Fabric Scrap and Remnant Ideas

I may be a bit of a fabric hoarder. Okay well maybe more than a bit - I have an entire drawer in my craft room just for scraps. Plus a bag under the desk! For some reason, I just can't bring myself to part with them. I mean you never know when you might need them, right? Even the weird colored upholstery fabric scrap - that could come in handy too. BUT I'm supposed to be organizing my craft room and need to sort through all that stuff.

If you are sitting there wondering what to do with your pile of scraps other than toss them, I've got some great things in store for you! In all my scrap hoarding, I have managed to accumulate quite a collection of scrappy projects around my house.

These are some of my favorites:

The bow on this vase is made entirely out of scrap fabric.

To make it: make a tiny cut at the edge of the fabric about an inch and a half on each side and then rip down the length of the fabric where you made those cuts. They end up about 1 1/2" by 20". Ripping it gives it a nice textured look - kind of raw and unfinished. Then cut any really long threads that are left hanging.
I did this on about 3 different pieces of fabric and then tied them together in a big bow on the vase.

These easy wall art are all made out of leftover scraps from the quilt my mother made for my living room. It is Joel Dewberry's Aviary 2 if you are interested in getting it.

To make: You will need embroidery hoops in varying sizes. These are available at most craft stores. Lay your fabric wrong side facing up and then center the embroidery hoop on the fabric. With a fabric marker trace about one inch outside the hoop. This will let you fit the fabric nicely inside the hoop. Then cut out the circle you traced. Take apart the embroidery hoop frame, center the fabric inside and then slide the pieces back together and tighten the top screw. You can cut off any excess fabric after you get it inside. Finish it by embellishing it anyway you like. I added buttons and felt flowers to some of mine.

The yo-yo on this project is a simple way to use up fabric scraps and can be used in so many different ways. This frame is on a shelf in my craft room and I love the bit of cheer it brings into the room.
You can find pre-made yo-yos at the craft store sometimes, but this is about using up your stash right? I love Positively Splendid and they have great instructions on how to make your own here: Fabric Yo-Yo Tutorial with Printable Template. They also have some other great tutorials and fun things, so stop by and check them out.


Some other great fabric scrap ideas are linked up here:
Anthro-Inspired Necklace
Favorite Flower Tutorials Round-up

That should give you some great ways to help bust that scrap stash lingering in your craft room and hopefully I can bust some of mine before the month is over!

A Few of My Favorite Things...

With all the Christmas presents I've been working on lately, I thought I would share some of Santa's little helpers with you. These are some things that I just can't live without this year:

Source: Joann.com

1. Olfa Pinking Blade

For those that are familiar with rotary cutters, this is for use with the Olfa Deluxe 45mm Rotary Cutter. A rotary cutter is used with a self healing cutting mat and a ruler to cut fabric and it makes cutting a dream. The pinking blade makes cutting pinked edges (zig-zag) so much easier. I've used pinking shears on so many projects but I hate how uneven my lines come out! By using the rotary cutter, the cut lines on your fabric turn out so straight and even!

Source: Amazon.com

2. Singer Stylist Sewing Machine
I recently upgraded to this sewing machine from a more basic model and I am so impressed. If I had known there was such a difference, I would have done it much sooner. This machine has more stitch functions than I have figured out what do with. It also has an automatic threader, comes with an assortment of foot attachments and is incredibly easy to use. It would be great for a beginner or even a more experienced user. It is very reasonably priced too!

Source: www.silhouetteamerica.com

3. Silhouette Cameo

The newest model is the Silhouette Cameo, it has been on my wishlist since it was announced that they were going to be putting it out this fall. This amazing little machine can do everything! It cuts vinyl - both heat transfer and indoor/outdoor vinyl - scrapbook paper and cardstock, makes temporary tattoos, cuts fabric, it can sketch designs, all sorts of great things. I've used it to make gifts, cards, home decor, t-shirts and just about everything imaginable! I really don't know what I did before I had it.

Source: www.elmers.com

4. Elmer's CraftBond Glue Spots
These handy little glue spots are great for all my paper crafts. My most common use for them is when
making cards. They are also great for scrapbooking. But using these with my latest projects - a 3D snowflake and paper chain - turned out so much better than if I had used tape like the directions said (I'm not one to follow directions anyway!). They come in a variety of sizes and I've found them all to be useful depending on the project.

Source: http://www.beaconadhesives.com

5. Fabri-tac
This is such a fantastic adhesive. Most recently, I used it to decorate Christmas stockings. I found that it worked wonderfully to apply buttons, ribbon, pom-poms and felt flowers to my stockings. Then when my friend was talking about how plain her stockings were, the first thing that came to mind was using Fabri-tac to help with decorating hers. It's great because instead of having to figure out how to sew through layers upon layers of fabric, you use a bit of this and your materials adhere quickly and effortlessly. I think it's my new favorite way to "sew!"

 Disclaimer:  I was not paid for this post. I paid for all these products with my own money and these reviews are all my personal opinion. 

What are you all loving that we should know about???