How to Design Clothes for a Girl
Designing clothes for girls is easier than you might think. Most children's garments are based upon simple shapes, with the majority of the design in the details. If you want to design clothes for a girl, go to the expert--the girl herself. Let her choose fabrics, colors and styles to ensure that, when you design clothes for a girl, she will love what you make.
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Things You'll Need
- Sketchpad and pencil
- Colored pencils
- Fabric swatches
- Basic sewing patterns (see Resources)
- Sewing machine and notions as needed
Instructions
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How to Design Clothes for a Girl
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Go shopping. Window shopping is one of the best ways to find inspiration if you want to design clothes for a girl. Take a look at Etsy.com, boutique sellers on e-Bay or your favorite children's retailer. Create a digital or physical inspiration board with items you love to help you design girl's clothes.
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Start sketching. Work with simple shapes and garments that are easy to sew and wear. Leggings and tunics, peasant dresses and tops, and comfortable wide-legged pants are all good places to start. If needed, use a printable child fashion design template to make this process easier.
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Work with color. You might want to use a good set of colored pencils to create simple color combinations that appeal to your eye. If you want to work with prints, sketch out rough ideas for those, as well. Once you have an idea of what you want, both in terms of color and prints, look for fabric swatches at online fabric stores or your local fabric store.
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Choose your patterns. While you can certainly draft your own patterns when designing girls' clothes and may need to for more complex designs, it is quite likely that someone has done the work for you. Look for patterns by independent designers for the best quality and end result (see Resources). You may want to own basic patterns for a variety of garments to make designing for girls easier.
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Make the patterns and fabrics work for you. Combine fabrics and trims in unusual ways or add ruffles. Different fabric choices can make a pattern look different, and allows each girl to express her individuality through her clothes. Designing for girls, even as they grow older, can be a vivacious, playful and innovative process.
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Tips & Warnings
Try quilting cottons for bright and vivid girls' clothing. Experiment with mixing colors and prints.
If you are designing girls' clothes to sell, be aware of copyright laws regarding pattern and fabric usage.
