10 Fabulous Scrap Busting Ideas

Do you find that you have lots of leftovers from previous projects & don't know what to do with them? Here’s some of our 10 top projects to make with your remnants...

1. Facings, pocket linings & bias binding

There's no rules saying that the insides of your garments have to be made in the exact same fabric as the outsides. This is a great way to add a bit of interest & detail to your dressmaking project - a quarter of a metre or so is all that's needed to cut out 4 pockets & you can get a couple of metres of bias binding from a 10" square. I show you how in this video.)

2. Bags & Pouches

What better way is there to keep plastic out of the oceans & fabric from landfill than making a reusable bag? There's a gazillion bag patterns out there, from a simple Tote bag to all singing all dancing zips & whistles - (ok, so maybe not whistles but you can get as fancy as you like). A cotton remnant is better than viscose for this but viscose can be interfaced to make it more stable. A Morsbag is a great place to start & a good way to practice your French seams (make Philippa happy & do French seams). We've got lots of bag patterns in stock if you fancy trying something a bit fancier.

3. Scrappy Quilts

This is a fun one, did you know know that you don't have to have perfectly aligned corners & seams to make a quilt? Avert your eyes 'proper quilters' while improv quilting enters the building. This is essentially making it up as you go along & is very liberating. You can of course cut all your scraps into nice neat even blocks too, no-one is judging you but seriously give Improv quilting a go, here's one I made earlier, (in true Blue Peter style).

4. Jewellery

Turn your leftovers into a lovely gift using up the tiniest of remnants. This is especially good for special or expensive fabrics when you just can't bear to throw any away. You just need some beads to wrap the fabric around & can be made using either a woven or a stretch fabric. Here's a tutorial from Sew Different showing you how.

5. Children's Clothes

It's amazing what you can make for a child from the tiniest amount of fabric. They're not as time consuming or as fiddly as you might expect & kids don't care whether you pattern match or not. We've got lots of the Poppy & Jazz range in stock. The Juniper skirt is designed for woven fabrics & the Birch trousers are designed for knits.