Using Knit Fabric Scraps ~ Craft Room Destash Challenge

Scrappy Goodness

This basket sits beside my yarn shelf & I throw knit scraps into it when I finish a project. It’s overflowing, which means it’s time to use it or lose it!

I also put old t-shirts & other knit clothing in this basket, so it can be cut up & recycled.

Originally, I wanted to try to make a spiral type rug connected with a zigzag stitch, similar to the rope rugs you see. This didn’t work out so great, but it did look like a rose to me.

Next, I tried sewing a basting stitch right down the center of a knit strip.

When I pulled up the thread, it ruffled & looked like a different flower. Maybe a chrysanthemum?

I thought these would be neat as an applique or maybe it could be attached to a barrette, but I really wanted to make a rug.

I decided to try sewing the strips to a base to make it sturdier. Batting scraps would be great for this!

Once I sewed my batting scraps into a squarish shape, I started working on what I thought would be a rug. This is where things started sliding a little sideways!

Making a – Rug? Wall Hanging? Pillow Cover!

I started in the center of the batting & rolled the end over in a swirl. Using a zigzag stitch & a heavy duty needle I stitched over the edges. Be sure to keep the abutting edges centered on the stitch.

Just keep rotating & stitching.

Then you have a rose! The wrinkles, or petals, form as you rotate the strip around the center. Don’t pull on it as your sewing or it will make the base puckered. Guess how I know that?  ; )

I grabbed some pink strips & arranged them around the center rose. These were a heavier knit & didn’t roll like the lighter knit.

I used a basting stitch on these strips & pulled up the thread to ruffle them. I noticed they didn’t ruffle the same. This is because the stretchier part of the grain is running a different direction in each piece. Interesting!

I pinned the next layer down before stitching.

I stitched right over the basting stitch with a zigzag stitch. Then I added some more roses.

After adding some more pink, I wasn’t completely sure I liked the way this was turning out. It definitely wasn’t a rug. Maybe wall art?

At one point I thought I could add it to some fabric and make a pillow cover, which I still may do. This led me to another pillow cover idea, which I decided to make. I was trying to salvage my messy start!

Pillow Cover Take 2

I grabbed an older throw pillow to cover & some weird green jersey knit I have way too much of. Why? I really don’t recall!

I wanted to just make ruffled strips for this idea. To do this, you just stitch right down the center of a strip {about 1″} with a basting stitch. This is just a straight stitch on my machine set to the highest stitch length.

Make sure to leave a long thread tail on each end. Tie one end in a knot to hold the threads in place.

Pin the knotted end to one side of the backing fabric. Then pull up the bottom thread to ruffle the strip until it’s the same length as the backing fabric.

I zigzag stitched right over the basting stitch to attach it to the backing fabric. Some strips were not long enough, so I just over lapped the ends of two pieces.

So, this is what I have so far. It still needs to be sewn down & I need to add more strips. Too much of that green showing for me!

This whole project turned into a big ol’ experiment! I did find some new ways to use those knit scraps, so it’s not a total bust. Maybe I should just stick to rolling them up for yarn!

You’ll see at least one of these finished in my Monthly Roundup at the end of the month. Meanwhile, let’s look at what everyone else did for their Craft Room Destash Challenge. Hopefully they had less trouble than I did!