My *Updated* Thoughts on Pattern Testing… 3 Years Later
Hello!!!! Long time, no talk. Life has been life-ing, so I’ve basically ghosted this blog for a couple years… sorry! I do want to get back into it, but I can’t make any commitment as to what that will look like. For now, I wanted to address a topic that’s been on my mind for the last year.
(But first, a random assortment of photos from some of my recent pattern tests, to break up the text.)
When I started this blog, we were all stuck at home during a global pandemic, IG engagement and community was top notch, and I had no obligations besides my work-from-home job with reasonable hours. Since then, I’ve had a child, dialed back on pattern testing, designed my own patterns and hosted my own pattern testers. My thoughts on pattern testing requirements has changed a lot. I don’t know why it took being a designer, rather than solely a pattern tester, for me to see some of these things, but here we are. So, without further ado, here are some of my *updated* thoughts on pattern testing.
(Please keep in mind that these are just my personal thoughts on the topics. And they’ve admittedly changed quite a bit from prior posts. So, I understand there are a wide range of opinions on this topic, and I do not purport to be “right” about any of this. We are all learning and adapting constantly. I know that some of my opinions here will suck to hear or will not work for some designers, and that’s okay! It’s just one person’s opinion, take it with a grain of salt.)
The thing that I think is most important to keep in mind is that pattern testers are doing a ton of work to your benefit for basically free. (Okay, yes, they get this pattern and maybe another one, so perhaps you’re covering the cost of up to one skein of their yarn indirectly.) So, the bottom line is that I don’t think anything should be required of pattern testers besides making the pattern in the size assigned and providing certain feedback for that size and a photograph to the designer. To be more specific:
Should I require my pattern testers to post on social media about the pattern?
As someone whose entire Instagram is dedicated to doing just this, it may be surprising to hear that my answer to this now is no. Asking pattern testers to post photos and talk about your design (especially on a public Instagram account) is marketing. You’re asking them to market your design for free. That’s not their job. Their job is to help you make sure the pattern is easy to follow and fits the size they tested well. That’s it.
For pattern testers: does posting the photo and pattern information on social media help the designer? Yes! If you want to post about it, then great! I love sharing my makes, and I love the sense of community that comes with sharing upcoming designs and designers I love. I will likely never not post pictures of the patterns I tested, often more than once. But do I think it should be a requirement to test? No.
That being said, I do think it is okay to require pattern testers to send the designer photographs, so that the designer can be sure it fits well. I do not think it needs to be any sort of fancy photograph. Any sort of photograph that shows the fit of the design for the size that was made. And I think it is okay for designers to ask testers if they (the designer) are welcome to share the testers’ photos on their own social media (but I do not think that it should be required that testers say yes). I understand that it helps with marketing if you’re able to show how well the design fits on all types of bodies, but it’s not really your pattern tester’s job to allow you to use their body to do that for free.
Should I require my pattern testers to have a public Instagram account?
For this one, I understand that it is helpful for designers in selecting pattern testers to be able to see the work of the pattern tester by quickly perusing their public account. However, I can’t help but think about the hundreds (thousands?) of potentially great pattern testers we must be missing out on because there are so many experienced makers who do not have, and do not want to have, a public Instagram account. Before entering the yarny social media world, I never did and never thought I would have a public account. Especially in this day and age where social media is increasingly more intrusive, I completely understand the desire to keep an account private.
What I’d plan to do if I design again in the future: In the pattern testing application, ask the applicant to either provide a public social media account or upload photographs of recently completed makes in lieu of a public account.
If the reason for asking for a public account is for them to be able to post publicly: see above heading for my thoughts on that.
Should I require my pattern testers to edit my pattern document?
No. They are not tech editors. The only “edits” (feedback) that I think should be required of pattern testers are:
- Do the instructions make sense for my size?
- Do the stitch and row counts align for my size?
Anything else is extra. My thoughts on this changed when I had a few testers literally line edit my pattern for me. I was SO grateful and shocked that anyone would take the time to do this for free, even though I knew I often did the same for designers back in the peak of my pattern testing. For some reason, seeing it from the designer’s perspective made me realize how much work and time they were putting into making my pattern better for me, for nothing.
So, pattern testers: If you want to line edit, fix typos, etc. I am sure every designer would be thrilled to have that feedback. But do I think it should be required? No.
Should I require my pattern testers to pay for the pattern if they do not finish?
Eeeeek. This one I don’t feel as strongly about, honestly. In my communications with designers, I know it is actually quite common for pattern testers – and often even a handful of pattern testers – to not complete the task. And that sucks. The designer doesn’t get the feedback they need, and if they had just known the pattern tester couldn’t complete it, they could have tried to find another tester for that size who could. So, then they’re left with a pattern either not fully tested or significantly delayed.
On the flip side, it’s free work and it’s supposed to be a relaxing, enjoyable hobby for many makers, not a source of stress. Life happens. Stuff comes up. And I don’t think it should be the end of the world if someone doesn’t finish a pattern test.
My preference: Early communication as soon as you know that you won’t be able to finish. Explain the situation. Provide as much feedback as you’re able for as far as you were able to get. The designer understands and says it’s okay, tries to fill your spot, or has enough other testers that it will be okay. Ideally, the pattern tester offers to pay for the pattern (or just buys the pattern when it comes out), but it’s not demanded in every situation, no matter the reason for having to bail.
But I know it’s not that easy, and I know this is a significant, primary, or otherwise important source of income for many designers. So, I totally understand and don’t scoff at the requirement to pay for the pattern if you’re unable to finish. At the end of the day, you are getting the pattern, and if you don’t hold up your end of the bargain in providing feedback, there’s no reason you should get that pattern for free.
Therefore, I’m neutral on this one.
Should designers be required to pay pattern testers?
Another controversial topic, and currently, my feelings on this are no, they should not. I understand that it is a lot of work to test patterns. I think it would be freaking awesome to be paid to pattern test. I’d love that! But requiring designers to pay pattern testers anything resembling a fair wage is going to lead to: (1) less designers entering the market; and/or (2) more designs being published without being tested. Both things are bad for our community, in my opinion.
When a design sells hundreds or thousands of copies, it is understandable to think that the designer should be able to pay the pattern testers. That would be great. But the reality is that most patterns out there are not generating much income for the designer, at all. Let’s take a hypothetical garment, for example. Say that there are ten sizes, and the designer selected 2-3 for each size. That’s 20-30 pattern testers. Even if the designer only pays each tester $5-10, the designer is now out $100-$300. That’s quite often more than a single pattern sells for many designers. And that’s not even CLOSE to a fair wage for the time and materials it takes to make the design (let alone a fair wage for the designer), so we’re not even close to what the cost would be if we were talking about any sort of fair compensation. So even in this hypothetical, the designer is potentially in the negative and they’ve only paid the pattern tester a fraction of one hour’s worth of reasonable pay – basically nothing. I may be wrong, but I don’t think a $5 stipend is going to move the needle for many pattern testers, but it will lead a lot of designers to never put patterns out there or to publish patterns without testers. I know that I would have never published my patterns if I was going to need to pay pattern testers. It just would not have been feasible as a new designer, and it would have been a barrier to entry. I just would not have bothered.
I hope that one day this changes. I hope that one day designers can charge more for their patterns, makers can afford to spend more on patterns, and paying pattern testers for their important work is feasible. I just don’t see how it’s possible in our current market. So, in the meantime, let’s just make sure we’re not requiring or expecting more than we truly need from pattern testers. Just my two cents.
One last, but important, thought: Do I think that all designers should immediately adjust to these opinions of mine or else be banned from designing for entirety? Absolutely not. I understand the reasons for wanting public profiles, posting pictures, etc. While I think most of it is “extra,” at the end of the day, I think pattern testers need to take more responsibility for their choices.
Does the pattern testing call require you to post publicly but you don’t want to? Don’t apply.
Does the designer require you to pay if you can’t finish and you don’t think that’s fair? Don’t apply.
Remember, you are never required to pattern test for anyone. So, decide what’s important to you, and apply to designers who provide you with those parameters.
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Thanks for reading! I hope I didn’t burn too many bridges with this post, but I felt it was important to publish my *updated* thoughts on this topic, with the other posts still accessible. I am not going to take those down, because I do think there is still a lot of helpful insight on how to be a superstar pattern tester in my prior posts. But I am hoping some designers adjust expectations to realize that a lot of the work that pattern testers have been doing is *extra awesomeness* that they should be grateful for and not just expect as a bare minimum.
