a simple pattern tutorial

Wednesday, September 16

i like to think i can sew. at least, i like to think i can sew well enough for my own children to wear it. what i can't do is read a pattern. i have no idea what all the arrows are for or why they have to cut things into so many pieces. patterns also run really wide and short, but my children do not. and, if you have never purchased a pattern, they are expensive. like $16 a piece expensive and, that, is just ridiculous. what is a girl to do??

make her own. i started doing this a few years ago when i first started buying trunk show clothes for carter. i had a pair of pants that fit her really well and i thought i could make those if only i had a pattern. so, i made one, borrowed my mom's machine and started stitching.

so, here are my steps to a simple, free pattern:
what you need: a shopping bag or similar weight paper large enough for your pattern, scissors, pencil and whatever you wish to make a pattern of.
step 1: cut your shopping bag down one side and around the bottom completing discarding the bottom, like so.
step 2: turn your item inside out and trace around all the seams. make sure your item is flat and any wrinkles are smoothed out so you are getting the exact size of the item.
don't forget to stretch out elastic and make allowances for hems and waistbands.
when you are finished it should look like so.
step 3: cut out your pattern.
step 4: sew, sew, sew!

now you know my plan for the day . . .

3 comments:

kris said...

or you just wait for your clever friend to make a pattern and then copy it! i'm planning to trace out a copy of faith's reversible jd jumper dress from last year for a top, maybe size it up a little...we'll see how that works!

breanne said...

uhhh, why have i never thought of this? i've been searching high and low for a pant patter that is not tapered! what i bought was a pj pant pattern and it says "easy sew". i'm starting to wonder what is more confusing...the pattern or the machine???

Jenny Beth said...

okay you are very intuitive... i would be more than happy to show you some basic pattern modifications... people make this way more complicated than it has to be... maybe i should do a little work and could show you as well as the people commenting how to change things up.

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