Have you ever found yourself with handmade clothes that you didn’t wear? Clothes that clutter your wardrobe? Clothes that are very pretty but that you didn’t like to wear?

Then this article is made for you! 

Indeed, unless you are a designer, to make your handmade clothes, you use commercial patterns often chosen by favorites, or because you saw the model worn in a magazine, or on a trendy Instagrammer... but is it really the right choice? 

So I invite you to discover my 5 criteria for choosing pattern models that will allow you to create clothes that reflect you and that you will enjoy wearing!

Let's go!

1. Look at what you usually wear

You might tell me this is a silly criterion but no, not at all! Go to your wardrobe and observe the clothes you wear the most or a lot depending on the seasons.

Observe:

• their overall shape (fitted vs loose)
• their cut (straight, fitted at the waist, bootcut, slim...)
• their color (plain, floral, polka dot...)
• their texture (soft, raw, thick, silky...)
• their composition (woven, knit...)
• their details (ruffles, flounce, buttoning, piping...)
• their shape (V-neck, round neck, boat neck...)
• their length (mini, midi, maxi)
• ...

What is important here is to focus on the criteria of the clothes you naturally reach for in the morning when you get dressed, the ones you put back on whenever they are clean... these are, in a way, your favorite clothes. 

It's tempting to sew evening dresses with pretty details, but these are clothes you will wear little unless you are very outgoing and have a busy social calendar. 

I also invite you to take the weather factor into account; the wardrobe of a Brussels seamstress is not quite the same as that of a Corsican seamstress. So, (even though I love it) I should have fewer floral dresses with thin straps and more jackets and coats than my island counterpart. 

In my wardrobe, my favorite clothes are mostly printed sweatshirts, plain pants/jeans, plain dresses, floral dresses... and floral blouses...

2. Colors and patterns: what do you wear regularly?

This criterion is very important when choosing your fabrics. If you have carefully observed your wardrobe and especially your favorite clothes, you have surely noticed the predominant colors. If not, take another look at your wardrobe.

Observe:

• Colors: warm or cool types
• plain or patterned 
• Large pattern or small pattern
• timeless pattern? (polka dot, striped, checked...)
• floral pattern
• ...

This will help you define the color range that attracts you. However, be careful not to confuse the color range that generally attracts you with the one you actually like to wear. You might be drawn to a fabric because it pleases your eye, but not know how to use it to actually wear it. 

In terms of style, the general advice (and then everyone does what they want...) is:

• Small person, small patterns; tall person, large patterns
• No more than three different colors in the outfit (except for colorful, variegated patterns)
• tonal variations are easy to match
• make a moodboard for your creations, it channels creativity (without restricting it) 
• think about colors that enhance your complexion (at least for upper-body clothing)

For my part, I like floral patterns, Japanese patterns, bright colors (and I’m definitely not afraid to wear them).

3. Do you prefer to wear knitwear or woven clothing?

It’s true that we generally learn sewing with woven fabrics (poplin, canvas...) and that’s quite normal, it’s easier to sew and builds confidence to progress... yes but, if your wardrobe only contains knitwear... well, at some point, you have to dare to try the so-called knits and why not buy an overlocker!

There’s no point in sewing multiple dresses, skirts, and blouses in woven fabric... if your usual outfit is more like a jersey dress, t-shirt, sweatshirt... 

For my part, I have a fairly mixed wardrobe in terms of materials because I like structured and fitted clothes but also more comfortable clothes like cotton sweatshirts and t-shirts. This is reflected in my fabric choices but also in those for the shop. 

4. What style do you most often adopt: sportswear, loose, fitted...

Your style is important to define... not to lock yourself into a mold but rather to easily coordinate your handmade pieces. Indeed, if you sew blouses and jogger bottoms, unless you’re at fashion week, it will be hard to pair them like that. 

The simplest way is to build your outfits or at least know what you will pair your new creation with. It may seem very simple to do, or obvious... but it will save you from ending up with pieces that don’t match at all. 

Also consider sewing yourself some basics: you always need a white and a black t-shirt, jeans, a white blouse... and those are always easy to match!

5. What is your sewing level? Do you like to challenge yourself?

Sewing experience also affects how much you enjoy wearing your handmade piece, let me explain... If you sew a piece, struggle with it, unpick seams, have skipped stitches, fight with the finishing... and end up with a result that doesn’t meet your expectations, chances are you won’t wear that piece, or out of frustration or disappointment, it might end up in the trash. 

Of course, challenging yourself is important to learn techniques, but you need to be realistic about the challenge. If you’re new to sewing, you might dream of making a beautiful trench coat with piped buttonholes rated level 4 out of 4 in difficulty... and you will get there, for sure, but not as your first project. I see too many beginners thinking sewing isn’t for them, when anyone can sew and succeed; it just takes some work and patience. 

So, if you’re a beginner and want to start sewing knits, choose a simple, not too tight t-shirt with a round neckline, or a straight skirt in jersey, a sweatshirt (without seams)... it’s easy, simple, and rewarding... it will build your confidence for the future and help you progress to more challenging sewing projects.

The same goes for woven fabrics; it’s great to sew blouses and jeans, but start with a simple blouse, a skirt, or a dress (without too many technical details) to build confidence in your skills and enjoy wearing a garment you loved sewing!

Conversely, once you’ve gained confidence with simple projects, challenge yourself to learn new techniques but also to avoid getting "bored" with sewing. Pouches are great, but once you’ve made 5 in different sizes, why not move on to a more complex bag or clothing?

Here we are at the end of my tips for creating homemade clothes that you like and will wear with pleasure. It took me quite some time to understand this, and I hope my mistakes will benefit you 😊 So now, all that's left is to get started!

Get your needles ready!