After the holidays, with a tight budget, I’m exploring creative ways to utilize the scraps of materials I’ve gathered over the years. Admittedly, I find it challenging to part with things, always believing I’ll find a future use for them. Whether that labels me a packrat or a hoarder, I’ll leave that question unanswered! This month, out of necessity, I’ve put my collection of wool strips, fabric scraps, yarn balls, and woven fabric pieces to good use, sparking fresh ideas for their creative application. This surge of inspiration has prompted me to share some current crafting projects and future plans with you.
1) Using leftover wool strips to hook a mug rug
I must admit, I am addicted to rug hooking right now and I am eager to learn all there is to know about it. Fortunately, I know someone who has been hooking for years and graciously shared her knowledge and wool stash with me. Using a scrap bag of wool strips (often called “worms” in rug hooking), I designed a mini mug rug for a friend. Who knows, it may end up being used as a decorative feature in another crafting project! This experience taught me to experiment with new colors I don’t usually gravitate towards, work with smaller wool strips, and modify designs based on available materials.
2) Using fabric scraps to make a pincushion and mini quilt
I have a 9×12 plastic bin where I keep all my fabric scraps from previous quilting projects. I limit it to that size to encourage myself to buy only the fabric I need for each project, but it’s still filled with tiny pieces of fabric that I didn’t know what to do with. Recently, I was inspired by a crafting YouTube channel called Crafty Cottage Stitches, which is hosting a #pinkeep social. The idea is to make different kinds of pin cushions using whatever materials you want. It was a light bulb moment for me! My bin of fiber scraps would be perfect for this project. Instead of just using random small pieces of fabric to make a multi-color rectangle and stuffing it with fiber fill, I remembered the Mini Dresden pin cushion pattern by Deidra McCollum from Quilty Obsession that I’ve had for more than 5 years. I was initially intimidated because I wasn’t familiar with hand applique and felt more comfortable sewing bigger pieces of fabric. However, I decided to give it a try. I used Amy Sinabaldi’s free embroidery pattern of a sheep to decorate the middle of the Dresden plate on the front panel of the boxed pin cushion. I can hardly wait to see the final product! Now that I’m looking at it, though, I don’t think I can even use it as a pin cushion—it’s too cute! 😊
The pincushion wasn’t the only idea that came to mind when brainstorming what to do with my fabric scraps. A couple of months ago, I came across a workshop at one of my local quilt stores called kawandi quilting. After some research, I discovered that it involves hand-sewing pieces of fabric onto a larger piece to create a quilt. As you may know from my previous posts, I’m a big fan of hand embroidery. In fact, my first post was titled “The Great Quilting Showdown: Machine Quilting vs. Hand Quilting.” This is a project I plan to learn on my own, as there are several great YouTube tutorials available, like this one, How to Make a Kawandi Inspired Quilt, that shows you how to do it.
3) Using handwoven fabric samples to make ornaments
Initially, I was hesitant to admit that I might have a tendency to hoard crafting materials. You might think my collection of handwoven fabric pieces supports this idea. However, it sort of fell into my lap, so to speak. My weaving teacher was clearing out her cabinets of handwoven fabric samples and offered them to students like me. At the time, I didn’t know what to do with them, but they were free and beautiful, so I accepted them. Recently, I’ve been contemplating some personal designs that incorporate handwoven fabric. I’m not sure yet what these stuffed star ornaments will ultimately become—whether they’ll be part of a larger design (which I’m leaning towards) or a standalone project. Perhaps I’ll even fill them with lavender or other dried scented flowers. Regardless, I love how they turned out—soft and squishy.
This year, I’ve been focused on expanding my creativity by experimenting with materials in new ways and exploring different design approaches. Projects like the ones mentioned above have been particularly inspiring, and I’m eager to see how they develop in the coming weeks as I continue working on them. I’m committed to staying on this creative journey and discovering what other projects and designs emerge as I let go of the need to strictly follow patterns and instead embrace thinking outside the box. What about you? What projects are you currently working on that involve working with scraps? Feel free to share in the comments below!
