Start an online community based on your common enjoyment of a hobby, as this Massachusetts woman did, and before you know it, you could have in excess of 25,000 members

You may have never created or worn a hand-made garment in your life, but there a many women—and men, too—who love sewing and enjoy talking about it.

Started three years ago by software engineer and sewing enthusiast Deepika Prakash, of Acton, Massachusetts, PatternReview.com provides sewers with a platform to share their tips and techniques by writing and commenting on reviews for sewing patterns, sewing machines, and other sewing products.

There are 23 message boards at PatternReview.com and its 26,725 members are busying posting on all of them.

The site includes a category-based sewing knowledge base and online sewing classes taught by subject matter experts for a variety of topics.

There are 23 message boards at PatternReview.com and its 26,725 members are busying posting on all of them. Over the last three years, PatternReview.com’s members have posted 12,450 sewing related reviews, of which 7,700 have been for sewing patterns.

These reviews have detailed descriptions of what went into constructing a garment with a particular pattern, as well as the tips and techniques to employ to get the most out of it. Many members have also posted pictures of their finished garments.

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Almost 1,500 of the sewing pattern reviews have been written for patterns made by the Kwik Sew Pattern Company, located in Minneapolis. The company says Kwik Sew patterns are popular with PatternReview.com’s members because they reflect the latest fashions and trends and provide a quick and easy way to sew garments with professional results.

To enable its members easier access to these patterns, PatternReview.com began marketing these patterns online last month (January, 2005).

Members only features

Much of the PatternReview.com content, including the reviews, is available without charge. Paid members also get the following:

  • A 10 percent discount on all online sewing classes
  • Discounts at other Internet sewing merchants
  • Ability to post classified ads
  • Access to sewing machine reviews collected from other websites
  • Sewing machine feature comparison tool
  • Unlimited pattern catalog (to organize your pattern collection) and wish list
  • Live chats with sewing celebrities
  • Personal website and web photo album space to showcase their sewing projects

An annual membership in PatternReview.com is $29.95; a six-month membership is $16.50.

More information about PatternReview.com is available at http://Sewing.PatternReview.com.

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