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The best software and tools for your sewing studio
It’s no secret that you must wear many hats when running a small business. Here are my lifesavers: the best software and tools for your sewing studio, which I rely on daily for my small business.
Naively, I once thought that having a sewing business mainly meant sewing. Instead, I spend most of my time juggling invoices, creating content (I still need to make more!), managing orders, adding products, keeping inventory, etc.
Honestly, if I manage to sew anything by the end of the day, it’s a minor miracle.
On top of all this, my inability to stick to a schedule makes for the perfect recipe for disaster.
So, I want to share with anyone in the same boat the tools that have helped me navigate this chaos.
Let’s go through the best software and tools for each area of your sewing studio, always keeping an eye on costs—because, as we know, budget often becomes an issue when you’re just starting.
Sewing pattern design
Let’s start with one of the rudimentary tasks for any artisan creating accessories or clothing: sewing pattern design. Sure, you can always rely on paper and pencil, but if I were to give you a tip, digital pattern will save you loads of time and headaches. The software I use is called “Valentina”.
I discuss how to use it in my course (coming soon in English): Design Your Own Skirt with Valentina.
I talk about it in detail in these two articles: Valentina, free software for sewing patterns, 5 New features on Valentina, the software for sewing patterns.
Valentina is an entirely free software for sewing pattern designing, which you can download HERE.
Order management, inventory & finances
One tool with tons of functions: the incredible Notion. Available for free, Notion is a powerful program I use daily as a management tool for processing orders, organizing inventory, and tracking finances. You can find it HERE*.
Because it can handle many tasks, it can feel overwhelming at first, especially when facing that blank page. There is a bit of a learning curve, but it can save you money compared to pricier management software that only partially adapts to your unique business needs.
Before Notion, I used Craftybase, a subscription-based tool designed for artisans, to do many tasks. However, over time, I found it a bit too expensive. The learning resources are primarily in English and their blog and support sections are done well.
On the other hand, you’ll find a wealth of Notion tutorials on YouTube.
One of my favorite channels is : https://www.youtube.com/@ThomasFrankExplains
Embroidery digitizing
Whether you have a small sewing/embroidery machine or a multi-needle embroidery machine, if you don’t want to limit your creativity, embroidery digitizing software is a must.
After some research, I chose Embird.
It’s relatively affordable compared to other options yet it still provides all the tools you need to bring your embroidery ideas to life. Embird is modular, so you can purchase only the program features you need, keeping costs low.
The one big drawback is that it’s only available for Windows. Since I use a Mac, I’ve had to work around this by using simulators like BootCamp or Parallels.
Invoicing is a tricky part of managing any business with a VAT number. I currently use Fatture In Cloud*. However, it’s worth noting that prices have risen significantly over recent years, so it may not be ideal for those with limited budgets.
Here are a few advantages:
- Relatively easy to use (as easy as Italian bureaucracy can get).
- Integrates well with WooCommerce, making e-commerce order invoicing automatic.
- Provides you accountant access to your account.
- Offers a one-month free trial.
With my goldfish memory and serious procrastination habit, keeping up with everything I need to do is an absolute nightmare! I finally found an app that works well for me, TickTick.
This app helps organize all your tasks, categorizing them by type and priority and scheduling them on a calendar to create a weekly plan.
You can also track the time you spend on each task, which lets you compare it to your initial schedule. Spoiler alert: they’ll never match up!
If you use the Pomodoro Technique, this tool is perfect for you!
Alternatively, if you prefer a simpler option, Google Calendar paired with Google Tasks also works well.
We often spend a lot of time doing the same tasks day in and day out. Make* is a lifesaver, connecting different apps and automating various processes. For example, it can automatically log all order details from your website into Notion, adjust product quantities in your inventory, and add the buyer’s email to your contact list without you having to lift a finger.
Setting it up can be complex, but it enables impressive automation that saves time.
For a more straightforward option with fewer features, check out Zapier.
Calendar
When it comes to calendars, hands-down Google Calendar is the best. It integrates seamlessly with all your other tools, ensuring you never miss an appointment with your clients again.
Newsletters and funnels
You need a dedicated tool to stay connected with your customers, send promotions, and create your funnels (a series of sequential emails).
The simplest and most affordable option I’ve found is definitely MailerLite.
If you’d like to receive my monthly newsletter with sewing tips and the latest shop updates, you can sign up using the form below:
Shipments
Keeping track of all your order shipments can get quite complicated as your grow your customer base. Parcel is a simple yet essential app for anyone who ships multiple packages each month—or even for monitoring all your spontaneous shopping purchases!
The only drawback is that it’s available exclusively for Mac devices.
Online sales
After spending considerable time selling my creations on the most famous platform for handmade and vintage items—Etsy—I finally opened my own online shop.
For this, I used WooCommerce, the free WordPress plugin.
Etsy is very useful for beginners because it provides a ready-to-use solution with good visibility. However, over time, the market has become saturated in some sectors, making it more challenging to stand out.
One of the major drawbacks of Etsy is definitely the fees. What started as around 3% has now risen to nearly 10%, including sales and transaction fees.
WooCommerce allows you to create your own shop while only paying the fees for the payment processing service you choose. However, it does significantly require more work in terms of visibility and technical skills.
Graphics
Whether you need to create content for your website or social media, Canva can be a great help.
Its customizable templates cut your design time in half while maintaining a simple and intuitive interface without unnecessary troubles.
For more complex tasks, such as creating technical drawings of your designs (flat sketches) or preparing patterns for printing and online sales, you can use the renowned Adobe Illustrator. This program is part of the Adobe suite and is available with a subscription.
If you’re looking for a free alternative, I recommend checking out Inkscape, which is a free vector graphics program.
And there you have it! I believe these are the best software and tools for your sewing studio.
I hope these programs help you move forward with your project. If you’d like me to dive deeper into any specific tool or need suggestions for other activities, feel free to leave a comment below.
See you soon!
* Links marked with this asterisk are affiliate links.
