Have you been looking for easy sewing patterns but only finding the ones you need to pay for? That’s where I was last week. Welcome to a free (and easy) sewing pattern that you can complete in one evening!
Finding easy sewing patterns can be hard, especially if you don’t feel like paying for them. There are so many out there and so many things to make that buying all those patterns can really add up!
Don’t worry. In this post, I will show you a super simple way to get any basic sewing pattern you want for free! The only thing you’ll need to pay for (if you don’t already have it) is the fabric you want to use.
This easy sewing project is great for beginners and can be molded into any design your creative mind can come up with!
Easy Sewing Patterns - Kids T-Shirt Dress
Supplies needed:
- Sewing machine (unless you are sewing this by hand)
- Fabric – this amount will vary based on your project size. For any kids clothes I like to have a yard of the fabric. This gives me plenty to make mistakes on and still have enough left over to fix it.
- Pins
- Scissors
- Iron
- Marker/pen/tracing pencil
- The garment you want to recreate
Sewing Tip to Consider
Some fabrics will be easier to work with than others. This one is smooth and a little stretchy. I have other fabrics that have more textured designs on them and that can make them hard to fold neatly to make the hems. Consider that when choosing which material you want to work with.
Step One - Creating Your Sewing Pattern
Choose the fabric you are using and fold it in half. By doing this you only need to trace and cut the pattern once instead of twice, AND you insure they are the same size.
Make sure it is lying flat and place your pattern/garment on top.
Step Two - Tracing
Trace around your pattern.
MAKE SURE to trace 1/2 – 1 inch bigger than your actual pattern. This will leave room for you to sew the seams. If you trace it too close, you end up needing to sew into the pattern which will make it smaller than you want it.
Step Three - Pin Your Lines
After you trace your sewing pattern, pin the lines so the pieces of fabric stay together. This will eliminate them from sliding around and then you ending up with two different sized pieces.
Step Four - Cut
Cut out your pattern just outside the pins. We will trim these up later, so if they seem a bit wider than 1 inch from the patter, that is okay!
Step Five - Fold Hems
In this next step, you’ll be cleaning up the edges. This will make it look more finished and complete without the raw cut edges.
To do this, fold each edge (bottom, arm pits, neck line, and top of the back) once and iron flat. I recommend folding up 1/4-1/2 inch each time. Then fold it up again to completely hide the raw edge. Iron again.
Once they are ironed flat, pin them down and move to the next section.
Note: the neckline is the hardest part since it is not straight. This one will take some trial and error to see what works beset for your fabric. Usually this piece will be skinner just because it’s harder to get a smooth, thicker line with the curve.
Step Five - Sew The Hems Shut
As you sew the hems shut, you want to make sure that you are sewing as close to the inside as you can so they are flat as possible and not able to flop out.
Step Six - Right Sides Together
Now it is time to sew the halves together.
Flip your fabrics so the right sides are together. Pin the sides and the shoulder straps.
By sewing it with the right sides together, you’re hiding the seams. If you sew the sides together with the wrong sides together, you will be able to see the rough seam edges when it’s all finished.
Step Seven - Sewing
Sew the sides and the shoulders together.
DO NOT sew the arms or the bottom or you’ll end up making a pillow and you won’t be able to flip it!
Once you have them sewn, you can trip the edges close to the stitch so they aren’t that 1 inch border that we did at the beginning anymore.
Step Nine - Flip Your Garment
Once everything is sewn and trimmed, flip your garment right side out. You can see that everything looks clean and smooth and you can’t see the rough edges.
Woohoo! You've finished your own sewing pattern!
Congratulations! In only 9 steps, you sewed your very own t-shirt dress. How easy was that?
Finding free sewing patterns doesn’t have to be hard. Heck, easy sewing patterns aren’t that hard to find either if you’re being creative.
Now go make something new!
