Whether we like it or not, we all have to dabble in the world of sewing at some point or another in our lives.  Whether it’s sewing a fallen button back onto a work uniform, creating a costume for a child’s school dress up day or even sewing in name labels to uniform, we all have to turn our hand to this skill at some point.  

Sewing, however, doesn’t have to be seen as a chore and for many can turn into a wonderful and enjoyable hobby.  If you’ve managed to somewhat successfully complete the above tasks without too much dilemma, then you’ll be quite surprised at what else your beginners sewing level can achieve. 

You could even follow this beginners guide to sewing curtains - Yes, even as a beginner, you can muster up a pair of curtains with a few basic skills!

5 easy sewing projects for beginners

1. Sparkle glitter sandals

This is a great way to upcycle last year’s leather summer sandals into an exciting new pair ready for next year.  Grab a pack of sequins from your local hobby shop for around £1 and using the holes in the middle simply sew them onto the chosen section of your sandals into neat rows with a needle and thread.  Gold looks great on brown leather or silver on black.  Before long you’ll have a sparkly new pair of shoes!

2. Cushion covers

If you’re lucky enough to own a sewing machine (or are super patient and can sew neat straight lines by hand), making an cushion cover can be really quite simple.  It’s a fantastic first project idea for a beginners sewing level. 

Cut two pieces of fabric 1 inch larger than your cushion filler to allow for hems.  Place your fabric pattern side together.  Sew all the way around leaving a hem, as well as a large enough gap to squeeze your cushion filler in.  Turn your cushion cover the right way, insert cushion filler and neatly hand sew to close the gap. 

Brand new cushions in a fabric of your choice in no time at all!  If you prefer to remove the inner cushion to make washing the cases easier, then simply create an envelope style back to the cushion with a little more skill.  There are lots of tutorials online to assist with this.

3. Scented lavender pouches

These make wonderful gifts and are just perfect for placing in drawers to keep clothes or linen smelling fresh.  You can even pop one under your pillow to aid a good night’s sleep! 

Cut two small squares of fabric to your desired size using pinking scissors.  The pinking scissors will cut a zig zag line to ensure the fabric does not fray.  5 inches each side is a good starting point if you’re unsure of how large they need to be.  Sew the pieces of fabric together (the right way around) leaving a visible hem of around 1cm or so around the edge.  Make sure you leave a 1.5 inch gap to fill the pouch with dried lavender (dry some out from your garden if you have some), then simply sew the gap to finish.

4. Fabric bookmark

Are you forever losing your page in your favourite book?  Why not create your very own bookmark from old clothes or scraps of materials lying around?

Cut a piece of cardboard into a rectangular shape to your desired bookmark size.  Then cut two pieces of fabric 1cm larger than the cardboard rectangle.  You can either cut the fabric with pinking scissors to leave a zig zag edge on show and sew directly around the cardboard, or sew the pieces inside out leaving a short end unsewn, turn inside out, pop the cardboard in and sew up the gap.  If you have some extra material or string handy, why not experiment with a tasselled end too?

5. Snood

Making your own snood (or infinity scarf) is ridiculously easy. 

Pop your material around your neck to measure how long you want your snood to be.  Perhaps you’ll want it extra-long so you can loop it around your neck twice.  Cut your material to your desired length and twice your desired width.  Fold your fabric in half, back to front and lengthways, sew together the long sides and one end.  Turn your scarf inside out and sew up the other end turning a hem in approximately 1 inch.  Neatly sew the two ends of the scarf together (as neat as possible as this seam will be on show) and the snood is ready to wear.

 As you can see there are lots of great items even an absolute beginner can learn to sew.  Have a go and perhaps you’ll turn a once dreaded chore into an unexpected lifelong passion.