Woven patterns for boys

I often see people commenting that there are so many great patterns in woven fabrics for girls, and hardly anything for boys. There are even a lot of free ones, if you know the right places to look. I did a post recently on designers with woven fabric patterns, and it's quite true that a lot only make for girls or women. However, it's possible to find enough patterns for boys, even some free ones, to be able to make a great capsule wardrobe, at least for younger boys. With all free patterns, there may be a limited size range in the free version, other sizes often being available as paid for patterns. In this post, I'll look at woven options for paid-for patterns from indie designers for boys, and then I'll move on to what you can find that's free.

Note that in this post, I'll be looking just at digital patterns that can be made in woven or non-knit fabrics, because that's what seems much harder to find. And I haven't considered paper patterns from the Big Five traditional pattern producers.

Pattern designers who have woven patterns for children

It is getting increasingly difficult to identify independent pattern designers who offer woven patterns as part of their offerings. It seems almost every day a new designer will emerge with a number of knit patterns - perhaps they are easier to design, or more forgiving in fit, and they have become very popular in the last 10-15 years. But many people still want to make children's clothing with some of the lovely woven fabrics that are around, me included, so I did some research to try and identify designers that do offer woven patterns. (I'm not including the traditional 'Big Five' or however many there are - they do all do woven paper patterns but you probably know them already. I'm talking about people who provide digital patterns on-line for you to print.) If you are specifically looking for boys patterns, there's also more information here.

One of my grand-daughters loving her woven cotton dress

Some great ideas for children learning to sew (or adults!)

I am so often asked for ideas for things that can be made by children, or indeed, adults, who want to learn to sew, that I thought I should write up some of them. Here, I will be focusing on children, but many of the projects I suggest are equally appropriate for adults. There are one or two ideas here for things that can be hand-stitched - well, almost anything can, it may just take longer! But I would almost always suggest that children learn first to do some hand-stitching before attempting to use a sewing machine. That way, they will learn some techniques which will always stand them in good stead.

Of course children can be different ages and in different circumstances when the situation arises. It's different teaching a five-year-old from a ten-year-old. However, I'm not going to offer any advice about what age is appropriate for a child to use a sewing machine, or what machine to use - you know your child best. I personally think simple is better to start with. You might want to get a guard for the machine, though, especially if the child is young.

Constructing a sewn item can also teach several skills: mathematics, to calculate sizes and seams etc; design; following written or video instructions; taking care of safety; and of course fine motor skills. And there can be so much satifaction at producing a usable, wearable, or fun item.

So read on for some ideas that may work for you, whether you are teaching a young relative to sew, or students at a school.

Lockdown tops

I seem to have been making a lot of tops for the girls during lockdown. The one saving grace for us in this awful period has been that we have had very nice weather, for the most part. So tops to go with summer trousers and shorts have been the most demanded items by two grand-daughters, Jane and Ada (and shorts - but that's for another post). 

 

 

Read on to find details of the patterns used (all of them free), or links to my posts about making them.

Home Made Face Masks - a Review

Has anyone else found themselves overwhelmed by the enormous number of tutorials and patterns for face masks that have sprung up in the last few weeks? This has increased  especially since the CDC in the US started to recommend wearing them. As at the time of first writing this, mask-wearing other than for professional medical and caring staff has not been recommended in the UK, but that may change. So I decided to do the research now, and be prepared for a time when I may need to make masks for our own and family's use. (We have a Vulnerable Person in the family.) Because there are so many different patterns, ideas, and styles around, I wanted to try several out and find out what works best. And I hope my research may be useful to others, too.

From this you can deduce that I am not currently making these for hospital use. Our hospitals have not yet put out a general / national request for home-made masks, although locally and on a smaller scale this is starting to happen. The Facebook Group Scrub Hub is bringing together groups around the country starting to make scrubs, and some of these groups are also making masks and other items. I am also in a local group, Sewing 4 Kingston, in Kingston / Surbiton in Surrey, making different versions for key workers - these use a different set of patterns for masks.

To read my review of face mask patterns and tutorials for home use, read on. It's a long post, so if you want a quick answer, read the first paragraph then skip to the end.

Free Dress Patterns for Girls - Page 1 of 2

This is part of my series of posts for free PDF patterns for clothes for little girls. I've already covered clothes for babies and toddlers.  For posts on babies from about 3 months up to crawling, see this post. I've covered older baby and toddler clothes up to about 18 months, in this post. And clicking on the tabs at the top will provide you with hundreds of ideas for clothes, as well as accessories for babies and children.

So this 2 page post now is for girls from about 2 upwards, right up to 12, and more specifically, dresses, which I haven't covered comprehensively before. I've found literally hundreds of free PDF patterns for girls' dresses, and used many of them. Even though I've split it, it's going to be a long post! Page 1 (this one) includes only patterns for girls that come in sizes up to and including 6. And page 2 of this post covers patterns which can be also used from age 7 plus. Though you will find a lot for girls younger than 7 on page 2 as well, as some of the patterns go from (say) 18 months to age 8. It may seem a bit arbitrary to separate them into the second page, but my reasoning was, there are lots of patterns for younger girls - not so many for the older ones. As you'd expected, being free, some patterns work better than others.  I've done my best to weed out the no-hopers. But I've tried to be fairly comprehensive - people like different styles.

To find links to patterns for girls from about 18 months or 2, up to 6, read on.

Free Dress Patterns for Girls - Page 2 of 2

This is the continuation of my post for free PDF patterns for clothes for little girls, page 2 of 2. You are definitely in the right place if you want patterns for girls aged 7 and above. However, many of these patterns include smaller sizes too.  All the pictures in this post are of dresses I've made for my grand-daughters. As you'd expected, being free, some patterns work better than others. I've tried to weed out most of the dross!

I've opted to divide this post into 2 pages: This one, for patterns which include sizes for age 7 and upwards, many of which do also have smaller sizes; and the other, for patterns for girls up to 6. So if you are looking for patterns for girls younger than 7, do have a look on this page, but you might also want to go back to Page 1, with patterns for girls up to 6. 

Free A-Line Patterns

As you'll have gathered if you are a regular reader, I'm a huge fan of a basic A-line pattern, I think it's the most versatile. See what I mean on this post. 

 However, some of the free A-line PDF patterns that I used to use no longer seem to be available, or if they are, they are not supported. Either that, or the girls have outgrown the sizes available. Most of the dresses I made last year have used a pattern I've designed, drawn on newspaper. So I will shortly be putting my own pattern on the blog, it will be free, and will have a number of sizes. In the meantime, here are some I have used, they may work for you. 

Girl Patterns - Baby Girls - Page 2, Crawlers to Toddlers

This is page two of a post covering free PDF sewing patterns for baby girls. Page 1 covered babies up to about crawling age, though there is obviously some overlap, so do look at Page 1 as well. Some of the patterns do come in multiple sizes.

The majority of the patterns I've covered in these two pages are for dresses, as I've already covered more unisex clothes (pants, hats, bibs and aprons etc) in separate posts. So do a search in the search box on the blog if you want something less obviously girlie. I will also be following up soon with posts on patterns for older girls, or c. 2 years upwards. 

Girl Patterns - Baby Girls - Page 1, 3 months to crawling

This two-page post reviews some of my favourite free PDF patterns for baby girls, from about 3 months old to toddler age. If you specifically want clothes for baby boys, see this post. I'll be doing posts for older girls later.

I've been making baby and children's clothes for the past 5 and a half years, when I first became a grandmother. I hadn't made many since my own children were babies, and the difference between then and now is that there are many people now who provide free PDF patterns on the internet. (Though I still had a handful of paper patterns from 30 years ago.) So I've devoted my blog to searching out and reviewing free PDF patterns for babies and children.

I have a separate series of posts for newborn patterns, for boys and girls. Regular readers of my blog will know that I generally try to dissuade people from making the smallest 0-3 month sizes - they may never fit, or may be outgrown faster than you can change a nappy. . But I know many people want to make them anyway. If that's you, off you go to my other post, and come back here when you want to make baby girl clothes in larger sizes.

Note that at the time of writing, all these patterns were free. Pattern designers are often generous enough to offer some taster patterns, which is a great way to decide if you like the patterns from these designers before you move on to paid-for patterns. Please ensure that you acknowledge them, as I always do, if you want to use the patterns or write about them. Not all of them want their patterns used commercially (for example if you are selling items you make for a profit.)

Free PDF patterns links that now don't work - Page 1 - A - G

I do my best to keep updating my blog, especially the links to other web sites. I've been blogging about free PDF patterns for baby and children's clothes for about 5 years now, and it's frustrating when I find the links to some of my favourites are no longer available. 

Sometimes, the designers' web sites still exist, or they have a new one: but their children have grown older, and they no longer want to support children's patterns, or now have only adult patterns. So the previously free pattern no longer exists. Or they've decided only to sell patterns, and no longer to offer any free ones. Occasionally, previous links no longer work, but I've managed to find a new one that does. But often, the web site has just gone, or has gone very dodgy, so you get messages that it's unsafe - or worse, if your security software doesn't catch it. 

Shorts made with Caila Made pattern, from now unsafe web site

However, many of the defunct links are going to continue to float around the internet. In the past, someone has added them to Pinterest. Then the pins get re-pinned, and then those re-pinned pins get re-pinned again, even though they may no longer link back to anything useful. In one sense, that doesn't matter to me, because I've downloaded the patterns anyway, if not the tutorial. But in another sense, it is a problem, because I've recommended the links to others. 

So the purpose of this post is to go through some of the defunct links, and others that have wobbled in the past, to see what I can offer to you. Like me, you may like what you've seen on Pinterest or elsewhere. In some cases, I can help. I may have found an alternative link, I may have something similar I can recommend instead, or I may have one of my own patterns that would work. Maybe I have something already saved that could help you. Others are sadly gone for ever. If you find other links (on my web site or on Pinterest) for baby patterns that don't work, do let me know!

If you are one of these pattern designers and you now have a new web site, where these patterns are available, please do get in touch. I'll be happy to set the record straight.

Free PDF patterns links that now don't work - Page 2 - H - M

This is Page 2 of my post looking at links to free baby and children PDF sewing patterns that no longer work - but are probably still on Pinterest or elsewhere. That's a bit shorthand - some do work but appear not to!  The purpose of this post is to go through some of the defunct links, and others that have wobbled in the past, to see what I can offer to you. Like me, you may like what you've seen on Pinterest or elsewhere. In some cases, I can help. I may have found an alternative link, I may have something similar I can recommend instead, or I may have one of my own patterns that would work. Maybe I have something already saved. Others are sadly gone for ever. If you find other links (on my web site or on Pinterest) for baby patterns that don't work, do let me know!

If you haven't seen Page 1 (A - G) of this post yet, click here.

UPDATE NOTE MAY 2019: Some of the I Candy links below which had disappearted in February have now been rescusitated. I will reinstate them below shortly.

Free PDF patterns that now don't work - Page 3 - N - Z

This is Page 3 of my post looking at links to free baby and children PDF sewing patterns that no longer work - but are probably still on Pinterest or elsewhere.That's a bit shorthand - some do work but appear not to! The purpose of this post is to go through some of the defunct links, and others that have wobbled in the past, to see what I can offer to you. Like me, you may like what you've seen on Pinterest or elsewhere. In some cases, I can help. I may have found an alternative link, I may have something similar I can recommend instead, or I may have one of my own patterns that would work. Maybe I have something already saved. Others are sadly gone for ever. If you find other links (on my web site or on Pinterest) for baby patterns that don't work, do let me know!

Two dresses I made in 2017 from patterns that now have links that are broken.

Or, if you are responsible for one of the web sites for which I have broken links, and you know differently, please also let me know that, and I'll be happy to set the record straight.

If you haven't seen Page 1 (A - G) of this post yet, click here. Or for Page 2 (H- M) click here. Otherwise, read on for patterns from web sites from N to Z.

Free PDF patterns for newborns - Page 1

In general, I try to discourage people from making clothes in newborn baby size, at least, in large quantities. See my posts here and here. Often a newborn is bigger than you expect, and they grow just SO fast. But there are times when these very small clothes may be appropriate, especially if the baby was small at birth, or perhaps, was born too soon. Or you just want to make some because they are cute, so you are happy to ignore my advice. Just don't say I didn't warn you!

In fact, there are quite a lot of patterns available as free PDFs on the internet in this size - perhaps more than for other sizes. So you'll find in this post (3 pages-worth) my recommendations for which to choose. These are almost all patterns that are described by their designers as newborn, 0-1 months, or 0-3 months - I'll tell you which. There are dresses, onesies, pants, hats - you can make a complete outfit for a tiny baby using these free patterns. Most come with tutorials. Let's start by thanking the designers for their generosity in sharing. And please remember that they are shared freely on the basis of people using them for personal use, not for commercial purposes.

If you are looking for even smaller sizes, you could look at my posts for premature babies. But often, PDF patterns can be printed a little smaller, and can be adapted to be suitable for premature babies by adding in some extra openings. I give some suggestions for how to adapt them in this post.

To find out more, read on.

Free PDFpatterns for newborns - Page 2

You are on the second page of my post about free PDF patterns for newborns. If you missed Page 1, you might want to return there first. 

But if you've read Page 1, then off you go  - read on. As before, larger pictures on this page are my own, from things I have made for my grandchildren. The smaller pictures are from the pattern designers' web sites. 

Free PDF patterns for newborns - Page 3

You are on the third page of my post about free PDF patterns for newborns. If you missed Page 1, or Page 2, you might want to return there first. I wrote in those pages about onesies, dresses, T shirts, hats, and clothes with legs. In this post, I'll try and pick up on patterns for other types of clothes you might want to make for newborn babies.

I should say first of all that I still strongly discourage people from making clothes in newborn size. (Though even I sometimes ignore my own advice, and then regret it. ) Many newborns are already too large for the smallest size clothes, and if they aren't at birth, they soon will be. But the fact that you are here suggests you also intend to make newborn clothes anyway, no matter how much I urge you not to. So go ahead. Read on to find free PDF patterns to help you make cute, tiny clothes that may never be worn!

Premature Baby Patterns - Page 2. Dressing a very pre-term or very small baby.

Page 2. Dressing a very pre-term or very small baby.

This page is aimed at people who would like to make clothing for very small babies, those born at less than 32 weeks' gestation, and / or weighing less than 1.5 kg at birth, who are likely to be in incubators. If your baby is older or larger than that, you may be able to skip through to my stage 2 or stage 3 pages - but have a look at what I have to say here, first. Any baby in intensive care, even if larger, may also need special consideration regarding clothing.

The first thing I will say is that it's important to seek the advice of the health professionals at the neonatal intensive care unit as to what clothing is appropriate. The reality is that these tiny babies not only may have no need of clothing at this early stage, but they may be unable to wear any. They may have several wires and tubes attached, to help them breath or feed, and to monitor them, such that any normal clothing could not be used, as it would not be possible to get the necks and sleeves over these without detaching them. Additionally, they may need to be under a blue light, which requires maximum skin exposure.   Or they may be swaddled in a special type of plastic blanket that won't stick to their delicate skin, but will keep them warm.


To find out more about dressing a very pre-term baby, read on.

Premature Baby Patterns - Page 3 - Ready for more clothes?

This is the third of my pages suggesting free patterns for premature babies.  All babies are different, and my splitting up of the 'stages' is somewhat arbitrary. I've just done it in order not to have one great long post with lots of ifs and buts. I'm assuming you have arrived here either from my Introduction Page 1, or Page 2, dressing a very premature baby. This post is mainly for babies who have reached 1.5 - 2.5 kg, (about 3lbs  - 5lbs) or 32-36 weeks' gestation. Or perhaps the baby was not quite so early, but was small at birth, or had a few problems resulting in a stay in the NICU.

If the baby is still in an incubator, with several tubes and wires, you may be better starting with Page 2, or even my Introduction Page 1, since these babies may not be ready for much clothing. But eventually, some of the tubes and wires will go, and the baby will be stronger, and it is so encouraging to the parents to finally see their little one in some clothing of their own. This little kimono garment is covered in Page 2, as it may be suitable for very premature babies, but it also works very well as the baby grows, so I'll cover it here as well.

In this post, I'll give you links to some further free PDF patterns and tutorials for clothing that may be suitable for a baby that is still very small, and may still not be ready to go home. 

I'll also cover some of the most important principles, so that you can decide on suitability, if you find other patterns, or even ready-to-wear clothing that is supposed to be for premature babies, but may just be small.

All clothing for premature babies should be made of very soft cotton, preferably flannel, and capable of being washed at 60 degrees centigrade. At this stage, you still want clothing that doesn't need to be wrangled over the baby's head, or their arms and legs squeezed to try and stuff them through tight sleeves or legs. And it may have to go over some tubes or wires. Ideally, the garment can be laid flat on the cot or in the incubator, the baby placed on top, and the garment wrapped around, as with the kimono above.

So for ideas for this stage in a premature baby's life, read on.

Premature Baby Patterns Page 4. Nearly ready for home?

This is the fourth and last of my pages suggesting free patterns for premature babies.  All babies are different, and my splitting up of the 'stages' is somewhat arbitrary. I've just done it in order not to have one great long post with lots of ifs and buts. If you have a baby which still weighs less than 5 lbs or 2.5 kgs, OR is in an incubator with a number of interventions in the form of wires and tubes, OR which has been recently born at 35 weeks gestation or less, you may be better starting with one of the other pages, and returning here afterwards.

However on this page, we talk about babies either born at 36 weeks or so, who will perhaps not stay long in hospital, or who, having had a period of  more intensive care, are now more or less tube and wire free; maybe he or she weighs 5 lbs (c. 2.5 kgs) or more, perhaps he or she is almost ready to go home? Or perhaps the baby was not premature at all, but is just a small baby? The newborn clothes in the shops may still be a bit big. What kind of clothes can you make for this stage? This is what this page covers.

Touching Little Lives Preemie Sleeper

I will still urge you not to make too many clothes in these tiny sizes. The baby will grow so fast, they'll be out of them in 2-4 weeks, and allowing for washing in between, they may not get many wears out of them. Almost better to try some of the newborn size patterns, and roll up the sleeves for a couple of weeks!


In this page, I'll suggest some free PDF patterns that may work, which come in this size. 

Sewn toys and play things for babies and toddlers

Over the last few years, I've collected many ideas for toys you can sew for babies and toddlers, almost all are free. Many I have used! Now, I thought it was time I shared them on the blog. First, here are some links to other articles on the blog that have ideas and some 'How to's.

A Sounds bag, or Sensory bag - particularly useful for a child just learning to talk:

Ideas for a baby gym, including a crinkly snake:

Ideas for baby shower presents, including some toys and play things:

There are lots of other toy ideas and tutorials on my blog if you do a search. In particular, there are several articles on Quiet Books / Play Books, Dolls' Clothes, and Finger Puppets.

Below the jump, I will share links that I have found while doing my own research.
Note Craftsy / Bluprint links may now be defunct - I will try and find other links.