupied so much time and energy that we were only able to release two new patterns, but we have all of you to thank for making it a relatively easy transition and for keeping the hashtags and community organized so we could still see all your incredible makes.Â
This brings us to our other new pattern of 2020:
ELODIE WRAP DRESS
Elodie became an instant hit this year, and I have to think it's the versatility. This is a dress that can be a bathrobe or a wedding dress depending on the fabric. It's so comfy and universally flattering and the easy wrap style requires no fussy fitting. We love her oh so much.
FALL
As we headed into the fall we released our bestselling Kalle Shirtdress and Charlie Caftan in our extended size range:
We also did a series of dyeing posts on natural dye, Procion dyes, Avocado dyeing and Ice Dyeing! And finally, one of our last projects of 2020 was this free dog coat pattern we gave away at Thanksgiving. You can download it from our pattern resource library if you're signed up for our newsletter!
And that's it for us this year! It's been a truly wild ride, but as always we are so grateful for your presence and support. Our studio is officially closed until January 3rd; we will resume shipping in the new year but as always our PDF patterns are available 24/7. In the meantime, we're looking forward to a low-key holiday filled with rest, quiet, some lazy sewing, and a whole lot of cookies. We wish you a restful, safe, peaceful holiday, and can't wait to show you what we have planned for 2021!
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