The Keystone Denims pattern sheet laid on raw selvedge denim

Graded1 – 5

Start here

Where do
you begin?

Every Roughcut pattern is graded 1 to 5. You don’t need to know how to sew — you need to know which end to start at.

01 I’ve never sewn How it works, what you need, and a free pattern you can finish this weekend. Start at the beginning › 02 I can already sew Three questions and I’ll point you at the right first garment. Find my level ›

What this actually is

Three minutes, and it'll make sense

3:07

Watch on YouTube ↗

Start with one seam · finish the whole thing.

Image credits

Piranesi, interior of the Pantheon, Rome, c. 1768 (detail). Column rebuilt by hand from a Corinthian plate in Sanmicheli, Li cinque ordini (Verona, 1735). All public domain.

Four free patterns.
Start tonight.

No email. No account. No catch. Tap a pattern and the whole file downloads straight to your phone or laptop, and every one has the full build filmed, start to finish.

Free, no sign-up
Instant zip
Full build on film

Free · Level 1Start here Industrial Tote Bag

1–2 hours · Level 1

Industrial Tote Bag

Straight seams on heavy fabric, box corners and straps. The best first project on the site, and you can finish it in an evening.

You’ll need About a metre of canvas or denim, and thread. That’s it.

Download freeZip file · no email needed Watch the full build · 1 hr 17 min ›

Free · Level 1 Outrider Belt

About 4 hours · Level 1

Outrider Belt

Your first curves, an internal pocket and clean finishing. Small enough to be low-stakes, fiddly enough to teach you something.

You’ll need About a metre of denim or twill, a 15 cm zip and a 38–40 mm buckle.

Download freeZip file · no email needed Watch the full build · 35 min ›

Free · Level 2 Kit Duffle Bag

About 2 hours · Level 2

Kit Duffle Bag

A proper introduction to sewing a zip, plus panel-based bag construction. Hundreds of people in the community have built this one.

You’ll need A metre of duck canvas, one long zip and webbing for the straps.

Download freeZip file · no email needed Watch the full build · 1 hr 1 min ›

Free · Level 1 The Balaclava

1–2 hours · Level 1

The Balaclava

A quick first garment: stretch fabric, a curved face opening and a bound edge. One size, two panels.

You’ll need A scrap of stretch knit, about 76 × 53 cm, and thread. No hardware.

Download freeZip file · no email needed Watch the full build · from 41:20 ›

Why free? Because the hardest part of sewing is starting. Finish one of these and you’ll know whether the rest of the system is for you. — Jack

On a phone? The zip lands in your Files or Downloads. Print the A4 pages at 100% (“actual size”) and tape them together, and the film shows you how.

Get the
build plan.

Leave your email and I’ll send you a simple plan for your first build: the fabric to get, how to print and tape the pattern, and which video to follow. — Jack

New free patterns land in the community first. WhatsApp · Discord

On the bench · also free

Three more free patterns are coming. That’s all we’re saying for now.

Coming soon

This spot is going to be filled with…

Azuma Bukuro Bag

One piece of cloth. Folded, not fussed.

Coming soon

This spot is going to be filled with…

Hauler Bag

For when the tote isn’t big enough.

Coming soon

This spot is going to be filled with…

Trail Sidebag

Small, detailed, every day.

Join the WhatsApp groupGet early access to the free patterns before anyone else.

Your first win

The goal is to finish, not to be perfect

The shift happens when you finish the first one. Most people don't need a perfect result — just a finished one.

Level 1 builds from the community

Built one? Send it to the group →

Learn it in order · then make it yours.

Image credits

Raphael, The School of Athens, 1509–11 (detail). Jost Amman, Der Schneider (The Tailor), woodcut, 1568. All public domain.

Understanding the system

Five levels, one path

Every pattern is graded, so you always know what you're stepping into. Move up when you're ready, not when you're brave.

1

Beginner

Your first builds. How a pattern works and how construction flows.

Free · Tote bag

2

Beginner+

Accessories and early garments that introduce structure.

Free · Belt & duffle

3

Intermediate

Full garments. More panels, more steps, more precision.

4

Advanced

Complex builds with multiple pathways and heavier construction.

5

Master

The modular systems. Deep construction, your own decisions.

Skill finder

Find your starting level

Answer three questions below and you get one pattern, with the reason it's the right one — not a list.

Interactive · 3 questions ≈20 seconds

01/3Terminology

What does “seam allowance” mean to you?

Tap an answer.

02/3Experience

Which sounds most like you?

Tap the one that fits.

03/3Intent

What do you want to make next?

Tap the one that fits.

Your starting point

Level 1

The Industrial Tote Bag

Get this pattern →

Before you start

What you actually need

Less than people expect. Nothing on this list needs to be new, and nothing needs to be good.

A sewing machine

Any domestic one · £60 used

Every pattern here is designed and tested on a normal home machine. If it can straight stitch and zigzag, it can do all of this. Nothing needs industrial kit.

Fabric

About a metre

Don't buy anything expensive for a first build. An old bedsheet, a charity-shop curtain, a pair of jeans you never wear. The first one is for learning, not for keeping.

Needle and thread

Whatever came with it

Heavier fabric wants a heavier needle — a denim needle is about £3 for a pack. Polyester thread for everything else.

Paper and tape

A home printer

Patterns tile across A4 so you can print at home and tape them together. There's a guide, and it takes about twenty minutes the first time.

You do not need a cutting mat, a rotary cutter, an overlocker, a walking foot or a dress form. You will want some of them eventually. You need none of them to finish the tote bag this weekend.

Get the free tote pattern →

Build alongside me