Five DIY Sewing Patterns And Projects To Try

Whether you are looking for beginner sewing projects to learn from or are an advanced sewer looking for your next challenge, Spotlight's 12 Days of Sewing event is bound to have a sewing project (or two) for you to try out. No matter if you want clear-cut sewing patterns to follow to the letter or just some creative sewing ideas to inspire you, read below and discover our five favourite DIY sewing projects for beginners, intermediate and advanced sewers!

Quick Links

• What You'll Need For Our Sewing Patterns
• Beginner Sewing Projects
• Intermediate Sewing Projects
• Advanced Sewing Project

What You'll Need For Our Sewing Patterns

While we'll go into what kinds of fabric, thread and other bits and bobs you'll need for each of our sewing projects, there's one constant that we recommend - and that's a sewing machine! Hand sewing is fun and a lovely pastime, but if you want to create your sewing projects in a timely and professional manner then a sewing machine will become your best friend. Spotlight has a wide range of full-size and mini sewing machines available, as well as replacement and extra parts you can use to augment your machines and bring your sewing ideas to life.

Beginner Sewing Projects

If you are a new sewer or not too confident in your skills then these beginner sewing projects are a great way to learn the basics. Our sewing projects for beginners are designed to introduce you to the basics of sewing, and shouldn't take too long to make either! These sewing patterns are great fun to make for yourself, and they also make amazing gifts due to their small size and usefulness.

Tissue Pillow

For this project you'll need:

• Cotton poplin fabric 20 x 55cm
• Sewing thread (same colour as the cotton poplin fabric)
• Fabric scissors
• Sewing pins
• Sewing machine

Small tissue packets are perfect for handbags, cars and your pockets - you never know when you'll need a tissue or even a serviette when you're on the go. Why not jazz them up a bit by making a custom tissue pillow to hold them in? This beginner sewing project only involves a little bit of actual sewing but also uses other important sewing skills like pressing, folding, pinning and trimming, plus you'll learn why we tend to sew projects inside out.

Ribbon Bookmark

For this sewing project you'll need:

• Patterned ribbon 50cm
• Novelty buttons
• Hair ties
• Sewing machine
• Sewing thread

These adorable ribbon bookmarks are perfect for those who love reading and make great gifts for bookworms. You can personalise them with a novelty button and make each one unique, or even customise the colours and buttons to suit your favourite book series. Beginners will learn how to create a double-fold hem (a great skill to know if you wish to alter your own clothes) and the importance of giving your stitches stability.

Intermediate Sewing Projects

If you have some sewing projects under your belt and are ready to move to the next level, these intermediate sewing ideas will provide the perfect amount of challenge while also teaching you a few new skills.

Jocelyn Proust Knitting Bag

For this project you'll need:

• 112 cm printed cotton drill x 1.2m
• 112cm plain cotton drill x 0.5m
• 45cm dress zipper
• Gutermann sewing thread
• Sewing machine
• Scissors
• Pins
• Iron
• Ruler/tape measure

Using gorgeous fabric designed by Australian artist Jocelyn Proust, you can create a gorgeous carry bag for all your knitting supplies (although you can use it for other crafts too!). You'll learn how to create pockets, lining and straps, as well as how to attach zips to your Jocelyn Proust knitting bag. These are all great skills to know for dressmaking as well, making this knitting bag project a great stepping stone if you're looking to begin making your own garments.

Flannelette Dog Bed

For this project you'll need:

• 5m of 112cm wide printed flannelette
• 8m of 150cm minky dot fleece fabric
• Hobby fill
• Scissors, pins, hand needle
• Matching sewing threads
• Sewing machine
• Iron

Treat your best buddy with a handmade dog bed! This large project involves a lot of cutting, folding and stitching, and you'll be refining your sewing skills without even realising it. Remember to allow for a little more material than stated if you are using fabric with matching patterns. This project will help you create the perfect indoor bed for your dog, and you can adjust the amount of fill to make it as fluffy as you'd like for your pet!

Advanced Sewing Project

If you're a sewing veteran you might enjoy our last sewing project! Quilting is a delicate and time-consuming hobby, but the results are incredible and very satisfying.

Anastasia Rose Quilt

For this project you'll need:

Rose Quilt:

• 5 metres of cream fabric
• 80cm - Red fabric
• 25cm - Green Fabric
• 90cm - Large rose fabric
• 25cm - Outer edge rose fabric

Red Square Cut:

• 64 - 4.5 inch square cream - then cut in half for triangle
• 64 - 4.5 inch square red - then cut in half for triangle
• 64 - 4 x 1 1/4 inch strips - cream
• 24 - 8.5 x 1 1/4 inch strips - cream

Large Rose Square Cut:

• 16 - 8 1/2 inch squares

You will need approximately 180 cm x 4 - 1 1/4 inches for small outer edge border of all squares before joining half square border. The finished size will be 175 x 175cm.

This beautiful quilt will look stunning on a bed, couch or even hung as a tapestry, but it involved a lot of work to get right. If you've never quilted before, this might be just the project to give you the quilting bug!

For a little more help with quilting, check out our quilting tools and quilting fabric buying guides. And if you want to make more quilts, be sure to look through our other quilting projects!

Get sewing with Spotlight

Ready to start making these sewing ideas? Find everything you need and more in our sewing and fabrics category online, where you can make purchases for home delivery. Alternatively, head to your local Spotlight store and our friendly team will help you find all the sewing supplies you'll need.

For advice on what you need to start, continue or master your sewing journey, our buying guides are ready to be explored. Discover the Sewing Machines Buying Guide and Dressmaking Fabrics Buying Guide for some great tips. And for more amazing sewing projects and sewing patterns with complete instructions and pictures, browse our DIY projects online!