Every sewist at some point looks for easy dress patterns. I don’t know about you, but I often cringe at the hefty price tags when I want to buy a particular article of clothing, especially dresses. And inevitably, I inspect said article and realize how very easy (with some practice, of course) it would be to make it myself.
Most easy and simple dresses consist of minimum 4 pieces – a front piece, a back piece and two sleeves. Sometimes there would also be a type of finishing for the neck, but most times one can just use a type of binding to finish of collars, especially when using knit fabrics.
PDF Patterns
These days it is incredibly easy to download sewing patterns in PDF format from the internet, but one also has to do so with a bit of caution in mind, especially if you download the free patterns.
While there nothing wrong with the free versions, you need to remember that the person/blogger who drew up the pattern most probably drew it up for themselves and therefore they may have included or excluded certain bits to ensure it fits on their frame.
That said, many free easy dress patterns are also really easy to alter in little ways to improve the fit on most body types.
Sizing (And Re-Sizing)
Sizing is another important aspect to keep in mind when downloading and using free patterns. Again, most free patterns are one size (to fit the person who drew up the pattern) and if you don’t match that, you could have some work on your hands.
Generally speaking though, with simple and easy patterns, it is not difficult to size a pattern up or down. I often refer to this blog post for information on how to make the various pattern pieces bigger (which I invariably tend to do).
Type of Fabric
Also quite important, is the type of fabric you choose. Many newbies are skeptical of knit fabrics (the kind that t-shirts are made of). But with a few hours of practice and some tips and tricks (which I will share in an upcoming post), working with knit fabrics can be easy. I must admit, I tend to choose fabrics on look and feel and end up hoping for the best once I start cutting!
In conclusion, free patterns are great and I find they work best for children’s clothing.
For fancier items or for women’s clothing which requires a bit more finesse, sometimes the free patterns don’t always hit the mark, due to reasons mentioned above.
Of course, if you are willing to spend a few Rands, you can also buy sewing patterns online for considerably less money than you would in store. Many sewing bloggers also sell their patterns.
As a modern sewist, I must say that I prefer using downloaded PDF patterns as I can cut it to the exact size I want (should it have various sizes included) and also since you most often print it on normal office paper, the pieces are not as dainty and finicky as traditional tissue paper that patterns are printed on.
Of course, you need to keep your head when piecing all the pages together as it is bit like building a puzzle, taping it together and then cutting it all out. A few extra steps, but a much easier pattern to use and deal with in the end.
Tutorials
Another wonderful thing about sewing and the internet are the tutorials. Sewing bloggers everywhere have detailed posts with pictures and explanations and even YouTube videos. If you can’t sew or can’t sew well, all the information and material is right at your fingertips.
Easy Dress Patterns
There are many resources on the internet – both free and paid, and it would be impossible to list them all. Here’s some links to some of the websites I have found some amazing easy dress patterns:
- https://creativenotions.co.za/recommends/easy-dress-patterns
- http://mellysews.com/free-patterns
- http://www.madeeveryday.com/
- http://so-sew-easy.com/free-sewing-patterns/
So, haul out some of that fabric from the back of the cupboard, find a pattern, print it, cut it and the fabric out and take the plunge to create it. After all, practice makes perfect!