3-Pattern Sewing Tutorial: How to DIY an Entire Outfit From Scratch

1. Cut out the jacket

I printed out the pattern and cut out the pieces in my size.

I prefer to trace around the pattern on to my fabric before cutting it out.

2. Jacket pocket

Stitch the pocket flaps together in pairs with the right sides facing and turn them right side out.

Overlock the edges of the pocket pieces. 

Transfer the pleat lines from the pattern to the pocket fabric.

Pin and sew the pleat in place.

Press all four edges of the pocket to the wrong side by about half an inch (1 cm). Top stitch the top edge.

Press the raw edges of the pocket flap to the inside.

Pin the sew the flap and pocket to one front piece and repeat for the second pocket.

3. Jacket back

Mark and pin the back pleat as before and sew in place.

Sandwich the pleated section between both back yoke pieces and sew along the entire width of the back.

Top stitch the seam to encase the raw edges.

4. Shoulder and side seams

Join the front and back pieces at the shoulders and overlock the raw edges.

Sew the side seams in the same way.

5. Front placket and lower hem

Mark the placket width on the jacket front and press it to the wrong side.

Press the raw edge under and top stitch the placket in place.

Use the same process to turn up the deep lower hem.

6. Sleeves

Sew the curved edges of the sleeve pieces together. 

Overlock the raw edges and top stitch the seam.

Close the sleeve seam.

It wasn’t clear that the cuffs had to be cut on the fold, so I had to cut two more.

Join the short edges with the right sides facing.

Turn the cuffs right side out and attach them to the bottom of the sleeves with the right sides together.

Fold the raw edge over. Fold the cuff in half and top stitch it.

Insert the sleeves into the armholes, with the right sides facing. 

Unfortunately my sleeve head and armhole didn’t match up, so I had to correct that. It did pull the fabric slightly, but not too badly.

7. Jacket collar

The original collar pattern didn’t fit my jacket neckline, so I had to recut it and make it longer.

Attach it by folding it around the neckline and top stitching it in place.

8. Pants darts

Trace and cut out the pants pieces as before.

Mark and sew the darts on each section.

9. Insert the zipper

Overlock each pattern piece before joining them.

Mark the position of the zipper.

Sew the side seam, using a longer stitch where the zipper will be and a normal length stitch for the rest of the seam.

Press the seam flat.

Place the zipper centrally over the seam on the wrong side and sew it to the seam allowance.

Use a seam ripper to open the top section of the seam and expose the zipper.

10. Assemble the pants

Close the side and crotch seams.

Sew the inner leg seams and try on the pants.

Unfortunately they came up really big on me and I didn’t like how low the waist was.

I took in each leg panel, which meant removing and restitching the zipper.

I also decided to add a waistband to make the waist higher.

I added the waistband to the pants and incorporated the zipper into it.

I finished the waistband by sewing the second layer to the first with the right sides together at the top and overlocked the raw edge.

Once I was happy with the fit, I hemmed the lower edges of the legs.

11. Tank top pattern

I adapted the tank top from the tank dress pattern and cropped it from the length they suggested.

Cut out the pattern pieces, checking the direction of the stretch in your fabric first.

Close the shoulder and side seams, with the right sides facing.

Sew the neck and armhole bindings into loops.

Pin and sew them evenly around the openings with the right sides together and overlock the raw edges, catching them down on the inside.

There was no binding included in the pattern for the lower hem but I decided to add one.

I joined two pieces of fabric into a loop and attached them in the same way as the other facings.

Sewing tutorial for a full DIY outfit

My favorite piece of the collection is the jacket, which goes with so many other garments. 

The Sylvan tank was quick and easy to make. 

Please leave a comment down below to let me know your thoughts.

Next, learn How to Sew a Gorgeous Quilted Bag.