14 Projects for Using Up Scraps and Cutting Down on Household Waste

We’ve rounded up 14 tutorials of helpful items you can make to either cut down on single-use items or revamp items you already own. Most of them are quick projects and all of them will add a pop of color and style to your surroundings too!

1. Reusable Food Wraps

Spoonflower designer Robbi Lindeman’s food wraps are reusable, 100% natural, non-toxic and biodegradable! A great alternative to single-use cling-wrap or zip-top bags, these bags can last up to 12 months with proper maintenance.

2. DIY Lunch Bag

Lunch bags have certainly come a long way from boring (and wasteful) paper or plastic. You can also utilize Fill-A-Yard® to create multiple bags!

3. Reusable Grocery Bag

In the United States alone, 4,000,000,000,000 plastic shopping bags are used each year with only 1% returned back to recycle.* Reusable bags are definitely the way to go!

Pro tip: Leave a few in your car so you’re ready for any last-minute trips to the grocery store.

*Statistic from wmnorthwest.com

These dish-scrubbing sponges are the perfect solution to give scraps or even a pair of old socks a second life. Not only are the steps fast and easy, but you can wash and reuse the sponge over and over again!

Spoonflower graphic designer Alexis made the transition by swapping out her rolls of paper towels with reusable towels made from Organic Cotton Knit. This project is made with just one yard of fabric, no sewing required!

Swapping out your disposable paper napkins for fabric ones is an easy way to add a sustainable and reusable alternative to the table. Spend the afternoon sewing a collection of napkins while listening to your favorite sewing podcast for the perfect crafternoon.

Get rid of the headache that comes with finicky plastic wrap, and think reusable with these bowl covers! They are perfect for resting and rising bread dough, covering pasta or salad for a picnic, or even protecting your stand mixer bowl from dust. The best part is that they’re reversible!

Sewists all over the world can relate to the issue of not knowing what to do with fabric scraps and trimmed selvage. Artist crumpetsandcrabsticks is showing you how to repurpose your Spoonflower selvage to prevent those scraps from making their way into a landfill.

Like the saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s crafter’s treasure.” This refurbished dresser by Barb Blair, aka the Queen of Yard Sale Makeovers, is a community favorite and we can see why. Find out how to repurpose your next thrift-store score in her DIY tutorial.

Traditional period products are expensive and produce a lot of waste. Consider switching to a more reusable option for that time of the month with these pairs of period underwear created by Spoonflower Ambassador Rumana Lasker.

This adorable tote bag by Alicia Steele of Sew What Alicia is super easy to fold up and store in your purse or glove compartment. You will always have this one ready to go when you need a reusable bag! Plus… it has a pocket!

Raise your hand if you’ve been hanging on to a T-shirt from your past that you’re just not quite ready to part with (guilty)! Revamp your old tee into a refashioned raglan with your favorite design from the Marketplace and get ready to breathe new life into your go-to tee.

Keep your fabric scraps and turn them into a cute, stylish necklace with maker Becka Rahn. Whether you create a matching moment with your outfit, add an extra pop of color, reuse your selvage or something else, this project will make you think again about tossing your scraps out.

These buttons only need a couple inches of fabric, what a perfect project to use your tiniest of scraps! Customize your favorite garment or simply use them as decoration.