You don't need expensive paper patterns to make your own clothes. Simple clothing is easy to make with just a needle and thread, and a measuring tape.
Clothing to Make Without a Pattern
- Patternless Robe
- Even if you don't need a bathrobe, check out the hints on creating necklines.
- Patternless A-line Skirt
- Step by step directions, with photographs.
- The Mary Dress
- A simple, loose-fitting dress made to your own measurements.
- How to sew caftans
- Directions for a patternless caftan.
- The Tangled Web: Garb
- No pattern clothing with a Renaissance look. Directions for a chemise, gathered skirt, gored skirt, and bodice.
- Costuming Through the Centuries
- An SCA page with 'patternless patterns' for everything from from pants and tunic to Elizabethan undergarments. Some are much more complicated than others, and some require homemade patterns, but there is a wealth of information here.
- flamenco skirt (tutorial)
- Make your own flamenco skirt pattern.
- Civil War Skirt
- How to make your own Civil War era skirt.
- Easy Drawers Project
- How to make a pair of shorts out of two pillowcases.
- Paneled Skirt Instructions
- Make a gored (paneled) skirt.
- making petticoats
- A forum discussion with several ideas for making petticoats (or Navaho skirts) without patterns.
- Jacket
- Make a jacket out of a sweatshirt.
- Poncho with no pattern
- A plan for making a patternles poncho out of a fleece blanket.
- Saphonda's gloves
- An easy way to make glamorous lycra gloves
- DawnPages -- Costume Patterns
- Aimed at costumers, this site has instructions for several basic items, including pants and tunics. It also has instructions for a few Elizabethan accessories.
- Easy Cloak
- A simple rectangular cloak.
- whatthecraft?
- WhatTheCraft has craft and sewing tutorials, articles, and resources for all of your diy needs. Check out the tutorials for directions on making or modifying several kinds of clothing.
- Hooded Cape
- Step by step directions, with pictures, to make a hooded cape without a pattern.
- Wrap Skirt
- Directions to make a wrap skirt to your own measurements.
- Free Clothes Patterns
- Huge list of free patterns and pattern free sewing directions. Links to underclothes, skirts, shirts, aprons, kimonos, plus some other odds and ends
Books to Buy
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Sewing Illustrated (The Complete Idiot's Guide)
Includes no-pattern projects and general sewing information.
Amazon Price: $13.56 (as of 08/21/2008)
Patternless Fashions: How to Design and Make Your Own Fashions!: With New Appendices on Sewing for the Beginner!
Amazon Price: (as of 08/21/2008)
Simplicity: Simply the Best Sewing Book
Includes a section on patternless sewing.
Amazon Price: $15.95 (as of 08/21/2008)
Bits and Pieces
- Sleeves
- One of the sleeves (version F) has a patternless option.
- Simplicity Tips & Tricks: One Woman Hem-Marking
- A trick to make your hem come out even.
- One-hour Wide Belt
- "Create this patternless Japanese-inspired wrap with a twist."
Advice and Inspiration
- Making a Muslin
- How to make a mock-up of your project (traditionally using muslin, though any inexpensive fabric will work) so you don't waste your good fabric on a test run.
- I made a skirt!
- A skirt made without a pattern.
- A reversible cafe-style apron
- An apron made without a pattern.
- Serendipity Gloves
- Felt gloves made out of a sweater.
- You can make puppet costumes!
- Detailed direction to make patternless clothing...for puppets. A lot of this will still work on a larger scale.
Edgings are Everything!
Finish off your designs right with some wild and wacky, or inexpensively luxurious trim on Ebay!
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| minerva
Nice page. I learned about a lot of new resources. Thanks for all your hard work. Posted July 30, 2008 |
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badmsm
This is wonderful! Love to save $$$ on my sewing and crafts. Keep up the good work, 5 stars for you. :) Posted January 21, 2008 |
Your new website is really great. Keep up the good work.
Posted February 09, 2007
(by 4 people)

