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Ways to use up the lesser quality fabric in your stash

[Disclaimer: This article does not discuss the details of various fabric qualities. What it does address is the issue of what to do with fabric that you discover is not up to your standard of quality for a quilt you want to keep, or to have last, for a long time.]

Very often when quilters start out, they buy fabric based on the price, not knowing that the quality of the fabric may be compromised from its manufacture in ways that cause the quilt to disintegrate, fade, or otherwise not hold up to wear and time. As they learn of this from other quilters, and their horror stories, the question comes up of 'what do with the lesser quality fabric I have that I don't want to just throw away?'

Here are some suggestions:

Donate it to the UFO-rphanage! A lot of the utility quilts for seniors, wheelchair and lap items, or senior craft projects, can be done with these fabrics. (I reinforce some of them with something like a fusible interfacing if it goes into a quilt).

Make little gift bags for holidays, birthdays, baby gifts, etc.

Use it for doll clothes, or dolly quilts.

Use it to make note cards or gift tags.

Make pot holders or rice bags with it.

Make a blankie for your favorite pet to snuggle in.

Cut the fabric into strips or small pieces and stuff pillows for your local animal shelter. Especially good if the pillow cover is made from a durable poly-cotton or heavy denim type fabric.

Make walker bags or small ditty bags for your local nursing home or one affiliated with a local church.

Layer several layers of the fabric and make chenille blankets for charity. (A pattern is here).

Make dolls, stuffed toys, etc. for a battered children's home or other out reach project.

Use it for demos or teaching, (for example paper piecing, teaching rotary cutting or teaching about fabric quality.

Cover gift boxes, address books, and the like for gift giving.

Donate it to a 4-H, Scout or similar group who wants to teach basis sewing technique to children. They can practice on the scraps before moving on to the actual project, or they can actually make their project from the donations, depending on the circumstance.

Use it as wall covering by using starch to stick it on the wall like wallpaper. When you want to change it, just peel it away and wash the wall.

Make curtains, pillows, or other home dec projects with it that you can enjoy, but that you know may not hold up for a long period of time. You can still enjoy the fabric this way.

Make it into Halloween costumes, or other costumes, for school productions.

Cut strips about an inch or so wide , connect strips and wind into balls. When you get enough balls use a big crochet hook and made chair pads and throw rugs.

If it's good fabric, but it's either polyester, or a poly-cotton blend, make a quilt for the Sunshine Project. They need all the support they can get! Or donate it to the UFO-rphanage for a charity quilt. =)

Extra scraps of fabric can make a cute "tooth fairy pillow" for a child. Just make a 6" square pillow and make a small pocket on top. Use some decorative trim if you have it. Kids love 'em.

Stitch it to a pre-folded diaper and use as a burp cloth for a baby gift.

And, if all else fails, cut it into strips and crochet a rug or stuff pillows with it!

Hope something in this list is helpful.

©Copyright 1999-2003 Laura Starr
©Copyright 2004, 2005 Niki Roberts
All Rights Reserved

If you have other suggestions to share for this article, please let us know so that we can add them!

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