What to Make With One Yard of Fabric

A LITTLE FABRIC. A LITTLE TIME. SOMETHING TO KEEP.

One beautiful yard is a good place to begin. It can become something you carry, something you use every day, or a small handmade gift for someone you love.

If you found your way here from a Material Goods advent calendar, welcome. Choose a project that suits your fabric and the kind of making you feel like doing. There is no rush to make them all.

Before you choose: These projects use one continuous yard of woven fabric, usually 44–45" wide. Wash and press first, then check the usable measurements in your chosen tutorial. Each project is an alternative use for your yard; the yard is not intended to make all four.

Find your next small project

Start with napkins if you want a few easy seams. Choose a pillow cover for a fabric you want to see every day, a tote for firmer cloth, or a lined bag for your next work in progress.

Four finished sage gingham cloth napkins with folded hems.

Beginner

Everyday Cloth Napkins

Turn one yard of cotton into four everyday napkins with simple folded hems. A gentle first sewing project, by hand or machine.

Four napkins, approximately 15½" square each.

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Finished sage fabric tote with matching loop handles.

Confident beginner

Everyday Tote

Make a simple unlined tote with fabric handles from one yard. Includes an exact cutting layout and reinforced handle attachments.

Approximately 15" wide × 16¼" high, excluding handles.

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Front and envelope back views of a finished blue-and-ivory striped pillow.

Beginner

Envelope Pillow Cover

Sew an 18-inch envelope pillow cover from three rectangles, with an overlapping back and no zipper.

One approximately 18" × 18" cover for an 18" pillow insert.

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Finished dusty-rose lined project bag with double drawstrings.

Confident beginner

Lined Drawstring Project Bag

Make a roomy lined project bag with separate casings and two drawstrings. All fabric pieces fit within one yard.

Approximately 14" wide × 16" high, including the casings.

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Use the good fabric

Choose the project that sounds good today. A few small seams are enough to begin, and the small differences left by your hands are part of what makes it yours.

Working with smaller pieces? Visit What to Make With a Fabric Scrap Bundle.

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