Sometimes finding a good pattern can be overwhelming! Finding a good pattern is the first step to actually finishing a good project! The easier the pattern, the more likely you are to actually finish it! I have compiled a list of some of my favorite patterns that produced a great finished product. I have included the pattern company and the stock number so you can do a search for it if you’d like to buy one for yourself. I naturally have a lot of baby items listed… but even if you don’t have little ones, keep these in mind for great gifts! Every mom loves hand made gifts for baby! 
) Hope you find this helpful!
Baby Clothes:
Simplicity 5813 – Christening Gown – Very easy! This was one of the first dresses I made for my Daughter for her baptism.
New Look 6576 – Jumper Dress - Only requires two buttons – Very easy and fast. Turns out adorable and wears well. Great beginner pattern! See Spring Dress on my photo page.
Simplicity 4243 – Dress and Romper – Easy, Fast, and only requires a zipper for closure. Ella wears last years dress size as a tunic top this year. This is also the dress that I made in a morning! Click here for the full story.
New Look 6794 – Another adorable dress and romper pattern. Easy to understand directions. Fast to make and adorable on! Only requires two buttons – no zippers! (See pink dress on my pictures page)
New Look 6636 – Fleece Sleeper. Pretty simple, although the first time I made it I sewed it together completely wrong! It was easy to fix and turned out adorable! Great two piece pajama pattern included.
McCall’s 2213 – Very Easy baby sundress – 9 different versions in one easy pattern. Some require 2 buttons, others require none! No zippers either. Great beginner pattern!
Toddler Clothes
McCall’s 4814 – Adorable Sundress or tiered sundress. Very Easy! No buttons or zippers!!
New Look 6880 – Buttoned shirt, pants, and shorts or skirt. Very cute and pretty easy. The shirts have collars and collars take some figuring out… but you can do it! ) I made Anson a shirt and shorts out of this pattern. It has boy’s and girl’s styles in the same pattern – great value!
New Look 6577 – Little Girl’s sleeveless dresses – 6 styles. Very cute “church dress”. Simple zipper closure and easy to embellish! Ella has received many compliments on her dress!
New Look 6746 – Easy Toddler Pajamas – Has a collar which can sometimes be tricky but this one was easy! Great pattern for flannel pajamas! Has a girl’s and boy’s style in same pattern! See Anson’s jammies I made out of vintage fabric here.
Baby Accessories
Butterick 4533 – Baby Bibs – Very easy and so adorable! These would make great gifts!
Simplicity 4636 – This is a one-stop pattern for cool baby accessories! Includes a shopping cart cover, umbrella stroller cover (to make those cheap little strollers a little more comfy!), a quilted car seat cover (that you can throw in the washer!), a Moses basket insert, and a glider rocker cushion cover. So far I have made the car seat cover and it was easy!
McCall’s 5678 – Baby/toddler sling. I am very excited about making this one! I just bought it when I found out I am pregnant again! Yes, #3 is on the way! And with a 4 year old boy and a 2 year old girl, I think this sling will be pretty helpful! Two versions in one pattern: One that ties on and one that just slip over your head/sholder. I’ll let you know how simple it is when I complete mine but it looks very easy.
Bags and Purses
I love making Bags! The first bag I made was from Simplicity 9779, View A. It is a quilted tote bag – Vera Bradley style. After making a few bags with this pattern, I no longer needed to use a pattern and started designing my own bags! Very soon I will have my own tote bag and weekend bag patterns available to y0u! They are both very easy and require only stitching straight lines!
Butterick 4147 – Small backpack. I just made one of these for my nephew James. The arm straps called for adjusters that I couldn’t find so I just used simple “D rings”. They worked just fine!
Butterick 5197 – Full Size Hipster – View A (See photo gallery) – Very easy quilted bag and a great style! I carry mine every where. It even holds a sippy cup and a couple diapers plus all of my stuff! No zippers or buttons!
And for my favorite bag pattern… the Buttercup Bag by made.by.Rae ! You can pick up this pattern FREE on her blog! I just made my first one and it is as adorable as it is easy! Once you make a buttercup bag, if you decide you want to sell them, all you have to do is buy her pattern in her Etsy Store! Pretty great deal! If you just want to make them for yourself or for gifts, you can just use the free pattern!
Men’s Patterns
McCall’s 2149 – Hawaiian style shirt – Very easy pattern! My first try was a complete success! I made a beautiful linen shirt for my husband which he receives compliments on all the time. See the complete story of this shirt pattern here.
McCall’s 8524 – Bathrobe, sleep shorts, and pajamas. Very easy pattern! No buttons or zippers! Just elastic for the waists!
Ladies Patterns
Simplicity 2892 – Cute sleeveless top – I am in the process of making this one now. It is very simple! No buttons or zippers! A cute, current style!
Simplicity 3799 – Sleeveless top, dress, and gaucho style pants and Capri’s. Also in the process of making this top. I’ll let you know how it turns out, but it is pretty easy so far!
I am working on my own patterns for the above mentioned tote bags and weekend bag and will let you know as soon as they are available! I can guarantee they will be easy, fast, and affordable to make!
{ 1 comment }
Hey Arin,
I like the Buttercup bag. It’s really cute. Is that the material from Amy Butler?
Comments on this entry are closed.