Disclaimer:
We do not necessarily agree with the
content of these sites. In fact, mostly
we don't.
Some (most) are operated by people who are not Christians. We
simply offer these links to help you find modest clothes and patterns
on the
Internet. Some of the sites contain other patterns or items
that are definitely
not modest. Please use discretion.
Patterns
Children's Corner Patterns - A variety of patterns for children's clothing, mostly girls'. Some don't qualify as modest. Some are on the short side, but could be lengthened fairly easily. (There are some patterns for women's clothing, but I wasn't much impressed by and large.)
Common Sense Patterns Excellent patterns for modest dresses, jumpers, undergarments and more.
Sense and Sensibility Patterns Here are some vintage patterns that could still be useful for modest dresses and skirts. There are descent patterns here in the Romantic and Edwardian sections, as well as some in the Titanic/Teens section (forget the tea gown - looks like too much trouble to fix the neckline). If you don't want full length dresses it would be a rather simple matter to just shorten some of these to the length you wish. Warning: the Regency patterns have a very immodest neckline and very high waists that accent the bust too much, in my opinion.
Folkwear.com offers some interesting patterns that are modest and workable for us. Not all patterns are modest on these pages, so use good judgment. Here are their pages that include some modest patterns on them:
http://folkwear.com/frontier.html - Frontier style clothes. Some skirts, a dress and a riding skirt along with a good man's shirt. A little girl's Prairie Dress and Pinafore are can be found here: http://folkwear.com/children.html
http://folkwear.com/romantic.html - Some good underclothes patterns as well as some useful dresses and skirts. Note that the Garden Party dress has a high neckline option. Some of the patterns here are useless, so be wise. For the adventurous seamstress, the Edwardian Bridal Gown looks like it would make a very modest wedding dress made with the right fabrics.
NOTE the pattern for the vintage bathing suit! This looks very much like the pattern being used by the Mennonites who are selling these bathing suits pre-made (below). If you would make more than one of these, you might want to buy your own pattern.Patterns from the Past - Look for retired patterns you want here. Large selection of vintage, used and new patterns. You'll just have to browse to see if there's anything you want, or search for a pattern for which you already have the brand and number. Just keep in mind that sometime companies reuse pattern numbers.
SewingPatterns.com carries a wide variety of patterns, some of which are quite modest. Some (or all) of their patterns can be downloaded as well. Among others, here is a pattern for some very decent culottes (or a split skirt).
NOTE: Some of the main line pattern companies, such as Buttrick, Simplicity and so forth; offer "retro" or historic patterns along with more modern styles that may prove useful in sewing your own modest clothes - petticoats, pantaloons, vintage swim wear, skirts and dresses. I recommend that you do a search on the Internet for more information and sources. The prices on some of these patterns may be lower than the ones offered at the sites I've listed here - if you can find them. Also, don't overlook the costume patterns. What might be sold as a Pioneer costume (or some such thing) may prove to be a modest dress. :-) Remember to be frugal too. If you get a pattern for a vintage swim suit that has good bloomers under it, don't bother buying a pattern for pantaloons. Adapt the bloomer from the swim suit pattern.
How To Adjust Patterns -
Raise A Neckline On A Sewing Pattern - Here is a tutorial with instructions for raising a neckline on your own pattern. Please note that this method will only work for simple necklines. Also, if the blouse, dress or jumper does not have a button or zipper opening in the back, you must be careful not to make the opening so small that you can't get your head through it! "Lady Lydia" also shows how to make new facings to match the new neckline. This is an important step as well in altering a neckline.
Fabric
Gehman's Country Fabrics and More
Works of the Heart Fabric - Reasonable prices!
Pre-Made Clothing
Sites where you can find some modest dresses, skirts and jumpers. You just have to look through what they have, particularly the dresses and skirts sections. Some are much more pricy than others, some occassionally have some good buys in their sale areas.
Also Remember - A dress that's otherwise great, but has a low neckline, may be useable with a shell underneath. Also, there are links below to sites offering dickies for that purpose.
AmeriMark - Mostly for shorter women.
Blair.com - Some good jumpers and dresses turn up here. Skirts occassionally. Watch their sale section. (We have ordered from here.)
Bedford Fair - Some modest choices.
Graceful Threads - Custom made dresses, skirts, bloomers, slips, etc. Prices a bit high, but this is for custom fit.
Hanah Lise - Pricy, but very few slits. Watch the clearance section.
Jessica London - 12W and up. Some modest choices.
Lilies of the Field apparel These people's clothing seems to all be very modest and ladylike. However, there's a price. (I would love to have their patterns for my own use.)
Modest Apparel These folks offer some pretty good items of modest apparel. Their dresses tend to be high-wasted which tends to look immodest on large busted women, so be cautious about that.
Modest Ladies' Swimsuit - OId time bathing suit.
Modest Momz - Nursing/breastfeeding cover ups.
My Culottes.com Mrs. Cheddie from Mom of 9's Place has started a cottage business. She presently offers culottes, skirts and jumpers. Not a lot of variety in patterns, but the culottes do look modest, and the price is fairly good for this type of business.
National - Check the lengths. Skirts and dresses tend to be short.
Old Pueblo Traders - Pricy, but there are some modest items. Check "Clearance", and be sure to check lengths as some might be on the short side.
Orvis - This is an expensive site, but they do have some very modest skirts. (Be sure to watch for discounted items!)
Rinnger Clothing - Custom made modest clothing. Prices seem more modest as well.
Sheplers - Western wear, but they carry some good skirts.
Simply Graceful - Custom made girls' dresses. One jumper for women.
Style J - These people have some modest skirts in their selection. Prices are definitely on the high side, though.
The King's Daughters - Mennonite fashions, but made in attractive colors and prints. You might like them add variety to your wardrobe.
Vermont Country Store - Some choices, but not cheap. Check length.
Works of the Heart Modest Apparel - More custom made clothing.
Kaftans and Ethnic Clothing
Aimcraft - Predominantly Indian. Some really cute, long skirts along with other interesting options including Salwar Kazeem, whether you are Indian or not. :-) (But, be forewarned, the fabric of some items may be quite light and require hand washing.)
African Apparels - Watch the necklines as they tend to be low. A sleeveless shell worn underneath could solve this. There are some cute and crazy skirts here! But, sadly there is nothing as beautiful as the ones we got in Kenya in the '70s.
August Designs - Khaftans from Britain.
"Modest-fy" Your Clothes
Dickeys or Dickies
These can be worn under another top or dress without adding a lot of bulk, and are great for making a questionable neckline modest.Dakota Main Street - Turtle and mock neck variety.
Blair.com - Four colors, turtle neck dickies.
Miles Kimball has a large selection at the time of this posting.
Tank Tops
These can also be used under tops and dresses to raise the neckline, or they can be useful to cover up inside of loose fitting sleeves. They're also handy of laying under shirts without adding bulk around the arms. Tanks that have high enough necklines and wide enough shoulders are unfortunately hard to find sometimes. Here are a few that I found.Essential Knit Tank - Nice knit solid colors. I have one of these in a chambray blue color.
If you have time to just browse, here's a site that has a lot of links. Although it claims to be the Modest Clothing Directory, not all the sites offer really modest clothes, and there are a number of Mormon sites and also other religions.
graphics
and background by Mary E. Stephens
Created Aug. 2010
Last update: Jan 2012