Unless you’re lucky enough to use up every bit of your fabrics in any sewing project, you’re going to have some leftovers—some even too small to incorporate into a patchwork piece. But don’t toss them yet! Do the environment and your budget a favor and keep them in a scraps box or basket or sort them by color, size, or motif into separate bins. Then, try our ideas for using even the tiniest bits of your favorite yardage in every room of your home.
Iron fabric words or quotations directly onto your wall. Imagine the possibilities.
Gather your materials
- Fabric
- Letter templates
- Tape
- Scissors
- Iron-On Adhesive
From a computer, print out letters to spell your word or phrase in reverse. Cut the letters out.
Cut a piece of adhesive (we used HeatnBond) and a piece of fabric a bit larger than the letter. Iron together, paper side up.
Place the letter on the paper side of the adhesive with tape. Cut the fabric around the template.
Place the letters on the wall using a level line. Peel the paper from the back of the bonded fabric and iron each letter directly onto a smooth wall.
Give kitchen canisters some period personality by wrapping them in fun retro feed sack fabrics.
Gather your materials
- Canister
- Spray paint
- Fabric
- Ruler or measuring tape
- Rotary Cutter
- Cutting Mat
- Mod Podge
- Acrylic Paint
- Craft brush
- Acrylic sealer (optional)
If you want the canister to coordinate with your fabric or with your kitchen decor, paint the outside of the canister with spray paint and let dry. Do not paint areas that will contain food.
With a ruler or measuring tape, measure and cut a strip of fabric to wrap around the canister. Keep the fabric below the lip of the canister. Spread an even coat of Mod Podge around the canister as you wrap fabric around it, smoothing out any air bubbles as you go.
When it dries completely, brush over the covered canister with another layer of Mod Podge and let dry completely. For a glossy and more durable finish, spray several coats of gloss spray acrylic sealer over the fabric (we used Minwax Polycrylic in Gloss), letting it dry thoroughly between each coat.
Create a dinner party’s worth of charming napkin rings with this easy craft using fabric strips. Add vintage flair with old toweling fabric or flour sacks.
Gather your materials
- Fabric
- Coordinating thread
- Rotary Cutter
- Cutting Mat
- Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
To make a rose, cut fabric into 12-inch by 2-inch strips. Then sew with a basting stitch along the top of one edge.
Pull the thread to create a ruffle. Roll it up, securing it with hot glue as you go.
For the ring, tie together and braid three 12-inch by 2-inch strips of fabric. Leave about 2” of unbraided fabric at each end. Tie one end around the base of the rose and glue for extra support.
Make a ring with the braid and tie the other end to pieces that are wrapped around the base of the rose. If any ends of the strips stick out beyond the rose, cut them into a leaf shape.
Spruce up some solid towels with a vintage-style pattern from a pretty fabric scrap. It’s as simple as ironing your laundry.
Gather your materials
- Tea towel
- Fabric
- Scissors
- Iron-On Adhesive
- Coordinating thread and sewing machine (optional)
Pick out a part of the pattern that you like and cut loosely around it in a rectangle.
Cut out an approximately same-size piece of iron-on adhesive (we used Heatn-Bond). Iron the adhesive to the fabric, paper side up. Carefully cut out your design from the bonded fabric.
Peel the paper off of the adhesive and iron the design face up onto the towel. Repeat to bond a coordinating floral ribbon of fabric across the bottom of the towel. For an extra finish and a bit of texture, sew a decorative stitch along the top and bottom edges of the fabric ribbon.
Produced by Jodi Mensing Harris
Photographed by Steven McDonald
© Caruth Studio