Warm weather is the best excuse to pull out the sewing machine and play with bright cotton prints. These 25 easy things to sew for summer cover everything from a roomy beach tote with rope handles to a pom pom trimmed cover up, a twirly sundress and a pineapple zipper pouch that holds lip balm and cash. Most are quick weekend sews with straight seams, and plenty use up fabric scraps, old t-shirts or a couple of bath towels. You’ll find things to wear, things to carry to the pool and a few sweet fruit projects for the kitchen table. Pick a print that makes you smile and start stitching!
Easy Sewing Projects for Summer
1. Easy DIY Fruit Embroidered Tote Bag
A plain canvas tote turns into a summer favorite with a little embroidery and two fluffy pom poms. Sketch cherry stems and leaves right onto the bag, outline the leaves with a backstitch, then fill them in with satin stitch and work the stems in a stem stitch. Wrap yarn around three fingers about 100 times, tie the middle and trim it into a round ball for each cherry. Hot glue the pom poms to the stem ends. Try lemons or oranges in different yarn colors too.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
2. DIY Simple Beach Bag
This simple beach bag is the oversized kind you’ll be glad to have on a long day at the shore or the park. Cut it from a sturdy canvas or home decor fabric so it holds its shape, sew a roomy rectangle and finish the top with metal grommets you hammer in yourself. Rope handles thread through the grommets for an easy nautical look. It’s big enough for towels, snacks and the kids’ toys, and you can add a monogram in a contrasting color to make it yours.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
3. How to Make Bandana Pillows
Bandana pillows are about the easiest throw pillows you’ll ever make, and they look great on a porch swing or patio chair. Lay two 20 inch bandanas right sides together, mark a 1/4 inch seam line and press along it. Sew three sides plus part of the fourth, leaving about 8 inches open, then turn it right side out and stuff it with an 18 inch insert or fiberfill. Close the gap by hand or with fabric glue. No machine? Glue and clip the seams instead.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
4. Citrus Embroidered Dishtowel
This citrus embroidered dishtowel brightens a kitchen in an afternoon. Start with a 21 by 28 inch piece of ticking, washed first, or a store bought towel. Fuse a scrolled background shape with lemon and orange cutouts about 6 inches up from the hem, then zigzag the appliques in place. Drop the feed dogs and free motion stitch over the marked lines four or five times for a sketched look. Gingham pom pom trim across the bottom finishes it. It makes a sweet housewarming or shower gift.
Get the full tutorial at Flamingo Toes.
5. Pom Pom Summer Clutch
A Lilly Pulitzer inspired pom pom clutch is all bright prints and fun texture. Cut two 8 by 13 inch outer pieces and two lining pieces, then back them with SF-101 interfacing and foam interfacing so the clutch stands up on its own. Stitch a yard of pom pom trim and a yard of lace across the front, add little fabric tabs to a 9 inch metal zipper and sew it all together. Pick the loudest floral in your stash. It’s perfect for a summer wedding or date night.
Get the full tutorial at The Polka Dot Chair.
6. Beach Tote
This beach tote has fun rope handles and a slip pocket split into three sections for sunscreen, keys and a phone. Cut the outer canvas, lining and pocket pieces to the given sizes, stitch the pocket to the lining 6 inches down from the top and box the corners 2 inches deep. Join the outer bag and lining, turn it through a gap and topstitch the top edge. Rope threads through 7/16 inch grommets and knots inside, or use buttonholes instead. It finishes about 18 inches square.
Get the full tutorial at Radiant Home Studio.
7. Sew A Kimono Top
This easy kimono style top is a lightweight layer for chilly air conditioning on hot days. It starts as one big rectangle, about double your neck to hem length, so 60 by 45 inches for a 30 inch drop. Fold it in half, mark the center and cut a few simple shapes to form the neckline and sleeves, using a boxy old tee as your guide. Two yards of voile or light rayon is plenty. A rolled hem foot makes the light fabric easier to finish.
Get the full tutorial at The Polka Dot Chair.
8. Homemade Headbands From T-Shirts
These homemade headbands from t-shirts give an outgrown or stained tee a second life. Measure your head first. Cut the hem off the shirt, then cut five strips straight across both layers so you end up with five loops. Stretch each loop so the edges curl, cut the side seams away and braid the strands together. Hot glue and a strip of fabric cover the join. Mix two shirt colors for a fun twist. Kids can help braid, and it’s a great sleepover craft.
Get the full tutorial at Freebie Finding Mom.
9. Reversible Bucket Hat
A reversible bucket hat keeps the sun off little faces and flips to a second fabric when you want a change. This version uses the free Oliver + S bucket hat pattern with the brim widened by one inch for extra shade. Interface every piece on the linen side for more structure, pair it with a bright print for the reverse and stitch mini pom pom trim around the brim. Sew it together with a no hand stitching method so it’s quick. Make one in every size they grow into.
Get the full tutorial at Probably Actually.
10. Pom Pom Trim Beach Cover Up
A pom pom trim beach cover up is one of the quickest garments you can sew. Fold about 2 yards of lightweight rayon in half, cut a half circle and open it up into a full circle. Cut a v-neck opening in the center, fold the neckline edge over twice and hem it, clipping the curves so it lays flat. Stitch a decorative trim around the neckline, hem the outer edge, then sew pom pom trim all the way around. You’ll use most of 6 1/2 yards.
Get the full tutorial at Merrick's Art.
11. Easy Pom Pom Fold Over Snap Clutch
An easy pom pom fold over snap clutch skips the zipper entirely. Download the free pattern pieces, then piece the front flap from small scraps, sewing trim along both sides of the center panel before adding the side pieces. Fuse heavy interfacing to the body and the flap lining so it holds its shape. A magnetic snap closes it, and a bead or button glued to the front adds a little sparkle. It’s a fun way to play with prints, and purple is completely optional.
Get the full tutorial at Flamingo Toes.
12. Fruit Slice Purses and Pouches
Fruit slice purses and pouches are quick, scrappy sews in lemon, lime, orange and watermelon. Each one is about 7.5 inches wide and 5 inches tall, fully lined with a zipper across the top. Print the free pattern and check the 1 inch test square, then fuse Heat n Bond to the fruit shapes and applique the details on a regular machine. Add a bias tape strap for a purse, or skip it for a coin pouch. Make the strap longer for bigger girls or for yourself.
Get the full tutorial at Stitched by Crystal.
13. Strawberry Pincushion
A strawberry pincushion is a sweet little sew that uses the very last scraps of a favorite fabric. Trace the body pattern onto a 15 by 20 cm piece, fold it, stitch a rounded seam and trim with pinking shears. Turn it, run a gathering stitch around the top, stuff it firmly and pull it closed. Staple the leaf and flower patterns to green and white felt, cut them out and stitch them on with a ribbon loop. Beads or pins make the seeds. Hang it as an ornament too.
Get the full tutorial at Down Grapevine Lane.
14. Pom-pom Beach Shorts
Pom pom beach shorts are breezy, easy and great for hikes, the pool and the beach. Use a pair of shorts or pajama pants as your pattern and cut two fronts and two backs, cutting the backs a little longer for coverage. Sew the fronts and backs at the crotch, join them and add a folded waistband cut about 1 1/2 to 2 times your waist. Feed 1 inch elastic through the casing, then stitch white pom pom trim along the hems. One yard of cotton is enough.
Get the full tutorial at Merrick's Art.
15. Floral Sundress
This floral sundress has a fitted bodice, side panels that end in real pockets and a ruffle at the hem. Use about 2 yards of 60 inch rayon challis. Sew the bodice with the burrito method, then hem the pocket tops, layer each pocket on a side skirt piece and stitch it into the skirt seams so the pockets sit between the front and back. Gather a rolled hem ruffle to fit and sew it on. The free pattern comes with a newsletter signup and is sized for a 34 inch bust.
Get the full tutorial at Melly Sews.
16. Beach Blanket
A beach blanket from two big bath towels is plusher than any single towel. Cut each towel in half to make four squares, trim one finished edge from each and lay them out so the sizes line up. Sew the squares right sides together, press each seam open, then stitch on both sides of the seam line from the right side so the allowances stay flat and won’t ravel. Join two pairs, then join the halves. It’s large, heavy and great on a breezy beach.
Get the full tutorial at My Material Life.
17. Cute Knapsack
This cute knapsack is pure storybook fun, the kind of bundle on a stick a little one packs for a pretend adventure. Cut one 19 by 12 inch rectangle, fold down a 2 inch casing at the top and leave a small gap in the side seam for the drawstring. A 6.75 inch circle makes the base, and a small pocket with a strip of Velcro grips the wooden dowel. Half a yard of fabric is plenty. It’s a sweet birthday gift or dress up box addition!
Get the full tutorial at girl. Inspired.
18. DIY Koozies
DIY koozies are a beginner friendly sew where the machine work takes about a minute. For each one, cut two 4.5 by 11.5 inch pieces of fabric, two of batting and one of Insul-Bright. Stack them in order, tuck two folded elastic loops between the fabric layers at one end and stitch around, leaving a 3.5 inch gap. Trim, turn it right side out, tuck in the gap and topstitch. Sew two big buttons on the other end to catch the loops around a can.
Get the full tutorial at Polished Habitat.
19. Pineapple Quilt Placemat
A pineapple quilt placemat brings a happy fruit to the summer table. Cut quilting cotton to 15 by 21 inches and the batting and linen to 13 by 19, then layer and pin them. Quilt wavy lines about an inch apart across the linen, starting in the middle. The pineapple is English paper pieced from 1 inch hexagons and jewel shapes with a little embroidered face, then glued and stitched on. The backing folds over for a built in binding. Make the set of four fruits.
Get the full tutorial at Wild Olive.
20. Sunglasses Case
Tired of scratched sunglasses at the bottom of your beach bag? This quick sunglasses case uses only straight seams and takes about 30 minutes. Cut four 7 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch rectangles, two from an outer print and two from a lining, and fuse fleece to the outer pieces for padding. Sew each pair into a pocket, nest the lining inside the outer case and topstitch around the top so a little lining peeks out. It’s a perfect scrap buster and a cute gift for a friend!
Get the full tutorial at Crazy Little Projects.
21. Easy Summer Dress
This easy summer dress is a free tee pattern made in a woven instead of a knit. Lengthen the pattern to just below the knee, and cut the sleeves and bodice a little roomier since the fabric won’t stretch. Cut a front and back on the fold. An optional button placket in the front makes it easy to pull over your head. Instead of an elastic casing, sew the elastic straight to the inside at the waist. Choose a light, drapey fabric so it stays cool.
Get the full tutorial at It's Always Autumn.
22. Strawberry Basket Bean Bag Game
A strawberry basket bean bag game is a sweet sew for little ones. Trace a circle and a half circle from an 8 to 9 inch bowl onto two red prints, then cut the circles in half. Embroider a smiley face on each with french knots and a scallop stitch. Fold each piece, sew the straight edge, turn it and gather the top. Fill with beans or rice and pull it closed. Toss them into berry baskets, or use them for pretend berry picking in a play kitchen.
Get the full tutorial at Hellobee.
23. Swimsuit Cover Up
This swimsuit cover up is a terry towel dress for a toddler. Cut 1 yard of terry in half crosswise for a 23 by 36 inch piece, keeping the finished edge as the hem. Finish the raw sides, fold the top down 3 inches and stitch two rows to make an elastic casing. Sew ribbon over the casing, thread 20 inches of 1 inch elastic through and tack the ends. Add two fabric straps and a velcro closure, then trim it with fabric applique. It’s sized 3T to 4T.
Get the full tutorial at Sew Like My Mom.
24. Sweet Pineapple Zipper Pouch
A sweet pineapple zipper pouch holds lip balm, a pen or a little cash. Trace the pineapple and its face, then embroider the smile with a backstitch and the eyes with small satin stitches in black pearl cotton, using a 3 inch hoop. Fuse fleece to the yellow pieces and the leafy top pieces. Shorten a 7 inch zipper with a tight zigzag, then sew it into the back. Turn and topstitch. Tuck a gift card inside for a friend or teacher, or enlarge the pattern for a phone.
Get the full tutorial at Flamingo Toes.
25. Easy Sew Toothbrush Travel Bag
An easy sew toothbrush travel bag keeps toothpaste smears out of your suitcase all summer. You only need a hand towel, thread and a tie such as bias tape, ribbon or a shoelace. Lay the towel out lengthwise and space everyone’s brushes and paste across the middle. Fold up a 4.5 inch pocket with a 6.5 inch flap above it, pin between items and stitch straight lines to make the slots. Roll it up and tie it. It’s a 15 minute project and goes straight in the wash.
Get the full tutorial at This DIY Life.
