Friday Freebies Roundup: 10 Easy Sewing Projects for Kids

A few days ago my daughter asked me if I could teach her to sew something. I have to admit it made me pretty happy to hear her say that, even if it was really just her way of trying to get out of doing her homework. I told her I would think of some ideas and she could pick something she wanted to make. I already had some ideas of the kind of things that I want to start her out with but that gave me the idea to see what I could find online for simple sewing projects to make with kids. So, today's free pattern roundup is some simple, beginner type sewing projects that I thought might be good projects to make with your child who is learning to sew. All of these are machine sewing tutorials that are either intended for kids or beginners or they are simple enough that I thought they could be easily adapted to use with kids. I think that we will start with a little bit of hand sewing first and then work our way up to using the machine. If you are trying to think of some beginner projects to teach your child to sew or maybe even to learn yourself you should check out these tutorials. Click on the picture or the title to find the tutorials.

1. A Bookmark

This bookmark tutorial was part of a kids sewing series on Skip to my Lou. They have a couple of other projects you can check out as well. 

2. Hand Warmers

These are just two little squares sewn together and turned. Really simple, just straight lines, but also a good project to teach turning and leaving an opening and that kind of thing. You could also make beanbags in pretty much the same way. 

3. Pincushion

A simple little pincushion is another easy beginner project. This one is square with a pieced top but you could just do two solid squares or even circles. I remember one of the first projects we made in 7th grade sewing class was a round pincushion. We embroidered our initial on the top, sewed together two circles and stuffed it. 

4. Monster Tooth Pillow

If you want something similar to the last two but a little more complicated this might be a fun project to try. My daughter is 6 and I think that she has at least 3 teeth that are loose right now. She would probably think it was fun to make something like this. I would make something like the pincushion or hand warmers first and then move up to something like this since it has a few more steps. 

5. Pillowcase

Pillowcases are simple to make and something they can use everyday. Kids can pick out fun fabrics and make pillowcases to use on their own beds. This version uses only one fabric.

6. Pillowcase With Coordinating Trim

Another pillowcase option is to make a pillowcase with two fabrics, this is a fun way to do it because instead of picking only one fabric they can pick two. There are also tutorials using 3 fabrics but I was trying to keep it as simple as possible for beginners. 

7. A Simple Skirt

This is one thing that I am definitely planning to make with Eliza. This kind of skirt is super easy to make and I think any little girl would think it was pretty cool to wear a skirt that they made themselves. I think we might even make some doll sized skirts to match. 

8. A Tote Bag

I thought a plain, simple tote bag would be a good thing to add to the list and I chose this one because it is very plain and simple. No boxed corners or pockets, the straps are made of webbing so you don't have to make straps, there isn't a lining. It doesn't really get much simpler than that. 

9. Doll Sleeping Bag

I threw this one in there because it is for American Girl dolls, which my daughter loves, but it might be a little more difficult than some of the others because of he way the opening is sewn. It still looked pretty easy though so I figured I would include it.

10. Headbands

Everything else that I have included in this roundup has only straight lines, these headbands have a little bit more of a curve to them. For that reason this wouldn't be the first project I would try but once they are familiar with how the sewing machine I think that this would be an easy enough project to make. And again, they can have the satisfaction of making something that they can wear. 

I thought I would also throw in the links to a couple of printable sewing sheets. They can be a fun way for kids to learn how the machine feels and practice following a line. I found two different sets, the first is the one on the left and it is from U Create. You can find them here. The set on the right is from Skip to My Lou. You can find those ones here.

I can't wait to start teaching my daughter to sew and sharing some of our projects here. If you have little kids that want to learn to sew I hope you were able to find some inspiration here.