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:
Sorbetto Top / Colette Patterns
Frances Shirt / Fibre Mood
Hemlock Tee / Grainline Studio
Donna Dress / fabrics-store.com
Mallow Dress / Mood Fabrics
Pocket Skirt / Peppermint Mag
Harlow Pajama Bottoms / Charm Patterns
Jumpsuit / Peppermint Mag
Cardoon Coat / Mood Fabrics
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!
