All good things come to an end.....

January 29, 2026 10 Comments

Dear friends,

This is the one blogpost I write with a heavy heart. By now, you've probably heard the news: I've decided to pull the plug on Misusu Patterns. But before signing off, let’s do a little trip down memory lane and the reasons behind this big and difficult decision.

 

It all started in 2014 with a blog called Misusu. I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to do a free sewing pattern of a patchwork diamond Totebag? The pattern got picked up by a big American blog and I was shocked to discover that overnight, the pattern was downloaded over 10.000 times. A lightbulb moment - could this maybe become a business? Could I actually make my passion into my job?

 

Fast forward to 2016 - Misusu Patterns went live and, well, didn’t do so well! Biggest reason? A small kid size range and bad photos of clothing modelled by puppets and flatlays. You can still find some of those relics on my site. Things finally took off with the Louise Sweater, the first pattern in a proper kid size range that I put through a pattern test. Even though I had been on social media for quite some time, I only then discovered the amazing supportive nature of the sewing community. I loved working with my pattern testers and took in all their invaluable suggestions to make the pattern better. Their efforts in promoting the pattern made this release my first big hit and gave me the confidence I needed to move forward! 

 

From there on, all the patterns I released continued to steadily grow the business. But it wasn’t until I started to listen to you, my beloved customers, that Misusu Patterns made a big jump forward. After releasing my first ever adult pattern the Dia Sweater (where did that design come from..;D), in combination with a re-release of the kid version, I decided to quit my freelance design side projects, to fully focus on Misusu Patterns. 

During the height of Misusu Patterns I released several patterns that are still my personal all time favorite patterns today. I really found my design language in colorblocking and I'm still very proud of patterns like the Flex Sweater for Kids and the Stereo Sweater for adults. Both patterns are true workhorses and I still make both patterns regularly. I love the colorblock options - the cool side panel of the Flex Sweater and the interesting high-neck design lines of the Stereo Sweater. My oldest kid is slowly graduating from the kids sizes into the adult sizes, so I can’t wait to make him a Stereo Sweater!

The pandemic hit everyone hard. While people were stuck at home and rediscovering hobbies like sewing, it resulted in businesses like mine booming. It was a dual feeling, I was so excited for this influx of new customers, but hated that I was thriving of this shared misery. On a more personal level, I wasn’t doing so great. Just like many of you, I had a hard time juggling my family, business and home schooling my kids. Even before Misusu Patterns, I had been working as a freelance designer from home. But during the pandemic, I started to resent that privilege and I felt so disconnected and alone. It was also during this time that I slowly started considering a new path. I loved doing the free sew-alongs for kids during the pandemic. Even though it was all taking place online, I finally felt connected to something again and loved supporting kids in learning a new fun skill. I started thinking back to the days that I was teaching offline sewing classes and realised that throughout the years, the overarching theme had always been teaching. So I decided to go back to school and become a teacher!

In September 2023 I started a 2-year shortened Art Education Bachelor course at Artez University of the Arts. This is also the exact same time everything went silent over at Misusu Patterns. I went to school 2 days a week and I expected that I could easily combine Misusu with my study. Boy, was I wrong! Going back to school meant I had to get very uncomfortable - writing lots of essays and the best fun part: making lots of (questionable) art. I dove in head first - I loved to reconnect with my more artsy side and explore different artistic outlets. 

I dabbled in ceramics in combination with textiles.....

....and I went through a  quest to rediscover the long gone recipe of my 102 yo grandmother's famous “oma bread”. I baked over 30 breads and gained 3 kilos over the course of 3 months, only to find the original recipe scribbled on a small piece of paper hiding in an old photo album. I presented the results of my baking attempts in a photo series, something that was way out of my comfort zone!

During my second year of studying I landed my dream internship that turned into my first part-time job as a teacher. I started working at a fashion design MBO school (upper secondary vocational education) where I teach analog and digital pattern design, Illustrator, CLO3D, sewing and tailoring. I mean, what a dream right?! I get to combine and inspire my passion for fashion design while supporting young adults in finding their way in this world. It aligns so well with my personal values and I come home every working day feeling exhausted in the best possible way and energized at same time. The personal connection I get to make here everyday is what I  had been missing for all those years working from home in an online setting. 

In July 2025 I graduated as an Art Educator with a textile wall hanging homaging yet again, my grandmother. I just learned that my contract at my dream job was renewed and I was contemplating starting things back up with Misusu Patterns. Even though over the past 2 years, I didn’t really miss working on Misusu, I also didn’t feel ready to let it go completely. I knew I needed to make some changes in order for Misusu to work alongside my 3-day teaching job. But the time apart also gave me some much needed perspective and got me excited and brewing with new ideas. 

But…life threw me an immense curveball. Just 3 days before my graduation I got diagnosed with stage 2 hormone sensitive breast cancer. That’s one way to dampen the party! By now I’ve gone through an unilateral mastectomy, 25 rounds of radiotherapy and I am halfway through 20 weeks of chemotherapy. After that, I’m starting 5 years of hormone therapy. As a true sewist, I actually got weirdly excited about sewing all the chemo caps, but as it turns out, I prefer the badass bald look. My prognosis is good - no metastases -  and I’ve discovered that I’m very resilient and mentally strong and positive. I will be okay.

But this again, has put things in another light. By now I’ve put Misusu Patterns on the back burner for 2,5 years. And with my ongoing battle and recovery in mind, I don’t see myself picking things up anytime soon. Next to that, I feel a strong urge to keep exploring different creative avenues that bring me joy and fulfillment. And Misusu Patterns simply doesn’t fit into that picture anymore. I will keep (and rename) my Instagram account and  look forward to sharing my new creative explorations occasionally with you, without abiding by any social media rules. :D

If you’ve made it all the way down here in this long blogpost, I want to thank you. Not only for reading this long read, but also for all the support you’ve generously given me. I don’t know if you’re a customer, a pattern tester, a social media follower, a close friend or family member or all of the above. But I know that all of the interactions I’ve had with you - big or small - have been immensely important to me. So thank you for supporting me along this ride. It’s been a great one!

Love Elles.

P.S. The shop will be closed on Sunday February 22nd, 8PM CET. Make sure to download all your patterns before that time! 

10 Responses

Leave a comment

Comments will be approved before showing up.

Name *

Email *

Comment *