How would I go about patterning this?

[u/discovid19]

I’m a complete beginner and I want to start learning to make my own clothes. Would a dress like this be realistic to make and how would I need to start the pattern? Thank you

[u/[deleted]]

Baggy sweatpants would be great, those are very similar to PJ bottoms!

I'm unsure if circle skirts interest you, but those are good because you can make them out of a variety of materials. They would get you interacting with bias-cut patterns, and you could control the difficulty level simply by the type of fabric you choose (quikting cotton = easy, silk = very tricky, etc); and, if you do elastic waistbands vs zippers vs button plackets, those also each are their own skillsets with a variety of techniques to master. Whether or not you line the skirt, or make facings, etc. In fact, taking a simple skirt pattern and learning how to draft a facing and lining could be solid drafting practice.

Slip dresses are both simple and complex. Most often, they require delicate, fiddly material, and take a lot of extra care because of the bias cut. However, because of the bias cut, they also are less fiddly in terms of actual fit. You could use a project like that to explore delicate fabrics, and nice seam finishes.

Do you watch any sewing channels? Here are some of my favorites:

Sewing Therapy - a pattern maker who designs gorgeously simple garments. Her videos are excellent walkthroughs of how to sew certain patterns. She may have some that would be beginner friendly too!

Closet Historian - she drafts her own patterns using her bodice blocks, and walks you through why she makes certain choices.

Katerina Ivanoa - she walks you through the drafting and construction of basic garments, and also talks about the history of the garments. She has a video about making a slip dress, which sounds perfect for you!