Who else wants to make beautiful clothes that are comfortable to wear?
I’m Natalie, and I believe in intentional, holistic apparel design. For me, knitting and knitwear is so much more than yarn. It’s the structural integrity of a garment that truly fits your body, suits your style,and is built to last. This goes from fibre to design, from pattern to finished garment.
In other words:
Apparel patterns that put your style front and centre of the knitwear design process.
My knitwear design work is rooted in the meticulous study of grading principles, fibre science, and design proportionality. I translate complex concepts into patterns and courses that deliver predictable, professional results.
This commitment to technical accuracy — without compromising on artistic intent — is what separates a pattern that works from a garment that lasts. It’s the foundation I use to ensure every knit is on brand, structurally sound, and commercially viable.
My Foundation at Your Service
Knitters
If you make your own clothes, the whole point is to express yourself and your creativity authentically and take pride in your skills. You need the confidence in the patterns you buy, safe in the knowledge that they’re tech-edited, show you where and how to adjust the fit, and allow you to interpret them in your unique style.
Small Business
This hands-on, meticulous approach allows me to partner with vertical businesses and small, ethical brands committed to quality and longevity. If your goal is to launch a ready-to-wear knitwear line, my expertise in technical design and production readiness can help you de-risk the critical path.
Education
If you design knitwear, you want to anchor your artistry in solid principles and techniques. You want processes that get to the bones of who you are…and knitwear that allows you to represent yourself and feel comfortable in your own skin. This inner conviction builds your customers’ trust and confidence in your work.
This involves creating and using apparel patterns that don’t rely on formulas or generic fitting solutions.
Consequently, you’re empowered to apply the customisations you need for yourself or your brand.
Why DIY tutorials are like your high school crush
If more people understood that garment design and fit needs deep personalisation to work in the real world – individual attention that YouTube tutorials and books can’t give you – they wouldn’t be spiralling down the self-tuition vortex. And they wouldn’t be losing confidence every time the experiments don’t work out as they hoped.
Like the unrequited love of your high school crush, DIY options can’t give you what you need. There’s nothing wrong with them, and there’s nothing wrong with you.
But it needs to go both ways.
Imagine how much lighter you’d feel, how much more fulfilled you’d be, if you didn’t have to give a second thought to something you do every day: Getting dressed and ready for the world.
You don’t need to have read lots of books.
Nor do you need lots of specialist equipment.
You don’t need years of experience in the apparel industry.
And you don’t need accreditations or qualifications.
You need human contact with someone who has –
so you can take everything you need from them and run with it.
Where would you like to go next?
For making
For collaborations
For learning
What other people say:
Photo credit: Francesca Russell
“I learned so much about the shape of my body. Also, because the women in my group were shaped so differently, I learned about body shapes in general. So valuable!”
Natalie’s calm, quiet manner belies a passion for her craft and for teaching others to improve their garment fit, so that knitting will be more enjoyable, losing the disappointment of completing non-fitting garments. So grateful she made the journey over the Pond to share her knowledge.”
Feedback from AffiKNITy 2025, hosted by Patty Lyons.
Natalie in Stitches’ Three Steps to Perfect Patterns
Fit
We sort this out EARLY – this ensures we don’t put the cart before the horse!
Your body measurements are safely recorded for you to use custom blocks or slopers for designing patterns for knit.
Or, you’ll customise the fit of the knitting pattern you’ve bought in my shop using the accompanying photo tutorials.
Design
Include dream details and style options rarely (if ever) seen in rinse-and-repeat ready-to-wear clothing.
You’ll develop your design eye and go wherever your imagination takes you, secure in your ability to create reliable patterns that actually work.
Or, you’ll put your stamp on one of my knitting patterns, colouring as far outside the lines as you like :-).
Make
This is where you really reap the rewards and remember why you fell in love with knitting in the first place.
Listen to podcasts, audiobooks, or enjoy good company at one of my knitalongs or in-person classes.
We’ll use reliable construction techniques that are built to last and flexible enough to live life’s changing season with you.
Apparel Design | Childhood Beginnings
When this little 6-year-old was learning music, she asked her mum to make her a dress with musical notes on it.
Then her grandma knitted a navy cardigan to match the colour of the notes on the white fabric.
She was VERY happy with this outfit!
And that’s where apparel design began for me – growing up in a multi-generational household, learning from my family elders before venturing into the industrial world.
I took a few knocks as I got older (shop fitting rooms can be scary places), but I never forgot this childhood feeling. My family gave me the love and emotional security that I was fine as I was. And they taught me that clothes were not the boss of me.
When I learned that this was not the case for everyone, I realised that my family background gave me the opportunity to do something to help others. I could design clothes AND teach people how to do it, too.
Choose your apparel adventure:
Knitting Patterns
You like knitting patterns and don’t want to design your own – but you do want to MAKE them your own.
Design Consultancy
You’re an emerging brand, boutique, or vertical business looking for creative direction and technical precision.
Knitwear Courses
You’re ready to get all those ideas out of your head and onto your needles – and you’re looking for a course.
You may also be interested in:
My biography
A more formal, CV-like look at me, my professional background, and accreditations. This is for those of you who want to dig right into my history, before I became a designer of knitting patterns!
Guest appearances
I’ve been lucky enough to be invited and featured on and in some magazines, shows, and podcasts. I try to keep an updated record of them all here. If you’d like to feature me at your event, let’s talk!
Other ways to keep in touch
You can also follow me on social media here – pick your favourite channel:
Sign up for Between the Seams. This is where I share weekly design tips, learning resources, and stories from my life as a knitwear designer:
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