When I’m able to sit, I’m sewing another pack: the Trail Running Pack from a one-guy company, LearnMYOG. Except every time I work on it, I end up feeling like picking a fight with that guy, because the instructions are so bad.

There aren’t actual instructions, just a video sew along… but I’m not sure this guy had ever watched a sewing video before he filmed his, because why is he sewing black on black for his example? Why is it lit with a single 40-watt bulb?!

It would look kind of like WHAT, buddy? I literally can’t see.

 

My other issue is that this was a THIRTY DOLLAR pattern. (For reference, the lumbar pack pattern I used was $9.) Not having real instructions or decent videos at this price point is bad enough, but not having anything marked clearly on the pattern is inexcusable. There are several points where you’re instructed to “pleat to fit” but… no pleat lines. Notches are hit and miss. And where should we place the straps? Is anything marked on the pattern piece? No, apparently we’re just going off vibes:

Anyway, I’ve been sewing long enough that I can figure out what to do, but I can’t imagine being able to finish this if I were a beginner. It’s also not the most restful sewing experience to be mentally composing scathing reviews while you’re working on it (although that might be a me problem). But lord grant me the confidence of a white guy who’s never seen a sewing pattern… releasing a $30 sewing pattern.