The Sewing Place

What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric

Cazlyn

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #15 on: October 22, 2021, 11:57:09 AM »
I’m interested in this and have bags of scraps I’d love to use up.
Crafting is my happy place

Ohsewsimple

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #16 on: October 22, 2021, 12:16:01 PM »
Great ideas.  Sometimes you just need to think a bit differently.

I bought Sew Over It's Cora Top pattern.  I won’t go into what I thought of it!   But after having spent time sorting that out I have now made at least 4 of them.  Pattern says 1.75 fabric required.  But during this peculiar time we are in and wanting to use some stash fabric I found I only had 1 metre of anything suitable.  Turning the fabric round and cutting it crosswise meant I could get it out of that and had very little waste.  I think  I used a separate fabric for the facing.  Of course yk7nhavr to make sure the pattern will work sideways! ;)

I’ve also recently wanted to make long sleeved knit tops.  On one of those I turned the sleeve round and cut crosswise.  Again some fabric design won’t work but this did.  I also found that by adding a decorative design and piecing the front I could get a long sleeved top out of just over a metre!   

Trousers can be a problem and very wasteful.  By piecing the crutch fork to the main body instead of cutting out all in one you can save a fair bit of fabric.  I had been doing this for a few years and then DH actually bought a pair in M&S that had that same detail!   

Very small scraps go in a bag and go to recycling.  Large pieces are kept to mix and match if possible.  I’ve managed this with several knits.  Small pieces are kept in a box to use in my Appliscapes as even 1” pieces can be useful sometimes.  I also pass on some leftovers to a friend for her granddaughters to make clothes for a model they have.  Her DIL also takes bags of scraps for the school she teaches at. 

I find there is a problem with ordering online as so many places only sell in whole metres or even half metres and that is so wasteful.  I see Minerva now do it in 10cm increments so that’s good. 
I generally do a layout before ordering as most of the patterns are my own anyway. 

Interested to see what other people do.

Ellabella

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #17 on: October 22, 2021, 12:33:22 PM »
I am a big fan of https://sinclairpatterns.com/collections/womens-patterns

Her clothes seem it fit me and suit my lifestyle, think long tunic type things.

She has lots of patterns designed for colour blocking and I have used loads of off cuts making these. For some patterns she has printable sheets with line drawings so you can colour in the drawings to play with colour placement

This weekend’s project is to make DD and myself some fingerless gloves from knit fabric. I use this pattern
https://sinclairpatterns.com/collections/womens-patterns
and they are a really good way of using up knit scraps.

Celia

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #18 on: October 22, 2021, 13:04:25 PM »
Really loving these ideas here is a photo of my latest leftovers, the animal print I do have some more of but the other two are definitely left overs.  I am going to sew the too in the animal print this afternoon and will look at the ideas for the bits.

Do we need to start another thread somewhere else if this is going to be ongoing? Help any admin people

So Chic

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #19 on: October 22, 2021, 15:17:18 PM »
There was a charity stand at Sewing for Pleasure a couple of years ago who were asking for unwanted fabrics but when I emailed them for further details I didn't receive a reply.  I assumed that they were either not interested or already had sufficient stock.
So Chic
Bernina Artista 630, Bernina 800DL, Janome Cover Pro 1000CP and an elderly Singer Touch & Sew 720G as a back up

Tamnymore

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #20 on: October 22, 2021, 16:08:57 PM »
Great ideas here @Celia @SewRuthieSews and everyone else. Must try more pieced items. I tend to pass small pieces on to a local charity shop and they make up quilting packs. I was very saintly today and left the Harris Tweed pack on the shelf for someone else to enjoy.
'One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.' Oscar Wilde

Acorn

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #21 on: October 22, 2021, 16:56:16 PM »
... I was very saintly today and left the Harris Tweed pack on the shelf for someone else to enjoy.

Where????  :scream:  How long will it take me to get there?!?? 
I might look as though I'm talking to you, but inside my head I'm sewing.

Tamnymore

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #22 on: October 22, 2021, 17:07:28 PM »
@Acorn well I could run in tomorrow morning and get you it! As I'm in Cheshire I think you might find it rather a long journey...  :laughing:
'One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.' Oscar Wilde

Acorn

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #23 on: October 22, 2021, 17:23:32 PM »
Hmm.  I suppose I'd probably better do something with all my Welsh blanket offcuts before I branch out into Harris Tweed.   :thinking:  And I'm going to the Welsh Quilt Centre tomorrow too... I think you had a point, leaving it there!   :thumbsup:
I might look as though I'm talking to you, but inside my head I'm sewing.

Ouryve

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #24 on: October 22, 2021, 17:57:32 PM »
I've just bought a knicker pattern to use up some of my Jersey scraps.
Janome M50QDC - "Jane" - Small, cute and hard working. Pfaff Quilt Ambition 630 - "Pfanny" - Pfickle. Bernina L450 - "Bernie" - Very hungry. Bernina 830 Record - "Becky"

Celia

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #25 on: October 22, 2021, 20:10:16 PM »
I've just bought a knicker pattern to use up some of my Jersey scraps.

That is something I was thinking about I have done it in the past and worn matching dress and knickers

Surest1tch

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #26 on: October 22, 2021, 20:37:30 PM »
If the bits are smallish I generally make toys for my dog or my sons cat, bigger pieces if they look like they will cut into fat quarters I take to the charity shop.

Lachica

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #27 on: October 22, 2021, 20:46:49 PM »
A local charity shop used to take all my scraps for pulping but that stopped a couple of years ago. I compost the little bits, only hoarding pieces at least a handspan wide. I still have too many of them  :scream: @SewRuthieSews posted some great ideas on here, I like the cards & may try making 'fabric' for a bag.
Mary
2020 stash: not gonna count, not gonna feel guilty.

classical retro

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #28 on: October 23, 2021, 06:09:10 AM »
I adopted a local primary school for fabric scraps I’ll never use. I’ve also taken scraps to H&M and given the vouchers to teenage neighbours.

CR :angel:

BrendaP

Re: What to do with leftover small amounts of left over fabric
« Reply #29 on: October 23, 2021, 08:45:34 AM »
Medium weight woven fabrics that are mostly cotton go into the Patchwork stash, not a problem.  This one earned me a TSP winners badge 0_0
  [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]  

Sometimes bits of synthetic find their way into something too.
  [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]  

I've made two patchwork jackets.  This one was truly made from all sorts of silk scraps and I used a pattern that was designed for multiple scraps.

For this one I joined squares of denim (old jeans) into pieces big enough to cut each pattern piece from.


Brenda.  My machines are: Corona, a 1953 Singer 201K-3, Caroline, a 1940 Singer 201K-3, Thirza, 1949 Singer 221K, Azilia, 1957 Singer 201K-MK2 and Vera, a Husqvarna 350 SewEasy about 20 years old. Also Bernina 1150 overlocker and Elna 444 Coverstitcher.
http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.