How to Sew Your Own Clothes (A Comprehensive Beginner’s Guide)

Have you ever stepped into a fitting room and felt the frustration of ill-fitting, mass-produced clothes?

Sewing your own garments changes the game entirely. You're no longer at the mercy of generic sizes—every seam becomes a statement of your style, perfectly tailored to your unique shape.

But here's the thing…

Clothes don't sew themselves!

If you want your own custom-fit designs, you will have to make them yourself.

That's why, in this article, we'll go over all the basics you need to know about how to sew your own clothes.

We'll also share a few beginner-friendly tips you can use to avoid mistakes.

How to Make Your Own Clothes

From sewing essentials to different stitches, here's a comprehensive beginner's list of things you need to know about how to make clothing:

Sewing Essentials: What You Need to Start Making Your Own Clothes

Here are a few essential tools you'll need to start sewing:

Sewing machine
Various presser feet
High-quality fabric
Tape measure or ruler
Fabric Scissors
Seam Ripper
Pins
Iron
Ironing board
Cutting area
Sewing pattern
Marking tool
Serger (optional)

Of course, the most important tool you'll need is a sewing machine.

You can choose from dozens of sewing machines, but you really don't need anything fancy.

An affordable sewing machine often can work just as well as the most expensive one. And if you have an old sewing machine, that'll work great too.

You can find sewing machines on many different platforms. Price isn't as much of an indicator as quality. We always recommend to first locate a sewing machine dealer in your area. Having a dealer provides many benefits, and often have classes you can take that help support you in your sewing journey.

Next, you'll want several presser feet.

Presser feet are small attachments for sewing machines that hold the fabric down. You'll want an all-purpose foot, zipper foot, walking foot, and a few others, depending on what you are making.

Another thing you can't sew without is high-quality fabric.

There are a numerous different fabrics you can choose from. However, for beginners, It is easy to recommend cotton at the beginning of your sewing process. It doesn't stretch or cause a lot of fuss for sewing machines, making it much easier to work with.

Then, you'll need a tape measure or ruler to measure, fabric scissors to cut, a seam ripper to remove stitches and seams, and pins to hold the fabric down.

You'll also want an iron and ironing board for pressing and straightening, as well as a large cutting area (preferably a cutting table) for cutting all your garments.

Finally, you'll need a sewing pattern you can easily follow and a marking tool to copy the pattern onto your fabric.

Optionally, you can use a serger to give your clothes a professional-looking finish, but this tool isn't a necessity.

How to Take Measurements

Once you have your gear, it's time to measure yourself and the pattern (make sure you measure multiple times).

Whether sewing something for yourself or somebody else, getting accurate body measurements will ensure your clothes fit and look great.

For tops, you'll first want to measure your full bust — which is the fullest part of your chest (usually around nipple height).

Take your measuring tape around your full bust (parallel to the ground) to get an accurate number.

Once you have this measurement, you can then choose the right-sized pattern.

From there, you can measure and adjust the pattern for your upper bust, waist, shoulder width, sleeve length, and back length.

For bottoms, start with your full hip measurement. This will help you determine what size you'll need for your pattern.

From there, you can measure and make adjustments for the waist, rise, inseam, and outseam.

Selecting Your First Pattern

Once you have your measurements, the next thing you'll want to do is decide which pattern you want to sew.

For beginners, I recommend choosing a simple pattern with few details. Projects like these will help you learn and master the fundamentals of sewing without getting too caught up in the details.

Once you've mastered the basics, you can start adding new details, each one becoming more intricate and beautiful as you go.

Don't know where to start?

Here are some great beginner patterns from The Sewing Workshop.

Eureka Top - This is a simple but elegant shirt. This pattern has few added details, so it's easy for beginners to work on. Once you finish this project, you'll know many of the basics of sewing a shirt.

eSkirt—For bottoms, a skirt could be an interesting option. Few skirt designs are as simple as this eSkirt. It's straightforward, stylish, and, most importantly, looks great with little fitting consideration.

Splice Top - If the Eureka Top is too simple for you, you can try this Splice Top instead. As the name suggests, this top has a splice running down the side of the shirt. It's still very easy to sew but is a bit more challenging than the Eureka Top.

Provence Bag - If you just want to try working on your sewing machine without worrying about garment considerations and fit, this Provence Bag will do the trick. Since it's a bag, you won't need to worry too much about sizing errors. Working on this pattern will also help you ease into it and get comfortable with your sewing machine.

eDress - The eDress is a great project to introduce you to dresses. It'll teach you all the fundamentals you need to know to create a beautiful dress with very little fitting considerations.

Preparing Your Fabric

Next, you'll want to prepare your fabric.

Once again, you can choose from many different types of fabrics. However, for beginners, it's best to start with a fabric that doesn't stretch too much.

We generally recommend cotton for first-timers. It can be inexpensive, doesn't stretch, doesn't cause problems with your sewing machine, and is a great fabric to first gain confidence with your sewing machine.

Once you're comfortable using your sewing machine, you can move on to different woven or knitted fabrics.

Always play around with test pieces first, since your sewing machine may react differently to different fabrics.

Before starting your project, I recommend cutting a piece of your fabric off first and throwing it in the washing machine and dryer to see how it reacts.

Some fabrics shrink when they're washed or dried.

Can you imagine sewing an entire garment to size, only for it to shrink when you decide to wash it the first time?

That's why you should always test a piece of the fabric to see what happens when it goes through washing and drying. If you don't like the results, you can switch fabrics before working on your pattern.

Cutting Your Fabric

Once you've found the fabric you want to work with, it's time to measure and cut.

Once the fabric is washed, it might be helpful to iron out the fabric to make sure the fabric is as smooth as possible. Lay your fabric down on a flat surface, preferably a cutting table. You don't want wrinkles while doing measurements since that can affect your finished product.

Now, take your pattern and start cutting and marking the fabric to your preferred size. Proper cutting and marking your pattern on the fabric is crucial before you start sewing.

Remember to not cut anything until you're sure you have enough fabric! We have seen several people start to make projects only to realize mid-way through cutting that they don't have enough fabric for their project.

Once you have cut and marked every piece of your garment, it is time to get ready for sewing.

Start Sewing

Now that your fabric is ready, it's time to start sewing.

Your pattern should instruct you on everything you need to do to make your garment come to life.

However, you might be wondering, "What are all these stitches this pattern is telling me to do?" Sewing vocabulary can be a little confusing at first. Make sure you read through the instructions to see if there are things that you are not familiar with. If you're not familiar with something, do some research to see how to execute the technique.

So here's a quick run-through of some of the most common stitches:

Straight Stitch - Sewing a straight line, generally at 2.5 stitch length.
Backstitch - Overlapping stitches to reinforce your seams. This stitch is used to prevent unraveling at the beginning and end of seams.
Zigzag Stitch - A stitch that moves in a zigzag pattern. Commonly used for stretch fabrics or to add some style to your garment
Basting Stitch - A temporary stitch used for holding the fabric in place before doing a final stitch. It can be done by hand or by machine
Serger Stitch - If you have a serger machine, this stitch will give your garment a very clean and professional-looking finish by trimming the edges

3 Beginner Tips You Should Keep in Mind

Before we get to the end of this article, let's talk about three beginner tips that'll give you a professional-looking finish and also help you avoid mistakes.

Measure Yourself Accurately - Measure yourself two, or even three, times! Don't rush this step because a small mistake here can have a big impact on your finished product.
Read Your Guidesheet Very Carefully - Another thing you want to double-check is your guidesheet. Be sure to double-check the fabric layout, the techniques required, and the terminology used in the sheet.
Practice Your Techniques Before Trying Them - If you run into a technique you're not familiar with, practice first on a piece of scrap fabric. Test it out first, and only apply it once you're confident you can get it right.

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Don't expect a perfect finish on your first try.

You might make a few mistakes here and there. Or, your first garment might not look as "professional" as you hoped it would.

However, if you follow the steps above, and practice, practice, and practice some more, you'll be able to sew your own beautiful and stylish clothes in no time.So go get your sewing machine, pick a pattern, and get sewing.

And if you'd like to learn more about how to sew and refine your skills, check out our Sew Confident Program here!