Scraps come in all shapes, sizes, and mediums- from wood cutoffs to fabric, there is no shortage of leftover material at The Hawk Makerspace.

Most people might simply toss their scraps in the trash and not think twice about it, but you and I aren’t most people- we’re makers! We know a thing or two about the magic and infinite potential of scraps. Keep reading to find out how we utilize our scraps here at The Hawk Makerspace!

 

Introduction

Most of our machines at The Hawk Makerspace have some sort of scrap collection system. If you do a little digging, you can find scrap vinyl, fabric, embroidery stabilizer, wood and acrylic for the laser, and wood cutoffs down in the woodshop with which to tinker.  We are firm believers in the phrase, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!” Whether you are just trying to practice without risking your precious material, or to create a bespoke piece made with unconventional parts- we just might have the perfect scrap for your project!

 

A Scrappy Shelf

Photo provided by Nick Popkes

Nick Popkes, a Makerspace technician, created a sturdy shelf to display his candle collection using cutoffs from a project someone else made using the Shopbot. With nothing but a couple wooden dowels from a clearance rack and some glue he found in his garage, Nick was able to construct a classy new shelf! “I cut some slots into the dowels, then slid the round pieces in with some glue to secure them. The point of it was to be really simple, so I’m happy with the way it turned out. The fact that it was so easy to put together was a bonus,” said Popkes.  

 

Wood-Turned Waste-Not

Jay Penfil’s very first wood-turned bowl and plate

Another Makerspace technician, Jay Penfil, frequently utilizes scrap wood for his wood-turned masterpieces. Jay recalled, “I was working at a cabinetry business, and we always had all kinds of wood scraps. I hated seeing them go to waste, and one day it clicked- I could use these discarded pieces and turn them into something great.”

“One of my coworkers kept insisting that the wood scraps were garbage, and I wanted to prove him wrong. That next day, I brought the bowl I had turned to show him, and he could not stop talking about how beautiful he thought it was.”

If you are a woodturner interested in learning how to glue up scraps for use on our wood lathe, ask for Jay at The Hawk Makerspace!  

 

Fabric Scraps to Fabulous Crafts

One of our favorite textile scrap projects is taking fabric scraps and sewing them into a unique quilt square! This is awesome practice for beginners, and a fun way to get creative for seasoned quilters. All you need is a square shaped piece of fabric or batting (if you’re lucky enough to find a scrap piece of batting in the box), 4-6 small scraps to sew over top of it, and if you want it to be a standalone coaster or mug rug- a scrap big enough to cut into a few strips for binding.

 

Fabric Scrap Quilt Square Tutorial

Step one- collect 4-6 scraps that are about an inch or two longer than you want your finished project to be. We chose to create 8” squares, so our scraps were about 10” long and 2” thick. Your strips do not have to be perfectly rectangular, but you could make them into rectangles if you are worried about coverage.

 

Step two- Press a ¼” seam along all of your scraps. This will make it easier to sew them together!

 

Step three- cut a square (or whatever shape you want) of thin muslin or batting that is about an inch or two larger than you want your finished project to be. This will help ensure that you can cut it to size without any gaps from the way your scraps are laid.

 

Step four- sew your scraps down one by one onto the square you cut in step 3! The seam of each scrap should be facing the lefthand side to ensure that no raw edges are exposed.

 

Step five- this is the fun part. Now that you have your quilted square, you can either line it with a binding around the edges and be done, or continue to make more squares and sew them together to make a quilt, a bag, or anything you can think of! We plan to make a stylish bag out of our squares. You can also do some decorative stitching overtop with a sewing machine, or with The Hawk Makerspace’s longarm quilter!

 

Now It’s Your Turn!

What awesome projects have you made out of scraps? Send your best scrappy ideas to makerspace@fhgov.com for a chance to win a free Basic Sewing checkout! All entries must be in no later than August 1^st, 2025.