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Folkwear's 50th Anniversary in 2026

December 15, 2025 4 Comments

We are celebrating Folkwear's 50th anniversary in 2026. Our oldest copyrights are from 1976, and we wanted to celebrate this milestone for Folkwear. Folkwear has 50 years of creating sewing patterns for historic and folk clothing from around the world. Fifty years of researching, designing, creating instructions and illustrations, publishing, and packaging. Fifty years of testing and sewing samples, of embroidering, of lace insertion, pintucks, quilting, and more.

We are so excited to celebrate this important anniversary with you! We have many fun things planned for the entire year.

Pattern Releases

We will be releasing one pattern almost every other month for the year, starting in January. Most of these will be patterns that have been out of print, but we have at least one new pattern planned. Bringing patterns back into print is a lot of fun, and a lot of work. We digitize the pattern, often grade up (if possible) to expand the size range, re-publish instructions, and create a PDF pattern. We love working with old Folkwear patterns, and think our 50th anniversary is a great opportunity to bring some treasures back into print.

Pattern Contests

We will have several fun contests throughout the year! Starting in February, we will run month-long contests every other month. Winners in each contest will receive a Folkwear gift card, and all participants will get a coupon code to use anytime during the year. You can submit garments from past contests in most of these, garments you made many years ago, or made just last week.

February: Oldest Folkwear Make. Who has the oldest Folkwear garment? Or oldest Folkwear pattern? When was the first time you used a Folkwear pattern? Do you have a photo? Tell us about the oldest Folkwear garment you have made, or pattern you have. Send us a photo with the story behind the garment or pattern and when it was made or when you got it.
April: Embroidery/Handwork on a Folkwear pattern. So many of our patterns include traditional embroidery or handwork instructions. Have you added any to a Folkwear garment? Send us a photo and let us know what you did.
June: Largest Folkwear Pattern Collection Contest. Do you have a huge Folkwear pattern collection? Let us know how many patterns you have, send us a photo of them, and let us know which is your favorite!
August: Folkwear Menswear Contest. Folkwear has a fairly large number of patterns for men, and sometimes they get overlooked. But we have some incredible men who sew with our patterns, and others who sew for men in their lives. So we wanted to feature these incredible makes. Send us a photo of men (or men-identifying) in a Folkwear garment!
October: Coat and Jacket Contest. We have our annual Coat and Jacket Pattern Sale this month, so wanted to see all the amazing coats and jackets you have made with Folkwear patterns. Send us a photo of one to enter this contest.
December: Folkwear from 2026. This is the only contest where we want to see what you made from a Folkwear pattern this year. You have all year to decide what to make, and make it. We can't wait to see what you do!

Details: Contest will open on the first of each month and close on the last day of the month, with details each month on our blog. Please send the best, clearest, least cluttered image you have, in as high a resolution as possible (300dpi, if possible). But, we aren't too picky! We just love to see what you make.

Anniversary Gala

We are starting to plan an anniversary party here in Asheville for sometime in September. A party to wear your favorite Folkwear outfit, or make a new one to show off. This would be a great time to visit the area if you live out of town. Ticket proceeds will go to support the area's continued recovery from Hurricane Helene. More details to come on this!

Open Studios

We will continue to have our studio open to the public with small displays from our sample collection. Open Studios will be on every first Friday and third Saturday (as long as these are not holidays).

More fun things throughout the year

If you order from us, you know that we send small postcards in each order with information about Folkwear. We are going to have special cards throughout this coming year for each illustration of patterns we have in print. Our iconic illustrations were done by Gretchen Schields -- right from the beginning of Folkwear. So these postcards can be collectible items. Store them with your patterns, use them for pattern notes, put them in small frames, or in your own special sewing journal. You can color them, write on them, mail them, and more. We will send at least one postcard in every order, and we will be changing the illustrations each month.

Lookbooks. We have created small commemorative Folkwear lookbooks that are booklets of our gorgeous pattern illustrations. These small lookbooks will be included in every order over $50. And, will be available to pick up in our studio. These booklets are a fun way to remember Folkwear patterns. Thumb through these beautiful illustrations, color them, remember the romance of Folkwear. Every three months, we will be changing the lookbook to have new illustrations. You can collect all four!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletters to know all that is happening all year! Sign up here.

4 Responses

Lynn L

January 26, 2026

One of my oldest Folkwear makes is out of print, but is one that I actually do have photos of because I still have the garment. My next planned make for April is also an out of print pattern. Are makes from out of print patterns eligible for the February contest?

Heidi Lea

January 12, 2026

The earliest photo of me is my mom holding me in a hospital bed wearing a Folkwear Kimono in 1981. She hated maternity clothes of the time (peter pan collars especially) and had planned on making a Croatian Shirt and an Afghan Nomad dress as well, but I was born 2 months early. She wore the kimono until I was middle school aged—-I have a memory of her carrying our ferret Lucy in one of the sleeves. My mom gave me this pattern along with the other two about 10 years ago. I did make a kimono for a boyfriend, but the relationship ended, and I made a fancy Afghan Nomad cocktail dress, but it doesn’t fit me right now.

I didn’t know about Folkwear until I was out of college and finding that I had time for hobbies. I really wanted to learn to sew. I found tsome Folkwear patterns on clearance at a local independant fabric store, Sporty Forties, Navajho Blouse & Skirt and 1927 Tea Gown. I did make the latter two, but I bungled them both because I didn’t know what I was doing. I later ordered Turkish Dancer and made a beautiful costume in 2006, but later lost the pattern in a move. I have posted pictures that I took when I sold the Turkish Dancer costume on the facebook group.

I have a collection of new and old folkwear patterns, I look for them when I go to secondhand and thrift shops. I have a Roumanian Blouse pattern that I think might have been printed in 1977, as there is some literature in it with festival dates for late 1977 and early 1978. THere’s also an original “catalog” in the envelope. This may have been purchased in California originally—-where I live now there is a strong academic pipeline between here and California.