10 Free Sewing Patterns For Beginners

I often get asked by beginners “where do I start?” when it comes to choosing a good sewing pattern for their first project. There are lots of great sewing patterns for beginners, but in general, it is best to look for patterns for garments with loose silhouettes (to avoid fitting issues), and patterns that don’t have zippers, buttons and other closures (as these can be difficult to sew). When choosing fabric, look for solid-colored fabrics that are stable (i.e., they are not slippery or stretchy, like silk). You’ll also want to use patterns that come with detailed written instructions and/or video tutorials.

Below are 10 free sewing patterns that would be great for the total beginner sewist, covering all parts of your wardrobe, including tops, skirts, dresses, pants, jumpsuits and coats. These patterns include:

1. Sorbetto Top / Colette Patterns

2. Frances Shirt / Fibre Mood

3. Hemlock Tee / Grainline Studio

4. Donna Dress / fabrics-store.com

5. Mallow Dress / Mood Fabrics

6. Pocket Skirt / Peppermint Mag

7. Harlow Pajama Bottoms / Charm Patterns

8. Jumpsuit / Peppermint Mag

9. Cardoon Coat / Mood Fabrics

10. Calla Coat / Mood Fabrics

A detailed description of each pattern is below.

Tops

I recommend that beginner sewists look for tops that pull on over the head and don’t have many darts or seamlines. That avoids the need for tricky closures like buttons and zippers, and means that you don’t have to worry too much about fit. For the absolute beginner, I also recommend staying away from set-in sleeves for the time being (set-in sleeves are when the sleeve needs to be sewn into a relatively close-fitting armhole). If you want to sew something with sleeves, look for grown-in sleeves that are attached to the bodice, or raglan sleeves (where the sleeve is sewn to the bodice with a seam running at a diagonal from the armpit up to the neckline).

1. Sorbetto / Colette Patterns

This pattern for a loose fitting tank top with box pleat detail has been around forever (since 2011!) and is much-loved by the sewing blogosphere (check out over 200 reviews here). This pattern is easy to sew because it has no closures and has a relaxed fit so it doesn’t require much fitting. The absolute easiest is Version 1, so start there. (Avoid Version 3, which is slightly more complicated due to the sleeves and narrow hem.) If it’s your first sewing project, I recommend making this out of a cotton poplin, which is an easy fabric to handle because it’s stable (i.e. it doesn’t shift around when you’re cutting or sewing) and easy to press (so you can make nice crisp folds with your iron).

2. Frances Shirt / Fibre Mood

This loose pullover top has a simple grown-on sleeve that is attached to the bodice and shaped with some gathers. It is another loose-fitting top that is easy to sew and would look great paired with some high-waisted wide legged jeans. If you’re ready to move on from cotton, try sewing with a light- to mid-weight linen - it’s slightly more tricky than cotton poplin because it shifts a bit, but it’s still pretty easy to cut and sew.

3. Hemlock Tee / Grainline Studio

This pattern for a classic knit tee has also been around forever (since 2013!) and is much-loved by the sewing blogosphere. Again, a boxy shape and lack of closures make this a very easy sew. Yes, it requires working with a knit fabric, but not to worry - it’s totally doable if you choose a more stable knit fabric (such as double knit or ponte roma). Still anxious? Never fear - there is an entire video sewalong series that walks you through sewing a Hemlock tee step-by-step (including the crucial step of choosing the right fabric).

Dresses & Skirts

For dresses, I recommend that beginners look for dresses that pull over the head (to avoid tricky closures) and have a loose silhouette in both the bodice and the skirt. Avoid skirts that are fitted around the hips, like pencil skirts or mermaid skirts, because these are more difficult to fit. These loose dresses and skirts can still be figure-flattering with the addition of elastic or waist ties, which give the garment some much-needed shaping to show off your curves.

4. Donna Dress / fabrics-store.com.

This pullover dress features an elastic waist and loose cuffed sleeves. The relaxed fit of the dress makes it a super simple sew, but adding elastic at the waistline instantly adds some shaping to the garment without any need to futz around with darts or seamlines. You’ll also learn how simple it is to add pockets to a dress, although you can always skip that step if you want to keep your project as simple as possible. The only slightly tricky part is the closure at the back of the neck, but it is not too complicated if you just follow the instructions carefully. (Step by step instructions are available on their blog.) Choose a stable woven fabric that doesn’t fray too much - I actually really love the terracotta linen that is recommended by fabric-store.com for this - such a rich saturated color!

5. Mallow Dress / Mood Fabrics.

This slouchy faux-wrap dress with long flowing skirt looks completely different depending on the fabrication - compare this casual daytime version with this evening look. For your first time around, stay away from the slippery but elegant evening fabrics like silk charmeuse, and the stretchy knit fabrics like bamboo jersey (basically, all of the fabrics that Mood recommends on their blog posts). Instead, stick to stable woven fabrics like rayon challis or cotton chambray, which should make for a perfect spring or summer dress.

6. Pocket Skirt / Paper Theory / Peppermint Mag

This relaxed A-line skirt is a really simple sew because of the loose silhouette, which means the skirt gently skims (but doesn’t hug) the hips. The elastic waist makes it easy to fit, while the oversized pockets add a lovely design detail (that is also really functional!). Again, I think that linen would be a great fabric choice for this skirt, but I also think that this skirt could look great in a wide variety of medium-weight stable fabrics, including denim and faux leather (which is really on-trend right now).

Pants & Jumpsuits

Pants have a reputation for being notoriously tricky to fit, but that doesn’t mean that beginners can’t sew pants - just pick pants with a loose silhouette, so you avoid having to fit the tricky butt and crotch areas. Also avoid any pants with tricky closures, like fly-front zippers (these are the zippers that are used in most tailored work pants).

7. Harlow Pajama Bottoms / Charm Patterns

I know this pattern is for PJs, but I think the bottoms in this pajama set are a great pant pattern for beginners. Fitting pants can be very tricky, as are many of the closures used in pants (such as fly fronts). These pants avoid all of those issues, with their loose fit and elastic waist. There is also a long (1 hr 45 min!) video tutorial that walks you through the entire process of sewing these pajamas. Again, I would recommend sticking with relatively stable woven fabrics, such as cotton lawn or rayon challis, and stay away from the slippery silk charmeuse until you have a few projects under your belt.

8. Jumpsuit / In the Folds / Peppermint Mag

I bet you didn’t think you could tackle a jumpsuit as a total beginner, huh? Not so. The trickiest part of this jumpsuit is finding a place big enough to lay the fabric out to cut around the (full-length) pattern pieces. That and inserting the invisible zipper - but don’t worry, it’s really not as difficult as you might think, especially if you hand-pick (i.e. hand-stitch) the zipper, which I find far, far easier than sewing the zipper in with a sewing machine. Other than that, this is a pretty straightforward sew, made possible by the loose silhouette and very small number of pattern pieces (basically just the front, back, facing pieces and waist sash). And there are tons of versions online to take inspiration from! Once again, stick to stable woven fabrics that don’t fray, like linen, cotton or chambray. Avoid silk for now.

Jackets & Coats

A total beginner can absolutely sew a coat as a first sewing project, if you pick the right pattern. Look for a coat with a loose silhouette and no seamlines or darts. Avoid set-in sleeves, which can be especially tricky to insert with the bulky wool fabrics that most coats are made out of. Also avoid the classic notched collar that is found in most coats and blazers, as that requires tailoring to look nice and crisp. Finally, avoid tricky closures like separating zippers or buttonholes, and look for coats that are designed to be worn open or tied closed with a waist tie. I realize that sounds like a lot to avoid, but don’t worry - there are still lots of stylish coat patterns that are great for beginners, and wool coating fabrics are actually very easy to sew, as they are stable and easy to press.

9. Cardoon Coat / Mood Fabrics

This oversized cocoon coat has a lovely shawl collar and set-in pockets to keep your hands warm and toasty. The coat also has a drop shoulder and roomy sleeves, which makes the sleeves easier to insert. If you want to make this project as easy as possible, skip the pockets and the cuffs, and you’ll still have a very lovely coat in the end. Sew this coat out of a medium- or heavy-weight wool coating fabric.

10. Calla Coat / Mood Fabrics

I love the drama of this long duster coat, and it is surprisingly easy to make because it has no collar, no closures and no set-in sleeves (instead, this coat features raglan sleeves). There are still plenty of lovely design details though - patch pockets, cuffed sleeves and a waist tie to add shaping. The only downside is the instructions for this coat on Mood’s blog are pretty scanty, so you might not want to make this coat your very first coat sewing project. However, if you have a few projects under your belt (unintended pun), you totally have the skills needed to tackle this coat.

I would love to hear from you if you know of any other free sewing patterns that are good for beginners, especially if they are patterns for fitted garments - I struggled to find any that don’t involve some degree of fitting, which I thought was too difficult for the total beginner. Please let me know in the comments!

Unique Style Icons: Yoliswa

This week, we head to the southern hemisphere to South Africa to meet a style icon who embraces high-fashion drama: Yoliswa.

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A post shared by Yoliswa 🕊 (@yoliswa_mqoco) on Nov 9, 2019 at 11:27pm PST

It takes a lot of verve to pull off puffy sleeves, a blazer vest AND a dramatic hat, but Yoliswa can do it. She also loves voluminous ruffles, as shown in Exhibit B below:

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A post shared by Yoliswa 🕊 (@yoliswa_mqoco) on May 3, 2018 at 12:43am PDT

Seriously, Christian Siriano should make her his muse ASAP - she loves to rock all of his favorite design elements (puffy sleeves, ruffles and dramatic hats). And, just like Coco so adeptly demonstrated last week, the accessories are always perfectly coordinated to the outfit (here, her white sunglasses match her bag while her red lipstick matches her hat).

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A post shared by Yoliswa Moleboheng Mqoco 🕊 (@yoliswa_mqoco)

Even when Yoliswa takes a turn towards minimalism, the effect is still somehow intensely dramatic:

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A post shared by Yoliswa 🕊 (@yoliswa_mqoco) on Sep 8, 2019 at 9:36am PDT

So what can we learn from Ms. Yoliswa?

1. Don’t be afraid to play with volume, even if you’re just hanging out by the pool. In today’s athleisure world, we are all wearing slouchy sweatpants and hoodies, but I’d love to see a turn back towards a crisply tailored silhouette.

2. Amass a large collection of wide-brimmed hats and stand-out sunglasses. They’ll punctuate your outfit and save your skin from years of ageing to boot.

3. Get a house by the beach and drown yourself in sunshine. Seriously, this simple trick will make any outfit look better.

While I don’t have the disposable income to buy myself a beach house, I do have access to some wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses, so I tried to re-create Yoliswa’s last look above on my roof in Brooklyn. I never thought that a monochromatic outfit could pack so much visual punch, but it does and I love it! I’ll just have to avoid red sauce, red wine and my period while wearing this look.

What do you think of Yoliswa’s looks? Are you brave enough to rock voluminous ruffles and puffy sleeves in everyday life?

How to Make Holiday Wreaths

This week, I was feeling a bit blue contemplating the long cold winter to come, so I decided to ask my friend Tammy of Nettle, a floral design shop in NYC, for some tips on making festive wreaths to brighten up the décor at my house.  She was overflowing with great advice, so I thought I would turn over the floor to her so everyone can benefit from her fantastic tips and tricks.  Without further ado, here’s Tammy…

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One of my favorite activities to do in December is making wreaths.  Wreaths can actually be made any time of year, but the holidays feel like an especially appropriate time to get festive with wreath decor options.  I personally love all of the glitter and metallic decor elements that can be found this time of year.

Usually, I would go to the flower market on 28th street in New York to buy materials for my wreaths, but this time I wanted to make wreaths with materials that would be widely available to everyone, so I decided to shop for materials at Trader Joe’s and Michaels. I enjoy making wreaths so much, I couldn’t settle on just one design, so I made two, each with its own style.

Evergreen Holiday Wreath

First, I dressed up a traditional evergreen wreath with all of the gold and glitter that you would expect during the Christmas season:

To make this wreath, I started with a pre-made evergreen wreath that I bought from Trader Joe’s.  Since the wreath is already covered in greens, I only needed to add decorative accents – I added some twinkle lights, glittery ball ornaments, a huge bow made out of sparkly gold ribbon, and the most adorable fuzzy little bird.  I also added a few sprigs of baby’s breath to give the illusion of snow on the greenery.

Modern Wreath

Second, I made a natural wreath that plays with pops of color and negative space:

For this wreath, I started with a grapevine wreath and added some greenery to fill in the space (balsam, pine, cedar, juniper, olive branches). I then added a dangling orange, maroon carnations, evergreen scented pinecones and sprigs of baby’s breath, all topped with (of course) another huge gold bow.

Making Your Own Holiday Wreath 

Inspired to make your own wreaths?  You totally can – in fact, it’s simple enough that you can even get kids in on the action.  No prior experience with flowers or plants necessary.

Everyone has their own design preferences, so rather than giving you a specific recipe, I’ve outlined some tips to help you get started.

Picking Your Elements

Start with a pre-made wreath form.

Although it’s possible to create a wreath from a bare wire wreath form and several large bunches of greens, I recommend starting with a pre-made wreath.  My two favorite options are either 1) a standard evergreen wreath or 2) a grapevine wreath.  Christmas tree lots will often sell natural wreaths, but they’re also available at Trader Joe’s this time of year (which is where I purchased mine). Meanwhile, a grapevine wreath is a great option for adding your own greens, as the grapevine tangle provides a solid structural base for holding the greens.  Grapevine wreaths can be found at Michael’s or other craft stores.  My preferred wreath size is about 16 inches in diameter, as it’s a good size for attaching to most doors.

Add some greenery. 

Regardless of which wreath form you start with, you may want to add additional greens. Greens can be a great way to give new structure to your wreath form. I also enjoy adding a variety of greens, so that I can really layer different textures into your wreath. 

You can source your greenery from lots of different places.  Grocery stores and bodegas will often sell mixed bunches of evergreens, which means you can buy just one or two bunches while getting a lot of variety.  Another option is buying a “swag,” which is a bundle of evergreens typically hung on a wall or door, much like a wreath.  The swags also often include a nice variety of branches and can be easily taken apart so the branches can be used individually. 

I always look for a variety of different structures and textures in the greenery. For instance:

• Pine and cedar both have soft stems and a very nice drape and their leaves and needles have very different shapes.

• Fir and balsam will both be more firm, but also fluffy, providing a lot of volume.  

• It can also be fun to add a few non-evergreen options. Eucalyptus (all varieties), magnolia and olive are some good options, because they all dry well. 

Each of these greens bring in new colors, shapes, and textures, which adds visual interest and depth to the wreath.

Add other elements. 

Other natural elements that can be nice to add are oranges, cinnamon sticks, berries, and flowers.  Keep in mind that berries and flowers will dry out without a water source, so it’s best to use berries and flowers that will dry nicely. Ilex berries are a good option that are easy to find this time of year.  For flowers, I like using small flowers that dry well, such as baby’s breath (gypsophilia), statice or limonium. I particularly like using baby’s breath or other small white flowers, because it can mimic the look of snow on the wreath.  Carnations and chrysanthemums are also both pretty long-lasting out of water and will look nice for approximately 24-72 hours.

Most larger flowers, such as roses, require a lot of hydration and don’t last very long without water.  If you’d still like to use them, you can always replace the dried flower with a new fresh flower every few days.

It can also be fun to add in unnatural elements, like twinkle lights, glitter balls or even cute ornaments (like the adorable stuffed bird that I added to the holiday wreath).  It just adds that touch of whimsy to an otherwise very natural wreath.

Think about scents. 

Consider incorporating some elements that bring winter scents to your holiday wreath.  In general, the fresh green smell from a wreath will only last a week or so until the branches dry out, so it can be great to add other elements with longer-lasting scent.  For example, one of my favorite finds this year was a bag of pinecones from Trader Joe’s that were scented with cedar and balsam essential oil, so they’ll maintain their scent for just a little longer.

Adding Your Elements To The Wreath

Start simple and build up. 

It’s always easiest to start out simple, and you can add more later.  If you’re feeling overwhelmed with design options, pick just a few elements, but go extra lush with these elements.  For instance, you could choose only oranges and pinecones as your decorative elements. Or you could leave out all extra elements and choose to just focus on adding a variety of greens to your wreath for an ultra-simple look.

Alternatively, if you’re playing with a lot of different elements, choose a specific color scheme or a few main focal points first, then fill in the rest of the wreath accordingly.  For example, in the holiday wreath I chose a rose gold theme, and the main focal points were the gold, glittery bow and the bird ornament.

Use green spool wire to secure your elements. 

The grapevine wreath form is naturally tangled, which makes it easy to add branches or other elements simply by tucking them into the wreath. Similarly, the evergreen wreath is often lush enough that new elements can also be tucked in.

However, when securing elements that can’t be tucked into the wreath, you will need to use green spool wire to secure the elements to the wreath.  I like to use green wire because it can be camouflaged in either evergreen or grapevine wreaths, as it blends well with both green and brown. I recommend using 20 - 24 gauge wire, because that wire is thick enough to be sturdy, but not so thick that it is difficult to manipulate.  You’ll also want to have wire cutters handy to cut the wire as using scissors or shears (even floral shears) will ruin those tools.

To attach oranges to a wreath, pick an orange that still has its stem.  The stem often has bumps and ridges on it from where the leaves are or used to be; you’ll want to secure the wire under a ridge by wrapping the green wire around the steam twice before twisting it.  Next, decide where you want your orange to hang – I chose to let the orange dangle quite low, because I wanted a dramatic structure for my wreath.  Finally, attach the wire to the wreath by looping it through the grapevine and securing it with another double loop and twist.  Trim any excess wire or tuck it into the wreath.  

Here’s a video showing how to attach the orange with wire:

Similarly, you can attach pinecones and other elements by looping the wire around the item and securing the other end of the loop to the wreath.

Layer your elements. 

Consider layering your elements so that long drapey greenery is in the back and short focal pieces are in the front.  For example, in my modern wreath, I layered pine and cedar (which are both long and drapey) in the back and added berries, juniper and incense cedar as focal points in the front.  I finished off my greens with olive branches because I liked the contrast of using a non-evergreen branch.

Consider grouping flowers. 

Sometimes, a single flower just doesn’t have enough impact.  For example, in both of the wreaths I made, I wanted the baby’s breath to be reminiscent of snow, so I added a few mini-bunches of baby’s breath tied with wire, and I also tucked a few sprigs of baby’s breath in individually.

Here’s a video showing how to make bunches of flowers using wire:

Add pops of color. 

To provide some contrast from all of the neutral colors, add a colorful pop to one area of the wreath.  In my modern wreath, I added several buds of the maroon mini carnation in a loose cluster because I wanted it to look as though it were growing from the grapevine.  Because the maroon is a strong color, I kept the buds all close to one another and I placed them in the top left to counterbalance my low hanging orange.

Consider the negative space. 

Sometimes, the most effective use of space is to not fill it in at all.  For example, in my modern wreath, I decided to create a more dramatic finish at the bottom of the wreath with long branches.  Because the bottom of the wreath is so big, I left the top of the wreath bare as a counterbalance.  The use of negative space helps the wreath stand out from maximalist holiday wreaths.

Top it all off with a big bow and/or a hanging ribbon. 

Giant, glittery bows instantly add drama to your wreath, and they’re also a great way to cover any bare spots in our wreath.  Make the bow out of some gorgeous glittery metallic ribbon for a really luxurious look.  I recommend pre-making your ribbon into a bow so you know in advance how much space the bow will take up; that way you can arrange your elements with that in mind. There are many great tutorials on the internet already on how to make bows out of ribbon, so I won’t go into the details here.  (I recommend this tutorial here and here on making bows.)  You can also find pre-made bows at Michael’s.

Secure your bow to the wreath with green spool wire.  Cut a length of wire that is about 4 inches long, then loop the wire through the back of the bow so that one half of the wire is above and one half is below the bow, and twist the wire together tightly.  You’ll now have two ends of wire of roughly the same length coming from the back of the bow.  Use those two ends to attach the bow to the grapevine by looping one wire through the wreath before twisting the two ends together.  (Fun tip: you can use this same technique to attach bows to Christmas trees as well.)

Here’s a video showing how to attach a bow to the wreath:

If you’re adding a hanging ribbon, make it into a clear design statement by using some glittery, colorful ribbon, looped through the wreath and tied in a bow.  This is an easy way to add a mechanism for hanging the wreath on a nail or hook on your wall or door.

Don’t Worry, Be Free

The most important thing to remember when decorating your wreath is to have fun!  One of the best things about making a wreath is that you can always take it apart and start over.  (Sabrina and I took the two sample wreaths apart several times during filming.)  Don’t be afraid to play with the materials and get creative with placement – sometimes the best designs come about completely by accident.

Happy holidays!  Let me know in the comments below if you end up making your own holiday wreath.