Tutorial: Turning Scraps into Usable Yards of Fabric
Turn your old scraps into a new yard of fabric! Sometimes I like to use my color coordinated scraps to create big collages. I’ll sew them all together to make a yard of fabric that I can use for other projects. This a great way to reuse those leftover scraps, while also creating something entirely new and unique.
Supplies Needed:
Step 1
cut your scraps into squares and rectangles
To make sewing everything together easier, start by cutting your fabric scraps into squares and rectangles. This will allow you to sew in straight lines and not have to worry about curved shapes and fabric bias.
Step 2
arrange your fabric scraps into a collage
This is the fun part! Arrange your fabric scraps however you want to. I aim to make at least 1 yard of 45″ fabric with this method, so use a yardstick to gauge approximately how long and wide your collage of fabric scraps is. Make sure to overlap the pieces as your creating your collage to account for seam allowance.
(don’t worry, I know everything is wrinkled in this photo, I ironed my fabric before sewing it all together)
Step 3
sew your fabric scraps together
Start sewing your scraps together one piece at a time (this is the part that will take some patience). start by sewing the smaller pieces together into chunks, and then sewing those larger chunks together until you get your finished fabric.
Step 4
finish your seams
I also highly recommend using a good and sturdy seam finish on all the pieces as you go. I usually do felled seams. This will leave visible stitching on the right side of your fabric too, so try to be neat with the stitches.
- Start by sewing your seams together as usual
- Then trim one side of the seam fabric
- Fold over and press the longer side of the seam over the shorter side
- Sew it along the edge of the folded fabric
Finished!
