Crafting no. 4: $3 patterns from Etsy
Caveat emptor (you get what you pay for)
When I was learning to sew, I didn’t use patterns much because I hardly had money for fabric and notions. Free patterns or self-drafting tutorials were fair game, and I did a lot of upcycling and altering clothes I had thrifted. Now that I’m an adult with money, I LOVE buying patterns (it’s a banana Michael, what could it cost??). Call it healing my inner 13 year old self, struggling to draft pattern pieces with kraft paper on my bedroom floor .
The online repository where most people are going to find their patterns these days is Etsy. You might think that these digital files would be safe to use, different from the other parts of Etsy, corrupted by Alibaba and Aliexpress dropshipping. Not so! I don’t think these dirt-cheap patterns from were available in such abundance when I was learning to sew, because if they were I certainly would have tried them at such a tempting price point. For context, indie pattern makers like @hisydgraham on Instagram usually price patterns at around $15. Sydney’s patterns are beautifully explained, with schematics and drawings at every step, very thoughtfully drafted, and size inclusive. I have seen other pattern drafters on social media charge as much as $20 for a pattern. Something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it I guess!
Before I go further, my advice for finding good patterns is this: PINTEREST. Searching on Pinterest has led me to find far more unique patterns and effectively filters out most of the crappy ones. Usually, they still link through to purchase Etsy, but for whatever reason Etsy’s built-in search function places indie patterns way, way down the SEO.
I don’t follow Safiya Nygaard much, but I LOVE the videos she’s done buying dupes and gadgets from TikTok shop to see if they really work. I had a similar idea for these weirdly cheap patterns. For the sake of research, stash-busting, and curiosity, I decided make one.
My pattern of choice: A-Line shift dress ($3.02, tax included) by YS Patterns
I want more mini dresses, and since I went to DC for the weekend for a friend’s birthday, it a good opportunity to wear one. A while ago I had thrifted a reddish-coral fabric, which was on the verge of being TOO thin for this project but ended up working fine.
This particular printable pattern came in compressed .rar files, which is not a file type I’ve seen. I had to use an online file converter to get the .zip files. Each size was individually included in its own PDF, hence the file compression. I was very curious about was the claim to size inclusivity — up to 4XL seems promising! But I had to go up from my normal 2 to a 6 based on the recommended measurements, and I probably still would have gone up another two sizes if I were to make it again (I wouldn’t). It of course depends on the individual, but so far, this pattern was not so size inclusive as it claimed.
As someone who hates the buying patterns online, taping them together, and cutting them out — lining everything up is just fiddly and annoying, I’d rather be sewing — this was pretty fast and easy. Immediately, however, I noticed that the dress in the photo is NOT the same dress as the pattern. Those two lines on the front of the dress in the schematic are not just to signify the ease of the fabric (as I thought) but rather, the largest weirdest dart I have ever seen.
All in all, between cutting out the pattern and sewing it together, this dress took me about five hours to make. I will be honest that I skimmed the included directions and did not really use them. It wanted me to install not one but TWO zippers, one in the back seam and one in the side, and so I opted to instead install a longer zipper that goes past the tightest part of the waist in the back.
In the picture above, you can see that some of the included pattern pieces serve to reinforce the neckline without lining the entire dress, which is pretty standard. However, the pieces are too large to actually go under the neckline. I had to trim them and tack them down by hand. These pieces are also reinforced with fusible interfacing to help maintain the shape of the straps, armholes, and neckline, but I found this whole region to be incredibly gappy and ill-fitting. Granted, I did use a stiffer interfacing than was recommended by the pattern (Joann’s didn’t have the one I needed), but I personally don’t think that should matter. Again, it’s just not the dress in the photo. If it actually fit, the stiffness of the interfacing wouldn’t matter because it would be laying flat against my chest and back.
I did hem the bottom to be more mini than the pattern. Here is the finished product:
For most patterns, the recommended measurements and sizing include any positive or negative ease for how the garment is designed to fit. There was way too much room in the stomach and not enough in the hips. I don’t think it looks bad, overall, but it definitely doesn’t fit well. I said as much, when Etsy prompted me for a review. Lo and behold, later in the day I got a message from the seller asking me why I gave the pattern 2 out of 5 stars.
I responded with a short explanation of the issues I’ve listed here.
I went through all of this because I think it’s interesting that the dropshipification of commerce has crept into sewing patterns specifically, and not knitting or crochet. I’m sure that the other Gen Zers reading this who have grown up with the internet can adeptly filter out the differences between a pattern made by an individual with time and care and one of these $3 patterns. But if you’re looking to get into sewing and want to start with a lower level of investment, as people do with most crafts, it would be easy to buy one of these patterns, read the instructions, and get frustrated very quickly or think that you’re the problem. It doesn’t fit because you did it wrong, it actually just doesn’t fit! It’s also interesting to me that the act of sewing your own clothes, an intentional practice that allows you to choose how something fits, etc., has been made super cheap and turned into ill-fitting SHEIN-type crap. I don’t think badly drawn patterns are new, like I said above I’ve tried to make my own and it’s hard! But it’s crazy to me that something inherently “slow-fashion” forward as sewing could become fast-fashionified. I also think the type of garment you’re making probably matters here. If it’s designed to be boxier, then there’s less room for error than, say, a fitted sheath dress or a suit jacket. And if you have more sewing experience, you can probably just ignore the instructions or modify them to get what you want. I wouldn’t say don’t use these patterns full-stop but… at least look at the schematic drawing and not only the picture before you purchase.
Discovered this through notes and loved this! Would love if this was turned into a series (not necessarily buying all the cheap patterns if that’s not something you want to consciously support) but as a beginner sewer, I love reading/watching pattern reviews!
thank you so much for writing this! I have been eyeing some of these patterns for a while but have been too nervous to make the leap. Now I definitely won’t!