Batting, interfacing and foam scraps – what to do with them?

Batting and interfacing are bulky so shipping is VERY expensive (especially for those who order them from abroad, like me!). This makes every little scrap of it valuable.

So, what can we do with these small scraps? Small bags, pouches, boxes and bowls are a few options.

BATTING SCRAPS

I use scraps when I have to make larger pieces, too. I join the batting scraps into bigger pieces and I am able to use them for baby quilts, table runners, pillows or large bags. So here is how to join  two batting pieces.

Place the pieces on a cutting mat, overlapping them by at least 1-2 inches. Then with a rotary cutter, cut a wavy line through both layers.

Remove the small strips and now the edges of the two pieces should look like this picture.

Line up the two pieces, matching the curves. Join the two pieces with a hand stitching. Make sure the joining stitching keeps everything flat, the edges don’t have to overlap.

Here is a close-up; stitch as densely as you wish, it depends on how heavily you quilt your piece. Use thread in a MATCHING (white) color.

NOTE – FUSIBLE TAPE
If you want to skip the hand stitching, on the market there is a fusible tape that you can use to keep the pieces together (many brands have this product, like Pellon, Bosal, Prym…). In this case, you have to straighten the edges of the pieces (no curves). Apply the tape and press with an iron following the manufacturer instructions.
UPDATE
Read about other options in the COMMENTS section.

HEAVYWEIGHT FUSIBLE INTERFACING

How about heavyweight interfacing (like Pellon Peltex, Fast2Fuse, Decovil I)? If you make bags, I bet you have a big box of scraps. I save those too!

You just have to straighten the edges with a rotary cutter…

…and join them with a zig zag stitch. Do not overlap the edges. Use a FINE thread in a MATCHING color.

 

I fused this piece to fabric.

For my bags, even if  the interfacing is fusible, I like to stitch on the interfacing +fabric piece as in the image below. It keeps the layers together better and if I used a scrappy interfacing, then this stitching makes the piece stronger.

But what if the interfacing pieces are really small? Use them to make boxes.

FUSIBLE FOAM

My new favorite interfacing for bags is Bosal In-R-Form fusible foam. These are my leftovers after sewing 2-3 bags; I can’t throw them away- there is a lot of money in there!

So I thought to apply the same logic!

Overlapped pieces.

Except it doesn’t work!

It is not easy to make a PERFECT cut through two layers of thick, soft and flexible foam. So chances are the pieces don’t perfectly align.

It is much easier to straighten the edges of the pieces you want to join.

If you have the fusible tape for batting, use it to keep the pieces together. As I don’t have such tape, I used some pieces of scotch tape and I taped the pieces on the non-fusible side.  For double-sided foam, it seems this fusible tape is required.

My three pieces taped together.

Then you turn it with fusible side up, place the fabric on top and fuse them together (you do this on the pressing board). This is the fabric side of my piece.

And below is the foam side (you must remove the scotch tape).
Now you have to add some stitching to keep the pieces together better- stippling is the best option. I stitched a grid and if you want to do this, stitch first the lines perpendicular on to the edges of the foam pieces.

The grid is done and the piece looks great, you can’t say it is made from scraps!

The back.

And what I throw away! Actually, the narrow strip can be used for bag straps.

I turned my piece into a pouch! Now this foam is my favorite way to make pouches, too!

Find my pouch patterns here.

So save your batting and interfacing scraps and put them to good use!