10 Years of Crazypatterns: Your Crazypatterns Stories

Dear users, dear authors,
Crazypatterns has been around for 10 years. That’s a very long time, especially on the internet. How did you find your way to Crazypatterns? What keeps you here? Tell me about it. 

I found my way here more or less by chance.
Over 6 years ago, I was looking for a platform for my patterns.
That’s how I ended up here.

It’s the community here that keeps me coming back.
Also, the fact that support is available to both authors and customers.
The former—in my opinion—isn’t a given when I compare it to other sales platforms I’m familiar with.

At the end of 2016, I was searching the internet for a pattern for baby clothes. I wanted to start knitting again after decades—for my little granddaughter. So I needed a little help getting started. That’s how I came across this platform, and I was immediately thrilled. Because here I found exactly what I was looking for: step-by-step patterns with pictures. That was very helpful to me back then.

My creativity was quickly sparked, and I took great joy in designing my own patterns. And so, in March 2017—six years ago—I also became a contributor here at Crazypatterns.

One thing I really liked right from the start is the forum here. Whenever I’ve had a question—no matter the topic—help has always been there. Since I don’t have a craft group near me, I’m very grateful to have found a substitute for it here. It now feels like a craft family. It’s wonderful! And I’ve even made some really nice personal connections.

What I’ve found here is truly one-of-a-kind. I really enjoy being here, and I’d like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the CP team and all its staff for their dedication and for providing this platform.

I’m looking forward to the next 10 years!

I’ve been here almost from the very beginning.
At first, I was just browsing because I’d started crocheting again and wanted some inspiration.
Pretty soon, the author in me spoke up, and I thought, “Oh, why not try writing a pattern?”
Looking back now, my early attempts were amateurish—I actually deleted my very first patterns a few years ago.
Little by little, everything here grew and became more professional: the forum developed, the gallery, and so on.
And we were always asked for input—not just as authors of patterns, but also as people giving our opinions.
I like the lively exchange among the authors, with CP, and the way things are handled financially.
And I appreciate that we’re still asked for our opinions and ideas on how this or that could work better or differently.

Long story short:
I like CP, and I try to hold on to the things I like 😊

I’ve only been here for a little over 2 years, and I actually found it by chance. I was looking for a pattern and got a tip on another forum to check out crazypatterns.
And then I found tons of great patterns—and what’s even better, a wonderful community here! Awesome! There’s no other forum quite like this one right now, and I’m looking forward to many more years here!

Congratulations!!

I’ve been here since 2016—that was also the year I started my own blog and became self-employed. Crazypatterns was the first marketplace I signed up for and used to sell my sewing patterns—back then I had two, and each one took months to develop.

Since then, I’ve added a few e-books, and Crazypatterns has become not only an important sales partner for me but also a friendly community for sharing ideas and experiences. No other platform offers sales support and a sense of community quite like this one. This forum is such a great way to connect with other sellers—you won’t find that anywhere else. Everywhere else, you’re on your own.

It took me a while to understand how sales work on Crazypatterns. In the meantime, I’ve learned to trust the system at Crazypatterns more and to follow what Crazypatterns specifies—namely image formats, using promotional threads, etc. Since then, this platform has evolved from occasional sales to a key pillar of my business.

That’s why I want to say THANK YOU!!

THANK YOU for being there tirelessly for us authors here.
THANK YOU for every time you’ve included one of my patterns in the newsletter.
THANK YOU for the insights and the tools, and for continuously improving the technology here.

Keep up the great work! I’m looking forward to the next 10 years!!

Warm regards,
Sonja

For me, it was simply about opening up new opportunities to sell my patterns. 
So I searched for it on Google and found Crazypatterns pretty quickly. 
That was sometime in 2014.
And a lot has changed here since then. 
What I really liked from the very beginning was that authors were involved in various decisions. That’s unique—I haven’t experienced that on any other platform. 
On the contrary, most places just say, “Take it or leave it.” 
Here, though, I feel that it’s important for us to feel comfortable here. 
Of course, Crazypatterns is a for-profit company, and a certain level of cooperation is expected from the authors. 
And that’s good, right, and important. 
But for my part, I’ve grown with and through Crazypatterns, and I’m very grateful for that. 

Here’s to the next decade! Cheers! 🍻

I actually found my way here through the forum.

Sometime a few years ago (I think it was 2016), when I was still wet behind the ears, I wrote a pattern for a licensed character and was wondering how to “get it out there.” Until I thought to myself… Wait a minute… Am I even allowed to do that?
So I did some research, and since Google didn’t give me the answer I was looking for, I searched for a crafting forum where I could ask like-minded people what they thought about the topic.
I didn’t get the answer I wanted to hear, but I did get a lot of help and, above all, had a nice conversation.
  So I stuck around.

Since I still wanted to write patterns, I took care of all the necessary steps (and I got a lot of help here on the forum—thanks for that!) and got started.

A lot has changed here, but a lot has also stayed the same as it was from the very beginning.
The people who were so kind to help me back then are still here today, and I think that’s really great!

  As an author, I’ve never been let down here either. On the contrary! Others have already mentioned it, but I’d like to say it again: We actually have a say here!
If someone has a request or a problem, the team is always willing to listen and will figure out how to help.

I’d also like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to the team.
I look forward to continuing to work with you and to more great exchanges. 

I actually “stumbled” upon Crazypatterns twice while doing my research, and both times I was looking for another way to sell my patterns. The first time was back in 2013, but at that time there were only a few listings in the crafts category—five or six, I think—and none of them were at all what I wanted to offer. I felt that my designs didn’t fit there, so I left.

The second time, in 2015, there was a bit more to see in the category, and I could imagine my designs fitting in there. So I uploaded a few patterns and noticed that there was interest. And then I simply kept going.

There are now several authors enriching the crafts category with their patterns. I’m very happy about that and hope that many more will join them.

For me, there’s no reason to leave here: I feel comfortable and valued here.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the CP team and all the staff: Thank you, it’s lovely here, and you make it possible.

Congratulations on this milestone!

I first read about Crazy Patterns 4 years ago on Facebook in a group for crochet patterns. I was curious and decided to check it out.
Since I’m always interested in new platforms to sell my crochet patterns, I created an account here and started filling my shop with them. And it was a huge success!

I think CP is a great platform, partly because of the interaction between the CP team and the sellers/authors/users.
Even though opinions sometimes differ (just like in real life), CP is and remains a wonderful place for what we love to do: crafts!

Thank you so much for this wonderful platform!

Thank you for your kind words, and it’s great to have you here. All of your stories are well worth reading.