**UPDATE: PER AN EMAIL SENT TO REGISTERED BELLISH USERS THAY HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO CLOSE DOWN THEIR OPERATIONS AS OF JANUARY 2022**
Have you been hearing about Bellish? I saw it one day looking on my new iPad for all the knitting apps I had on my Android phone and as always there’s apps that makes claims to help you “make charts” “read charts” “pattern generators” but none actually were 1. User friendly 2. Ad free 3. Actually useful.
So when I saw this app saying “Create Patterns” I decided to try it and what a shocker. You can create actual factual patterns folks!!! (Currently, this app is ONLY available on IOS but they have a newsletter I believe where patterns are released via their blog or website. As far as I can tell, they are working on the android version.)
As a matter of trial and honest opinion I am going to walk through a basic hat and see how accurate or inaccurate it is. Honestly, if you really think about it, the beautifully intricate details of common items like hats, sweaters or socks all have a base model or outline it follows. So far this seems promising. Let’s get started.
First thing you see when you get started with the app is the inspiration section and yes it is quite inspiring.
What I appreciate is the simple yet not simple creations that have been made by others. A hat can be complex or bare basic. The Section labeled Embellishments is where the customization takes basic to different.
Embellishments add the texture and uniqueness that we look for when creating a pattern. It appears that new ones are loaded fairly often which is promising.
Then we have the Garments section which highlights what type of items you are going to be able to create. Heres a list of whats available as of today:
- Toe-Up Socks
- Children’s/Toddlers Drop Shoulder Sweater
- Children’s/Toddlers Drop Shoulder Cardigan
- Adult Drop Shoulder Sweater
- Adult Drop Shoulder Cardigan
- Raglan Sweater
- Beanies (hats)
Not a bad list right? I KNOW!!! As was mentioned before the basic structure of a garment is no secret. There are plenty of free basic patterns out here that designers offer free of charge, yet it is still very intriguing to my psyche to say “I’M going to design a sweater, hat” etc.
Yarn Store section is beautiful. Fingering weight to Bulky weight yarns are highlighted here.
Shopping the yarn store was a pleasant surprise for me but definitely something I can see being a big plus for those who need a little more help in getting the right yarn for that specific project. Based on the blurb on the opening Yarn Store page, these are affiliate links (genius Bellish!) that lead to various shops. I clicked on two different yarns and was led to Lionbrand.com and Knitpicks.com. As affiliate links work, there is no charge to the buyer.
Video walk through of choosing a pattern.
Pattern Creation from size, style, texture and other options all built into one app. I think this is pretty cool. Do I believe it can take the place of a designers touch? Absolutely not, there’s customized then there’s “customized”. Of course this takes the basics and lays it all out there for you to try your hand at a few styles of clothing before paying for a designers pattern and for those on a serious budget, this is a great option. Yet, a designer takes into consideration the shape of a body, gives instructions and tips for various issues during testing and is most often available for questions.
To give a clear and honest review, look for my next post on walking through a basic pattern. Since we are in the fall officially a hat will be it. Quick and easy. Or……I might consider a basic sweater? Who am I kidding lol, hats are my jam.
What’s your opinion thus far? Have you used the app and had success? Do you wish something was included? Or is the whole app idea not for you? Share your thoughts below or PIN this post and chat with me later.
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