Selling childrens clothes

Can anyone who makes dresses for children tell me if there are rules for selling them on Folksy? Am I allowed to use bought patterns, or do they have to be my own design? Do I have to have a fire safety certificate and labels? Do I have to sew in a washing label?

I see lots of people at craft fairs selling sewn and knitted clothes who don’t have labels and I have some lovely patterns which are quite old that I could use.

I’m not 100% certain but I believe many (if not all) bought patterns state that they are for personal use only - check the small print. As far as safety regulations are concerned I would get in touch with your local trading standards office, I think you need to label with what they are made of and washing instructions and I assume there are some flammability rules. I expect someone will come on and give you a definitive answer.

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I think the flammability rules only apply to children’s nightwear, but I’m not really certain. Trading Standards would be able to give details of current legislation and labelling rules.

Most bought patterns cannot be used for commercial purposes (i.e. selling), but I suppose you could use a basic shape and alter it to your own design. Many clothing designs are similar, it’s just the details that make them different. Folksy allows items to be either designed or handmade or both, so if the pattern designer permits it to be used, you could make and sell them here. I know some knitting patterns can be used commercially, but not all.

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