Are you bored of indulging your close relatives and friends who don’t have either the time or the patience to take on a sewing project of their own, so they keep making use of your skills and passion? Are you bored of having to face certain expectations that are now somehow tied to your sewing skills even though you are just a beginner? And most importantly, are you bored of the quest for meaning and practicality that oversees every action and its consequences, including your utmost passion: the act of sewing?
If your answer is positive to even just one of these questions, then let’s have some fun. My name is Kristina and I know lots about sewing, but I also know how to have fun. Therefore, I hope you’ll let me guide you through how to mix sewing and fun.
In this post, I am not going to tutor you about how to sew stuff but give you ideas for sewing projects that can be fun. Sewing itself is easy. But getting ideas? That might be a bit tricky.
Beginner Fun
Cheerful Face Masks
Many blogs similar to mine do act as if there is nothing going on and everything is still just as colorful as the fabrics seen on the visuals for the sewing projects they recommend, but let’s face it: we have been paddling through a pandemic for a while now, some of us doing OK and others bad, and the masks we are using to fight against it seem to be here to stay a bit longer than we would have liked. So, why give into the lifelessness of the surgical masks everybody carries in doomed solemnity and not wear one that screams: “No, I won’t let a virus take my jolliness away!”
Once you have tightly-woven fabric, enough coordinating thread, elastic bands, and a wire to protect your nose area, there will be nothing stopping you from doing exactly that.
A quick tip, though: there is no point in sewing face masks for the other members of your family with the same fabric you used on yours, since there is probably enough evidence pointing towards your familyness. You have been granted the chance of expressing yourself by your superior taste in fabric and a proficient sewing machine. Make the best of it.
Unique Headbands
I can make a similar point about headbands as well. Hey! It’s your head, it’s a unique one that stands only on your shoulders, so why wear a mass-produced band as if every head is the same and not sew one uniquely made for your own head by your own self? That way, you can prioritize both comfort by achieving a perfect fit and style by expressing yourself.
For that, you just need a base fabric that serves your purposes the best, a thin gauze like chiffon to furnish it in style, and high-quality elastic bands to make sure it’s comfortable. You may even include cute little trinkets in your design. Just make sure they are not loose in their place, so that they don’t disappear into your fab hair.
Outrageous Pouches
Okay, masks and headbands are better when they have straightforward designs no matter how intent you are on self-expression. It’s not a good idea to walk around with a mask that says: “I hate you, Victor Hugo, and your Miserables,” as experienced by yours truly, or to wear a headband that can be read only from the heavens: “I know you can see me, Dr. Manhattan,” because Dr. Manhattan is a fictional character after all.
Pouches, on the other hand, may deserve a more careful consideration concerning what design you choose. Do you print a message on the fabric for the pouch that addresses your ex and how much you hate them or, if it has the purpose of a purse, do you go Rihanna on all the friends that owe you because you did some sewing for them for free? Do you go with an “I love my husband” declaration to drown everyone you know in cringe or do you opt for a bigger lie in the shape of “I love my job” to, again, drown everyone you know in cringe?
The decision is yours alone, but you always have the option to sew a highly useful accordion pouch with some cute fabric.
Cozy Winter Mittens
Are you rolling your eyes right now? Really? Well, please stop it. Just because everybody thinks mittens are cute and just because everybody loves them doesn’t mean they are not fun or a good idea for beginners to start having some fun.
Whether you pick cute fabric with warm colors on it or customize your mittens with a design similar to that of heavy-duty welding gloves is entirely up to you. As long as you get the measurements right and use cotton on the inside of the gloves to keep your hands warm, you are free to try whatever design you like.
That doesn’t sound like too much fun? Then try sewing kitten mittens for your beloved cats!
Fashionable Infinity Scarves
Infinity scarves have become quite the trend now and that is with merit. They look cool and fashionable, they don’t have the hassle and tangle of traditional scarves, and they can do even a better job at warming your neck than traditional scarves without getting you itchy all over during winter, that is if the inside part is sewn with the right material like heavy cotton fabric. Since it’s a DIY project, you won’t look like you just wrapped a random blanket around your neck either, which is a giant plus when it comes to scarves. Moreover, they are quite easy and fun to sew since the majority of sewing is on a straight line on the edges.
However, what I really like about them is that their name has a science-fiction tinge to it. Therefore, I urge everyone in the spheres of sewing and fashion to be a bit shush. Otherwise, Christopher Nolan will want to shoot a movie with lots of infinity scarves in it, and it will not only be needlessly confusing and scientifically problematic but also utterly boring unlike the projects I recommend.
Customized Laptop Cases
Now you are going to Google “how to sew laptop cases”, see that all the laptop cases being recommended are gray, and ask me in silence: “But, dear Kristina, isn’t this, like, the very definition of dull?”
I cannot argue against it, but I also can’t have you going around and talking behind my back, like: “Well, Kristina claims she knows everything about sewing, but whereas all the other bloggers included laptop cases on their list of fun beginner projects, she didn’t. I don’t think she knows as much as she claims to do,” can I?
Furthermore, the colors of the felt fabric (that’s what’s mostly recommended for laptop cases) and the pieces of Velcro you are going to use is entirely up to you. So, you can still make it fun and colorful – if colorful coincides with your idea of fun. You can even go on and customize your case further by sewing or knitting small figures and messages on the outside of the case.
Advanced Fun: Art!
Before going into what kind of art you can make by sewing, let’s talk about art a bit.
What is art?
Is it a search for meaning despite all the evidence there is for the senselessness of the universe? Is it a way to express your thoughts and feelings so that others who think and feel like you witness it and quietly nod their heads in approval? Or is it just you secretly having fun by yourself and others attributing meaning to it in cognitive darkness?
What I am getting at here is this: not everything you do has to have a meaning in the eyes of others, and it definitely doesn’t need to have a practical use in your everyday life. You can just sit in front of your sewing machine, mutter to yourself: “Yeah, I am going to sew that, I mean, why should I let the frowns of my long dead ancestors affect me?”, and get on to sew whatever you think is fun.
You can make collage art by bringing together pieces of old fabric. You can employ a big piece of fabric as a canvas and go Van Gogh (or Picasso, or Artemisia Gentileschi) on that piece by sewing figures of your choice. You can even sew a self-portrait if you think you can hide the end-product well enough so that nobody except you ever sees it.
As long as you make the best of the freedom you’ve been granted by your sewing machine and the unrestrained liberty of art, there is no telling that your heart’s desires will not be satisfied.
Conclusion
If you somehow ended up on this post while surfing the internet, you are probably not only looking for ideas for sewing projects but also want to enjoy the process. If you have read this post right up to this point, you probably want to purge all the everyday worries out of your mind and have some fun me-time.
Well, then let me assure you: with these projects, you can stop worrying and immerse yourself in the therapeutic act of sewing – at least, for a while. You don’t need to worry whether your husband will cook tonight or not – he probably won’t. You don’t need to worry whether your kids are doing alright at the moment wherever they may be – they are alright.
After all, everything is pointless, so let’s sew some fun.
