What accessories can you sew with your fabric scraps?
Everyone who sews has fabric scraps in their closet, sometimes whole stacks waiting for the right project or gathering dust!
If this sounds like you, and you hate throwing away the little bits of cotton or wool left lying around at the end of a sewing project, here are some quick project ideas to help you stop wasting money!
A small purse
Loumajinne créations has come up with a super-practical purse for your fabric scraps. It’s perfect for storing cards and change, as it includes a small front pocket, as well as a small ring for hanging your keys.
This pattern is also a good way to perfect certain techniques, such as zipper fastening.
To sew it, you’ll need three fabrics: scraps of denim or imitation leather for the sides of the purse, and scraps of cotton (or linen, or synthetic fabric) for the outside and lining. In each case, you’ll need fairly small pieces, between 10 and 45 centimetres.
If you don’t have enough of the same fabric, you can alternate colors and prints between the front and back of the purse, and between the inside and outside.
Slippers for toddlers
If you have scraps of fleece, teddy, faux-fur, sherpa fabric, imitation leather or quilted cotton, you can sew baby booties, following the Klafoutis pattern.
Depending on the size of your coupon, you can choose to sew high or low booties, and use several colors or materials.
It’s a very easy project to personalize by changing the color of the snaps, adding little animal ears on the front and sewing on eyes and a snout… Let your creativity run wild!
A small pencil case
You can use your cotton scraps to sew a pouch to store make-up, beauty products, keys, computer accessories…
The Miss Cactus model allows you to sew three different kit sizes, depending on the amount of fabric you have available.
If you have several pieces from different coupons, you can cut them into squares of equal size (e.g. 5x5cm or 10x10cm) and assemble them, making sure that the colors match to give a patchwork effect.
All that’s left to do is cut from the new fabric. This technique can be used to make a large kit from very small scraps.
A pouch for walking around
Atelier Adriette’s Darla pouch is perfect for taking your essentials with you on a trip: keys, money, identity papers… And it’s also a great project to make with fabric scraps. You can use cotton, linen, upholstery fabric, denim…
Depending on the material used, your project will look completely different.
If you only have short lengths of fabric, go for the smallest bag. Or make the larger one using several colors: one for the front pocket, one for the front and back and a third for the lining…
Whichever you choose, you’ll need to invest in a few extras: matching piping, belt loops and a sliding buckle.
Wipes for the whole house
Zero-waste accessories are also a great way to use up your fabric scraps. And if you already have enough at home, you can easily give them as housewarming or baby gifts.
Miss Cactus’s very easy pattern suggests you sew wipes and slip them into a basket. You can use thicker fabric scraps for the basket (denim, upholstery fabric…) and your cotton scraps for the wipes.
You’ll also need terry cloth. You can either cut up towels you no longer use, if they’re still in good condition, or buy some for this specific purpose.
A half-moon bag
If you have 30 centimetres of fabric left over (preferably a slightly thicker fabric, such as imitation leather, denim, upholstery fabric…), you can make our half-moon bag, which is very practical and accessible for beginners who have already begun to tame their sewing machine.
You’ll also need 60 cm of lining fabric. You can use several colors or assemble several scraps depending on what you have on hand, or buy special lining fabric, which is often very inexpensive.
What do you like to sew with your fabric scraps? Are you in the habit of using them?
