Ideas for Sewing as a Hobby

Whether it’s lockdown or any other reason that you feel helpless about, for now, you may find yourself holed up in the house. If you’re struggling to find a new hobby or are looking for new things to keep you occupied at home, why don’t you try sewing?

You may find sewing a bit too fussy. Or you are excited to take it up, but you also feel a bit nervous or intimidated. But if you have chosen sewing as a new hobby, good for you. 

People who are skillful in sewing are pretty lucky. Sewing is an important life skill and a means of teaching self-confidence through skill-building. It helps you to develop fine motor skills, improves your focus and concentration, enhances your creativity, and teaches you the value of patience and self-control. When you’re proficient enough, you can turn your sewing hobby into a business!

The good news is that you can find so many sewing ideas that are especially suitable for beginners. They are not intimidating and are guaranteed to bring lots of fun! These sewing project ideas won’t cost you a lot as well. You can use old, unsued clothes and scraps of fabric then recycle and upcycle them into newer and more usable items.

So, take out the sewing kit and sewing machine. Whether you’re going for manual sewing or machine-sewing, try some of these sewing projects that anyone with no prior sewing experience can pull off.

two monochromatic potholders

Potholders

This is a good start especially if you haven’t done any sewing before. You can use random pieces of cloth and hold them together as you learn the basics of sewing and stitching. Or, if you want to be a little more creative, you can learn to make strawberry-shaped potholders, for example. Pot holders make great gifts because they will make the recipient think of you when they are busy in the kitchen.

Hand warmers

These DIY pocket-sized heat packs take around 30 minutes to finish. Warm one up in the microwave oven and hold it while you’re working in the office, watching a movie, or inside the car.

Pillow covers

Making pillow covers allows you to choose patterns that are easy to follow. And they’re also forgiving if your lines are not straight or you make a few mistakes. Making clothes is a little less forgiving, so it can be great to start with pillow covers.

set of textile bags

Recycled bags from old T-shirts, shirts, and skirts

If you’re into using less waste and upcycling, turn some of your old clothes into bags – tote bags, drawstring bags, etc. We’re sure you have no shortage of these clothes that you’ve worn only once or twice and are not likely to wear again. You can turn these old tees, shorts, and skirts into new bags in just a matter of minutes! You don’t have to buy tons of bags again.

Phone pouch

You hate taking your purse near the beach, the pool, or anywhere else just to take pictures of the scenery. But why buy a pouch or case for your iPhone or Android phone when you can make a pretty DIY phone pouch? You can make the pouch waterproof by lining it with an oilcloth.

iPad sleeve case

When your iPad is not in use, you can tuck it safely into a DIY iPad sleeve case. As long as you have determined the size and thickness of your iPad depending on the model and version, you can make a surprisingly easy-to-make sleeve case that protects your iPad when it’s not in use.

clear glass filled with liquid on wooden bench

Coasters

You can use new fabric or scraps of old fabric to make cool coasters. You can decide on the color – for example, red, white, green, and yellow (or gold) for holiday-themed coasts. Or make coasters made of fabrics with summery pastel colors. Or you can go simple and basic with coasters of monochromatic fabrics.

Bookmark

If you’re looking for some of the easiest sewing patterns to begin with, a bookmark should be it. And if you especially hate thumbing through the pages of your book to go back to the last page you’ve stopped, it’s a perfect excuse to sew a cute bookmark. It only takes about five minutes to make one.

Rag quilt

Say you’re not exactly a beginner in sewing, but it’s been a long time you’ve held a needle or operated a sewing machine. If you want to brush up your sewing skills and take it to the next level, why not make your own rag quilt? Rag quilts are wonderful for sewing enthusiasts of all skill levels and are always fun to make. You can use a variety of fabrics that range from cotton to flannel to cuddle fabric. You can start with a small quilt, such as this quilt for a baby.