At Lulú Ferris, nothing goes to waste! Even the tiniest scrap of fabric has the potential to become something new and beautiful. So you can see it for yourself and start saving everything left over, today we're going to show you the little things we do to recycle fabric. All of them are very easy, and some don't require a single stitch, so anyone can make them; they're also great crafts to do with kids.
So… let's recycle fabric!
5 WAYS TO RECYCLE FABRIC: 1. Mini garland for decorating
You only need a little string and a few scraps of fabric. Cut them into whatever shape you like: triangles, semicircles, rectangles… whatever you prefer. You can make each pennant double-sided (as in the picture, cutting the fabric scraps folded in half) or single-layered (if you have less fabric). You can use the sewing machine to attach them to the string (or sew them by hand, of course) or use fabric glue. We made this one to decorate a cake—where would you put yours?
2. Appliqués for clothing
We've talked to you before about appliqués and how great they are for turning a plain, simple garment into something unique and personal. Depending on the shape and size of the fabric scraps you want to recycle, you can decide what to do with them: in this case, we made some letters and a little star. You can watch our tutorial for making appliqués on YouTube, and you can find Heat and Bond in our online store.
3. Covering buttons and hair clips
Have you seen our button and badge covering tool yet? It's super easy to use and lets you make use of even the smallest fabric scraps for less than €4. Among our craft supplies, you'll find everything you need to make buttons, hair clips, and even rings. And if you want to see how it works, we also have a tutorial for using this tool and the one for attaching snaps.
4. Pin cushions
When it comes to pin cushions, we have two different ideas for you. You can make personalized wrist pin cushions like the ones in the picture, using a little fabric, fabric glue, and some pom-poms. Learn how in this YouTube tutorial. And if you're not comfortable with wrist pin cushions, you can also recycle fabric to make soft, padded pin cushions like these.
Another super-fun idea for recycling fabric: cover notebooks, planners, wooden or cardboard boxes… If the fabric scraps you have are large enough, you can do it like in the picture, but if the pieces you have are smaller, you can make a kind of collage by joining them all together. A little fabric glue or double-sided tape, lots of creativity, and you'll see how beautiful they turn out. We also used a little rickrack and some covered buttons to give them the finishing touch.
What about you? What do you do to recycle fabric? If you liked our ideas, don't forget to share them: recycling for the win! And if you're looking for new fabrics, take a look at all the ones we have available for online sale in our store.