How to Teach Yourself to Design & Make Clothes
- 1). Start simply. Choose a basic pattern for your first project. An A-line skirt is an ideal choice (see "Resources" for a pattern link) or pick a basic pair of pajama pants. Make several easy projects to get the hang of the sewing machine before you try to design and make more complicated clothing.
- 2). Experiment with remaking and refashioning. Pick items you don't like from your closet or buy thrift-store clothes with potential. Remove or remake collars, take in seams or reshape garments in other ways.
- 3). Tackle a more complex sewing project. Buy a pattern from a store or choose one from a website such as BurdaStyle. Work through the project, following instructions. Learn how garments fit together, how seams can change the shape of a garment and what alterations make clothes work with your body.
- 4). Sketch and design clothes. Once you have a design in mind, look for a pattern to work from or consider merging two patterns. Drafting patterns from scratch is time-consuming and often unnecessary.
- 5). Use inexpensive fabric to make a copy of your design. Alter and tweak this as needed. Then cut and sew the final design from the fabric of your choice. Expect some failures, but ultimately, designing and making clothes to fit your body and style will expand your wardrobe and allow you to express your creativity.
