What to do with all the fabric scraps you have? Make this fabric twine to use in further projects!
If you like to sew, you probably have the same problem like I do – what do do with all the fabric leftovers? They’re too small to be used for proper sewing but too big for you not to care if you throw them in the trash. I don’t sew every day but I’ve collected a box or ten of these scraps from my sewing projects.
I will give you a suggestion how to use those really small scraps in another tutorial, here I’d like to focus on the larger ones that can be cut into stripes. You can use with short stripes but I personally recommend to have at least 20 cm/8 in long ones. The longer the stripe, the easier the work.
By the way, if you like to recycle and upcycle, here are a few more projects of mine.
Table of Contents
How to choose the fabric
You can use any fabric you want and you can combine them as you want. Nevertheless, I would recommend sticking with a similar type of fabric. I make the fabric twine (or fabric rope, if you prefer) usually from cotton canvas or from jersey.
It’s easier to pick the fabric if you know that you’d like to use the twine for. If you need a sturdy twine for a project that needs to keep its shape, thickly woven canvas will be ideal. Softer things require rather material like the jersey.
As for the color, you can make the twine from one color, several colors, or go completely boho and just use whatever you can find – lots of fabric of different colors and prints.
Supplies
- lots of fabric scraps
- scissors
- thread and needle
Fabric Scrap Twine – Tutorial
Cut and twist
Cut the fabric into 2 – 2,5 cm (about 1 in) wide stripes.
Take two stripes and place their ends on top of each other. Topstitch. Whenever you need to stitch in this project, it’s enough to go there and back with the needle a couple of times, you don’t need to sew more properly.
Hold each stripe in one hand and start twisting the right one in the direction away from you. It’s enough to twist about 5 cm/2 in.
Now flip the right stripe to the left over the left one and the left stripe to the right under the right one. So the stripes have changed places and now you twist the (new) right stripe again away from you.
Then you flip the stripes again to the opposite side and you’ll continue doing the same steps. So you actually twist each stripe separately and also around each other.
Use something heavy to put the end of your twine under, it will be much easier to twist if the end cannot move.
Adding fabric and finishing
If one of the stripes is almost all used up, it’s very easy to add another stripe. First you need to topstitch the end of the spiral (where you last twist the two stripes around each other) and leave about 2 cm loose at the end you’re going to add to. Place an end of the new stripe under the end of the old stripe, topstitch (or you can fold them over first) and that’s it, you can continue twisting.
Once you’re completely finished, do what you did with the other part of ends, just fold them over and stitch together.
Clew
Now you have meters and meters (yards and yards;-) of fabric rope. What to do with it?
If you don’t want to use it for another project straightaway, just roll it into a ball.
