20 Uses For Scrap Fabric

If you sew or make fabric crafts then you'll inevitably end up with pieces of leftover fabric that aren't quite big enough to use for another project, but before you toss them out, consider holding onto even the smallest of them. The instinct to trash smaller bits of fabric is one that I have to fight against because I've got hoarder tendencies--seriously, the amount of times I've uttered the words "Oh, I could definitely find a use for this at some point!" could (and does) fill an entire backyard shed!

The first step to saving your scraps is to decide where you’ll be storing all of them, because you’re gonna need an area where they can amass. I've found that organizing your scraps based on their size helps me, so that if I only need a tiny scrap versus a medium scrap, I know exactly where to look. Sorting based on colors is an even more precise way to ensure you can easily get to what you need. You could use plastic bins, large bags, a dedicated spot on the floor or a combination of all three—I don’t judge;)

Now that you have a place to keep your scraps, here’s what you can do with them:

Stuffing/Filling for Craft Projects

With some good sturdy fabric and a little bit of effort, you could make a DIY floor poof, footstool or beanbag. All you need to do is head over to Google.com and find instructions on how to create the outer shell. Once you make that, your fabric scraps will not only have a place to be stored, but they'll also be put to use as the stuffing. Each time you get more un-useable bits of fabric you can toss them in and watch your poof take shape!

Quilt

I feel like a quilt is the most obvious and glaring answer to any fabric scrap queries, but sometimes the easiest solution is the most overlooked. When I think of quilts, it evokes a very specific picture in my mind, and that picture is dated. I can't help but envision the shabby chic home aesthetics that were so popular in middle America durung the early 90's. While that vibe has it's place, quilts can be literally ANY vibe that you want, so do a little research on quiltmaking and maybe you'll discover a new hobby while you're helping to keep fashion waste out of nature! You can chek out this blog post from suzyquilts.com to get started:

DIY Appliqués

Making your own appliques is a great way to add some personalization to your clothes, and what could be more personalized than an applique that you made yourself?!? You can use scraps of fabric to make an endless combinations of things. Whether you desire flora, fauna, foods or fandom, you can make it all come to life with fabric scraps. You can start by making something simple like a piece of fruit. By piecing together a red triangle, a green strip and some black ovals, you could create a slice of watermelon. You could even use beads instead of black fabric to add different textures. DIY appliques give you the opportunity to be imaginative AND practice zero-waste crafting by putting even the smallest leftovers to use.

Baby Clothes

Depending on the size of your scraps you could easily make baby clothes with them. Most people only think of onesies, but babies are always wearing an accessory and usually layers too! With less than a fat quarter of fabric you could make a bib, a beanie or a headband for the baby in your life. You could also do things that babies need, like burp clothes or swaddles. Those normally require more fabric but a larger scrap would be up to the job, or you could put together multiple scraps to acheive the size you want.

DIY Fabric

I only recently discovered that I could do this (even though it feels pretty apparent now) but using scrap fabric to create your own textile is a great way to come up with one-of-a-kind fabrics and patterns. You just need to decide how much fabric you need for your project and then you can map out your scraps until they fit those dimensions.

Scrunchies

This one requires minimal fabric and could even be a chance for you to use multiple tiny scraps to crate a piece of fabric that could be used for a scrunchie. Even if you don’t use a sewing machine, a little elastic and a few hand stitches can bring it together.

Pillow Covers

A straightforward and simple project is a pillow cover for your throw pillows made from scraps. You can look up a pattern or just use a pillow that you have as a guide. If you don't feel like adding a zipper for the closure, you always have the option of velcro. You can make everyday ones that match your decor or you can make themed ones for holiday decor.

Cloth Napkins

Even if you never plan on having a single dinner party, cloth napkins are better for the environment than paper napkins. The size of napkins varies, but generally a 6x6 or 8x8 will be big enough for casual meals at home. The best fabrics are usually natural ones like cotton or linen.

DIY Fabric Trim

If you find yourself with some thin strips of fabric, they could be perfect for creating your own trim for another project, like adorning the pillow covers you made! You can also sew beads or sequins onto strips of fabric for ectra flair.

Earrings

If you're someone who doesn't like their earrings to be too heavy, then fabric earrings are perfect for you. Not only would you be able to customize the shape and style, you can also coordinate them to different outfits. And since they would be so lightweight, you can get intricate with your designs and not have to worry about them being too bulky.

Socks

I tried my hand at sock making and I found it kind of difficult, but I also tried to go about it without a plan or a pattern, so I wasn't exactly setting myself up for success. If you wanna avoid my fate, just be sure to do a little research on best practices and fabrics that will be the most useful.

Rags

An obvious choice is to gather your scraps up and add them to your cleaning supplies. Not all fabrics are created equal, so depending on what you're cleaning you may want to stick with certain types of fabrics.

Hair rollers

A popular hair trend is using fabric as hair rollers to avoid the heat damage that can be caused from a traditional curling iron. You don’t even have to do anything special to your scraps for this one!!

Bracelet

If you've ever caught an episode of Highly Crafty then you may have seen this one in action. Not only can you cover an old bracelet to make it something new, you can also make a new bracelet from your scraps. Braiding together scraps or just twisting them together and maybe adding a few beads make a great accessory.

Headband

A headband can be made in a number of different ways but the easiest would be using your stretchy fabric scraps. You can gauge the length you’ll need by simply testing it out on your own head. You can also measure your head and subtract an inch. You could also use scraps to wrap a headband that you already have. This is a great way to make a headband that matches your outfit!

Coin Purse

With minimal scraps and a little Velcro or small zipper you could create a coin purse to hold your change. Depending on how fancy you wanna get, you could also line your coin purse to make it stronger or give it a little surprise factor upon opening.

Coaster

In order for fabric coasters to work you'll need to pair them with some sort of batting or even glue a waterproof layer to the bottom. If you’ve got some vinyl or other fabrics that hold up to moisture that would also be a great option.

Ornaments

What better way to give your holiday decorations an upgrade than to make them yourself. You can even gather friends and family to make ornaments together in all sorts of shapes and sizes. You could even come up with fun themes for your tree.

Bunting

A classic party and holiday decoration is fabric bunting. There are a number of ways to go about it, but it generally involves a string of fabric triangles. One year I made a rainbow bunting for pride that was super simple. You can watch the tutorial on the Highly Crafty youtube shorts.

Rug

This one is gonna be time consuming, but well worth it if you can stick it out! You'll have to cut lots, and I mean lots of fabric strips and then tie them all together to achieve a size thats big enough to be a rug.

**BONUS IDEAS**

Hand Warmers

If you happen to live in a place that gets super cold, then hand warmers are a great little project. Not only are they thoughtful gifts, they're practical and easy to make with just a few simple supplies.

Catnip Toys

I'm allergic to cats so I don't know much about them other than they like to get high off their catnip. Similar to hand warmers, catnip toys are simple and don't require much fabric.

Hopefully this list gives you some inspo for all the fabric scraps you've got lying around, and if you haven't amassed any scraps yet then save this post for when you do!

Happy Crafting!