Create Whimsy

Inspring makers and sharing their stories

Making Clothes

Category: <span>Making Clothes</span>

Express your style by sewing clothes that fit the body and voice your spirit! From simple dresses and beginner clothing patterns to styling your dog in a DIY coat, find projects and how-to tips to make the best use of your fabric when you start stitching.

Browse through all of our clothing project ideas and inspiration, from the basics to wearable art.

Costumes

Finishing Touches

You may know the flat felled seam by another name: the flat-fell seam or a felled seam. What is a flat felled seam? With double stitching, this seam is very durable. This...

Do you envy the nice finished look to clothes you make, including the inside? Learn many methods on how to finish seams with this article. There are so many ways...

The welt seam is similar to the mock flat felled seam but generally has just one row of topstitching. This is less bulky than the flat felled seam. It works...

Wearable Art

Marijke van Welzen creates wearable art using techniques she developed over the years. Not afraid of experimentation or a challenge, Marijke produces unique art garments that explore a theme or...

Fashion upcycling pioneer Christine Mayer takes garments and textiles that have a history of use and transforms them into sought-after clothing designs. The new life she gives these textiles comes...

Inspiration for Making Your Own Clothes

Born in the Philippines to creative parents, Sonya Philip has explored the world of art with a multicultural perspective. In addition to the Philippines, her family has lived in San...

More Making Clothes

Gown collage of gowns made by Joi

Spotlight: Joi Mahon, Fashion Sewing Entrepreneur

Fashion sewing entrepreneur Joi Mahon enjoys custom sewing and tailoring for clients, but she also has a passion for sharing her expertise with beginning and advancing sewists. With classes in…
Sachin sashiko jacket front

Spotlight: Sophie Cagniart, Fashion Designer

Fashion designer and textile artist Sophie Cagniart always knew she would do something creative with clothing but did not imagine elevating waste denim to an art form. By combining the…
Ice cream social dress

Spotlight: Erin Hentzel, Indie Pattern Designer

As many sewists do, indie pattern designer, author and teacher Erin Hentzel sewed for her children and their dolls. Sometimes the outfits matched, and other times the designs advanced hours,…
Jenny Rushmore Upton Dress 4 cropped

Spotlight: Jenny Rushmore, Pattern Designer

Challenged to find stylish clothes that fit and flattered her shape, body positive activist and pattern designer Jenny Rushmore decided to take back the power of fashion and develop a…
Shape of You

Spotlight: Dong Kyu Kim, Fiber Artist

While still a preschooler, Dong Kyu Kim would draw on anything he could get his hands on, improvising art supplies from pens, pencils and the margins of books. When he…
Showing the finishing of a neckline

Spotlight: Sonya Philip, Garment Designer

Born in the Philippines to creative parents, Sonya Philip has explored the world of art with a multicultural perspective. In addition to the Philippines, her family has lived in San…
Weaving by Barbara O'Steen

Spotlight Barbara O’Steen: Fiber Artist

Barbara O'Steen's art career has spanned many years and many obstacles that would have kept a lesser woman down. Through gender barriers, supporting a young family as a widow and…
Sarah & Julie with their wardrobes

Spotlight: Sarah Gunn and Julie Starr, Sewists

Online sewing friends Sarah Gunn and Julie Starr met one day for lunch and the creative sparks flew! The result was their first successful book proposal, and they have collaborated,…