Five Unexpected Things You Can Do with Your Sewing Machine

When it comes to sewing, there are a few basic projects you can do on just about any machine. Most machines can sew clothes, make a basic quilt, alter clothing and do free-arm embroidery. These projects are all fun and exciting things that you can look forward to enjoying once you've purchased a sewing machine. But there's more to sewing machines than just clothes and quilts.

In this article, you'll learn about five projects that you can do with your sewing machine that you may not have expected. These exciting crafts and tasks will help you unlock the full potential of your machine and add a whole new set of products that you can look forward to making the next time you sit behind your sewing machine! The five sewing projects we'll explore in this article are:

• Book Binding
• Plastic Packaging Upcycling
• Drawstring Bags
• Tablet Cases
• Sleeping Bags

1. Sew a Book Binding

While the art of book binding has largely moved from a profession to a hobby, there are plenty of reasons you might consider binding a book with your sewing machine. Some people like to make little booklets that can be used as calendars, journals or sketch books. Others prefer to make full-sized custom books using a printout of an online-only book. There are dozens of reasons you might consider binding a book using your sewing machine.

To bind a book, all you need is a sewing machine, some fabric, and a book that you'd like to create! One of the most common ways that people like to do machine book binding is to take a strip of fabric and wrap it around the outer edge of the book to form a spine. You can see an example of how this is done in a YouTube video from Jan Howell .

Once you’ve chosen the fabric you'll use for the spine, sew the pages together using your sewing machine. If you want to bind a thicker book, it's recommended to sew a few pages together at a time and then put them all together at the end. Once you've assembled all the pages, place the fabric binding strip along the outer edge of the book and voila, you've got your very own custom-bound book!

2. Upcycle Plastic Packaging

Plastic packaging is one thing that most people want to cut down on using. But there's a way to upcycle plastic packaging into something useful using your sewing machine! The next time you come home from a grocery trip with some extra bags in hand, consider turning them into something more durable rather than tossing them out.

One of the most popular ways to upcycle plastic bags is to turn them into a reusable plastic bag. It takes about 30 plastic bags to make one bag of suitable durability to be reusable. You can layer several bags together and cut them into rectangles. These rectangles are then fused together using an iron to create a thicker sheet of plastic. Once you've assembled enough rectangles, you can build handles in a similar fashion and sew it all together to make a bag! To get a clearer picture of the process, check out this video from Howcast.

3. Build a Drawstring Bag

Clothes and quilts aren't the only things that you make using fabric and a sewing machine. You can make a high-quality drawstring bag with your favorite pattern with relative ease! All you need are the usual tools you would use to make clothes, a few yards of a fabric you love, and a length of complementary cord for the drawstring.

Once you've assembled all the necessary elements, you need to cut out several squares and rectangles. After creating the fabric squares and rectangles, sew a drawstring channel onto two long rectangles. After that, you sew the pieces of fabric together and make a boxed bottom. For a detailed breakdown of how to build your own drawstring bag, check out this video from MADE Everyday.

4. Make a Case for Your Tablet

Most tablets are improved by a case that both protects the tablet itself and provides better grip than metal or plastic. Unfortunately, many of the tablet cases that you can buy at a store lack the build quality that most people would like a frequently used item to have. Adding to the frustration, the best cases can be very expensive.

Thankfully, building a case for your tablet using a sewing machine is a great way to save money without having to sacrifice build quality. Even better, if something goes wrong or your case starts to deteriorate over time, you can repair the case using the same sewing machine that built it. The main thing to keep in mind when building a case is to make sure that you measure it especially for the tablet that you're using, and that your machine is capable of punching through thicker fabrics like leather. To build a tablet case, check out this helpful Instructable for a DIY Leather Tablet Case .

5. Sew a Sleeping Bag

If you have a quilting machine, you can use it to build a sleeping bag in your favorite design. Finding a great looking sleeping bag can be tough, and a high-quality sleeping bag can cost quite a lot. Sewing your very own is the perfect solution to help you save on cost while building a final product that you're sure to love.

To build a sleeping bag, you'll need several yards of both the internal and external fabric (these can be different fabrics or the same depending on your preference). You'll also need batting to stuff the bag for cushion and insulation, and a zipper to open and close the bag itself.

For a full breakdown detailing how to put together the sleeping bag, check out this guide from A Beautiful Mess . We know that you or your kids will love having a custom sleeping bag that perfectly reflects your unique taste for a great price!

Build These Unexpected Crafts and More with a Sewing Machine from Premier Stitching!

If these crafts have caught your eye, then all you need is a sewing machine, materials and some free time. At Premier Stitching, we offer hundreds of exciting machines from the most respected manufacturers in the world of sewing and quilting. Browse our extensive selection of sewing machines to find the perfect machine for an amazing price today!