Children’s accessory patterns

Children’s accessory patterns: sew practical items quickly and without wasting offcuts

Accessories are the best way to practise your sewing skills: most patterns can be completed in 1½ to 3 hours, require 30 to 80 cm of fabric, and allow you to use up scraps left over from other projects. For children, there are two benefits — handmade items often withstand heavy use better than their cheap equivalents, and each piece can be tailored to the specific tastes of the child who will wear or use it every day.

Bags, pencil cases and pouches: the most popular patterns for children’s school accessories

A child’s rucksack made from 280–320 g/m² cotton canvas retains its shape without a rigid lining, dries quickly if left out in the rain, and can carry schoolbooks without the shoulder straps becoming misshapen. The bag patterns in this collection range in size from 28 x 32 cm for nursery school to 35 x 40 cm for primary school, with options including a front pocket or a flap closure. Gusseted pencil cases remain a practical staple: a 20 cm zip, cotton canvas on the outside, a PUL or coated faux leather lining on the inside, and the case can be rinsed under the tap without any damage.

Slide-closure pouches are often underestimated, yet they are among the highest-rated projects in terms of value for time spent. Allow 45 minutes’ sewing, no hardware required, and they’re incredibly versatile: ballet slippers, snacks, small toys for when you’re out and about.

Bibs, wipes and newborn patterns: the technical considerations you need to know

For accessories in prolonged contact with a baby’s skin, double gauze certified to the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 has become the gold standard in homemade creations. It absorbs well, can be machine-washed at 60°C without significant shrinkage (allow for 3–5% shrinkage; always pre-wash before cutting) and becomes even softer after the first few washes. Bamboo-cotton terry cloth absorbs more but requires an overlocker or a tight zigzag stitch to prevent the edges from fraying. Reusable wipes are best cut to 12 x 12 cm to fit standard wipe boxes, then sewn right sides together with a 3 mm seam allowance.

Children’s hats and beanies: choosing a pattern according to the season and intended use

A wide-brimmed sun hat for a 4-year-old corresponds to an average head circumference of 51 cm. The patterns in this collection generally offer 3 to 5 sizes, from 6 months to 12 years. For summer, a woven cotton weighing 100–120 g/m² is sufficient; for alternating use at the beach and in the mountains, ripstop or quick-drying cotton is more durable. Winter hats made from wool fleece or fleece jersey can be sewn together in under an hour and require only a jersey needle and a stretch stitch on a standard sewing machine; a overlocker is not essential.

What to check before printing a PDF pattern for a child’s accessory

Patterns are available in PDF format for printing at home (A4 or A3 pages to be assembled) or in A0 format to be sent to a print shop. Before printing, check the calibration square: a 5 x 5 cm square printed at the wrong scale will throw off all the cutting dimensions. Most patterns clearly state whether seam allowances are included or not. 7 mm is the standard in France, whilst 1 cm is common amongst designers who work with differential feed machines. To start with, choose patterns with seam allowances included to avoid the extra step of marking them out.

• Beginner: drawstring pouches, simple bibs, wipes, pencil cases without concealed fastenings
• Intermediate: rucksacks with adjustable straps, hats with structured brims, pouches with gussets and double fastenings
• Advanced: padded bags with back support, aprons with bibs and press studs, pouches with integrated zipped pockets

To take your children’s sewing projects a step further, the fancy dress patterns allow you to apply these techniques to full costumes, whilst the newborn patterns cover the entire baby’s layette, from bibs to sleeping bags.

• Women’s PDF Patterns

  Women’s PDF Patterns

  • 
    Women’s PDF Pattern
    
  • 
    Women’s Blouses
    
  • 
    Women’s Jumpsuits
    
  • 
    Women’s Skirts
    
  • 
    Lingerie
    
  • 
    Women’s Coats
    
  • 
    Women’s Trousers
    
  • 
    Women’s Pyjama Patterns
    
  • 
    Jumpsuits/Dungarees
    
  • 
    Women’s Dresses
    
  • 
    Underwear
    
  • 
    Women’s Sweatshirts
    
  • 
    Women’s Tops / T-Shirts
    
  • 
    Women’s Jackets
    
  • 
    Women’s Accessories
    
  • 
    Free PDF Patterns
    
  • 
    Children’s PDF Patterns
    
  • 
    Newborn
    
  • 
    Children’s Blouses
    
  • 
    Children’s Skirts
    
  • 
    Children’s Trousers
    
  • 
    Children’s Pyjamas
    
  • 
    Children’s Coats
    
  • 
    Children’s Dresses
    
  • 
    Children’s Sweatshirts
    
  • 
    Children’s T-shirts
    
  • 
    Children’s Jackets
    
  • 
    Children’s Accessories
    
  • 
    Fancy dress
    
  • 
    Free PDF Patterns
    
  • 
    Men’s PDF Patterns
    
  • 
    Men’s Coats
    
  • 
    Men’s Sweatshirts
    
  • 
    Men’s T-shirts
    
  • 
    Men’s Accessories
    
  • 
    Free PDF Patterns
    
  • 
    Atelier Adriette
    
  • 
    Capacha
    
  • 
    Like a Flower
    
  • 
    Fée Main Patterns
    
  • 
    Fitiyoo
    
  • 
    Instinct Couture
    
  • 
    Kandix
    
  • 
    Klafoutis
    
  • 
    Lab Zéro
    
  • 
    Jojo’s Dad
    
  • 
    The Bosses
    
  • 
    Lilikou
    
  • 
    Loumajinne Creations
    
  • 
    Mango-Chocolate
    
  • 
    Maya Patterns
    
  • 
    Miss Cactus
    
  • 
    I Sew
    
  • 
    Vestiaire Éponyme
    
  • Submit your designs
  • 
    Women’s PDF patterns
    
    • 
      Women’s PDF Patterns
      
    • 
      Women’s Blouses
      
    • 
      Women’s Jumpsuits
      
    • 
      Women’s Skirts
      
    • 
      Lingerie
      
    • 
      Women’s Coats
      
    • 
      Women’s Trousers
      
    • 
      Women’s Pyjama Patterns
      
    • 
      Jumpsuits/Dungarees
      
    • 
      Women’s Dresses
      
    • 
      Underwear
      
    • 
      Women’s Sweatshirts
      
    • 
      Women’s Tops / T-Shirts
      
    • 
      Women’s Jackets
      
    • 
      Women’s Accessories
      
    • 
      Free PDF Patterns
      
    • 
      Children’s PDF Patterns
      
    • 
      Newborn
      
    • 
      Children’s Blouses
      
    • 
      Children’s Skirts
      
    • 
      Children’s Trousers
      
    • 
      Children’s Pyjamas
      
    • 
      Children’s Coats
      
    • 
      Children’s Dresses
      
    • 
      Children’s Sweatshirts
      
    • 
      Children’s T-shirts
      
    • 
      Children’s Jackets
      
    • 
      Children’s Accessories
      
    • 
      Fancy dress
      
    • 
      Free PDF Patterns
      
    • 
      Men’s PDF Patterns
      
    • 
      Men’s Coats
      
    • 
      Men’s Sweatshirts
      
    • 
      Men’s T-shirts
      
    • 
      Men’s Accessories
      
    • 
      Free PDF Patterns
      
    • 
      Atelier Adriette
      
    • 
      Capacha
      
    • 
      Like a Flower
      
    • 
      Fée Main Patterns
      
    • 
      Fitiyoo
      
    • 
      Instinct Couture
      
    • 
      Kandix
      
    • 
      Klafoutis
      
    • 
      Lab Zero
      
    • 
      Jojo’s Dad
      
    • 
      The Bosses
      
    • 
      Lilikou
      
    • 
      Loumajinne Creations
      
    • 
      Mango and Chocolate
      
    • 
      Maya Patterns
      
    • 
      Miss Cactus
      
    • 
      I Sew
      
    • 
      Named Wardrobe
      

    • Submit your designs