Shipping is what quietly eats an online sewing shop’s profit. So every one of these small sewing projects to make and sell online is little, flat and light enough to go out in a padded envelope, which keeps the postage small and the money yours. Think zipper pouches, key fobs, scrunchies, bookmarks, eye masks, the sort of thing that folds down to nothing and still photographs beautifully. Which brings me to my one piece of advice after years of making things: photograph everything you make. There are so many things I wish I had taken pictures of, and online, the photo is the product. Every project here comes with the fabric you need, roughly what it costs and a price that still works once postage comes out. Perfect for a brand new online shop, a side income between school runs, or anyone who would rather sew and mail than stand behind a table. Selling on Etsy specifically? See the crafts to sell on Etsy.
The best sewing projects to make and sell online are small, flat and light enough to post in a padded envelope. A credit card wallet costs about $3 to $5 and sells for about $16 to $26. A business card wallet costs about $2 to $4, sells for about $12 to $20, and batches better than anything else here. Low postage is what keeps the sale price yours instead of the courier’s.
1. Kitchen Towel Dress
Three fabrics and a ribbon, sewn into a hanging towel dress for an oven door handle. Mix a plain with a print and let the ribbon tie the two together, and remember that the fabric choice IS the product here, so florals, gingham and tie dye will each find a different buyer.
- Supplies: kitchen towel, two or three coordinating fabrics, ribbon, thread.
- Approx cost: about $4 to $7.
- Sells for: about $16 to $26. Seasonal prints sell fastest, so make a run every autumn.
- Ships: flat, in a poly mailer or a padded envelope.
Get the full tutorial at Showofcrafts.
2. Reversible Placemats
Two prints, one placemat, and the buyer gets a different table depending on which way up it lands. That is two products in one and it costs you nothing extra, which is the sort of arithmetic that makes a listing worth keeping up all year.
- Supplies: two coordinating cotton fabrics, batting or interfacing, thread.
- Approx cost: about $3 to $5 each.
- Sells for: about $14 to $20 each, or $50 to $70 for a set of four. Always list them in fours.
- Ships: flat, a set of four still fits a large envelope.
Get the full tutorial at Showofcrafts.
3. Credit Card Wallet
A fold-over wallet for the person carrying twenty cards and using two. The leather tab and brass snap look far harder than they are, and a busy woven fabric hides the grime a wallet picks up from being sat on all day, which matters more than it sounds.
- Supplies: fabric scraps, interfacing, small leather tab, brass snap, thread.
- Approx cost: about $3 to $5.
- Sells for: about $16 to $26. The men’s version has almost no competition on a handmade table, which is exactly why it sells.
- Ships: envelope, flat and light.
Get the full tutorial at So Sew Easy.
4. Business Card Wallet
Three small pieces and a snap, finished in under an hour, with a layer of flannel through the middle that makes it sturdier and nicer in the hand. It holds business cards, gift cards, loyalty cards or folded cash, which is four different buyers for one item.
- Supplies: fabric scraps, flannel, interfacing, snap, thread.
- Approx cost: about $2 to $4.
- Sells for: about $12 to $20. This one batches better than anything else on the page, so cut ten at a time.
- Ships: envelope, almost weightless.
Get the full tutorial at A Spoonful of Sugar.
5. Scalloped Sunglasses Case
different in shape and closure. A padded case with a scalloped edge, small enough to be a scrap project and pretty enough to be a gift. The scallop is what lifts it above every plain rectangle case on the market, and it is one curved seam.
- Supplies: fabric scraps, fleece or batting, interfacing, snap or button, thread.
- Approx cost: about $2 to $4.
- Sells for: about $12 to $20. Sell them in pairs or as an add-on beside a bag and the average order jumps.
- Ships: envelope, a couple of ounces.
Get the full tutorial at Positively Splendid.
6. Keyboard Wrist Rest
entirely. A long stuffed wrist rest for the front of a keyboard, which is comfort, not decor, and comfort sells to a buyer who was not shopping for anything handmade. Home office listings are a whole market that almost no sewing booth bothers with.
- Supplies: cotton fabric, stuffing or rice, thread.
- Approx cost: about $2 to $5.
- Sells for: about $14 to $24. Make a matching mouse pad rest and sell the pair, which is the version people actually want.
- Ships: small padded envelope, light unless you fill it with rice.
Get the full tutorial at Natasha Lh.
7. Easy Fabric Hearts
No machine needed, which means this is the one you can make anywhere, on a sofa, in a waiting room, on a car journey. Fabric hearts sell as bowl filler, tree ornaments, favours and Valentine’s stock, so one small make covers four different listings across the year.
- Supplies: fabric scraps, stuffing, needle and thread, ribbon for hanging.
- Approx cost: about $1 to $2 each.
- Sells for: about $6 to $10 each, or $22 to $30 for a set of five. Sell in sets, always.
- Ships: envelope, weighs next to nothing.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
8. Sewing Tutorial: Coffee Cozies
A reusable sleeve for a takeaway cup, which is a cheap gift, a stocking filler and a small kindness to the planet all at once. It is scraps, one seam and a snap, and it is the sort of item people buy three of without thinking about it.
- Supplies: fabric scraps, batting or fleece, snap or hook and loop, thread.
- Approx cost: about $1 to $3.
- Sells for: about $8 to $14 each, or $30 for a set of four. Holiday prints in November sell out first.
- Ships: envelope, flat, ounces.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
9. DIY Fabric Koozies
Folds flat, weighs nothing, and sells in multiples at every summer market and every wedding. Koozies are a repeat sale, because nobody buys one, and a custom print for a party or a bachelorette is the version worth listing.
- Supplies: fabric, insulated batting or foam, thread.
- Approx cost: about $1 to $3 each.
- Sells for: about $7 to $12 each, or $40 to $60 for a personalized set of six. Custom sets are where the real money is.
- Ships: envelope, flat, first class even for a set.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
10. Fruit Embroidered Tote Bag
You stitch a piece of fruit onto a plain canvas tote and a $4 blank turns into something people carry deliberately. Bags are one of my favourite things to make, and this one is embroidery on an already-finished bag, so there is no construction to get wrong.
- Supplies: plain canvas tote, embroidery floss, needle, hoop, transfer pen.
- Approx cost: about $5 to $8.
- Sells for: about $22 to $38. Offer a monogram or an initial as an option and the price goes up without the work doing the same.
- Ships: folds flat into a mailer, well under a pound.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
11. Statement Braided Fabric Bracelet
Scrap fabric braided into a wide statement cuff, which costs almost nothing and reads as jewelry rather than craft. Readers send me their versions of things like this constantly and their colour combinations are usually better than mine, so make a wall of them in every shade you have.
- Supplies: fabric strips or scraps, clasp or closure, glue or thread.
- Approx cost: under $2.
- Sells for: about $10 to $18. The best price per hour on the page once you have braided a few.
- Ships: envelope, the cheapest postage there is.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
FAQ
What sewn items are cheapest to ship?
Anything that folds flat and weighs almost nothing. A statement braided fabric bracelet costs under $2 and sells for about $10 to $18, and it is the best price per hour on the page once you have the braid down. Fabric hearts cost about $1 to $2 each and sell for about $6 to $10, or $22 to $30 for a set of five.
How do you stop postage eating your profit?
Choose the product before you choose the packaging. A scalloped sunglasses case costs about $2 to $4 and sells for about $12 to $20, and it posts in an envelope. Fabric koozies cost about $1 to $3 each and sell for $7 to $12 each, or $40 to $60 for a personalized set, which sends the postage cost across several items.
Which small sewing projects batch well for an online shop?
The ones with no fitting and no lining puzzle. A keyboard wrist rest costs about $2 to $5 and sells for about $14 to $24, and a matching mouse pad rest sells alongside it. Coffee cozies cost about $1 to $3 and sell for $8 to $14 each, or $30 for a set of four, with holiday prints moving fastest.
Do sets work better than singles for online orders?
They lift the order value without lifting your postage much. Reversible placemats cost about $3 to $5 each and sell for about $14 to $20 each, or $50 to $70 for a set of four. One padded package, one label, four items sold. Sets also give a shopper a reason to buy today rather than later.
What sells well made to order online?
Anything a buyer can put a name or an initial on. A fruit embroidered tote bag costs about $5 to $8 and sells for about $22 to $38, with a monogram offered as an option. A kitchen towel dress costs about $4 to $7 and sells for about $16 to $26, and seasonal prints sell fastest.
