
Welcome to The Creative Curator, an essential online resource for anyone wanting to learn how to design, pattern, drape and make their own clothes and accessories!
I am a fashion designer and creative pattern cutter – you can learn more about me here – and I teach others how to do the same with my free content, online courses and 1-2-1 sessions.
Whether you’re a complete beginner excited to start making clothes of your own, a more experienced seamstress ready to embark on your patternmaking journey or a fashion lover ready to drape or design your own collections, you’ll find all the information you need here at The Creative Curator!
Take a look at the most popular content below, that my readers love and find helpful.
Learning To Sew – Sewing Tutorials For Sewing Beginners

The tutorials here are the very beginner ones that I recommend to anyone new to sewing clothes. You can find a full guide to my sewing tutorials here, but those listed below are great starting points!
- How to thread a sewing machine
- How to use a sewing machine
- Different seam finishes
- How to sew hems
- What is stay stitching?
- Essential sewing tools for beginners
- Parts of a sewing machine
- Sewing terminology
- How to cut fabric straight with scissors
- How to sew in a straight line
- 9 professional sewing tips
Towards the bottom of the page I have listed out the free sewing patterns (and paid ones too) that I have either created or tried myself! These are great for further developing your sewing skills!
Beginner Sewing Tutorials For Seams and Hems

Here are some more specific tutorials on sewing different seam and hem types. It’s important to consider the type of fabric you’ll be sewing, so be sure to consider this too when choosing a seam or hem for your sewing project!
- Open seam tutorial
- Easy welt seam tutorial
- Flat felled seam tutorial
- French seam tutorial
- Mock French seam tutorial
- Lapped seam tutorial
- How to hem using a sewing machine
- Double fold hem sewing tutorial
- How to sew a pin hem
- Bias binding to finish a hem
Intermediate Sewing Tutorials

For those not quite as new to sewing your own clothes, these tutorials are more intermediate in skill level!
- How to make rouleau straps
- How to sew elastic directly to fabric
- How to fuse fabric together
- Curved French seam tutorial
- How to sew darts in a bodice
- How to sew puff sleeves
Sewing Different Pocket Types

Adding pockets when sewing your own clothes is a great way to make a commercial sewing pattern more unique. Here are my latest tutorials on sewing different pocket types!
Inset Pocket Tutorials
Patched Pocket Tutorials
Inseam Pocket Tutorials
Guides For Sewing Tools & Sewing Machines

It goes without saying that once you’ve fallen in love with sewing, you’ll want to expand the tools and sewing machines that you have. These guides will help you make the right choice for your needs!
Different Sewing Tools
- Measuring tools used in sewing
- Fabric marking tools
- Cutting tools used in sewing
- How to use a tracing wheel
- Types of French curve rules
- Pattern making tools
- How to use a sewing gauge
- Best dress forms used in sewing
- Dress forms for men
Sewing Machine Guides
The following guides will help you to feel more confident in buying and using a sewing machine:
- Parts of a sewing machine
- Different types of sewing machines
- Best leather sewing machines
- Handheld sewing machines
- Sewing machine needle types
- Different sewing machine presser feet
- What is the presser bar on a sewing machine?
- Buying a sewing machine
Easy Sewing Projects

Whilst I have many beginner friendly sewing tutorials on the blog, the number of sewing projects is less prolific. Here are some that I have enjoyed creating and sharing the process of! I do try to create as sustainably as possible, so you’ll notice that they may be upcycle projects or zero waste where possible.
- Rectangle skirt tutorial
- Fanny pack / bumbag tutorial
- DIY wrap skirt with ties
- DIY jeans
- DIY faux fur pom pom keychain
- DIY apron from a man’s shirt
- DIY ruffle dress
Pattern Making Tutorials

Of course I need to let you know about some of the best pattern making tutorials that I have for you here as well – these tutorials will walk you step by step through the pattern making process, helping you to become better at pattern making with each one!
- Drafting a female bodice block
- Drafting a simple skirt block
- Drafting a basic sleeve block
- Drafting a raglan sleeve pattern
- uff sleeve pattern
- Kimono sleeve pattern
- Peter Pan collar pattern
- Mandarin collar pattern
Understanding Different Fabric Types

The key to successful projects when designing and sewing clothing is understanding the different types of fabrics that you can use. My large collection of fabric guides will help you understand the different properties of fabrics so that you can choose the right one for your next project or collection!
- Choosing the right fabric for clothing
- Preshrinking fabric
- What is interfacing fabric?
- Natural vs and made fibres
- How is cotton made into fabric
- Sheer fabric types
- Types of lace fabrics
- Sewing with twill fabric
- Types of georgette fabric
- How to sew chiffon fabric
- What is gabardine fabric
- Types of tulle fabric
Clothing & Fashion Styles

For those interested in learning more about styles with fashion and clothing, these guides are very informative and a great resource for anyone wanting to better understand garment types and fashion in general.
- Types of clothing
- Parts of a shirt
- Different shirt types
- Types of necklines
- All about collars in clothing
- Pocket types and uses
- Different types of sleeves in fashion
- Different types of sweaters
- Different types of skirts in fashion
- Different dress styles
- Different types of pants
- Different sock types
Best Books For Sewing, Pattern Making & Fashion Design

When it comes to your sewing, pattern making and fashion design journey, there are many books that can also help you develop your skills. Here are the guides I have which feature books that I myself own, or have previously used along the way to developing my own skills.
- Best sewing books
- Best sewing books with patterns
- Mending books
- Best pattern making books
- Sustainability in fashion books
- Fashion design & fashion illustration books
Sewing Patterns To Get Started With

Of course this page would not be complete without mentioning sewing patterns! I have a great selection of sewing pattern round-ups and reviews for you to have a look through, and try hard to mention the sewing level too, so that you can be properly informed before embarking on sewing one of your own!
The first place to start if you’re completely new to sewing patterns is to review the process of printing PDF patterns and how to stick pdf patterns together. It’s so important to get both parts right so that the pattern you cut and sew is accurately sized!
Sewing Patterns That I have Created For My Readers
I’m not a prolific sewing pattern creator as I don’t really believe the world needs more of the same, so the number of sewing patterns I have created for my readers is smaller, and based more on requests of my readers. I’ll update this list as I add more, but here is the current selection:
- Free sleeping mask pattern
- Free DIY drawstring bag pattern
- Free little wallet pattern
- Bumbag / fanny pack sewing pattern
- Free easy tote bag pattern
- Circle skirt template pattern
- Free face mask pattern
Sewing Patterns That I have Reviewed For My Readers
I’m often asked for sewing patterns suggestions by my readers who don’t want to learn pattern drafting. These are the articles covering different sewing patterns from other designers that my readers have enjoyed learning more about:
- Simple summer sewing patterns
- Easy sewing patterns for beginners
- Best plus sized patterns for beginners
- Best jumpsuit patterns
- omen’s cargo pants pattern
- Men’s drawstring shorts pattern
- Scandinavian sewing patterns
- Sewing the Greer jumpsuit
Check out my web stories for a succinct look at some of my readers’ favourite articles!