Learn to Sew: Projects and Ideas for Beginners

I grew up watching my mother, grandmother and aunts sewing.  They made clothing, home décor items, quilts, baby blankets and many other crafts.  My grandmother usually gave handmade gifts.  I remember matching nightgowns for the cousins and one year we each got a quilt.  She also made each of the older grandchildren a double wedding ring quilt as a wedding gift.

When I got married I had a strong desire to learn to sew.  I started with a simple baby jumper pattern (I used an Easy Mccall’s pattern, #8486.  This is out of print, but I noticed there were several for sale on eBay).  I made my jumper in a bright floral flannel with large white vintage buttons at the shoulders.  It turned out so cute, and all three of our girls got to wear that jumper.  I also have this reversible sundress pattern from Sew Baby.  This could also be used as a jumper and is easy as there is only one pattern piece!  Even if you don’t have a baby to sew for, something like this would make a great gift.

I started with clothing because that was what interested me.  Taking one step at a time and following the pattern instructions, I was able to learn to make clothing.  I also made curtains for our kitchen and decorated our baby’s nursery with curtains, a quilt and bumper pads (with my mom’s help!).

As I attempted to teach my daughter to sew, I turned to the book Stitches and Pins, which has a lot of simple but useful projects in it.  We haven’t finished the book yet, but by the time we do, I think my daughter will have a good foundation for future sewing.

One of the simplest things to sew is a square.  Things like cloth napkins, pillows, receiving blankets and curtains are all pretty simple, and they have the added bonus of being very useful.

I am a very visual person, so I know I would have been helped tremendously by all of the wonderful tutorials available these days.  Here are some of my favorites:

Where are you on your sewing journey? Even if you’re brand new to sewing, with time and practice you can learn to sew and enjoy the work of your hands!