A Guide to Sewing Machine Needles: Choosing the Right Needle for Your Fabric
03/02/2025I still remember the first time I used my mom’s sewing machine like it was yesterday. I had an old piece of red curtain fabric and was trying out some stitches on it to get a feel for how to move the fabric around. Afterward, I sewed a simple tote bag from this fabric. Over the years, I gained a lot of experience teaching other people how to sew, and these are sewing patterns for beginners I can recommend.
My tip before your first sewing project
Use some paper and draw some straight and curvy lines on your paper. Then get a feeling for your sewing machine and sew on those lines. You can do this exercise with or without thread and you’ll see how to handle your material to sew a seam without spending loads of money.
5 Sewing projects for beginners
Tote bag or pillowcase
One of the easiest ways to start sewing is with a tote bag or a pillowcase. For the tote bag, you simply need two rectangles of fabric and two long straps. There are countless tutorials on YouTube on how to sew a tote bag or a pillowcase.
To make both a bit more special you can decorate your pillow or tote bag with patches or if you’d like a challenge, some handmade flowers.
Scrunchies
Scrunchies need less fabric than a pillowcase and are the perfect project for some upcycling. You simply need a long rectangle (e.g. 30 x 10 cm), sew both short ends together, fold it in half so that you see the left side (the not nice-looking side), and close it at the bottom leaving a 3 cm turning gap open. Turn the fabric around, insert the elastic, and close the turning gap with some stitches.
Apron
Aprons are a good project for beginners who immediately want to sew something wearable. If you want a small challenge, I shared how to sew an apron dress from scratch with your measurements a couple of years ago on my YouTube channel.
Easy top without buttons
Over the last couple of years, I witnessed an increasing number of summer tops that are closed at the front by three bows. These bow tops can also be a great choice for beginners because they don’t involve sewing a buttonhole.
Straight skirt
If you aren’t afraid of sewing a zipper into a straight skirt made from non-elastic material, it's also a great sewing beginner project. You can use my free Eve skirt sewing pattern as your first make or find other alternatives online on YouTube.
Which sewing patterns you should avoid as a sewing beginner
Sewing elastic fabrics can be a challenge, if you still want your first project made from jersey I gathered some tips for you.
- Never pull your elastic fabric while sewing, otherwise you end up with wavy fabric
- Use the right sewing machine needle for your fabric
- Don’t choose a project with lots of details like buttons or zippers, because they can even be a challenge for experienced seamstresses.
