Use it Up! Using Leftover Fabric in Quilting

I decided this week to talk about using up leftover fabric by giving you tips on using it in common and also unique ways. If you know me, you know I love saving all the leftover fabric I can. With that, I am able to create many more quilts. I’ll be talking about strips, fabric trimmed from stitched units and even crazy shaped fabric scraps. Come along for the ride!

Fabric Leftovers

You are often left with these scraps when you are making flying geese in the traditional way or when you are making square in a square or snowball blocks. Below is a square in a square style block where you’d have a lot of leftovers:

As you can see with the above block, there would be a lot of scraps cut off from the seam allowance. I like to save those corners and make smaller half-square triangle (HST) square blocks from them. Here’s an example of some scraps I cut from a block I made recently:

Save these and join them together as you are making your other projects and before you know it, you’ll have stacks of HSTs of all sizes to use in other projects. Collect enough of them and you can make borders like on these table runners and wall hangings:

Here’s a tip on stitching the flying geese the traditional way and also getting a bonus HST at the same time. In this example below, I’m using the pieces to make a flying geese unit that measures 3 1/2 x 6 1/2″. Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the squares. Once you have the square placed face down on the rectangle, sew along the drawn line and then sew another seam 1/2″ outside of the first seam.

The photo on the right is a closeup so you can see the two lines better. Once you have the seams sewn, cut the unit apart between the sewn lines and then press both open:

Once you repeat this step on the other side and press the units open, you will have a flying geese unit and two HST squares. You can use the HST squares in the project you are making the geese for, or save them for another purpose.

Fabric Strips

Of course you can buy pre-cut strips at your favorite quilt shop, but you can also amass your own collection every time you are cutting out a project. Every time you cut out a project and have left over fabric, cut strips. You can cut them from yardage and from fats. Here’s some of my collection:

I like to cut either 1 1/2″ or 2 1/2″ strips or both from the leftover fabric because those are the widths I use the most. I store them in shallow tubs, with dividers, by color. I can use the strips to make blocks, borders and even a scrappy binding. Some of the easiest blocks to make with these strips are these:

The log cabin on the left is one of my favorite blocks to use these strips for when designing my quilt patterns. Here’s a few of my creations:

Take a closer look at Prairie Star on the far right. I used strips to make this unique border and the for border on my quilt on the right, Wildflower Lane.

You can also use strips to make borders like these:

Odd Scraps

Finally, I keep odd scraps of fabric that cannot be cut into strips for my appliqué. I have those pieces stored in tubs by color, like this one below:

This way, I can find a scrap to make flowers, leaves, etc. without cutting into a larger piece of fabric. I probably will never use all the scraps I have saved! Here’s some other tips:

Tip #1: If you have larger scraps that you are sure you won’t be able to use, check with your local churches or quilt guilds. That fabric may be a welcome donation to help making quilts for community members in need. Also, check with local animal rescues in your area. Some may accept fabric scraps for making dog beds or other items for the animals they are caring for. 

Tip #2: Use your scraps to audition colors for blocks. If you are not sure what fabric colors you think look good for your new project, make what I call “test blocks”. Here’s a few I made for a project:

This gives me an idea of what color combinations look good for my project before I cut into some expensive fabric. I pull out scraps from my appliqué bins to make these blocks. I can also use some strips from my strip stash for these blocks as well.

Tip #3: Finally, if you don’t do appliqué like me but still save those odd scraps of fabric, consider making crazy quilt blocks or quilt crumb blocks.

A quick google search of both of these types of blocks will lead you to designers who make these blocks and make quilts with them. They may have some really fun patterns for you to try.

So, that’s it for this week. I hope this gives you inspiration for the scraps you have. Or maybe this will inspire you to start your own collection of strips and scraps. Until next week ….

Happy Quilting!
Deanne