Home sewing hasn’t kept up with the times — but that’s changing, including with an innovation revealed at New York Fashion Week.
Launched Wednesday, Ditto — a venture between Joann and Singer — represents the first major digital milestone in more than 160 years since clothing patterns came to be. At a press preview held in SoHo, WWD tested the innovation, which lets home sewers and do-it-yourself fashionistas digitally project and customize patterns for added ease and sustainability perks.
“Ditto compresses hours into minutes, eliminating the errors, frustration and time-consuming reality of traditional patterns,” commented Filippo Robotti, general manager of Ditto and vice president of strategy at SVP Worldwide. “Most importantly, Ditto is a tool to enable creativity. The same technology that accurately and easily projects patterns gives sewists the ability to customize measurements and modify the designs in just a few clicks — a concept that once seemed impossible.”
Related Galleries
The workstation setup includes the Ditto Projector, a set-up beam, a 36-inch by 24-inch patternmaking mat, fabric weights, rotary cutting tool, pattern target stickers, power cord and cord covers. Using the Ditto app on IoS or Android, creators can customize patterns to their measurements for a custom fit and reuse them over and over. Additionally, new third-party patterns drop monthly from names such as McCall’s, Simplicity and Butterick, and indie patterns from the likes of Style Arc, Liesl + Co., Named and Madalynne Intimates.
After four years of research and development, including a monthlong trial with TikTok’s newest creator voices in DIY fashion, the innovation is ready for action. Preorders begin now and orders will be sent starting March 1. The product retails for $799 and will be in stores starting March 31. Upon purchase, users get a free three-month trial to the software, complete with a 3,000-piece pattern library. Afterwards, the subscription is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
Despite some 35 million home sewists in the U.S., per the Home Sewing Association, many of this newer vanguard seem to have no prior education in sewing. Such is the case for influencer Karly, who under the TikTok handle “Handmadebykarly” showcases her creations to some 30,000 followers. She told WWD she found Ditto easy to use.
