I have always got a jar of scraps in my room. All those little bits from trimmed half square triangles, if they are too small to cut into useable squares, go into my jar. It is regularly overflowing, and I have sent a few bags out to school craft clubs and nursery's so, if you are ever placing an order or if you are local to Grantham and could make use of extra scraps, please let me know. Here, I will show you a few ways that you can use them up to make cards. I have said Mother's Day but the same concept could be used for any occasion.
I have done a couple of options that will hopefully inspire you to give it a go. For one I have used my Cricut but, if you don't have one there are ways around it.
NO SEW OPTION
YOU WILL NEED
Fabric scraps
Glue stick
Scissors
Paper or card
Cricut (optional)
METHOD
The no sew option is a great option if you are doing this with kids. I got George involved in helping me with this one.
1. For this I have used my Cricut to make the card shapes. I have done a simple heart which you could cut out yourself without a Cricut and I have done one with a smaller heart and the word Nanny. You can buy cards with cut outs in them already or use scissors or a scalpel blade to create your own designs.
2.With a piece of paper or card that is just slightly smaller than the front of your card, add some glue. I have found a glue stick works best. PVA glue can make the paper wrinkly. Grab your scraps and stick them down. You might want to cut them down into smaller sizes first. Now just keep adding them until you have filled your paper.
3. When your paper is filled and looking beautiful, add some glue to the inside of the card and press your square into the space.
It is as simple as that!
SEWING METHOD
YOU WILL NEED
Fabric scraps
Fusible interfacing
Sewing machine
Irons and ironing board
Scissors
Card
METHOD
1. Get a piece of interfacing. I have used Bosal fusible cotton interfacing. It doesn't need to be big so if you have offcuts, work around what you have. Gather up your scraps and place them right way up on the shiny side of the interfacing. You may want to cut them down a little. Arrange them until you are happy, trying not to overlap too much and avoiding gaps.
2. When it is filled, give it a spray of water, place a cloth or scrap of fabric over the top (to avoid glue on your iron in case there are any gaps). Iron in place depending on the instructions of the interfacing you are using. I have used a medium heat and held it for 10-20 seconds.
3. Now you need to sew it all together. I have put the free motion foot on my machine and have sewn across all the fabric randomly. Make sure you catch all the pieces in the stitches so it will need to be quite close together. If you don't have a free motion foot you can do some wavy or straight lines, or what ever you fancy trying out.
4. On the back of the fabric draw some shapes to cut out. I have drawn some hearts and then cut them out.
5. Arrange them on the card, top stitch them in place using a long stitch on your machine.
I have left it as simple as that, but you can get creative and create different shapes, letters, petals and layer them up to make something really pretty. If you are inspired and give it a go, I would love to hear from you!