
Funky Flower Pins from Fabric Scraps
I have been continuing to think of what I can do with all the scraps of fabric that are crammed into my studio. (Ann has really gotten me going with her 2nd Quarter Challenge.) I have bags of commercial fabric scraps and then tons of fabric that I have dyed, screen printed, stamped, stenciled or thrown color upon in some manner. I need to start using these up before the studio overflows and the fabric starts to take over. (Not that it hasn’t already but…)
So I decided to make some flower pins. I used some of my ugliest screen printed fabric for the centers. I rolled up the fabric and twisted it into a spiral. Then I hand stitched the spiral together. I made a pile of fabric scraps for the petals and leaves and then machine stitched the pile of fabric together.
Then I hand stitched the center on to the petals.
I cut a small circle of felted wool blanket that has been dyed, stamped and a variety of other things which has been in my stash for years. I sewed on a pin backing and hand stitched the circle of felt to the back of the flower.
Here’s another one. As you can see I don’t worry about the scraps being nice and even. It’s nice not to have to worry about if the scrap is flat or ironed and whether the edges are neat. I use the pinking shears on the cotton fabrics.
And here are the two finished pins. You can trim the petals a bit if you like after you finish. So I got two done.
And here’s the studio after I finished. I still have a gazillion fabric scraps, the studio is a mess and I’d need to make hundreds more to use up all these scraps. Perhaps I need to increase the scale of my projects to get rid of more scraps?
12 thoughts on “Funky Flower Pins from Fabric Scraps”
Good on you for making a start!! My fabric scraps have started composting down…
Thanks Cath! I’m sure mine are more than composted having sat in a bin for years.
Great idea, Ruth! I found a bag of fabric scraps last week when I was tidying felt scraps away, I looked at them for a minute thinking I should do something with them, then thought of clearing all the threads and snippings away after and shoved them back in a drawer! I like the way you’ve done the centres 🙂
Thanks Zed – I have about 50 bags of fabric scraps, plus a big bin of fabric and then even larger pieces of dyed fabric. An unending supply which I keep adding to. So I’m running out of drawers to shove them into.
Wonderfully pretty idea to combine scraps of fabrics and I like the centres – they give a firmness to the delicate flowers. You could easily make one to complement a special outfit and they would make lovely corsages for wedding guests.
Your studio looks like Annie’s!
Thanks Lyn! I do think they would work well for corsages. I just need to make more in a bunch of color choices. I will have to clean my studio up soon as it’s driving me crazy.
Great use of the scraps Ruth. You’ll have to let us know how they sell at the shop. I can see making a wall hanging or something for the door on a larger scale. Your studio looks like mine. 🙂
Thanks Marilyn, I will have to make more before I try to sell them. Just two won’t sell by themselves. I guess I could work out making wreaths with fabric scraps, that might work. It’s time to clean up my studio.
Ruth, I Absolutely Love the photo of your studio. That’s what mine looks like when I’m creating. I like the reuse of the fabric scraps. I have not collected quite that much, but I’m on my way.
When I deconstruct thrift-store items, I often have a polyester knit lining. I have just been tossing those. Am I committing heresy, or just being prudent?
Thanks Elizabeth! Good to know that I’m not the only one that has stuff strewn all over the place. I think getting rid of polyester knit lining is perfectly OK. I don’t use much polyester material myself.
Great flowers Ruth I may have to borrow that idea for some of my scraps. Time is what we all need I think.
Thanks Ann – you’re welcome to borrow the idea. They are pretty simple to make.