SandyinZ4

Pic. 9 This idea I have not played with much yet but think it has many possibilities. I took my very tiniest trimmings and scraps and scattered them out on a piece of muslin. When it was pretty much covered, I placed a small piece of tulle over it and then began carefully covering it in stitches until most everything was held in place. I roughly cut out a flower and placed it on here just for demo purpose but I can see this with lots of possibilities using a dark silhouette of anything, horse, cat bird, flower etc. Or use yo-yo's and stems and make a flower garden. If you arranged the tiny scrap shavings by color you could have blue for sky and green-ish ones for grass.

SandyinZ4

Pic. 10. Here is a jacket I made with selvedges that normally get thrown away. I discovered the hard way that if you want to make it for yourself, pick a sweat shirt that is about 2 sizes larger than you would usually wear. Carefully cut apart on the underarm seams, down both sides and down the middle front. I left the cuffs and bottom edge on but you could take them off and then resew back on when finished. Then start at the bottom edges and begin sewing on the selvedges, overlapping the raw edge with the finished edge of the next selvedge.

SandyinZ4

Pic. 11 With other little scraps, I made two kinds of book marks. Some I sewed together using a piece of dryer sheet as backing until it was the size I wanted. Then cut a backing a bit larger and folded over the edges for the binding. Another way was to take scraps and use heat and bond the two fabrics together. Then pink the edges and it is done. This one is a bit floppy but still works. The greeting cards are made with heat and bond on scraps which I then cut out with rotary cutter in quilt shapes and ironed onto the card stock.

More ideas are to use dryer sheets for foundations for scrappy work. Some folks have mentioned on here that folks with allergies might not be able to have these so keep that in mind. I like to use fabric that is really too flimsy for anything else and use it as foundation. Then I don't have to rip it off like paper. If you have lots of birds in your area, besure and put out the leftover strings and tiny trimmings for them to use in nests. I have never lived where this was feasible but sounds so neat to be able to find a nest at the end of a season that would have threads etc. incorporated into it. Several have mentioned that the trimmings can be used for pet beds too if you can find someone who could use them.

These are just some of the ideas for what I do to use up scraps. I think there is always someone who can probably use what you don't want so offer it for the postage and I am sure lots of new projects and friends will be made. Please feel free to add on your pictures and ideas. The End. :-)

deedum

I love your projects! What a way to make use of scraps! I have made the chicken, it is so fun to make. I may borrow your cat toys idea and make some for the human society. I usually just throw my very small scraps in a bucket and then make dog pillows and take to HS. I hope others post on this also with some great ideas.

Pilgrim

Great ideas for scraps. People in my guild give me their scraps and I love going through them and making things with them. The fabric you throw away costs the same as the fabric you use. Don't waste them. You can also sew them to calculator paper and then sew the strips together to use up the scraps. Great warm quilts for kids to USE.

DebraK

fun and clever ;-)

busy fingers

You have made me think about what I consider a scrap. I keep most off cuts but have been guilty of throwing out what looks like what could be used for something useful.

Thank you for the post and ideas. I am off to see what I can salvage from my bin.

lynnie

your projects were great, I love how you displayed your items. this would make a great topic for a new thread.

lynnie

I really love your sweatshirt jacket

JuneBillie

You can also sew to coffee filters, and I don't think there is a concern of allergies there.