What to Do With Your Fabric Scraps and Old Toiles

Don’t judge me for this, but I recently discovered my version of Monica’s secret cupboard.

You know the one...you open the door and chaos falls out!

Mine just happens to be full of calico toiles and fabric scraps that I’ve been quietly collecting and ignoring forever.

When I finally started clearing out, I realised that I've got a bit of a problem: Calico isn’t glamorous, but it’s still fabric, and it deserves better than the bin.

But what do I do with it? And all the little fabric scraps that I have from cutting.

I already had a few ideas of my own. But I knew there would be better suggestions out there. So, of course, I took it to Instagram.

The response you all gave me was amazing! Here is the best of what came back, sorted by size of scrap. See the Instagram post.

Tiny scraps and offcuts

These are the teeny tiny scraps that are too small to cut into anything useful. The thin pieces trimmed off the edge of a larger piece, or the odd shaped scrap left from cutting.
Here are my favourite suggestions for these little guys:

Make stuffing:

Shred your scraps and use them to stuff tailors hams, a pouffe, teddy bears, or mannequin arms. The easiest way to shred calico is with sharp scissors or a rotary cutter. Mix your shredded fabric with a little regular stuffing to add softness and make it go further. This is one of my favourites because it keeps everything in the sewing room.

Experiment with rag rugging:

I recently picked up a rag hook at Stitch Festival and I cannot wait to try this. Ragged Life is a brilliant place to start if you are new to it.

Try your hand at patchwork:

Even the smallest pieces have a life here. If you want some structure and inspiration, the book Sewing with Scraps is a great starting point (more on that below!)

Find a recycling route:

For the bits that genuinely cannot be used, there are some good options.
→ Dunelm have in-store recycling banks where you can drop off offcuts to be turned into new materials.
→ Fibrelab will actually turn your calico and fabric scraps into paper (and other things) which I think is kind of extraordinary!
→ And if you are based in the US, Retold Recycling offer a fabric scrap collection service.

Larger pieces

Think of the small length left over after you’ve cut a full dress, or the giant chunk you cut off the hem of a midi skirt to make it a mini. They’re too good to shred, and with a little thought they are useful.

Cut your own bias tape:

Larger pieces give you longer strips, which means fewer seams in your binding. Bias binding made up of lots of tiny joined pieces is a pain to work with, so save this one for the bigger scraps.

Cut out half scale mock ups:

(or full scale mock ups of small areas and new techniques)
This is the one I use most in my own practice, because I am always making half scale mock ups for my online courses and pattern cutting community. I use half scale to demonstrate ideas and techniques to my students, and they use it to test drafting processes, proportions and new ideas. It is a great way to practice and use up larger fabric scraps.

Make something new:

Tote bags, make up pouches, and small accessories are all really well suited to mid sized pieces. And if you have little ones around, soft toys and plushies are a brilliant use of larger scraps too.
Stuff them with your tiny offcuts for a completely recycled toy!

Donate to a school:

Textiles and art departments are always grateful for fabric donations, however irregular the shapes.

Practice on them:

Got a technique or special finish that you've been putting off trying? Use a larger scrap to practice and perfect the skill before you make a garment.

Full toiles

Now my full toiles don’t usually fit the way I want them too and they often have lines drawn all over them, but I know lots of you make neater, more beautiful toiles than me so here are some suggestions for both beautiful and messy toiles.

Unpick the seams and treat the pieces as large scraps:

For messy toiles I'd suggest unpicking them so that you have flat, usable pieces of fabric. Then everything in the section above applies!
A full scale bodice block front piece is suddenly a very useful piece of calico when it's laid flat.

Dye them:

This was the suggestion that really surprised me. Calico takes dye beautifully, and a dyed toile can absolutely be worn as the real thing if the fit is close enough.

Finish the inside and pass it on:

If your toile fits well and is a wearable style, clean up the inside seams and either donate it or offer it to a friend it might suit.

Give it to a school or theatre department:

Theatre costume teams in particular are always looking for garments they can adapt or use for stage work.

What Am I Planning To Do?

I love all of these ideas, and I really think there’s a solution in there for most people no matter what your sewing practice entails.

Personally, I plan to use my small scraps for stuffing new tailors hams, I have a rag rug wall hanging planned and I'm going to send any left over calico scraps to Fibrelab or Dunelm.

The larger pieces are being saved for half scale mock ups, because I always need more fabric for those, and full toiles are going to get unpicked, cut up and sorted into small or large scrap piles.

→ A final recommendation that I have for you is the Sewing With Scraps book, by Birgitta Helmersson & Sam Grose. I've found a bunch of fun projects in here that turn scraps into something beautiful! I particularly like the Striped Tote, patchwork technique, Terrazzo clutch...all things I plan to try when I've got some spare time!

What do you do with your scraps? Let me know at [email protected]. I would love to add to this list!