What Should I Sew

One press picks your next sewing project, with what it will teach you.

What Should I Sew

ScrunchieA tube of fabric gathered over elastic; uses a strip of leftover fabric.

Next step Or pick a knitting project Draw a fabric color

How it works

Machine threaded and nothing to make? Press the button for one of 51 sewing projects, from cloth napkins to a button-up shirt, each with the skill it teaches.

Read the full guide

Match it to your machine and your time

After your first press, the list beside the button narrows the draw. Straight seams only is where a new machine starts; By hand needs no machine at all; Mend and remake fixes or reuses clothes you already have. Big projects holds 9 that take more than a weekend.

Learn one new thing each time

A pillowcase teaches straight seams, a zipper pouch teaches zippers, pajama pants add a curved seam and a shirt adds buttonholes. Set the count to 3 and choose the one you have fabric for.

Tips

Wash and dry cotton and linen before you cut, so the finished piece does not shrink after its first wash.

Questions and answers

What is the easiest thing to sew for a beginner?

Something square with straight seams: cloth napkins, a pillowcase or an envelope pillow cover. They teach you to sew a straight line and turn a corner, and nothing has to fit.

What can I sew without a sewing machine?

Felt finger puppets, lavender sachets, a pincushion, English paper pieced hexagons and most mending. Felt is a good start: it is pressed, not woven, so its cut edges need no hem.

What can I sew with scrap fabric?

Scrunchies, bunting, a pincushion, fabric bookmarks, sachets and patchwork. Keep the strips from bigger projects in a bag for them.

All 51 sewing projects

Straight seams only 11

Cloth napkins Square hems all round: a set of six gets your corners neat.
Drawstring bag A channel at the top holds the cord; make a set in different sizes.
Envelope pillow cover Three straight hems and one seam; the overlapping back needs no zipper.
Fabric bunting Triangles stitched along a strip of tape, for a party or a bedroom.
Fabric gift wraps Hemmed squares of cloth, tied round a present in place of paper.
Pajama shorts An elastic waist and four seams; the gentlest first garment.
Pillowcase A tube with a deep cuff; the classic first machine project.
Reusable produce bags Light mesh or cotton with a drawstring, for fruit and vegetables.
Scrunchie A tube of fabric gathered over elastic; uses a strip of leftover fabric.
Tea towels Cotton or linen rectangles with a hanging loop; hem them with a double fold.
Tote bag Two panels and two straps; box the bottom corners so it stands up.

Show all 51 sewing projects (40 more)

By hand 10

Button-on pencil roll A strip with stitched slots for pencils, rolled up and tied.
Darn a sock Weave thread across the hole in both directions until it is filled.
Embroidered patch Stitch a small design on a scrap, then sew it over a hole or a stain.
English paper pieced hexagons Fabric wrapped round paper shapes and stitched together by hand, one at a time.
Fabric bookmark Two strips sewn together round a stiff middle, with a ribbon at the end.
Felt finger puppets Two felt shapes sewn round the edge with blanket stitch; felt is pressed, not woven, so cut edges stay neat.
Hand-sewn stuffed toy A simple animal cut from fleece or felt, stitched and stuffed by hand.
Lavender sachets Small bags of dried lavender for a drawer; a running stitch closes the top.
Pincushion A small stuffed tomato or square; the classic tomato shape goes back centuries.
Sashiko coaster Rows of small running stitches in white thread on indigo, a Japanese stitching style.

To wear 11

Apron A panel with ties and a neck strap; add a pocket across the front.
Bucket hat A crown, a top circle and a brim; the curves teach clipping seams.
Button-up shirt Collar, cuffs, placket and buttonholes: a big step up in skill.
Circle skirt Cut as a full circle with a hole for the waist, so it swirls when you turn.
Elastic-waist skirt A tube gathered onto an elastic waistband; no pattern needed.
Hoodie from knit fabric Stretchy fabric needs a zigzag or stretch stitch, so the seams give.
Jeans into a skirt Open the leg seams and fill the gaps with triangles from the legs.
Pajama pants Two legs, a crotch seam and an elastic waist; your first curved seam.
Smocked top Smocking gathers the fabric in stitched rows so it stretches, as elastic does now.
Take in a shirt Pin it along the side seams while you wear it, then sew the new line.
Wrap dress Ties at the waist do the fitting, so it forgives small errors.

For the home 8

Curtains Measure the window, then hem the sides, the bottom and a pocket for the rod.
Door draft stopper A long tube filled with rice or sand that sits along the bottom of a door.
Oven mitt Two layers with heat-proof batting between; quilt the layers so they stay put.
Patchwork quilt Squares pieced into a top, then quilted to batting and a back.
Quilted placemats Top, batting and back held together with stitching: a quilt at small size.
Rag quilt from old flannel Squares with seams left raw on the front, clipped so they fray soft.
Shower curtain Long straight seams and a row of buttonholes or grommets for the rings.
Table runner A long strip with a lining; the first place to try a bias-bound edge.

Bags and pouches 7

Backpack Straps, a flap and a lined body; follow a pattern for this one.
Lined tote with pockets A tote with a lining and inside pockets; a big step from the first one.
Lunch bag A lined bag with a roll-top or a zipper; use a wipe-clean fabric inside.
Makeup bag with a boxed bottom A zipper pouch with its corners boxed so it sits flat on a shelf.
T-shirt into a tote Cut off the sleeves and neck, then sew the bottom shut.
Wallet Card slots and a fold; interfacing keeps the fabric stiff.
Zipper pouch A lined pouch with a zipper along the top: the easiest way to learn zippers.

Quick gifts 1

Hot water bottle cover A soft sleeve with an envelope back and a gap for the neck.

Mend and remake 3

Hem a pair of pants Take them up to the length you want and match the old stitching.
Patch a knee Sew a patch inside or outside the hole; a bold color turns it into a feature.
Replace a zipper Unpick the old one, pin the new one in and sew with a zipper foot.

How this list was compiled: Own list of 51 sewing projects, written 2026-09-23. Checked that day on English Wikipedia: English paper piecing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_paper_piecing), sashiko (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sashiko), smocking as gathering that stretches, used before elastic (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smocking), quilting as three layers joined by stitching (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilting), darning as thread woven across a hole (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darning), bias tape stretching because it is cut at 45 degrees (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias_tape) and the tomato pincushion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pincushion); felt as pressed, not woven, fiber (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felt); fabric shrinkage and pre-shrinking (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrinkage_(fabric)). The groups are our own judgment of what each project asks of you. Licence: own work