Our Story
Before we get to it, we are sure you are wondering why we named our business "PatternZoo". We went through lots of ideas - some names were straightforward and traditional, like ABC Patterns, while others were completely arbitrary, like Twig & Paper. Eventually decided on what we hope is a name that's fun. Imagine a zoo full of sewing patterns - lots of variety, a bit of humor, and worth the visit. Enjoy!
PatternZoo is a joint effort for married couple Bob Durkee and Wendy Windsor. They live in Vermont and here are their stories.
Bob Durkee
I live in a sewing sanctuary and have for most of my life. Growing up, my mom sewed for all five of us kids and when she wasn't sewing she was knitting. My wife Wendy has her own sewing business called Small Batch Design Company (https://smallbatchdesigncompany.com), which pretty much takes up all the rooms in the house. The only sacred space is around my chair and it’s shrinking as I write.
Wendy and I started this business because we thought it would be fun to do this together and it really has been. Wendy manages the website and I manage the business end, pattern grading, and shipping.
All our patterns are vintage and I am excited to make them available. We've sorted through thousands of patterns and selected the ones we felt were timeless and as interesting today as they were 40 years ago. Our patterns are sourced from store closeouts and liquidations.
You’ll find our stash on PatternZoo.com, Pinterest, and Facebook.
Don’t monkey around - sew now!
Bob
About Wendy
After 35 years of marriage, Bob and I thought it was a pretty safe risk going into business together. We each have our strengths: Bob has a business background and enjoys the operations end of things and I enjoy selecting sewing patterns for you, managing the website and of course ...sewing!
I've been sewing since age eight, or at least that is when my mom bought me my own sewing machine. My mother sewed beautifully and my grandmother was an experienced seamstress. One thing I learned from my mom is that if you are going to take the time to sew something, make it worth your while. Pay attention to those extra details such as covered buttons, topstitching, hand stitching and of course quality fabric as these will make all the difference to your finished product.
Never has this been truer than today as commercial mass produced clothing puts out "fast" fashion meant to be disposed of after a season or two. We are here to bring back some of the excellent patterns from yesteryear and help you enjoy the pleasures of "slow" fashion!
Your partner in sewing,
Wendy