NOTHING GOES TO WASTE

When you're as dedicated to using every last little bit of fabric as I am, you hate to throw away even the smallest piece. So you cut your scraps down into squares and strips and maybe even sort them by color so you can use them in projects. But there are still those bits. The selvedges and the wonky edges you trim from a piece of fabric, the pieces of batting that are smaller than a potholder, the seams of a garment that is being cut up and repurposed - there has to be something better than throwing them in the trash.

There is something better I turn mine into dog beds, which I donate to our county animal shelter. The process is pretty simple. I start with a fabric bag made from muslin or some other fabric that is basically disposable. I've used fabrics that were faded, as well as prints that I was no longer fond of. The size is up to you. I make mine about 22 inches square so I can use the full width of the fabric and have the selvedge at the open end. I have that bag hung up with binder clips near my cutting table. All those bits that would otherwise go in the trash go in that bag.

When it's full, it looks something like this: This one is actually too full. I had to pull a couple handfuls of batting out before I could sew it up. I tried leaving it all, but it was too chubby and the seam tried to go all wonky, so I took some of the stuffing out and it sewed up much nicer. I don't do anything fancy with the sewing. Since the edges are selvedges they don't need any special treatment. For the sake of sturdiness I sewed about a 3/8 inch seam, then folded the edges over and sewed again. 

All this is going to be hidden inside a pretty cover, so it doesn't matter what it looks like, so long as the stuffing stays inside. When it's sewn up it looks like this:

Someone is going to ask about washing, so here's my disclaimer. I've never washed one of these, but everything in it is washable, so it shouldn't be a problem. It might not be as poofy after washing, since the batting bits might clump up, but remember it's a dog bed. If it gets too dirty and washing isn't an option, throw it out. It will have done some good and that's what counts. 

Next comes the pretty cover. For this one I used a piece of quilt fabric that was a bit too "vintage" for my style. I have also used upholstery fabric and sturdy garment fabric as covers; This is the part that is going to get washed often, so it needs to be sturdy. I used a tape measure to get the dimensions of the pillow then cut the cover to fit snugly. I use a simple envelope style with button closures, but you could use a zipper or Velcro as alternatives. I have plenty of odd buttons and my machine makes buttonholes like it was made just to do that one job, so that's what I do. I like the cover to fit snugly so I usually cut the fabric to the actual measurement of the pillow; seam allowances take up just enough to give a nice snug fit to the cover. This one just needs its buttons and it will be ready to make some small shelter dog more comfortable.

The last step is to make a new bag to receive the next batch of scraps. I made this one from the same fabric I used to cover the first one since it was already out and I knew I didn't want to keep it in stash. As you can see, the scraps I pulled out so I could sew up the first one have made a good start in filling this one. 

There are lots of ways to use up those last bits of fabric. I've cut them into shreds and machine stitched heavily over them to make a design. Some get used as "leaders" and "enders" at the sewing machine. Some become cat toys. The important thing is that it doesn't just get tossed into the trash. You paid for every square inch of that fabric, so you might as well use it.