Free Pattern Friday: Racerback Tank for Kids, Tweens & Teens

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

(image source: Life Sew Savoury)

Anyone who regularly sews for a child will have noticed that the number of pattern options for kids above ten years or so drops significantly. Of course, there are a whole bunch of companies catering for tweens and teens, and I've been meaning to collate them all in a blog post for yonks, but even so it's a small fraction compared to the offerings for younger kids. And if you're a maker who relies on free patterns here are there to make your sewing budget stretch further, the pickings are slim. That makes the Life Sew Savoury blog a valuable resource, because there are a bunch of free sewing patterns for kids, with many that span tweens and teens sizing. It seems that, as Emily's own kids get bigger, she releases patterns in bigger sizes! Thanks to Emily at Life Sew Savoury, and all pattern designers who release their work for free for us to enjoy. When my kids were small I made a load of the Life Sew Savoury tank tops, so when I came across the racerback version for older kids I was excited to give it a try...

Pattern type:

A classic, racerback tank designed for knit fabrics that includes two methods for the armhole and neck bindings. To access this pattern, you add it to your basket and go through the checkout. No payment is required but you are then automatically added to their mailing list, which is fair enough. The download includes the pattern pieces only, the instructions are shared as a blog post. 

Sizing info:

This pattern has been graded from approx. 4 - 18 years, which equates to 22.5" to 35" chest, or 39" to 64" tall. Going on my kid's measurements, I used the size 10/12 for the top part, grading out to the size 14/16 at the waist. 

Fabric info:

'Knit fabric' is the only specification on the blog post (with an affiliate link to an online fabric shop). I made two versions of this pattern (read on to find out why you only see one of them pictured in this post!), the first in a cotton/elastane single jersey that I harvested from an adult's rollneck top that I was no longer wearing because it was too tight in the arms. And the second I made in a 100% cotton single jersey (pictured) that was harvested from a toddler bed sheet. The fabric of the bed sheet had lost a fair bit of its mechanical stretch so probably wasn't the most suitable choice. But the print is super cute and reminds me of when my children were tiny, so it's nice to find a use for it.

You could also use a fine rib knit for this pattern I reckon, or even a thinner pointelle perhaps, which might be nice for nightwear. You cut your own strips for the bindings so the fabric you use for them does't need to have any particular percentage of stretch. Just be mindful as you apply them to not do so too tightly if the fabric doesn't have much stretch and recovery. 

Findings:

Accessing the pattern was easy, and it was simple to print out and put together. Generally speaking, I think the pattern is well drafted, but I did notice that the side seams weren't the same length, so I ended up trimming one down. As for the instructions, if you've been following this blog feature for a while, you know by now that I don't love instructions that are in the form of an ad-riddled blog post, including the extra distracting animated ads. Obviously, I understand the business model: that's one of the ways the designer makes their money, but there's also the affiliate links AND you've given them your email address to access the actual pattern. As Danny Price would say, moving on...

I did like being given two options for attaching the bindings, which they differentiate as 'bands vs bindings' (I prefer the bands method). And all in all the project was a fun, quick and satisfying sew. 

What didn't work out well, however, was the fit. My kid found the armholes to be too high in the first version, and in fact refused to wear that one at all because they found it too uncomfortable (I haven't plucked up the energy or motivation to unpick all that top stitching and overlocking yet). I lowered the armholes considerably for the second version and which worked out well and this second one has been worn to sleep in. 

Will I make this pattern again?

Possibly. There's also a question over whether or not my kid actually likes the racerback style after all (eye roll). 

Me-Made-May 2025!!! Time to plan your pledge...

 

Here we are again! Me-Made-May is a month away, so it's time to decide if you wish to participate. 

The fun and inclusive thing about this challenge is that it really is suitable for every maker. It doesn't matter if you have just one handmade item so far, or an entire wardrobe. You can set your own challenge so that it a bit tricky but do-able for you! So consider your goals and what aspect of your making you'd like to improve on. Once you've figure that out, you can record it by making a proper pledge if you wish:

There are two episodes of my podcast about the challenge that give ideas for pledges and include experiences of previous participants, they are: 

Ep 37: Pledges and Participants #1 with Rebecca and Meg

Ep 38: Pledges and Participants #2 with Amy and Judith

Here's a blank page if you'd like:

If you'd like to hear more about the creation and evolution of the challenge, as well as a longer explanation on what the challenge is, what it isn't, how you can participate and why you might want to, please check out Ep. #84 of my podcast, Check Your Thread. And if time is tight and you'd like a brief explanation, please check out this week's episode: Ep. #177: Me-Made-May Explained in Under 5 Minutes!

I have also created a helpful (but entirely optional!) workbook to accompany the challenge. It will help you capture the lessons you'll learn about your wardrobe so you can apply them to your future making. If you think this workbook would be useful but you can't afford £3.99 at this time, then please email me and I'd be happy to send it to you for free. If you have any questions, please get in contact via email (zoe at checkyourthread dot com). 

Free Pattern Friday: Duffle Bag

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

This month I'm sharing a pattern and tutorial that I'm hoping will have fairly broad appeal. I mean, who couldn't use a variety of different sized and shaped bags?! This project was born out of wanting to use up this remnant of pre-quilted fabric. The remnant was rectangular but not very big, so it took me some time to find a project/pattern that would make the most of what I had with very little leftover. Eventually I landed on this duffle bag tutorial by Free-Tutorial.net. Thanks to them for sharing this pattern and tutorial for free. 

(image source: Free-Tutorial.net)

Pattern type:

This project makes a basic, barrel-shaped duffle bag, AKA holdall. The measurements, quantities and step-by-step instructions are found in the blog post, and there's downloadable pattern pages for the circles that form the ends of the bag. There are no sign-ups or checkouts required to access this pattern, just a million distracting adverts and annoying pop-ups to navigate. Thus is the way with some free patterns...

Sizing info:

This bag comes with two sizes for you to choose from: Medium - 13” wide and 8.5” high and Mini – 11” wide and 6” high. I made the medium. However, if you're up for a bit of maths, you could alter the scale on your printer setup when printing the circle pattern pieces, and work out the ratio to alter the rest of the measurements to make different sizes of bag. However, if you wanted a different volume bag but didn't fancy doing the maths, you could simply alter the width of the side panel pieces to make it more or less roomy. 

I'm not sure how useful the mini version would be, although it would be very cute. The medium size seems ok as an overnight bag, or possibly for taking a change of clothes to a dancing class or similar. Although I didn't specifically make this for her, I envision my daughter using this to go to a sleepover at a pal's. 

Fabric info:

The choice of recommended exterior fabric is pretty broad (quilting cotton/canvas/vinyl) because you can then add fusible interfacing if necessary, and you're advised to use a layer of fusible fleece or foam stabiliser for structure. Those more experienced in bag making will probably know more about these products than I! There's no specific recommendation for what to use for the lining. 

For my bag, I was determined to only use what fabrics I already had. As I say, my exterior fabric was pre-quilted, so had a bit of bulk to it already. However, it wasn't very stiff, so I used some plasticised table cloth vinyl to form the lining. I didn't have enough of this in right size so I had to piece together what I had. I'm pretty sure that the table cloth vinyl gives the bag a similar structure to how the fusible fleece or foam stabiliser might work. I'm not sure how it'll hold up long-term, but it works pretty well right now. I also like that it makes the inside somewhat waterproof in case a water bottle or shampoo bottle or something leaks. 

Webbing of non-specified width is recommended for the straps. I bought some organic cotton webbing from James Tailoring. But you could also just make straps from long rectangles of fabric folded twice (like you would double-fold bias binding) and stitched down the edges. 

Findings:

I spent one evening prepping and cutting out my pieces, and another evening actually stitching the bag together. I haven't made a bag like this before, so it was fun to see it come together, which is did pretty quickly. In hindsight, the table cloth vinyl might not have been the best choice for the lining. It was pretty tricky to wrestle into place and can't easily be pinned, and I had/have a fear that it's going to tear. 

As for the pattern itself, the instructions were pretty good with fairly clear photographs showing the various steps, but not for every step that I thought could use one. One thing I found was that the seam allowances were a bit all over the place, 1/4" in some places, 1/2" somewhere else and 3/8" somewhere else. It's a pretty simple make, but a little bit more guidance would make it more beginner friendly. 

The finished bag looks super cute, and this style of bag is a great canvas for lovely fabric. My only real gripe, design-wise, is that I wish there was a tab to hold on to when I unzip the bag. I didn't realise I'd miss that until the bag was complete, and now I can't really be arsed to unpick it and add them. 

Will I make this pattern again?

Possibly! I'd definitely make a similar style bag if not this exact one, simply because I'd like to learn some other methods of bag construction.

Free Pattern Friday Guest Post: Zero Waste Knickers / Pants / Panty / Undies for Adults

(image source: Saara Jolkkonen)

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

This month's instalment of Free Pattern Friday is deviating from the usual format because this one has been written by a guest! A lovely maker called Catherine who has always been incredibly supportive of my work offered to write up her recent experience with a free sewing pattern. So I want to say massive thanks to both Catherine AND all the amazing and generous designers who share their work with the community for free. Let's hand it over to Catherine!...

So I suggest that other people might want to contribute towards the “free pattern Friday” posts, so that Zoe did not have not make things for the sake of it, and other patterns that Zoe might not be interested in could also be showcased. I then went on to test out a pattern that Zoe would probably be happy to try herself!!

Anyway on to Zero Waste patterns… inspired by The Check Your Thread podcast episodes on Zero Waste I tried my first zero waste pattern last year and loved it. So then I decided to try a knickers pattern – I must have spent more time “researching” and “falling down the rabbit hole” on the internet than I did actually making them. The delightful pattern I chose comes from designer Saara Jolkkonen. The open source collection of twelve ZW patterns, including these undies, can be found on this website. 

Through my research I also discovered this helpful post by Zebra Spider about making this pattern, plus three awesome blog posts by recent-Check Your Thread-guest Liz Haywood (1, 2 & 3).   

Pattern type:

A zero waste pattern in Finnish which can be printed out on two sheets of A4 paper and used. Translation on Google works Ok – but the above websites have lots of information too. The most important thing to remember is seam allowances are 6mm.

Catherine's pieces ready to stitch together

Sizing info:

According to Google Translate:

The briefs are serialized in five sizes: S, M, L, XL and XXL. S waist 61 cm, M waist 68 cm, L waist 74 cm, XL waist 80 cm, XXL waist 85 cm. The sizes may sound small in centimetres, but the material of the underpants should be flexible and the trousers should be tight.

Fabric info:

You will need to use a jersey stretch fabric with 4-way stretch. I used various scraps of left over fabric from T-shirts and Jersey PJ trousers I have made… I also used old T-shirts that are no longer wearable and white vests for gusset pieces…. All useful for toiles.

Catherine tried these on at this point and found there was not enough coverage over the backside so she went no further with this pair. 

Findings:

I am used to making underwear as I have been doing it for years. I found this an interesting pattern to use – though it was a little low rise at the backside for me..so then I tried Liz Haywood’s pattern (see below) – which was a bit low at the legs.. so like Goldilocks the third attempt was much better… I adapted the pattern making it minimal waste rather zero waste. Though I think there are a number of ways to be Zero waste, one is using a zero waste pattern, and another is to use fabric which has no other use (scraps from other projects, old T-shirts etc). So I still feel this is Zero waste!

Catherine's next version using Liz Haywood's reworking of the original ZW undies pattern

If you have not made Zero waste patterns, this might be an easy place to start.Equally, if you have never made underwear before, again this could be a good place to start – especially with all of the information on the above links and Zoe’s own knicker making tutorials!

Catherine's helpful comparison of the original pattern (on top) and Liz's version (underneath)

One point to note is that like many zero waste patterns, it might not be suitable for directional prints as the bottom and front are cut in different directions. However inspired by this I cut out some Acacia Knickers (also a free pattern) and turned one piece upside down to get two pairs from one old T-shirt rather than one pair…. Who’s looking at the underwear anyway? Does it matter if the print is upside down on my backside???

The changes Catherine made to Liz's version of the pattern

Will I make this pattern again?

After I made my adaptions, yes I will be making it again. I already make all of my knickers – fun fabrics, good use of leftover jersey and fit well! 

Catherine's Goldilocks version! 

Free Pattern Friday: Marly Trapper Hat for Adults

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

Free Pattern Friday is BACK!!!!! This blog post series has been on a break since last September because I'd kind of run out of free sewing patterns I wanted to try. But in the mean time I've found some more and am challenging myself see how far into 2025 I can get with monthly pattern reviews. The pattern I'm posting about today is one I made as part of a charity sewing day in November hosted at my part-time work (Fabric Godmother). A number of staff members spent time sewing items as part of the Big Sew Off, and the items were then donated to the Give Your Best charity/platform. GYB support people living in clothing poverty, often refugees, by aiding the redistribution of clothing to those who request it. It's very cool. 

I only had a couple of hours to sew something during the Big Sew Off, so I picked a project that I hoped would be both useful for someone facing a chilly winter, and a bit of a challenge for myself. The Marly hat pattern by Belgium-based sewing company, Atelier Jupe, was the perfect project. It's relatively quick and simple, whilst also being potentially really useful. You can access the pattern by signing up to their newsletter. Thanks so much to Atelier Jupe for providing this pattern for free. 

(image source: Atelier Jupe)

Pattern type:

The Marly hat pattern is a simple, classic, trapper hat style comprised of six pattern pieces. The instructions come in English, Dutch and French. The pattern is a tiled PDF that you need to print out on a home printer and stick together.

Sizing info:

This pattern comes in three adult sizes: Small, Medium and Large which span head circumferences 53cm - 62cm. WARNING!!! I made the Medium, thinking that would be the most useful size considering the recipient was unknown, and it came out HUGE. As you can see, despite my head measurement being suited to the Medium, it's super big on me, and in fact fits my boss (below), a large dude, very well. It's possible that my fabrics had some 'give' in them, thus making the hat stretch out a bit. However, my recommendation would be to size down, or at least make a wearable toile version to test the fit before cutting into any precious fabrics. 

Fabric info:

The pattern recommends the following: For the exterior fabric, use a medium weight fabric without elastane, like cotton, gabardine, denim, corduroy... and a thicker fabric for the lining, like teddy, wool, bouclé, fake fur...

For my version, I used a loosely woven wool for the exterior and some synthetic sherpa fleece for the lining. I think this pattern is an excellent project to use up any scraps of fleece-type fabrics, or even for upcycling a fleece garment that has got a bit ratty. 

Findings:

This was definitely a fun but gently challenging project. At one point I forged ahead without reading the instructions properly, then had to do some unpicking because I'd made a mistake. The pattern was easy to use, and the instructions had clear photographs showing the construction steps. 

As for the finished item, it's kind of cute and fun, but as I mentioned previously, it came out way bigger than expected. The really good news, however, is that my hat was requested by someone via the Give Your Best platform. So hopefully it's out there somewhere keeping someone's head warm!

Will I make this pattern again?

A trapper hat definitely has a particular lewk, and it's not one that myself or Mr SoZo have really acquired so I'm not sure I'd make another. That said, Waves and Wild do a version that include kids' sizes that I might make for my son. 

Scrap Busting September 2024

Happy October! Did you participate in Scrap Busting September this year? The endeavour is organised by my pal Meg Grandstaff who encourages us all to explore our creativity and resourcefulness by crafting with scraps and leftovers of fabric and yarn. If you'd like to hear more, check out this recent episode of my podcast, Check Your Thread, in which I have a hilarious chat with Meg. 

Trainer socks:

I'm making this post to record the items I made using fabric scraps last month. First up, I made two pairs of trainer socks using this free sewing pattern and tutorial. The pair pictured above were made using some 100% cotton interlock with cotton/lycra jersey for the band. The pair pictured below were made using some Liberty cotton/lycra jersey entirely. Both are wearable, but the second pair are more so because I adjusted the heel dart so there's less bulk underneath my foot. I'm so excited to have a well-fitting trainer sock pattern that I can use over and over in the future. 

Kid's undies:

I continued to raid my jersey scraps tub to create a couple of pairs of undies for my son. I used a new-to-me undies pattern from an Ottobre Design magazine because it was comprised of quite a few pattern pieces that would make it easier for using with scraps. I also chose it because the leg holes were hemmed rather than finished with bands. The waist is finished with visible elastic which feels to me like they'll have more longevity than with a band of fabric like most of the previous pairs I've made him.

I had a lot of fun picking the different jerseys to go together. I have had some of these scraps for so long, it feels good to get them out of my stash. 

Kid's joggers:

Next up was a pair of joggers, also for my son. I had lots of remnants of the same speckly sweatshirt fleece from the scrap bin at work. I didn't do anything clever, simply pieced sections together and topstitched down the seam allowances to reduce bulk. I wanted these to look fairly understated so he has the option of wearing them for PE at school, but I chose a scraps of striped french terry for the back pocket and cuffs for a tiny bit of interest. 

Again, the pattern comes from an Ottobre Design magazine. Those magazines are such a great resource for basic knit garment patterns. I didn't bother with the side seam pockets however, as I find they often create visible bulk, and he doesn't really use those pockets anyhow. I combined sizes (116 width and approx. 128 length) to more closely reflect his long, thin frame. He's already been wearing and enjoying them. I had to buy elastic to finish these off. 

Kid's scrappy cardigan:

And lastly, I wanted to reduce the volume of ponte and double knit scraps in my stash, so I proposed a scrappy cardigan for my daughter. She's got a whole Goblincore thing going on these days, and over-sized scrappiness fits well in that aesthetic. 

Compared to women's patterns, and patterns for younger children, the selection available for tweens and teens is really poor. I plan to create a post that lists the pattern companies I have found that do cater to this age group at some point. However, with the selection of suitable cardigan patterns incredibly limited, I ended up tracing her school cardigan to make my own pattern. 

I got my daughter to select the scraps that most appealed to her from the tub, which produced quite a wild effect! She also chose the top stitching colour, ribbing and wooden buttons from my stash also. It's so pleasing to make an entire garment from items you already own. And the best part is that she loves it! She's worn it basically every day since I finished it up. 

Free Pattern Friday: Meditation Cushion

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

This is a project that I completed a couple of months ago, but I wanted to share it with you now to coincide with #ScrapBustingSeptember, the prompt created by my pal Meg Grandstaff. Meg is encouraging us to get creative and resourceful with our scraps, and all you have to do to take part is work on a project made from, or incorporating fabric or yarn scraps! If you want to hear what Meg achieved and took away from last year's challenge, and what her plans are for this year's, check out my recent conversation with her for my podcast Check Your Thread. 

What is particularly awesome about these meditation cushions,is that they provide a purpose for your annoying, unusable fabric scraps. It's a great alternative to chucking them in the bin destined for landfill, or to an uncertain fate in the textiles recycling collection. You'll be amazed by how many you can fit in one of these! You can also chop up textiles such as worn out tea towels or unwearable old clothes. And even if meditation isn't your thing (it recently became mine, but I like to meditate laying down!), these can be used as extra seating for guests or as a kind of foot stall. So massive thanks to The Daily Sew for making this tutorial available for free. Plus, enormous thanks to Check Your Thread Patron Lois for sharing the tutorial with the community. 

(image source: The Daily Sew)

Pattern type:

This tutorial is for a circular meditation cushion, AKA a zafu. It is comprised of two circles of fabric, and one long strip of fabric that is pleated up and stitched to the edges of the circles. You create an overlap with the ends of the strip to conceal the opening. Technically, you could could stuff your cushion with all manner of materials, however I'm endorsing the use of fabric scraps! You can stitch the opening shut, or make the overlap significant enough that the contents won't come out if left unstitched. 

Sizing info:

Apparantly, most zafus are between 6" and 9" tall, however this project is incredibly customisable to your own preferences. 

Fabric info:

According to the tutorial: 'This project works best with 59″ (150 cm) wide fabric. However, you can piece together fabric if yours is not that wide. Choose a fabric that is on the heavy side like canvas, duck, denim or upholstery fabric. Many of these come 59″ wide so, bonus.' 

I used a remnant of stretch denim that had been in my stash for a while. It had a weird join along the width that made it difficult to find a project for it. I didn't have quite enough to cut the circles and strip in full pieces, so I had to make a join along the centre of the circles. If you don't have a remnant of fabric that runs across from selvedge to selvedge, you could easily piece together fabrics for that also. Lois actually makes her strips longer than the tutorial suggests by piecing them, so they don't need to be stitched closed. This means she can give them to non-sewing friends and family to stuff with their own textile waste. 

Findings:

This was SUCH a fun project! Yes, I probably could have figured out how to do something similar to this on my own, but it can be so nice and relaxing to simply follow along with some else's instructions. There's also a video version on YouTube if that's your preferred method of info transmission!

The cushion could house a surprising amount of scraps and cut up textiles. I have a feeling it might 'settle' and become a bit loose, so I gave instructions to the recipient of the cushion to carefully cut open the opening and stuff with old socks if that happens...

Would I make this again?

Absolutely! Patron Lois has been whipping heaps of these up to give out to friends and family to help them deal with their textile waste, and I might start doing the same some day.