25 sewing goals, from a first tote bag to a pair of jeans you made

Sewing goals for beginners

Beginner goals start with straight lines on the machine and end with something you can carry or use.

• Sew 10 straight lines on paper with no thread, then 10 on fabric.
• Thread the machine and wind a bobbin 5 times without the manual.
• Sew one tote bag, from cutting to the last seam.
• Sew one envelope cushion cover.
• Press every seam as you go on your first 3 projects.

Sewing skill goals: zips, buttonholes, sleeves and fit

Skill goals are one technique practised on scraps first, then used on a real garment.

• Put in 5 zips on scraps before your first garment with one.
• Sew 10 buttonholes on scraps, all the same length.
• Set in 2 sleeves with no puckers at the top of the sleeve.
• Sew a test version of one pattern in cheap fabric and fix the fit before you cut the good fabric.
• Learn 3 seam finishes: zigzag, French seam and flat-felled seam.

Garment and wardrobe sewing goals

A good order for first garments adds one skill at each step. Pajama pants add elastic, a skirt adds a zip, a shirt adds buttonholes and sleeves, and jeans add all of it plus topstitching.

• Sew one pair of pajama pants with an elastic waist.
• Sew a skirt with a zip and a waistband.
• Sew a button-up shirt with a collar.
• Sew one pair of jeans.
• Sew 5 pieces that you can wear together in any mix.

Mending and alteration goals

Mending goals count clothes you keep wearing. Each repair is one less thing to replace.

• Mend 10 pieces of clothing this year.
• Hem 3 pairs of trousers to your length.
• Sew back every loose button in your closet in one afternoon.
• Patch 2 holes in jeans with visible mending.
• Take in or let out 3 garments until they fit.

Sewing challenge ideas

A sewing challenge is a count over a month or a year. Me-Made-May, started by Zoe Edwards in 2010, is about wearing what you made. It counts knitted and crocheted clothes too, so knitting goals and crochet goals can fill the same wardrobe.

• Do Me-Made-May: wear one thing you made every day in May.
• Sew one garment a month for 12 months.
• Buy no new clothes for 3 months, and sew or mend instead.
• Sew 3 garments from fabric you already own.
• Sew for 20 minutes a day for 30 days.

What is a good sewing goal?

A good sewing goal names the thing you will finish. A review of 35 years of goal research found that specific, hard goals lead to higher performance than being told to do your best. "Learn to sew" never ends. "Pajama pants with an elastic waist by the end of the month" ends on a date.

Pick the next rung, not the dream garment. Each garment on the ladder adds one skill to the ones before it, so a shirt is easier after a skirt, and jeans are easier after a shirt. A tote bag teaches more than it looks like: straight seams, pressing and turning a corner.

Write the goal the way SMART goals are written: "Sew one shirt with 7 buttonholes by 30 November, 2 evenings a week." It has the thing, the count, the date and the time it takes.

How to track sewing goals

Log it when the last thread is cut. A review of 138 studies found that people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often, and that recording it beat keeping it in your head.

Garments, buttonholes and mends are amounts that add up. Me-Made-May and 20 minutes a day are day counts. Both kinds sit with other creative challenge ideas, where the count is the proof.

A year of sewing ends up in a closet, where it is hard to count. A picture that fills with every garment shows the year in one place.

Frequently asked questions

What is the easiest thing to sew for a beginner?

A tote bag or an envelope cushion cover. Both are straight seams with no fitting. After that, pajama pants with an elastic waist make a good first garment.

What is Me-Made-May?

A challenge Zoe Edwards started on her blog in 2010. During May, you wear the clothes you made more often than usual, with a pledge you set for yourself. It is about wearing, not sewing more, and one handmade piece is enough to take part.

What are good sewing goals for this year?

Pick one new garment and one count. Sew 12 garments, one a month. Mend 10 pieces of clothing. Sew 5 pieces that go together. Each one has a number you can check in December.