Printable Sewing Practice Sheets For Beginners {Free PDF}

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New to sewing? These free printable worksheets make it easy to learn how to use your machine, one skill at a time!

I remember sewing on my very first practice sheets when I took a sewing class in high school, many years ago.

Learning how to manipulate your material and use your machine can be tricky, but paper makes it super easy!

Let me show you how easy it can be to learn these basic skills using my free set of practice sheets!

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How To Use Sewing Practice Sheets

Sewing practice printables are a great way for beginners to get started with machine sewing. Here are some of the things I love about them:

• They are stiff, which makes them easy to manipulate (turn, pull, feed back, pivot, etc.)
• The paper won’t get sucked down into the machine like some fabric does!
• You don’t have to waste fabric or thread while you are practicing
• The sewing needle pokes dots onto the paper, which allow you to see how good you are at staying on the lines of the practice activity
• Kids and adults can do this practice activity!

Now, you will find a LOT of free printable practice sheets online, but what sets the Seam Whisperer sewing practice sheets apart are the skills that they teach.

• Backstitching
• Leaving A Gap
• Overcasting
• Pivoting
• Sewing Curves (Bonus: spiral and blob practice shapes included)
• Applique

Here is a preview of what your sheets will look like. Start with page one, and complete the activities in order. They build upon each other as you learn the next skills.

*I also recommend setting your needle to the middle position for these sheets, I think that is easier!

These are essential sewing machine skills that all beginners need to know. So lets get started practicing!

Download Your Practice Sheets

This 4 page pdf practice sheet set is available for free for all my email subscribers. I send helpful and entertaining sewing related emails every now and then, and when you sign up I will send you these practice papers right away!

Sign up below.

Backstitching

Once you have mastered sewing a straight line, the backstitching practice sheet activity is what you should try next!

For this activity, you will sew down the straight line, and every time you meet a black dot you will backstitch a bit, then continue on forward down the line.

When you turn the paper over, you will see a line of dots with backstitches making overlapping clusters of dots every few inches.

Sewing Curves

The next task to complete is sewing curves on a wavy line. This is actually a difficult skill, so don’t worry if it takes a few tries. Go slow with your machine, and slowly turn your paper as you sew.

You can also practice sewing curves on the bonus paper that includes the blob shape, and the spiral shape.

Leaving A Gap Practice

This is a practice activity I have NEVER seen on any other sewing machine practice sheet set.

Which is surprising because I use this skill all the time when I sew dolls, hats, bags, and more.

To practice leaving a gap, you will sew down the straight line until it ends, then backstitch a bit. Then, raise your presser foot and needle and scoot the paper back until you are ready to sew along the next part of the line. Backstitch as you start, then sew down the line again.

Repeat these steps as you go!

Here is what the back will look like:

Pivot Practice

The pivot practice lines are zig zags. Start sewing down the line, and when you get to the corner, raise the presser foot but keep the needle down in the paper.

Then, pivot the paper so the next part of the line is straight in front of the needle. Lower the presser foot, and start sewing again.

Overcasting Practice

Overcasting is when you sew over the edge of the material to encase it with thread, so it doesn’t fray.

A zig zag stitch is the most common way to do this.

For this activity, set your machine settings to a wide zig zag stitch, and center the presser foot on the bottom edge of the paper. Then sew along the bottom edge so the needle moves on and off of the paper.

If you are not using thread, it will end up looking like a single row of holes.

If you are using thread, it will look like a zig zagged hem.

Applique Practice

This bonus practice activity can be done on either the blob shape, or the heart shape.

When appliqueing, you zig zag tightly around the edge of a cut piece of fabric, on top of another fabric, to attach it and cover the raw edges.

(Here is an example of an applique pillow I made, if you need an example.)

For this activity, set your machine to a zig zag stitch, but lower the stitch length to .1 or .2. This will help the zig zag be very short, which makes a very thick looking line of thread.

Center the needle on the presser foot and sew around the heart.

When you are done, you will see two rows of very close holes on either side of the black line.

Other Beginner Sewing Resources

After you practice with these sewing sheets, make sure you check out all my other beginner resources that will help you learn to become a seamstress!

• 25 Basic Sewing Machine Parts
  This free printable and article is full of the names you need to know on your sewing machine, what each part does, and a labeled diagram you can print and reference!
• 15 Common Presser Feet & Their Uses
  This list shows you photos of the most popular types of presser feet, along with their names and what on earth you use them for.
• 11 Essential Sewing Supplies For Beginners
  Make sure you check out this list to see if you have everything on hand you will need to complete basic projects.
• Sewing Hacks You Need To Know
  I rounded up advice and hacks from a bunch of real life women who love to sew and shared them all with you!

In addition, I have several practice activities for kids who are learning beginner sewing skills if you want to share this hobby with your children.

• Printable Threading Cards For Kids
  This huge list of printable lacing cards help preschoolers and elementary aged kids learn the motions of hand sewing
• Kids Printable Scissor Practice Sheets
  These cutting practice papers help kids learn their fine motor scissor skills in ways that are specific to sewing!

I also have sewing coloring pages, sewing educational posters, and a bunch of funny sewing jokes all totally free.

I hope these resources help you dive into the world of sewing with ease!

Let me know if you need any help in the comments below.

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