Me Made May is a celebration of self-made clothes and a great time to start making your own clothes. Wearing something you made yourself is exciting enough, but being able to create clothing that really fits, using your favourite colours and patterns, is what makes dressmaking so awesome. Whether you’re a total beginner or looking for something a bit more kawaii, here’s some sewing patterns to check out. Shops with shipping locations also sell digital patterns.
If you love cosplay and J-Fashion, CUT/SEW (UK) have a very kawaii range of sewing patterns. They’ve got you covered, whether you want to dress up like a maid cafe waitress, make your own kigurumi or just create some cute casual outfits. They even have an ita bag pattern!
Tilly and the Buttons (UK) have a fun everyday style and always manage to keep up with the latest fashion trends. All their designs have lots of options, variations and add-ons – with plus sizes as standard – so you can make it over and over. There’s all the cute tops and dresses you need but also simple starter projects like pyjamas or major projects like a rain coat. All their patterns have sew-a-longs and video classes too so you won’t get stuck.
Peppermint (AU) is something a bit different – a quarterly magazine that includes an exclusive sewing pattern. With a focus on ethical fashion, diversity, inclusivity, climate action, slow living, sewing and DIY, the magazine is ideal for anyone who makes clothes as a protest against fast fashion. The patterns look very relaxed and comfortable with tops, skirts, dresses and loungewear.
If you’re new to sewing, or dressmaking, Seamwork looks like a great idea. Start by taking their quiz and they’ll suggest some patterns, classes and advice to get you going. You can also just jump straight to the patterns and there’s so many to choose from – not just tops, bottoms and dresses either, but jackets, underwear, activewear, bags and accessories.
Japanese sewing books often have a simple style of clothing that looks so relaxed and comfortable. Some do get English translations, including books by fabric designer Nani Iro (UK/US). If you have some experience with sewing clothes, you can try the much wider range of Japanese language books, which usually include full size patterns and lots of diagrams. pomadour24 (JP) has a massive selection for adults, kids and bags/accessories, and the book on the right doesn’t even require a sewing machine.
If accessories are more your thing, noodlehead (US) have plenty of cute bag patterns to choose from, with everything from totes and backpacks to wallets and pouches. They also sell all the hardware and supplies you’ll need.
Choosing the right kind of fabric – with a cute pattern of course! – is a whole other thing, but Spoonflower have a really cool blog post of their team’s 2022 Me Made May Makes that includes which type of fabric they used, plus links to the design and sewing pattern. Whatever your style and interests, you’ll definitely find something to love if you browse the thousands of designs on Spoonflower (US/EU).
Marceline is the co-founder and editor of Super Cute Kawaii and the author of The Super Cute Book of Kawaii. She lives by the seaside in Scotland in a flat full of kawaii, creating cute character goods as Asking For Trouble, working on endless craft projects and playing Nintendo.
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