My daughter buys clothes in a very large size.... like a suit or dress and then cuts new clothes from the fabric in the garment.

I had/have an entire room dedicated to sewing, crafts, painting, fabric, patterns, how-to books, etc. From what hubby says I had quite a passion for all that stuff at one time.

Patterns are expensive and getting more so all the time. One thing I did learn was to make a copy of the pattern on that fabric that has the grid lines on it. That way the original is still there for reference and I can play with the copy.

Now there are quite a few places to find patterns and/or directions on-line. Quilt sites have free block patterns, doll sites have doll patterns. Crafts sites have a lot of information you probably wouldn't be interested in but also place mats, organizers, etc. It's not all the latest but it is free.

Most of my critters were more primitive than detailed and delicate. 2 rules
......minimal amount of hand work
......and easy.
And followed those rules for most of my projects.