A collection of thrifty sewing projects for crafty moms and beginner sewers.
Here’s a small collection of thrifty and easy sewing crafts for moms who like to get craft using fabric scraps and other crafty odds and ends.
Easy Homemade Bibs
I make all of the bibs for my daycare out of the legs of our old jeans and I back them with old tee shirts, so they’re 100% re-purposed from clothing that we’ve outgrown or we’re ready to throw away.
They’re durable, water and stain resistant and they last for years.
You will find the step-by-step instructions for my homemade bibs here.
For the bibs below, instead of denim, I used a mix of flannel shirts and tee shirts for the fronts and the backs. I sandwiched a slightly smaller piece of terry cloth (from an old towel) in between the front fabric and back fabrics to give these bibs more body and absorbency.
The Hooligans love that they recognize the fabric as pieces of clothing that my family has worn.
Homemade Rag Dolls
My daycare kids love making homemade dolls, so I thought it would be fun to make a set myself for them to play with.
I found loads of patterns for homemade dolls online, but I liked the Black Apple Dolls best. Most called for short hair, cut out of felt, but that seemed too fiddly for me, so I went with wool. All the fabric was scrap stuff from our fabric bin.
The dolls are reversible. I used Sharpies to draw faces on both sides – an awake face and a sleeping face.
Easy Denim Craft Apron
Like our denim bibs, I make craft aprons for my daycare kids, using the pant legs of our old jeans.
These bibs are really easy to make and they stand the test of time. They’re sturdy and durable so they stand up well to paints and other messy substances when we’re crafting and doing sensory activities. You can get the instructions for my craft aprons here.
Toilet Roll Nativity Set
I really do love making homemade toys for my daycare kids. These nativity sets were SO fun to make. I made a set for each of the hooligans last Christmas.
Every set had the same cast of characters (Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the Angel, a Wise Man & a Shepherd), but I used different fabrics and embellishments so each set was unique.
The children LOVED these so much, and I know they’ll enjoy them for years.
Get all the details to make our nativity set here.
Homemade cards:
I love making homemade cards, and I love sewing, so I was so excited to discover you can sew on paper with your sewing machine. Think of the cards you could make this way! Here’s a Valentine’s Card that I made for my husband.
Cut hearts or whatever shapes you want, out of cardstock, and fold them in half to crease them. Then just lay them out on your card and stitch through from top to bottom. Secure stitches back-stitching like you would with fabric.
For more crafty-mom ideas, here are 50 amazing craft blogs you’ll want to check out!
Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
Nina Stokes
Will you tell me about the “wool” you used for your Black Apple type dolls? Is it just wool yarn? Also is the pattern available for the doll with an awake face and a sleepy face? Many thanks!
happyhooligans
Any wool will do for this project. I used acrylic yarn for the dolls’ hair, but you can use whatever knitting leftovers you have.
Regarding a pattern: I made these dolls long before I started blogging, so I don’t remember what site I got the pattern from, but if you google “black apple dolls”, you’ll find lots of sites with free patterns/templates.
Tiffany
Do you use any particular needle when sewing with paper? Will it dull the needle?
happyhooligans
I just used a regular needle, Tiffany. I only did a few cards, and I didn’t notice any dulling. You might if you were doing a larger project, but I really don’t know for sure.