Clothes That Survive the Playground: 7 Best Kids Sewing Patterns

Kids’ clothes have a hard, short life: grass stains by Tuesday, a hole in the knee by Friday, and too short by spring. That is exactly why they are worth sewing: you choose the fabric, and you can make the colors they actually want to wear. Good kids sewing patterns give a clear size range and say which fabric the design expects.

The seven run from 6 months to teen sizes: the Charlotte dress, a knit tunic or dress from the Audrey collection, a play skirt with shorts sewn in, a raglan zip sweatshirt, a zip hoodie jumpsuit, a felt pirate jacket for dress-up and a girls swimsuit. After the cards I line up the size ranges, look at what each pattern expects from a knit, and cover the hood cord rule that applies to children’s clothes sold in the US.

Kids Sewing Patterns for Play, School and Dress-Up

This list is for grown-ups sewing for children, so guides on teaching kids to sew are not part of it. Every pick has a size chart or a named size range.

TL;DR: A dress in twelve sizes from 6 months to 10 years leads the list, followed by an Audrey knit dress up to teen 14, a play skirt with shorts inside, a unisex zip sweatshirt and a zip hoodie jumpsuit. A felt pirate jacket for dress-up and a girls swimsuit sized by chest finish the set.

• Charlotte Dress Girls Pattern – Best girls dress
• Audrey Collection – Girls/Teens Style 2 Sewing Pattern – Best knit dress
• Summer Play Skirt – Best play skirt
• Kids Raglan Zip Sweatshirt – Best kids sweatshirt
• Kids Zip Hoodie Jumpsuit Sewing Pattern – Best cozy one-piece
• Kids Pirate Jacket Sewing Pattern – Best dress-up
• Girls Swim Suit – Best kids swimwear

Quick Comparison

Who Fits Which Pattern

• Charlotte dress: 12 sizes from 6 months to 10 years, with a 1 cm (3/8 inch) seam allowance included.
• Audrey tunic or dress: girls and teens 6 to 14; the listing says teen 12 may also fit a women’s Misses 0 or 2.
• Summer play skirt: 18 months to 8 years.
• Zip hoodie jumpsuit: 1.5 to 10 years.
• Pirate jacket: sizes 4, 7 and 10.
• Girls swimsuit: chest about 19 to 32 inches.
• Raglan zip sweatshirt: the size chart is in the listing images; the text does not name the range.

Measure the child in underwear or a thin layer and compare chest, waist, hips and height with the chart, not the age on the label, since two children of the same age can be a size apart. Tops and dresses usually go by the chest, while a skirt with an elastic back goes by the waist and hips. Print at 100 percent; the Charlotte and jumpsuit listings both stress the scale.

Many parents sew one size up so a garment lasts longer on a growing child. That works best on a loose style like the raglan sweatshirt; on the swimsuit, which has to fit closely, in my view the chart size is the better choice. Smaller sizes, from newborn, are in the kids and baby section.

Choosing Knits for These Patterns

Several of these are knit patterns, and they ask for different knits. The Audrey dress calls for a lighter knit blend with some stretch, while the hoodie jumpsuit wants a medium-weight knit such as sweatshirt fleece, with ribbing for the cuffs and waistband. The play skirt combines 1 yard of knit with 1/2 yard each of two coordinating fabrics and includes tips on gathering and sewing knits.

The swimsuit needs swim fabric: with 60 inch wide fabric, smaller sizes take 1/2 yard and larger ones up to 1 yard. Use elastic labeled for swimwear; ordinary braided elastic can wear out faster in chlorine and salt water.

If knits are new to you, two of the guides in the top results say woven fabric is easier to learn on, and one adds that knits need a stretch stitch or a serger. A ballpoint or stretch needle and a narrow zigzag on a regular machine are enough to start; ribbing is cut shorter than the opening and stretched to fit as you sew.

Hood Cords and Other Safety Points

In the US, drawstrings at the hood and neck of children’s upper outerwear in sizes 2T to 12 are treated as a safety hazard under a federal rule from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, because a cord can catch on playground equipment. The rule is aimed at clothes that are sold, but it is a sensible guide at home too, especially for a young child.

• Hoodie jumpsuit: the listing includes a hood cord with optional eyelets. Leave the hood cord out, particularly in sizes 2T to 12. The eyelets are optional in the listing, and the hood works without them.
• Buttons on small sizes: the Charlotte dress starts at 6 months. If you use buttons on a baby size, sew them on with strong thread and check them, or switch to snaps.
• Felt costumes: craft felt is often acrylic or polyester, which can melt with high heat. Keep the pirate jacket away from open flames, candles and heaters, and press it with a cool iron through a cloth.

FAQ for Sewing Kids’ Clothes

Which patterns here go past age 10?

The Audrey dress runs to teen 14, and the swimsuit goes by chest size up to about 32 inches. The Charlotte dress, the jumpsuit and the pirate jacket stop at 10.

Are any of these for boys?

The raglan sweatshirt is described as unisex, and the hoodie jumpsuit and the pirate jacket are not described as being for one gender. The two dresses, the play skirt and the swimsuit are girls’ patterns.

Is the pirate jacket only a costume?

It is drafted for felt, so there are no hems to sew, and the designer says it can be turned into a knight’s jacket and other styles. In my view that makes it a dress-up basics pattern rather than a one-night costume.

Can I make the play skirt without printing pieces?

Partly. The listing gives both pattern pieces and measurements for the rectangle skirt pieces, so the skirt panels can be measured and cut straight on the fabric.

Two Patterns to Remeasure For

Children change size between the day you buy fabric and the day you sew, and two patterns here are the least forgiving of an old measurement. The jumpsuit has to be long enough in the body, or it pulls at the shoulders and the crotch, and the swimsuit fits closely by chest, so remeasure for both in the week you cut. Remeasuring before cutting lowers the risk of sewing any of these kids sewing patterns in a size the child has already outgrown. For a younger sibling, the baby patterns cover newborn to 18 months.

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• Sew for the New Baby with These 9 Best Baby Sewing Patterns
• Learn in Order With the Top 10 Easy Sewing Patterns for Beginners
• A Hoodie for Every Age in These 6 Best Hoodie Sewing Patterns

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