Scrap happy: what to do with fabric scraps

A couple of months ago, my friend Klay—who also happens to be a Down To Earth graphic designer, a crafter and the blogger at Klaydoughdreams —gave me a big box of fabric she no longer needed. Klay, who is pregnant, was converting her sewing room into a nursery for the baby that’s on its way (if you click on the link to her blog, you’ll see that that baby will be here very soon).

Klay gave me some gorgeous fabric. Some of it was even organic. While some of the fabric pieces are big enough to sew myself a skirt with, most are small—some only about 2-inch squares.

Since receiving the box from Klay, I’ve had a great time coming up with uses for the fabric. It has stretched my creativity to start with the fabric and work backwards rather than starting with a pattern and buying a couple yards that suit it. I almost feel like a competitor on what would be the sewing equivalent of the Iron Chef. Here’s the secret ingredient. Now make it taste, er, look good.

Pieces from the fabric stash have become headbands , pockets for one daughter’s pants, patches on two “ chores dresses ” I made after my other daughter and her friend saw the musical “Annie,” a coffee cup cozy and more.

Working with fabric scraps reminds me of another Spokane crafter.

Arlene McComas, of the blog Heart Rocks Home , makes aprons, tote bags, dolls and other items from vintage flour sacks. She sells her creations on Etsy and at craft fairs, including at last spring’s Farm Chicks Show .

15 years ago, McComas, who was raised on a homestead in southern Idaho, bought hundreds of flour sacks from a flourmill that was converting to paper bags. She says she loves that the fabric “already has a story.”

McComas’ upbringing taught her to “make do, or do without.”

She uses every bit of the original bags in her projects, down to the thread. When only small scraps of fabric remain, she wraps them around wooden clothespins and draws a face on the clothespin heads, creating charming little dolls.

McComas says the sacks are connected to a time when people lived more simply and things weren’t so disposable.

I thought of both Klay and Arlene this weekend as I assembled two new shelves in my craft room to better organize my growing stash of fabric. I admit that I don’t use every last bit of a piece of fabric like Arlene does, but I do take apart old clothes and reuse the fabric, buttons and elastic. I sometimes buy fabric secondhand at places like Goodwill and Value Village. And I do sort scraps into one of three containers when the pieces get quite small. The pieces in the “best scraps” bin might become coin purses or headbands one day. The pieces in the “scraps” bin might be used for appliqué. And the ones that land in the cardboard box are for my daughters to use in collages.

In case anyone needs ideas for what to do with their fabric scraps (or at least smallish pieces), I cruised the Internet and came up with some links to some inspiring projects:

- Greeting card makeovers

- Fabric “paper chains”

- Hairpins

- 13 things to do with fabric scraps , including making bookmarks and hair curlers.

-Sew Mama Sew’s roundup of fat quarter tutorials can be found here and here .
They include journal covers, mobiles, bibs, pincushions, hats, fabric boxes, softies (a.k.a., stuffed animals), mouse pads, purses, pillows and more.

- Passport sleeves , padded hangers (see photo above), luggage tags and more from this idea roundup .

- Fabric bowls

- A memory game

Anyone have other ideas they’d like to share?