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.
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.
Start here
Free, complete patterns with the full build on film. Learn how the system works before you spend anything.
Industrial Tote Bag
Straight seams on heavy fabric, box corners and strap work. The best first project on the site, and you can finish it in an evening.
Outrider Belt
Your first curves, an internal pocket and clean finishing. Small enough to be low-stakes, fiddly enough to teach you something.
The Kit Duffle Bag
A proper introduction to sewing a zip, plus panel-based carry construction. Hundreds of people in the community have built this one.
Three more free patterns are on the bench.
This spot is going to be filled with…
An origami tote, Azuma style
A Japanese azuma bukuro folded from one long rectangle. Three seams and you're done.
This spot is going to be filled with…
A bigger weekday bag
The step up from the tote: a carry-everything bag for work, the gym or the weekend.
This spot is going to be filled with…
The Trail Sidebag
A small crossbody for every day. Phone, keys, wallet, and out the door.
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.
First piece of clothing I made — and finished.
Start at the tote bag and work your way up.
Very happy with how it came out.
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.
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.
Beginner
Your first builds. How a pattern works and how construction flows.
Free · Tote bagBeginner+
Accessories and early garments that introduce structure.
Free · Belt & duffleIntermediate
Full garments. More panels, more steps, more precision.
Advanced
Complex builds with multiple pathways and heavier construction.
Master
The modular systems. Deep construction, your own decisions.
Find your starting level
Answer three questions below and you get one pattern, with the reason it's the right one — not a list.
Tap an answer.
Tap the one that fits.
Tap the one that fits.
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
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
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
Heavier fabric wants a heavier needle — a denim needle is about £3 for a pack. Polyester thread for everything else.
Paper and tape
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.
Measure twice · cut once.
Image credits
Albrecht Dürer, Melencolia I, 1514 (detail). Capital cut from Sanmicheli, Li cinque ordini (Verona, 1735). All public domain.
Move into real garments
It's a system, not a shop
The point isn't finishing one project. It's getting to the builds with multiple pathways, deeper construction and your own decisions in them.
The Keystone Denims
Multiple construction pathways in one pattern — a full selvedge denim course.
Aero Jacket System
Two builds in one pattern. Keep it simple, or go a lot deeper.
Swipe for more →
Pick one. Finish it.
That's the whole thing. Download a free pattern, follow the film, and finish something with your own hands this weekend.
Get a free pattern →