10 DIY Ideas you can do with Leftover Fabrics

2020 will be remembered as a year where nature taught us how Karma works.

The "Lungs of the World", Amazon Forests produces 20% of the world's oxygen. Just after the Amazon Wildfire, we were fighting the novel Coronavirus disease, which ironically, decreases a person's lung functioning by 20%.

If this doesn't make you nurture nature, instead of torturing, then this decade will be nature's war cry. That's why it is about time we start thinking sustainably.

However, that doesn't stop with banning Plastics. Fabrics are a threat to our atmosphere. It is hidden from our hindsight, but when fabrics are dumped on landfills, it takes hundreds of years to decompose. Until they decompose, they eject CO2 and methane to the atmosphere - two of the major gases causing Global warming. According to reports, around 80 billion garments are produced annually, among which, 16.5% end up in landfills. This data shows the stringent need for reusing garments. Hence, if you have some leftover fabric, make use of them, instead of throwing them away.

1. Sleeves for Blouse

Styling the sleeves for your blouse can be frustrating for two reasons: First, the trend changes every year - loose puff sleeves were popular in the 2000s, but do you see any of them in 2020?

Secondly, the hesitancy in buying a complementing fabric for the sake of styling sleeves - it is not always that your sleeveless top comes with a piece of extra fabric.

While we try to keep you posted on the latest trends for styling sleeves on our Blogs, we can offer a solution for the second problem right now!

If you're hesitant to buy new fabric, you can either use the leftover fabric or buy precut fabric from our website. Sew a piece from it to the bodice and set it into the armscye with sleeve head adjusted to the roundness of your shoulders.

 

2. Fabric Jewellery

Fabric or Textile Jewellery is another case that proves the versatility of fabrics!

Fabric jewellery adds a different attitude to your outfit. Perfect for those who are tired of embracing gold or silver, all the time. You can make one at home, or have it built by a designer using the fabric of your choice.

The easiest way to make one is to surround your fabric button with colourful pieces of textile and have a thread run across it - making a necklace! 

3. Use For Cleaning

This ninja technique is brought to you by Indian Moms! If you pay close attention to the dusters and cleaning clothes of your house, you will most probably find blouse pieces or kurta material.

However, if that's not the case, then add this to your list of how to use the overage of kurta material, after stitching.

At the same time, ensure that you don't make use of fabrics that have precious stones adorned in them. Because this will impinge or scratch the surface - making your motive counterproductive.

4. Make Clothes for Thakur Ji

Ideally, this is where you should use the  netted fabric or brocade. Leftovers from your fashion project can be used for tailoring the dress for Thakur Ji.

You can adorn the deity using the fabric. For this, the first step should be to cut down the fabric to the required dimensions. This way, you will have more freedom in tailoring the cloth down to the required dimensions while retaining the adorned stones.

In most of the households, Thakur Ji's presence is considered like a sanctum - where everyone will gather and offer their prayers for the wellbeing of the entire family.

Hence, decorating the deity will give you immense satisfaction, and can be considered as a good pastime activity!

5. Use Piping for Next Kurta

Not everyone would like wearing plain Kurta to their offices. If you want to take your office wear to a whole new level, then we suggest adding piping.

Piping is one of the easiest ways to design a Kurta. All you need is a matching garment that compliments the colour of the Kurta and a pair of thread and needle! Stitch the garment around the edges of your kurta in a way that there is enough space for the garment to accommodate.

Instead of purchasing a new one, you can use the extra piece from any of your other kurtas.

6. Make buttons

Fabric buttons are easy to make, and add a lot of character to your dress.

The three-step procedure for this starts with cutting the fabric to match the diameter of your button. Then, have it stitched around the corners, letting the fabric occupy the most of the button's periphery. Next step is to stitch this fabric button to your favourite dress.

If you find this strenuous, then you can easily purchase a kit for making fabric buttons, online.

7. Patchwork bedsheet

A small piece of overage is not sufficient enough to be used as a bedsheet.

Hence, the best way is to patch them together. This way, you can exhaust the entire stash of clothes that you were planning to dump after your stitching project.

If you are concerned about aesthetics, you can go for matching colours. However, no one would judge the colour or embellishment of your bed sheet, as long as it keeps you warm on a cold night.

8. Masks

It shouldn't come as a surprise if I tell you that people around the world use cotton masks more than the medically approved N95 masks for seeking protection against COVID-19.

At the same time, you can't deny the fact that it was the cotton mask that came in handy when the world was in short of N95 masks. Also, cotton masks do work fine outdoors and are only not preferred in contagious areas such as Hospitals.

Therefore, if you have some fabric left after stitching a new kurta, make a mask out of it, and wear it along with the dress - making a stunning combination!

While you are at it, ensure that you have at least 3 layers of cotton in your mask and that the mask wouldn't choke you if you wear it for 7-8 hours straight. 

9. Wall Frames

If you have plans to renovate the interiors of your house, then you have to try this DIY Fabric Wall Frames.

While people are accustomed to framing photos and artwork, you can try something out-of-the-box and having a piece of embellished clothing framed.

This way, the fabric will compliment your wall and will give a nice little touch of novelty to your house!

One of the ideas that come across my mind, is to frame the dresses you wore on a memorable day - like the Wedding dress, First Birthday Dress etc. To know how to do this, you can watch this video.

It is better to get an overview before jumping into a big project such as this!

10. Patchwork top

Similar to patchwork bedsheet, in patchwork top, you are piecing the different colours of garments to build a dress. So, the colour selection, combination and aesthetic preference will be very crucial in this case.

The method is the same, have the dimensions of your body from a dress of yours, and cut it. Then, stitch the pieces of the leftover fabric together for getting the final patchwork-ed top! Making the patchwork top is interesting, and while you are at it, you will have to bring out your creative side to triumph.

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If you run out of your leftover fabrics, and would still want to finish your patchwork top or, if you plan on pursuing the aforementioned projects to kill time during the lockdown period(it is the perfect time to be creative!), then you can purchase  precut fabrics from our website - so that you can ensure that you are not making an overage again.

 

Another alternative is to opt for the wide range of sustainable fabrics that we offer. This way, you are averting the oversize impact that fabrics have on our environment - consciously stopping the consequences of fabric on the environment right from the beginning stages of textile production!