Atelier Jupe is a family-run Belgian brand founded by two sisters, growing from a much-loved hobby and part-time business into a thriving pattern and fabric company with three collections released each year.
At the heart of Atelier Jupe is a love of modern, wearable designs that are enjoyable and accessible to sew. Their ever-growing pattern collection includes everything from dresses and tops to jackets and separates, with each style thoughtfully designed to fit easily into an everyday wardrobe.
“Spend more time being creative, and don’t be afraid of imperfection. Not every project will work out as you imagined, but every project will teach you something.”
How did your sewing journey begin?
Our sewing journey began nearly 20 years ago when we started taking evening classes. From then on, sewing gradually became a bigger and bigger part of our lives. Petra took a year off work to retrain as a pattern maker and dressmaker, while Eva continued developing these skills through evening classes.
Eventually, we turned our hobby into a career by opening a fabric store. At the time, there wasn't a wide selection of fabrics and sewing patterns available, so we started dreaming about creating our own collections. We decided to make that dream a reality and launched Atelier Jupe in 2020.
The brand quickly grew, and after a few years it became impossible to combine running both the fabric shop and Atelier Jupe. In 2023, we closed the store and have been fully focused on Atelier Jupe ever since.
What first sparked your interest in creating patterns for other people to sew?
Pattern making offers endless creative possibilities—we love that you can create something completely from scratch.
When we started our first business, there weren't many sewing patterns available, especially in our own language. Our interest in pattern making, a desire to learn, and the demand from our customers naturally led us to start designing our own patterns.
What does your design process look like from first idea to finished pattern?
Every collection starts with mood boards, where we develop and refine our ideas. From there, we usually choose two designs to begin working on. We create the initial patterns and sew toiles to assess both the fit and the design.
Sometimes a design works almost immediately, but more often it takes several rounds of adjustments. We tweak everything from small details to major design elements, and occasionally we decide to abandon an idea altogether. It's a process of constant testing, evaluating and refining.
Once we're happy with a design, we send it to a specialist grading company to develop the full size range. We then test the other sizes, paying particular attention to size EU 46 and above, where achieving a great fit can be more challenging.
Then there’s the other big part. We also write the instructions, make the technical drawings, design the booklet, then there’s the layouts, translations, pattern sheets, and much more. It's a lengthy, detailed process from start to finish.
How do you approach fit across different sizes?
We always draw a size EU 38 which we adapt until we get the fit we want. So once we’re happy with the fit, we work with an experienced external grading company to create the full size range.
After grading, we test the other sizes and work closely with the grading company to solve any fitting issues that come up. Our goal is to achieve the best possible fit across the entire size range.
Of course, no single patten can fit every body perfectly, so we always provide guidance on the intended fit - wether it’s designed to be more fitted or oversized - and include advice on adjusting the bodice, sleeves or overall length where needed.
What makes a truly great sewing pattern in your opinion?
What are the most common challenges home sewists face - and how do you design to support them?
Many home sewists find garment construction challenging. It can be difficult to visualise how all the pieces come together, choose the right fabric, achieve a professional finish, or add beautiful details without the garment looking obviously handmade.
That's why we put so much effort into creating clear instructions. We sew multiple samples to find the most logical and achievable construction methods, and our booklets include detailed drawings. We also offer online tutorials with step-by-step photographs.
To help with fitting, we provide finished garment measurements and clear information about the intended fit, along with advice on making common adjustments. When it comes to fabric choices, we always include photos of the finished garments so people can better see the fit, drape and overall design.
What inspires your designs?
What does your typical day look like?
To be honest, there isn't really such a thing as a typical day! We wear many different hats, so every day looks a little different. One day we might be designing or sewing, the next we're packing orders, answering emails, doing admin or cleaning the studio.
As a small independent business, we do everything ourselves, which means there's always plenty of variety.
What advice would you give to your younger creative self?
What is next for you?
We're currently working on a children's collection as well as new designs for the coming seasons. We're also planning to organise more workshops and are looking into collaborations.
Looking a little further ahead, we're excited about expanding into another creative venture—but it's still a little too early to share the details!
You can follow Atelier Jupe on Instagram @atelierjupe and see Atelier Jupe patterns on our website here.Enjoyed this Creative Threads feature?
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