It’s safe to say that when it comes to making your own clothes and building a handmade wardrobe there are a heap of options out there when it comes to patterns and what to make.

My sewing journey started back in 2020 when there were already plenty of Indie sewing companies out there. While there is a huge amount of patterns available from the big 4 in printed format, it is the development of PDF patterns that has really changed a lot in the sewing world.

Firstly, and I think most importantly, the Indie pattern companies cater to more of us and offer size ranges that are more in keeping with real bodies. If this hadn’t happened, I probably wouldn’t be sewing as I am often the top size, or sized out of the big 4 patterns. tut tut!

They also bring more variety and a deeper level of support and guidance with the instructions which is something that hugely helped me when I started sewing.

The other amazing thing about the Indie pattern designers is just how much they give back to us in the sewing community.

When you get started sewing your own clothes it can quickly become an obsession. It’s no secret that sewing is not a low cost hobby and so when you find amazing things for free it’s something to shout about.

Many of the Independent Pattern Designers have created free patterns which is a great place to get started . I have tried to compile as many as I can here. It would be wrong to assume that the free patterns are all very basic or not a good fit. While it is true that there are a lot of beginner options out there, there are great free patterns lurking around every corner. You just need to know where to look!

You’ll be able to quickly see these aren’t patterns just for beginners – there are some amazing styles here from pattern makers of all niches. So let’s get started on some of the best free sewing patterns available!