Have you ever made your own clothes before? I have been known to mess around with a few ideas for “easy” clothing patterns, only to end up with some hideously misshapen garment that will never see the light of day. Why is it so intimidating to make your own clothing?

In the video below, we learn to face our fears and dive right into making templates for clothes from other clothes we already own and know fit us well. What a brilliant idea! I can’t believe I’ve never thought of this before.

Wendy shows us exactly how to create the perfect template for clothes that fit right every time. Using a t-shirt she already knows fits her well, she traces about a half inch around the front of the shirt, before flipping it over and tracing a half inch around the back of the shirt.

Wendy goes on to explain the differences between the front and the back of the shirt. The front typically has a lower neckline than the back, and the front-facing armholes are a little deeper than the back to accommodate the extra motion. She goes on to show us how this basic template can easily be adjusted for lower necklines, wider necklines, longer or shorter waistlines, etc. We’ll make basic templates and then customize. Go ahead and see how it’s done!