Today we are back with a bunch of fun inspirational projects to use up those woven scraps that you have sitting around. If you think your scraps are only good for a trash heap, or stuffing a pillow - think again!!!!!

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Who doesn't love a good challenge? I know I do. Challenges get me to think a little outside the box and make it work. It's Rebekah again from Rebekah Sews and today I am sharing a little challenge we ladies did over at Pattern Revolution.

This challenge involved scrap swaps. We all have them. Sitting in bins/baskets/bags, crumpled and added to a never ending pile. And the dreaded question...what do we do with them?? So we traded scraps (scraps from friends are soooo much more fun than your own after all) and sewed them up. I received some awesome scraps from both Larissa and Erica M.

From Erica M. I received an envelope full of woven fabrics. Out of that I chose 4 to work with on this project as others I want to selfishly save for later. The four in this outfit are all Riley Blake from different lines but all work together really well. For the dress I chose another dress that I have never made before but admired from afar. Goodness, wish I had made this sooner. This is the Design Your own Pinny from Boo! Patterns. The different small bodice pieces make it perfect to use scraps for this dress. There are many options in this pattern but I kept it simple, well, for the most part. I did do a little math to figure out how to make the skirt portion a strip work panel skirt to accent my fabric a little and make it a little more fun. Under the dress are the Winter Wear Designs Tout de Suite Bloomer Shorts made in woven. They are adorable. I even added a casing to the outside to enclose my elastic and feature more scraps.

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Sarah Unthank sent me a great pile of wovens, and these were mostly larger pieces so my approach was a little different. I’ve got a slinky poly knit that is going to be pajama shorts for me with the Mama Lucy shorts pattern from Made for Mermaids, and two sweet springtime coordinates that are earmarked for a baby Geranium dress for my niece. Miss P fell in LOVE immediately with the Riley Blake cameras print, and there was a generous piece of that (nearly 30”) so we decided it would get top billing with whatever pattern we picked. In the end, I made a tank dress for her using a storebought tank. I’ve been looking for reasons to practice shirring, since my new (to me) sewing machine loves to shirr. My old machine just plain refused, so I gave up after making an failed attempt every few months or so.

My Janome shirrs like a dream, though, and I’ve been looking for projects to use elastic thread. Based on a RTW dress I’d seen awhile back, I did a narrow hem along the top of the skirt piece and then sewed lines approximately 3⁄8” apart with my elastic thread in the bobbin. The fabric gathered up nicely and I ended up sewing 5 lines this way. I closed the skirt with a french seam, ensuring that my elastic thread tails would stay locked. I sewed one final line across the top of the skirt to attach the shirred skirt to the tank and still maintain a nice amount of stretch around my girl’s waist. This was a sweet and simple project that turned out well, and will be easy to replicate with long sleeves as the cooler weather heads our way.

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Carrie B made a fun dress with her woven scraps - choosing the Road Trip Racerback from Little Lizard King. Colorblocking the skirt allows her to show off various prints without a ton of yardage!

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This was such a fun project and honestly can't wait for the next one. Of course I have my own pile of scraps just begging me to use them. Perhaps it's time to do a little inventory of them and get planning some more scrap projects? Need to add that to my to-do list. One thing I can say is this certainly has gotten me thinking more on how to use the scraps I have and to push me a little outside my comfort zone.

I really love participating in these scrap exchanges because it’s exciting and fun to get packages of fabric in the mail. For our woven fabric exchange, I received these scraps from Rebekah Erhabor.

I used the Twirl Your Heart Out 6 Panel Skirt pattern by Jocole to create this skirt. It’s a great pattern for using those scrap pieces and it’s super quick to sew. One of the best things about all Jocole patterns is that she includes the doll size version. Of course I made a matching skirt for Saige! Thanks so much for all the fabric.