How to use winter fabric remnants?
With the arrival of spring, floral fabrics and patterns for light blouses and dresses are in abundance. As we think about our next sewing projects, let’s try to tidy up our sewing spaces and get rid of fabric offcuts!
Here are a few ideas for recycling winter fibers and making room in the closet.
A beret for wool sheets
If you’ve sewn a coat, pants or skirt this winter, you may have some wool sheet left in your closet. If you have enough left over, you can sew a beret, following the pattern in Jour de couture or Mes jolis chapeaux.
If the offcuts are in several pieces, you can cut and sew them neatly together to recompose the widest part of the beret (by dividing the circle into 4 or 6 pieces, for example).
Reuse fleece or faux fur offcuts
Have you made any warm garments from fleece, faux fur or curly fleece this winter? Offcuts can easily be reused to make a warm snood or choker for the end of the cold season, or to wait in the closet until next autumn.
As with the beret, don’t hesitate to sew the remaining pieces together to achieve sufficient length. For a choker, we usually use fleece or faux fur for the lining (the side in contact with the skin) and prefer cotton or another fabric with good hold for the outside. If you don’t have cotton on hand, you can make both sides in fleece and use Claire L.’s free pattern. The snood is also a great project for children, just make it a little less high and wide.
If you’re a parent or will become one in the next few months, you can also sew Miss Cactus stroller sleeves, which are lined with fleece fabric. For outdoor use, waterproof fabric is preferable, but you can also use cotton scraps and limit the use of the sleeves to days when it’s not raining.
A fanny pack with leatherette or velvet offcuts…
For several seasons now, the fanny pack has been very much in fashion, for children and adults alike. It’s also a great project for using up thick fabric offcuts. You can use the same fabric for the whole bag – if you have enough left – or patchwork several different fabrics together. You’ll also need to think about the lining, for which you can choose any cotton, linen… and the rest of the haberdashery: a strap and bias.
To sew a fanny pack, you can opt for our Bleu d’Auvergne pattern, which includes a child’s size, an adult size, an XXL version, and a step-by-step video tutorial!
Recycle your cottons and viscose to make gift bags or zero-waste bags
If you’ve sewn a lot of dresses or blouses this winter, chances are you’ve got some cotton, viscose or lyocell offcuts in your stockpile… To give them a second life, you can sew pouches of different sizes closed with a tie. They make perfect bulk bags to take to the market or supermarket, and good alternatives to disposable gift wrap.
If you’ve got fabrics that are reminiscent of the Christmas season (bought for a tablecloth or decoration), then offcuts can be used to prepare packaging for next December! It’s never too early to start wrapping!
A quick and easy project that can easily be adapted to different sizes. Simply add a tie to close the bag with bias, cord or a thin strip of fabric cut with serrated scissors. Miss Cactus’ pattern details how to sew pouches of different sizes.
Do you have any ideas for sewing with your winter fabrics? Do you try to recycle your fabric offcuts?
