Printable Sewing Practice Sheets

 Welcome to the Polka Dot Umbrella Blog! Today's free printable and project was intended to be for the kids but I ended up having way too much fun with it myself!

If you have a little one (or not-so-little-one) you are teaching to sew, these practice sheets will definitely come in handy. Or, if you already sew and you're just wanting to practice some stitching skills yourself, you will enjoy the more advanced pages. The first page is for total beginners and then each page gets a little more difficult. Let's take a closer look! 

First, you will want to download and print the sheets.  There are 9 pages but of course you don't have to print all of them. 

You can get that free file here:  Sewing Practice Sheets

Second, you might be wondering if we're SURE that it's okay to sew on paper. The answer is a definite yes. I would imagine that if you sew on paper all day every day there might be some issues with paper pieces getting crammed inside, or a dull needle, but I have stitched on paper and cardstock a LOT making handmade cards, and I have never had a problem. You'll be fine! 

Then you're ready to go to your machine! Each page is marked with a "Start Here" label, which is super helpful because at first it can seem backwards to beginners that we start by sewing on the side that is farthest away from us. 

Lift the pressure foot, slide the paper in and align it so the needle is right above the dot. Then lower the needle, hold tight to both threads (top and bottom) and you're ready to sew!

Here's a trusty little video if you want to see it in action.  Notice I started out somewhat slowly and then sped up when I was familiar with the pull of the paper. 

There it is!  Beautiful stitching line!  You will notice at the end of each line that it says "backstitch."  It's a good habit to get into so your stitches stay secure.  

After the straight lines, you will be ready to practice square corners.  

On this sheet, when you come to a corner, try to land your needle exactly on the corner, in the down position.  With the needle down, you can lift the presser foot, rotate the paper 90 degrees, put the pressure foot back down, and then continue sewing.  

After practicing some corners, you'll be ready for zigzags!  It's starting to get exciting!

Then some fun shapes made out of straight lines! 

 (Throwback to Geometry - remember that all these straight line shapes are called polygons. You're welcome.) 

After you have straight lines mastered, you'll get to practice some gradual curves (not pictured here) and then graduate on to these random curves.  

These were incredibly satisfying to finish up.  

The next page has some circles in various sizes.  I did get off a little at one spot when my phone alarm went off and scared me, ha.  So that one isn't perfect, I'm just keeping it real.  When sewing these circles, you have to look more closely at where the needle currently is, rather than ahead at where it will soon be.

Then, my favorite page is the one that mixes curves and straight lines to create fun shapes!  Some of these aren't too bad but a couple of them made me slow waaayyyy down to be careful on the corners. 

 If your machine lets you put the needle in down position to start, it makes these a little easier because you can lift the pressure foot to adjust as needed.  

I really took my time on this one because I wanted to show it off, and here we are. It worked!  (It's smaller than it looks, so those turns are tiny.)  You might want to hold off on giving this last sheet to your kiddos as they're just beginning.  It's not too bad, until it is, and then... it is. 

Three more things that need to be said:

 

1 - Be patient with yourself (or your kid)

2 - Practice, practice, practice!

3 - Don't be afraid to mess up as you advance

That's it! You'll be sewing stars and ducks and umbrellas in no time! 

Enjoy!   ~  Kristen