How to Sew Children's Clothes
When your children need new clothes, it's easy to just go to the store and buy what is needed. Finding exactly what you and they want, though, is another thing altogether. Some children are bigger or smaller than what their age dictates their size should be. This can make shopping for clothes frustrating and disappointing for you and the children. A way around this is to sew their clothes yourself. By picking out the material and patterns together, you can make clothes for your children that will fit great and look unique.
Things You'll Need
- Pattern
- Tracing wheel
- Dressmaker's carbon paper
- Fabric
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Scissors
- Pins
- Iron
- Ironing board
Instructions
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Buy the patterns and material. You can find a large selection of clothes patterns and materials at Wal-Mart. Some patterns require more detailed sewing, so if you're a beginner, start with an easy pattern. Denim and corduroy are strong materials that hold up well with rough play. Cotton is an easy material for sewing and usually comes in all kinds of colors and designs.
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Wash the material before cutting and sewing. This will let you know if it's going to shrink or not. You may need to iron the fabric after drying to make sure there are no wrinkles.
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Read the instructions that came with the pattern carefully. There may be variations of the original pattern included in the package and, if not careful, you may cut the fabric for the wrong pattern.
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Place the carbon paper on the fabric with the pattern on top of it and pin all three together. The carbon paper will be smaller than the pattern, so you'll need to move it as needed. Trace over the pattern with the tracing wheel. Carefully cut along the lines made by the dressmaker's carbon paper. A rotary cutter and rubber mat can be used instead of a pair of scissors.
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Pin the cut pieces of fabric together and sew. Press the seams of each piece sewn open before sewing the next pieces. Having flat seams will reduce bunching and will help the finished garment to lay properly when wearing it. Make sure to remove the pins before sewing over them as that can damage or break the needle on the sewing machine.
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Try the new piece of clothing on your child. If the right measurements were used and the material was cut and sewn correctly, the new article of clothing should fit. When you feel ready, move on to a more advanced clothes pattern.
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Resources
- Photo Credit peagreengirl
