In the images above and below, you’ll find a preview of the outfit we’ll be making this week. These FREE printable sewing patterns will be all-new patterns, and they’ll be using a new feature: a difficulty scale. Scroll past the following images to learn more about my new difficulty scale for my free, printable sewing patterns.
Do you recognize the pose my Made-to-Move Barbie® is using? It’s from a famous Audrey Hepburn photograph! When one of my followers requested a pattern for a Barbie®-sized turtleneck sweater, I immediately thought of Hepburn.
This week I’ll be posting my FREE printable patterns for both the turtleneck (which also fits male fashion dolls, BTW) and the capri pants, and as per my usual fare, I’ll also be posting the tutorials showing you how to make them.
For those of you who live in the northern hemisphere, it probably seems silly to post a turtleneck sweater pattern in June. I have a good explanation for this.
It can sometimes take me a couple of months to go from my drawing board to my blog. So the request for this turtleneck pattern came via my Submit a Question form, this past winter. But hey, the capri pants are certainly appropriate for the summer season.
And remember, when it’s summer in the northern hemisphere of the earth, it’s winter down under! (Hello to all my Australian followers! You will very likely be excited to see some wintry patterns this time of year!)
Now earlier in this post, I told you that I’d be adding a difficulty scale to my patterns in future. This idea is not my own; another of my faithful followers submitted the idea via my Submit a Question form, and when I was in Paris last summer, a lady at a toy store showed me how French paper doll patterns used a similar scale. Now you’ll be able to tell how hard a pattern will be, before you even begin sewing.
Here’s how it works:
Below you’ll find an overview of each of the difficulty levels. If you’re struggling with any of the terms I’m using, The Sewing Dictionary is a fantastic tool to use in conjunction with this overview, to help you broaden your sewing vocabulary.
Super EASY! = This sewing tutorial and/or pattern uses little or no actual sewing. It may require the use of felt fabric, which doesn’t need to be hemmed. It may use traditional glue, safety pins, or hot glue. If any sewing is involved, it will be a straight stitch only. You will need to know how to print my patterns for super easy projects, but these projects are for absolute beginners, little kids who are learning to sew, and those folks who don’t like to sew at all.
Kind-of Easy = This sewing tutorial and/or pattern will require knowledge of all of the above, plus some of the concepts bulleted below too…
- How to hem a garment using the whipstitch
- How to do a straight stitch
- How to pass elastic through a casing (that tutorial is coming soon)
- How to finger-press
- How to thread a needle
- How to tie a knot using a needle and thread
About Average = This sewing tutorial and/or pattern will require knowledge of all of the above bulleted items, in addition to any of the following
- How to sew snaps on fabric
- How to press seams open, using a hot iron
- How to gather fabric
- How to hem a garment using a double-fold hem
- How to do a backstitch
- How to send elastic through a casing
- How to baste
- How to attach notions like lace, rick rack, or ribbon as a basic trim or decoration
- How to make darts
- How to clip a curved seam
- How to sew a facing or yoke into a garment
- How to invert the narrow part of a garment using chopsticks or a bamboo knitting needle
- How to cut fabric with a directional pattern or nap
- How to make pockets
Somewhat Advanced: This sewing tutorial and/or pattern will require knowledge of all of the above bulleted items, plus a few more concepts like…
- How to line a garment
- How to use bias tape, piping, or ribbon as a decorative edge or binding
- How to sew pleats
- How to sew a zipper into a garment
- How to make a buttonhole stitch
- How to cover a button with fabric
- How to sew a hook and eye closure to a garment
- How to use an interfacing
Very Advanced: This sewing tutorial and/or pattern will require knowledge of all of the above bulleted items, plus some additional concepts like…
- How to alter a pattern
- How to do embroidery or applique
- How to apply rings (like D-rings) or gromettes to a garment
- How to apply epaulettes to a garment
I’d like to begin re-posting all of the sewing patterns that I’ve created, using this difficulty level chart, but I know that most of you visit this website because I offer so many NEW patterns. So I’ll re-visit my older patterns gradually over time, posting new patterns intermittently to keep everyone excited about the new patterns that will be available every other week or so.
Please continue to show your appreciation for my free patterns and tutorials by liking them on Facebook, pinning them on Pinterest, and/or tweeting about them. This will help spread the word that my FREE printable sewing patterns and tutorials for doll clothes exist. I also encourage you to add my YouTube channel’s videos to your playlists, as I do earn a small amount of money each time ads play on my videos (it’s really just pennies though, so no big deal).
Feel free to leave comments below. Which of the sewing concepts listed above would you like me to create new tutorials for? I’m anxious to receive your requests!