Kids Sewing Patterns, 2 to 12 Years: Everyday Basics in PDF

Kids sewing patterns for 2 to 12 years are the quickest garments you will ever sew: the pieces are small, most take under a metre of fabric, the fit is loose, and the closures are elastic or nothing at all. The Sewly catalog has more than 60 children's patterns, all graded in nine sizes from 2Y to 12Y and many of them unisex. This guide leaves party dresses aside and covers the basics children actually wear out: a tee and shorts set, pull-on pants, leggings, a proper linen shirt and a sweat suit for winter, with the fabric that suits each one and how to choose the size.

How children's sizes work on Sewly patterns

Every children's pattern is graded in the same nine sizes: 2Y, 3Y, 4Y, 5Y, 6Y, 7Y, 8Y, 10Y and 12Y. There is no 9Y or 11Y; the steps widen once children grow more slowly in girth than in height. The size chart on each pattern page lists the chest, waist and hip measurement for every size, in centimetres and inches, and the chest runs from about 52 cm at 2Y to about 78 cm at 12Y.

Age is only the label. To choose a size, measure the child's chest around the fullest part, their waist, and the length you want, whether that is shoulder to hem for a top or waist to ankle for trousers. Pick the size whose chest matches, then shorten or lengthen the pieces to the child's height. For pull-on trousers and loose tops, go up a size if the child is between two, and take a deeper hem to let down next year.

Start here: a tee and shorts set

Kids Relaxed Tee and Pocket Shorts Set is two everyday basics in one unisex pattern: a relaxed T-shirt and elastic-waist shorts with pockets. The pattern page suggests a soft cotton jersey or interlock for the tee and a light woven cotton such as poplin, chambray or fine twill for the shorts, and points out that sewing several in different colours turns the pattern into a small coordinated wardrobe.

The shorts are woven and straightforward. The tee is the first knit garment for many people, and three habits make it work on an ordinary sewing machine: use a ballpoint or jersey needle so the stitches do not skip, sew the seams with a narrow zigzag or your machine's stretch stitch so they can stretch with the fabric, and never pull the fabric while it feeds.

Pull-on pants for nursery and school

• Children Wide Leg Linen Pants with Pockets have a generous wide leg, an elastic waistband and side pockets, which the pattern page describes as practical for collecting treasures. Linen is the fabric they are drawn for, with linen blends and cotton as alternatives. Wide legs are easier to sew than slim ones because the inseam and side seam are nearly straight.
• Kids Elastic Waist Jersey Leggings are the knit version: a close-fitting pull-on shape in stretch cotton jersey, worn to kindergarten, under tunics and dresses, and for sports. The page calls them a good first knit-fabric make, and they are, because the whole garment is two pieces, an inseam, a crotch seam and a casing.

For either pattern, cut the elastic by wrapping it around the child's waist until it is snug but comfortable, add 2 cm for the overlap, and anchor it with a vertical line of stitching at each side seam so it cannot twist.

A proper shirt

• Boys Linen Tunic Shirt with Mandarin Collar is a long-sleeve shirt with a relaxed tunic shape and a mandarin collar. The mandarin collar is the reason to start here: it is a single curved band with no collar points and no separate stand, so it is far easier to sew than a classic shirt collar. The pattern page suggests linen or linen blends and other soft shirting fabrics, and notes that it works as a dress shirt for a wedding or a ring bearer outfit. It also includes bonus instructions for a bib.
• Boys Short Sleeve Shirt and Shorts Summer Bundle pairs a classic button-down shirt with short sleeves and a full button front with elastic-waist Bermuda shorts. Cotton poplin, chambray, seersucker or a soft linen blend are suggested for the shirt, and cotton twill or a sturdier linen for the shorts. The row of buttonholes is the only new skill; practise two on a folded scrap with interfacing first.

A children's shirt uses less than a metre of fabric, so it is also the cheapest way to learn collar and placket construction before sewing a shirt for an adult.

For the cold months

Kids Lounge Sweat Suit Set with Flare Pants is a sweatshirt top and flared pull-on trousers that children can live in from October to March. The pattern page recommends knits with good stretch and recovery, French terry, brushed fleece-backed jersey or a mid-weight sweatshirting, with a brushed surface for the coldest months and a lighter loopback for spring. Sweatshirt knits are thicker than jersey, so lengthen the stitch slightly and use a walking foot if you have one; the layers then feed evenly through the machine.

Fabric and how much to buy

Cotton is the answer for nearly everything a child wears: it washes at 40 or 60 degrees, survives the tumble dryer, and does not scratch. Woven cotton for shorts, shirts and trousers; cotton jersey and interlock for tees and leggings; French terry and sweatshirt fleece for winter. Linen is cooler for summer trousers and the tunic shirt, and the pattern pages above list it first where it suits.

Children's garments are small, so for 140 cm wide fabric:

• Shorts take roughly 0.4 to 0.7 metres depending on age.
• Trousers and leggings take roughly 0.7 to 1.2 metres.
• A long-sleeve shirt or a sweatshirt takes roughly 0.8 to 1.3 metres.

Pre-wash every fabric before cutting. Cotton jersey and French terry shrink as much as linen does, and a child's trousers that lose 4 centimetres of leg in the first wash have lost a season.

Making clothes last two seasons

Children grow upwards faster than outwards, so the length is what runs out first. Sew the size that matches the chest, add 3 to 5 centimetres to the leg or body length, and take a deep hem that can be let down. Pull-on styles with elastic waists stay wearable as the waist changes, and a wide-leg trouser still looks right when it has become a cropped trouser. Finish every seam, reinforce the top corners of pockets with a few extra stitches, and the garment will survive a second child.

Printing the patterns

All of these are PDF patterns you print at home, and each one also includes an A0 file for a copy shop. The pattern page tells you whether the home-printing layout is A4, US Letter or a combined file, so check it before you print. Children's pieces are small and each size is a separate file, so a pair of shorts prints on a handful of pages. If this is your first PDF pattern, read How to Print a PDF Sewing Pattern at Home and measure the test square first. For dresses, tiered skirts and pinafores, Girls Dress Sewing Patterns, 2 to 10 Years covers the styles that work at this age. The full list of children's patterns is in the Sewly catalog and on the patterns page.