All the BEST Free Sewing Patterns

Over the past years I’ve organized my best free sewing patterns and tutorials into categories for the ultimate sewing experience and to make them easier to find. There are projects here for all skill levels and most of them have a pdf download available. All of the blog posts include detailed instructions and printable templates if they are needed. Whether you love to quilt, sew for kids, or just sew for yourself, I hope you enjoy!

Free Sewing Patterns for Crafty Little Things to Sew

The 10 BEST Free Apron Patterns on the Intenet!

Stop looking and start sewing a new apron with an amazing free sewing pattern! Don’t keep searching through lists of so-so free apron patterns. Here are the 10 best apron patterns you will find on the internet. Whether you want a patchwork apron, jelly roll apron, half apron, or full coverage apron – you’ll find your favorite one here.

14 Pretty Pencil Pouch Sewing Patterns – All Free

If you’re looking for free patterns for DIY pencil cases or pen pouches for your binder, bag or backpack, you’ve come to the right place. Each link includes a free tutorial with easy sewing instructions even beginner sewists can follow. Keep reading for some cute and stylish storage solutions.

Easy Peasy Lunch Bag Sewing Pattern – Free

At my daughter Chloe’s high school (can you believe my baby started high school???), the lunch lines are so long that she has been skipping lunch! She’s always starving by the time she gets home because she doesn’t want to carry a big lunch bag as well as her heavy backpack – poor girl!

How to Sew Chair Pockets for a Classroom!

I must admit that I was a little wary of this project when Cadie’s teacher first asked me, but it turned out to be really fun and a lot easier than I expected. So if your kid’s kindergarten or first grade teacher ever asks you about making chair pockets for the class, say yes – I’ll show you how!

How to Make a Cute Tie Scrunchie: DIY Sewing Tutorial

Scrunchies are a fun and easy sewing project that is perfect for using up scraps of all kinds. It’s also a great way to introduce girls to sewing – within just a few minutes they’ll have something fun to wear and a few new skills, too!

The Peek-a-Boo Pouch {free sewing pattern}

Sew a darling snap pouch with vinyl pockets on the inside for first aid items, toiletries, cosmetics, or anything else! Don’t be fooled because this project is sewn with vinyl. It’s very easy! And I even have a video to show you how. I LOVE this handy pouch!

Cage Comforters: Sewing for Furry Friends

Did you know that animal shelters often use small quilts or blankets (called cage comforters) in the animals’ cages to provide a soft bed and a sense of security? It’s a great way to use up leftover pieces of fabric and batting and make something to help our furry friends at the shelters. It’s kinda funny how I learned about this project…

Sew a DIY Wristlet Key Fob – fast and easy gift idea!

You can sew a cute wrist strap key fob with my fast and easy sewing tutorial.

Of all the DIY projects I’ve sewn and gifted to people, wristlet keychain fobs are the ones that people ask for again and again! This year the assistant principal at my daughter’s elementary school was not very subtle when she repeated several times that the wrist lanyard I gifted her a couple years ago was getting old.

Easy Fat Quarter Tea Towels – Sewing Tutorial

What’s a tea towel? Can you use it in your messy real life kitchen? I think you should be able to. So last year I made my own version using some of my favorite fat quarters (only because they come pre-cut to the perfect size) and I love them! The two layers of cotton are not too thick, which I really like, plus the more I wash them the softer and more absorbent they become. Not to mention that I get to brighten up my kitchen with beautiful fabric!

24 Pretty Patchwork Projects to Sew – All Free Patterns

Patchwork is such an appealing and fun technique. You can make so many sewing projects from patchwork. It’s a great way to use up scraps (frugal!) and is visually interesting and seasonless. If you’re looking for free printable patterns for patchwork projects to sew I have compiled 18 below. Stitching up patchwork quilt blocks, bags, curtains, coasters, potholders, skirts, pillows and more is as easy as printing the pdf in my easy tutorials.

2 Sided Zips: a handy case tutorial from SewCanShe

Show off your favorite fabrics (and your sweet zipper skills) with these fun little zipper pouches. They are just the right size for your smart phone and there’s a handy little pocket for your id and a couple cards. I love how the 2 sided zipper opens up to show off the lining. It’s perfect for coordinating prints… will you put your favorite fabric on the outside so everyone sees it right away or on the inside for a shocking surprise?

Sew a Mesh Car Organizer – free sewing pattern!

Sew a useful organizer for your car so you’ll have a spot to hold your purse, phone, sunglasses – and everything else you need to keep handy. Have you noticed that most new cars these days don’t build-in a spot for a bag or purse? It can be so frustrating – until now. My readers asked me to write them a sewing pattern for a spot to put all your stuff in your car – and here it is! This project uses easy to find (and inexpensive) mesh fabric that you can buy online or in stores. Let me show you how to make it!

25 Simple Sewing Projects – All Free

If you want to make sewing a hobby, these simple things to sew will help you get started. Sewing can be wonderful for relieving stress and making gifts for others. Learning how to sew is exciting, especially with all the beautiful fabrics we have to work with.

How to Sew an Easy Vaccination Card Holder Wallet (free snap pouch sewing pattern)

Sew a small wallet to keep your vaccination card safe and easy to read. This easy sewing pattern for a snap pouch is the perfect size to hold the standard 3’’ x 4’’ COVID vaccination card. There is a vinyl window on the back so you can easily see the information on your vaccine record, plus a snap closure to keep the card from falling out. And it’s a great project to sew with your fabric scraps!

Sew a Mug Caddy Organizer – free fat quarter friendly sewing pattern

Sew a darling mug caddy to store sewing notions, office tools, or art supplies with just one or 2 fat quarters of fabric! There are 5 pockets around the outside of the fabric mug cover, plus an inside layer to show off more pretty fabric. I know there are other mug caddy sewing patterns out there, but I think you’ll love mine the best. It’s patterned after my #10 Caddy Pattern, and as a special bonus to SewCanShe readers – I’m sharing this mug organizer pattern with you for free in the blog post below

How to Sew a Cute Llama Stuffie – free sewing pattern

Sew the cutest llama around with my free sewing pattern!

This easy stuffed animal is fun to embellish with leftover trims such as pom poms, ric rac, fringe, or ribbon. The saddle and llama face are appliques which are fused in place and then stitched down.

How to Use Pattern Weights – Plus a Tutorial for Sewing Your Own with Scraps

If you don’t use pattern weights, let me tell you why you should! To be honest, the first time I used pattern weights was was one of those Aha! moments for me. Then I thought ‘yup, people are right about these, they fix so many cutting problems!’ You can use any small, smooth object that has a little bit of weight to it for a pattern weight, but if you want to sew your own, I’m sharing a tutorial for that too.

25 Useful & Beautiful Things to Sew – Easy Sewing Patterns

Check out these free sewing tutorials for baskets, organizing caddies, pretty covers for your machines, and more! Use your sewing machine to make something that will help and inspire others. Sewing is not only a passion and love of mine…but it is so useful in a million different ways.

How to Sew a Wallet: free sewing Pattern

Learn how to sew an easy wallet that’s great for kids or adults. This free sewing pattern for a Fold and Stitch Wallet has two card slots and a money pocket on the inside. It’s a great sewing project for small pieces of fabric, even scraps! This is a great beginner sewing project and you’ll learn how to use plastic snaps.

Zola Pen Case {free sewing pattern}

I can’t stop making these!!! My version of this Japanese pen case is so much fun. I gave myself the chance to use a bunch of different fabrics by adding a bound zipper that makes a cute snappy handle – it’s the cutest little case in the house. Well, they all are – and they are great for lots more than pens!

Ribbon and Vinyl Zipper Pouch Pattern – free pattern in 3 sizes

What is it about zipper pouches? I can never make enough! They are such a fun gift to give and receive. And they are so quick and easy to make. This year I made zipper pouches with pretty ribbon and clear vinyl for back-to-school teacher gifts.

If you are worried about sewing on the vinyl… don’t be!  Seriously I worked it all out and by the time I was ready to write this tutorial I knew all the tricks. Now I’m going to share them with you. 🙂

DIY Journaling Bookmarks (and pencil pocket) free sewing tutorial

Let’s sew some DIY Bookmarks! Last weekend I wanted to make a super-quick gift to make for some young women in our church and this is what I came up with. This easy sewing project is jelly roll friendly because it uses 2 1/2’’ strips. You can also personalize the pieces with machine embroidery before sewing them together.

Tiny Zipper Bags – free tutorial using 5” Charm Squares!

I’m so excited to share with you my latest tiny obsession… tiny zipper bags! These little zipper pouches are so fast and easy to make, and so much fun! And as you can guess from the title of this post… they are made with 5 “ charm squares.

Fast and Easy Petit Four Baskets – and how to ditch the baggy lining!

Are you looking for a cute way to organize a messy drawer – or an instant handmade gift basket that’s just the right size for little goodies?

Sew up a cute Petit Four basket! This free sewing pattern from ByAnnie is great because it uses just a little bit of fabric and stabilizer (perfect for leftover 10” squares), it’s really fast, and it’s super easy.

Free Pattern… Sew Cute Mittens from a Sweater!

You can sew warm and fuzzy mittens using an old sweater! Use this free mitten pattern with a step by step sewing tutorial to create lots of mittens out of nothing – well out of last year’s too small sweaters. 🙂

Milk Carton Coin Purse {free sewing pattern}

I finally got it done for you… all the testing and tweaking of a pattern to make the darling little coin pouch that we saw on Pinterest – but the photo instructions left so much to chance!

DIY Tiny Quilt Magnets!

How’s this for a tiny mini quilt? We’ve been having so much fun making mini quilts lately (see all the patterns in the menu bar above)… that I decided to see how tiny I could make a mini. These tiny quilts turned out so cute, less than 2” tall and perfect for DIY magnets. 

Pretty Box Pouch {free sewing pattern with a tutorial}

This pretty little box shaped pouch is perfect for holding and organizing cosmetics, sewing supplies, jewelry, small toys, crayons, chocolate candies, and more! My little case with a free pattern and tutorial below measures about 5’’ x 7’’ on the top and 2 1/2’’ deep.

Clippie Zippies… customizable zipper pouch sewing pattern

I’m so excited to share the Zippie Clippie pattern with you… this pouch has so many purposes that I’ll never be able to count them all. Clip one on a backpack with pencils and school supplies. Clip another to your bag to hold your phone. Then sew another to hold your hand sewing kit while on road trips!

Handy Dandy Pouch – Skinny Drawstring Bag Tutorial

Sew an easy drawstring bag that’s long and skinny! It is the perfect size for spectacles, a tooth brush and toothpaste, pencils, or even make up brushes. These pouches are so handy and pretty –which is the essence of ‘Zakka’, a Japanese design aesthetic that combines usefulness with beauty.

How to Sew a Wash Bag for Lingerie and more – free sewing tutorial

This mesh laundry bag will help you keep fabric face masks (and other items) separate and wash them safely in your washing machine. Just toss them in the bag and then toss the bag in your washer.

This project is easy to sew and I have lots of tips to ensure that anyone can do it!

How to Sew Sherri’s Sew Handy Fridge Towels

This sewing tutorial for kitchen towels that won’t fall off the handle was just so tempting to me, that I dropped everything and made a couple to match the heart shaped potholder that I made last month.​ ​These are by far the most beautiful dish towels I have ever owned. And I won’t have to pick them up off the floor 100 times a day. I am in love.

Free Sewing Patterns for Bags and Totes

18 Little Bags and Purses – Free Sewing Patterns

Here it is, my complete collection little bags and purses to sew and love with free patterns! Each one of these free tutorials features quick and easy to follow instructions that will help you start and finish your new purse in no time. My tutorials are designed to be very easy to follow and understand so you are sure to have fun while you’re sewing and success with your sewing project. Come see…

How to Sew a Baguette Bag – free sewing pattern for a small purse!

Sew a small purse in the cutest shape everyone wants right now – a Baguette Bag! This purse may be small but you can still pack it with everything you need. It will hold your phone, wallet, sunglasses, pens, lipstick, and still have room for all those receipts we are handed. My readers asked me to write them a free sewing pattern for a baguette shaped purse – and here it is! With step by step photo instructions and downloadable templates, you will be able to sew this purse in an afternoon.

The Flying Geese Tote… a modern bag tutorial

You can sew a Big Flying Geese Tote Bag from my free pattern! This is a big sturdy tote bag that’s perfect for taking to the beach, yoga class, or just to the grocery store. There are pockets on the inside and lots of room too.

The Scrapyard Tote – free sewing pattern

Sew a beautiful bag that’s just the right size to be a purse or handbag. This is a great project for using up scraps that you have left over from quilts or other bags, or you can use a charm pack (which is precut bundle of 40 5’’ squares).

How to Sew an Easy Rope Handled Tote Bag – Free Sewing Pattern

Sewing a cute and easy tote bag is twice as fast when you don’t have to make the handles! I think these rope handled totes are my favorite bags I’ve ever made. They are the perfect size – about 10” tall and 16” wide but they hold a LOT of stuff. Tonight I took one to a youth activity and I filled it with about 8 yards of fabric, scissors, a pincushion, pattern weights, 4 patterns, and an extra package of needles in the inside pocket. I didn’t want to bring my purse, so I also stuffed keys, sunglasses, and my phone in. No problem.

How to Sew a Cross Body Zipper Tote – Free Pattern

How cute are these zipper totes? The size is perfect for carrying your phone and wallet. But I must admit that as soon as I had sewn the first one for myself, my 8 year old daughter Cadie took it for herself! I had to make a couple more so that every girl in the house could have one.

Free Bunny Applique and Tote Bag Pattern

Sew an easy tote bag with a cute bunny applique design on it! If course you can grab the free bunny applique pattern and put it on somthing else, but I’m going to show you a trick for easily having a big applique on a bag -you sew on the applique before sewing the bag!

How to Sew a Fabric Basket Tote {free sewing pattern}

Use this easy step by step free tutorial to make a beautiful Basket Tote that makes a great purse too. It has two interior pockets, just right handles that aren’t super long like shoulder straps and lots of style!

Easy Peasy Drawstring Backpack {free sewing tutorial}

When I first sketched these drawstring backpacks in my little notebook, I wanted to design them entirely out of fabric. Because sometimes I really want to make something without going to the store for special notions. The casings, loops, and drawstrings are all made of fabric. Of course you can substitute ribbon, twill tape, or grommets for the loops. And you could always use bias trim stitched together, ribbon, or rope for the drawstrings. But if you have plenty of fabric in your stash (like me), you will probably appreciate an all-fabric project too.

35 Fast and Easy Free Bag Patterns

A while back I put together a round up of tote bag and purse patterns that were fast and easy to sew… but I just keep adding more and more bag patterns and tutorials to my blog so that old round up is already out of date! What can I say… a girl can never have too many bags!

How to Sew Designer Zipper Bags – video course Lesson 1

I’m so excited to finally show you how I make designer zipper bags with beautiful quilted sides and zippers that aren’t pinched!

This is a free video course that I have been working on to share the entire process in a way that you can’t go wrong.

The Picnic Tote… free sewing pattern!

After 2 ‘tester bags’, this one turned out so perfectly that I wouldn’t change a thing. And I named it the ‘Picnic Tote’ because that checked fabric on the sides makes me feel like every outing is a picnic!

Are you ready to sew a Picnic Tote for yourself? Let’s go!

14+ Cross Body Bag Sewing Patterns – all free!

A great Cross Body Bag is a must. You will find free and easy DIY Cross-Body purses below with simple tutorials to follow and printable sewing instructions. Sometimes called a wallet on a string, these stylish accessories can hold it all, and keep you organized.

How to Sew Speedy Patchwork Tote Bags (easy sewing tutorial)

Learn how to sew patchwork tote bags that are so much fun to sew… I just can’t stop. Plus – sewing these easy tote bags with my free pattern is the perfect scrap buster. The smallest tote bag is perfect for taking snacks to school, crayons and paper to church, etc. I already gave the largest tote bag away to a friend. And I am keeping the medium sized patchwork bag for myself. Those are almost the last of my Cotton + Steel basics scraps and I am excited to show them off.

How to Sew a Yarn Project Bag – Free DIY Sewing Pattern

Sew up a roomy bag that’s perfect for carrying balls of yarn and your knitting or crochet projects too!

This half-barrel shaped bag has an easy to install eyelet (or grommet) on top through which you can draw out the yarn.

With your yarn ‘in the bag’ it will stay clean even when the bag is on the floor – perfect for using at home and in the car, at appointments, or at a friend’s house!

Sewing The Gatherer Crossbody Bag Pattern by Anna Graham

With school in session now and fall in swing I’m ready to start thinking about making a nice new fall bag. This is the bold and beautiful bag is the Gatherer Bag from Anna Graham. A small crossbody bag that’s fun and easy to make. Holds the basics without weighing you down!

Sew the Arial Tote! {free sewing pattern}

Sew yourself (or a friend) a cute tote bag that has a unique braided strap and a cell phone pocket on the inside! This free tote bag sewing pattern includes the pattern pieces and a step-by-step photo tutorial so anyone can make it. 

How to Sew an Easy Leather Hobo Bag from a Free Sewing Pattern!

Learn how to sew an easy hobo bag using a free sewing pattern. This generously sized purse has easy access plus pockets inside. Leather or faux (vegan) leather fabric is a great choice for this bag, as well as cork fabric. Sewing it will be easier than you think, so let your creativity help you to make your favorite purse ever.

Sew a Handy Travel Case – Free Sewing Pattern

Are you getting ready to travel again? Use this free sewing pattern to make a beautiful little case to carry your passport and essential documents without lots of fuss. It can be worn cross body style and is big enough to carry a small wallet if you need to.

Watch my Free Video Course for Designer Zipper Bags!

I’m so excited to share with you something that I have been working on all year… a video course!

I get ‘sew’ annoyed at most zipper bag tutorials because I end up with pinched corners at the top that never look right.

I have to admit that it bothered me so much I couldn’t sleep one night. I layed in bed trying to picture how to make a zipper pouch the had beautifully sewn top corners.

Teacher Tote Bags! {free tutorial}

Yes, I’ve been busy. It’s that time of year when teacher gifts are ‘due,’ lol.

Did you notice that my Bunny Applique blog post included a tote tutorial? Yes, it does, and that’s how I made these bags.

Of course, I left off the bunny applique for the teachers. And I added some interior pockets. The finished tote bag measures about 15” tall and 16” wide. It’s perfect for books and school supplies.

Free Holiday Sewing Projects

10+ Last Minute Christmas Gifts to Sew

<img src=”https://sewcanshe.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/PinterestPin28629.png” alt=”Pinterest Pin (6).png” /> Christmas is almost here…I love the excitement! Half the fun of Christmas for me…

Free and Festive Christmas Quilt Patterns

<img src=”https://sewcanshe.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/PicMonkeyImage28529.jpg” alt=”PicMonkey Image (5).jpg”> Get ready to fill your home with the spirit of Christmas in quilts! Here are…

20+ Christmas Sewing Projects To Start Sewing Now

Cute Christmas decorations and things to sew can be fun and easy projects to do this time of year. Quilts, wall decor, ornaments, advent calendars, stockings and garlands make the holidays festive, and make sweet handmade gifts. Find free printable patterns with each tutorial to inspire your gift giving, sewing and decorating below.

Easy Panel Quilt with Irish Chain Blocks – Free Pattern!

Have you ever bought panel fabrics at the quilt store because they are so cute or beautiful and then you need ideas for sewing them into a quilt? Look no further! I fell for these darling Halloween fabrics that included a panel with rectangular images, and then I designed an Irish chain quilt that perfectly complimented the panel. Each panel image is framed to set it apart. This also gives you some flexibility in case your panel pieces are not the same size as these.

AND this free quilt pattern uses strip piecing for the small parts to help it go together super fast!

35+ Favorite Christmas Sewing Projects

It’s never too early or too late to sew for Christmas – that’s my motto all year long! Here are 35+ favorite Christmas sewing projects… and at the bottom there’s a link to 25 of my favorite gifts to sew!