2025 Sewing Challenge Forecast

Make Nine 2025

The start of a new year is a great time to consider your goals. The Make Nine challenge is designed to help you identify what you’d like to learn or sew during the year ahead.

Pick nine things to work on – these can be specific projects, patterns, fabrics or skills you want to learn.

Since the Make Nine challenge runs throughout the whole year, you can take it at your own pace. You can also re-evaluate your plans and adjust them if your sewing priorities change.

You don’t have to share your Make Nine plans but it could help inspire you to get sewing. Create a 3×3 grid with your plans and share to Instagram using #MakeNine2025

Last Sewist Standing

Hosted by @miss.taeschli

This is the ultimate stash busting challenge! Sign up to join in with the Last Sewist Standing from 14th February. For the Heavyweight category, challenge yourself to resist buying ANY fabric, patterns or haberdashery (excluding needles and thread) until the end of the year – or as long as you can make it!

Too much? Join the Lightweight category, which allows you to buy anything except fabric.

If you need to make specific exceptions to suit your sewing, you can still join Last Sewist Standing in the Independent category.

How long do you think you could make it?

ReFEBulous

Hosted by @madebyLIESL

We’ve all got some garments taking up space in our closet that just don’t work for us.  ReFebulous gives you a chance to reimagine them!

This challenge has a focus on sustainable sewing, so consider how you can make the most of your resources and create something you’ll get lots of wear out of. Share your plans, progress and maybe even a finished project or look. Show us your journey, no perfection needed!

Challenge host Marlies @madebyLIESL always shares lots of ideas to help you get inspired for your refashioning projects.

Sew Yellow For Endo

Hosted by @sowhatifisew

Sew Yellow For Endo is more than just a sewing challenge – this event also raises money and awareness for endometriosis (which affects 1 in 10 women). Jess @sowhatifisew does a fabulous job of running this challenge, and has raised thousands of pounds for Endometriosis UK over the past few years.

This challenge invites you to sew something using yellow (or partially yellow) fabric – so have a look to see what you’ve got in your stash. In addition to sewing and sharing your yellow make, there will also be opportunities to learn more about endometriosis and donate to support future endometriosis research.

Sew Frugal

Hosted by @frugalisama and @theyorkshiresewgirl

Do you love downloading free sewing patterns but then never get around to actually sewing them? Well, Sew Frugal is your perfect opportunity to test out your free pattern stash.

Sew up a fabric from your stash and use a free pattern.

Challenge hosts Sam and Ruan share lots of free sewing patterns on their Instagram and YouTube channels, plus they have run vlog tours for previous years, so there is plenty of free sewing inspiration out there.

Sew April Blouse

Hosted by @cloth_edit

I’m sure you’ve got at lease one woven blouse project on your plans list! Why not sew it up for the Sew April Blouse challenge to be in with a chance of winning a fabulous prize.

There are lots of options with this challenge, so you can use it to create a piece that’s really valuable in your wardrobe. You can use an Indie pattern, commercial pattern, free pattern, vintage pattern, do a pattern hack, or even play around with some self drafting.

Whatever your sewing skill level, you’ll be able to join in with this challenge. Some blouse patterns have lots of interesting details, so it’s a great opportunity to learn some new techniques.

Me Made May

Hosted by @sozoblog

Zoe @sozoblog originally started the sewing community phenomenon Me Made May by accident! This is a personal challenge aimed at helping you learn more about your handmade wardrobe.

Made May isn’t a competition, it’s a personal challenge. With that in mind, create your own pledge that encourages you to intentionally wear your self-made garments more or in different combinations. To get the most out of the month, create a pledge that is challenging but do-able. You can choose to share your pledge or keep it to yourself.

For more information about Me Made May, check out Zoe’s blog or episode #84 of Check Your Thread podcast.

Sew Blood Pressure

Hosted by @beesilva.creates

The aim of the Sew Blood Pressure challenge is to raise awareness of the risks of having high blood pressure and what can be done about it, in memory of host Bianca’s (@beesilva.creates) late father.

High blood pressure can be really dangerous, but people often put off making changes to improve their health. This sewing challenge inspires you to tackle a sewing project that you may have been putting off for a while.

Sew a project that has been on your to-do list for a while and donate to the fundraiser. Last year there were over 30 prizes up for grabs!

Sew Fruity

Hosted by @blossomsandwich

I’ll be hosting this challenge in my alter ego as @blossomsandwich on Instagram. This is a fruit theme sewing challenge designed to get your creative juices flowing!

To join in, sew any item with a fruit theme. You may have some fruit prints in your stash, but you could also use fruity colours, shapes or embellishments, so get creative.

I’m hoping to have lots of prizes from our incredible sponsors again this year, as a fun motivation boost. If you want to get some ideas for some fruity makes, check out 2024’s vlog tour.

Ankara Appreciation Week

Hosted by @thatlenaking and @julietuzor_

Ankara, or African wax print fabric is full of colour, structure and fabulousness! This challenge is a celebration of Ankara textiles, so you don’t have to sew anything new, you could share an Ankara project you’ve already make. This means you don’t have to wait until July to start sewing your gorgeous Ankara prints!

The #AnkaraAppreciationWeek tag on Instagram has over 1000 posts, so check it out for ideas of things you can make with African Wax Print fabrics.

Stitching Adventures

Hosted by @in_a_haystack and @fabric.lady.steph

We often see a lot of people’s newly finished sewing projects on social media, but what about the worn and loved items that have seen us through many adventures? That’s what the Stitching Adventures challenge aims to capture. Share your handmade wardrobe in action! Whether you’ve created the perfect outfit for an intrepid hike or you’re more of the movie marathon type, we want to see the fun times you’ve had in your handmade wardrobe.

This challenge had a great prize pool last year, so stay tuned for the details in 2025!

Project Dress A Girl

Hosted by @marisews_inspiredstitches

Project Dress A Girl is a charity event created by Mari Sews that allows sewists to use their skills to give back by creating dresses for girls living in extreme poverty. Over the past couple of years, the sewing community have sewn over 13,000 dresses for this cause! Last year, over 5000 dresses were donated through this challenge!

Sew dresses in any size up to age 12 throughout the month of September. Check Mari’s blog post for the dress requirements. You can get Project Dress A Girl Labels from Mari or your country’s Dress A Girl Around The World ambassador. You can get a head start on your dresses now, ready for the challenge in September. Send your dresses to Mari or your nearest ambassador at the start of October.

Spooky September

Hosted by @silversstitches and @spunstraw

Are you looking forward to Spooky Season already? Get started on your Halloween themed projects in September with the Spooky September Sew-a-long hosted by @silversstitches and @spunstraw.

You’re free to sew any item you like – in previous years people made bags, quilts, pouches, clothes, toys and more. Check out the #SpookySeptemberSewALong hashtag on Instagram for ideas and inspiration.

Shirtwaist September

Hosted by @ashleymainmakes

Celebrate your favourite shirt dress sewing patterns in September! You can sew a pattern from any era – will you go for a classic vintage style or pick something more modern? You’ve got a few months to consider how this challenge will work with your handmade wardrobe.

There are some absolutely gorgeous makes on the #ShirtwaistSeptember hashtag so head over to Instagram and get inspired.

Sew Upcycle

Hosted by @notes_from_the_sewing_room and @sew.little.time

Create a new garment or bag using something other than new fabric. You can use a tablecloth, a curtain, a bedspread, an old unworn piece of clothing – have a rummage for any unused textiles that inspire you.

One of the really fun parts about this challenge is being able to see all the transformations, so make sure to get a ‘before’ photo of your original item before you upcycle it.

Sew Upcycle hosts Karen and Becky have organised vlog tours for previous years of the challenge, so search ‘Sew Upcycle’ in YouTube for some upcycling ideas.

SewFizzTeaCated

Hosted by @surreysews

Surrey Sews are hosting their sewists’ afternoon tea event SewFizzTeaCated again this year! The event will take place in Woking on 18th October 2024, so add the date to your diary and follow @surreysews for tickets and more info nearer the time.

You can still join in the fun whether or not you can make it to the in-person event. Sew an item you would take to an afternoon tea. This could be an outfit, a bag, accessories or even shoes!

Share your sewing projects on Instagram to join in with the online party and be in with a chance of winning a prize.

A Gift To November

Hosted by @sewlikedotty

Do you love giving handmade gifts but find you run out of time? The A Gift To November challenge is great motivation to get your gifts sewn up before the end of November, so you’re not stressing right up until Christmas.

Sew any item you plan to give as a gift and share on Instagram or in an email if you want to keep it a secret from the recipient.

This challenge was absolutely mega last year, with 2178 entries from 21 countries and 40 prizes won!

Winter of Care and Repair

Hosted by @thepeoplesmending

Winter is the perfect time to slow down and take care of yourself and your belongings. Jeanna @thepeoplesmending is running the Winter of Care and Repair (WoCaR) as a personal challenge to help you focus on mending projects throughout the winter months.

Find out more about the challenge here or on Instagram.

Sharing is optional for this challenge. However, if you discover an amazing new mending technique, why not share it with the sewing community to help inspires others to prolong the life of their handmade wardrobes too? Use the hashtag #WinterOfCareAndRepair2024 and tag @thepeoplesmending.