Beginner Wardrobe B : some capsules for beginners

A near complete group of garment types can be made with the simplest of sewing techniques.
Though if you find this idea daunting, see this post for some before-garments project ideas.

The first section on beginner wardrobe sewing is about building sewing skills while making garments.
That includes some comments about dresses.
If you like skirts, see this post on elastic-waist skirts, actually the easiest of all patterns for beginners.
See the variations post for some comments on vests and coats.

This is the second section on simple-sew beginner wardrobes, and suggests some outfits/ capsules consisting of top, pants, jacket which can be made by near beginners.
These are groups of 3 patterns from the same designer.

The number of sewing patterns available is huge, and some people get throughly daunted by all the choices. It is perfectly okay to simplify things by looking at patterns from only one pattern line 👍
Would you like to focus on making just one of these pattern groups ? And deliberately ignore all the other possibilities until you build up more sewing confidence 😀
Also notice if you’re stressing yourself by trying to get all items made immediately. . . Just have one item at a time as your primary focus !

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Some simple outfit/ capsule suggestions

If you have worked through even part of the first section, you will have acquired many sewing skills and can now make many casual styles.

Pattern lines such as All Well Workshop, Sonya Philip 100 Acts of Sewing, and Tropical Research (all mentioned in Part A) have easy patterns for top, pants, and jacket.
Those 3 pattern lines include variations. More simply : vary fabric, or sleeve, body, and leg length, to make a complete wardrobe from those patterns.

I tend to say it’s easiest to use all patterns from the same designer, to make a capsule with good co-ordination. But actually when I make an outfit plan myself, all the patterns usually come from different designers!

For those of you who need larger sizes, Muna & Broad patterns have beginner level top, pants and jacket/robe. Their designer has just started teaching design for larger sizes at one of the top New York fashion schools. Exciting things may come out of that opportunity to influence attitudes 😀

In any group of items intended to be worn together, it is important to check that the jacket armhole will go over the top armhole. Without having the patterns I can’t check that about the pattern groups below ! Well sometimes it’s obvious, as when a company’s easiest top has cut-on sleeves, while the easiest jacket has flat-set sleeves.

The following patterns from specific designers are rated as needing beginner or advanced beginner skills. I haven’t seen most of these patterns, so can’t guarantee quality of pattern drafting or helpfulness of instructions ! Make them all, to learn to sew and wear a variety of style elements 😀

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As an example of a capsule which is a little more sophisticated, here’s a group of patterns from The Sewing Workshop (noted for their good instructions) :

A basic knit tee.


An oversized top and elastic-waist pants (paper pattern only).

And a robe-style jacket (piping or other trim optional).

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Similar capsules can be found from many other pattern lines. I kept adding possibilities, so now they are just in alphabetic order.

from The Assembly Line :
very easy :
cut-on sleeve top.
easy :
elastic waist pants, omit hem cuff and lengthen leg.
robe style jacket, this doesn’t look as if it goes over the top.

I think the Elizabeth Suzann Harper top is stylish, as I like over-sized.
She also has 2 elastic-waist pant patterns.
Although she sells a ready-made robe-style jacket with a wide neckband she does not have a pattern for one, and is not planning to.
Possibly use the Ready to Sew Pekka jacket, which includes two widths of neckband. Or the Helen’s Closet Moss jacket, see next.

These items from Helen’s Closet are all at advanced beginner level and have excellent instructions (written only) :
sweater top and raglan tee.
elastic-waist pants – omit hem cuff.
robe style jacket – length and neckband options.

A change of style, from Made My Wardrobe :
beginner
peasant style blouse with raglan sleeves,
robe jacket with choice of length and pockets,
advanced beginner
dungarees, with video workshop.

These from Pattern Scout are all for advanced beginners :
knit tee + pants (sew along).
sleeveless dress (sew along).
woven top.
bomber jacket (sew along).

These are from Sew Liberated :
beginner :
top (video),
skirt (video),
vest.
beginner pants with video class, also make in daywear fabric.
confident beginner :
pants – woven or knits.

Sure Fit Designs is a company that supplies ‘master patterns’ for drafting basic patterns to personal measurements, and extensive videos and other tutorials on pattern altering and sewing. They have a capsule wardrobe bundle, with videos on pattern making and sewing a raglan sleeve knit top, dolman sleeve robe-style jacket, and elastic-waist pants with extra design lines.
You do need to buy the master patterns as well as the video courses, or you could use your own basic pattern blocks if you have them. The ‘dress’ kit patterns have a fitted armhole, while the ‘shirt’ pattern and all derived from it have a deeper flatter more casual armhole.
Cheaper to buy the 3 master patterns individually rather than one of the SFD ‘combos’, unless you need all the extras. (You can use any french curve instead of the designing stylus.)

Am I going to find a casual beginner capsule every time I look at a favourite pattern source ! Here’s a selection from Tessuti :
beginners :
elastic waist pants.
knit tops : drop shoulder boat neck, funnel neck, raglan sleeve.
advanced beginners, both with cut-on sleeves :
top/ tunic,
robe jacket.

Yet another example, from Tilly and the Buttons :
Patterns for beginners :
elastic-waist skirt.
elastic-waist pants (change the fabric).
cut-on sleeve top, with facing neckline.
– – add-on pattern includes long sleeves, gathered waist dress.
confident beginners :
oversize top with drop shoulders, knits.
– – conversion to robe-jacket, knits.

And Wardrobe By Me, that link goes to a wardrobe post, links below to individual patterns.
level 1/4 difficulty
camisole – knits,
top – woven or knit fabric, neckline and sleeve variations,
robe.
level 2/4
skirt – stretch woven,
‘easy’ pants, with video.

While here are a couple of zero-waste options, including some buttonholes :
From Fibr&Cloth, both for advanced beginners :
blouse (video).
leisure set.

Birgitta Helmersson
beginner :
shirt.
advanced beginner :
pants and skirt.
jacket.
coat.

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Burda Easy is a pattern magazine that comes out 6 times a year. Sizes are small, max. body bust 40″/100cm. You have to add seam allowances before cutting fabric, but otherwise the techniques used are basic. Not like Burda Style magazine : these pattern pieces don’t overlap, and can be cut out. So they don’t need to be traced, though that’s still a good idea if you want to make several sizes. About 10 pages on each style, diagrams illustrate sewing steps, some styles have video. Occasional buttonholes, darts (see Techniques A-G tab above) and collars applied with facing.

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This is nowhere near a complete list of beginner patterns, collating them all would be an impossible task ! Even these suggestions make it obvious that if you have casual clothing style and advanced beginner sewing skills, you have a generous range of options for garments you can make 😀
Though beware Big4 patterns labelled ‘Very Easy’ – to my eye, some of those include intermediate techniques.

If/ when you do feel ready to move on to Intermediate level techniques such as buttonholes, collars, zips, see the Learn to Sew tab at top right.

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What ever your level of skill, enjoy what you can do.
There are so many patterns at every level of difficulty, you only need to move on to the next step when you feel confident about the skills you have already 😀

On the other hand, you may feel daunted by having so many options and don’t know where to start and feel you have to know it all.

Which is the pattern group that you think you would enjoy wearing or sewing the most ?
If you find that a difficult question to answer, then write each option on a separate piece of paper.
Then either :
– put them in a bowl and get someone to pick one out. How do you feel about how came out ? do you feel pleased or horrified 😀
– or take out two and choose which you like best. Keep that and pick out another to compare to it. Continue until there is only one left !

Good Luck with learning about sewing and about what sewing you love to do
♥️ 👍 ♥️ 👍 ♥️

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These are now the sections in this group of posts on learning to sew garments :
The way this group of posts has become so large just shows how much there can be to know about sewing, even at the lowest levels.

These are a couple of posts on starting to understand your machine :
1. learn to control speed and direction, by stitching on paper.
2. thread the machine, stitch on fabric.

This is the post I keep referring to about learning the most basic skills before starting to make garments.

1. Start on the path to learning to sew garments :
1A. Pattern lines which teach.
1B. Some big ‘learn to sew’ courses.
2. Some shorter courses.

3. Make making easier – levels of difficulty, suggestions for practising.

Moving on from the basics

While writing these posts, I was thinking about varying a garment pattern in two contexts :
4. Variations on a cut-on sleeve top, now expanded to include more garment types :
Variations A : change style elements.
Variations B : from pullover to open front.
Variations C : using your fibre-arts skills
D : Variations on the 2 patterns used in the Seamwork learn to sew course, a dress with waist seam, and a robe-style jacket.

5. Become aware of your many styles.

6a. Beginner wardrobe A : add skills as you make clothes. This post provides a guided sequence of making which you might follow.

6b. Beginner wardrobe B : some possible outfits/ capsules from specific pattern lines.

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These are posts on specific easy-make garment styles :

Cut-on sleeve tops – group of five posts :
1. patterns,
2A. Reasons to make a test garment.
2B. Making a test garment, and adjusting for fit and preferences.
2C. An example of a changed test garment, plus how to revise your pattern.
3. Sewing a cut-on sleeve top.

Peasant-style tops, with gathered neckline and raglan sleeves.
More easy tops.

Elastic-waist skirts.
Elastic-waist pants.
Leggings.

Robe style jackets.

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Peasant necklines

Butterick 6455

Peasant style blouses are basically easy to make.
The ‘classic’ version of these blouses has a gathered neckline. So there has to be some sort of casing, which can hold either elastic or a drawstring to pull up the gathers. (I’ve put some similar styles which do not have this casing neckline in a final section.)
And raglan sleeves, also the easiest way of applying sleeves.
(See the sleeves post for some general diagrams of raglan sleeves.)

As there are easy ways of making a casing, most of the patterns here are beginner/ advanced beginner in difficulty.

But there’s not just one way of making this neckline. Peasant styles can have a wide variety of neckline finishes, different ways of making the gathered neckline. Which is an example of the general point that in clothes making there can be many different ways of getting a similar effect.

In dressmaking there are also many ways of adding sleeves, adding collars, adding pockets, adding zips. Perhaps that is why these are Intermediate skills !
These alternatives usually vary in difficulty, so can be learned slowly as you make clothes. You haven’t got to take them all in at the same time !

The casings post illustrates the almost infinite number of ways there are for making a casing,
The patterns below illustrate some of the ways of adding a casing to a peasant blouse neckline, in approximate order of difficulty.

A couple of these suggestions are patterns I haven’t seen, so I may have guessed wrong about how the casing is made. There are other indie peasant style patterns that I haven’t mentioned because it’s impossible to tell, without seeing the pattern instructions, how the casing is made.

For sizing of tops, there are two important bust measurements : the body measure around the bust, and the finished garment measure at bust level. As most peasant style tops are gathered, they have quite a lot of ‘ease’ (the difference between body and garment measures). So they may be wearable by larger people than the size chart says. As most patterns only give the body bust measure for their sizes, I have not often been able to comment on this possibility.

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‘Cut-on and fold in’ casing

The simplest version of this casing is the first example in the casings post.
(cross section)
Similar to making a hem. And used for many waistbands of pyjama pants. So if you’ve made those this is not much of a new skill, and you can make one of these tops without difficulty.

The Rosebud raglan top in Daisy Braid’s Sew It Yourself book is like this.

This very easy casing is possible on a top if the pattern neckline edge is nearly straight, as on the Friday Pattern Co. Wilder top and dress.

(sleeve in centre, half of front and back to either side.)
That makes this top

This style has an added frill above the casing. So it’s not quite as straightforward as sewing a hem, it’s like the first method under ‘Casings in the middle of fabric’ in the casings post.
(red is stitching)
It is quite easy to adjust the pattern pieces to make this top/dress without the frill.

This pattern is so easy to make and so attractive that it went wildly viral when it first appeared. With video sew-along. Pdf or paper pattern, up to 50″ body bust.
You also need to know how to gather to make the dress version.

(The Poppy blouse from Pattern Scout patterns looks superficially similar but actually requires more complex processes – a separate collar and sleeves gathered into hem bands.)

Here are a couple of very easy patterns for trying out the neckline casing technique without the sleeves of a peasant blouse :

An easy sun-top from AtTheSeams patterns. Sizing very small, try adding in vertical strips to widen the pattern on both sides of the strap attachment.

The Sussex Seamstress Selsey top is a halter top gathered at the neckline by casing and tie. Pdf or paper pattern. Up to 50″ body bust, with sew-along video.

The suggested fabrics may be slippery, and so difficult to cut out and sew. Best to use something drapey but not slippery for a first garment, such as lawn or voile.

If you’re not ready to make your own drawstring, you could use tape or ribbon.
Lengthen to tunic, mini dress, maxi (without adding gathered strips, so measure the pattern width to check it will go over both your bust and hips).

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Edge casing made by a separate facing strip

Here’s a general facings post.

In faced neckline patterns for peasant tops, the quality of the facing matters less than the quality of most facings, because the gathers hide any flaws there may be in the making 😀

This neckline is made with straight facing strips :
Alexandra Genetti’s raglan blouse, pdf instructions, no pattern, made from rectangles cut to measurements. One size, up to about 70″ body bust.

The Seamwork Madhu blouse has a curved faced neckline, with a frill. Pdf pattern, up to 54″ body bust.
There are more comments about this top pattern 3/4 of the way through this post.

The Mahdu pattern shows that you get a frill automatically by the technique used to add the facing, no need to add in a narrow frill/ ruffle. As there’s a seam at the neckline edge, there’s opportunity to add in trim, such as lace edging or flat broderie anglaise, possibly fringe or pom-poms. Don’t try to insert trims that won’t gather, such as pre-gathered broderie anglaise, piping, or pearls.

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Casing made with an added band

Straight band
The Agnes top-dress from Sew Girl has a straight band with elastic at the neckline, raglan sleeves, optional gathered sleeve hem.
Written instructions (not with her usual generous construction photos).
YouTube tutorial, from 2 hours.

Bias facing used to make casing.
I’m generally against using a bias strip as a facing, see this post for discussion and instructions. But it is easier on a peasant style blouse – because the result is gathered, any poor quality of the bias strip application won’t be visible 😀

Magic Pattern book, pattern C – the neckline shape is nearly straight so using a bias strip facing will not cause as many problems as when the bias strip tried to go round a curve. Kindle or paperback book, both with pdf patterns.
6 variations of the pattern, elastic or drawstring gathering. Finished garment bust up to 54″.

Bias binding
In the Purl Soho raglan top, gathering is done by elastic in the added bias strip band (this is more like bias binding, it’s not entirely behind the main fabric as in a bias facing). This style also has a back neck slit with button-loop closure. Pdf pattern up to 50″ body bust. (This top obviously has an added neck band, and the pattern information mentions using a bias tape maker, so I’ve guessed how this neckline is done.)

Burda 6502 View B has a similar neckline band so I assume it’s made in a similar way. Paper pattern, up to 48″ bust.

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Fabric strip as casing, added in middle of fabric
See second method under ‘Casings in the middle of fabric’ near the end of the casings post – casing made from a fabric strip applied in the middle of the main fabric.

This method is used to make the neckline gathers in a peasant blouse from PaperScissorsFrocks, pdf pattern up to 41″ body bust.

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Some Big4 patterns

These patterns have gathered neckline and raglan sleeves. They don’t mention bias tape in the notions-needed lists, so I don’t know how the casings are made. Paper patterns.
McCall’s 6558, off-the-shoulder dresses up to 46″ body bust.
McCall’s 7405, halter neck dress with choice of hemlines, up to 48″ body bust.
Butterick 4685, top with neckline, sleeve, waist and trim variations up to 44″ body bust.
Butterick 6455, top with sleeve variations, up to 48″ body bust.

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Some options for ‘boho’ style without neckline gathers into a casing

These are examples of relaxed/ rustic styles that have gathers elsewhere in the design, and often have raglan sleeves.

Spring/summer 2023 : puff sleeves and gathered frills are ‘on trend’ this season, so have fun with these styles 😀

Gathers into a band
The Roscoe blouse/ dress by True Bias has gathers into a neckline band so there are not actual gathers at the neckline edge, plus raglan sleeves. Paper or pdf pattern, up to body bust of 58″.
I haven’t seen this pattern. I have seen a similar pattern (from a subscription service) which gets the gathers to the correct length by basting them to tearaway embroidery stabiliser, before adding the band that will hold them permanently in place.

The Amaya shirt from Made My Wardrobe has big gathered ruffles on the raglan sleeves. Finished garment bust up to 60″. The neckline is made the same way as the Roscoe blouse, again there’s a template for setting the length of the neck gathers.
A good option for making from an old tablecloth – place body and lower sleeve patterns to use edge of table cloth as hem.

The Photinia top-dress from Fibr & Cloth has a variety of necklines, including gathered into a band. Also a variety of sleeves, and several other hacks.

Other necklines
The Closet Core Nicks pattern has many gathers at yoke, sleeves, skirt. With fitted sleeves, and a V-neckline which looks as if in some views it’s finished with true facing, in some views with bias facing. Finished garment bust up to 73.5″.

The 5 out of 4 Renee pattern has bound neckline (only sleeves are gathered into it), raglan sleeves, and choice of how many gathered skirt tiers.

The Romey raglan dress/ top from Sew House 7 patterns, has front neck slit (in a seam), gathered sleeves and skirt, pdf pattern up to body bust of 57″, photo and youtube tutorials.
It has a (ungathered) bias strip facing as the neckline finish. As their photo tutorial shows – their method, like most, does not give a flat result. For notes on getting a better result with bias strip facing, see this post.
There’s a Sewing Street video on making this dress, from 1hr5min.

Helen’s Closet March top and dress has dropped shoulder sleeves, princess seams, front neck slit, gathers at sleeve head and waist but not neckline, also neckline band and tie. Pdf pattern up to body bust of 54″. Said to be Intermediate in difficulty – because of the front slit I’m guessing it has a facing-finished neckline. (Here’s a post on getting a good result at the bottom of that neckline slit.)

The Sew Different Ripple dress is similar but simpler.

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How do you feel about making one of these ?
Is a peasant/smock style too folksy to appeal to you ?

Or would you like it as a way of making tops without having to be able to do more complex neckline finishing techniques in a way that’s good enough to stand up to being fully visible – such as a true facing or a bias strip facing. Instead any wonky results are hidden in gathers – hurrah 😀

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