Machine embroidery is easy to pick up but tough to master! There are definitely some projects and materials that are better saved for when you have some more experience. That’s why, in this article, we’ve chosen 20+ beginner friendly machine embroidery projects to get you started.
Cloth Napkins
Start with a simple project by personalizing cloth napkins. There are a lot of great options here, and you can make special designs for holidays, or other designs to match your dinnerware for parties! And, once you get a little more experience, these would look very nice with metallic thread for Christmas.
However, metallic thread is quite challenging to work with, so I wouldn’t add that one in until you’re very comfortable using your embroidery machine and know how to get good results with regular threads.
Monogrammed Hand Towels
Craft monogrammed hand towels for a quick and elegant project. Adds a nice touch to your bathroom decor. This is also a great gift you can make with your embroidery machine for holidays, anniversaries, or other events that need a quick and easy, but thoughtful gift.
Embroidered Bookmark
Create a charming embroidered bookmark for the bookworm in you. Pick a favorite quote or a whimsical design to make reading even more enjoyable. Also makes a great gift for friends who can’t stay away from the library.
Shopping Tote Bag
Canvas is an easy material to work with for machine embroidery, and everybody needs shopping bags for carrying their stuff! Customize them with beautiful designs, funny sayings, or cute holiday decorations.
Embroidered Baby Bibs
Know some parents to be who need some baby items? You can practice your machine embroidery skills on some baby bibs! Add cute designs or the baby’s name for a thoughtful and practical gift. We have a number of free baby embroidery designs for you to test out.
Holiday Kitchen/Bathroom Towels
Holiday towels are a great holiday project! And, while they do require a certain technique, they are not difficult to make. We’ve got some great free towel designs for you to download here. There are 10 free designs in all for Christmas and Halloween, so get busy decorating!
Embroidered Pillow Covers
Upgrade your home decor by making personalized pillow covers. There are lots of great options here, and you can find free embroidery designs that matches any kind of decor you have. Whether your home is by the seaside or a cozy cottage in the country.
Embroidered Headbands
Experiment with embroidered headbands for a trendy and functional accessory. Play with colors and patterns to match your style or create thoughtful gifts for friends.
Simple Embroidered Aprons
Aprons are easy to work on with your embroidery machine, and also a fun project. Need a funny gift for the man in your life? How about a funny grill apron? Check out this blog posts for embroidery designs for men you can use for this cute project.
Beginner-Friendly Quilt Blocks
Are you also a quilt enthusiast? If so, you can easily use your embroidery machine to make some simple quilt blocks. We have a few designs for baby quilts you can try out here, but there are tons and tons of beautiful designs you can add to your quilts to add to your designs.
Embroidered Fabric Coasters
Design your own fabric coasters with embroidered details. This quick and easy project allows you to experiment with different stitches and patterns. These project could look very nice with some free frame and border embroidery designs and a name personalization or saying inside the frame.
Personalized Hat Designs
Hats are not as intimidating as they look as long as you pick the right hat! Dad hats, beanies, and bucket hats are actually not too hard to embroider and they’ll come out just fine on a flatbed machine. You can customize them with a logo embroidery design, funny sayings, or other great designs.
Embroidered Laptop Sleeves
Personalizing a laptop sleeve can be a lot of fun and it can bring a little whimsy to your work, too. Why not try personalizing a laptop bag with your name or a cute design?
Personalized Table Runners
Table runners look great with your holiday displays! You can make one to set up on your dining table, or even smaller ones for other areas of the home. Check this page for some free Christmas embroidery designs to try out on your new table runners.
Personalized Zipper Bags
A personalized zipper bag has many functions. You can use it for a pencil case, an overnight cosmetic bag, a makeup bag, and so many other great uses. Why not try adding a cute saying or a small logo for something that you enjoy?
Embroidered Baby Onesies
Another very easy machine embroidery project is onesies! This is a cheap, highly customizable item you can use for your own kids or gift to a friend who is expecting. It’s a thoughtful and fun gift, and there are tons of options here. You can embroider funny messages, cute animals, and more.
Personalized Bath Robe
Bath robes can be a great beginner embroidery project, with a few caveats. Firstly, avoid satin, at least in the beginning, because it’s a much more difficult fabric to work with. Instead, test out a monogram or other small design on a cotton bath robe. It’s a fun and useful project that should be easy to master!
Customized Sleep Masks
Sleep masks are easy to hoop up and are a fun way to make a new machine embroidery project. Stitch on a funny message or a cute design and start slumbering in style.
Personalized Wine Totes
Give the gift of wine in style by creating personalized wine totes. Embroider names, special dates, or festive designs for a charming and reusable way to present bottles.
PS. Still need some tips and tricks to get you started with machine embroidery? Check out our ultimate machine embroidery guide for help!
In closing, the great thing about machine embroidery is that there is something for everyone. There are plenty of easy projects to get you started, but there’s also some even more fun and more advanced projects you can test out later. But, we’ll save those for another article! Happy crafting. : )
Barb, our resident quilter and embroidery aficionado, weaves a thread of creativity through our collection. Serving as the curator of machine embroidery content, Barb infuses each design with a touch of her artistic expertise. The free embroidery patterns you discover on our site often bear the mark of Barb’s craftsmanship. Let’s get crafting!
