From scraps to crafts
4 creative ways to upcycle your prettiest fabric scraps into handy items
Give old clothes, sheets, and fabric scraps a new life by making a handy fabric wall organizer, an apron, or napkins—or the world’s easiest fabric wreath without a sewing machine!
Fabric wall organizer
You can slip knitting needles, craft supplies, and notebooks into this organizer. To divide a pocket into smaller compartments, sew vertical seams with a straight stitch on the pocket after you’ve attached it to the backing fabric.
Materials
- Sturdy cotton fabric, such as canvas
- Dowel rod
- Fabric scraps
- Sewing machine and thread
- Scissors
- Pins
Fabric wall organizer—instructions:
- Measure and cut a piece of sturdy cotton fabric to your desired size for the organizer’s backing. The organizer in the picture is approximately 60 × 90 cm in size. Fold the edges on the sides and bottom to the wrong side and sew them down with a straight stitch.
- Sew a channel for the dowel rod at the top edge of the fabric.
- Cut pieces from the fabric scraps to make the pockets. Fold about 1 cm of each edge to the wrong side and iron them. Then sew the folded top edge of each pocket with a straight stitch.
- Arrange the pockets on the backing fabric and pin them in place.
- Sew the pockets onto the backing fabric on three sides with a straight stitch. Leave the already sewn top edge unstitched. Secure the threads.
- Insert the dowel rod into the top channel and hang the organizer on the wall with nails.
Crafter’s apron
An iron-on patch adds a hint of attitude to the half-apron’s pocket. The model is wearing shoes by Terhi Pölkki.
Materials
- Approximately 55 × 85 cm of durable cotton fabric
- A fabric scrap for the front pocket
- Sewing machine and thread
- Pins
- Ribbon
- Iron-on patch and iron
Crafter’s apron—instructions:
- Fold about 2 cm of the short sides and about 4 cm of the top edge of the large fabric piece to the wrong side, and sew them in place with a straight stitch. You can hem the apron’s bottom edge or leave it unfinished.
- Fold the edges of the pocket fabric scrap to the wrong side and iron them. Sew the top edge of the pocket with a straight stitch.
- Position the pocket on the apron fabric in the spot you want and pin it in place.
- Sew the sides and bottom of the pocket onto the apron with a straight stitch.
- Thread the ribbon through the top edge channel and iron on the iron-on patch.
Zigzag napkins
These easy napkins are perfect for using up leftover fabric pieces from your other projects. All you need besides the fabric is sewing thread.
Zigzag napkins—instructions:
- Cut the fabrics into squares of the same size. Use only one fabric for a unified look or make a unique napkin for each diner from different fabrics.
- Sew a dense zigzag stitch around the fabric squares, about 1 cm from the edge, with a sewing machine. You can leave the edges unfinished. Use colorful thread to make the stitching pop. Add color to your napkins and table setting by choosing a bright basic color or a complementary color to the fabric for your thread.
- Secure the threads. The napkins are now ready to use!
Got small scraps left? Tie them into a wreath!
The world’s easiest fabric wreath is made by tying torn fabric strips onto a wooden ring. You can also use a metal or styrofoam ring as the base and tie the scraps all around to make a plush fabric wreath.
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