How to Make Clothes

In an era where nearly everyone buys all of their clothes, the art of sewing your own can seem mysterious and difficult. However, it's actually an easy enough process, as long as you follow the right steps, are precise with your measurements, and take your time during each part of the process. Soon you'll be able to whip up garments that best suit your particular tastes and style.

Things You'll Need

• Clothing pattern 

• Tailor's measuring tape 

• Pattern paper 

• Iron
• Ironing board

• Ruler 

• Tailor's chalk
• Pins
• Pencil and paper 

• 2 yards of muslin 

• Fabric for garment exterior
• Sewing scissors 

• Sewing needle 

• Sewing machine 

• Thread 

• Large, flat cutting surface (such as a table) 


Instructions

1. Use your tailor's measuring tape to calculate the measurements of the wearer. A shirt or dress requires the shoulder, bust and waist to be measured. Skirts and pants require the waist, hip and leg measurements. Write these measurements down.

2. Look at your pattern package. It should have sizes that fall within specific measurement ranges. Choose the size that best meets your wearer's measurements. Pull out your pattern sheets and iron them with a dry iron to remove creases. Lay your pattern on your cutting table, and lay your blank pattern paper over it. Trace your pattern pieces in your chosen size. Make sure you transfer all the markings from your pattern onto the traced pieces, including grain lines, seam allowances and tabs.

3. Unfold your muslin and iron it so that there are no wrinkles or creases in the fabric. Spread the fabric on your cutting surface and fold it in half. Pin your pattern pieces to the muslin. Pieces that only require only one piece to be cut out should be placed along the fold. Arrange your other pieces to be cut in multiples of two around the fold-side pieces.

4. Make sure that the grain marks on the pattern line up with the grain of your fabric. Trace the pattern shapes onto the muslin with tailor's chalk. Carefully remove the pattern pieces and recreate the marks on the pattern onto the muslin, including grain lines, seam allowances and tabs.

5. Cut out your muslin pieces. Carefully pin the relevant pieces together, making sure that the tabs measure on the seams. With a needle and thread, baste the relevant pattern pieces together.

6. Keep the garment inside out---with raw edges of the seams showing. Try the garment on the wearer. Look at how the muslin fits on every part of the wearer. To tighten the fit, pin the necessary seams or darts inward. Mark seams and darts that should be loosened. Take off the garment and re-baste the seams that are too loose. Pick out the basting where the seams are tight and rebaste them with a lesser amount of seam allowance. Try on the garment again. Repeat these steps until it seems to fit. Iron your seams flat and try on the muslin again.

7. Once you have a muslin you are satisfied with, transfer your muslin changes to your cut out pattern paper pieces. Do not decrease seam allowance where you brought in seams that were too loose, but increase seam allowance where the seams were too tight. Iron your final fabric and fold it in half with the wrong side facing you.

8. Pin your pattern pieces to the wrong side of the final fabric, making sure the pins go through both fabric layers. Mark the fabric and cut the pieces out. Once again, make sure all markings from the pattern are transferred to your fabric pieces. Baste the pieces together and try on the garment. Once it fits to your satisfaction, sew it by hand or on your sewing machine. Try it on again. If there are fitting issues, rip out the seam and re-sew until the fit is satisfactory. Press the seams and finish your hems. Add embellishments and attachments where necessary.