Sewing Patchwork Yardage from Fabric Scraps: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating patchwork yardage with fabric scraps is an excellent way to use leftover fabric creatively, economically and sustainably. It’s a fun and practical way to make unique materials for your sewing projects. This guide will help you turn your fabric scraps into beautiful and functional patchwork yardage.

Patchwork yardage is a resourceful way to use up your fabric scraps, turning them into beautiful new fabric that can be used in a variety of sewing projects. Whether you're a seasoned quilter or just someone who loves to sew, patchwork yardage offers a unique way to create something new and exciting from remnants. So this time, you won’t have to run to the fabric store or spend hours scrolling through fabric lists online. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to make your own continuous yardage, from sorting your scraps to sewing them together into a new, cohesive fabric. It is fun, creative, cheap and very satisfying to see that box of scraps get smaller.

To get started, you'll need the following materials:

• Assorted woven fabric scraps of various sizes and colors
• A cutting mat, ruler and rotary cutter or a marker, ruler and fabric scissors
• A sewing machine with needle and thread. Choose a color that blends with the most prominent block of fabric. It's usually safer to go with a darker shade rather than lighter shade.
• A ruler or measuring tape and a fabric marker
• An iron and ironing board
• Pins or clips

Start by gathering all your fabric scraps. They can be of any size, shape, or color but it helps to have fabrics with a similar weight and drape. The more variety you have, the more interesting your patchwork yardage will be. Sort your scraps into piles based on color, pattern, weight or fabric type. Working with woven, mid-weight fabrics is the easiest way to go. When you are more experienced, you can work with different fabric types. Woven fabrics are easy to cut and sew and stay nice and flat.

I’m assuming all your scraps have been pre-washed from the initial projects these fabrics were used for. If not, they will experience different rates of shrinkage when you place the finished garment in the wash and create all kinds of crinkly, uneven nightmare seams.

Decide on the overall look you want for your patchwork yardage. You can opt for a random, scrappy look or a more organized pattern. It is like a puzzle. To give it some direction, consider the following options:

• Color coordination: Group fabrics by color to create a gradient or color-block effect.
• Pattern play: Mix and match different patterns to add visual interest.
• Theme-based: Create a theme-based patchwork yardage, such as floral, geometric, or seasonal fabrics.

You don’t need to worry about the grainline.

Press all the pieces you are going to cut up.

Trim your fabric scraps into even rectangles and squares.To get nice clean edges, use a rotary cutter and cutting mat to cut your fabric scraps into manageable pieces. The size and shape of the pieces will depend on your design plan. But try to work with straight lines if you are new to this. If you use curved lines, you have more risk of ending up with lumps and bumps in your yardage. Common shapes for patchwork are squares, rectangles, and triangles. Iron flat all the pieces that you will be using.

Just keep in mind that square and rectangular fabric pieces are the easiest to work with and assemble. So cut off all the curvy and uneven edges.. And don’t forget, you'll need a seam allowance of about ¼ inch on all sides of each piece so try to avoid cutting very narrow pieces.

Lay out your fabric pieces on a large flat surface, such as a table or the floor. Arrange them according to your design plan and the size of the yardage you need for your project. If you need this yardage for a clothing pattern, you will be assembling bigger pieces than when you make fabric for a pencil pouch for example.

Play around with different arrangements until you're happy with the layout. This is a great opportunity to experiment with different color combinations and patterns. Let those creative juices flow! Instead of sticking to a pre-thought design, you can also go with the flow, assemble as you go and let the moment inspire you.

Once you're satisfied with the arrangement or you have enough scraps ready, it's time to start sewing. Here’s how:

1. Pair and Pin: Take two fabric pieces, right sides together, and pin them along the edge you want to sew. Make sure to align the edges and corners precisely. The puzzle can sometimes be a head scratcher. To make it easier on yourself, you can try to sew different fabric scraps together into big strips first and then assemble those strips. They can be of different widths. You can also start with a square in the middle and go from there, adding strips and pieces as you go. As I said, it can be a bit of a puzzle.

2. Sew: Using a sewing machine, stitch the pieces together with a ¼-inch seam allowance. If you want to use a ⅜ of an inch allowance, you can, as long as you stay consistent. Backstitch at the beginning and end of each seam to secure the stitches. Make sure you keep stitching straight lines. Finish the edges of the sewn seams with a serger, a zigzag or an overcast stitch

3. Press: After sewing, press the seam with an iron to set the stitches and reduce bulk. Press the seams flat consistently so you can sew the different pieces together neatly.

4. Continue Cutting and Sewing: Repeat this process. Cut the sewn pieces straight, align with a new piece, pin, sew and continue adding one piece at a time. At a certain point you will be able to sew bigger patchwork pieces together to get to your final design and yardage.

If you’re making a larger patchwork yardage, you may need to sew your pieces into rows and then join these patchwork rows together, matching up seams and corners. Keep using the same seam allowance.

After sewing all the pieces and rows together, your patchwork yardage may be slightly uneven. Use a ruler and rotary cutter to trim the edges and square up the yardage, if you want. This is optional but it will give you a neat, professional finish. If you are using the yardage for a clothing pattern for example, squaring up the full size yardage is not necessary.

If you want to stabilize your patchwork yardage, consider adding a layer of fabric stabilizer to the back. This is optional and depends on what you will use it for, but it can help prevent stretching and distortion.

Now, it’s time to put it to good use. Here are some ideas for using your patchwork yardage:

• Home Decor: Make cushion covers, table runners, or curtains.
• Clothing: Create unique garments like tops, blouses, dresses, or jackets.
• Accessories: Craft bags, tote bags, pouches, or fabric baskets.

Quilting: Use your patchwork yardage as the top layer or back of a quilt. If you are interested in learning more about quilting, we have a complete quilting beginners series of blogs that will help you get started.

Making patchwork yardage with fabric scraps is a fantastic way to recycle materials and express your creativity. With a bit of planning and sewing, you can turn your fabric remnants into a beautiful, functional piece of fabric for your projects. So gather your scraps, start sewing, and enjoy the process of creating something new and unique!

By following these steps, you can transform your fabric scraps into a one-of-a-kind piece of fabric. Not only is this a sustainable way to use materials, but it also allows you to create personalized projects that reflect your style and creativity.

Questions? Tips? Leave a comment below or send me an email an@madamsew.com 

Happy sewing!

An
Blogging for MadamSew.com