How To Sew A Fabric Butterfly

I’ve been seeing these fabric butterflies everywhere lately and couldn’t wait to try them out myself and let me tell you – this project should be at the top of your to-do list!

These fabric butterflies are so easy and quick to sew, you’ll love them.

In this tutorial, I will show you the easiest method to sew a fabric butterfly, guiding you through each step with written and visual instructions.

You can pin this fabric butterfly to your bag, add them to a scrunchie, or decorate your home with them.

It’s a delightful little project that will make you feel happy and accomplished after a quick sewing session.

*This post may contain affiliate links. We will earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you use any of our links. Please read our disclosure for more details. 

Look how cute it turned out! I made this in a small size using a light and dark fabric and both turned out amazing.

Once you’re done reading over all the steps, you’ll have no problem sewing a dozen of these butterflies in any size.

The process is pretty simple but to give you a quick overview, here’s what it will involve:

You’ll first need to cut a square and circle shape. Then, stitch each piece with the wrong sides facing in, then turn over and close the openings. Next, you’ll stitch the pieces together with needle and thread, sew a small strap to cover the exposed thread and you’re done.

Yup, it’s that easy.

I’m so excited to show you how to do this. Grab your sewing supplies and let’s go.

If you don’t have a sewing machine, no problem! You can do this entire project by hand!

Let’s begin.

Table of Contents

Fabric Butterfly Sewing Tutorial

Supplies

Patterned Fabric
Ruler
Cup
Tailors Chalk or Fabric Pencil
Needle & Thread
Sewing Machine

Video Tutorial

Now if you’re sewing for the first time or if you’d like to get more familiar with the process before you start, watch my quick and easy video tutorial of sewing a fabric butterfly below:

Printable PDF:

A quick heads up: I created a more detailed A4 Printable PDF version of this sewing guide. If you’d like to follow along without ads getting in the way, grab your copy over here!

Instructions

Fold Fabric & Draw Circle

Take your fabric and fold it in half. On one side of the folded fabric, place a teacup to use as a measurement for the circle shape. Then, use a fabric pencil or tailor chalk and lightly sketch out the shape of the circle onto the fabric.

Draw A Square & Cut Fabric

Measure out the circle (mine came to 8.5 cm) and use this as the measurement to draw a square. Cut the fabric into two pieces, then pin the circle and square.

Cut along the circle and square while leaving a 1 cm allowance.

Stitch The Square & Circle

Start stitching along the red line however when you reach the end of the line, leave a small corner open.

Turn Fabric Inside Out

Use the open corner to turn the square inside out. Use your finger or a pen to open out the corners of the square. Then turn the opening in and pin it in place.

Repeat this step for the circle as well. Don’t forget to leave a small portion of the circle open when sewing to turn it to the right side as shown previously.

Here’s how both pieces should look:

Stitch The Opening

Grab a needle and thread to stitch the opening of both pieces. Try using an invisible stitch for a neater finish.

Then fold the circle in half and press down. Grab your needle and thread again and gather the circle in half by threading your needle in and out. You should be able to gather the fabric using this technique.

Gather & Stitch The Fabric

Pull the thread through and hold the gathers in place. Grab the square piece, fold it in half, and use the line as a guide to stitch and gather the fabric.