About

Sew Liberated began in a drafty adobe house on a street without a name in rural northern Mexico. The year was 2006, and Meg McElwee was working as a Montessori teacher in a one-room schoolhouse. With spotty connections to the outside world, Meg spent much of her time honing her sewing and pattern drafting skills. Eventually, she started a blog and began selling patterns based on her designs. Sew Liberated was one of the first indie pattern companies to emerge from the crafting renaissance, and hopes to remain a friendly and fashion-forward presence in the sewing community.

Over the years, Sew Liberated has evolved to focus on slow fashion, sustainability, and mentoring makers to look at their sewing as a practice of self-care. We believe that the act of making one’s own clothes can be transformative, personally and on a global scale, when done through the lens of sustainable fashion. Our online course, The Mindful Wardrobe Project, helps people heal their relationship with clothing and style, and adopt a healthy slow fashion practice.

Meet the Sew Liberated team

Meg wears a pink lace knit sweater over a green hinterland dress

Meg McElwee – Founder and Designer

Meg is a writer, artist, sewist, and slow fashion advocate who founded Sew Liberated back in 2007. Three kids and countless sewing projects later, she still loves what she does and hesitates to call it a “job.” It’s more of a passion project, truly.

When she’s not sketching out ideas or making plans for Sew Liberated, she loves trail running, Barre3, knitting, and making music with her family.

Go-to outfit: Stasia Dress + stompy boots.

Some day I want to: enjoy the present moment as much as my dog.

The thing I’d always rather be doing: chatting with my partner and best friend, Patrick.

You’d be surprised to know that: I am obsessed with sparkling water. It’s like a party in my mouth! My kids make fun of me for it.

Patrick the videographer, Shaerie and Sophia laughing in the studio

Patrick McElwee – CTO, etc.

Patrick wears many hats around Sew Liberated, from software engineer to writer, Instagram husband to comedian. When he isn’t working, he’s cooking, dancing, or waxing poetic about math, music and history. He’s fortunate to work alongside his two best friends: his wife and his little brother.


Go-to outfit: whatever is easy to grab and matches the weather.

Some day I want to: bring to fruition my stealth plan to replace Meg as the face of Sew Liberated.

The thing I’d always rather be doing: playing in the surf all day and dancing all night.

You’d be surprised to know that: I don’t know how to sew. (Yet?)

Meredith Luby – Community Manager

Meredith works to build connections, support makers, and sow the seeds of creative living on social media, in our online course communities, and through our blog, newsletter, and other media. When she’s not writing or taking photos for Sew Liberated, she can usually be found knitting, baking bread, or trying to convince Meg to watch her favorite TV shows. 

Go-to outfit: When it’s cold jeans and a handknit sweater. When it’s warm my Estuary Skirt and a favorite tee. 

Some day I want to: Hold a puffin.

The thing I’d always rather be doing: Relaxing with friends while crafting. Or sleeping.

  
You’d be surprised to know that: I am a big Star Wars fan.

Judith Henrikson – Patternmaker + Fitting Wizard

Judith’s love for making spans from Fitting Specialist, pattern development, and teaching pattern making skills at Sew Liberated all the way to crafting with her daughters around the table at home to planning next year’s vegetable garden. You’ll find her with a cup of coffee and some cozy socks, sewing up a storm or splashing watercolours about, ideas flying. 

Go-to outfit: Arenite pants + cozy top + dramatic earrings. No shoes in the summer, wool socks and boots in the winter!  

Some day I want to: learn to build furniture.  

The thing I’d always rather be doing: rambling by the lake with my family in early Fall.  

You’d be surprised to know that: I first heard about continental knitting from reading Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple books. I’ve read alllll of her mysteries, and now I’m learning to knit, too! 

David McElwee – Logistics + Customer Service

When David isn’t editing videos, coordinating pattern printing, or helping out customers for Sew Liberated, he’s auditioning for acting jobs and drinking tea out of dainty teacups with his wife in Brooklyn.  He’s a proud uncle, an unashamed theater geek, and a pretty mediocre basketball player despite being rather tall.

Go-to outfit:  Jeans and a t-shirt (Although, I love an excuse to get really dressy.)


Some day I want to: Make my very own jeans and t-shirt!


The thing I’d always rather be doing:  Acting in a new play by an amazing writer.


You’d be surprised to know that: Meg taught me to ski when I was 12.

Ashley McIntyre – Community Facilitator and Model

Ashley is a certified wardrobe stylist and consultant who works in tech full time. She believes that everyone deserves a wardrobe that has them excited to get out of bed in the morning. Ashley is a community facilitator for the Mindful Wardrobe Project and gleefully models in photoshoots for new Sew Liberated releases. When she isn’t doing that, you can find her watching “Golden Girls” with her dog, in the garden, or trying to squeeze in a nap.


Go-to outfit: Mended denim overalls + a seasonally appropriate top + clogs/Birkenstocks

Some day I want to: See a game at all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums.

The thing I’d always rather be doing: Napping. I’m very passionate about napping.

You’d be surprised to know that: I’m terrified of bees but would love to have a backyard hive someday.

River Takada – Sample maker and tester

River Takada is a Japanese American mixed media artist.  At Sew Liberated, River makes samples and occasionally tests patterns.  When River isn’t sewing samples for Sew Liberated, she’s putting together charcuterie boards, cuddling with her cat, or listening to audiobooks. River enjoys sewing for herself and her business, RIVTAK handmade, focusing on using pre-loved and rescued materials in all of her projects. 
See her work online: www.rivtak.com & @rivtak on Instagram. Follow her cat @uzum.fluff.

Go-to outfit: Fall/Winter:  cropped jeans, comfy boots and a thrifted sweater; Spring/Summer: handmade cotton dresses like the Stasia or Hinterland.

Someday I want to: Read a Haruki Murakami book in Japanese!  I already speak Japanese, but I have lots of vocabulary to learn to be able to do this. 

The thing I’d always rather be doing: Winter: eating soup, Summer: swimming


You’d be surprised to know that: I do all my production sewing studio in a rented storage unit!  After years of working from home with a long haired cat, hopping around fancy co-working studio spaces and being distracted by 1 million things, I found that being secluded in a windowless storage unit with no wifi is the perfect place to get production sewing done!  I still sew at home for personal projects.

Sophia, our Learn to Sew Your Clothes student, sewed her first practice seam ever!

Sophia Kiser – Learn to Sew Your Clothes student

Sophia is the student in our Learn to Sew online course series! When she isn’t geeking out over fabrics, she is a Ph.D. student at UNC-Chapel Hill. She lives in Durham with her husband Jake and her son Rohan.

Go-to outfit: sundress and flip flops (you can take the girl out of California…)

Some day I want to: write a book and dye my hair fuchsia.

The thing I’d always rather be doing: graphic design on Canva or having a weekday dinner party with friends.

You’d be surprised to know that: despite being on camera, I’m actually an introvert 🙂

Lune – Owner of ALL the fabric

Lune is in charge of getting her fur all over everything. She also keeps the Sew Liberated dog, Mika, in check. When she’s not laying on fabric that needs to be cut, she is listening from the other room for any indication that fabric is about to be cut.

Go-to outfit: anything my humans wear that’s black, obviously. I like making my mark.

Some day I want to: find the perfect sunny spot on top of fabric.

The thing I’d always rather be doing: laying on fabric.

You’d be surprised to know that: I have a twin sister who lives upstairs because she’s too lazy to come downstairs.

We are also fortunate to work with Stacey East for pattern grading, and Alicia Carvalho for graphic design.

As a team, we are committed to building a better world, with a decent life for all people, and a livable planet. We support racial justice, gender equality, and LGBTQ+ rights. We believe in the full humanity and dignity of all people, regardless of identity, ability, religion, or ethnicity.

Sew Liberated contributes to Climate Justice Alliance and Partners in Health.

Have a question? We have a handy form you can use to contact us.

You can learn more about Meg here, and also by listening to the Love to Sew podcast that features her and The Mindful Wardrobe Project.

Have a question?

Trouble with your order or with accessing your downloads? Send an email to orders@sewliberated.com. For sewing-related questions, please contact Judith at support@sewliberated.com. We’re more than happy to help!