11 Professional Plaid & Tartan Sewing Project Ideas for Fall

**One Free Sewing Pattern. Every Thursday. Join the Email List 🙂**

Are you unsure of what to make with tartan / plaid / flannel fabric?

Here are 11 ideas that are on-trend and best sellers for stores. They’re great for DIY fall outfits, home decor, and Christmas gifts.

Each sewing project idea comes with sewing patterns and tutorials to help you make them.

In case you’ve ever wondered what the difference is between plaid and tartan, Clain, a Scottish fabric retailer, explains:

“Plaids are any crisscross patterns of two or more colours;
Tartans are plaids with a name to identify a community;
Checks are plaids with a regular pattern, usually of only two colours.”

“Flannel” is sometimes confused with plaid. However, flannel is a type of fabric. It’s a soft, woven material with a fluffy side. It’s often made with a plaid pattern, which causes the confusion.

If you still need to get your fabric, check out Fabric.com‘s huge range of plaids and checks (USA). For UK buyers, Minerva Crafts and My Fabrics have lots of options.

plaid and tartan sewing project ideas

Contents list

  1. Button-up shirts
  2. Dresses
  3. Baby dresses
  4. Pajamas
  5. Scrunchies
  6. Home decor
  7. Napkins
  8. Skirts
  9. Pants
  10. Bucket hats
  11. Jackets & coats
  12. Where to find plaid fabric online

DIY button-up plaid shirt

men wearing plaid shirts
Featured: Uniqlo & ASOS.

Ideal for light-medium weight woven fabrics. Soft flannel is a great choice.

Sewing patterns

  • Check out Something Delightful for paper and pdf patterns from McCalls and Butterick. They sell Vogue Patterns and Kwik Sew too, but only paper versions.
  • Go to Simplicity for their Simplicity, New Look, and Burda Style patterns. They sell paper patterns.
  • The Fold Line sells pdf and paper sewing patterns from smaller indie designers.

**One Free Sewing Pattern. Every Thursday. Join the Email List 🙂**

DIY plaid dress

plaid, tartan and check dresses
Featured: Net-a-Porter & ASOS.

Ideal for light-medium weight woven fabrics.

If you want a dress with structure, go for a medium weight stiffer fabric. For a light, floaty dress with full gathers, go for a lightweight fabric that’s drapey.

Sewing patterns

  • All of the big sewing pattern companies have a huge range of dress patterns. Check out Something Delightful for paper and pdf patterns from McCalls and Butterick. They sell Vogue Patterns and Kwik Sew too, but only paper versions. If you want clever and experimental designs, Vogue Patterns is the place to look!
  • Go to Simplicity for their Simplicity, New Look, and Burda Style patterns. They sell paper patterns.
  • The Fold Line sells pdf and paper sewing patterns from smaller indie designers.

DIY baby / kids dress

girls wearing plaid dresses
Featured: Zara.

Ideal for light-medium weight woven fabrics. Soft flannel is a great choice.

Sewing patterns & tutorials

Made by Rae has a collection of cute dress patterns, including the very popular Geranium dress (which I own and love!). Check out her full range here, including 2 free dress patterns. Her sizing range is 0 months – 12 years.

Jilly Atlanta has a big kids range too. She designs for children aged 3 months – 14 years. She has some adorable pinafore and dress patterns.


**I Find the Best Free Sewing Patterns and Share Them Every Thursday. Don’t miss out. Join the Email List :)**

DIY plaid scrunchies

plaid scrunchies and bow
Featured: Urban Outfitters & ASOS.

Ideal for light-medium weight woven fabrics.

Sewing patterns & tutorials

Here’s my free sewing pattern and tutorial for a seamless scrunchie. I used it to create these scrunchies from an old plaid flannel shirt.

black flannel scrunchie from shirt

Here’s my tutorial for a scrunchie made using hair ties. It’s the easiest method – only 1 line of stitching is needed! It also shows you how to make a bow.


DIY plaid pajamas

plaid and flannel pajamas worn by man and child
Featured: Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, and The White Company.

Recommended fabrics: light to medium weight for pajama tops and bottoms. Medium to thick for fluffy robes. Medium to heavyweight stretch fabrics for sweatpants.

Sewing patterns & tutorials


**I Find the Best Free Sewing Patterns and Share Them Every Thursday. Don’t miss out. Join the Email List :)**

DIY plaid home decor

plaid cushions, bedding and tablecloth
Featured: Zara.

Ideal for medium-heavyweight woven fabrics.

Sewing tutorials


DIY plaid napkins

plaid napkins
Featured: Zara.

Ideal for medium-heavyweight woven fabrics.

Napkin sewing tutorials

This is a napkin tutorial with neat mitered corners:

This tutorial shows you 3 different napkin styles. I think the best one for beginners is the “folded napkin” style that starts at 0:58.


**One Free Sewing Pattern. Every Thursday. Join the Email List 🙂**

DIY plaid skirt

plaid mini and midi skirts
Featured: Net-a-porter and & Other Stories.
pleated and long plaid skirts
Featured: Net-a-porter.

Ideal for medium-heavy weight fabrics.

Sewing patterns

  • All of the big sewing pattern companies have a huge range of skirt patterns. Check out Something Delightful for paper and pdf patterns from McCalls and Butterick. They sell Vogue Patterns and Kwik Sew too, but only paper versions. If you want clever and experimental designs, Vogue Patterns is the place to look!
  • Go to Simplicity for their Simplicity, New Look, and Burda Style patterns. They sell paper patterns.
  • The Fold Line sells pdf and paper sewing patterns from smaller indie designers.

DIY plaid pants / trousers

plaid pants and trousers
Featured: Net-a-porter, Marks & Spencer, and ASOS.

Ideal for medium-heavy weight fabrics.

Sewing patterns

  • Check out Something Delightful for paper and pdf patterns from McCalls and Butterick. They sell Vogue Patterns and Kwik Sew too, but only paper versions.
  • Go to Simplicity for their Simplicity, New Look, and Burda Style patterns. They sell paper patterns.
  • The Fold Line sells pdf and paper sewing patterns from smaller indie designers.

**I Find the Best Free Sewing Patterns and Share Them Every Thursday. Don’t miss out. Join the Email List :)**

DIY plaid bucket hat

plaid bucket hats
Featured: Urban Outfitters, ASOS, and Net-a-porter.

Ideal for medium-heavy weight, structured, woven fabrics.

Sewing patterns & tutorials

Afternoon Patterns has a free bucket hat pattern.

Elbe Textiles has a bucket hat sewing pattern ($2).

Oliver & S has a reversible bucket hat pattern ($8.95).

Here’s a tutorial from Youtuber The Essentials Club. Download her free sewing pattern here:


DIY plaid jackets & coats

plaid jackets and coats
Featured: & Other Stories and Net-a-porter.

Ideal for heavyweight fabric.

Sewing patterns

  • Check out Something Delightful for paper and pdf patterns from McCalls and Butterick. They sell Vogue Patterns and Kwik Sew too, but only paper versions.
  • Go to Simplicity for their Simplicity, New Look, and Burda Style patterns. They sell paper patterns.
  • The Fold Line sells pdf and paper sewing patterns from smaller indie designers.

Where to find plaid fabric online

For US shoppers, check out Fabric.com. They have a huge range of plaids and checks.

plaid, tartan, and check fabric from fabric.com

For UK buyers, Minerva Crafts and My Fabrics have lots of options.

plaid, tartan, and check fabric from my fabrics
plaid, tartan, and check fabric from minerva crafts

Related: 41 linen sewing project ideas