10 Simple Sewing Projects for Beginners

I've been teaching sewing to beginners for a few years now and thought I'd share ten of my students' favorite simple sewing projects. 

If you're looking for some simple projects to teach to a new sewer, you might want to consider teaching them how to make one of these. These projects are cute, fun and about as easy as they come for beginning sewers! 

1.  30 Minute Stuffed Animal here.

2.  A Sling Bag is a fun beginner project, especially for tweens. Go to this post for ideas on how to make this bag and a link to the free pattern.

3.  Hot Pad Holder tutorial found here. This is a perfect project for learning to sew on bias tape.

4.  Doll Chef Hat here. A simple project for learning how to gather fabric and sew a band onto a gathered edge. Plus, if you're teaching a young girl how to sew, she'll love having a new accessory for her doll! 

5.  Simple Pouch Bag. Learn to sew a zipper into a little bag. You can use a linen napkin for the outside of the bag as shown here or cut a piece of fabric and sew a simple pouch as explained in this tutorial by Melly Sews.

6.  Simple Skirt here by sewVery Simple. This is usually the first project I have my students make. They learn how to make a casing, one seam down the back and a rolled hem. It's a quick project to sew but it'll take a beginning student at least an hour to 1 1/2 hours to make this kind of skirt.

7.  Refashion a Skirt into a Dress here. A super simple dress can be made by adding a skirt to a ready made top and with just one sewn seam, you'll have a dress. This project shows this simple technique. I've personally used this tutorial to make myself a few dresses.

8.  Make a Twisted Headband out of knit fabric. You'll find a simple tutorial here. A really resourceful way to make this headband is to use an old knit shirt as the fabric. Simply cut the shirt into 5" wide stripes and along the seam, cut the stripes into 19-21" pieces. This is another perfect project for tweens and teenagers.

9.  A Bow Tie is a great project to learn how to turn tubes right side out. This is especially a fun project if the student wants to make a gift for a little boy. Go here for the free pattern and tutorial. It's a darling, easy project! 

10.  Panel Dolls. Moda has some fun, easy pre designed kits called "Cut and Sew" like "Little Red" and "Queen of the Sea." You simply cut out the images (which include a doll, pillow, blanket, skirt and a little friend), sew, stuff and you're done. Even a 5 year-old can help with this project. See this post for tips. 

Sewing can be simple and fun, especially when you have a tried and true beginner project. Do you remember the first thing you ever sewed? I'd love to hear about it! 
xoxo Grandma