Master Your Stitches: 6 Easy Sewing Practice Sheets

Sewing practice sheets are a great way to improve your sewing skills before you buy fabric and create your first fun project. Sewing takes practice and I don’t know about you, but sometimes I sew like I drive (a little crooked) 

You don’t need to put any thread in your machine. You can see the holes in your paper. You may also want to change your needles after finishing your printable sewing practice sheets to make sure your sewing machine needle is ready for your first project.

Sewing practice sheets: Straight stitch

This is the stitch you will use most often, and the practice sheets are the perfect way to make sure your lines are straight when you do your product. Simply put your presser foot in the middle of your line and follow the dotted line. 

A straight stitch is used at the edge of the fabric, usually with a 1/4″ seam allowance. This will help you with in every realm of sewing.

All your easy sewing projects have a straight seam to attach pieces of fabric, do a hem or top stitch after you finish your project. 

Sewing practice sheets: Zig Zag Stitch

A zig-zag stitch is used to create a  seam that can accommodate stretch or movement in the fabric. Unlike a straight stitch, which is a simple up-and-down stitch that runs perpendicular to the fabric edge, a zig zag stitch alternates between a forward and backward motion as it moves along the fabric. This creates a stitch that has some give and can stretch and move with the fabric without breaking.

You will use Zig zag stitches for sewing knit fabrics, such as T-shirts and leggings, which have a lot of stretch and require a flexible seam.

They can also be used for finishing raw edges, such as on seams that are likely to fray. If you are doing appliques or patches a zig-zag stitch can be used on the edges of  your appliques or patches to keep them in place.

 Additionally, a zig zag stitch can be used for decorative purposes, as the width and length of the stitch can be adjusted to create a variety of patterns and designs.

Check your sewing machine manual for various stitch length. Overall, the zig zag stitch is a versatile and useful tool in a sewer’s toolbox.

Practice sheets 3: Curved stitches

We may wish all projects were straight stitches, but the reality is curves are a part of many sewing projects like the Makeup remover pads. To provide an uninterrupted sewing experience, a single straight line with 90-degree corners has been designed for the entire page. 

These easy patterns offers ample opportunity for practicing straight lines with the added challenge of turns. The corners turn in both left and right directions, allowing beginner sewers to practice adjusting their stitches to hit the corner point,  remembering to keep the needle down while you pivot. 

These may be new skills for you and in a matter of time you will be sewing like a pro simply using these sewing machine practice sheets. 

Practice sheets 4: Large maze grid

By using a large grid of criss-crossing lines, sewers have the freedom to choose your own path through the grid. You can create combinations of straight line practice of varying lengths with 90-degree turns in both directions, providing a fun and challenging exercise. 

As a suggestion, the sewer can try flipping the sheet over at the end and ensure they have completed the full grid by seeing all the lines of punched holes.

This exercise is a great way to practice precision sewing and improve the ability to sew straight lines with 90-degree turns, which are commonly used in sewing projects

The great part is you can print the sewing practice worksheets as much as want, so you have happy sewing moments in any project you take on.  

Sewing Practice Sheets 5: more corners

This sequence of decreasing squares is positioned close to each other, demanding precise sewing. It is important to stay focused and maintain accuracy while sewing straight lines and hitting the corners perfectly. 

The needle should be kept down while pivoting the work to ensure a smooth transition from one section to another. The tight spacing between squares poses a challenge for beginners to sew slowly and maintain their composure without wobbling or overshooting the corner point. To increase the challenge, the sewing direction of each square can be alternated, requiring sewers to turn left and right alternatively. 

This exercise provides an excellent opportunity to improve sewing skills and gain confidence in sewing straight lines with precision. After you finish, you then can create our quilted potholder. These are beautiful pot holders you can sell at a craft fair or give as gives. 

​Sewing practice sheets 6: curves

When sewing curves, you may find yourself with a constant challenge to anticipate where the needle will fall for each stitch. This difficulty is more pronounced when working with longer stitch lengths, whereas shorter stitch lengths make the process easier.

To make sewing easier, it is recommended to use longer stitch lengths when working on larger circles and gradually shorten the stitch length as you move to smaller circles.

I don’t sew a ton of curves, so I will get out my practice sheets if I have a project with a ton of curves. The goal is to have a smooth curve vs curved lines that look like a 5-year-old sewed. 

​Practice sheet 7: Complex shapes

This practice sheet is a great resource for people with different levels of sewing. These practice sewing sheets may look random, but if someone is quilting or doing decorative stitches, these unique pages can help you have fun with your sewing projects, although you probably won’t use it for beginner sewing projects.

If you are ready for a little jumpstart on your machine sewing tasks, these are neat exercises to help you with sharp corners or a nice corner and make sure your down position when sewing is even. 

You can download the printable practice sheets at the link below. These are digital products, so you will receive a downloadable file that you download for the first time and save on your desktop. 

If you need a sewing machine, here’s the blog post for the best sewing machines for beginners. These are perfect to use sewing practice sheets on.