There are lots of ways to repurpose old clothes and turn them into something new, for yourself or for someone else. But some clothes do reach the point where they really are beyond saving.
Just because clothes cannot be used for their original purpose any more, that does not mean that you have to throw away the scrap fabric. Scraps of fabric can still find a wide range of uses. You probably already have plenty of ideas for using larger pieces of fabric. But what should you do with tiny scraps or strips left over from other projects?
If you have some odds and ends of fabric that cannot be used for larger DIY sewing projects, here are a few zero waste ideas to help you work out what to do with them.
- Make DIY ribbon for Christmas presents or other projects by sewing scraps together in strips.
- Fabric strips could also be woven together to make a simple hanger for a houseplant.
- Save up tiny scraps of fabric and use them for a larger project such as a rag rug.
- Make some bunting for a child’s room or den (or even for a dolls house if you have tiny leftover fabric scraps).
- Speaking of dolls, you could make some clothes for one out of small pieces of fabric.
- Or use them to make a tiny doll’s house patchwork quilt.
- Children might also enjoy making a collage with some tiny scraps.
- Thicker fabric scraps might also be useful in place of felt pads below coasters or place mats to stop them slipping around on a smooth surface.
Many of the fabrics from which clothes are made cannot be recycled. But we can be responsible about how we have use of them for as long as possible. And in future we can try to stick to clothes that can simply be disposed of in a composting system.
EWSP Consultancy 