When it comes to being sustainable and a crafty individual, there isn’t much that you can’t or won’t do, because why spend hundreds of pounds on homeware if you can technically do it yourself?
I think that’s what a lot of people forget: that you can make so many things with old previous purchases that are collecting dust, and we might as well save some money while putting our skills to the test, but also adding some personalised and unique home decor to our space.
Cushion Covers
While you might need quite a bit of fabric for this one, it’s also a great idea if you have some scraps to do a patchwork cushion cover. I personally love a mixture of colours, textures and themes within my home so having a range of different cushions on the sofa is a dream for me.
The best part is that the only complicated bit would be to sew on the zip, which is technically still extremely easy and simple to do. This little venture should take you no longer than an hour for a beginner, but may also take longer depending on whether you are doing some form of patchwork.
A Patchwork Quilt
This could be something you throw over your bed at the end, and can be an ongoing task that you have, as doing this all in one day would be pretty difficult and take the fun out of it. But collecting old clothing pieces or even grabbing cheap materials from charity shops is a great and efficient way to craft something that you will use all year long.
It’s funny because one that you might find online, you’d be looking to spend anything between £60 and £200 for a good quality one, all the while you can make one for a slight fraction of the price.
Braided Rug
I was so happy when I found that I could make a rug out of my old clothing and all I needed were old t-shirts, abayas and other cotton-based fabrics I had no more use for. The guide I found said you only need between 5 and 10 t-shirts but it all depends on how big you want the rug so you can carry on till you are happy.
This is also a great idea for those who don’t have a sewing machine, as you can hand-stitch the sections together really easily.
Before you begin braiding, you need the fabric, a pair of scissors and a needle and thread. For a full tutorial, I’d simply search ‘braided t-shirt rug’; there should be a couple of tutorials available.
Stuffed Animals
Nursery accessories or even gifts for people who are expecting – it’s a great way to use some little fabric scraps to create little outfits and a larger piece of fabric to create the animal. It, of course, doesn’t have to be extremely realistic and is just a bit of fun. You could also stuff them with other scrap fabric, old newspapers or soft plastic. The sky is the limit, really, on what fabrics you can use from around the house.