Sewing inspo for teen

[FletchingStraight]

My just teen DD has decided she's like to have a go at sewing clothes (I'm thrilled!). I haven't done a lot of clothes sewing myself & I usually have difficulty trying to match fabric to a pattern - I just can't visualise it very well.
Does anyone have any suggestions for inspiration on Instagram that would appeal to a 13yr old - slightly grungy style but still loves a floaty maxi dress!

I've found Tilly and the buttons ready to follow, loads of tutorials, has insta

https://www.tillyandthebuttons.com/?m=1

Minerva site is good,it sells fabric and patterns and people post with examples of what they made with details of fabric or pattern

How about a restyle idea? So something that already exists as a garment remodelled? They do it as the second round on sewing bee and there's loads of great ideas. Slightly easier than starting from scratch but allows a lot of creativity. Perhaps an old dress of yours that can be shortened/changed in some radical way.

Have a look at Grainline Studio - well-drafted, unfussy patterns that may appeal to a slightly grungy teen: https://grainlinestudio.com/

There are lots of tutorials and ideas for modifying patterns on the website, so she could start with a simple pattern (e.g. Scout tee or Willow tank/dress) and really make it her own. There’s videos on YouTube too.

Great ideas!
@AuntieJune I was aware of Tilly but hadn't really looked at the site. She's into dungarees atm so the Cleo could be a good option - think I'm competent enough to work through with her

@NashvilleQueen not sure I'd feel capable of a restyle, I'd feel more confident making from scratch! I'm great at visualising interiors but not clothes for some reason

@SparkleHard thanks there's one or two here, we could work up to using jersey

As an aside I love the diversity in the pattern models, very different from when I last looked several years ago!

Another tip - fabric is £££ and it's v disheartening if you fork out a load of money and then aren't very pleased with what you make at the end.

I've been making mock ups from old duvet covers I got free on gumtree, then you can make the real thing from good fabric once you've made your mistakes on that.

You could also get a knicker pattern to start with - quite hard to mess up, easy to handle because there's not loads of fabric everywhere, quite cheap because not much fabric needed, you can wear them even if they're a bit clumsy because they're under clothes. They also make good presents!

Waves and wild so a fab wonder undies pattern which is very easy and soooo comfy

I used to make all my Summer dresses when I was a teenager. Amused at the idea of making Knickers. At school we had to make a slip and knicker set which had to incorporate French seams and a gusset which needed us to use a run-and-fell stitch. I had some nasty pink material and, needless to say, never wore the finished garments. Does anyone make their own knickers nowadays?

@AuntieJune yes fabric is so expensive. I've ordered some cotton from poundfabrics (it wasnt £1 a metre but it was still pretty cheap). I've found a few patterns from years ago that she likes, I made her a playsuit from it & we're going to give a dress a go. It's fairly simple so with a bit of help she should be ok. We've also got a pj pattern but it'd be nicer in a jersey so we'll build to that.
I'm not sure she'd be into making knickers for herself 😂 I'd worry about them staying up!

Waves and Wild are good patterns, and recently they’ve been releasing some in teen sizes.
Ellie and Mac also do a wide range of patterns and they have a fairly diverse tester pool so your daughter might find some inspiration there.
She could also try following people from the Sewing Bee on Instagram - previous series are on iPlayer so she could see if there’s anyone’s style she likes. She could also look up the hashtag of a pattern she likes eg #tatbcleo and see if there’s any she’s drawn to, then she can check out the rest of their account to get some ideas for further things to sew, places to get fabric she likes, other people to follow.

Also, please come join us on the Stitch and bitch threads - just friendly chat/advice/encouragement for people who sew.

Thanks @SBAM I'll go join in.
We definitely need to see something she likes & then work back to the pattern for now so I'll check out the makes on pattern & sfabric sites. We've been watching sewing bee together this year - finally I get her involved. She's not crazy about it but has seen a couple of things she's liked which has helped & we do give a good critique.

@eddiemairswife I do 😬 at least I have a few homemade and a load of multipack ones.

There's only three pattern pieces, you can often make them out of remnants, and honestly they are super comfy. The ones I make are rib warmers the size of a parachute. I make them out of stretchy jersey and so far they haven't gone saggy.

Sometimes have an hour or so once the kids are settled and I want to complete a quick craft project - a pair of pants can be done in that time!

Well I am sick of picking pants out of my ahem bum, so maybe a proper fitting pair would be quite nice @AuntieJune 😂 What pattern do you use?

https://www.youtube.com/@coolirpa

This youtube channel does loads of cool transformations of clothes from charity shops - she has a beginners playlist as well as some more complex ones. Helps keep fabric costs down while you are starting out!

Also Liz from Sewing Bee a few years back had a great 90s grunge style - https://www.instagram.com/x_sewingpunk_x/?hl=en this is her insta, or have a look at the 2020 Sewing Bee series on iplayer.

Being able to alter clothes is a great skill and easy to do for a beginner. I've fitted a shirt for DD, shortened trousers, made a corset style top smaller at the waist and have now been roped in to shorten skirts for one of her friends 😂

I make things with a lot of reused fabrics (just finished a nice top from an old curtain lining that looks like a more expensive line mix fabric). It's amazing what you can make from a sheet or pillowcase too. Also, they're cheap so it doesn't matter if you mess up!

@SoupDragon I've been buying stuff from Vinted recently but more expensive brands that I could afford new. Although a couple could do with some alterations to fit better, aside from hemming I'm scared to mess them up by tinkering with them. I know it's because I don't yet fully understand construction....yet.
The only cheap sheets I see are poly cotton but I try to only wear more natural fibres - peri menopause is expensive!