Results of the 2024 Charm Survey
Over 1,800 patrons and email subscribers answered the call, and we're happy to share this year's survey results with you!
Click here for the public blog post that shares the basics, including some details about our plans for projector patterns, the favorite patterns of 2024, and a few things that didn't surprise us.
Every year, we ask my favorite question, "What's your fantasy, if you got to play designer for a month?" and you never disappoint!
You can read every single response here. The team and I read every one, and I'm thrilled to let you know that many of your wishes will be delivered with our Hollywood Icons theme for 2025.
(Andrea and Elvira hard at work!)
This year was the first time our consistency and reliability at delivering patterns was mentioned, and it came up often. The team has worked So Very Hard at refining our pattern production process, and we've never once missed a Patreon deadline, so thank you for noticing. It means a lot to us, too!
There were a lot of requests for more Elvira and pet-related content, so you can be sure we'll be delivering on that, as well.
We specifically asked if you were a member of any other sewing communities, and it was surprising to see how few of you were. This could be due to a few factors:
maybe you're not aware of the other sewing memberships out there
maybe you are aware of them, but they don't meet your needs
or maybe you just love Charm so much, you don't need to look elsewhere!
We're assuming it's #3. 😘 After all, Charm is the ONLY sewing membership where you get patterns in sizes 2-34 with A-H cups every month (and sometimes twice a month!), with a companion tutorial video, access to the archive of patterns, and a seriously amazing and fun community, all for only $9 per month. Who can compete with that???
Great Ideas From Our Patrons
We have pages and pages of notes and tweaks that we can do to improve your patron, community, or sewing experience. Here's just a few that we'll be focusing on in 2025...
Update the website so the patterns are easier to find, sort, and filter. Patreon isn't great at this, and we haven't prioritized the Charm website in a long time. But no more! In 2025, there will be serious updates to the website, and you'll finally be able to find the perfect pattern for whatever you're looking for.
Include budget fabric options and smaller stash-busting projects. At Charm, we're ALL about sewing the fantasy, but to quote one of the survey responses, "sometimes the fantasy is being able to afford to make the thing."
Communicate better, especially about our plans and priorities for pattern expansions into the 18-34 size range. We'll be sending more regular updates from Gertie, the team, and Elvira to make sure you always know what's going on at Charm.
Have even more fun! We specifically asked a survey question about how to make Charm more fun for you. (And nearly everyone said it was already super fun, so we don't need to do anything else. You definitely surprised us with that answer!) But we're going to have more fun anyway...we've been throwing around ideas for a podcast, tweaks to our video process (so we can film more twirls of the finished project!), getting deep into the history and inspiration of the Hollywood Icons theme, sharing more behind-the-scenes content, and going over-the-top crazy with our photoshoots. I don't know exactly how any of this will play out, but I know that when the team and I have fun with our creativity and each other, that translates into fun patterns and fun vibes for you, too. We're all going to have fun in 2025!
What This Means for Your 2025 Patreon Benefits
Except for a new theme, Hollywood Icons, (which we are very excited to play with this year), not much will change to your Patreon benefits in 2025.
We're going to continue the quarterly magazine (for Glamour Circle+ patrons), the monthly patterns and mid-month projects, the monthly sewalong videos, the monthly live Crowdcast events, and all of the other goodies that you've grown to know and love.
The two big changes: we may try out doing a digital gift or offer a digital option for international members for the annual gift (for Princess Circle+ patrons), and last year's Inner Circle sloper benefit has been swapped out for a comprehensive PDF sewing planner-journal-notebook-thing. (It will be based on the very popular and now out of print Charm sewing planner, and it will go out to all active Inner Circle members at some random point in 2025).
We've noted that the Inner Circle benefits heavily favor US-based members, and we'll be working on how to fix that this year.
Additionally, in 2025, the team and I won't be busy with any big projects like the Charmed Sewing Studio book (or my next book, which is still a secret), so we'll have the time to focus on creating more Charm Patterns. In addition to the Monroe Dress and a second Foundations Collection, we have a few more in the works and I just know you're going to love them!
Thanks for being a patron & for participating in this survey. We love sharing Charm with you, and can't wait to make 2025 the most glamorous and fun year yet!
xoxo,
Gertie
Comments (37)
I’d love for you to possibly get with latched mama and let them pick a pattern to make a breast feeding friendly expansion. Please please please. I cant wear these ugly clothes until this child stops
Agree wit a cocoon coat, and accessories, things that I don't need to be fitted, like a purse. Stash busters. Hats. :)
I just watched an older video right after filling out my survey, but I loved when you used sample fabric and thread color that was really obvious and clear to see on screen - even if it wouldn't make sense for a final project. The first thing I do when a new pattern comes out it look at the Patreon post to see a multiple images in different styling, fabric type, and combinations.
A lot of bras in there! All of which I would love to see your interpretation of! I have been meaning to suggest working with someone on bra making, as it’s a rather specialized sub-corner of sewing, so your team doesn’t need to start from scratch. It might allow you to be super creative on the design and still get the support that years of bra making experience will provide. Jennifer Fairbanks of porcelynne.com has done a number of collabs with other pattern makers, where their speciality is clothing, but they wanted to offer a bra. As far as other pattern subscriptions goes, you have the style of clothing I want to wear. Or the one I aspire to the most! I have tried other subscriptions. I give them one year, if I don’t really care for them after that, I cancel it. Thinking back, I didn’t even consider having this in that category of only one year.
But anyway this all sounds great and I love scanning allllll those requests!!!
Who doesn’t like the 1960s?!! That’s probably my favorite decade!!!
*timidly raises hand* Sorry, but I think that's my least favorite decade. Just goes to show there are fans and haters for everything. I can't understand who says they hate knits, but plenty of people did, lol.
will we get anymore slopers? I only have my inner circle membership; no other sewing memberships .... you provide all of the styles i love in my size range.
So pleased to hear you’re going to include more final shots of the completed project in the videos!!! Thank you!!
One thing I’ve learnt reading through the responses is how often people miss the a when they’re typing bra lol (other than I don’t remember seeing mine so maybe I forgot to send it 😟 or I just missed it, I don’t remember what I said)
Apparently you didn't read my comments
What makes you say that?
Really want more of the stash busting patterns - quick makes too.
Oh man, I'm reading through some of those 1800 responses (very cool that you shared those!) and I busted up at the "I murdered my husband robe". Kudos to whomever wrote that, you are hilarious!
It's interesting seeing the different things people want to make, the requests really jump all over the place! Personally, I hope Gertie sticks to the 50s styles with a touch of the 40s occasionally as that's what I signed up for. I feel that if the monthly patterns start going too far style wise from this base point then the focus will be lost and more people will be disappointed with the releases, surely there are other creators out there that cover the 60s, 70s, 80s, Victoriana, Gunne Sax, Goth, Cottagecore stuff?
While I share this time period preference, one thing I’ve learned in my 2 short years as a patron is that there are people who will always be disappointed that not every single release is to their personal taste. I never knew that that was a regular expectation people had outside of adolescence. Even if she does stay within this period, that’s always a possibility.
that was a lot of good vibes and amazing things all packed into one post. goodness gracious! now i can’t wait for the year to unfold!
I truly appreciate how you have been going through your previous patterns and updating them to fit the extended sizes. It makes it so much easier to be able to work from those patterns than trying to size up the existing straight size patterns that dont always work well on a plus size body. I cannot wait for more of the patterns to come out in those extended sizes, specially the Esther Swim Suit, the Princess Coat (my dream coat), and the Lamour & Liz Dress Patterns. Thank you for keeping us plus size babes in mind.<3
I am aware of other sewing subscription memberships but I like your patterns best! Both the styles and patterns you release. I often found myself disappointed with other services and what they released. Also the final product of what I receive when I make actually seems like the pattern I bought. I’ve not been disappointed with the Charm patterns—even the Patreon ones. I like the theme too. That helps I think. I agree too that the sizing (particularly the bust options) and the tutorials help too! But for me it’s always about what’s being released and I trust Gertie’s style and quality of patterns.
100 percent this! I have joined some other memberships but I don’t think they put as much work into delivering an amazing quality pattern (and I fully resent at this point having to do FBAs with other patterns cause charm has me so spoiled!)
Enjoyed looking through the pattern suggestions! Am I being silly but can't find the extra info mentioned "Once you've read that, come back here, because we keep the most important data locked on Patreon, just for our paid members." - is there another post?
It’s on the charm blog on the website. I clicked on the link at the beginning of that paragraph, but if that’s not working for you for some reason just go to the Charm website. It’s titled “2024 survey results” I think.
😁🎉🎉 Sew excited!!!
My favorite was the cape even though I haven't made it. I'm looking forward to doing that this year. I think the study hall dress surprised me at how much I liked it for a 60s design. It is another planned make for this year. It seems like a super versatile everyday dress. Maybe more of us like 60s fashion and don't know it until we see it 😂
Yeah so many people were panicking about a 60’s design, so it’s so funny it ended up being so popular! One thing I love about the Patreon is being challenged to move a little outside my comfort zone sometimes:)
Really interesting to see everyone pattern suggestions!
I definitely prefer Charm to any other sewing membership—the size range, pattern variety, and fundamental style at Charm Patterns make most others pale in comparison! I see others planning patterns that Charm has already done and the money just doesn’t seem worth it when their size range won’t be comparable and their block’s bust-waist-hip ratios will require way more mocking up and adjusting. Plus, Charm’s instructions and companion videos are so comprehensive, and the Discord community so welcoming and helpful, that I always have all I need to succeed—you all really go the extra mile and make every dollar of my membership worth it! Looking forward to another fantastic year of Charm! 😘
Couldn't have said this better!
Projector users can work with A0 however... all pieces should be on the grain and unfolded (with a centre line). That would be so, so helpful! Thanks Gertie and team ❤️.
Love the idea of a digital based gift (even though I am US based). Also, LOVE the "PDF sewing planner-journal-notebook-thing". As far as other sewing memberships are concerned, I for my part was part of other(s) but found the designs/patterns a bit clumsy and not made to accommodate my body's not-so-unique features (a very large bust being one of them). So the fact that I have this here and that the patterns are properly drafted means that I found a home here that I am not very likely to leave anytime soon.
I agree with a lot of the suggestions. We definitely need more 30's/40's styles.
Thankyou ❤️I’m inner circle UK and really appreciate being acknowledged in this way x
So excited for 2025! Completely understand the lack of bandwidth for projector. Even little changes to the way the tiling on the AO and A4 pages set up would be greatly appreciated. Another thing is how the lines are grouped on the layered files. Both these make it much easier to turn into a projector friendly file on my end.
Seconding this as a fellow projector sewist! I pretty much always pattern Tetris in a new file that's got the width and length of my fabric in so it's got ultimate fabric conservation, so a dedicated projector file isn't as important for me, but easily adaptable A0s are the dream
I was SO BUSY over the holidays that I didn’t get a chance to answer the survey this year, but it seems I’m in agreement with most people who did. Thanks for everything you do!
Thrilled to read that there will be more updates on the 18-34 expansions! Thank you!
Thank you ❤️ It's not your fault, the European mail service is a nightmare though. I can't wait for what this year brings to my wardrobe