A Calm Creative Break: Turning Fabric Scraps into Wall Art

A Scrap of Creativity

I’ve had a super stressful week at work, but no matter how hectic my working life gets, I’ve learned that I always feel better when I’m creating something with my hands.

The only problem? This week, I had absolutely no energy or desire to sit and concentrate at my sewing machine. Normally, when that happens, I doodle—but this time, I followed the tug of doing something new.

I don’t know if anyone else does this, but I keep all my fabric scraps. Throwing them away feels wasteful, and I always tell myself they’ll come in handy one day. Well, this week, that day arrived. I pulled them out from the cupboard, dumped them onto the floor, and started playing around with the idea of making some wall art.

The week before, I’d bought a 20cm x 20cm frame to house an art print—but then a little spark went off: what if I created my own art to put inside it?

As I sorted through the pile of scraps, I noticed how many complementary colours appeared—shades I naturally gravitate towards. It makes sense, really, since I’d already made clothes from these fabrics. But it was still a bit of a revelation: over time, without planning to, I’ve curated my own colour palette (clearly, I like purple and blue). Most of my clothes now pair well together—and so, it turns out, do my scraps.

Unlike many of my other creative projects, I didn’t do any research beforehand. I simply started cutting, arranging pieces, and seeing what worked.

Honestly, the joy was immediate. It felt like my creative voice knew exactly what I needed this week—and I just followed it.

It’s not finished yet. Each night, I’ve been slowly stitching a piece as I unwind, and I’ve really enjoyed having something small and satisfying to work on while watching TV. I also love that every scrap has a story—I know exactly which garment each one came from. In a way, it feels like the fabric is giving back to me a second time.

Even though it’s just a small piece of art and didn’t use up much scrap fabric, it still feels meaningful. It wouldn’t have existed if I’d simply tossed those leftovers in the bin.

This project has reminded me to slow down. I spend so much time at work and then daydreaming about what I’ll sew in my free time that I sometimes pressure myself to just make something—anything—rather than truly enjoying the process. To help prevent burnout, I might stick with little projects like this now and then, ones that let me create without pressure.

Of course, that’s not to say I didn’t do any sewing prep this week—I still washed fabric and got some A0 patterns printed. But I know that when I return to those projects next week, I’ll approach them with a refreshed mindset and a genuine desire to create.

I’d love to hear—what do you do with your fabric scraps? Have you ever turned them into art? And do you ever feel that pull to make something, even when sewing a whole garment just feels like too much?

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