Textile scraps can be hard to know what to do with. Whether it is extra pieces of fabric from a crafting project or a shirt that would otherwise be donated or trashed, keeping unnecessary waste out of the landfills is healthy for us and for the planet. With the holiday season in full swing there are plenty of ideas to repurpose these types of textiles into festive decorations that can save us money too. The best part of using excess fabrics in such a way is the ability to reuse them for many years, perhaps even passing them down to future generations!
If you’re the crafty type, these ideas will surely inspire you to get out your sewing machine or hot glue gun. However, if your priorities lie in hosting, preparing your home and food, or simply enjoying other holiday traditions, a local or top online tailor can certainly assist you with textile projects such as these. Always remember that communication is the key for the tailor-made outcome you are looking for as well as for a quick turnaround.
Having pictures of the type of project outcome you’re looking for to show the tailor or the seamstress assistant is a great way to start. Further, by calling, emailing, or setting up a Zoom call with a highly rated tailor even before you visit the shop, you can save time and money. This will ensure you provide the necessary materials for the project so the process is streamlined. If taking advantage of the convenience of a top online tailoring service, this communication protects against having to mail more than one box of materials.
First Holiday Textile Project: Fabric Garland
This project is arguably the least time consuming and can be modified in color and construction, so don’t be afraid to make it your own. Festive red, green, and checkered-patterned textile scraps go a long way to incorporate Christmas cheer whereas white, silver, gold, and black can be hung all Winter and even through the New Year holiday. Perhaps try a mixture of all these colors, especially if you are working with smaller amounts of fabric. There are a couple of popular ways to string together a fabric garland, both are pretty simple.
The first type of construction cannot get any easier. Simply cut strips of fabric into 22” long pieces, about 1.5” wide. Keep in mind that this garland can very easily be varied in length and width of fabric strips to fit whatever space you are trying to fill. Once your fabric is cut, just knot each piece around a long piece of twine, yarn, or string and it’s ready to hang!
The other way of making fabric garland can be a little more time consuming but produces equally as cute results. Construct tassels from fabric or extra yarn if you have it. Whichever material you use, tassels are constructed in a similar way- check out this great tutorial from the blog “It All Started With Paint” on how to construct your very own tassels and garland! This type of fabric garland can appear a little more polished, but just as equally festive.
Second Textile Holiday Decoration: Banner
This is yet another type of “garland” that can be strung for added festiveness to your home for the holidays! This time instead of adding just color, you can also add fun sayings or characters. Banners are pretty simple to construct. We suggest printing out a template so your individual fabric pieces, most often triangles, are all the same size. Tip: make sure there is some room at the top so that the fabric can be folded over and attached to the twine with a needle and thread or fabric glue.
From here, get creative with your saying or characters. These can be painted on or fabric sewn on top if you’d like to have something a little longer lasting. Banners can be so fun because they have the option of being reversible! Just add the same size fabric triangle with different letters or characters to the back side of each shape to easily transition from one holiday to the next. For example, one side could read “Merry Christmas” and the other could simply have snowflake shapes.
Third Textile Holiday Decoration: Ornaments
There are tons of simple fabric Christmas tree ornaments that are easy enough for the kids to join in on the crafting. Some even include bringing natural elements indoors, like this twig and fabric tree ornament we found on the blog “Fireflies and Mud Pies.” Another idea is simply tying pieces of fabric into classic bows to sit in your tree as ornament gap fillers.
The most intricate fabric ornament is cutting two identical shapes, such as a star, a snowman, or a candy cane, and sewing these pieces together, adding stuffing (perhaps other “unusable” fabric scraps!) before completing the last few stitches. This could be a project for your local or trusted online tailor, especially if you can’t find the time or aren’t handy with a needle and thread. Contact a top online tailor today so your custom order will be ready for your Christmas tree.
Fourth Textile Holiday Decoration: Frame it
This is another simple yet chic way to use up those old fabric scraps that tend to take up space in your home. Use a precision knife to cut out fun holiday shapes like snowmen, Christmas trees, snowflakes, or anything else you’d like out of paper. Lay it on the glass of the frame. Cut your fabric to the same dimensions of your frame and layer it over the cardstock so that the fabric pops can be seen in the cutout. Continue framing your picture as normal and voila! Framed fabric. To raise this craft to the next level, try cutting out an entire holiday scene or using different patterned fabric overlapping each other for an even more dynamic framed “picture.”
Whichever craft you choose in order to use up that old fabric cluttering your house, make sure you make it your own and that your local or online tailor is there to assist you if needed on your sewing needs! Merry Craft-mas and Happy Hobby-days!